Gensokyo's Dimensional Black Shop

Page 71

Although she still felt there was something wrong with the contract, her desire for her master ultimately prevailed.

After signing the contract, the Mianyue sisters felt an invisible constraint appear on them out of nowhere. While they were worried about the specific effects of the contract, they were also excited that their thousand-year pursuit had finally not been in vain.

"Oh right, I forgot to ask when we signed the contract. I remember it said that after entering Gensokyo, our strength would be limited to the same level as Cirno's... Just how strong is Cirno?" As she walked towards the Great Barrier with Byakuya, Watatsuki Yorihime suddenly thought of a detail.

“Cirno…” Bai Ye thought for a moment and gave a fairly fair answer: “Her strength is exceptional among her own kind, making her the strongest being in Gensokyo!”

“That’s good. If you ever come to the Moon Capital again, I’ll treat you to something delicious.” Satisfied with Byakuya’s reply, Watatsuki Yorihime nodded with a smile.

As for Watatsuki Toyohime, she still felt that something was wrong.

Gensokyo, which has been searched for for hundreds of years and only mentioned in fragments of conversation... was it really that easy for the two of them to enter?

Chapter 173 Blue: "Lord Zi said she's not here!"

The existence of Gensokyo relies on the two layers of barriers set up by Yukari Yakumo. The first layer is the boundary between illusion and reality, which can attract non-human beings from outside to gather inside the barrier. The other layer is the boundary between common sense and the non-common sense—that is, the Hakurei Barrier. Together, they protect this last pure land for beings that are not recognized by science.

After bringing the Mianyue sisters outside the great barrier and observing them carefully for a while, Bai Ye also saw the transparent membrane that was very difficult to spot with the naked eye.

"Is this the place?" Watatsuki Toyohime looked around.

“That’s how it is in theory. The next step is to find someone who can open the door for us.” Bai Ye nodded, stretched out a hand and placed it on the barrier, channeling a relatively gentle stream of immortal energy into it.

brush--

The barrier turned into white night at a visible speed, as if it had been brushed with a layer of holy light.

"Lady Zi, are you really not going to let Mr. Baiye and the others in?" Looking at the scene in the gap in front of her at the Lost House, Yakumo Ran asked doubtfully, "Judging from Mr. Baiye's current appearance, he should have already taken care of these two women, right?"

"..."

Yakumo Yukari gave her shikigami a deep look.

She didn't think Bai Ye would conspire with the Mian Yue sisters to deceive her. After all, to be honest, Bai Ye's roots were actually within the Great Barrier. Even if his strength was so great that he could ignore the effects of the Dharma-ending Age, surely the bonds he had built over the past year couldn't be weaker than those of two girls he had only met for the first time?

Not to mention the layer with Yuyuko.

What she felt was that Bai Ye had not only taken care of these two girls, but he had also managed to take care of her as well!

"Lan, go and let them in. Tell them I'm busy and can't show up right now." After thinking it over, since Bai Ye and the two little girls from Yue Mian had already found the outside of the barrier, the only purpose of this barrier for them was to slightly hinder them before they tried to cause trouble. Rather than waiting for them to get impatient and force their way in by other means, it would be better for Jiaozi to let them in now.

However, she definitely couldn't appear in front of Byakuya right now, otherwise who knew what kind of inappropriate thoughts that guy might have about her... So this task was passed on to Yakumo Ran.

Didn't Europe have a saying in the Middle Ages: "The vassal of my vassal is not my vassal"?

That's the current situation between her, Yakumo Ran, and Byakuya.

Because of a contract she signed in a moment of carelessness, she sold herself to Byakuya. However, Yakumo Ran, as her shikigami, was surprisingly not mentioned. So, when facing Byakuya, unless Byakuya directly gave Yakumo Ran orders through her, the relationship between Byakuya and this big fox was still normal.

Soon enough, a gap that had almost become a symbol of Yakumo Yukari opened in front of Byakuya, and Yakumo Ran hurriedly walked out of it.

"How come it's you?" Upon seeing the figure walking out from inside, Bai Ye and the Mian Yue sisters raised their eyebrows simultaneously.

Yakumo Lan: “…”

Holy crap, these three are all ruthless creatures who can shave themselves bald to make fox fur scarves. The way you're all looking at me is putting a lot of pressure on me!!!

"Um... Lady Zi said she has something to do and is not here right now."

Upon hearing the words "Home of the Lost," Yakumo Yukari collapsed onto her blankets... Ran, you definitely did that on purpose, didn't you?

"Huh?" Upon hearing this, Bai Ye tilted his head, his lips twitching slightly.

Yukari Yakumo said she wasn't there?

Who would have thought that you, a fox girl who often gets angry but seems easy to bully, also have the potential to turn evil?

"Take us inside first."

"Yes."

After glancing cautiously at the Watatsuki sisters, Yakumo Ran raised her hand, and a rift opened in front of them. However, the other side of the rift was not the edge of the Great Barrier, but the Human Village that Byakuya was very familiar with.

"Then I'll head back first. Recently, the Great Barrier has been experiencing inexplicable fluctuations. I need to continue to deduce what's wrong." After leading Bai Ye and the other two into the Human Village, Yakumo Ran, sensing the command transmitted by Yakumo Yukari in her mind, quickly apologized to Bai Ye and left through the gap.

……

"Where is Master?" After the big fox left, the Watatsuki sisters immediately asked the question they cared about most. Of course, besides Master, there was another issue they had to pay attention to... that was the constraint imposed by the contract they had signed with Byakuya not long ago, which concerned the upper limit of their power in Gensokyo.

While they could indeed break through that so-called constraint with a single thought, however—

What kind of power is this that even a normal Moon Rabbit soldier couldn't defeat? (slams down)!

"Didn't you say Cirno is the strongest in Gensokyo? Is this all there is to being the strongest?" After feeling the limit of power she could use without breaking through that constraint, Watatsuki Yorihime's face darkened completely.

If someone in this state were to meet that person with a terrible personality, she would definitely ridicule them with some seemingly righteous but actually infuriating excuses or reasons!

“Cirno…she’s the strongest.” Bai Ye replied with a straight face and a serious expression.

"That's right, I'm the strongest!" A blue-haired little girl with ice wings flew out from the crowd and laughed wildly in front of them, hands on her hips: "I didn't expect there would be people in this place who know me. Tell me your names, and after I, King Cirno, unify Gensokyo, I will reward you with lots and lots of frozen frogs!"

"..." x3

"Where did you learn this trick?" Finally, Bai Ye couldn't stand it anymore and raised his hand to give the girl a flick on the forehead.

"Ouch! Ouch! Ouch!" Cirno clutched her forehead, tears welling up in her eyes as the Watatsuki sisters stared at her speechlessly. "Back then, when that idiot governor of the Scarlet Devil Mansion said that, many youkai seemed happy. Why did you hit me?"

"...You already called her an idiot, so why do you still want to learn from her?"

"Yeah, she's an idiot, an idiot, an idiot, an idiot..." Cirno instantly forgot about being punished by Byakuya just now, flapping her wings and circling around the three of them: "By the way, where did these two women come from? Cirno doesn't think she's seen them before..."

"Clang~~~~~"

A bell suddenly rang, interrupting Cirno's endless stream of questions.

Byakuya said that aside from when Mokou used the Phoenix Flame to punish her, this was the first time he had seen panic on Cirno's face.

The ice fairy, who was always carefree and playing around, suddenly changed her expression: "Oh no, Teacher Hassan's class is about to start! If I don't hurry up and grab a seat, those guys will definitely take the first row!"

After saying that, Cirno abandoned Byakuya and the other two and flew towards the Terakoya.

As for Bai Ye and the Mian Yue sisters, the three of them were still immersed in the afterglow of the bell's sound... Holy crap, it was just a bell ringing, what kind of weird feeling is this, as if they could see their health bar disappear instantly at any moment!

"Shall we follow them and see?" Bai Ye decisively cast a shield on himself and the Mian Yue sisters, then looked at the two and suggested.

“Perfect timing, I’m also very interested in the person who just rang this bell… truly an extraordinary strongman~” Watatsuki Toyohime nodded, representing her and her sister’s agreement.

Chapter 174 When to send Lan to the Orange Rehabilitation Center

When the three arrived at the temple school, the students who had rushed over after hearing the bell were already in class. Standing outside the window, looking at the teacher on the podium—wearing a skull mask, heavy armor, and leaning on a greatsword—the Watatsuki sisters' lips twitched in unison.

It's true that there's no harm without comparison. Compared to the person on the podium, the master who only carried Kaguya for a "mere" thousand years is simply too gentle.

Not to mention the Mianyue sisters, even Baiye, who had long anticipated this situation, felt at least countless alpacas galloping through her mind—no matter how many times she looked at it, it was clear that Grandpa Hassan's attire was not what a teacher should be wearing!

And most importantly, the children below were listening very attentively!

From the lectern's vantage point, one could almost see Bai Ye and the other two standing outside the window. However, Grandpa Hassan was clearly a qualified teacher; after nodding in Bai Ye's direction, he continued his teaching methodically.

Until get out of class ends.

"Manager Bai, what brings you to my humble abode today?"

"I went out to the outside world a couple of days ago, and as soon as I got back, I heard the bells ringing here. I had nothing to do at the moment, so I thought I'd come and take a look." After explaining the reason for her visit to the old man, Bai Ye introduced the Mianyue sisters and the old man to each other.

Hearing that Byakuya's goal was Eientei, who supposedly had a very skilled doctor, the old man temporarily entrusted the teaching of the next class to Keine, who was also a teacher, while he, Byakuya, and the Watatsuki sisters left the temple.

It's clear that the old man has a fairly good reputation in the human village. Last time, when Baiye and Meihong brought him here, nine out of ten residents were frightened by his unusual attire. But this time, nine out of ten people who saw them took the initiative to come over and greet Hassan. The remaining one even warmly pulled Hassan and Baiye into the house to sit down.

Smilingly declining the residents' invitations, the four of them quickly walked out of the walls of the Human Village and strolled along the road that had originally been blasted out by Kazami Yuuka and then turned into a passage by the residents of the Magic Forest.

For ordinary people, the omnipresent miasma in the magic forest and the monsters that could attack from any angle at any time are obstacles that prevent them from moving forward. But for Bai Ye and his companions, these things are no different from children's toys in terms of trouble.

"Judging from the way those residents looked just now, old man, you have quite a good reputation in the Human Village. How are you getting used to life here?"

The old man turned his head, looked at Bai Ye for a while with the eyes hidden behind the skull mask, and replied, "It's alright. For someone like me who is used to killing with blood and fire, it was indeed a bit difficult to get used to at first, but after getting used to it, I actually think this kind of life is quite good, suitable for retirement."

"You'll get used to it..." I'm really worried that one day you might get upset and start ringing the bells all over the Human Village or even the entire Gensokyo. I reckon if that were to happen, he could wipe out at least 80% of the creatures in Gensokyo by himself.

"By the way, there's something I've always been curious about." Hassan looked at Bai Ye and asked curiously, "For a while, I could feel like there was a pair of eyes watching me, but when I tried to look closely, I couldn't find anything. It wasn't until recently that the feeling gradually disappeared. Does the shopkeeper know what's going on?"

"...The administrators of Gensokyo felt that although your strength was high, your perception of Gensokyo was quite good. You're not the type to accidentally cleave the Great Barrier, so they relaxed their surveillance on you." Without even verifying, Byakuya dared to use Yuyuko's integrity to guarantee that it was definitely Yakumo Yukari who was secretly observing you.

It's no wonder she couldn't feel at ease with a powerful figure like Grandpa Hassan suddenly appearing in the human world. During the time she first opened her shop, she and her pet fox kept a close watch on her 24/7 for almost half a year, only relaxing after uttering that somewhat inexplicable "Welcome to Gensokyo."

……

At the Lost House, Yukari Yakumo, who was bullying a large fox who was unarmed but had a pair of large breasts, suddenly sneezed.

"Lan, are you talking badly about us in your heart again?"

"...Lady Zi, you must speak from your conscience. At such close range, do you think I could possibly hide any thoughts from you?" Feeling the force applied to her body increase, Yakumo Ran's eyes welled up with tears.

"Tch!" After taking a closer look, Yakumo Yukari realized that it really wasn't Ran talking badly about her, and she squinted at Ran and released her hands that were holding her E-cup heart.

"Look at this mess! Let's tidy it up now, we still have to go out later." Without batting an eye, she scolded the big fox for her current disheveled state, as if she had been played with and messed up. Yakumo Yukari stood up, straightened her clothes, and casually opened a gap in the room: "Where are those two girls now?"

"I don't know. I took them and Shopkeeper Bai to the Human Village, and then you called them back, Lord Zi. They should be in the Human Village or on their way to the Lost Bamboo Forest now, right?"

As instructed, Yukari Yakumo opened several gaps and, sure enough, saw a group of four people walking along the path between the Human Village and the Lost Bamboo Forest.

Without disturbing them, Yakumo Yukari quickly closed the gap, then went back to her room and changed out of her pajamas into the modified Taoist robe she usually wore when going out.

"Ran, we need to go to Eientei first. The Great Barrier hasn't fully accepted the information I brought back from the other world yet, so please be careful for the next period of time... If you encounter anything that you can't handle, you can come to me directly."

"Yes, Lord Zi." The big fox nodded quickly.

After Yakumo Yukari stepped into the gap leading to Eientei, the big fox changed his disheveled state from when he was almost played with by Yakumo Yukari. He ran to the next room and easily slipped into the bed of a sleeping cat-eared loli.

"The orange cat is still sleeping... Hehehe..."

Chapter 175 Player Inaba Tei Gets a Double Kill

Eirin Yagokoro, the nominal head butler, was not at all welcoming of Yukari Yakumo's arrival; she was practically ready to draw her bamboo bow and give Yukari a good whack.

"Don't be so cold, we really brought you good news this time~" Ignoring Eirin Yagokoro's disdain, Yukari Yakumo smiled and reached out to create a gap, looking at the four people walking towards Eientei from a great distance: "Look at the four people below, don't two of them look familiar?"

"Toyohime and Yorihime... You actually dared to let them into Gensokyo?" Seeing the figures of her two disciples whom she hadn't seen for a thousand years, Yagokoro Eirin let out a soft exclamation: "If the two of them wanted to attack the Great Barrier, even if you hadn't discovered it immediately, something terrible would have happened, wouldn't it?"

"Hehe, we've known each other for so many years, when have you ever seen me do anything I wasn't sure about?" Yakumo Yukari pointed at Byakuya below: "See? Although those two girls still don't like me, what can't they endure for their lover? They've already brought him to meet their parents."

Yayi Yonglin: "..."

Although deep down she didn't think Toyohime and Yorihime were such casual people, if Tsukiyo saw that the brat had forgotten to take his medicine and started acting up again, wanting to restart Toyohime and Yorihime's plans...

This is infuriating!

"Hey, hey, hey, we were just joking, you didn't actually believe it, did you?" Seeing Eirin Yagokoro's increasingly sinister expression, Yukari Yakumo, who hadn't expected such a strong reaction, became uneasy. Could it be that the reason she had failed in that lunar war back then was because she lacked a handsome man who could captivate both sisters?

"You think I can't tell you're joking?" Yagokoro Eirin glared at Yakumo Yukari, then turned and went back to her room. "Come in and talk. I don't think you'd be so bored as to go all the way to the Lunar Capital to get some excitement from them. So what's going on here?"

"To be honest, it's quite a coincidence. Do you remember the names Yasaka Kanako and Moriya Suwako?"

"Them? I do have a vague recollection of them..."

……

Leaving aside how the three main members of Eientei were discussing the absent Yasaka Kanako, Byakuya and his group of four quickly arrived outside the Lost Bamboo Forest.

Looking at the seemingly normal bamboo forest in front of him, Grandpa Hassan, who keenly sensed a slight unease, stopped in his tracks, while the Mianyue sisters looked excited.

Under Bai Ye's gaze that seemed to regard her as a deity, Watatsuki Toyohime darted into the nearby woods. After searching for a while, she pulled out a glass bottle and excitedly brought it to her nose, sniffing it gently: "There's no mistake, this is Master's scent. She must be in this woods!"

While Watatsuki Yorihime didn't act as dramatically, she wasn't far off. The only difference was probably that her awkward personality made her embarrassed to be as open and uninhibited as her sister in front of outsiders.

Then the two sisters dashed into the bamboo forest, without even giving Bai Ye time to explain the specifics of the forest.

Bai Ye shook his head speechlessly, told the old man beside him to follow him, and then walked straight into the depths of the bamboo forest.

When he arrived a couple of days ago, Eirin Yagokoro had already explained to Byakuya the secrets to not getting lost in the Bamboo Forest of Lost Souls. So, not long after, he arrived at the Eientei Gate, which was located deep in the bamboo forest.

It's unclear whether Yagokoro Eirin was observing everything happening in the bamboo forest in real time, but the door opened almost the instant Byakuya was about to knock, nearly startling Byakuya so much that he couldn't stop himself.

"Hmm... why are there only the two of you?" After looking around carefully, Yagokoro Eirin realized that there were only Byakuya and Hassan in front of her, and no one else was hiding in the woods a little further away. She asked in confusion.

"...How did you know there were more than two of us who came in?"

Eirin Yagokoro rolled her eyes: "What do you think this place is? Although I didn't plant every single bamboo seedling myself, I still know how many people have entered the Lost Bamboo Forest, even in the outermost area."

“I see, that makes sense.” Thinking of Eirin Yagokoro’s purpose in turning a perfectly good bamboo forest into something similar to her “eternal labyrinth,” Byakuya nodded and believed the explanation without much doubt. He then introduced Hassan’s current identity to her.

"The teacher at the terakoya?" Yagokoro Eirin thought for a moment, "It seems that Hanbaizawa, who always took care of the Fujiwara family's maid, taught there, right?"