"Phew, fresh air at last," Reisen Riou muttered, scratching his head, ready to check on Ei's recent administrative work.
Okuzumeshu soldiers and clerks bowed as he passed, and Reisen returned each salute.
"Yo, Reisen! Been a hot minute," Kagei Tengu's eyes lit up. "Know where the General's at? Got a small matter for her."
"Been a while, yeah. The General's tied up with some stuff," Reisen said, already drifting off.
"Hey! Where you off to?" Kagei Tengu called.
"Soaking in a hot spring to wash off the grime, then checking Ei's paperwork," Reisen replied, labor
Reisen vanished.
At the Kanjou Commission's bathhouse, he scrubbed away fatigue and lingering miasma.
Then he headed to Tenshukaku to review documents.
As expected, Ei had a backlog, but it wasn't bad.
Understandable—she wasn't stuck at a desk like him. She led troops against wild beasts.
"Not too many papers piled up," Reisen noted, flipping through. The oldest was a five-day-old granary fire report, already handled, just filed for the Shogunate's records.
Most were from the past two days. He thought about organizing them and leaving, but spotted thank-you letters from Sumeru and Liyue. He recognized Ganyu's handwriting in Liyue's.
The letters thanked him for the solid ley line crystals.
They detailed each nation's state.
Liyue was faring well. The beast tide was strong, but the adepti pushed it underground. The Thousand Rock Army took heavy losses, but civilians were mostly spared.
Sumeru was worse off.
Greater Lord Rukkhadevata was absent during the dark tide's assault.
Oddly, Khaenri'ahn remnants helped Sumeru fend off the beasts. Reisen guessed they were from Khaenri'ah's mechanical faction, rivals to the taboo-dabbling alchemical faction. Enemies, naturally.
Reisen's trip wasn't just for air. He wanted a read on Teyvat's current state.
The continent was a mess. The Northern Intelligence Network was mostly down, its branches operating independently.
During his rule, Reisen had conscripted their agents and guards, so he relied on the Kanjou and Yashiro Commissions' Final Watch for intel.
Only those two had the manpower to gather foreign intelligence.
The Rock-Shadow-Thunderlight Brigade, the Tengu Party under the Tenryou Commission, and the Shogunate's Far-Reaching Retainers were all recalled recently.
"Might need to check on those agents, or things could go south," Reisen mused.
But at their base, only clerks remained. The agents were swamped.
No chaos, as he'd feared. Everyone was too busy for that.
…
"Lord Reisen," a Final Watch shrine maiden from the Yashiro Commission bowed.
"Got any recent intel on other nations? Anything works," Reisen asked.
"Yes, my lord. One moment." She flipped through files, whispered to a ninja, who returned with stacks of scrolls.
"These are recent major reports from other nations," she said. "Military, commercial, and miscellaneous."
Reisen skimmed. Routine, analyzed stuff.
"Any Khaenri'ah intel?" he asked.
She hesitated. "Yes, but it's… bizarre. It's unverified."
"Let me see," Reisen said.
She whispered to the ninja, who brought more scrolls.
"These are raw Khaenri'ah reports, too strange to organize," she said.
Jiawu Outpost: Khaenri'ahn refugees entered, killed on sight. Next day, dead refugees revived. Outpost nearly lost.
Jiashen Outpost: Encountered Khaenri'ahn knights fighting each other, unphased by death…
Next day: All dead Khaenri'ahns revived. Outpost lost. We fled to other outposts.
Jiashen Outpost: Killed Khaenri'ahns to verify. Suspected immortals. Dead revive fully in one to seven days.
Many Khaenri'ahns joined the dark tide, aiding beast invasions.
The Yashiro Commission's Jiashen Outpost reports studied the revival mechanism.
Deeming Khaenri'ahns unbeatable, they retreated, but no further reports came. Likely lost.
"Get these verified fast. This is critical," Reisen said, circling the revival mentions.
"Yes, Lord Reisen. We'll arrange confirmation," the maiden nodded.
"I'm heading to the Kanjou Commission," Reisen said, leaving.
Their intel, less detailed than the Yashiro's, was broader. Khaenri'ahn nobles, fleeing in luxury, spilled secrets for Inazuma's goods.