Gensokyo's Dimensional Black Shop

Page 104

"It's alright. Opening a shop is about doing business. There's no need to come every day if there's no need," Bai Ye shook his head.

It's still a good thing that it only lasted seven months. Some customers completely forgot about the place after their first visit. Although it was partly due to the fact that the store was still relatively new and the variety of goods was not rich enough to attract customers, it's still a bit disheartening to think about it.

"As for why I have become like this, it all started when Orochimaru, under the call of my loving iron fist, reformed and returned to Konoha..." Stroking the stubble on his chin, the muscular version of the Third Hokage recounted the recent situation in the ninja world to Byakuya.

First and foremost, of course, is the relationship between the five great ninja villages.

After receiving resources from Byakuya, the Third Hokage not only provided himself with enough vitality to survive for ten days and ten nights without dying, as well as defensive treasures specifically designed to defend against various secret techniques and assassinations, but also went so far as to equip all the genin and chunin in Konoha who could participate in combat with heavy weapons from the technologically advanced world next door. Then, he and a few other high-level combatants led a tank army that crushed through Kumogakure and Iwagakure. The purpose of this trip was to exchange Kumogakure and Iwagakure ninjutsu for a few large ships, so that they could go to the Land of Water to have a heart-to-heart talk with Kirigakure.

Don't ask why we skipped Sunagakure; they were the ones who "provided" the money to buy the tanks, and they were also the only village that the Third Hokage single-handedly defeated.

The main storyline revolves around the Third Hokage leading Konoha, while the reason he became like this stems from Orochimaru, one of the side stories.

Having been given the chance to return to the village, this guy verbally claimed that he had reformed, but secretly he never gave up his research on immortality.

Since the reanimated First and Second Hokage were all crushed by the Third Hokage, let's try a different approach and look for powerful individuals with secret techniques, bloodstains, or some incredible legends.

So, after the N+1th time he utterly destroyed Might Dai, the former Konoha genin summoned by his "beloved student," the Third Hokage finally took the Eight Gates Formation seriously, something he had previously paid little attention to. After several months of research, the Third Hokage became what he is today...

"So you're considered to have reversed development?" After listening to the "story" told by the Third Generation, Bai Ye noticed that his facial muscles had become somewhat stiff.

"Actually, it's not so bad. It's mainly thanks to the life force you sell here, shopkeeper. Otherwise, let alone tempering my body to this level, even opening the first four gates would have worn down my old body." The Third Hokage shook his head, not quite agreeing with Bai Ye's statement.

"..."

"By the way, besides buying ships, this old man also wants to buy some more life force. Naruto and Sasuke are all thinking about practicing the Eight Gates, and Orochimaru... I don't know what kind of secret techniques that kid has been researching. Not only has he turned himself into a woman, but his body and soul are also pitifully weak. If this continues, I suspect that Sasuke won't even need to awaken the Mangekyou Sharingan. Three tomoe can hang her up and teach her a lesson."

Hmm... Sasuke?

Watching the Third Generation walk into the portal with a stack of life force in one hand and a stack of battleships in the other, Bai Ye pinched the bridge of his nose.

It's been so long since Orochimaru's Konoha collapsed. According to the timeline, this kid should have already betrayed the village... Uh, I almost forgot that Orochimaru, the culprit who caused Sasuke's betrayal, has already been captured by the Third Hokage.

Looking at the stack of scrolls left on the table by the third generation, Bai Ye raised an eyebrow.

The idea was to keep Orochimaru by his side and educate him properly. Bai Ye also believed that the Third Hokage's teachings would definitely have some influence on Orochimaru. However, as the saying goes, "One who stays near vermilion gets stained red, and one who stays near ink gets stained black," it wasn't just Orochimaru who was affected, but also the Third Hokage himself, right?

evidence……?

The stack of bloodstains on the table, encompassing the four major ninja villages of Konoha, Kumogakure, Sunagakure, and Iwagakure, as well as smaller villages that may not even have appeared in the original work, is irrefutable evidence!

brush--

The light on the portal shone again. Looking at the two people who looked like a mother and daughter walking out of the portal, Bai Ye rummaged around on the table for a bit and waved to Esdeath with a grin.

"Hey Ai, I just received something really nice. How about we do some backing?"

Esdeath tilted her head, not understanding what PY meant.

"They're asking if you're interested in making a deal."

Chapter 258 Believe me, things aren't what you think qaq

If Bai Ye were to describe his impression of Esdeath, he would say she's a strong woman who grew up in a dog-eat-dog world, perfectly suited to the law of the jungle, and whose goals are very clear—

Become stronger, keep becoming stronger, become stronger than anyone or anything else!

Logically speaking, a woman with this kind of personality shouldn't have refused Bai Ye's offer to help her become stronger. However, this time she decisively rejected Bai Ye's kindness.

"..." It seems that something is beyond my control?

"Alright, let's not talk about that." After putting away the bloodstains of the Minazuki clan that Hiruzen Sarutobi had extracted using some unknown method, Byakuya looked at Esdeath and Cirno curiously: "You disappeared for months. I almost thought you sold this silly child. What have you been doing all this time?"

"It's nothing much. I just got rid of a few troublesome guys with the teacher's help, and the teacher also helped me get used to my current strength." Esdeath touched her face and smiled gently.

As for Cirno, upon discovering that Byakuya actually called her a silly child, she was trying to break through Jeanne Alter's obstruction and slap Byakuya in the face with an ice spike.

"Your strength..." Frowning as he looked Esdeath up and down, Bai Ye realized that in just one or two months, her strength had improved by a terrifying amount. The chill emanating from her alone filled the entire dimensional shop with a cool feeling.

Although the sun god, White Night, prefers a warmer climate.

"Shouldn't you have already reached the ceiling of your world when you came here last time? How come you were able to improve so much this time? Did you encounter some rare and precious treasures?"

"A rare and precious treasure... does that sound plausible?" Esdeath tapped her lips. "With Master's help, we successfully defeated the dangerous beast that the founding monarch of the Empire used to create the Imperial Arm 'Demon Manifestation: Essence of the Demon' a thousand years ago. After that, Master helped me extract the essence from that dangerous beast's blood to strengthen my Imperial Arm, and now it's completely fused with me."

At this point, Esdeath's face revealed a somewhat sickly smile.

It was only then that Bai Ye noticed that the icy blue in Esdeath's pupils had deepened considerably, to the point that it no longer resembled the gaze of a human.

Do you feel that there is anything wrong with your body right now?

"As expected of the shopkeeper, you saw through my situation at a glance." Esdeath licked her lips with her pink tongue. "That dangerous species is just too powerful. I even suspect that its lifespan is longer than human history. Although it doesn't have much intelligence, the instincts contained in its blood essence alone almost made me lose control... especially when I saw someone like you, shopkeeper."

"Oh?" Bai Ye tilted his head in a noncommittal manner.

It's true that ice and fire have always been opposites, but he was confident that he could conceal his aura very well. How did Esdeath figure it out?

"Don't underestimate the instincts of a true warrior!"

Without directly answering Byakuya's question, Esdeath took Cirno from Jeanne Alter and led her reluctant teacher toward the door.

Bai Ye was left speechless.

……

After that, Esdeath settled down in Gensokyo, her residence being next to the Sunflower Shop across from the Dimensional Shop.

Yukari Yakumo was already used to powerful individuals who would occasionally emerge from the Dimensional Shop and then settle down in Gensokyo... Anyway, if there was any problem, just go find Byakuya!

After all, according to the contract, Bai Ye's current status is that of her "master".

So after expressing his resentment through small tricks like secretly sprinkling water on the chair and dragging Yuyuko to finish all the food on the table before Byakuya ate, the matter was left at that.

More interested in the changes in his relationship with Yukari Yakumo caused by Esdeath's arrival than in the contents of the newspaper he was holding.

"The latest and most comprehensive news is provided for your vacation by the editor-in-chief of Wenwen Daily!"

"According to statistics, over five thousand mechs of various models have been sold through the Kappa clan. Even after accounting for those returned for repairs or replacements due to quality issues, there are still over a thousand mechs remaining in Gensokyo. To further stimulate the enthusiasm of both new and existing customers for mechs and to rake in as much money as possible before this wave of hype dies down, the Kappa clan has decided to hold the first Gensokyo Mech Tournament on the Great Plains in front of Youkai Mountain! The specific tournament format and rewards are unclear because the editor-in-chief is still being hunted by the Kappa clan, but we believe everything will be revealed soon!"

hmmmmmm…

Upon seeing the last sentence, Bai Ye finally understood why the newspaper was being rained down from the sky instead of being tossed to his door one by one as before.

He also understood why the last few lines of the newspaper were becoming increasingly illegible. Could it be that she wrote the contents of the newspaper while being chased?

"Yukari Yakumo, don't tell me you don't know about this. Tell me your thoughts!"

"Opinion, what opinion?" Yakumo Yukari, who seemed to have just woken up, blinked her big, sleepy eyes and stretched, revealing her beautiful figure.

"Still pretending to be stupid?"

“Hmm…” Taking the newspaper from Bai Ye’s hand and glancing at it, Yakumo Yukari shook her head slightly: “Although there are some things we are unwilling to admit, that tengu’s information is indeed more up-to-date than ours many times. In fact, she was the first one to enter the gap without my noticing, so it’s normal for you to see information in the newspaper that we don’t know.”

"Hmph, I just don't want to believe that~" Byakuya reached out and pinched Yakumo Yukari's cheek, pulling hard.

"Pain~"

"You should be sober now, right?" Hearing Yukari Yakumo's voice, which was so suggestive that it could make anyone have all sorts of fantasies, Bai Ye's lips twitched.

What's even more frustrating for him is that a guest from Gensokyo, someone you might only see once in eight hundred years, actually showed up at this time...

It has appeared!

"Believe me, things aren't what you think." Releasing his grip on Yakumo Yukari's hand, Byakuya looked at Kawashiro Nitori with a sincere expression.

Looking at Yukari Yakumo's loose-fitting pajamas, Nitori Kawashiro began to ponder what his chances of survival were if the two illicit lovers really intended to kill the kappa to silence him... one percent or one in a thousand?

Chapter 259 Little brother, interested in playing a game?

Pulling at her collar, which had somehow slipped down, to cover her exposed shoulders, Yakumo Yukari gave Byakuya an ambiguous smile, then opened a gap and went inside, leaving Kawashiro Nitori behind, resting her chin on her hand and watching.

"I...I...I didn't see anything!" Realizing that she had probably seen something she shouldn't have, Kawashiro Hitori quickly covered her eyes.

"You really didn't see anything?"

"No, no, absolutely not!"

"..." Why does this sound like there's something between me and Yukari Yakumo?

"Forget it, I think you know in your heart whether some things are good or bad if they get out, so I won't elaborate here." Bai Ye paused here, giving He Cheng Hequ enough time to think it over, and then continued, "You don't come here without a reason. Is there something you need today?"

"Have!"

"..." Bai Ye looked at Kawashiro Nitori with a dark face and began to seriously consider the feasibility of killing the kappa to silence him.

"Talk about something!"

"Well, we've sold a lot of mechs over the past few months, so we've run out of stock lately. Some of our clan members are planning a mech competition..."

“I already know that.” Bai Ye waved the Wenwen Daily in his hand.

"That's great, I understand." Kawashiro Nitori breathed a sigh of relief and then stated her purpose: "We would like to ask you, Mr. Manager, to be the referee!"

white night:"……"

Seeing that Byakuya did not directly refuse, Kawashiro Nitori began to explain her reasons.

"Undeniably, there have been many new faces in Gensokyo recently, such as the vampires in the Scarlet Devil Mansion, the shrine maidens and gods in the Moriya Shrine, but these have not had much impact on the overall situation of Gensokyo. No matter which faction's powerful demon we choose as the referee, the other side may decide the outcome of the match based on their personal feelings. After our consideration, only you, Mr. Shopkeeper, are the most suitable for this standard."

First, these mechs were originally circulated from your place, so you must have a deep or unique understanding of mechs.

Secondly, although you have only been in Gensokyo for a short time, you have already interacted with many forces in Gensokyo. If you make the final judgment, even if some contestants are dissatisfied, they will be more tolerant out of respect for you.

third……"

"Stop, stop, stop!" Bai Ye interrupted He Chenghe's long-winded speech: "I think I understand now. So you guys are looking for a referee just to find a big enough burly person to act as a shield and attract hatred, right?"

"how do you know?"

"..."

"Actually, that's not entirely true. It's mainly about the first stage of the competition. We had some internal disputes, so we wanted to find someone who wasn't closely related to Kappa Heavy Industries and didn't have a strong stance to be the referee..." Feeling Bai Ye's malicious gaze, Kawashiro Nitori shrank back weakly.

What is the first stage of the competition?

"Regarding the appearance of the mechs, we clearly agreed that the ranking would be fair and impartial, but everyone voted for the ones they created."

"You too?" Bai Ye suddenly asked after a moment of surprise.

“I’m different from them. When I was designing the mecha, I made it based on the design that I thought looked the best. Is it wrong to submit it to myself?”

"..."

The case is solved, right? Everyone thinks so, right?

Bai Ye naturally intended to refuse the referee position, which was clearly hated by everyone, without even thinking about it. He knew that if he incurred the wrath of the masses, even he would find it difficult to handle, especially if the entire Gensokyo turned against him...

·

·

·

It seems like he doesn't need to be timid?

When is the match?

"Since the referees haven't been decided yet, we only have this idea at the moment. The specific plan hasn't been finalized. If Wenwen hadn't gotten this information from some unknown source, this matter might have just passed by after a while... Mr. Baiye, could you please set a time?"

"Then..." Bai Ye glanced at the calendar on the wall, "Let's set it for two months from now. Speaking of which, since it's a competition, there will definitely be prizes, right? Have you decided what you'll bring out?"

"Of course! We've already prepared the rewards to ensure that every participant is motivated!" Kawashiro Naritoki was elated to finally have a topic under his control.

Meanwhile, on the top floor of Wolf Castle, watching Little Grey Wolf swatting at a dragonfly, Grey Wolf took a sip of juice, lost in thought…

This time, I'm determined to show my boss my talent for naming things!

……

After discussing some matters related to the competition two months later with Kawashiro Nitori, and watching the girl's figure leave the store, Byakuya glanced at the closed rooms of the twin sisters and Jeanne Alter and curled his lip.

Before I knew it, it was so late.

Just as he was about to get up, close the shop door, and go back to his room to sleep, a white figure rushed out of the portal.

"Little Yeye, we've been bullied again!"

"You..." Bai Ye almost couldn't connect this tearful guy who was hugging him with the confident man who was going to give those gods a good-looking White Yaksha.

"What's going on with you?"

"We've messed things up so easily. Is that house you left for us in Gensokyo still there? We might need to hide here for a thousand or two thousand years to avoid trouble."

"It's still here." Bai Ye picked up a key from the counter. "You can see it if you turn left after you go out. I had someone renovate it a while ago. You should be able to find it if you pay a little attention. But what happened to yours?"