Chapter 208: Second Defining Object Uguisudori’s Feather! News Of Kisaragi Station!
One hand pays the money, the other hand delivers the goods.
Even if he’s about to spend here at Katsumi Boss soon, he would still hand over the Soul Ash he was supposed to sell to Shangshan Che first before receiving the goods.
As a great merchant who has been in business for over several hundred years, Katsumi Boss’s credibility is undeniably strong.
“Adult, please count the amount.”
【Soul Ash: 6122+4800=10922】
Shangshan Che looked at the number in the Soul Ash category that broke five digits for the first time, revealing a harvest-like joy in his heart.
A full 10,922 points of Soul Ash.
Before hearing Katsumi Boss quote that 3,000-point number, Shangshan Che had never imagined his Soul Ash reserves could break five digits.
Five digits, equivalent to over seventy pulls from the Edo Castle Gacha Pool.
If he went all out and did seventy consecutive pulls now, he could empty the small treasure trove in front of Hundred-Eyed Demon!
“Since Adult you are satisfied with this price…”
Katsumi Boss’s voice full of smiles pulled Shangshan Che’s thoughts back.
Just from the voice, Shangshan Che could tell he had made quite a profit.
He received 4,800 points of Soul Ash, and when Katsumi Boss resells… he could sell for at least 6 or 7 thousand points of Soul Ash or more.
Round trip, that’s over 50% profit margin.
But Shangshan Che had no extra thoughts about this; instead, he was happy to see it happen.
Merchants always have to make money.
Moreover, without Katsumi Boss, all those miscellaneous items and materials in his hands would definitely be stuck with him.
—Even if sold to the Special Affairs Office, they would likely only fetch some other items that couldn’t be used immediately.
A large amount of high-purity Soul Ash that can be used right away isn’t available everywhere.
Not to mention, Katsumi Boss had spent who knows how much time and used who knows what methods to build up that customer network with sufficient sales channels.
“Five Elements materials presented!”
Katsumi Boss flicked his Folding Fan with a swish, making two somewhat illusory shelves appear behind him.
A few seconds later, with two clatters, the now-solid wooden shelves landed in front of Shangshan Che.
“Adult, please take a look.”
Katsumi Boss stepped aside, smilingly retreating to the side of the shelves, allowing Shangshan Che to carefully scan every layer of the shelves from bottom to top.
According to his demand of “both low-quality and high-quality,” the shelves were fully divided into four layers.
At the very bottom were large amounts of gray-white materials, such as 【Metal·Scrap from a certain Blacksmith Shop】, 【Water·Well Bottom Silt】, 【Wood·Ten-Year Willow Branches】—these cheap goods that abound even in the Mortal Realm.
Average price no more than 5 points of Soul Ash.
This trash, with his Seed identity, he could grab a big handful from the ordinary Warehouse at the Special Affairs Office.
Shangshan Che felt numb just looking at the trash piling up the bottom shelf.
—Katsumi Boss actually let this trash occupy his Warehouse; he was too dedicated.
Moreover, Katsumi Boss even labeled each material with Five Elements attribute tags… no wonder he could earn Soul Ash.
Next up were relatively Rare blue-green quality materials, with average prices around 200 points of Soul Ash.
But this still wasn’t what he wanted.
The third layer had varying shades of purple light spreading, lighting up Shangshan Che’s pupils.
【Wood·Yao Bikuni’s Tea Branch】, 【Metal·Yamata no Orochi’s Shed Scales】…
Yes, brother, that’s right.
That’s the one.
But when Shangshan Che turned to look at the prices, the expression under his Mask stiffened.
Because, compared to the civilian-priced excellent and Rare Grade materials, even the cheapest Epic Grade materials started at 2,800 points of Soul Ash and up.
Epic Grade materials generally sold for over 3,000 points, and once reaching Epic+ quality, the prices were terrifyingly rushing toward 5,000.
Super Epic Grade materials were universally over a full 10,000 points of Soul Ash!
Katsumi Boss’s eye was also very sharp; none of the dozens of Epic Grade materials were underpriced.
This completely cut off Shangshan Che’s thoughts of picking up bargains.
As for even higher up… Shangshan Che didn’t dare look anymore.
This wasn’t a category a mere “ten-thousand-point household” could touch.
Shangshan Che’s gaze swept over the string of zeros in the third layer of the shelves, sighing helplessly in his heart.
—He thought he was already wealthy, but turned out he was still just a small fry.
—Currently, Soul Ash reserves just over 10,000 points, so Super Epic Grade materials were out of the question.
“Epic+ quality materials, those I can take a look at…”
Because the Sea of Qi Defining Object isn’t irreplaceable—it’s just that if changing the Defining Object, everything gained in the Sea of Qi from that Defining Object would vanish completely.
So, practitioners who usually use unique Defining Objects would empty their savings before defining, exhausting everything to find the best material they could obtain.
Stick to it from start to finish.
But for Shangshan Che, who would build a Five Elements cycle with five Defining Objects in the future, this wasn’t a big deal.
Because even changing one would leave four-fifths unchanged, the impact wouldn’t be too great.
Just need to spend some time.
Thinking this, Shangshan Che asked: “Katsumi Boss, can I touch the materials?”
Katsumi Boss bowed his head: “Adult, please go ahead, as long as they aren’t damaged.”
So Shangshan Che wrapped a thin layer of Qi Barrier on his hand to prevent his fingers from directly touching these precious materials.
Since Katsumi Boss was so generous, he naturally had to show the courtesy of a proper customer.
“So… which one to buy?”
Shangshan Che thought silently—Metal attribute was set, and Water attribute Defining Object could soon be obtained in the Mortal Realm.
So those two attributes could be excluded.
After careful selection, only three pieces remained, specially taken out by Shangshan Che from the shelves and placed on the wooden counter Katsumi Boss had set up nearby.
One each of Earth, Wood, and Fire attributes.
A handful of soft soil emanating a chilling yin-cold aura that made Shangshan Che’s spine shiver, a dry and thin branch filled with astonishing Vitality, and a pitch-black long feather that made the surrounding air slightly distort.
Respectively 【Earth·Hirasaka’s Return Soul Soil】, 【Wood·Yao Bikuni’s Tea Branch】, 【Fire·Gūhuāniǎo Plume】.
Among them, the Return Soul Soil, also known as “Nether Soil,” was 【Epic】 quality, priced at 3,600 points of Soul Ash.
The other two materials were both 【Epic+】 quality, Tea Branch at 4,800 points of Soul Ash, and the Plume at a high 6,000 points!
The latter was top-tier pricing among all Epic+ quality.
Shangshan Che naturally wanted to buy all three to complete the Sea of Qi’s Five Elements cycle at once.
But whether it was his insufficiently thick Soul Ash reserves or the feedback from the Void Qi Sea in his body, both clearly told him he could only buy one of the three for now.
The former was because subsequent Gacha Pulls, opening the third Fishing Master, or ensuring sufficient Soul Incense Ash supply all required leaving enough Soul Ash.
The latter was that the current Void Qi Sea seemed not fully adapted to the Totsuka-no-Tsurugi Scrap Defining Object; even introducing a second Defining Object would likely take a few days.
Let alone a third.
Things always have priorities.
Some Soul Ash can play a bigger role at the right time.
“Then, I’ll buy this one.”
Without much hesitation, Shangshan Che pinched the pitch-black scorching long feather among the three rare materials.
Because of its Panel—
【Gūhuāniǎo’s Plume】
【Quality: Epic+】
【—One of the three plumes from Gūhuāniǎo’s neck, containing powers of Vitality, Destruction, and Curse, extremely rare. Legend says it can only be fully extracted when it is on the boundary between life and death.】
As for the other two materials, their descriptions didn’t explicitly state rarity or scarcity.
Since that’s the case, no need to hesitate too much.
Moreover, this plume came from the Demon Gūhuāniǎo, which might have stronger Compatibility with current or future Incarnation Cards.
“Adult has decided?”
Katsumi Boss’s gaze carried a hint of surprise.
“Decided.”
Shangshan Che nodded, immediately manifesting 6,000 points of Soul Ash with a wave and pouring them into the special gray jar Katsumi Boss had prepared early.
Clap.
The jar full of Soul Ash automatically sealed, signifying the transaction complete.
Seeing Shangshan Che’s decisiveness, Katsumi Boss couldn’t help but laugh heartily, drawing out his tone: “Worthy of a Walker Adult who has seen myriad things, truly good eyesight.”
【Soul Ash: 4922】
Shangshan Che looked at the Soul Ash that had decreased by more than half in an instant, feeling his heart bleeding.
It hurt.
But all of this was worth it.
Katsumi Boss’s voice rose and fell with emotion: “This Gūhuāniǎo Plume has been in my collection for a full 219 years, only placed on the shelf because of Adult’s needs.”
The Ingot on his God of Wealth Hat swayed, making crisp sounds: “Unexpectedly, it caught Adult’s eye at first glance.”
“—For my old friend’s plume to land in the hands of a noble Walker of the Eternal World, he would surely smile in the Yellow Springs.”
With his hand nearly scalded raw, Shangshan Che first put the plume back into his Storage Bag, then cupped his hands.
“Thanks, Katsumi Boss.”
“No need, no need!” Katsumi Boss shook his fan, his gaze sweeping over Shangshan Che’s empty waist.
His tone carried a trace of regret: “All is fate.”
Pausing, Katsumi Boss was about to ask if there were more needs when he heard Shangshan Che’s question.
“Katsumi Boss, how much do you know about that factory in the distance?”
He asked directly: “If I want a 【Factory Core】, can I get one from that factory?”
Katsumi Boss was uncharacteristically stunned.
He glanced back at the rumbling factory, his tone lowering: “Adult, you’re going to poke the Factory Owners’ sore spot?”
“Not really…”
Shangshan Che thought, then a idea suddenly popped into his mind.
He said darkly: “Just an Assembly task.”
—The Walking Assembly could be called renowned hundreds or even thousands of years ago, after all, it was the gathering place of so many Walkers.
—But the Assembly has been closed for a long time, and Walkers on Eternal World Land are now few and far between.
These two pieces of news, Katsumi Boss surely knew.
And who manages the Walking Assembly, Katsumi Boss who personally experienced the eras before and after couldn’t be ignorant.
Shangshan Che’s words were tantamount to releasing a message to Katsumi Boss.
—I have backing.
So, no need to fear.
Sure enough, the next instant, Katsumi Boss, who had been fanning himself, froze.
Even he took several seconds to digest this heaviest recent news.
As for whether the news was true or false, that wasn’t so important…
Fake ones had to be treated as real.
Thus, Katsumi Boss immediately said solemnly: “Adult, please convey my regards to that one on my behalf.”
Shangshan Che slowly nodded: “I will.”
With that, Katsumi Boss’s words poured out.
“The factory not far away was built by the Factory Owners as an outpost to welcome the ‘Second Tide’ coming soon, one of the 【Logistics Sequence】 factories.”
Shangshan Che seized the key point: “Logistics Sequence?”
“Yes.” Katsumi Boss explained, “In other words, a specialized modular factory dedicated to producing war resources to supply frontline troops.”
Katsumi Boss put away his fan and summarized: “As a newly built important factory, it naturally has a 【Factory Core】 as a new type of power source.”
“—And for a Logistics factory in such a remote place, the defensive forces equipped are surely not too strong.”
He shrugged: “At least, not for a Walker Adult.”
After hearing Katsumi Boss’s detailed explanation, Shangshan Che’s gaze toward the factory had completely changed.
Not only did he now have the key to unlocking that Super Epic Quality map…
More importantly, he learned part of the Eternal World Factory Owners’ Plan from Katsumi Boss’s mouth.
Katsumi Boss pondered for a moment, then waved to summon a Mortal Realm map.
He pointed at it.
“Soon, a certain Factory Owner plans to attempt landing troops in the Mortal Realm here first; Adult could take the opportunity…”
Katsumi Boss’s words didn’t finish.
At this moment, Shangshan Che’s expression under the Mask had become serious.
Because the place Katsumi Boss pointed to was none other than… Shizuoka Prefecture!
In the news from the past two days, Sister Nanjo said to go there.
It seemed this Shizuoka Prefecture trip would absolutely not be simple.
But this suited him perfectly!
If there weren’t many Demons, where would the Soul Ash come from?
He nodded imperceptibly: “I understand.”
“Besides that, Katsumi Boss.”
Shangshan Che directly manifested 500 points of Soul Ash and handed it to Katsumi Boss without explanation, then asked: “May I ask if you have a method to resolve Supernatural Phenomena whose minds are polluted by Wish Power?”
“This is… somewhat rare.”
Katsumi Boss accepted the Soul Ash.
“Wish Power isn’t anything good; usually I avoid it and haven’t seen much.”
He pondered, tapping his palm with the fan: “How about this, I’ll go ask around.”
“Adult, how about we meet again in half a month?”
Shangshan Che knew this meant Katsumi Boss was going to use his connections to find an answer for him.
“Appreciate it.” He bowed his head slightly.
The man shaking the Ukiyo-e Folding Fan shook his head with a smile: “I also look forward to the next transaction with Adult.”
A breeze blew, and Katsumi Boss along with all the merchandise shelves vanished without a trace.
Shangshan Che stood in place, glancing at his now much emptier Storage Bag.
This time, the harvest was plentiful.
He looked up, fixing his gaze on the distant factory.
—Next time, come pull this factory out.
…
The water pressure was quiet and stable.
Approaching noon, sunlight had fully spilled onto Shangshan Che.
He yawned, suddenly noticing that after sleeping, the Spiritual Power in his body had increased a bit.
Strange.
He clearly hadn’t practiced Spirit Control Technique; the unchanged Proficiency was the best proof.
Ignoring this minor thing, Shangshan Che turned his head and found Kaga Kiyomitsu wasn’t in the Room.
“Looks like Little Jia is getting along well with Lili Zi.”
After simple washing up, Shangshan Che pushed open the door to the Living Room and saw someone leaning against the wall meditating and cultivating…
Hm?
Shangshan Che blinked, discovering Kaga Kiyomitsu, sheath and all, being held tightly in Lili Zi’s arms without moving.
As for the one holding Little Jia, she was now leaning asleep just like that.
The Girl was even tilting her head, with crystal-clear drool about to drip down.
This was truly rare.
Shangshan Che immediately silently pulled out his Mobile Phone and used the native Camera to snap 360° shots recording this precious moment.
Buzz buzz buzz.
While still taking photos, a cry for help from Kaga Kiyomitsu immediately came through his heartstrings.
Shangshan Che stood by, replying with a cold laugh: “Little Jia, you’re still the red-haired tsundere.”
—If Kaga Kiyomitsu really hated Lili Zi, how could she hold the entire sword so tightly.
All talk, no action.
He didn’t disturb Lili Zi who had rarely slept well, instead lying on the nearby Sofa, picking up his Mobile Phone that was fully charged to 100%, and unplugging the charging cable.
Anyway, nothing to do, check the group first.
After lurking in the Arakawa Ward Potential group for a bit and scrolling up messages, Shangshan Che noticed a strange phenomenon.
—Sister Nanjo had initiated a 【Who volunteers to support Shizuoka Prefecture】 vote two days ago, but it got 0 votes.
“Such a good thing and no one scrambling to go?”
Shangshan Che read chats from some A-grade and B-grade Potential newbies, then realized with an “oh.”
Turns out they were afraid of getting hurt or dying; going to an unfamiliar place, who knows if some Demon would pop out and eat their heads.
This time it was truly human nature.
He rubbed his chin.
Seemed like people who chased and killed Demons were mostly not quite normal mentally.
Whether him, Minamoto Shizuka, or Akatsuki Ran…
Shangshan Che wanted to keep checking historical messages for fun when a new message popped up at the top of the screen.
【Moon Sand Sauce: Sister Nanjo you got blackout drunk yesterday and were carried home, and just after waking up had Nure-onna fish out your who-knows-where Mobile Phone, then messaged me wanting to drink heavily and mooch food.】
【Nanjo Emi: ?】
?
Ate gunpowder or what, why so aggressive?
But Nanjo Emi mentioning it reminded Shangshan Che that he had indeed said he’d treat Sister Nanjo to a meal.
【Nanjo Emi: ?】
The next second, a Line call came in.
Shangshan Che answered.
“—Brat! You installed cameras in my house?!”
Nanjo Emi’s voice was groggy, shocked, and incredulous.
Shangshan Che was speechless.
Against a just-woken hungover drunk still out of it, there was really nothing to say.
After listening to a bunch of jumbled, disordered questions, Shangshan Che chuckled.
“To be fair, Sister Nanjo, I feel like you’re bound to a heavy drinking system—the more you drink and the more hyped you get, the faster your Strength grows.”
Nanjo Emi seemed not to hear, mumbling vaguely: “You… where are you, I’m coming!”
“Home.”
Shangshan Che could hear chaotic noises from the other end after he said those two words, roughly sounding like two or three people.
Clap.
The call was inexplicably hung up.
Shangshan Che put down the phone speechlessly, figuring she would drag her whole family over soon.
Because Nure-onna and Little Hiyori Bo definitely couldn’t stop her, and they surely wouldn’t let Nanjo Emi go out alone in that state.
Looked like his wallet was getting a “danger” sign on its head.
Shangshan Che shook his head with a wry smile, just about to wake Lili Zi when he found she had already opened her eyes and was looking over.
The Girl awkwardly wiped her mouth with the back of her hand: “Going out?”
“I’m treating Sister Nanjo and them to food; you coming?”
Lili Zi yawned contentedly: “Free food, why not?”
She was about to open her hands to return the Kaga Kiyomitsu she had held all night to Shangshan Che, but found the sword seemed suddenly stuck to her Palm.
Her hands were clearly held open in mid-air, but Kaga Kiyomitsu didn’t budge.
Newton would blow the coffin lid off seeing this.
Shangshan Che turned his head to look for a bit, then laughed: “Little Jia, you’re enjoying this plenty!”
Buzz…
Kaga Kiyomitsu was powerless to retort, couldn’t even speak.
Shangshan Che figured it was probably because Lili Zi’s Kendo attainment was too strong and she had Sword Domain, making the fellow “Thrust Expert” Little Jia unable to resist getting close to her.
He chuckled dryly and let the now-quiet Kaga Kiyomitsu be.
Soon, the classic Van that creaked when starting arrived at Shangshan Che’s doorway.
After opening the car door, Lili Zi holding the sword turned her head, somewhat puzzled.
“Where’s Manatsu?”
In the driver’s seat, Akatsuki Ran who had already expelled the alcohol from her body with firm eyes twitched her mouth.
Beside her, Nanjo Emi with buttons mismatched front-back left-right on her Clothes, sprawled in a big character shape, burped.
“On vacation! She’s still lying at my place…”
The two just getting in the car: “…”
Definitely plied with drinks all night.
“And!” She suddenly lifted her head to look at Shangshan Che, saying haltingly, “This time finding you isn’t purely for heavy drinking and mooching food.”
Shangshan Che: “So where are we eating.”
Nanjo Emi grinned.
Nure-onna in the back raised her Mobile Phone, showing Shangshan Che the six-figure buffet price.
He opened his mouth: “Classic Yakitori where you don’t know what’s expensive about it…”
Shangshan Che sighed, but didn’t say much—truth be told, he didn’t spend much normally, excess money in the card was just numbers.
If spending some could make everyone happy, that was pretty good.
So he waved: “Let’s go…”
…
After about an hour of traffic, the group finally arrived at the packed Yakitori shop.
Though crowded, the inside was all private rooms, providing ample privacy for guests.
Lili Zi holding the sword snorted coldly: “All rich dogs.”
Kaga Kiyomitsu buzzed in agreement, making the two Shikigami and Akatsuki Ran simultaneously cast shocked gazes.
Just now… what did they hear?
The sword, the sword became a spirit?!
“Don’t forget if you want, you could become a rich dog in an instant too.”
Shangshan Che pushed Lili Zi into the shop, leaving the three staring blankly at Little Jia to follow inside.
Nanjo Emi, sobered up for an hour with clearer head but still flushed face, entered the reserved private room last: “What’re you looking at, never seen a Demonic Sword girl?”
After sending Nure-onna, Hiyori Bo, and Kaga Kiyomitsu to the corner together, Nanjo Emi plopped onto the soft Sofa.
She rested her chin on the spotless marble tabletop: “Food will take a bit, so let’s talk some business first.”
At the mention of “business,” Nanjo Emi’s eyes immediately turned serious.
“Shangshan Jun, previously Specialist Kujo Tsubaki encountered a Train shuttling back and forth between Eternal World and Mortal Realm; you should know, right?”
“I know.”
More than know, he had personally experienced it, even seeing the incredibly prosperous Heian-kyo in Eternal World.
“Then it’s simple; this Train…”
Nanjo Emi said.
“Seems related to a long-vanished but recently reappeared famous Supernatural Phenomenon called ‘Kisaragi Station’ in Shizuoka Prefecture these past couple days.”
