Chapter 1482: Little Raccoon? Big Cat Ball?

“Indeed, as you said.” Kikuchi Daisuke said with a frown and a sigh, “You yourself have already been tainted with [Remnants of Evil]. If you conduct the investigation, fewer people will be implicated. I didn’t expect that you had already reached such a level of realization…”

Saying this, Kikuchi Daisuke solemnly bowed.

“I underestimated you, my deepest apologies.”

Lann scratched his chin; although he had only interacted briefly with this old warrior, he had already bowed several times.

It made Lann feel somewhat numb.

This deepened Lann’s stereotype.

After rising, Kikuchi Daisuke said seriously: “The convoy this man belonged to also departed from Iwamura Castle.”

“Allow me to write a letter to Lord Ando Shouji, explaining the situation here and your identity. To be honest, your identity… still seems a bit too strange.”

This was one of the effects Lann hoped to achieve.

His identity was indeed strange. But if someone like Kikuchi Daisuke, a legitimate warrior, could provide him with a letter of introduction, it would instantly reduce ninety-nine percent of the skepticism.

Ando Shouji is one of the ‘Mino Three Persons,’ while Kikuchi Daisuke appears to be a genuine warrior under his command. A large portion of the land in Thirteen Cherry Blossom Village was likely bestowed upon him.

He is a strong dragon, while also serving as priest, overseeing the worship of the Divine Cherry Tree and praying for blessings and disaster prevention as the village chief; he is the local family, the local power.

So far, it seems the strong dragon and local power have a good relationship, without any conflict.

This may also relate to Thirteen Cherry Blossom Village’s main income being from the relay station business, rather than traditional farming.

The social class and role of warriors largely correspond to those of Western knights.

Under a lord, the legitimate warriors are limited. Too many would be unaffordable and there would be no estate to distribute.

Therefore, their status in the eyes of the lord is quite remarkable.

With Kikuchi Daisuke’s letter of introduction, even if Lann left Ando Shouji’s territory, he could still manage within Mino Country.

Of course, beyond Mino Country, there would be no options.

At present, while the various daimyo across Japan are engaged in mutual warfare, last year it was rumored that the renowned Sunagawa Family, Kai Takeda Family, and Sagami Hōjō Family had formed an alliance to face external pressures.

Despite Lann’s origin being so strange it invites ridicule, precisely because it’s so strange, Kikuchi Daisuke finds it hard to suspect him of being a spy.

Moreover, Lann being coincidentally tainted with [Remnants of Evil] along with the person who hanged himself, their adjacent living quarters were arranged by Kikuchi Daisuke himself.

It doesn’t seem like an act by spies from other countries, deliberately to spread [Remnants of Evil] and stir up ghostly chaos in Mino Country.

Even though it’s an era of mutual warfare among the daimyo, Kikuchi Daisuke still cannot believe anyone would act so unprincipled.

To use the power of Ghost God to disrupt the human world… Such acts in the past would have faced court condemnation!

Even though the Kyoto Court is now in decline, would anyone dare to outrageously defy the world?

Thus, if it’s merely investigating [Remnants of Evil], Kikuchi Daisuke wouldn’t mind using his letter to support Lann.

“The convoy departing from Iwamura Castle… I understand.” Lann nodded in agreement.

“Alright, since that’s decided, let’s set off tomorrow!” The village chief yawned, waved his hand as he walked towards the shrine deep in the village, “Get a good rest tonight.”

Watching the priest and village chief leave, the serious Kikuchi Daisuke sighed in dissatisfaction.

But he still returned to his home, wrote a letter for Lann, and found the chief of the convoy where the hanged man belonged, asked about the man’s residence in Iwamura Castle and any unusual situations on the road.

The convoy chief, though looking tense and frightened, was evidently only afraid because one of his men tainted with [Remnants of Evil] committed suicide.

Unlike the person himself, he did not appear to be so frightened or shocked that he was insane or petrified.

The fear brought by [Remnants of Evil] essentially falls under the realm of supernatural powers.

By the moonlit shimmering riverbank, Kikuchi Daisuke handed his letter to Lann.

Lann tucked the letter inside his coat; the village was now shrouded in darkness, with most people having returned to sleep, only a few scattered torches still wandering within it.

As a result, Kikuchi Daisuke’s face was not clearly visible in the dark.

The Demon Hunter opened his mouth, finally deciding to speak after hesitating.

“Perhaps it’s a bit rash for me to speak deeply,” he glanced at the old warrior, “but the village chief didn’t tell the truth, at least not completely, you should be able to see that, right?”

“…Ah, of course I can see it.” Kikuchi Daisuke’s voice sounded after a moment of silence, “I also know he’s hiding some things, but it’s normal for generations of priests to keep secrets.”

“He’s not a bad person.” The old warrior looked up at the Demon Hunter, “I know what you’re suspecting, but Wuzuo wouldn’t do such things.”

“He is a devout believer, formerly visited shrines everywhere, once known as [Wuzuo the Pilgrim].”

“This is the village where he grew up, the Thirteen Cherry Blossom is their family’s ancestral Divine Tree, he couldn’t possibly endanger Thirteen Cherry Blossom Village.”

Finally, Kikuchi Daisuke said decisively.

Seeing him like this, Lann shook his head, indicating he had no further doubts to voice.

—————–

The next morning early, Lann stood at the village gates ready to set off for Ando Shouji’s residence—Iwamura Castle.

Kikuchi Daisuke pointed out the route for him and prepared some food and payment.

According to him, investigating the source of [Remnants of Evil] contaminating the village warranted payment.

Aside from the old warrior’s material support, the village chief also sent some items.

A bamboo tube of [Divine Water], reportedly collected from dewdrops under the village’s revered cherry tree.

Collected from the Divine Tree, reinforced with rituals, its efficacy greatly surpasses the [Divine Water] available on the market.

Also, three [Water Summoning Talismans].

It is said to be a product of the Yin Yang Technique, and Lann thought it looked a bit like the yellow talisman paper from the zombie movies he watched as a child, except those were written in red ink on yellow paper.

These, however, were white paper with black ink.

It could wrap the Power of Water from the Yin Yang Technique around weapons that had been brushed with the talisman paper.

Lann had never seen what the local Yin Yang Master’s ‘Power of Water’ looked like, but he guessed it was probably more than just a layer of water flow wrapped around a blade.

Lann had only been in contact with the Thirteen Cherry Blossom Village for a day and had lent a helping hand.

To say there was deep trust and friendship between them would be exaggerated. But this kind of task, similar to an employment relationship, was something Lann was quite used to.

After all, he was a Demon Hunter.

Besides some material support, the Thirteen Cherry Blossom Village also provided a few strings of copper coins as a deposit for the task.

Lann didn’t care much about it, but having the local currency would be quite convenient.

The strings of copper coins came in several forms, seemingly minted in different eras or during different Emperor’s reigns.

Qianyuan Great Treasure, Ten Thousand Years Treasure, Shen Gong Kai Bao, and so on, quite a mix.

Once out of the Thirteen Cherry Blossom Village, it was as if stepping into the wild.

The official trade routes were merely dirt roads with no overgrown grass, and on the roadside, you could see deep forests or rolling hills everywhere.

Japan’s terrain is naturally very undulating, although there is the Nongwei Plain at the junction of Mino Country and Owari Country, that’s definitely not near the Thirteen Cherry Blossom Village.

So in the wilderness here, what’s most common are narrow animal paths in dense bushes and grasses and undulating slopes.

Sometimes, you could see Jizo statues standing by the roadside, which are baby statues.

Soon after setting out, Lann rubbed the Magic Ring on his hand.

In no time, the crisp sound of hooves accompanied by crackling electricity and the sound of branches and bushes being crashed through approached.

Lann stopped, just about to raise his hand in greeting.

But before he could even speak.

“Neigh!”

“Boss meow!”

Rong Buqiu and the Qilin couldn’t wait to rush to his side.

The Three-Floral Kitten stood on the Qilin’s back, gesturing emphatically at the top of the Qilin’s head and behind them.

“Look, look…”

Rong Buqiu’s little paws kept pointing vigorously, stuttering in its anxiety.

“We might have been followed by something, meow?!”

The Qilin’s normal posture was still taller than Lann, so the Demon Hunter didn’t initially notice what was on its head.

But as Lann’s gaze followed Rong Buqiu’s pointed paw…

“Eh?!”

Lann couldn’t help but open his mouth wide.

On the Qilin’s head, a ghostly… little raccoon? Sat listlessly!

With a very human-like lazy expression, it was completely fiery red, with its limbs, back, and forehead adorned with water-like and flame-like patterns in white. The patterns on its body didn’t seem naturally grown but rather resembled some sort of talisman.

As the Qilin lowered its head to display it to the Demon Hunter, this raccoon-like thing that seemed just as listless drooped its eyelids.

It merely raised its eyes to glance at Lann, yawned, and then…

Lann watched, dumbstruck, as this raccoon-like creature somehow pulled out a teapot matching its body’s patterns, leaning against the Qilin’s celestial horn, savoring a sip of hot tea!

“…Something’s drinking tea on your head, Qilin!”

Lann immediately exclaimed in surprise along with Rong Buqiu, pointing at the top of the Qilin’s head.

“Neigh?”

‘Really?’ the Qilin communicated through the [Yakxi Rune], bewildered in its consciousness, “Rong Buqiu says that too, but I can’t see or feel anything! Is it really there? Is it a ghost?!”

The Qilin jumped about anxiously, but from Lann’s understanding of this world, people with insufficient spiritual perception… or New Continent Ancient Dragon, shouldn’t be able to see this thing.

After observing the raccoon-like creature sipping tea on the Qilin’s head, Lann’s gaze turned to Rong Buqiu, who had already hopped to the ground beside him.

“nya?nya!”

A crisp and soft voice sounded.

Rong Buqiu, holding its little cat helmet, ran in circles, while a creature also emitting cat meows happily rolled after its tail.

Lann bent down and picked up the three-floral kitten running past him.

The kitten and the Demon Hunter both looked down at the object right beneath Rong Buqiu, which Lann had raised.

It was a fluffy giant cat ball!

Its body and surroundings occasionally shimmered with a hazy aura, about the size of a basketball.

It also had three coat colors, but its body was so round you couldn’t even discern its cat limbs!

And it had large eyes, even more cartoonishly proportioned than Rong Buqiu!

Lann and the Rong Buqiu in his arms exchanged a glance, then simultaneously looked down at the big cat ball still ‘nya! nya!’ calling, seeming to think it was playing with someone.