Chapter 47: Then what should I do?
A “seal document” was a type of stamped document in Japan from the medieval period to the late modern era, typically existing in two forms: red seal and black seal. However, there was not much difference between these two types of “seal documents” during the Japanese Warring States period; both were official documents for issuing orders, commonly used for administrative matters such as granting territories, residences, and fields, requesting the dispatch of supplies, or adjusting someone’s position.
Yuan Ye currently held a “black seal document,” which could also be abbreviated as a “black seal.” Its approximate content designated a residence for Yuan Ye, effectively granting him a household registration in Owari, and permitting him “as if for horse relay transit” — “horse relay transit （ transit ）” meant the freedom to use relay horses and pass freely through various locations. The addition of “as if” implied he could pass through city gates and checkpoints like an emergency messenger, with no one allowed to obstruct him, requiring immediate passage and provision of certain conveniences.
The signatory was Sawaki Tōemon Okitsugu, the adoptive father of Sawaki Tōhachirō Yoshizane, and currently the Castle Guard Deputy of Nagoya Castle. The large seal affixed was also the officially recognized “Seal of the Lord of Nagoya.”
Of course, although the document was issued by Sawaki Okitsugu, it was undoubtedly Oda Nobunaga’s intention.
Yuan Ye could roughly guess his thoughts, which were typical of a chuunibyo teenager in later generations — thirty years in the east, thirty years in the west. It doesn’t matter if you don’t obey me now; I’ll let you stay and see what kind of person I am. Sooner or later, you’ll beg me, clinging to my leg, begging me to take you in.
As for “as if for horse relay transit,” it was likely Oda Nobunaga displaying his magnanimity, indicating that although he was granted household registration and a residence, he wasn’t trying to confine him to Owari Province. He could leave freely at any time without obstruction. It also considered his profession, making it more convenient for him to travel and practice medicine.
This was very much in line with Oda Nobunaga’s conduct at that age: full of self-confidence, believing himself peerless in the world, intending to win people over with his strength, practical achievements, and the heads of his enemies, disdaining to engage in petty squabbles.
After reading the “black seal document,” Yuan Ye inwardly thought… well, he wasn’t convinced. His independent ideas would not waver for a hundred years. Displaying confidence and magnanimity was useless to him. He merely felt that teenagers, regardless of nationality or era, seemed to believe they were the protagonists of the world, that everyone revolved around them. It was a kind of innocent, naive cuteness.
He carefully put it away and asked Maeda Toshiie, “Does Lord Oda Saburo have any other words?”
Maeda Toshiie shook his head, “No, Lord Saburo just asked me to handle this matter and deliver the item.”
“Then please convey my sincere thanks to Lord Oda Saburo. Tell him I understand his intentions and am very grateful!” Yuan Ye raised his cup to ask him to pass on his gratitude. After all, he had truly given him a house, a very generous gesture, and he had to express his thanks. It was certainly better than the Aragiko Maeda Family, who hadn’t given him anything after their recruitment failed — if you don’t first spend ten 648s to pad the gacha, how can you possibly draw a limited edition SSR general for the whole server? They really don’t understand!
“It’s nothing!” Maeda Toshiie readily agreed, picked up his sake bowl, and took a large gulp, indicating his acceptance.
Afterward, Yuan Ye changed the subject and began inquiring about the personal attendants around Oda Nobunaga. After all, it was good to understand things when one had free time; it would prevent being caught off guard if he needed to interact with them in the future, and he wouldn’t be confused about who was who.
Maeda Toshiie was very talkative after drinking, and he revealed everything. Moreover, this was not a secret. Oda Nobunaga was constantly leading them around, and anyone with the intention could observe for two days and know everything. So, he proceeded to list all the minor retainers around Oda Nobunaga.
Yuan Ye listened for a while, gaining little. He hadn’t seen most of the names in later generations or when playing 《 Taikou 2 》. These people had likely died prematurely, or were mediocre and had no significant achievements, never rising to prominence.
After chatting for a while longer, Maeda Toshiie had finished all the sake he brought and was already seven or eight parts drunk. He decided to take his leave, taking Mura Hachiro with him towards Aragiko Castle. He had completed his task and was already near Aragiko Castle, planning to go home for the night and see his family. He had also bought a toy for A Song and intended to take it back to her, and give her a piggyback ride.
Yuan Ye escorted him to the village entrance before turning back to the Yayoi Family. As soon as he reached the courtyard gate, A Man darted out, asking with a curious expression, “What did that dung ball from the Maeda family come to find you for?”
This guy reeked of gunpowder. If this were America, she would have been arrested long ago. Just by the smell, she must have just finished a machine-gun sweep of a school. Yuan Ye fanned the air in front of his nose and retorted, “Finished practicing the matchlock gun, were there any problems?”
“What problems could there be? It’s a simple thing, and with my intelligence, I’ll definitely learn it quickly.” A Man said with a relaxed expression, then added with anticipation, “Can you fix the matchlock gun for me later? Add that cap you mentioned. It’s really inconvenient to use right now.”
She was truly thick-skinned. She was supposed to be carrying the matchlock gun for Yuan Ye, and after just one day, the matchlock gun was practically hers. However, Yuan Ye didn’t mind and casually replied, “Alright, when I have time, I’ll fix the matchlock gun for you.”
A Man was satisfied and remembered what she had asked earlier, curiously inquiring, “You still haven’t said why that dung ball came. Is he trying to trick us again?”
“He just came to deliver an official document.” Yuan Ye led her to an earthen seat, showed her the “black seal document,” and asked, “Where is Takeuchi Manor? What kind of place is it?”
Takeuchi Manor was the location of the residence Oda Nobunaga had gifted him. He had asked Maeda Toshiie about it before, but Maeda Toshiie only knew it was near Nagoya Castle and hadn’t been there, so he couldn’t explain it clearly.
A Man, who studied characters every night, was progressing rapidly and had basic reading comprehension. She stumbled through reading the “black seal document” and said in disbelief, “Oda the Big Fool gave you a house for no reason? He’s really wasteful, not much different from you!”
Yayoi, the temporary little maid, was cleaning up the leftover dishes and bowls nearby. She looked up in surprise upon hearing this. After a moment, she seemed to realize something, and her small face began to show anxiety and worry. Yuan Ye, however, was focused on where the house was and didn’t notice the subtle expression on her face, urging A Man, “Stop talking nonsense. Have you been to Takeuchi Manor or not?”
“I haven’t been there, but I’ve passed by a few times. It seems alright!” A Man, as expected of a well-trained street wanderer who had roamed around extensively, actually knew the location. She quickly found a map, recalled it, and pointed northwest of Nagoya Castle, saying, “It’s roughly in this location, by a tributary of the Nagara River. There’s a lowland and a small lake there. The manor is by the lake. Its main products are lotus seeds, lotus roots, fish, fish glue, and feathers. It’s one of Oda the Big Fool’s direct territories.”
This map was hand-drawn by A Man and lacked a scale. Yuan Ye looked at it for a moment but couldn’t discern the distance, so he asked, “How far is it from here?”
A Man thought for a moment and replied, “Walking, it’s about an hour and a half! Riding a horse, the horse’s speed is generally about three times that of walking, so it’s half an hour.”
Yuan Ye nodded, having a rough idea of the distance. The last time he went to Nagoya Castle, it took him over four hours, which is more than two hours. So, Takeuchi Manor is only a little over an hour’s walk from Nagoya Castle, and about twenty minutes by horse?
Calculating it this way, Takeuchi Manor is considered a suburb of Nagoya Castle, like having a provincial capital household registration?
A Man saw him pondering and curiously asked, “When are you moving there?”
Yuan Ye hesitated for a moment, shook his head, “I haven’t decided yet. It’s a bit far.”
The house he got for free was indeed a bit far. If he were to move there, his first daily task, “Go to the mountains to see if it’s foggy and if I can return to the modern era,” would be impossible. He couldn’t possibly walk over three hours into Mount Ise every morning, check if it was foggy, and then walk back for over three hours. He wouldn’t be able to do anything else all day.
However, if he didn’t move and continued to stay at the Yayoi Family’s, there were many inconveniences, at least in terms of quality of life, making it difficult to implement his life improvement plan.
For example, this thatched hut was not comfortable to live in at all; it was cold in winter and warm in summer, and in summer, there might be a lot of mosquitoes. Sleeping on straw mats was also very uncomfortable, leading to backaches after a night’s sleep. It should be renovated properly, preferably demolished and rebuilt, but he was only renting here and had never heard of a tenant demolishing and rebuilding the landlord’s house…
Building a small chemical laboratory wouldn’t be feasible either. Strictly locking the doors in someone else’s house, controlling entry and exit, and implementing strict secrecy protocols would be disrespectful to the landlord and not treating them as a person.
Hibitsu Village was also very barren, just a small, ordinary village. The only relatively large castle nearby was the dilapidated Aragiko Castle, making shopping extremely inconvenient. He couldn’t even find proper steel, let alone develop industries and get rich.
It would have been great if the residence Oda Nobunaga had gifted him was near Hibitsu Village, but unfortunately, it wasn’t. Oda Nobunaga probably couldn’t allocate a piece of land from the Aragiko Maeda Family for him.
At least Oda Nobunaga couldn’t do it at the moment. He was currently just an heir, and even the lord of Nagoya Castle was just a nominal title. Most of the power was held by the retainer group supporting him, appointed by his father, making him only superficially strong.
Yuan Ye was momentarily in a dilemma, hesitating. This made A Man curious, “What do you mean a bit far? Is it far from Hibitsu Village? What’s so great about this broken village? There’s nothing here, and you like this place so much?”
“You wouldn’t understand!” Yuan Ye couldn’t explain it to her. After thinking for a moment, he said, “I’ll go take a look tomorrow. Let’s see what the situation is over there!” Perhaps Takeuchi Manor was a big cesspool, and he’d run back holding his nose after one look, so there would be no need to agonize over it.
“Alright, then I’ll take you to see it tomorrow!” A Man was also very interested in Yuan Ye’s new home and planned to scout it out so she could freeload meals when she passed by in the future.
Yayoi finally finished tidying up the bowls, chopsticks, and plates slowly. She held them and quietly slipped out of the house, her small face furrowed, her heart filled with even greater worry. Was the kind Lord Saburo finally leaving? What should she do then? She really didn’t want him to go!
She hesitated for a moment and quickly went to find her mother, A Ping, wanting to hear if her mother had any good ideas.
