Indeed... someone tampered with it," Miketsu thought, a knowing expression on her face as she looked at the divination result. This was not unexpected, but to know more details, she had to keep asking.
"Planchette, Planchette, please tell me, who instructed the Bumingtang yesterday to forcibly archive the unfinished mission?" Miketsu continued to ask, but this time, unlike before, no threads of causality connected to the pen. This meant the divination failed, and her question was flawed.
"It seems this Planchette can indeed only answer yes or no..." Miketsu muttered to herself. She had anticipated this result, as the ancient texts clearly stated that Planchette was a very simple and crude divination method, only able to answer yes or no. Her previous attempt was merely a test.
After confirming this, Miketsu directly abandoned using the Planchette method to divine the content of the mission plaque. She settled on a new approach: organize her thoughts, deduce the possibilities, and then use the Planchette to determine yes or no.
"Planchette, Planchette, please tell me, did a high-ranking official influence the Subjugation Bureau's archiving work yesterday?"
As Miketsu's words fell, the red thread of causality wrapped around the brush, pulling it to draw a circle over "yes" on the paper. Seeing this circle, a faint smile appeared on Miketsu's lips.
A high-ranking official within the Onmyoryo had used their influence to affect the Subjugation Bureau's archiving work to conceal certain events, and now, she needed to find out who this person was.
Perhaps under normal circumstances, it would be almost impossible for Miketsu to find someone using the Planchette, a divination method that only answers yes or no. However, at this very moment, Miketsu had a suspect in mind, and what she needed to do now was confirm this suspect.
"Planchette, Planchette, please tell me, was the high-ranking official who interfered with the Subjugation Bureau's archiving work yesterday Fujiwara no Kanehira?"
The thread of causality stirred again, dragging the brush to draw a third circle over "yes." Seeing this, Miketsu revealed an "I knew it" expression.
"Fujiwara no Kanehira... it was him?" Tsuruha, who was playing Planchette with Miketsu, was also surprised by this scene. She remembered who Fujiwara no Kanehira was; yesterday, she and Miketsu had seen this high-ranking elder of the Fujiwara clan on their way from the Archives Bureau to the Subjugation Bureau.
"Ah, it was him, a prominent figure of the Fujiwara clan, the Director of the Spirit Tool Bureau within the Onmyoryo. Yesterday, the Subjugation Bureau was archiving, and he just happened to be there. Isn't that a bit too coincidental?" Miketsu said slowly, a smile playing on her lips. Clearly, Fujiwara no Kanehira's visit to the Subjugation Bureau yesterday had a purpose.
"Someone from the Fujiwara clan interfered with the Subjugation Bureau's archiving, so is the Fujiwara clan the mastermind behind this?" Tsuruha asked directly, seeing the divination result. This was the immediate thought for most people; a high-ranking official of the Fujiwara clan naturally represented the will of the Fujiwara.
"I don't know. Whether it's attacking external Onmyoji on missions or subtly instructing the Subjugation Bureau to act improperly, these are all shady affairs. If exposed, it wouldn't reflect well on the Fujiwara. The reason for these events could be some conspiracy being planned within the Fujiwara clan, or it could simply be Fujiwara no Kanehira's individual action... In any case, what exactly it is requires further divination to confirm."
After speaking, Miketsu gathered her thoughts and then continued to utter the divination question.
"Planchette, Planchette, please tell me, was Fujiwara no Kanehira's interference with the archiving work at the Subjugation Bureau yesterday due to the Fujiwara clan's instruction...?"
Miketsu finished speaking, but the pen had no reaction. The divination failed. Miketsu knew that her question just now was problematic again.
After some thought, Miketsu realized that her previous question was indeed problematic. Firstly, it was too long, with too many preconditions, violating the principle of conciseness. Secondly, the final pointer was the Fujiwara clan, a large and chaotic group composed of many individuals, making it difficult for them all to form a consistent and unified will, thus hard to define, leading to the divination failure.
Having understood these key points, Miketsu began to carefully consider her question. After a short while, she spoke again.
"Planchette, Planchette, please tell me, will the matter Fujiwara no Kanehira is currently plotting harm the Fujiwara clan?"
As the question was uttered, the red threads of causality stirred again, dragging the brush to "yes" and drawing another circle.
Yes! This indicated that the matter Fujiwara no Kanehira was currently plotting was indeed harmful to the Fujiwara clan. This could largely confirm that Fujiwara no Kanehira's actions were his own, without the Fujiwara's implicit instruction, as the Fujiwara would not plot something detrimental to themselves.
Facing this result, Miketsu showed a playful expression. She was genuinely curious now. What exactly was Fujiwara no Kanehira plotting? To the extent that it would ultimately harm his own clan?
Unfortunately, to continue the investigation, simply asking yes or no was no longer enough. Miketsu needed to acquire new information.
Miketsu's Planchette divination was nearing its end. Now, she had one last divination to perform: to divine Yura's current state, for peace of mind.
"Planchette, Planchette, please tell me, is Ashiya Doman still alive?"
Miketsu finished her question, and then she saw the threads of causality stir again. This time, they pulled the brush in an unexpected direction.
For the first time, the brush drew a circle over "no," causing Miketsu's heart to clench.
"How could this be...?" Miketsu murmured to herself. She had not at all expected such a result. Her gaze was somewhat blank, and an indescribable sense of loss rapidly welled up from within her.
"Lady Uka, please don't worry for now. Perhaps this divination refers to someone with the same name!" Tsuruha quickly said, seeing Miketsu's expression. Her words immediately opened a new line of thought for Miketsu.
Miketsu suddenly remembered that in the divination texts, there were requirements for divining names: when asking a question, one must visualize the appearance corresponding to the name in their mind for the divination to point clearly.
And if there were multiple people with the same name being divined, and the diviner did not visualize a specific appearance, the divination would not fail; instead, it would automatically point to the most influential and widely known person among those with the same name.
Thinking of this, a glimmer of hope rose in Miketsu's heart. She immediately began to visualize Yura's appearance in her mind, reorganized her question, and slowly said, "Planchette, Planchette, please tell me, is Yura still alive?"
This time, the red thread of causality pulled the brush to "yes" and drew a circle. Seeing this, Miketsu's heart lightened. Then, continuing to visualize Yura's appearance, she began a new confirmation.
"Planchette, Planchette, please tell me, is Ashiya Doman still alive?"
This time, the brush still drew a circle over "yes." Seeing this, Miketsu breathed a sigh of relief, and at the same time, a question arose in her heart.
"It seems Yura also harbors secrets..."
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