I, Yuhaka, am hungry!

Chapter 446 [In Places Unseen by People...]

In a pure white maze-like space, a shadowy substance resembling a fox spirit was enveloping the maze. However, this maze-like shadowy substance was not the only one present. After a large number of energy blasts bombarded the fox-like shadowy substance, a large portion of it dissipated.

[Damn it! Don't get too cocky, you little loli-looking alien with a gruff old man's voice!]

The fox-like shadowy substance revealed a ferocious expression as it roared at the red-clad youth in the distance. The red-clad girl, looking at the fox-like shadowy substance, spoke in a voice resembling that of a certain priest:

What exactly are you?

Upon hearing the red-clad girl's words, the fox-like shadow entity revealed an unhappy expression and said:

[Huh? Who are you calling a thing? You're the thing!]

As she spoke, the fox-like shadowy substance unleashed a large amount of enchanting purple flames that flew towards the girl in red. In response to the fox-like shadowy substance's attack, the girl in red created a huge white wall in front of her to block the purple flames. Then, the girl in red waved her hands again, and some mechanical lifeforms with guns and weapons mounted on their bodies appeared.

The mechanical lifeforms projected from the data unleashed a barrage of energy projectiles at the fox-like shadow entity. Seeing the red-clad girl's actions, the fox-like shadow entity frowned and said:

You think you're the only one who calls out to others? I do too!

As she spoke, a group of assassins dressed in red emerged from beneath the fox-like shadowy substance. Seeing the assassins summoned by the fox-like shadowy substance, the girl in red looked at them with confusion and said:

Humans? No, they're different...

Several longbow warriors raised their longbows and drew back the bowstrings. Instantly, a burning arrow appeared on their bows. After the longbow warriors released their bows, the burning arrows drew an arc in the air and landed at the feet of the mechanical lifeforms. In an instant, a sea of ​​fire raged at the feet of the mechanical lifeforms, and the mechanical lifeforms were also ignited.

Several red-clad assassins wielding scythes easily leaped onto the city wall and began wielding their scythes to harvest the mechanical lifeforms. Once the mechanical lifeforms were hit by the red-clad assassins' scythes, they were harvested as easily as slicing a cake.

Seeing the performance of the assassins, the girl in red showed a rare expression of surprise. She hadn't expected that those assassins wielding scythes would have such great power. However, this did not mean that she had no way to deal with them.

After the girl in red waved her arm again, a large number of various mechanical lifeforms were projected and rushed towards the assassins on the fox-like shadowy side. Seeing the large group of various mechanical lifeforms on the girl in red's side, the fox-like shadowy side was not to be outdone and summoned a large number of Honkai Beasts with crimson patterns. After these Honkai Beasts were summoned, they rushed towards the girl in red's mechanical lifeforms.

Then the war between Honkai Beasts, zombies, and mechanical lifeforms began.

.................................................. ..................

As for Yuhaka, since he had been temporarily left to his own devices by Zelus, Yuhaka and Faputa had been searching for ingredients in the city of no return. Although most of the creatures were not very tasty, Yuhaka still found quite a few edible ingredients.

Near Faputa's lair, Yuhaka set up a makeshift barbecue grill made from local materials so Faputa could practice grilling meat.

That's right, just like you thought. The Falpata of Yuhaka uses plants and creatures from the Abyss to make his roasted meat.

"Hmm..."

Faputa lay on a stone slab, looking at the seasonings that Yuhaka had collected. The fruit of the Hundred-Year Fragrance could be used as a seasoning. After all, it was called the king of seasonings by the residents of the Abyss. So it was no less than other seasonings.

Moreover, because the Hundred-Year Incense has a very strong vitality in the Abyss, it can be found almost anywhere, so there is no need to worry about not being able to find it.

Besides that, you can also find other essential seasonings for grilled meats here, so you don't have to worry about seasonings.

Faputa looked at the struggling fish in Yuhaka's hand and said:

"Youyou, can we begin?"

With an "OwO" expression, Yuhaka nodded and handed over the struggling fish in his hand. Faputa took the fish from Yuhaka and began to process the unfortunate fish that Yuhaka had handed him, just like Yuhaka had done with fish.

After pressing the struggling fish down on the cutting board, Faputa picked up a small wooden hammer placed nearby and struck the fish's head. With a "thud!" the struggling fish in Faputa's hand immediately quieted down, although it still twitched occasionally.

Seeing that Faputa hadn't smashed the fish's head like last time, Yuhaka nodded with satisfaction. After stunning the fish, Faputa used a simple metal knife to scrape off the fish's scales and cut off its fins. Then, after chopping off the head, Faputa cut open the fish's back—yes, the back—removed and discarded the internal organs. Then, Faputa cut the fish in half, leaving the belly partially open. When the fish was laid out, it looked like a butterfly.

During the few days that Faputa was "raised" by Yuhaka, his appetite was spoiled, and he lost interest in offal and the like.

After cleaning the inside of the fish, Faputa placed it on a cutting board and made incisions on both sides to help it absorb the flavors. Then, Faputa took out oil extracted from a certain fruit and rubbed it on the fish. He then sprinkled both sides with powdered basil fruit and salt. After that, Faputa took out a U-shaped fork, skewered the fish on it, and then took it to a grill to grill.

Soon, Faputa handed the grilled fish to Yuhaka to taste. After taking a bite and chewing a few times, Yuhaka frowned and made an "X" gesture at Faputa.

Clearly, Faputa's learning journey will still take some time.

Chapter 447 [Giyu Tomioka Can't Speak]

When Yohaka judged that the grilled fish made by Faputa was substandard...

Ji Lin was asking Shinobu if Kanao Tsuyuri had participated in the final selection. Upon hearing Ji Lin's question, Shinobu looked puzzled, but she still told her about Kanao Tsuyuri's participation in the final selection. It seemed that Kanao Tsuyuri had been participating in the final selection for two days.

At first, Shinobu Kocho thought that Kanao Tsuyuri might have encountered some danger at the Final Selection venue.

Regarding Shinobu's questions and concerns, Hime Rin also mentioned the Hand Demon at the final selection venue and the final selected candidates.

Upon hearing Ji Lin's words, Shinobu Kocho rarely frowned. Was it because there was a special hand demon with special abilities at the final selection venue that the reason why the Demon Slayer Corps had so few members recently was because?

"So that's how it is. No wonder the number of Demon Slayer Corps members selected lately has been decreasing; it turns out there's a demon with special abilities among them..."

The thought of these things made Shinobu Kocho extremely angry, even though she was still angry. The Demon Slayer Corps was suffering casualties every day, which kept the already limited number of members in a state of not being very large.

Each member receives the next mission immediately after defeating a demon, leaving them with very little time to rest. Fortunately, Kasugai Crow arranges for the Demon Slayer Corps members to receive treatment and rest at the Wisteria Crest House based on their physical condition, which prevents them from dying from overwork.

Although most Demon Slayer Corps members do not die from overwork but from the hands of demons, very few Demon Slayer Corps members live to retirement. Retired Demon Slayer Corps members usually become Demon Slayer Corps trainers to cultivate new Demon Slayer Corps members to slay demons.

However, even the Demon Slayer Corps trainers are few in number, and each trainer only trains one or two apprentices. Most of the apprentices are people whose families have been destroyed by demons or orphans. After all, what normal person would want to join the Demon Slayer Corps?

That person's family has been members of the Demon Slayer Corps for generations.

After hearing Shinobu's words, Ji Lin thought for a moment. If the main characters were still at the final selection venue, most of the plot hadn't even started yet.

Thinking about these things, Ji Lin recalled the deaths of those passersby because the protagonist arrived too late. Although the protagonist wasn't to blame, Ji Lin felt that if he chose to do nothing when he saw these things, what difference would that make from watching someone die?

Thinking this, Ji Lin stood up from his chair and said to Kocho Shinobu:

"Sister Butterfly, I have to go now. See you next time!"

Before Shinobu could react, Ji Lin had already slipped away. By the time Shinobu realized what was happening, Ji Lin had vanished.

.........................................

On Ji Lin's side, after successfully leaving, Ji Lin suddenly thought of a problem: Ji Lin didn't know which town the first demon Tanjiro killed in the Demon Slayer Corps, the Swamp Demon, was in.

Ji Lin immediately had an OxO expression on his face, clearly dumbfounded.

However, Ji Lin quickly realized that there was a key clue in the plot of the comic: the place called Misty Mountain.

According to Tanjiro's first mission, which was also around that time, what did Kasugai-kaku say?

As Ji Lin pondered, he recalled that the raven had seemingly mentioned "heading to a small town in the northwest."

Does "northwest" refer to the name of the town or its location?

Thinking of this, Ji Lin decided to first find someone to ask where Mount Narrow Mist was located.

As he spoke, Ji Lin summoned his mount, Pipi Horse. Pipi Horse nuzzled Ji Lin's cheek, and Ji Lin, squinting, stroked Pipi Horse's head and said:

"Alright, thank you for your help, Pipi Horse."

Upon hearing Ji Lin's words, Pipi Horse snorted and squatted down. Ji Lin jumped slightly and sat on Pipi Horse's back. Soon, Pipi Horse stood up and carried Ji Lin towards the next village.

On Shinobu's side, because of Hime Rin's sudden departure, Shinobu also asked the surrounding Demon Slayer Corps members to search for Hime Rin's whereabouts. Although Shinobu was not worried about Hime Rin's strength, she was very curious about Hime Rin's knowledge of the future, and at the same time, she was also very worried about what would happen if a demon got hold of the manga book that recorded the future that Hime Rin had. Shinobu dared not think about the outcome.

Of course, if Zelus knew about Shinobu's worries, she would probably laugh herself to death. The tablet in Ji Lin's hand not only has a fingerprint lock, but also a 9-digit password and a nine-square grid password. Moreover, it has a setting that locks the device for 24 hours if the password is entered incorrectly three times. Even if a ghost has it, it will be impossible to unlock the password. It would take who knows how long.

As for forcibly cracking it... you can try cracking a time artifact from more than 100 years after the Taisho era.

Soon, Shinobu Kocho and the other Demon Slayer Corps members arrived, but the reply they received was that they had not found any trace of Hime Rin.

Upon hearing the Demon Slayer Corps member's reply, Shinobu's expression turned somewhat unpleasant. Just then, a Kasugai crow flew down from the sky and landed on Shinobu's shoulder, telling her that the Demon Slayer Corps' reinforcements had arrived.

Upon hearing Kasugai-rai's words, Shinobu Kocho immediately sought support from the Demon Slayer Corps. After all, her current weapon was unsuitable for dealing with the monsters that Hime-rin called ghouls, and it would be better to cooperate with other Pillars.

After Shinobu went to meet the other Demon Slayer Corps reinforcements, she saw a familiar figure leaning against the bridge railing. Looking at that figure, Shinobu said:

"Huh? Why is it that the support team that came only has you as a single person, Tomioka-kun?"

The Demon Slayer Corps reinforcements who came to their aid were none other than the Water Pillar, Giyu Tomioka. Upon hearing Shinobu's question, Giyu Tomioka, with a completely expressionless face, looked at Shinobu and said:

"They're slow, not as fast as me..."

Upon hearing Giyu Tomioka's words, Shinobu Kocho looked at him with a helpless smile. Although it was easy for Giyu Tomioka to misunderstand what he was saying, Shinobu Kocho could roughly understand what he was talking about. He probably meant that the other Demon Slayer Corps members were slow, so he came to provide support first.

Chapter 448 [Title: Don't Know What to Call It]

At night, in a courtyard, a man with strange, obvious scars on his face looked at the letter that the Butterfly Ninja had delivered to him by the Crow.

The man's name was Ubuyashiki Kagaya, the current lord served by the Demon Slayer Corps. Looking at the letter in his hand, Ubuyashiki Kagaya muttered to himself:

"Ghouls? They're somewhat similar to demons, but they're not afraid of sunlight and have unique abilities (katana). However, their regenerative abilities aren't as strong as demons'. Even so, you still need a specific weapon to cut off a ghoul's neck...?"

Looking at the letter from Shinobu Kocho in his hand, Kagaya Ubuyashiki couldn't help but feel that ghouls were a troublesome group.

Besides the fact that ghouls require specific weapons to deal with them, their ability to operate during the day is a major headache for the Demon Slayer Corps members.

Most demons are active at night, so Demon Slayer Corps members usually rest during the day and search for demons or hunt them down at night.

But now a ghoul that eats people during the day has appeared, it's like they're trying to exhaust the Demon Slayer Corps members, not to mention that the Demon Slayer Corps doesn't have many members right now, and they still have to deal with demons at night.

Kagaya Ubuyashiki stroked his chin, pondering how the Demon Slayer Corps should deal with the ghoul problem in the future. Although the Demon Slayer Corps was originally established to protect humans from being harmed by demons, the emergence of a ghoul made Kagaya Ubuyashiki feel that humanity was truly plagued by misfortunes.

Even so, Kagaya Ubuyashiki did not intend to let those ghouls go. According to the information sent by Shinobu Kocho, those who became ghouls were basically transformed by transplanting the kagune and internal organs of ghouls.

Kagaya Ubuyashiki frowned slightly as he pondered who had turned ordinary humans into ghouls. Could it be Muzan Kibutsuji's doing again?

Kagaya Ubuyashiki sighed and said:

"Kibutsuji Muzan, how many families do you intend to destroy and kill before you're satisfied...?"

Just then, Kagaya Ubuyashiki saw another Kasugai raven fly over. Kagaya Ubuyashiki reached out and let the Kasugai raven land on his hand. After taking the letter off the Kasugai raven, Kagaya Ubuyashiki looked at the letter that had just been delivered and his eyes widened in surprise.

The letter in his hand was delivered by Shinobu Kocho. It contained information about Hime Rin and the future Demon Slayer Corps and Muzan Kibutsuji, which greatly shocked Kagaya Ubuyashiki.

If Shinobu Kocho is right, then their generation can finally put an end to their long-standing feud with Muzan Kibutsuji.

However, just as the letter said, the child named Ji Lin ran away for some reason. Before leaving, Ji Lin asked about the Demon Slayer Corps' final selection venue.

Kagaya Ubuyashiki also learned from Shinobu Kocho about the demon with superpowers at the Demon Slayer Corps Final Selection venue. Could it be that the child named Hime Rin went to the Final Selection venue?

Kagaya Ubuyashiki wasn't entirely sure about this issue either. While the Demon Slayer Corps did have informants at the Final Selection venue, Kagaya hadn't received any information about Hime Rin or anyone else breaking into the venue, which puzzled him.

For example, who is Ji Lin? Where does she come from? Why does she have a story from the future?

This is what puzzled Kagaya Ubuyashiki. However, even though Hime Rin's identity is still unknown, Hime Rin had helped Shinobu Kocho eliminate those ghouls. Through Shinobu's observation, Shinobu believed that Hime Rin was neither a demon nor a ghoul, so Hime Rin could be trusted.

However, there was one problem that gave Kagaya Ubuyashiki a bit of a headache: how to find the Princess Lin that Shinobu Kocho had mentioned.

According to Shinobu Kocho's description, Hime Rin is a petite girl with black hair and black eyes. But... there are petite girls with black hair and black eyes everywhere in Japan. Kagaya Ubuyashiki can't expect the Demon Slayer Corps members to find every petite girl with black hair and black eyes and ask, "Are you Hime Rin?"

This might attract the attention of demons, and in the end, it could attract the attention of Muzan Kibutsuji. If Muzan Kibutsuji gets the book from the future that Shinobu Kocho mentioned, the consequences are unimaginable for Kagaya Ubuyashiki.

"Ha... is there anything we can do now but wait and see...?"

.................................................. ...

Nighttime, in a small town, after Ji Lin pulled the Xuanyuan Sword from the ground, he looked at the young man behind him who was protecting a girl and said: