Tokyo: The Player Behind the Scenes

If there were another Yomotsu Hirasaka (entrance) and Sainogahara (judgment), this place would be basically no different from the underworld in Japanese legend.

The Yellow Springs Pavilion appeared dilapidated, yet it blended in strangely with its surroundings, as if it had been created specifically for this place. As they approached, they could faintly hear chanting emanating from within.

The pure Yin energy that had been refined by the blood pool and floated around the space slowly transformed into wisps of spiritual energy as it approached the Yellow Springs Pavilion, and then settled inside the pavilion and was stored there.

Dongshan Shen's mind stirred, and he realized that this spiritual energy could be directly supplied to his body for his own use without any difficulty.

Doesn't this mean that the Yin energy inside the Soul-Gathering Umbrella can be slowly transformed into spiritual energy through this method, serving as his spiritual energy sea, which he can draw upon at any time?

Very good, he has changed his previous disdainful attitude.

The Yellow Springs Pavilion truly lives up to its platinum reward; he was simply too naive.

"Namo Myoho Renge Kyo. This humble monk greets the two benefactors and the great 'Unknowable'."

The chanting stopped, and a monk walked out of the dilapidated gate of the Yellow Springs Pavilion, clasped his hands together, and bowed to Dongshan Shen.

"Nichiren?"

The monk looked somewhat like Nichiren, who emerged from the demon sword, but appeared much younger.

"This humble monk has no Dharma name, nor any memories of past lives, only a single unwavering conviction. I wish to emulate Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, to save sentient beings in hell and alleviate all suffering. My name is of no use to me; you may simply call me Nameless."

The nameless monk spoke sincerely.

Higashiyama Shin didn't dwell on the nameless identity.

Because after arriving here through the reward, everything from his past no longer mattered.

Like the other shore serpent, it can be either the egg of the other shore serpent or not.

In reality, that egg was used by Onmyoji for experiments, which eventually created the monster, Zhu Hai.

This may not necessarily be the Onmyoji's original intention. Perhaps his initial plan was to hatch something like the Higanbana, but he failed in the end.

So, can we say that the little snake on the other side is Zhu Hai?

It just looks silly, but at least it's not ugly.

The Nichiren in front of us might be a Nichiren from a different timeline, and it should be somewhat related to the Nichiren that has disappeared, but not much.

More importantly, by putting these clues together, even though some details are still unclear, the outline of what the Onmyoji wanted to accomplish has become clear.

The other shore, killing, deliverance, new Ksitigarbha

He clearly intends to build a hellish underworld through his schemes!

As for the reasons for doing so

Higashiyama Shin recalled the collapsing scene he had seen not long ago, guided by the spider lily spat out by the spider lily. The scene did indeed resemble hell.

Therefore, it must be that the hell of this world collapsed for some reason, and the Onmyoji, with some unknown ambition, attempted to rebuild the Yellow Springs with the power of mortals.

The five-hundred-year agreement he made with the giant serpent was probably meant to be fulfilled within five hundred years.

The Killing Stone, Nichiren, the demon sword, and the snake egg—these are all part of the scheme he devised to achieve his goal.

However, his abilities could not support his ambitions, and he ultimately failed.

The interruption of this world's lineage might also be related to the collapse of Hell.

With a thoughtful expression, Higashiyama Shin, accompanied by an unnamed person, toured the Yomi-no-Kage (Pavilion of the Dead).

Although it was called a "stroll," there wasn't much to see in most places. Only the ground floor of the building was intact; the other four floors were severely damaged.

"If you wish to rebuild the Yellow Springs Pavilion, you may need some rare materials." Wuming claimed to have amnesia, but he was quite knowledgeable.

He's probably the instruction manual that came with the platinum reward, the Yellow Springs Pavilion.

"If the reconstruction can be completed, what role will it play?"

Dongshan asked a question.

Wuming's expression turned serious and solemn.

"If Your Excellency can rebuild the Yellow Springs Pavilion, it will be an invaluable act of merit. From now on, the souls of the deceased will no longer be forced to remain in the body, rotting along with the corpse or helplessly separating from the body, suffering the burning of yang energy. Instead, they can step into the Yellow Springs and re-enter the cycle of reincarnation."

Higashiyama Shin didn't seem happy at all: "What if good people don't want to come to this world anymore?"

Wuming paused for a moment, then shook his head: "Although this place resembles the Yellow Springs, it is not the Yellow Springs of the past. Everything here is controlled by the 'Unknowable' Lord."

He didn't give a direct answer, but what he meant was that Higashiyama Shin could adjust Yomi according to his own preferences, and didn't need to make it the same as the legendary Yomi.

Dongshan remained noncommittal.

Following the typical game format, the materials needed to rebuild the Yellow Springs Pavilion should be obtainable through rewards in later stages of the game.

Many game designers are like this.

However, sometimes moving too fast is not necessarily a good thing; everything should be judged based on the actual situation.

He left the dilapidated Yellow Springs Pavilion. Wuming stood at the door and watched Dongshan Shenyuan leave. A moment later, he returned to the Yellow Springs Pavilion, where the sound of chanting sutras once again came from inside.

After learning that the building was brought by Shinji Higashiyama, Ueda and Higan were no longer worried and started playing around the Sesshoseki.

They were playing tic-tac-toe, using the Sessho-seki (killing stone) as a chessboard, and drawing and painting on it.

Judging from the marks, this wasn't the first time they'd played this game.

It's fortunate that it was described as the Killing Stone, and that it should contain Tamamo-no-Mae. If it were just any random stone of unknown origin, they would be in big trouble if a monkey jumped out.

"Brother, Bi'an has only been eating two fish a day lately, not much!"

As Higashiyama Shin approached, Ueda suddenly straightened up nervously and began to testify on behalf of Higan.

But he was just passing by and didn't ask anything.

It took Higan a few seconds to react, then his eyes hardened, and he gratefully patted Ueda with his tail, looking like a good buddy.

How could Higashiyama Shinnobu not know how many fish Higashiyama eats every day? It's definitely more than two.

Could Ueda have caught the quirks of this stupid snake? He used to be such a smart kid.

"Beyond the Shore, come out with me for a moment."

The little snake probably thought there was some reward, and happily twisted its body before following Higashiyama Shinjiro out of the Soul-Gathering Umbrella.

Ueda belatedly covered his mouth.

Oh no, he made a stupid mistake in his nervousness! Oh no, will my brother punish Bi'an?

He wanted to go out and see the world, but he didn't dare, so he could only wander around the Killing Stone.

Before long, the snake from the other shore crawled back listlessly, looking completely exhausted.

"Higan! Are you alright?" Ueda asked anxiously as he leaned closer.

The little snake shook its head, pointed to its mouth with its tail, and then made an exaggerated vomiting gesture.

"That's it"

Ueda roughly understood what had happened. It was probably that the spider lily inside Higan had been forced to be spat out by his brother, possibly for some unknown purpose, and then Higan was sent back.

Once the little snake gets too far away from the flower, it becomes listless and dispirited.

This was probably just something my brother needed to research, and it has nothing to do with his self-destruction earlier.

Chapter 166: Mutual Aid Agreement

"This is the right decision, Ms. Muramasa. Welcome to our partnership. I assure you you will not be disappointed by your choice today."

In the conference hall, the Minister of Defense, in his capacity as head of the Extraordinary Countermeasures Department, formally reached an equal cooperation agreement with Taki Muramasa.

It's not that the authorities don't want to use force to suppress others. Although Taki performed well in the battle, if the authorities really disregard everything, they are still confident that they can force Muramasa Taki to become a subordinate of the superhuman, rather than engaging in equal cooperation.

But no one can say for sure how many more extraordinary beings will emerge in the future.

If others knew that Muramasa Taki had been forced to work illegally, they would only become more cautious and more disgusted.

Moreover, cooperation based on coercion cannot last long, nor can it bring wholehearted efficiency. This kind of inefficient exploitation is no longer viable. Only partnerships can truly bind each other more deeply.

And the costs they need to pay may not necessarily be much.

As the only extraordinary individual with whom the official cooperation can currently be achieved, Muramasa Takii holds a special position, making him a valuable asset.

Leon sat beside him without saying a word.

The Defense Minister originally wanted to cooperate with Taki in the name of the Japanese government, but after being warned, he had no choice but to give in and cooperate in the name of his department.

In reality, those inside know that America has half the control over the Extraordinary Countermeasures Department, and basically nothing can be kept secret.

The Minister of Defense knew exactly what they were thinking—a gradual, step-by-step encroachment—so he granted Muramasa Takii a high-level cooperation without hesitation.

Leon seemed to have anticipated this, maintaining a polite, faint smile throughout.

"Propaganda aimed at quelling public panic."

"Sure, but I need to review the contents."

"That's only natural!"

After talking with them, Taki was taken by helicopter to a seaside villa in the port area.

It has now been swiftly transferred to her name.

The smoke from Umi no Mori Park hadn't yet dissipated. Taki stood on the terrace, enjoying the sea breeze and gazing at the busy helicopters in the night sky for a while before washing up and lying in bed.

Sleepiness washed over her like a tidal wave. Today, whether it was forging the Demon Slayer or fighting the Demon Blade, it had consumed a lot of her energy. Now, as soon as her head hit the pillow, the accumulated fatigue finally broke through her defenses and surged in.

I glanced at the player lobby; there were two players online.

She closed her eyes and entered into it.

"So, for now... um? She's here."

Inside the player lobby, the two who had been chatting stopped talking at the same time and looked at the gradually forming black mist.

In the blink of an eye, the figure of a woman wearing a white mask on her chin appeared.

After looking around and getting used to her surroundings, Takii nodded and greeted the two of them.

"Those people in the Extraordinary Measures Department, they didn't do anything to you, did they?"

Nobi asked the question, revealing his continued distrust of the official's character.

"The terms they offered for cooperation are good, and they seem very cautious. As long as there are other supernatural activities outside, I won't be in any danger." Taki looked at Uesugi. "Also, they seem to have some suspicions about the existence of the game. I'd like to confirm, was your last game about the subway incident?"

This was no secret. Uesugi quietly observed Taki's words and actions: "Well, before you, we went through two games. One was solving puzzles and finding a way out in a rather eerie subway. The other was escaping from a cave, but there was only one reward."

"Is there any connection between these games?" Taki wanted to know more, to analyze why Nichiren and Sesshoseki became part of the demon sword, and why all of this was related to the Muramasa family.

"There is indeed some connection."

Uesugi even has detailed records.

Basic information is irrelevant.

But you have to buy the detailed information, including every ending.

It's not expensive either, only 20 points for a set, and it guarantees ten new games, which is equivalent to a membership package.

If you reveal your fate and the information, you can get a 50% discount.

In fact, this 50% discount price is Uesugi's target price.

This is a way to make money that Uesugi finally came up with.

Make money, not shabby.

Others may be able to directly resell her information, but they may not be able to keep up with her updates.

Given that Muramasa Takii's ending is a perfect ending, Uesugi is willing to sell himself for a rock-bottom price of five points in exchange for the perfect ending.

"Okay, I'll buy it."

After listening to Uesugi's sales pitch, Taki glanced at the prices of the items in the shop and got a general idea of ​​the purchasing power of points.

If she could exchange five points for detailed information, it would be worth it for her.

"Thank you for your patronage! Ahem, you can give me the points after you settle the account; I'm often in the player lobby." With his first transaction completed, Uesugi was in a good mood and copied the detailed message he had prepared in advance and sent it to Takii.

Taki opened it, and it was filled with dense text, which included not only the objective process of the game and various endings, but also several speculations about how it would unfold.

Five points can buy so much content. I can only say she deserves to earn that money.

"After each game ends, I will collect and integrate the data during the settlement period and send it to the customers who have purchased it. Don't worry about me running away. I will continue to do this business! Of course, this is limited to ten games."