Chapter 186: First Soul Enhancement! Entrance Ticket To The Path Of The Strong, From Arakawa Special Affairs Office?
Shangshan Che naturally wouldn’t indulge it.
With a *snap*, he fiercely clicked with his mind on the glowing effect ①: Thrust Enhancement · Extreme 】.
Thus, a further prompt immediately popped up:
【 Thrust Enhancement · Extreme requires 500 Soul Spirit Points 】.
500 Soul Spirit Points, which is equivalent to 500 Soul Ash?
Perhaps.
But this couldn’t be determined for now. Shangshan Che had only slain one Miasma Demon that dropped 1 Soul Spirit Point, and he hadn’t yet figured out the drop rate for Soul Spirit Points.
Shangshan Che looked further down and discovered that, aside from the effect 【 Soul Slaying 】, which could itself generate Soul Spirit Points, all other effects could be enhanced.
This included the unique effect Blade of Parting, which only appeared after slaying Ai Bieli.
This was perfectly reasonable.
Because if Soul Spirit Points could also be used to enhance 【 Soul Slaying 】, further increasing the efficiency of generating Soul Spirit Points, then that effect would be entirely too unreasonable.
Shangshan Che clicked through them one by one, finding that the enhancements for Thrust and Slash were the cheapest, both requiring only 500 Soul Spirit Points.
Next was Hundred Refinements as One, which required 800 points.
Following that were the two major effects recently acquired, Blazing Fortune and Spirituality, each requiring 1500 Soul Spirit Points for a single enhancement.
Finally, there was the terrifyingly priced Blade of Parting:
【 Blade of Parting （ Unique ） Enhancement requires 5000 Soul Spirit Points 】.
【 Note: Enhancing unique effects requires a significantly higher amount of Soul Spirit Points 】.
The rarer and more powerful an effect is, the more Soul Spirit Points it costs to enhance, making it more expensive.
This was still reasonable.
“To enhance Blazing Fortune once, or Little Jia’s own Spirituality, would cost roughly the Soul Ash of one ten-pull.”
Shangshan Che fell into a subtle contemplation.
But, was it worth it?
A moment later, Shangshan Che answered in his mind.
It was absolutely worth it.
Unlike gacha pulls from the card pool, where the rewards were uncertain and a ten-pull might only yield a bunch of junk, enhancing Kaga Kiyomitsu with Soul Spirit Points offered a guaranteed return.
Furthermore, Kaga Kiyomitsu, with her high growth potential, would accompany him as his main combat weapon for the long haul.
It could be said that investing in it, no matter how, no matter when, was a choice that would never result in a loss.
While a single pull might bring miracles, representing the charm of the card pool, in the vast majority of cases, Shangshan Che was always the unlucky, bottom-guaranteed, African player.
Therefore, when he temporarily couldn’t draw from the card pool—like now.
Or when the demand for Demon Incarnations wasn’t particularly strong, converting the Soul Ash obtained from slaying demons into Soul Spirit Points that could be confirmed as a gain in his own combat power was naturally a very good option.
Speaking of which…
Shangshan Che’s thoughts shifted, and he took out ten portions of Soul Ash from his storage bag.
He then tapped Kaga Kiyomitsu’s hilt, causing Little Jia to spring from her scabbard, and had her bring her blade close to the Soul Ash.
Under Shangshan Che’s expectant gaze, Kaga Kiyomitsu flicked away disdainfully, and after buzzing in dissatisfaction twice, she retracted and became still.
King Kujira, who was perched behind the saddle, stared at “Shangshan Che, who was attempting to make Kaga Kiyomitsu absorb powder,” and retreated slightly.
—This human seems a bit abnormal.
Shangshan Che, however, looked at the scene and sighed in his heart,
“It seems exploiting the bug has failed; existing Soul Ash cannot be directly converted into Soul Spirit Points.”
If that were the case, then he could only rely on pure effort.
“I wonder if the enhanced effect will simply strengthen the existing one, or if new effects will arise on top of that…”
Therefore, during the next few days of sweeping through the surrounding villages, he would accumulate some Soul Spirit Points by dealing with Affliction Kin.
Seeing that Imagawa Yoshimoto had already spoken, saying she spotted the shadow of the next village, Shangshan Che proposed,
“Lord Yoshimoto, during the time we are not yet in the city, you can send a message via carrier pigeon to…”
He stopped mid-sentence, only then remembering that there were no carrier pigeons in this environment, so he changed his tune,
“Or a similar method to inform the Matsudaira clan in Yoshida Castle, so we know the current situation inside.”
Imagawa Yoshimoto glanced at him with slight surprise, then nodded calmly,
“I was just about to suggest that.”
—For the next five days, Shangshan Che, along with King Kujira, who was familiar with the surrounding geography and served as a navigator, and Imagawa Yoshimoto, whose support was crucial,
cleared out most of the villages and subordinate towns surrounding Yoshida Castle.
They would arrive at a location, declare their identities as physicians, find the sick, heal some of them, and simultaneously exorcise demons in plain sight with Heavenly Thunder, finally announcing the arrival of Imagawa Yoshimoto.
This process repeated.
The reason for saying “healed some people” was that Shangshan Che could only use his Qi Barrier or Spiritual Energy to expel the malevolent energies left by the Affliction Kin within the patients’ bodies.
For patients whose ailments were deep-seated and had truly developed into objectively existing diseases, Shangshan Che was helpless.
After all, he wasn’t a real doctor.
Even so, his “unprecedented medical skill” of healing dozens or even hundreds of people with a mere wave of his hand,
was more than enough to convince the common folk, who had little knowledge and couldn’t even recognize characters.
So, soon, the news that the Lord of Mikawa, the head of the Imagawa clan, Imagawa Yoshimoto, would arrive with a physician, and that the plague and demons would disappear, quickly spread throughout Eastern Mikawa.
This fame and news, naturally, also quickly reached Yoshida Castle.
…
Five days later.
At the Matsudaira residence, the sun hung high in the sky.
A seemingly stoic monk sat in the main seat, gently stroking the trained carrier pigeon perched on his arm, which was also sold in the markets of Eastern Mikawa.
He reread the contents of the scroll and muttered,
“It seems the rumors from the outside are not false messages intended to deceive this humble monk.”
The wooden fish beside the monk suddenly vibrated and let out a laugh, causing ripples on the surface of the tea in the teacup.
“Hahaha! Daruma, you finally have some sense!
Old man, I am deeply relieved!”
Daruma gently rubbed his fingertip, turning the scroll into dust, then opened his palm and blew it back to heaven and earth in a single breath.
The simply dressed monk replied calmly, “Master, your disciple is no longer just a wooden fish that can only be clacked; all that training was not in vain.”
Daruma solemnly picked up his tea, nodded his chin towards it, and after drinking, continued,
“Being deceived, gaining knowledge, and therefore remembering not to be deceived again. Without any of these steps, the disciple would not grow.”
Behind Daruma, the old men and men whose clothes bore the Matsudaira family crest all lowered their heads, clenching their fists, not daring to speak.
Because the most spirited samurai, those who dared to draw their swords, had already been turned into a pulp by the monster disguised as a monk in just a few blows.
They were utterly unable to resist.
And the Hatamoto guard, which should have been mobilized at this time, inexplicably failed to arrive.
In fact, this was not the reason for the anger of the Matsudaira clan elders and samurai.
They were angry because their survival was thanks to this monk-like monster!
This was a profound humiliation!
Some wanted to roar and draw their swords to die for their principles.
However, those present were likely not to be trifled with.
The moment they considered that if they all died, the Matsudaira clan, which had been passed down for over a hundred years, would be destroyed, their anger subsided.
This was followed by an even greater humiliation.
Daruma, however, was unaware of the various thoughts swirling in the minds of the Matsudaira family members behind him.
Nor did he care.
In Daruma’s view, they were no different from the ordinary citizens within Yoshida Castle.
“Namu Amida Butsu, this tea has a new flavor.”
After swallowing the tea leaves along with the liquid, Daruma clasped his hands together and sincerely bowed again towards the now-empty teacup.
Then, he slowly began to ask the empty air, “Among you benefactors, who is most skilled in disguise?”
In the silence, a gaunt old man carrying a medicine box bowed and suddenly stepped out, speaking hoarsely to Daruma,
“Master, I am skilled in this art.”
Under the horrified gazes of everyone behind him, the old man, who had previously exuded an ominous and putrid aura, transformed into an elder with white hair and beard, and a kind face.
If they had seen him in their daily lives, they would have found nothing amiss, and might have even thought he was some kind of barefoot physician.
Daruma stood up and bowed to the kind and benevolent Gyōbyōō,
“Then, I shall trouble you, benefactor.”
…
In the evening, as the sun began to set.
Not far from Yoshida Castle, in a small village with a population of only about a hundred.
Shangshan Che tied two horses to the doorway of the village chief’s house.
As for the three of them, they had taken over the village chief’s house, much to the latter’s insistence.
The now-shrunken King Kujira lay by the doorway, basking in the sun, while Imagawa Yoshimoto, who had just given a short speech, rested against the wall.
Shangshan Che also sat on the ground, placing Kaga Kiyomitsu before him, and checked its panel.
【 Soul Spirit Points: 812 】
After continuously clearing out monsters for these five days, slaying countless weak Affliction Kin, Shangshan Che had finally accumulated enough.
However, over these past few days, Shangshan Che had discovered that while Zero-Star and Half-Star demons could drop over ten or even tens of Soul Ash,
the Soul Spirit Points they dropped were generally around 1-9 points.
It could be said that when only weak demons were slain, Soul Spirit Points were more precious than Soul Ash.
—Without further ado, let’s enhance it now and see the results.
Shangshan Che stroked Kaga Kiyomitsu’s hilt and said softly to it, “Little Jia, it might hurt a little later, so bear with it.”
*Buzz?*
Kaga Kiyomitsu vibrated in confusion.
Shangshan Che looked at the three available enhancement options and, without much thought, made his decision.
—Enhance 【 Thrust Enhancement · Extreme 】.
Because there was no need to overthink this.
Hundred Refinements as One wouldn’t be of much help in his current situation, and his most skilled Natural Reason School’s Three-stage Thrust was “Thrust.”
Compared to Slashes, which were mostly basic attacks, increasing the damage of his special moves was definitely more important.
【 Do you wish to consume 500 Soul Spirit Points to enhance “Thrust Enhancement · Extreme”? 】
“Yes.”
Shangshan Che silently recited in his mind.
Then, in an instant, he saw 500 Soul Spirit Points deducted.
Fueled by this, the exposed part of Kaga Kiyomitsu’s blade instantly emitted a faint glow.
Kaga Kiyomitsu itself began to sway left and right; if it had some sounds like “Ugh ugh ugh oh oh oh,” it would have been even more vivid.
But in less than ten seconds, the glow vanished with a *snap*, and Kaga Kiyomitsu lay still as a statue in its original position.
As if nothing had happened.
Shangshan Che raised an eyebrow.
That’s it?
However, the notification for upgrading did pop up as expected.
【 Your Kaga Kiyomitsu · Blade of Parting’s effect “Thrust Enhancement · Extreme” has been enhanced! 】
【 Your Kaga Kiyomitsu has gained a new effect — Thrust Specialization! 】
“Thrust… Specialization?”
Shangshan Che looked at the explanation for the newly displayed effect with some confusion.
【 Thrust Specialization: When using thrust-type sword skills, you will deal immense additional damage, and Kaga Kiyomitsu will better understand “how to perform a thrust.” 】
Shangshan Che stroked his chin,
“You mean, Little Jia, you now understand what a thrust is in sword techniques and can assist me in performing better and faster thrusts?”
*Buzz!*
Kaga Kiyomitsu responded with an approving hum, stood up from the ground, and swayed slightly, eager for Shangshan Che to use it to test the effect.
Shangshan Che: ?
Wait a minute?
Can weapons understand sword skills these days?
If this continues, what will his Kaga Kiyomitsu become?
A Demonic Sword Princess who understands eighteen types of sword skills?
Shangshan Che was somewhat speechless.
But to be fair, if this description was accurate, then spending 500 Soul Spirit Points was indeed worthwhile.
Because allowing the weapon in hand to fully understand and grasp the user’s intention behind a move… the effect this brought was not as simple as one plus one equaling two.
*Buzz~*
*Buzz buzz~*
Shangshan Che smacked Kaga Kiyomitsu’s hilt and stuffed it back in, “Stop fooling around. Can’t you see everyone is resting? It’s not too late to try it when we encounter a demon later.”
Imagawa Yoshimoto was indeed resting nearby.
Thus, Kaga Kiyomitsu obediently retracted into its scabbard and remained motionless.
Shangshan Che placed it on his folded legs, a smile appearing on his face.
This first enhancement with Soul Spirit Points… had been a good start.
——And during these five days of clean-up operations, the proficiency of the other two skills besides the Corona Breathing Technique also increased significantly.
【Your skill, Natural Reason School, proficiency +335! 】
【Your skill, Five Thunder Technique: Ki-Go, proficiency +240! 】
Currently, both are on the verge of breaking through—
【Natural Reason School （Mastery 2680/3000 ）】
【Five Thunder Technique: Ki-Go （Proficient 1241/1400 ）】
Shangshan Che rubbed Qi Barrier and electrical sparks in his palm, observing the proficiency of these two and thought to himself.
Although the Five Thunder Technique is about to break through, it is currently only at the proficient level, and its upper limit is very high. Even if it breaks through to the mastery level, there shouldn’t be any particularly big changes…
All I can say is, I hope the Five Thunder Technique can give me an extra surprise.
The key is Natural Reason School, which is about to break through to 【Expert Level】.
Expert Level.
Shangshan Che recalled the knowledge Lili Zi had previously imparted to him, and he made a rough comparison between this knowledge and the proficiency levels.
Expert Level can be said to be the true dividing line between “normal and supernatural” in sword skills, the starting point for sword skills to transform towards the supernatural, and a fundamental change in a swordsman’s “sword.”
If it’s just mastery-level sword techniques, then many dojos have them, and even high-talented high school students in their teens can reach it.
In previous Jade Dragon Cup tournaments, many prodigies whose sword skills had reached mastery level were defeated by Lili Zi.
But Expert Level is different.
There are too many experienced swordsmen and young prodigies who are stuck outside this supernatural threshold, unable to advance an inch.
In all dojos, regardless of the school of cultivation, most of the Mastery Certificates, Apprentice Masters, and even Masters of small dojos only have the initial level of Expert.
And the Expert Level itself encompasses countless sword art geniuses from bottom to top who have managed to cross the chasm.
The gap between them is also huge.
Even before the Tide arrived, Lili Zi, who had already achieved Clear Sword Heart and encountered the Corona Breathing Technique, was only at the peak of Expert Level in terms of sword skills.
Thousands of days and nights, without any progress.
It can be said that Expert Level sword skills are the pinnacle that normal people can touch.
Because above that are the Sword Masters who can become famous in a region in legends.
So Shangshan Che was also very puzzled at the time.
Why was Lili Zi, with her peak Expert Level sword skills, so scared by a mere Half-Star Kitsune-dog back then.
Lili Zi’s answer at the time was—
“A mere Kitsune-dog, I’d have it dead in a dozen sword strikes, the key was the Hannya that appeared afterwards!”
“That Hannya was stronger than me in terms of pure stats.”
Lili Zi rolled her eyes at that time: “Unlike now where I have Sword Domain, and I was using a bamboo sword… What fancy sword techniques did I use? One claw attack from it and I would have bled out, you understand.”
Moreover, she also had the “no sword in hand” debuff at the time.
This little story made Shangshan Che realize that weapons and state of mind are also important aspects of combat effectiveness.
Shangshan Che whispered in his heart: “Expert Level sword techniques, perfect Heart Embryo, Qi Circulation.”
These are the three entrance tickets to the path of the strong, as described by Lili Zi.
Only by mastering these three can one be considered to have completed the basic accumulation in terms of “skill,” “mind,” and “body,” and stand at the threshold of the path of the strong.
The reason for these three milestones is that once a cultivator reaches this point, even without subsequent cultivation methods or external help, they can continuously become stronger on their own.
Even if it’s incredibly slow.
There are still over 300 points of proficiency left.
I should be able to fill it before facing Affliction head-on.
Or perhaps, it will be filled when purging Yokai in Yoshida Castle.
Outside the door, sunlight, like blood, fell beside Shangshan Che’s hand.
He withdrew his thoughts.
It was almost time.
“Lord Yoshimoto, I will be away for one night.”
Shangshan Che spoke, meeting the gaze of Imagawa Yoshimoto, who opened her eyes two seconds later: “To find a way to deal with Affliction, I said that before.”
“Since it’s something that must be done, then go.”
Imagawa Yoshimoto did not voice the words “hurry up.”
“Okay.”
Shangshan Che wasted no more time and stood up, heading towards King Kujira, who was lying by the doorway, and said: “Your Excellency Kujira San, I will be going out alone for a while, Lord Yoshimoto’s safety…”
“Hmph.”
King Kujira snorted, still somewhat unwillingly: “You don’t need to tell me, I will definitely accomplish what Master Craftsman has instructed me to do, even if it costs me my life.”
Shangshan Che cupped his hands: “Thank you.”
In these past few days, Kujira San had been very reliable and smart in many aspects, completely lacking the typical stereotypes of his race.
The Zashiki Warashi’s judgment is indeed quite good…
However, Shangshan Che did not let down his guard because of this.
He took out the Koma-inu Bell and poured Spiritual Power into it without much reservation, until almost half of his Spiritual Power was swallowed by the bell.
In the next moment, three majestic Two-and-a-Half Star Koma-inu Hatamotos suddenly appeared in the small courtyard, causing King Kujira to look on in astonishment.
King Kujira could sense that these three armored, dog-like and wolf-like Yokai were not weak at all, and were quite intelligent.
If the three of them attacked together, they might even cause him a lot of trouble.
“They are…”
“They are my little Shikigami, meant to assist Your Excellency Kujira San, so that you won’t have to personally handle minor matters.”
Shangshan Che replied with high emotional intelligence.
Seeing the three majestic Koma-inu immediately turn around and stick out their tongues at him as if seeking favor, the little pink pig also nodded with a smile,
“This is excellent.”
Shangshan Che turned and left, disappearing into the sunset.
…
The water pressure, still stable, passed by.
Shangshan Che opened his eyes and checked his mobile phone, finding that just over eight hours had passed.
He didn’t bother with operations like clearing red dots on Line or checking out, which would waste time.
Instead, he directly opened the hotel window and leaped from his room onto other rooftops in a few steps.
In just a few minutes of full-speed travel, Shangshan Che could see the familiar entrance of the Arakawa Ward Special Affairs Office.
With another leap, he landed steadily at the doorway of the Special Affairs Office.
*Pop.*
A fair hand reached out from the darkness beside him, accompanied by a somewhat dazed and tired voice,
“Shangshan-kun, long time no see.”
Akatsuki Ran, who was drowsy, even had her mask askew.
Emerging from the shadows, she yawned and said, “Nanjō Great Officer asked me to… ha, asked me to give you something.”
Shangshan Che blinked, observing Akatsuki Ran, who was completely unlike the gloomy “ground mine” girl from a few days ago.
Is this Akatsuki Ran?
How did Sister Nanjo turn her into this state in just a few days?
Damn, no wonder Sister Nanjo looked so smug, it turns out someone was bearing the burden.
It’s likely that due to Akatsuki Ran’s ability to move through shadows, she was often called upon by Nanjo Emi for errands.
Including this time.
He had a poker face, but smiled twice inwardly.
Then he saw Akatsuki Ran patting herself all over, and finally pulled out a small, cheap-looking, strange box from beneath her skirt.
“Here, Nanjō Great Officer gives you a little pill.”
Shangshan Che thanked her and took it. He opened the box and saw a pill, its surface flashing with blue incantations, lying inside.
【Compressed Spirit Gathering Pill · Ultimate】
【Quality: Rare】
【Effect: Upon consumption… instantly increases proficiency of the skill “Spirit Control Technique” by 300 points.】
【—A large amount of high-purity Spiritual Energy is compressed together, then sealed and softened with Onmyōdō, resulting in the Compressed Spirit Gathering Pill.】
That’s right, this was what he wanted.
Shangshan Che contentedly stored the pill in his storage space.
Since there might be an uncontrolled interaction with Kaga Kiyomitsu later, he didn’t plan to take it now.
“By the way, if you take this pill, Shangshan-kun, will you become energetic, strong as an ox, and then… me?”
Akatsuki Ran had somehow come closer, her eyes, which were about to close from sleepiness, curved: “Isn’t it said that you are what you eat, Shangshan-kun? I’m really lacking energy right now.”
Before Shangshan Che could take half a step back and raise his hand to refuse this smooth combo, Kaga Kiyomitsu at his waist became displeased.
*Vroom vroom vroom!*
Kaga Kiyomitsu suddenly unsheathed, its silver-white blade illuminating Akatsuki Ran’s pupils, causing the latter to exit “power-saving mode” and widen her eyes with surprise, mustering a bit more strength.
“Shangshan-kun, does this sword of yours understand what we’re saying?”
*Vroom~*
Kaga Kiyomitsu let out a clear, short sword cry.
It was as if it were saying—
“How could I be comparable to an outsider like you, you flashy tart!”
“Miss Akatsuki, you see my sword is unhappy too,” Shangshan Che continued the scene, “To be honest, I can’t control it very well myself…”
The implied meaning was self-evident.
Akatsuki Ran retracted her body, licked her lips, and seemed to be thinking about something.
She then took out a completely unremarkable document bag from the inside of her hoodie and handed it over.
But in Shangshan Che’s vision, the Onmyōdō incantations flowing on the document bag were so numerous they were dazzling.
It was estimated that even a Ghost God level powerhouse descending would not be able to forcibly open it.
“This is the information you requested, it’s sealed with special Onmyōdō and can only be opened by specific individuals. It will also self-destruct after you read it.”
Akatsuki Ran shrugged casually,
“So you don’t have to worry about me, an outsider, peeking first and then putting it back.”
She muttered, “According to Nanjō Great Officer, there’s also a version that can destroy memories. Onmyōdō is truly convenient…”
At this moment, Shangshan Che, who had just received the document bag, caught sight of the surveillance camera at the entrance of the Special Affairs Office flickering and transforming into a small silver-white ball that slowly floated towards him.
Then, a crackling sound, filled with electric current, came from it, Nanjo Emi’s voice:
“Hello, hello, hello, is my mic dead?”
What’s going on?
Shangshan Che, who had personally witnessed a surveillance camera turn into a “microphone,” was greatly shocked.
Akatsuki Ran was also confused; she hadn’t heard that her superior would secretly monitor them.
Shangshan Che pointed at the silver-white ball and asked doubtfully, “Sister Nanjo, this is…”
“—Oh! This is activated metal researched by Satoru-kun!”
A familiar voice, full of vitality and Spiritual Power fluctuations, echoed.
Shangshan Che looked up and saw Kitano Runa, holding a takeout bag with the “Special Affairs Office” logo, jogging towards him.
“Good morning, Shangshan-kun!”
Kitano Runa, who had stayed up all night but was full of energy, pointed at the silver-white ball and said,
“Satoru-kun is somewhat of a Supernatural Phenomenon, he’s quite knowledgeable in researching electronic devices and technology. He also helped a lot during the Red Tide incident.
That ‘Defense Battle’ mini-game on the mobile phone was something he quickly put together back then.”
Hearing this, Shangshan Che had an impression.
At the time, he was wondering who this genius was, but it turned out to be a Supernatural Phenomenon.
Pulling his thoughts back from his memories, Shangshan Che’s gaze fell upon Kitano Runa, whose body was constantly overflowing with Spiritual Energy.
The Spiritual Energy within Kitano Runa had surged again.
It was almost as much as her physical body.
Shangshan Che: “Student Kitano, aren’t you going to control your Spiritual Energy?”
“I don’t think I can, because I can’t learn any Onmyōdō.”
Kitano Runa scratched her cheek: “So I’ve just been circulating the Basic Spirit Absorption Method that Lili Zi taught me… As I practiced, it became like this.”
Shangshan Che seriously suspected that in the future, Kitano Runa could simply crush opponents to death with a tidal wave of Spiritual Energy.
Kitano Runa put her face into the handle loop of the takeout bag and said earnestly: “But I will work hard to learn! Just like Aoyama Nanami in Sakura-sou!”
“No, Student Kitano, what connection do you have with the word ‘normal’?” Shangshan Che was speechless.
Kitano Runa herself understood this, so she coughed twice and said,
“Although I know my meager skills are definitely not enough to represent Arakawa Ward in the Seed Battle!
But I can still guard the door for Lili Zi, save her some cultivation time, and surrender if I can’t win!”
Shangshan Che suddenly looked up.
Anticipating that if the other party asked questions, she might be kept in place for a few minutes, Kitano Runa decisively said,
“I’m leaving now, Shangshan-kun, the cafeteria takeout is getting cold!”
The girl ran off before he could ask, leaving two people and a ball at the doorway.
Shangshan Che: …
After Kitano Runa’s voice completely disappeared, an explanation that could fully charge a mobile phone came from the small ball,
“That’s the situation. We are currently selecting the second participant for the Seed Battle.”
“Will Lili Zi participate?”
Shangshan Che remembered Tokugawa Hoshi’s parting advice, so he asked.
“—I don’t know, you’ll have to ask her yourself.”
“That’s right.”
Akatsuki Ran patted Shangshan Che’s shoulder, poked his chest with her finger, and laughed, “At six in the morning, a very good-looking girl came to the Special Affairs Office.
She’s from the Minamoto Family, named Minamoto Shizuka.”
“As soon as she came in, she seriously asked where Shangshan Che was, and specifically asked for you… Is there some kind of trickery going on?”
Akatsuki Ran said, her tone ambiguous as she twisted her body,
“Shangshan Jun, you really know how to play the field.”
“Huh?”
Shangshan Che really wanted to ask a question mark.
He certainly had an impression of the name Minamoto Shizuka—but that was based on the fact that she was the number one opponent in the Tokyo Seed Battle.
But if you were to talk about social connections.
Could looking at the public information Nanjo Emi sent him count?
What kind of unexpected trouble is this?
“Not friends?” Shangshan Che immediately looked at the Silver-White Orb, “Sister Nanjo, you know my whereabouts…”
“I’m too lazy to listen, you should ask yourself and her about this.”
Even with the Silver-White Orb’s electronic voice at full volume, one could hear Nanjo Emi’s leisurely and languid tone: “She doesn’t have Line, so I had her leave a phone number for you to call later.”
She said, and recited a string of numbers.
Shangshan Che had no choice but to memorize it.
The electronic voice continued to spread, “And that Black Phone Booth, it’s been acting up again recently…”
“Don’t rush.”
Seeing that it was still early, Shangshan Che, uncharacteristically, interrupted Nanjo Emi, took out his mobile phone, and directly dialed the number under Akatsuki Ran’s gaze.
He turned on the speakerphone.
The call was instantly connected.
The next second, a clear female voice, like that of a secluded stream, emerged from the speaker,
“Excuse me, are you Mister Shangshan Che, the current seed of the Arakawa Ward Special Affairs Office, who cultivates Natural Reason School, Corona Breathing Technique, and Lightning Magic Onmyōdō, has reached a state of mind of Calm as Still Water, favors the Three-stage Thrust as a signature move, and lives in a Special Affairs Villa, Number One…?”
8.1k!
