I'm a demon in Tokyo!

Chapter 182 The Zashiki-warashi's Trial of Heavenly Craftsmanship, Yellow Alert for the Tide! Kaga Kiyomitsu, give me a Super Evolution!
Uesugi Tetsu gazed at the girl standing behind the threshold of the dilapidated temple, staring blankly at him... perhaps she should be called a young girl now.

Zashiki-warashi had grown a little taller than when they parted in Arakawa Village, and his face had matured somewhat.

But this is still the smallest change.

Compared to physical appearance and height, the most significant change in the aura of a Zashiki-warashi is its overall demeanor.

The naivety of the past is gone, replaced by a calmness like water.

The Zashiki-warashi stared at him openly, her face filled with surprise and joy, no longer the socially awkward girl who had cowered in her robes, afraid to even make eye contact.

His already well-developed muscles have become even stronger, and irregular scars cover his incredibly healthy, tanned skin.

Her entire being practically screamed "asceticism".

It's hard to imagine how much a Zashiki-warashi must have experienced in the mortal world to become such a mature being.

She stood inside the threshold and smiled brightly at Uesugi Tetsuya, who wore a Hannya mask at his waist.

"Mr. Prajna, it really is you."

—Without a doubt, this is the Zashiki-warashi he bid farewell to in Arakawa Village, who refused to become his shikigami and promised to make him a bowl of red bean rice every year.

But that's what's even stranger.

Zashiki-warashi isn't a walking creature, so how could it possibly have returned from the world of the future, five hundred years in the future, to the present world of five hundred years ago?

Moreover, judging from the age and account of the blacksmith in Nashunfu Castle, he had seen the Heavenly Craftsman when he was a child, and the Zashiki-warashi had been staying in the dilapidated temple on the top of Mount Kaijin for who knows how long.

It's been at least a decade or so.

I don't understand.

Uesugi Tetsu pulled himself out of his brief reverie and looked again at the girl with the rag draped over her shoulder.

However, Zashiki-warashi herself is right in front of us, so we can ask her later and all these questions will be answered.

"Since Mr. Prajna just said that he came here to find the Heavenly Craftsman... then that means he came to find me."

The Zashiki-warashi scratched his cheek somewhat embarrassedly: "I've only been forging iron here for many years, and I've only occasionally saved and taught a few people. The rumors are just getting bigger and bigger."

"To call it a work of nature is a bit of an exaggeration."

As she spoke, she noticed that Uesugi Tetsuya and his companion were still surrounded by the pod of mountain whales, so she waved to them.

“Mr. Prajna, why don’t you and the lady behind you come in first and we can talk later?”

—The Zashiki-warashi seems unable to leave the area of ​​this dilapidated temple?

Uesugi Tetsu nodded: "Of course."

Imagawa Yoshimoto, standing to the side and slightly behind, raised his eyes and asked, "You two know each other?"

“I know him.” Uesugi Tetsu patted Kaga Kiyomitsu, who was also trembling with pleasure at his waist. “Kaga was made for me by the Zashiki master, and he has been with me for a long time.”

“But strangely, she shouldn’t have been here, so we were both surprised.”

After listening, Imagawa Yoshimoto pondered for a moment and then made a simple judgment based on the few fragments he had just heard.

She nodded silently to herself.

Well, this girl called "Zashiki" shouldn't be my rival.

After Uesugi Tetsu finished speaking, he started walking.

Just as they were about to step into the temple, the Mountain Whale King, who had been bowing his head for a long time, finally couldn't help but lower his voice and ask as softly as possible,

"Master Tiangong... what about me?"

"Little Pig, didn't you come in once before? I told you long ago that once you leave, you can never come back in."

The Zashiki-warashi shrugged: "So if you're willing, I'll have to trouble you to stay in the mountains and keep an eye on the gate for me, and also look out for anyone who's in trouble."

"Yes! Of course I'm willing!"

The Mountain Whale King immediately responded with a rumbling sound, which made the surrounding trees tremble slightly.

It banged its enormous head on the ground twice to show its loyalty: "It is my honor to serve Lord Tiangong!"

"There's really no need for that..."

The Zashiki-warashi stuck out its tongue, then raised a finger and admonished, "Also, don't call me Master Tenko anymore! I still have a long way to go before I become a true master!"

But the Mountain Whale King stared with his large, copper-bell-like eyes and said earnestly, "In my heart, you are in no way inferior to the true master craftsman!"

Well, there's really nothing we can do about it.

The Zashiki-warashi, unsure of what to do, tugged at its hair.

But when she saw Uesugi Tetsu approaching, she perked up, stood on tiptoe, and warmly put her arm around his shoulder.

"Mr. Prajna, it's been such a long time!"

Immediately, Uesugi Tetsu felt the Mountain Whale Dynasty casting an angry gaze at him from not far away.

He clicked his tongue inwardly.

Why do I keep getting the feeling that this Mountain Whale King is a bit like a simp, no, I should say a pig licking his boots...?

And there's the zashiki (a type of traditional Japanese house).

In the past, she would have at most waved weakly and bowed, but she would never have put her arm around his shoulder as soon as they met.

Seemingly sensing that Uesugi Tetsu was a little uncomfortable, the Zashiki-warashi, unable to suppress her joy at seeing an acquaintance, immediately let go and landed to the side.

She leaned forward and examined Uesugi Tetsuya's "face under the mask" closely for a while.

Well……

The Zashiki-warashi stroked its chin, muttering to itself.

This was completely different from the fierce and terrifying image she had previously imagined. It turned out that Mr. Prajna looked so delicate under his mask.

So it turns out that not everything Master said was correct!
Yay! Another life lesson learned today!
Feeling the gazes fixed on him from both sides, Uesugi Tetsu coughed and asked, "Zashiki, is there something you need?"

"It's nothing really." After wiping the sweat from her forehead and armpits with the cloth on her shoulder, Zashiki-warashi grinned. "It's just that I think Mr. Hannya is very handsome."

Uesugi Tetsuya was speechless; how could he possibly respond to that?

He could only look into the temple.

Unsurprisingly, like Imagawa Yoshimoto who followed him, he fell into an incredibly shocked silence.

Because what was laid out before Uesugi Tetsuya at that moment was, in the very literal sense, "a mountain of weapons."

And there's more than one.

There are actually three!
Uesugi Tetsu swallowed hard and slowly looked up, but even with his head held high and staring straight at the sky, he couldn't see the end of Weapon Mountain at all.

These three weapon mountains seem to be bound by some mysterious force, which is why they can keep piling up and remain standing.

This is how the spectacular sight we see today came to be!

The barrage of notifications overwhelmed Uesugi Tetsuya's vision, making him feel dizzy for the first time due to the sheer volume of information.

After using his mind to eliminate all the prompts, Uesugi Tetsuya looked at the gray, weapon-laden mountain on the far left.

A series of gray notifications popped up—

[Discarded furnace slag]

[Deformed Armor]

A katana that failed to be quenched.

【…】

This mountain of weapons seems to be piled up with nothing but abandoned gray weapons that failed to be forged.

The jumbled impurities and blackish-gray "weapon coke" were layered and intertwined, and without the clues, it would be impossible to tell what it was.

Uesugi Tetsu then turned his gaze to the mountain of weapons in the middle.

Then, white, green, and blue colors intertwined, dazzling the eyes like LED headlights in a neon night scene.

The weapons and armor pieces, each with its own unique shape and style, were neatly stacked up, making Uesugi Tetsuya almost drool.

If all these weapons were sold to Sheng Hai... how much soul ash would he get?
At that time, not to mention the Hundred-Eyed Demon, even the higher-quality "Thousand-Eyed Demon" and "Ten-Thousand-Eyed Demon" can be easily retrieved from the pool with a ten-pull!
and many more.

Uesugi Tetsuya suddenly realized what was going on.

Since the first mountain is gray, and the second mountain is white, green, and blue, then wouldn't the last mountain be—

Uesugi Tetsuya rolled his eyes, his vision filled with a sea of ​​purple.

His lips twitched involuntarily.

Light purple, purple, dark purple...

These are all equipment made by Zashiki-warashi?

Countless "epic" and "super epic" titles rained down on him, almost making Uesugi Tetsuya dizzy again.

Who has ever seen anything like this before?!
At this point, Uesugi Tetsuya finally couldn't help but turn around and ask,
"Zashiki, these weapons..."

"Oh, these weapons were forged by me using materials given in the trial, so they will disappear once they are taken out of this temple. I'm sorry."

Zashiki-warashi sighed, somewhat regretfully: "Otherwise, I could have picked out the best one to give to you, Mr. Hannya."

Trial?

Uesugi Tetsuya emerged from the indescribable shock and grasped the key words.

But before he could ask any further questions, the zashiki-warashi leaned down and looked gently at Kaga Kiyomitsu, who was wearing a vermilion scabbard.

"I really miss this sword... This katana that my master forged and told me to give to the adults."

She stretched out her finger and gently tapped the hilt of Kaga Kiyomitsu's sword, sighing with emotion.

"It feels like such a long, long time has passed."

hum~
Kaga Kiyomitsu hummed softly, greeting the zashiki-warashi cheerfully.

—The relationship between Zashiki-warashi and Kaga Kiyomitsu is probably like, "Your older sister held you when you were just a little kid."

As it happens, Kaga Kiyomitsu is a weapon, so even though he didn't develop any spirituality at first, he still has an indelible impression of everyone he comes into contact with.

"Ugh?"

The zashiki-warashi froze in astonishment, blinked, and asked, "Kaga Kiyomitsu, has he developed a spirit?"

Buzz!
Kaga Kiyomitsu responded with a loud and proud clang of his sword, as if he were standing with his hands on his hips, making a humming sound.

The Zashiki-warashi was initially stunned, but then an uncontrollable joy appeared on its little face.

It's like finally finding the weapon you've been dreaming of.

Uesugi Tetsu was still pondering the words "trial" and "for a long, long time" that she had just uttered.

He hesitated for a moment and then asked, "Zashiki, how long have you been here?"

"How long, huh?"

The Zashiki-warashi rubbed his temples with his fingers for a while before answering uncertainly, "At least, it's been in this temple for about a hundred years."

a hundred years?

Even Uesugi Tetsu was speechless at the absurd numbers.

No wonder the Zashiki-warashi said it had been a very, very long time.

—You monsters, do you always talk about decades or hundreds of years?
The zashiki-warashi scoffed somewhat unhappily.
"Because I am in the midst of a trial, my own time flows very slowly, and I haven't grown much taller even after all this time."

Uesugi Tetsu: "Trials? Could you explain them in detail?" Zashiki-warashi didn't answer directly, but instead asked, "That's a long story... Mr. Hannya, do you have the patience to listen?"

Uesugi Tetsu glanced at Imagawa Yoshimoto, who was quietly examining the weapons, and nodded: "I've taken up your time."

"No delay, no delay! On the contrary, it was Mr. Hannya who brought Kaga Kiyomitsu, which gave me a lot of inspiration."

The zashiki-warashi pointed at Kaga Kiyomitsu, who was shaking violently, and winked.
"Can I borrow it to touch it later?"

"Of course that's no problem."

Uesugi Tetsu thought to himself that he would need to have Kaga Kiyomitsu forged later, and then he wouldn't be able to resist touching him however he wanted.

—Given Zashiki-warashi's forging skills, which allow her to create epic-level weapons like the Mountain, it should be no problem for her to enhance the Little Jade with suitable spirit gold.

After hearing this, the Zashiki-warashi patted its chest and slowly said, "Ever since I parted ways with you, sir, in Arakawa Village, I have been traveling alone."

A man was traveling alone when he was ambushed and robbed by hundreds of homeless people. Luckily, he had a gun and shot most of them before they escaped.

A person was traveling alone when he encountered a group of master blacksmiths from a thousand years ago and exchanged technical insights with them.

A man was traveling alone when a pickpocket stole his purse, causing him to faint from hunger on the roadside in Heian-kyo.

Traveling alone...

As if she had finally found someone to confide in, she poured out her heart and soul, recounting all the wonderful things she had seen and heard along her journey through the mortal world, down to the smallest detail.

Even if it's just a brief moment in a long and lonely journey.

"Then the wave came, and I happened to come across a whirlpool, so I thought there must be a very rare and wonderful object inside!"

The Zashiki-warashi held up a finger: "That's what Master said!"

At this point, she showed a speechless expression.
"After I finally made it to the center of the vortex, I found that there was nothing inside, just an empty hole."

But I figured since I'm already here, it would be a waste of all that time and effort if I didn't go in.

Uesugi Tetsu's eyebrows twitched as he listened, recalling the Yuki-onna who had been sucked into the rift and whose whereabouts remained unknown: "You just went in like that?"

"Hmm! I didn't think long before I crawled inside." Zashiki-warashi snorted twice, "and then I was inexplicably sent to the Heavenly Crafts Trial."

They say that once you complete the trials, you can become a full-fledged Celestial Craftsman, just like your master!

"The trial only has three stages—the first stage is to train my will, and the second stage is to make me forge a qualified weapon."

Now that you, Mr. Prajna, have arrived, I've already completed the second stage!

She chuckled smugly and gave Uesugi Tetsuya a thumbs-up.

He plunged headlong into a mysterious hole that appeared in the mortal world, and unexpectedly, he turned misfortune into good fortune, soon becoming a true master craftsman...

Uesugi Tetsu was silent.

This is something only a lucky charm could do and get a good result from.

The Zashiki-warashi pointed again to the temple, the three mountains of weapons, and the ever-present pile of materials not far away.

"The second trial is to keep me in the temple until I can forge a weapon that is similar to my little pistol or has a spirit using the most common materials. That would be the end of the trial."

Spiritual weapons.

Uesugi Tetsu touched Kaga Kiyomitsu at his waist, thinking that Aoyama Yoshikazu and the blacksmith of Sunpu Castle had also said the same thing.

"Over the years, although I have been unable to leave... people and monsters from outside have been able to come in once."

The Zashiki-warashi pointed to the Mountain Whale King, who had his back to them, and drew a circle with both hands: "For example, the little wild boar, I rescued it not long after I arrived, and now it's grown so big."

"However, I probably don't have much talent. I've been working here diligently and almost non-stop for over a hundred years, but I'm still a little lacking."

She sighed: "The few stories I heard on the road about the creation of these masterpieces all said that they were completed in ten or twenty years."

"—Then I think I can help you make up for this last bit."

Uesugi Tetsuya took out the spirit gold from his backpack, placed it together with Kaga Kiyomitsu again, and handed it to the Zashiki-warashi.

He asked solemnly, "Zashiki, can you help me use it to strengthen Kakashi?"

"Can you do it?"

The Zashiki-warashi shifted its gaze to the qualified spirit gold, and then its pupils shrank to the size of pinpoints.

As an academic, he was forced by the blacksmith to read books before he could start blacksmithing.

Of course she recognized what it was.

Suitable Spirit Gold.

And then there's... this Kaga Kiyomitsu, who has already developed a spiritual quality.

Even though the Zashiki-warashi had been forging iron for a hundred years, her heart had long since grown as cold as the hammer in her hand, and at this moment she couldn't help but hold her breath.

If Kaga Kiyomitsu's appearance earlier increased the possibility of her forging a spiritual weapon.

Uesugi Tetsuya's actions now are tantamount to handing her the ticket to the third trial.

The century-long trial that stretched to the point of dynastic change has come to an end!
She covered her mouth tightly and took several deep breaths to suppress her surging emotions.

The zashiki-warashi bowed deeply to him.
"Mr. Prajna, thank you."

With this forging experience, I'm sure I'll be able to complete the trial requirements soon.

"Isn't that great?"

Uesugi Tetsuya placed the spirit gold and Kaga Kiyomitsu into the rough hands of the Zashiki-warashi and smiled at her: "I'm leaving them to you, Zashiki."

"Yes, please leave it to me, Mr. Prajna."

The Zashiki-warashi confidently raised the corners of its lips and walked to the anvil in the center of the temple courtyard.

She opened her hand, and the hammer flew from afar and landed steadily in her grasp.

At this moment, Imagawa Yoshimoto, suppressing the urge to carry the mountain of weapons away, walked over, looked around, and asked,
"Zashiki...Master Tenko, don't you need to light a fire in the stove?"

"stove?"

The Zashiki-warashi chuckled softly and opened its other hand.

Wow!

A bright and steady flame of blessing rose from her palm, burning fiercely and bringing a bright and cheerful feeling to the two onlookers.

She lowered her gaze, seemingly casually letting the flame land on the qualified spirit metal: "I've long since mastered this little trick!"

"By the way, Mr. Prajna."

The zashiki-warashi drew Kaga Kiyomitsu, examined it closely from head to toe, and nodded with immense satisfaction.
"This forging process may take quite some time. You two are welcome to come inside and have a seat."

Having said that, she stopped talking, raised the iron hammer in her hand, and effortlessly smashed it towards Shige Lingjin.

At that moment, Uesugi Tetsu felt as if Zashiki-warashi had instantly distanced himself from the entire world, abandoning everything in the world and focusing only on the hammer and the materials.

clang!clang!clang!
As the fire of Fukuzawa burned, the sound of hammers striking anvils echoed continuously, occasionally mixed with a few screams from Kaga Kiyomitsu.

After observing for a while, Uesugi Tetsuya, feeling that the place was exceptionally safe, turned to Imagawa Yoshimoto, who was engrossed in watching, and said...
"Lord Yiyuan, I would like to go into the room to divine the future... It will take about an hour."

In reality, Uesugi Tetsu wanted to use this almost absolutely safe dilapidated temple to temporarily return to the real world and go to the Special Affairs Bureau to ask for information on dealing with illness.

Imagawa Yoshimoto didn't ask any further questions: "I'll guard the door for you."

"Thank you."

After glancing back at the unusually focused Zashiki-warashi, Uesugi Tetsuya entered the temple, which was almost devoid of any signs of life. After closing the door, he used his magical energy to set up a lock.

This prevents the possibility of accidentally pushing the door open.

He took out the key to history and pondered for a moment.

One hour is ten minutes.

This time there was relatively ample time, so apart from questions about illness, I could ask about other things.

After taking several seconds to make up his mind, Uesugi Tetsuya infused his spiritual power into the Key of History in his hand.

……

The water pressure was almost negligible.

Just as Uesugi Tetsuya took out his phone to call Nanjo Aimi, he noticed a large yellow warning light filling the entire screen.

【warn!warn! 】

[A wave is approaching; please act with extreme caution, follow instructions, and prepare accordingly!]

[—Special Affairs Department, Astronomical Affairs Section.]

wave……?
Uesugi Tetsuya was startled, recalling the giant wave he had seen at the edge of his field of vision before entering the Sengoku period.

After the first wave, another one has come?
It's only been a few days?
He quickly dialed Nanjo Aimi's number.

This time, the phone rang for more than thirty seconds before it was answered.

"If it's just a warning or a wave, then there's no need to worry too much."

As if knowing what he was thinking, Nanjo Manami's voice came with an unusual languidness.
"It's just the aftermath of the first wave... It won't bring any big names along, just be careful."

—In the Special Affairs Department, leaning back in his executive chair, Nanjo Ai glanced out of the corner of his eye at Shizuma Manatsu, who was working hard, and Akatsuki Ran, who had a stern face, and couldn't help but reveal a joyful feeling of harvest.

That giant wave was actually just the aftershock of the first wave?

Uesugi Tetsu recalled the "world-destroying giant wave" that was at least a thousand meters high, and couldn't help but feel a little astonished.

It can only be said that the scale of both the mortal world and the present world seems to far exceed his imagination.

However, since Nanjo Manami has said so, this matter should not fall to him.

So Uesugi Tetsu asked as planned, "Nanjo-nee, do you have any ways to deal with illness, preferably something simple and direct?"

"Oh, that? Of course there are many..."

On the other end of the line, Nanjo Manami, who was just about to hang up, suddenly fell silent as she spoke.

She repeated, "Illness and suffering?"

Uesugi Tetsu: "Well, to be precise, I encountered a sick person in a strange place, so I wanted to ask how to kill the sick person in case of emergency."

Nanjo Manami: "A strange place? Not in this world?"

"Not in this world."

Uesugi Tetsu could sense that Nanjo Manami visibly breathed a sigh of relief after he said those four words.

She grumbled, "You little brat... It's a good thing you didn't actually encounter a sick relative in the real world, otherwise things would have been much worse!"

Because so far, the illness has been testing and maneuvering against one of the five members of the Council of Five.

"Since you're not in the real world... well, I'll report your situation first, and then I'll retrieve the relevant information."

The illness has been very active, and it has been fighting with the Special Affairs Department of the Yin-Yang Bureau for over a hundred years, so there is still a wealth of information about it.

Nanjo Manami said irritably, "Then you'd better come to the Special Affairs Office!"

"received."

Uesugi Tetsuya's face lit up with delight, and he continued, "Recently, my Spirit Control Technique has hit a minor bottleneck. Is there anything that can help me break through it quickly...?"

"—Get yourselves to the Special Affairs Department and get them here!"

"Yes, sir, Nanjo!"

(End of this chapter)