[Ultimate Quest—The Gathering Place of Myriad Worlds: Open the interdimensional passages connected to the host's world and transform it into a miraculous place linking all worlds. The host must open passages to at least thirteen worlds. Conquering these worlds or completing the quests within them will satisfy the requirements. Basic Quest Completion Requirements: Three worlds without supernatural abilities, three Spirit-rank worlds, three Earth-rank worlds, three Heaven-rank worlds, and one Boundless World. Once all the required passages have been opened, the quest will be considered complete. The host need not concern herself with the remaining work, as others will naturally take care of it.]
[Quest Rewards: Unknown item rewards (guaranteed to be worth no less than three EX-rank items). Qualification to unlock the Final Quest—The World's Number One Queen. EX-rank Title Reward: Peerless Queen. Gain the allegiance of ten Transcendence Realm experts who have mastered Laws. As this quest was initiated through contact with Yukari Yakumo, some of the rewards will be replaced by compensation provided by her.]
[Quest Time Limit: Five years, within fifteen worlds. Note: The world previously visited, Overlord, cannot be counted as one of the quest worlds. If the host insists on counting it, all rewards associated with that quest world will be forfeited. Please take note.]
[Quest Overview: This is a long and complicated quest, one of the system's Ultimate Quests and a prerequisite for unlocking one of the two great Final Quests. The rewards for completing it are extraordinarily generous, so the host is strongly encouraged to make every effort to succeed. There is no limit to the number of companions the host may bring, although certain special worlds will still impose restrictions.]
[Quest Overview 2: The host may also complete this quest while visiting Dungeon Worlds through Dungeon Quest Scrolls. The two quests do not conflict, and their requirements are entirely separate.]
[Final Reminder: Please prepare sufficient points and companions. Otherwise, what awaits you may be an endless succession of troubles.]
Shiroha's voice was completely devoid of emotion. She was essentially speaking in a synthesized, mechanical tone, although there was still a faint hint of conversational warmth in her words. Perhaps even she didn't particularly want to speak that way?
Although Chu Lian wasn't entirely sure what Shiroha was thinking, there was something unexpectedly adorable about her right now. Once she developed an independent personality, would this simulated temperament become part of it as well? If so, that would be wonderful.
With such irrelevant thoughts running through her head, Chu Lian found herself experiencing rather complicated emotions. Her expression changed repeatedly, leaving Yukari somewhat curious, though the knowing smile on her face was even more apparent.
As for Yuyuko and the other two, although they had accompanied Yukari here, they had shown no intention of doing anything so far, almost as though Chu Lian didn't exist. Presumably, they had no intention of speaking until Chu Lian and Yukari finished their conversation.
"Phew. If that's how it works, then I suppose it's doable." Chu Lian breathed a sigh of relief. The "compensation" Yukari had offered was already incredibly tempting on its own, but with the addition of the quest and its rewards, she could now be certain that completing the undertaking would bring her substantial benefits.
That gave her even more motivation. After all, she had five years, and there were plenty of Dungeon Worlds she could visit. With so many worlds available and so much time to work with, completing these objectives shouldn't be too difficult.
"As long as you've agreed, that's all that matters." Before coming here, Yukari had already discussed the matter with nearly everyone in Gensokyo who had the authority to make such decisions. Although some of them didn't particularly care where Gensokyo ended up, she still needed to obtain the consent of the majority.
"So, what did Sister Yuyuko, Reimu, and Sakuya come here for?" After hearing Yukari's reply, Chu Lian turned her attention to the other three girls. She was rather curious about their reasons for coming.
"I just came to watch the excitement. Don't mind me." Yuyuko popped the small cake she was holding into her mouth in a single bite, looking thoroughly satisfied. Her answer left Chu Lian unsure whether to laugh or cry.
All right, so UUZ really did come here just to freeload food and drinks. But you've practically finished everything already. Isn't that a little too impressive?
"Me? I just tagged along with this woman. After all, this concerns Gensokyo, so I need to pay attention to whatever decisions are being made. If I weren't the shrine maiden, I wouldn't bother with this sort of thing at all. There's never any compensation." The notoriously shameless red-and-white shrine maiden stretched both arms, looking thoroughly unenthusiastic. As far as she was concerned, leaving the comfort of her shrine and coming all the way here without getting paid was hardly a pleasant experience.
Maybe she's hinting that she wants compensation? Chu Lian wasn't sure whether her interpretation was correct, but she decisively spent 100,000 Integrity Points the very next second to exchange for 100,000 yen suitable for Reimu Hakurei. This particular currency required a special exchange, since ordinary Japanese yen was practically useless in this context.
But where exactly is this strange feeling of familiarity coming from? And why am I so practiced at throwing away my integrity?
"Thank you for your donation." The moment Reimu Hakurei saw Chu Lian produce a stack of yen, she pulled out a donation box identical to the one Chu Lian had obtained for 30,000 Integrity Points.
So that's where the familiar feeling came from! As expected of the shameless Reimu, whose motto is 'One yen gets you chased away with a broom, ten yen earns you a smile, a hundred yen gets you tea, a thousand yen buys you a feast, ten thousand yen gets you pushed down once, and a hundred thousand yen lets you do whatever you want to her'...
Of course, I'd better not let her find out about that saying. Otherwise, I can look forward to being hunted down by the terrifying Reimu. Though I have no idea whether Reimu can still unleash that kind of combat power outside Gensokyo without her shrine maiden's special protection.
With an awkward laugh, Chu Lian tossed the 100,000 yen she had obtained with her Integrity Points into Reimu's Donation Box. Seeing the longing look on Reimu's face, she genuinely felt tempted to spend another hundred thousand every day just to bring her home and do whatever she pleased with her.
"Most of the others have already agreed to this arrangement. Those who didn't agree were beaten until they did. As for the ones who still refuse, they're the sort even we can't defeat, so you'll have to deal with them yourself in the future." After putting away the donation box, Reimu immediately became serious. She lifted her teacup, took a sip, and spoke softly.
"I came under my mistress' orders to investigate the situation. From what I've seen, this world does indeed seem very suitable for us to live in. However, she would like a very large plot of land where the Scarlet Devil Mansion can be established. I wonder whether you would be willing to accommodate that request." Sakuya Izayoi sat with the most impeccable posture of the group, and her attitude was equally formal.
As expected of the perfectly elegant head maid. Come to think of it, I have a maid outfit too. Wearing it gives me perfect maid attributes. Should I ask her to teach me a few things when I put it on?
While entertaining these strange thoughts, Chu Lian considered Sakuya Izayoi's proposal for a moment before replying, "Um, the Scarlet Devil Mansion is also part of Gensokyo, isn't it? If you want a really large plot of land, wouldn't that mean moving outside Gensokyo? Would that be all right?" As she spoke, her eyes moved between Yukari and Reimu. Seeing that neither of them showed any particular reaction, she grew even more puzzled.
"When we move Gensokyo here, there will be plenty of youkai who don't want to leave Gensokyo itself, but some of them will also want to live in a much larger world. The Scarlet Devil Mansion is simply one of those groups, so there's nothing particularly surprising about it. Besides, their departure won't have any real impact on Gensokyo. And since Gensokyo will be right next door, there's no need to worry about it." Reimu drank half her tea, let out a satisfied sigh, and then answered Chu Lian's question.
"Oh, I see. That makes things easier to explain. It's just that this world is very dangerous. If the young mistress and the others rely solely on their own strength and live somewhere by themselves, there's a chance someone might come knocking and tear their home apart... No, I should say it's practically guaranteed to happen. So this is something we'll need to consider carefully. There's no need to rush into a decision just yet. Personally, though, I'm very much in favor of it."
Chu Lian thought it over. Her world was undergoing increasingly frequent changes, and once they began opening passages to other worlds, there was no telling what strange events might occur. More importantly, the entire plan was still nowhere near implementation. Even if she agreed now, figuring out how to arrange everything afterward would be another difficult problem.
"Lady Patchouli is aware of that as well, so I merely came to inform you of our intentions. I trust you won't disappoint us, will you?" Sakuya Izayoi fixed her gaze on Chu Lian. Although her tone wasn't particularly pleasant, it was clear that she was simply conducting official business, so Chu Lian didn't take offense.
Besides, Chu Lian knew that Sakuya's mistress was a little vampire girl positively overflowing with "dignity." But seriously, why is a five-hundred-year-old vampire still considered a loli, while Yukari Yakumo, who's lived for who knows how long, absolutely has to be called Mama Yukari?
"I understand. I'll make proper arrangements when the time comes." Chu Lian was beginning to feel troubled. The plan hadn't even gotten underway, yet one responsibility after another was already piling up on her shoulders. It seemed she wouldn't have many leisurely days left in the future.
"By the way, when will you be free? Your current strength seems to be in a weakened state." Yukari examined Chu Lian more closely. Her condition didn't seem particularly good.
"A Devil Archduke showed up a little over ten days ago and unleashed a super forbidden spell. Although my mom dealt with most of it, she left the final meteorite, which was more than a hundred meters long, for me to handle. And then... well, I accidentally used too much strength and ended up bedridden for ten days. I've only started recovering gradually over the last few days, and it'll still take some time before I regain my original strength."
Chu Lian rubbed her cheeks. That incident really had been unfortunate. Even now, her mother hadn't explained why she'd made her handle it, leaving Chu Lian at a loss for words.
"What about your other weakened state?" Unfortunately for Chu Lian, Yukari could also tell what particular time of the month she was going through. She asked with an inexplicable trace of amusement in her smile.
Hearing those words, Chu Lian was startled. What other weakened state do I have? But after thinking for a moment, her cheeks immediately turned red. I'm finished! If Yukari can tell, then Sakuya and the others definitely can too! This is absolutely terrible!
Still, Yukari was only showing concern for her. No matter how reluctant Chu Lian was to discuss the subject, she answered, "Four more days." That was roughly how much longer it would last. After all, this was her first time experiencing it, so she didn't really understand. Her mother had also told her it would be around that long, so she simply repeated the estimate.
"Four days, hmm? Then is there anything else you need to take care of?" Yukari raised her folding fan to her lips, concealing the lower half of her face. Chu Lian couldn't see her expression and had no idea what she was thinking.
"Recently? I don't think there's anything else I need to do. After all, I promised everyone I'd take more than a month off." Chu Lian searched through her memories. It seemed the only thing she needed to handle soon was resuming her contractual obligations with Fantasy Entertainment concerning cosplay and promotional activities. After that, she should be able to spend the rest of her time relaxing.
"Very well. I'll come back here to see you in five days." Yukari snapped her folding fan shut and made the decision without giving Chu Lian even the slightest opportunity to refuse...