"Unbelievably smooth," Reisen Riou muttered, back on Narukami Island.
Next stop: report to the Tenryou Commission, then home to Ritou.
He suspected the mission's ease was for someone's glory—likely his deputy, the Kujou patriarch's youngest son.
As a Shrine Guardian outside the Tenryou Commission's military chain, his merits converted to resources and political clout. Through savvy maneuvering, those merits padded his deputy's record, burnishing his resume.
Knowing this, Reisen Riou extorted a hefty batch of materials for Ritou's Shogunate garrison and infrastructure.
"What a drag, babysitting for someone's glory," he griped to Reisen Anko upon return.
Updating his One System data, he grinned at his rising proficiencies. "Ritou's where it's at. I fleeced the Kujou for construction materials. Hope it makes Ritou shine."
"You're good at these dirty deals. Handle them from now on," Anko replied.
"???"
"When I fought as a battle miko, I got these missions too. I just beat up the schemers. Enough beatings, and they stopped," she said calmly.
"…"
Only Anko, from a miko lineage and favored by Raiden Ei, could get away with that. Anyone else would be pushing daisies.
Plus, her approach screamed low EQ.
This could've been a win-win. Reisen Riou, uninterested in politics, secured funds for Ritou Shrine and the island, built clout, and flexed his strength. He'd shown he wasn't to be trifled with, demanding so much that only Inazuma's top clans could afford him. Smart clans would court his favor instead.
Sure enough, conscription notices dried up. He dove into Momentary Bubble Shadow research and attack intensity control.
A blink, and over a decade passed.
Barring a few Tenryou Commission summons, a Tenryou gratitude banquet, and one Narukami Festival, he barely left his shrine.
The summons, from top clans, netted more materials for the shrine and Ritou.
The banquet thanked him for his Sumeru letter, aiding the Endgame Squad in killing the rogue ninja and recovering leaked knowledge. Sumeru scholars, fearless even of the Squad, operated under Greater Lord Rukkhadevata's domain. Recovery relied on the Squad's local ties and Sage Bona, who sealed the knowledge to avoid Inazuma-Sumeru diplomatic fallout.
The hunt took over five years, mostly travel.
Reisen Riou consulted Anko on clone techniques, completing his Wisdom of the Ten Thousand as One clone—a durable rhomboid gem of Electro Crystal, Amethyst Lump, Crystal Ore, White Iron, and his own flesh. It drew energy from air and Ley Lines, self-sustaining with self-repairing traits.
Lacking independent action, he embedded it into the upgraded medium-scale Wisdom of the Ten Thousand as One server, naming the clone after it.
He wasn't sure of the server's tier—his past-life tech knowledge was shaky, so "small" or "medium" was a gut call. The clone-server matched his storage capacity but had a quarter of his runtime memory. Unburdened by combat or movement systems, its usable runtime far outstripped his.
This clone handled internal affairs and research, taking over monthly Ley Line scans, making them daily—a breeze for the Ley Line-linked server. It also analyzed One System user data, tailoring learning and training plans to their goals and talents.
Two first-batch One System mikos became senior mikos at the Grand Narukami Shrine. Other junior mikos outshone some Grand Shrine-trained peers.
This caught Yae Miko's eye. Ritou Shrine, young and historically producing average mikos, was suddenly elite. The One System's existence, unhidden, reached her.
After questioning Reisen Riou, Yae acknowledged the One System's limits—usable only on Ritou due to signal range—but praised its talent-nurturing prowess.
Ritou Shrine took on some of the Grand Narukami Shrine's miko training duties.
As Yae put it, "The One System is recyclable. Why waste it?"
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