I'm a demon in Tokyo!

Chapter 227 Two-and-a-half-star gacha pool open? Yaegaki's first use, the third special salvage, activated!

But before that, you have to read through the prompts that pop up in front of you.

Uesugi Tetsu had previously thought that since the mastery of the "Lin" technique would change the effect of the skill.

Do "sword skills" and "sword principles," which are also expressed as percentages, follow the same pattern?

Previously, because sword skills and sword principles were considered "characteristics," Uesugi Tetsu was not certain.

But now, the facts are laid bare before him—

Yes.

[Because your Sword Principle trait has reached 5%, your understanding of "Sword Principle" has been further deepened!]

[Because your Sword Principle trait has reached 5%, your understanding of everything related to swords has deepened!]

[Due to your Sword Theory trait reaching 5%, the damage of all your sword skills has been slightly increased!]

"Do you understand...?"

Uesugi Tetsuya took in all three clues, lowered his gaze, and looked at Kaga Kiyomitsu in his hand for a while.

The so-called principles of swordsmanship and the understanding of swords are actually very mysterious things.

Compared to "sword skills" that can be clearly described in words—such as "this stance is wrong" or "this sword angle is wrong"—these are far too abstract.

Yet, for some reason, Uesugi Tetsuya felt that he had indeed taken a big step forward on this somewhat "ethereal" path of swordsmanship.

If we want to see truly significant changes, then we probably need even more and deeper accumulation.

If you're dissatisfied with this "feeling" and insist on projecting it into reality, then...

"Xiao Jia, you've become even more beautiful."

Uesugi Tetsu looked at Kaga Kiyomitsu, who was becoming increasingly radiant and eye-catching, and smiled: "Now I know why Ririko was practically drooling back then."

When his swordsmanship reached 8%, this feeling intensified... not to mention Ririko, who had already mastered the art of skill and reason at an expert level.

Upon suddenly hearing the praise, Kaga Kiyomitsu chuckled, his sword tip trembling with joy.

Uesugi Tetsu released his grip, allowing Xiao Jia to levitate in mid-air.
"Take a stroll and enjoy the air and scenery at the top of the mountain."

"Yes, Master!"

Kaga Kiyomitsu continued flying upwards, basking in the warm sunlight.

After letting the child play on his own, Uesugi Tetsu naturally freed his hands and turned his attention back to what was in front of him.

—The 2.5-star gacha pool, come out!
[Since your Demon Incarnation - White Prajna has reached two and a half stars, the two and a half star limited-time drop is now available...]

Uesugi Tetsu was looking at it with great anticipation, but he found that the prompt stopped at the very end.

A few seconds later, a new prompt replaced it.

[Please note that the 2.5-star limited-time drop is a special drop and is not currently available!]

[Countdown to the opening of the 2.5-star special salvage event: 42:01:09]

The countdown, now directly in the center of Uesugi Tetsu's field of vision, made his lips twitch involuntarily, and he suddenly felt an urge to attack the prompt.

—I waited patiently for over a hundred days for the new gacha banner, almost spending all my Soul Ash, and this is what I get?!

This is consumer fraud! Fraud!
The numbers jumped a second later.

[Countdown to the opening of the 2.5-star special salvage event: 42:01:08]

The fierce look in Uesugi Tetsu's eyes instantly vanished by half.

It turns out the countdown was forty-two hours, not forty-two days.

If it's less than two days, then it's not like we can't wait...

These two and a half star special drops might have a completely different mechanism from the regular gacha pool, or contain extremely rare materials.

Otherwise, if it were just a matter of improving the quality of ordinary materials and equipment in the card pool, there would be no need to make him wait these two extra days.

No hurry, no hurry.

Perhaps after these 42 hours, something big will appear in the 2.5-star card pool.

It took Uesugi Tetsuya a full minute to convince himself, and then, upon seeing the words "special salvage," he remembered that he had encountered something similar before.

The last special gacha pool was the one-and-a-half-star [Fishing Master].

He had three chances in total, and he used two of them.

They are the traditional "Fishing Master," who lets people catch fish, and the "Slashing Master," who enters the game a second time due to the unexpected turn of events during his first fishing trip.

The two special gacha pools brought considerable benefits to Uesugi Tetsuya.

Now, there's only one more chance left to unlock it, requiring 2000 Soul Ashes.

Uesugi Tetsu glanced at the current Soul Ashes again.

— There are still a little over 6400 points left.

If you're looking to open the final one-and-a-half-star special card pool, that's more than enough.

As for what to do after Soul Ash...

One reason is to smoke the Hyakume-ki from Edo Castle.

Secondly, he needed to leave enough soul ash before Sheng Hai came looking for him again—no one could say for sure whether Sheng Hai would bring back a rare item that could directly awaken the Two-Foot Master, but which was quite valuable.

If he really wanted to spend time accumulating soul ash, there were actually quite a few channels available.

With Uesugi Tetsu's current strength, even without considering the numerous Mumumen mazes that will exist in the future, he could still reap considerable rewards simply by entering Arakawa Village and slaughtering the Tokoyo Factory.

After a brief hesitation, Uesugi Tetsuya opened the Fishing Master interface to take a look.

[Special Salvage: Fishing Master!]

[The third salvage attempt requires 2000 Soul Ash! This special salvage attempt will be permanently closed after completion!]

[Remaining salvage attempts: 1]

[Note: During this special salvage, the appearance rate of high-quality items has been greatly increased!]

[Do you choose to consume 2000 soul ash points to start the special salvage: Fishing Master? ]

[Note 1: This salvage operation is highly challenging and may take a considerable amount of time. Please allow approximately 48 hours in advance.]

[Note 2: This salvage operation will significantly improve your mental cultivation progress. Your current mental cultivation progress is "Mid-Stage Mental Cultivation - Clear Mirror".]

Ok?
The salvage instructions have changed.

There are two extra "notes" at the end.

The second piece of news is naturally good news, but the key is that the salvage operation needs to be carried out for a full 48 hours.

This is a bit difficult to handle.

If Uesugi Tetsu were staying at home and training, he would be fine.

But now he's here on a mission, a mercenary from Arakawa Ward who came to Shizuoka Prefecture to help Tamamo and the others conquer the Mokumen Maze.

Thinking of this, Uesugi Tetsu realized that it was already noon.

Perhaps we should first ask Tamamo if the timeline for conquering the maze has been set, so he can make his own arrangements accordingly.

Without wasting any time, Uesugi Tetsu made a phone call.

The other party answered immediately.

Tamamo was slurping noodles when her somewhat muffled voice came through: "Um... Brother Uesugi, is there something you need?"

"Has the date for the maze walkthrough been set?"

After asking that question, Uesugi Tetsu could clearly hear Tamamo's slurping of noodles pause for a moment, followed by a series of crackling and popping noises.

A dozen seconds later, switching to work mode, Tamamo immediately apologized with clear speech.

"I'm so sorry... Brother Uesugi, we called you here so early, but it took so long because of our own reasons. We're really sorry!"

The voice was so sincere, it was as if you could see Tamamo bowing a perfect ninety degrees through the phone.

Uesugi Tetsuya chuckled to himself.

In truth, Tamamo didn't need to apologize to him. If it weren't for his good connections, she would have missed out on two highly coveted opportunities: the Projection Secret Realm and the Black Telephone Booth.

He said, "It's nothing, I just wanted to know roughly what day it is."

In an instant, a series of loud tapping sounds rang out – it was probably Tamamo on the other side who opened the Special Affairs APP and frantically tapped the avatars of everyone related to the dungeon strategy.

A minute later, Tamamo's weak voice came.
"Um... they're still doing some final exploration work over there in the maze..."

"Probably in two or three days? If there's anything you want to do, you can go directly there. It's fine for us to wait for you; it's only right that we do."

Uesugi Tetsu: "Oh, okay."

"Anyway, once it's confirmed, I'll let you know as soon as possible, brother!"

With a snap, Tamamo, feeling utterly ashamed and utterly humiliated, hung up the phone.

—That's what Tamamo said, but she herself couldn't possibly spend the next two days sinking into the special gacha pool; she simply couldn't get it to work.

This is a basic quality of a "mercenary".

Since that's the case, I might as well use that phone to call Nanjo-nee again to confirm whether it works on demons and gods, since it's already noon.

Take out the exquisite red rotary phone again, and Uesugi Tetsuya took out his phone to compare it, then accurately dialed the phone numbers one by one.

Then dial.

beep - beep - beep -

The crisp sound of the bell echoed on the mountaintop for quite a while.

It took almost three minutes before the call was connected.

At this moment, Uesugi Tetsu couldn't help but marvel at the power of antique craftsmanship—if it were just any modern cell phone, the other party would definitely have to call back if they didn't answer within a minute.

"Hello...who is this..."

Just as he put the phone to his ear, Uesugi Tetsu heard a dazed, confused sound of someone getting out of bed.

His brow twitched.

What big thing did Nanjo do yesterday? She still hadn't gotten out of bed by noon.
It's important to know that after becoming the Yin-Yang Master, Nanjo Aimi is no longer the lazy bum she used to be; she's now a complete workaholic.

So he spoke.
"Nanjo-nee, you're late for work."

In an instant, Uesugi Tetsu could clearly feel the silence on the other end of the phone.

But the next moment, Nanjo Manami, who had become much more awake, yawned and retorted, "Late? I don't remember ever having a boss..."

“But Uesugi-kun, you’re right. I should have been at my desk four hours ago.” Nanjo Manami sighed, sounding slightly annoyed. “Tch, the alarm clock clearly went off, who turned it off…”

Uesugi Tetsuya also found it a bit strange.

Even though Nanjo Manami has three shikigami by her side, and even if the wet woman gets drunk with her, Hiyoribou and the almost never-seen shadow woman won't be affected.

In addition, there's also Manatsu.

Uesugi Tetsu hesitated for a moment, but did not ask any further questions.

He went straight to the point and asked, "Nanjo-nee, are you feeling anything strange right now?"

"A strange feeling? You didn't read a couple of comics and get some kind of sensory synchronization... wait, it actually feels like something?"

Nanjo Manami was teasing him when she suddenly stopped talking.

—The crucial part is coming.

Uesugi Tetsu held his breath and remained silent.

Several minutes later, Nanjo Manami's voice quickly changed from doubt to certainty: "Hmm... Uesugi-kun, are you locating me?"

Still discovered.

Uesugi Tetsu sighed with some regret, but at the same time, he recorded the time it took for Shimono Aimi to go from being silent to being discovered.

—4 minutes and 43 seconds.

He continued, "We eliminated those illegal phone booths before, and this is the legacy they left me—the ability to pinpoint the location of the person on the other end of the phone."

Nanjo Manami exclaimed in surprise, "If you hadn't told me before, I wouldn't have found out so easily. Also... it's actually quite difficult to trace back from there."

"This stuff is good."

Nanjo Manami affirmed, then coaxed, "Why don't you give it to the Special Affairs Department? You'll definitely get your share of the benefits."

Uesugi Tetsu doesn't need any benefits for now.

A phone that can successfully locate a Ghost God-level expert, and might even go undetected by a weaker Ghost God-level expert, would be extremely useful.

Even if you rent it out, the income should be considerable.

Therefore, Uesugi Tetsu politely declined, saying, "Well, we can talk about it later."

Nanjo Manami, hearing his words, didn't press the matter further, and said in a cold tone...

"That's settled then, off to work."

With a snap, the phone was abruptly hung up. Uesugi Tetsu opened his mouth.

This morning grumpiness...

He shook his head and looked up at the rotary phone.

Two lines of text were still displayed above the phone.

【Nanjo Manami】

and also……

Right behind you

Uesugi Tetsuya was startled and immediately turned around.

But they found nothing.

There was no one behind him; at most, he could only see Xiao Jia from a little distance away.

If you take out your phone again, you'll find that a LINE message has popped up.

Upon clicking, I discovered it was a "laughing so hard I'm crying.jpg" sent by Nanjo Manami.

Uesugi Tetsu: ...

After casually replying with a smiley face, Uesugi Tetsu couldn't help but glance at the remaining time of the two-and-a-half-star gacha pool.

There are a little over forty-one hours left.

"They even insist on specifying the time... What's the difference between this and a package with a delivery time of xx hours?"

Uesugi Tetsuya, who was about to descend the mountain, muttered something unpleasantly and then discovered that about a hundred steps below, there were still large circles of demons and monsters kneeling there, heads bowed, not daring to move.

He was puzzled: "There are so many ghosts in these mountains, why doesn't the Special Affairs Bureau do anything about it?"

But soon, Uesugi Tetsuya understood after scanning the labels on the heads of these ghosts.

This vast swarm contained hundreds of all sorts of demons and monsters, most of whom were just small, scattered karami, and even ordinary people couldn't really affect them.

Even the most powerful among them were only half-star demons, similar to foxes, dogs, and raccoons.

After thinking for a while, Uesugi Tetsu realized that the mountain tyrant who had been following him and had now disappeared was only about one to one and a half stars.

They're all insignificant nobodys.

If these demons don't enter the city and cause any deaths, then the Special Affairs Bureau will indeed be difficult to find.

After a moment of contemplation, Uesugi Tetsuya distinguished between the harmless spirits and the harmful demons.

He waved for Kaga Kiyomitsu to return to his sheath, then swept past the group of demons and monsters who dared not move an inch without giving them another glance.

Stab it!

Fine, purplish-black lightning bolts suddenly appeared from the void, precisely annihilating all the harmful demons.

This frightened the mountain spirits beside them, who were about to get up, so much so that they almost shrank their heads into the ground.

……

They go slowly, but return incredibly fast.

In less than five minutes, Uesugi Tetsu returned to the dojo, which was now enveloped by a dark and deep barrier—even ordinary people could now see a faint light curtain.

Uesugi Tetsuya, who could faintly sense the flow of spiritual energy within, clicked his tongue in amazement.

"They really have a huge family business..."

As soon as he stepped across the threshold, Uesugi Tetsu saw that Yagyu Akira was still in the same spot, maintaining the same posture without the slightest change.

Looking down at his feet, you can see that the floor tiles are stained dark black with sweat, as if it had rained.

Without saying a word to disturb him, Uesugi Tetsu quietly approached the master instructor who was standing at the entrance of the main hall, holding a bamboo sword.

The old man turned his head slightly, casting a sharp glance at him.

"Young friend... it seems you've had a very fruitful trip."

Uesugi Tetsu shook his head: "I've gained some insights, but they're nothing to brag about."

"So, are you feeling energetic today?"

"nature."

"Very good."

Shi Fan nodded: "Then please go to the smallest temple and wait for a while, I will be there in a moment."

"Thank you for your help, Teacher Fan."

After exchanging a few words, Uesugi Tetsuya, who was determined to learn the basics of this footwork today, entered a small dojo that seemed to have been deliberately left empty.

After finding and turning on the chandelier, Uesugi Tetsu sat down on the floor and took out his phone, which had only vibrated once earlier.

He was taken aback when he saw the nickname of the person who sent the message.

——[Tamazao’s sister is right! 】.

Looking at the profile picture again, I saw it was a close-up of a puppy's face facing the camera.

This nickname seems to be Chisa?
He hadn't noticed before... Now it seems that Tamamo must have given him that nickname.

Uesugi Tetsu shook his head, mentally criticizing the guy's perverse sense of humor, before opening the message.

[Tamamo's sister!: Uesugi-nii, I've decided to come to the Special Affairs Department in Arakawa Ward to become stronger, and my family is very supportive. Can I come after this period is over?]

After reading through the several lines of text, Uesugi Tetsu replied directly with his own words.

[Tsuki-suna-chan: Okay, welcome.]

Two seconds later, a pre-typed message was sent.

[Tamamo's younger sister! : Thank you, Uesugi-nii.]

[Tamamo's younger sister! Also, Uesugi-kun, may I ask what this is?]

【Tamazao’s sister is right! :picture.jpg. 】

Uesugi Tetsu's attention was immediately drawn to the picture.

In the picture, two or three small old men, about the size of a thumb, are hiding in the shadows under the table, holding cables and doing something, seemingly unaware that someone is taking pictures of them.

[Moon Sand: This is a little old man, a nearly harmless little ghost story... but generally speaking, they don't exist in the Special Affairs Department.]

[Tsukisuna-chan: Chisa, you'd better find an adult in uniform and ask if they're raising it.]

Uesugi Tetsuya sized up the few tiny old men who were barely noticeable unless you looked closely, and sent them a "very important" emoji.

【Tamazao’s sister is right! :OK! 】

After that, Chisa didn't reply again, probably because she went to do as he said.

As the chat ended, that flat, aged voice suddenly rang out again.
"it's over?"

"It's... over." Uesugi Tetsu sighed. "Lord Saionji, could you make a sound before you speak?"

The old man walked up to him noncommittally and asked calmly, "That was the first application of Yae-gaki just now, did you see it clearly?"

Uesugi Tetsuya fell silent.

He gazed silently at the old man for a long time, then chuckled.
"Lord Saionji, you really are..."

Uesugi Tetsu swallowed a portion of the calming incense ash, closed his eyes, and began to search for the footsteps of Shihan Dai when he entered the small dojo in the memories left by his peripheral vision.

Slow down, search, slow down, search...

Only after everything else in his memory had slowed to the point of near-stagnation did Uesugi Tetsu barely catch a glimpse of the footsteps that landed on the wooden floor in the blink of an eye.

step?
No...it's two...four steps!
With the combined effects of the Eye of Interpretation and the Soothing Incense Ash, Uesugi Tetsuya barely managed to make out that the phantom of the footsteps overlapped four times in such a short period of time!
The four overlaps allowed Shi Fandai to move forward the distance he wanted with perfect precision, while simultaneously silencing all sound.

Such footwork is truly bizarre!
Having received the answer, Uesugi Tetsu opened his eyes and uttered the words without hesitation.
"Four times."

After waiting for a full half hour, the teacher's representative revealed an unsightly smile full of wrinkles, and nodded with considerable satisfaction.
"Ruzi can be taught."

Shihan Dai gripped the hilt of the bamboo sword he was holding and tapped Uesugi Tetsuya with the rounded tip of the sword, which was wrapped in white cloth.
"Come on, stand up."

Uesugi Tetsu stood up.

Shi Fan said, "Next, I will use the first footwork of this Yae-gaki to attack you three times. Remember it well."

As soon as he finished speaking, Uesugi Tetsuya was astonished to find that the old man who had been standing in his Eye of Understanding had disappeared.

Moreover, it happened without any warning!
Not only that, but even the mirror in my heart didn't reflect anything at all!
Snapped!
A dull, piercing pain radiating from his waist interrupted Uesugi Tetsuya's thoughts, causing him to instinctively gasp.

"The first time."

The teacher's voice, aged and hoarse, came out and then cut off again.

"The second time."

"The third time."

The remaining two blows, unsurprisingly, landed on Uesugi Tetsuya, allowing him to experience the feeling of being beaten by a bamboo sword for the first time in a long time.

Of course, although Shihan Dai's three swords were not very powerful, they felt to Uesugi Tetsuya much heavier than Ririko's swords.

It's so painful he can't even walk.

Just ten seconds later, the old man stood before Uesugi Tetsuya, who had fallen to the ground, and said calmly,

"get out of class is over."

Enduring pain that would make an ordinary person roll from one end of the dojo to the other, Uesugi Tetsu turned back to look at the receding figure of Shihan Dai.

He understood that Shi Fandai had already "retained" these three swords and related footwork in his memory.

In this way, Uesugi Tetsuya can feel and understand at all times.

It was almost as if the teacher was providing him with constant, close guidance.

It is the best choice for quickly mastering this profound footwork.

"But this teaching method is too hardcore..."

Uesugi Tetsu grinned and decided not to stand up anymore.

He lay down directly on the floor of the dojo and moved his body to the wall.

No wonder they asked if I saw it clearly before... How can a normal person learn and cultivate within their memories?

After resting for a while, Uesugi Tetsu picked up his phone, wanting to see if there were any updates on Chisa's situation.

Then, an unexpected surprise awaited them.

—Tamamo said in LINE that the time for completing the Mumuren dungeon has been set for three days from now.

—Then can't he just start the third special salvage operation now?
Uesugi Tetsuya didn't hesitate much and did what he thought of.

Anyway, there's still the excuse of "studying Yaegaki in my mind".

Uesugi Tetsu brought up the panel for the "One and a Half Star Special Salvage: Fishing Master" and clicked it with his mind.

[Do you choose to consume 2000 soul ash points to start the special salvage: Fishing Master? ]

[Note 1: This salvage operation is highly challenging and may take a considerable amount of time. Please allow approximately 48 hours in advance.]

[Note 2: This salvage operation will significantly improve your mental cultivation progress. Your current mental cultivation progress is "Mid-Stage Mental Cultivation - Clear Mirror".]

"Yes."

The subsequent prompts will appear immediately—

[Special salvage is about to begin.]

【Welcome to Special Salvage·Fishing Master! 】

[Here, you need to try your best to catch the fish swimming in the pond within a limited time...]

[At the same time, you must ensure that you are not caught by anglers...]

The prompt in Uesugi Tetsu's eyes suddenly stopped.

He blinked, suddenly having a bad feeling.

【…】

【…】

【…】

[Please note! ■■■■■■!]

[Your last random era has been detected...]

You have been... (illegible)

【Therefore, Special Salvage and Fishing Master have been changed! 】

[—You are entering the Unique Salvage - All Things Branch!]

(End of this chapter)