The night had grown deep. After the banquet concluded, Beidou and her group did not stay at Sangonomiya but instead headed to Bourou Village.
As the main stronghold of the Watatsumi forces, Bourou Village boasted an extremely long history. It is said that the ancestors of Bourou Village's original inhabitants came from the sea abyss.
Bourou Village
After the Vision Hunt Decree, more and more people came to join the resistance, and this place became their resting ground.
Upon returning from the banquet, traces of the bonfire party could still be seen. Many soldiers and sailors lay sprawled on the ground, fast asleep with liquor bottles still in hand.
A few logistics personnel in charge of cleaning up immediately stopped their work and bowed when they noticed Beidou's group.
This bow was directed more at Bai Luo.
As previously mentioned, Bai Luo held a status in the resistance nearly equal to that of the Divine Priestess.
Though his initially unremarkable appearance had been disappointing, many sailors at the bonfire party had recounted tales of the sea.
A single man, a single sword, a lone boat—daring to challenge a mountainous sea monster alone. Just hearing about it was enough to set one's blood boiling.
And not only that—he had severed one of its heads, saving the entire fleet.
Perhaps the sailors' storytelling skills weren't as polished as a professional raconteur's, but these rough men of the sea had their own unique way of spreading legends.
Even if every other sentence was laced with curses, they still managed to vividly convey the desperation of those moments to the Watatsumi soldiers present.
The new recruits handling logistics hadn't participated in the bonfire party, but while transporting food and drinks, they had stolen moments to listen to the sailors' tales.
Thus, their reverence for Battousai now surpassed even what it had been before.
"Everyone, your rooms have been prepared. Please follow me."
Upon their arrival, someone in charge of accommodations came forward to greet them.
Unlike the communal barracks for sailors and soldiers, the merchants and senior members of the Crux Fleet were mostly assigned double or single rooms.
Thanks to his reputation, Bai Luo even had a private study—which suited him just fine.
"See you tomorrow, Mr. Himura."
Returning to her room, Beidou still clutching her liquor jug, she gave Bai Luo a casual wave as a farewell.
Bai Luo, meanwhile, followed the young guide to his own quarters.
"Lord Battousai, this is your room."
After leading Bai Luo to his assigned lodging, the young man bowed slightly before taking his leave.
And on the young man's sleeve, Bai Luo spotted the faint but unmistakable insignia of the Fatui.
This mark was known only to members of the intelligence division—a precaution to prevent undercover agents from accidentally harming allies.
It seemed Igor hadn't been lying—Watatsumi Island truly had been thoroughly infiltrated.
Once inside, Bai Luo went straight to the study. If his guess was correct, assigning him a study wasn't just about status—there had to be another purpose.
He was right. Though the study had been meticulously cleaned, with Sangonomiya-style furniture neatly arranged, this neatness concealed a certain pattern.
Following this pattern, Bai Luo found a thick stack of documents hidden among the stepping stones by the bed.
"Tsk tsk... This is a bit much, isn't it?"
Looking at the hefty pile, Bai Luo couldn't help but complain.
He had only wanted to check on Watatsumi Island's recent situation and Igor's infiltration plans. But now it seemed Igor had handed over all his plans and logs since arriving on the island.
Since he had given prior notice, no one disturbed him that night. Lighting a lamp, he began flipping through the documents.
From the records, Igor's initial progress on Watatsumi Island hadn't been smooth.
First, Sangonomiya only occupied this small part of the island, barely scraping by through fishing. Combined with the Shogunate's deliberate suppression, there was almost no profit to be had here, so the Regrator had completely withdrawn his support.
This forced Igor, who had originally planned to infiltrate Watatsumi as a benefactor, to change tactics—slow, gradual infiltration.
Indeed, the "Snezhnayan friend" Kokomi had mentioned, the one who brought caviar to Watatsumi, was none other than Igor himself.
But the previous Divine Priestess had been extremely vigilant, giving him almost no chance to develop informants.
Even when conflicts with the Kairagi distracted Sangonomiya, allowing him some leeway, they would later purge a portion of his covert operatives.
This made his infiltration painstakingly slow.
It wasn't until the new Divine Priestess, Sangonomiya Kokomi, took office that things began to change.
Compared to her predecessor, the new Divine Priestess rarely appeared in public, and her resistance to Fatui infiltration was feeble—only rooting out minor, insignificant figures.
However, at the time, Sangonomiya's internal unity was still strong, so Igor could only nibble away at the edges.
Then, the Vision Hunt Decree arrived unexpectedly. More and more outsiders flocked to Watatsumi Island, territory independent of the Shogunate's rule, and the resistance army was formed.
These outsiders, with their weaker allegiance to Sangonomiya, naturally became Igor's targets.
He repeatedly used underhanded tactics to stir conflict between Kokomi and her subordinates, successfully turning a high-ranking Sangonomiya official against the resistance.
Now, nearly all of Watatsumi Island was on the verge of falling under Fatui control.
Between the lines, Igor radiated confidence in his infiltration plan, repeatedly asserting that he could overthrow Sangonomiya in a matter of days and seize control of Watatsumi.
His confidence stemmed mainly from the key informants he had planted.
For example—shrine maidens in Sangonomiya, generals in the resistance, high-ranking officials in Bourou Village...
Every critical point was effectively under Fatui control.
Even the kitchen staff responsible for the Divine Priestess's meals included Fatui operatives.
At his command, a chef could carry a Pyro Slime into Kokomi's chambers with a bowl of chicken soup.
Even if it didn't kill her, the Pyro Slime could ensure mutual destruction at a critical moment.
After all, no one was getting out alive.
But... was the situation really as smooth as Igor imagined?
As a seasoned... ahem, as an honest and simple assassin, Bai Luo knew full well how difficult it was to infiltrate an organization on this scale—and the previous Divine Priestess had proven his point.
Kokomi might not be the infallible strategist of legend, but she wasn't foolish enough to let Igor plant informants so easily.
Viewed this way, Igor's so-called "smooth progress" might warrant deeper consideration.
Because everything had gone too smoothly.
Like an addictive wish-fulfillment novel—impossible to put down.
But novels are just novels. How could they become reality?
It seems revealing myself so soon was a bit reckless after all.
However... there's still a chance to fix things.