Very good. This combo from the great Miss Nirvalen could be described as smooth as flowing water. Amidst the man's deliberate yelps of pain as he squirmed, Think rolled her eyes and withdrew her hand.
She wasn't truly angry, of course. It was more like a sweet little game they played together. After playing around for a bit, the two returned to a leisurely state, squinting their eyes to enjoy the warm afternoon sun. To be precise, Sū ěr was enjoying it, and Think shared his sensations.
The question of whether to live in the mountains or by the sea was no problem at all when it came to a real choice. Without much agonizing, Sū ěr had fallen in love at first sight with this place near a river, surrounded by a bamboo forest. In his current view, it had the tranquility and charm of a secluded sage's dwelling—if one ignored the brainless yōkai that popped up from time to time.
In the past, he had wondered why so many minor yōkai with little intelligence, thinking only of eating and killing yet possessing an incredible amount of meat, would deliver themselves to his door. It was to the point where he couldn't finish them all and had to wastefully toss them into the field behind the bamboo house as fertilizer. Now, combining that with the information Yukari had shared, Sū ěr understood the reason.
Just from the names of the two deities whose fame was great enough to reach a person across the sea, it was clear that this was a world where gods still influenced the mortal realm and monsters swarmed. Thus, it was understandable that there were many blind little yōkai. After all, they had just gained sentience; they lacked experience and a complex yōkai society. Being simple-minded was inevitable.
"But you do have a point," Think said, picking up the teacup from the table and taking a sip. She watched with interest as the tea swirled inside her translucent body. "If their abilities are truly as varied as you say, then it is indeed much more interesting... My desire for research is almost about to erupt~"
"But you don't even have a body right now. How will you research?" Sū ěr teased happily. But after waiting a few seconds without a response from Think, he suddenly realized something. When he turned his head, he saw Think smiling at him.
"...Hey, hey. No way?"
"Mm-hmm~"
Sū ěr incredulous question was met with a playful wink from Think. Her meaning was clear—don't I still have you?
"...I can't spend decades in a laboratory without going outside... Also, being as lazy as you, not wearing clothes or bathing, is impossible—ouch!"
Before Sū ěr could even finish his sentence, he was met with a head-on strike from Think. Even in her translucent soul form, a flick from a Elf finger was still incredibly painful. This woman had no intention of holding back!
"It can't be helped~," Think said, smiling as she watched Sū ěr clutching his forehead and grimacing. "If the genius me isn't satisfied in her desire for research, then you might find it very hard to sleep well at night, you know?"
Without a doubt—this was a threat!
"Fine, fine. I'll go catch some little yōkai with weird abilities for you, and I'll build you a magic workshop too," Sū ěr sighed and surrendered, the threat being far too potent. "But let's get this straight: although I've mastered a teeny-tiny bit of 'minor skills' now, the specific order of operations or how to conduct the research is up to you... No problem?"
"Of course~ that's enough~." With a brilliant smile for her victory, Think suddenly leaned close to Sū ěr with soft words. She pulled away Sū ěr hand from where she had just flicked him and affectionately kissed the spot, as if the person who had just struck him so hard wasn't her at all.
The pain in his forehead hadn't faded, but feeling those cool lips touch him, the bit of helplessness Sū ěr felt vanished instantly. I'll just go catch some interesting yōkai tomorrow.
Come to think of it, the feeling of never being able to satisfy a hobby was indeed a form of torture.
Sū ěr made his decision.
Once they finished their tea, he would start digging out the magic workshop she wanted—er, maybe he should add a dozen layers of protection too?
Sū ěr had once heard an interesting theory.
Since ancient times, the essence of human civilization has never changed. No matter what form it takes, it essentially boils down to boiling water and throwing stones—the former referring to how energy is obtained, and the latter to how it is used.
Boiling water faster and better, throwing bigger stones further... that was all there was to it.
So, which one did their current situation fall into?
Even within the cavern dug underground, it did not feel dark. A soft light protected eyes that didn't really need protecting. In a scene resembling a villain's lab from a sci-fi movie, several minor yōkai of various shapes were fixed inside large, vertical glass containers.
Although their shrieking was a bit grating, to be honest, they weren't dangerous. They were just scared out of their wits. At the very least, when Sū ěr glanced down, he could see an unidentified yellow liquid at the bottom of the glass containers... Tsk.
"Have you discovered anything?" To be honest, having been in this underground for a few days, Sū ěr was craving some sunlight. However, he waited patiently for Think instructions.
"Hmm~~~ It's a completely unknown form, isn't it?" Floating outside the glass wall, Think fell into deep thought, her chin resting in her hand.
Unlike the black yōki that had surged from Yakumo Yukari, seemingly enough to blot out the sun, only blue vapors drifted from these minor yōkai. Even the color wasn't very deep. If not for the unique scent of yōki, one might mistake it for ordinary light smoke.
They were just minor yōkai, after all; one couldn't expect too much.
When the radiating yōki touched the edges of the glass containers, green runes would glow slightly, forcing the energy back in. The yōki circled the minor yōkai as if it had a life of its own.
They were familiar runes but with a different recipe. After all, the Spirit Gallery did not exist in this world, and neither Sū ěr nor Think had the function of producing spirits. Therefore, the spells that once relied on spirits now had to be completely updated.
For the time being, they named the invisible energy existing between heaven and earth as Reiryoku [Spiritual Power]. These spells to bind yōki were re-woven by Sū ěr under Think guidance, using Reiryoku.