That was a long time ago, at least longer than Fang Wuwei had imagined.
It was about twenty-six years ago, around 1988, right during the Neon economic bubble.
According to Totsuka Matsuo's description, that era was a land of gold, especially in real estate; the economic bubble period was simply a time of exorbitant profits.
At that time, the immense foundation of the Totsukami family allowed him to stand out in this sea of financial blood.
Originally, his life would probably have continued like this: either he would step over countless corpses in this golden sea to become a superior person, or he would fail and completely sink into that sea of blood.
Until some people broke their peaceful lives.
......
At that time, the Totsuka couple had just gotten married; they were both only in their early twenties, in the prime of their youth, so vibrant, so beautiful.
They had gone through thick and thin together, experiencing the rise to wealth, then bankruptcy, and finally a comeback within just a few short years… They had developed a deep affection for each other and had fallen deeply in love.
And their identical golden hair became their best symbol, a destined knot of their fate in this life.
For their marriage, everyone sent their blessings, including those who shouldn't have come.
On the day of their wedding, people from the gang arrived.
At that time, the Totsuka Family had ridden the wave of rising housing prices, becoming a dominant force in the real estate market, controlling most of the local properties and land. They were flourishing. They originally thought that living a good life, having a child, and having a happy and legendary life would be the best.
Until the arrival of that gang, who merely wanted to go legitimate.
Neon in the 1980s and 1990s was in an economic bubble period. Everyone had high salaries and high consumption, and there was even a saying, "Selling Tokyo's 23 wards could buy the entire United States." Everyone was making a fortune; even ordinary office workers would spend 10,000 yen on a taxi for an 800-yen bowl of ramen.
Everyone was incredibly wealthy; even ordinary housewives could make a fortune, and designer brands even became standard for women… except for the gangs.
That era was the most down-and-out, lowest point for Neon gangs, and the gang that approached the Totsuka Family was one of the most desperate.
They came seeking legitimacy, wanting to abandon their past and do legitimate business, but they had nothing and could only hope someone would help them.
They turned their attention to the then-dominant Totsuka Family, with the intention of currying favor. On the day Totsuka Matsuo got married, they came uninvited, bringing their gifts…
"So, it's this thing?"
Fang Wuwei pointed to the amethyst placed on the table. When not in use, the magic on it was like stagnant water, completely still. Only magic could be sensed, but there were no fluctuations at all, indicating its extreme stability.
Totsuka Matsuo nodded.
"They sent a lot of these crystals back then, but we've used most of them up by now… Do you want to hear more?"
"It's fine… I'm very curious where they got this thing."
Soon, Fang Wuwei got the answer from Totsuka Matsuo.
In that era, no one looked down on gangs, and the Totsukami family even more so. They quickly drove the gangs away, and the marriage proceeded as usual, as if nothing had happened.
It wasn't until that evening that Totsuka Matsuo became curious and wanted to take a good look at the crystals the gangs had sent.
Only one crystal had been sent at the time, and it was extremely small, but it was very beautiful. Under the moonlight, with just a little light source, it refracted rainbow-like light. One look was enough to know it was no ordinary item, but undoubtedly extremely rare.
Totsuka Matsuo witnessed the gangs' determination and sincerity, so he arranged to meet with them the next day and agreed to temporarily rent them a house for free to help them develop.
For Totsuka Matsuo, a house at that time was merely pocket change, but for the gangs, it was an immense blessing. So, the next day, they sent a large number of gifts.
A clear, translucent bracelet, and those crystals, which were much larger and there were dozens of them.
Totsuka Matsuo was dumbfounded… Good heavens, I thought those crystals were so precious, but they're wholesale? So many?
However, things given away are hard to take back. The house… well, it's given, it's given. Anyway, it's rented, so just consider it an act of charity.
Moreover, it must be admitted that these crystals were indeed very beautiful. Totsuka loved them very much, and every night she would place a different one by her bed.
The turning point came the following year. Seeing so many crystals, Totsuka grew tired of their ordinary appearance and decided to have them carved into jewelry.
After arranging with a craftsman, an accident occurred when they were processing the first crystal.
The craftsman, seeing the unknown material, and with the thought of testing the situation first, brought his carving hammer down, and the crystal instantly cracked inch by inch, with fissures spreading throughout the entire crystal.
Initially, he thought it was just a material problem with the crystal, but a bright light emanated from the cracks in the crystal, and an eerie and mysterious light illuminated the workshop at that time.
Subsequently, an incredibly violent explosion occurred, almost blowing the entire workshop sky-high. The craftsman was killed on the spot, his body completely obliterated.
The Totsuka couple had just turned to leave, still saying goodbye to the craftsman's apprentice, when they saw the house inside explode violently. Purple light burst forth, and a chaotic and strange energy threw them back.
That explosion had no fire, no smoke, no roar. The explosion was even unusually quiet, with only the sound of the house flying up and then falling back down.
Terrified, the few people called the police, but in the end, they only found the crystals inside.
Only the crystals, not a single one missing except for the one that exploded, and everything else… seemed to have vanished into thin air. Even the craftsman's body couldn't be found, and a large part of the house's materials was missing.
This was naturally abnormal. No matter how foolish, the Totsuka couple should have realized where the problem lay.
In their terror, they went to find that gang, accompanied by countless bodyguards, to inquire about the origin of these crystals.
The gangs had already started doing legitimate business. Knowing the current economic situation, they naturally didn't dare to offend the behemoth that was the Totsukami family, and honestly explained the origin of the crystals.
They had found them next to a corpse. At that time, these crystals were scattered all over the ground, surrounding the corpse in the middle, which was very strange.
The gangs, however, simply thought the person had suddenly died. Following the principle of not wasting, they took all the crystals, and out of humanitarianism, they buried the corpse on the spot… Under the angry questioning of the Totsukami family, they led the way to dig up the corpse, and then they saw the most shocking scene of their lives.
The corpse, buried in the ground for over a year, was still perfectly intact, completely unrotted. Not even lividity or the smell of decay had appeared. It looked as if it were merely sleeping, nothing more.
"So, we brought that corpse back…"
Totsuka Matsuo led Fang Wuwei, once again passing through a secret door, arriving at a deeper place.
There was something that looked like an operating table, and on it, illuminated by lights, lay a person. Several bodyguards stood beside him, pistols at their waists, and there were also some bookshelves around, filled with numerous books.
"We conducted research using quite scientific methods, and we found that this person is indeed dead. All his organs have failed and stopped working, his heart no longer beats, he no longer breathes, and his body is extremely cold. But for some reason, he shows none of the reactions that occur after death, such as decomposition, lividity, rigor mortis, or the smell of decay. None of these have happened."
Fang Wuwei stepped forward to observe—a man, dressed in a magical robe, lay peacefully on the table. Under the glare of the spotlights, his face was bloodless, his eyes tightly closed, as if he were sleeping, or perhaps already dead… or perhaps, still alive.
Fang Wuwei could sense that a layer of magic was still circulating on the man's body, flowing over his surface.