Mechanical Alchemist-Chapter 310 - 309: Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi

In the boundless bamboo sea, the rustling never ceased to the ear, as the wind and snow blew, sounding like the continuous roar of the ocean waves.

No one spoke; everyone watched the astonishing phenomenon in front of them with tense attention.

The Reaper, Six-Armed Flame Asura Woman, and the phantom of the great centipede demon conjured by the Demon Blade...

Though Su Lun didn’t know what had happened before, he could tell that Chitose trusted the Shinto Shrine Maiden called Shinfuku Mitsuko. To ensure Chitose safely subdued the Demon Blade, he disregarded everything else and decisively used the second-tier ability of the Reaper to suppress the evil energy.

Fortunately, after the sword intent and the malevolent Qi contended for a while, the red light in Chitose’s eyes gradually receded.

Su Lun also breathed a sigh of relief.

Finally, the redness fully retracted from Chitose’s eyes, and her gaze became clear again. The long sword in her hands reverted from its fierce open-eyed state to its original pure white appearance.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk..."

Chitose clicked her tongue in amazement, swung a beautiful flourish with her sword, then sheathed it, not forgetting to express her admiration, "What an exceptional sword. Compared to the ’Kiku-pattern Jingū Ichisuke’ ranked twelfth, this one ranked third is on a completely different level."

Seeing that she had fully contained her aura, Su Lun finally asked, "Have you subdued it?"

"Not yet."

Chitose raised an eyebrow, glanced at Su Lun with a touch of helplessness, and said, "The hundred-eyed spirits sealed in this Demon Blade were just frightened by you, that’s why they’ve temporarily capitulated. It won’t be easy to truly subdue it; it requires daily nurturing with Sword Qi."

"..."

Hearing this, Su Lun’s brow furrowed slightly, and he hesitated over whether to persuade her further.

This Demon Blade felt like a ticking time bomb, unpredictable in its potential to explode.

Yet, unexpectedly, Chitose seemed completely unconcerned, casually affixing the blade to her waist with an air of great satisfaction.

She looked at Su Lun beside her, then hugged his shoulder openly and laughed, "I really like your gift."

Seeing her demeanor, Su Lun knew he wouldn’t be able to dissuade her and shrugged, saying, "As long as you like it."

He had already made up his mind to keep an eye on this gambling-addicted lady’s condition, lest she be harmed by the Demon Blade.

....

The onlookers who were at a distance, seeing that Chitose was safe and sound, all approached.

Lolota ran over excitedly with a bright face, shouting, "Teacher!"

Although the girl was young, she was also a formidable swordsman. Her gaze likewise fixed on the ’Onimaru Hyakumezsou Masanori’ at Chitose’s waist, unable to look away, "Teacher, do you want me to hold your sword for you?"

She wanted to touch it but was stopped by Chitose, "You can’t handle this sword at your current realm."

Lolota pouted, her face full of regret, "Oh."

Then, Shinfuku Mitsuko approached, patting her chest as if a weight had been lifted, let out a long breath, and said, "Miss Chitose, what you did just now was really too risky."

She was still somewhat frightened and could also see that the malicious energy lingered around the blade, saying, "This Demon Blade holds the souls of countless who perished by its cuts, souls that not even the high monks of Senso-ji Temple could purify after years of chanting. Now that you carry it with you, it might bring you..."

Before she could finish, Mitsuko noticed the resolve of Chitose, the swordsman, and she swallowed her remaining words.

Thinking it over, Mitsuko then untied a red string from the handle of her Kagura bell and tied it to the end of the Demon Blade’s hilt, completing it with a beautiful knot.

Su Lun appraised it for a moment, realizing that the red string was actually the Shinto spiritual implement "Amaterasu Exorcism String," which had the effect of warding off evil and subduing demons. Moreover, the effect was not weak; measured against alchemic items, it could also be considered of high quality. This gift was far from light.

With this string, the malevolent spirits sealed within the blade would be greatly restricted if they sought to cause trouble.

The ethereal red string adorned the snowy-white blade, instantly diminishing its sinister aura and making it look even more attractive. Chitose liked this new aesthetic, and she thanked Mitsuko, "Thank you, Miss Mitsuko."

"It’s nothing."

Mitsuko nodded her head gently, showing a soft and gentle side of a woman, indicating she had no intention of continuing with her male disguise from before.

She then turned her gaze back toward Su Lun, asking curiously, "Mr. Su Lun, if I may be so bold as to ask, how did you come by this Demon Blade?"

Her look towards Su Lun was entirely different now. After seeing the phantom of the Lord of the Netherworld, she knew that the man before her was far from ordinary.

"It’s a long story..."

The experience at the Sword Forging Village had also left Su Lun puzzled, and considering Miss Mitsuko was a Shinto Shrine Maiden of the Mountain Hermit nation, he thought she might know more.

He then recounted the situation, "I went to ’Sword Forging Village’ before, and something strange happened..."

Upon hearing this, the bystanders listening to the bizarre experience all wore faces of disbelief.

Chitose exclaimed in astonishment, "You saw a destroyed village before, and the people inside were all alive?"

After all, she knew that Su Lun possessed the talent of the All-knowing Eye and could not be fooled by illusions.

Therefore, the situation became all the more eerie.

If it weren’t for the guide who was actually a Ninja in disguise, one could really say it was "monsters causing chaos" with no one able to find any flaws.

But with the appearance of that Ninja, it was clearly a man-made trap.

Someone had artificially controlled the abnormalities of Sword Forging Village.

Even after hearing the story, Shinfuku Mitsuko wore a puzzled look on her face.

After pondering for a moment, she said, "The Demon Blade had been enshrined in the Sword Forging Village’s shrine for over a hundred years, a fact known by very few. But a year ago, Sword Forging Village was suddenly engulfed by a bizarre fire, all villagers died, and ’Onimaru Hyakume Munemasa’ also vanished without a trace. It’s said to be the work of monsters, but the intelligence I received points to the involvement of the Black Dragon syndicate in the background."

Being a royal princess, she naturally knew some hidden information.

On hearing this, Chitose’s beautiful visage tensed, "Are you saying, the mastermind behind this is also the Black Dragon syndicate?"

"Mm."

The Princess nodded, "Mr. Su Lun said that the person was skilled in Ninjitsu and controlling demons, probably a member of the Koga Ninja clan. The Black Dragon syndicate has many skilled members from the Ninja clans. They are loyal to the Takeda Shogunate."

Su Lun, hearing this "also", seemingly guessed what Chitose and the others had experienced.

The Black Dragon syndicate is the largest organization in Mountain Hermit, somewhat like a mafia but also serving as a semi-official intelligence agency. The organization is mainly active in the Edo region, with a mixed membership of ronin, Ninjas, martial artists, merchants, and various performers from the underworld.

Their puppet master, it is said, is the Shogunate General Takeda Nobuyasu (the alias of the Rune Old Man).

However, linking these facts, the logic also worked out. The agents of the King of the North Sea were coming to collect taxes and declare sovereignty, which would most affect the power holders of Mountain Hermit: the Shinfuku royal family and, of course, the Shogunate General with significant authority.

Having a motive to dispatch someone to assassinate is also plausible.

But Su Lun had little interest in power struggles. He was more curious about the ’year of disappearance’ and directly asked, "Princess, do you know why I saw the already destroyed Sword Forging Village? Moreover, I am certain that I saw living people."

Upon hearing this, the Princess also showed a look of confusion, and after thinking it over, she said, "I’m not quite sure what that situation was. However, in our Mountain Hermit, there’s a legend that the heavenly god ’Lord Tsukiyomi’ has the power to create realistic illusions. It’s said that under that type of Illusion Technique, everything is completely identical to the real world..."

Illusion Technique?

Su Lun frowned upon hearing this and looked up at the sky.

This answer did not help to resolve his confusion.

He had the All-knowing Eye, and unless this Illusion Technique was so advanced that it was beyond the scope of cognition, it would not be possible for him to miss any sign.

And besides, this was only a "legend," which was not very reliable.

He had previously studied some customs of Mountain Hermit and knew that people here worshiped a great number of gods, said to number in the tens of thousands.

The most famous of these were the sun god "Amaterasu Omikami"; and the moon god "Lord Tsukiyomi," also known as "Tsukuyomi-no-Mikami," the deity governing the night.

However, these were mythological tales; the era was too remote to distinguish between truth and fiction.

At least the nature gods worshipped by the Dalu clan still exist. The many gods of Mountain Hermit are now just stories to be listened to.

The Princess perhaps sensed Su Lun’s thought and said with a sincere face, "Honestly, I am a Shinto Shrine Maiden of the Sugaha Shrine lineage. Although Shinto’s influence is now weak, the gods truly exist. Mr. Su Lun, your situation, can only be most logically explained this way."

"Mm."

Su Lun, having listened, did not say much more; although he was an Alchemist, he still respected other people’s religious beliefs.

Chitose, on the other hand, seemed to think of something, speaking with a grave expression, "Now that you mention it, I do recall some details of the previous assassination attempt."

Pausing, she added, "When we went to assassinate Takeda Nobuyasu, and that unexpected change occurred, could that not have been the same method? Otherwise, how could it be that you, Princess, had no hint at all."

Upon hearing this, the Princess seemed to realize something, her expression becoming serious, "I had always thought Takeda was the biggest enemy, but now it seems there might be an even more deeply hidden presence behind him. Otherwise, our well-prepared assassination should not have failed..."

The assassination attempt had failed in a very strange way.

Until now, no one could understand where the problem lay.

....

Su Lun listened to the two people’s brief analysis and replay of events and also roughly understood what they had been up to before.

In the Mountain Hermit Kingdom, the "Shinfuku Clan" of the divine royal family seemed to be in power nominally.

But in reality, the actual authority was controlled by Takeda Nobuyasu, the Shogunate General, and many of the lords were also obedient to the shogunate.

The imperial power was in name only.

Furthermore, Su Lun also gleaned that there were some issues related to faith, which seemed to shake the foundation of the divine right of the Mountain Hermit Kingdom’s imperial power.

Therefore, the royal family wanted to reclaim their power.

But with the Shogunate General holding significant power, it would be impossible to overthrow him by normal means.

The only way was assassination.

Shinfuku Mitsuko, the royal princess, had been secretly preparing for years to resolve the Takeda Shogunate through assassination.

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And this time, it was about secretly recruiting a group of experts to ambush in the Edo residence.

However, the assassination plan, which was supposed to be fail-proof, collapsed due to some "bizarre mishap."

The circumstances were so strange that Senjo didn’t understand how they had failed.

From the Princess, Su Lun also learned about the "Rune Old Man’s" experiences after defecting from the Emperor Luying’s empire to Mountain Hermit. This guy indeed had capabilities, climbing from being a mere son-in-law to his current position, just one step below the top, all within a mere twenty years.

One would have thought he’d be the final boss, but the assassination revealed there were hidden forces behind the scenes.

The more they analyzed the situation, the clearer it became. The Princess, after all, understood the state of Mountain Hermit. She suddenly said, "I’ve thought of someone!"

Senjo apparently also knew some inside information and guessed, "Are you thinking of... Yoteihime?"

"Yes!"

The Princess nodded, "That woman appeared after Takeda made a name for himself. Many domestic authorities were infatuated with her beauty. Now that I think about it, it seems as if there are no connections between the two, and yet there are countless ties. Takeda’s smooth rise to Grand General definitely had some external force behind it!"

"..."

Su Lun listened with some confusion.

The legendary "Number one beauty under heaven"?

What did a courtesan have to do with governance?

It sounded like yet another tale of a beauty causing the downfall of a nation.

Although Su Lun wasn’t clear about what exactly happened, he was aware that the "Rune Old Man" had defected with a powerful cursed object.

Could there be some connection?

The Princess seemed to have grasped a crucial point and stated confidently, "That’s right! If we can escape this time, we must thoroughly investigate that woman’s background when we return to Edo."

...

Watching the few people talking without any sign of leaving the bamboo forest, one of the Princess’s guards suddenly returned and said, "Um... Your Royal Highness Princess, shouldn’t we leave now? After nightfall, the [Ghost Warriors] will likely appear."

Upon hearing this, the Princess glanced at Senjo and then turned her questioning gaze to Su Lun.

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She already knew that the "reinforcements" before her were not to be underestimated.

Currently unable to shake off the pursuit, she could only rely on these two people.

Senjo, too, understood the current situation and asked Su Lun, "Are you confident?"

Su Lun replied with a relaxed face, "I’ve made some preparations, and I’m somewhat confident. However, I haven’t seen the [Ghost Warriors] with my own eyes, so I don’t know if the measures I’ve prepared will really be effective."

Whether he could win or not, he wasn’t a hundred percent sure.

But he felt quite confident about escaping and saving their lives.

So there was no need to feel urgent.

"Let’s give it a try then. If we keep on running like this, we’ll be cornered sooner or later anyway."

Hearing this, Senjo didn’t say much; she simply sat down casually on the ground, heaving a sigh of relief, "I’ve hardly had a moment of peace in these three days and nights; it’s a good time to rest now."

As she spoke, she looked at Su Lun and said nonchalantly, "I’m counting on you later."

"I’ll do my best,"

Su Lun responded with a wry smile.

But since he was there to help, naturally he would give it his all.

Upon seeing Chisen’s demeanor, Shinfuku Mitsuko also let out a small sigh of relief. She was always very polite, bowing and saying, "Mr. Su Lun, thank you for your trouble."

Su Lun was still somewhat unaccustomed to this formality and quickly said, "Please don’t mention it."

At that moment, it seemed Chisen had thought of something. She took out a pottery jar from the cloth bag behind her and then pulled out a scroll, saying to Su Lun, "Oh right, these are for you."

"For me?"

Su Lun felt surprised. He looked at the dark pottery jar, which was identified as the "Soul Sealing Jar."

"Yes!"

Chisen said lazily, "Didn’t you say you wanted the Magician’s heritage? That’s what the scroll is. And inside the pottery jar is the sealed soul of ’Ghost Sword’ Ashi; that guy’s rune expertise is not bad, I think you might need it. You owe Princess a thanks for her help."

"Ah...?"

Su Lun, hearing this, looked at the two items in his hands in disbelief.

The main reason he had come to Mountain Hermit was to find the Magician’s heritage and then create the "Replica of the Primal Rune" to advance to the fourth order.

Now, he had it in his hands so easily?

This gave him an almost dreamlike, unreal feeling.

Princess, being perceptive, seemed to guess something and interjected appropriately, "Takeda initially came to Kamakura and, to quickly gain the trust of Lord Hosokawa, he handed over the heritage of the Secret Techniques he brought. Later, Hosokawa offered it to the imperial family, and that is the very one we have here. This was the condition of Chisen’s agreement to our employ. For this, she also took a big risk."

Was this the condition for Chisen’s attempt to assassinate Rune Old Man?

Su Lun, upon hearing this, finally understood that Chisen had already done so much for him without his knowledge.

The most reliable way he had previously thought to acquire the Magician’s channel was to come to Mountain Hermit and target that "Rune Old Man." But a sixth-order professional was not so easy to kill, especially one who held military authority like the Shogunate General.

Even the second before they spoke, Su Lun hadn’t thought of any other way to acquire the heritage, except for calling his senior sister to help.

But now, the Secret Technique was in his hands, as if by some fantastic dream.

Chisen, who seemed carefree and blithe on the outside, was actually very meticulous.

Even with the Secret Technique, learning and mastering it required exceptional talent.

She had also thoughtfully left the soul of ’Ghost Sword’ Ashi.

Su Lun was not one to stand on ceremony, and with a raised eyebrow, he smiled, "Thanks, sister Chisen."

Their relationship was already quite close; they didn’t need the formality of exchanging gifts.

As if he would hesitate to give Chisen a priceless Demon Blade.

Chisen was dozing with closed eyes and, without looking straight at him, casually said, "It’s not as complicated as you think. I came to Mountain Hermit in search of the ’Sword Saint’ Akutagawa Ryuichi to ask for the true solution of the Sword Dao. Helping you out... was just a matter of convenience..."

Su Lun smiled.

He was very clear in his mind that the danger of this trip to Edo was not as easy as Chisen made it seem.

....

Before long, nightfall came and the sky completely darkened.

The group made their repairs in the bamboo forest. Tonight’s moonlight was beautiful, the bright white moonlight spilling over the land.

Su Lun sat in meditation as usual, his expression unchanged, while Chisen beside him continued to sleep soundly, and Lolita, holding a sword, looked very tense.

Not far away, the Princess and her ninja guards never lost the seriousness in their eyes, always keeping watch over the bamboo forest.

After all, the pursuers were coming for them.

Suddenly, a crow cawed "caw caw" from the bamboo branches.

Hearing the noise, Su Lun abruptly opened his eyes, looking at the depths of the dark bamboo forest, and exclaimed, "They’re here!"