A traditional Japanese room, filled with flowery tapestry and simple wooden flooring. Smooth, clean, and reflecting light, the woodwork brilliantly was handcrafted from 'hinoki.' It gave off a vibrant feel, but not so vibrant as to keep the eyes resting and calm, anybody could tell that serenity was the key aspect when the creation of this room was merely in its blueprinted state. However, given the state of the Zen'in clan, it was most likely written on scrolls with dashed black ink.
There were also the possibilities the scroll was written with severed and thin bamboo chutes, crafted and refined into a usable instrument. When given a more modern dressing, the object described could simply be called a 'pen.' No matter its origin, no matter its appearance, the fact remained that they served the same purpose in what they did.
Like how knives could be used for cutting, so could shears and scissors be done so. Although the former was used more in kitchen cutlery and dinery, the latter held a more significant view in modern everyday life. It was not due to the fact that it was created in present times, nor invented, but how much more commonly it is utilized.
...Or maybe Fushiguro Megumi was finding that he was delving into useless thoughts like a diver into a shallow pool. Just like the diver, he had abruptly hit the floor.or when he realized what exactly he was doing. 'Did they have to leave me here alone?' He grabbed at the collar of his white undershirt, still in his high school attire.
Glancing outside at the greenery and flowers lacing every part of the garden outside, Megumi was treated with a calming sight. Layered and strategically positioned, it was as if the myriad of flowers were made to evoke a sense of inspiration in the mind. For the modern Ten Shadows user, he didn't find them quite eye-catching in the slightest.
Megumi shifted from his seated position, going from a hand over a bent knee and leaning back to criss crossing his legs into a meditative stance. His elbows shifted to press down on his knees, hands interlocking as Megumi sighed and looked at the ground. He had been sitting down for a good while now, and doing it on wood had been keeping his blood flow stagnant.
It didn't help that he had recently beaten up a bunch of delinquents before making his way to this place. When he first received the letter and message, the black haired man didn't seem to hold it in much thought. But he was colored surprised when he figured out who the sender actually was. The Zen'in clan.
Megumi had a general idea why they invited him here with such a fancy letter. That much was obvious and clear when he learned that his father had sold him off to the Zen'in clan. However, that was before he was taken in by Gojo Satoru, so when the Strongest Sorcerer decided to (for some reason) put Megumi under his protection. As a result... let's just say the balance completely shifted.
It didn't matter if they were part of the Three Big Clans, the fact that a Six Eyes Limitless user existed already put the fear of god within them. A god Gojo Satoru basically was, holding the concept of Infinity within the palm of his hands. Due to that, it was obvious: no matter how much money the Zen'in clan paid Megumi's father, they couldn't so much as lay a finger on him in Gojo's presence.
So what did the current clan leader opt to do? Send the current Ten Shadows inheritor an invitation letter. It wasn't an obligation or a demand, but a request for Megumi to come to their grounds for a discussion. Though, it didn't for a second feel like a 'request' to Megumi, because the implications were obvious enough. It would most likely not be good for him if he rejected or ignored it.
From what Megumi could assume, they were trying to butter him up and maintain a good relationship with him. Whether it be if he decides to become the next clan head, or have the Ten Shadows user be a 'loose' asset to them, they all connected to one singular reason. Power.
They needed more power, more influence, and what better way to do such a thing, than at least possessing some sort of connection to the technique that can stand with Limitless? Those were the thoughts of Fushiguro Megumi. He'd rather get this over with and not have the clan be a bother to him anymore, since there was no way the black haired man would comply with whatever they wanted.
He had a good enough view to understand the sort of people they were anyways.
So right now, all Megumi could do was stare out at the garden for the duration of waiting for the clan head to arrive. They sure were a late person, and the black haired man was worried that he, himself, would be the one to be late. But Zen'in Naobito didn't seem like somebody to care much for time, now did they?
It was at that moment that the sliding door shifted, being pulled to the side and opening to reveal who had entered. Speak of the Devil, there stood the Zen'in Head himself, wearing an expensive haori and hakama. He had a balding head that was completely slicked back, that was completed with a weird and pointy mustache.
'...He reeks of alcohol,' Megumi wanted to scrunch his nose and cover it, but decided against it. The Sorcerer had experienced worse, having to smell the rotting flesh of corpses and Cursed Spirits alike. Something like alcohol wouldn't do much to his appetite or constitution as a result of those experiences.
"Ah, Fushiguro Megumi, am I correct?" Naobito bore a thin smile on his face, his eyes holding what could only be described as a look of superiority. Perhaps it was the expression he bore against everybody, but the recipient wasn't too happy to be at the receiving end of it.
Answering his rhetorical question, "and you're Zen'in Naobito, am I correct?" Megumi abrasively countered back with his own. If the man didn't show much respect to him, then he wouldn't blame him for doing so, after all, he was only a highschool student who dabbled in a bit of Sorcerer thus far.
But that didn't mean the black haired man had any qualms of reciprocating what was thrown at him. Like a mirror reflecting light, that was what Megumi had decided to show this old man.
"HA!" Naobito laughed and reeled his head back, reaching his hand behind his back and pulling out a gourd, "ah, you show no respect to your elders, eh?" The Zen'in Head didn't care much for such things anyways, but decided to point it out. "But I guess it's because you're under the care of 'the' Gojo Satoru?" He took a swig of his gourd, feeling the burning alcohol ravaging its way down his throat.
Like lava traveling through a volcano, the Special Grade 1 Sorcerer had always loved to indulge in such a feeling. In fact, Naobito was sure he could survive a hot spa in a volcano if he really put his Cursed Energy reinforcement to the limit.
"Sure," Megumi slightly narrowed his eyes at the man's display, "if you wish to think that, then feel free to do so." He wasn't somebody to take insults to heart, especially to those he didn't think much of, and that was exactly what he thought of Zen'in Naobito. It may be selfish and dubious, but he was going to use the fact that he was under Gojo's protection to make sure this man didn't have anything over him.
"No holding back your punches?" Naobito set down his gourd after taking a drink, and spoke in a way that seemed like he was purposefully talking slower. If it could be comparable to anything, it would be a video playing at a lower frame rate than usual. "Youngins' these days, eh? But I guess I could say the same for the old folks, too." The man humored himself, closing the door behind him by swinging his hand in an arc, and without the need to look behind.
Taking a few steady steps forward despite being potentially drunk, the Projection user plopped down on the floor with a deft movement. The alcoholic gourd bottle was still held in their hands, his sharp eyes turning to Megumi, a sharp blade piercing through the teenager's two dark blue orbs.
"...You know why I called you here?" Naobito was sure that somebody as stoic and developed as Fushiguro Megumi, the son of Zen'in Toji would be knowledgeable about politics to some extent. Taking in the fact that he was also under the arm of Gojo Satoru, it became far too apparent to him.
"What do you think?" Megumi vaguely answered back, keeping a cold expression with slightly lidded eyes. He couldn't show that he cared, that he felt anything from it, nor if any words elicited a reaction from him. The only discernible about him was the shifting of his lips, the sounds emitting forth from it.
"Agh, did that white haired bastard teach you how to talk like a politician?" Naobito grumbled out while taking another sip, and then putting down his gourd bottle right after receiving his fill. "Kids like you always don't care about what you say, so why care now? Throw away those damned pretenses, would you?" The old man looked slightly frustrated, a surprising revelation to the other party.
"Excuse me?" Megumi didn't know if this was a tactic being used by the man to make him let his guard down, or if the wrinkled man was being genuine. He decided to go for the former, considering trusting a person in a high position of power like this wasn't a good idea, unless he had been friends with them for a good amount of time. Yet that was impossible for the black haired man to do, considering how he wouldn't want to be allies with somebody like Naobito.
It was from the simple fact that he was raised in the Zen'in clan, so most of its teachings must be ingrained in the Sorcerer's skin through nurture. Elitism, pride, and vanity, that was what Megumi understood from the Zen'in clan, a festering hodge podge that would corrupt his own life, and Tsumiki's life if they were to get involved.
"You're going to become Head of the Zen'in Clan, someday," Naobito stepped on the accelerator, not letting the conversation brake for even a second. He leaned forward into a more comfortable position, palm on his cheek, and letting his head rest on it, "that's what I came here to talk to you about."
"What do you mean?" Megumi felt his eyebrow twitch in the slightest of movements. A small crease of annoyance made itself known, his lips thinning and face scrunching up, "I'm not involved with the Zen'in Clan. Hell, I'm not even named 'Zen'in,' do you not understand that?" If the old man was going to be aggressive with his agenda, then so would the black haired man.
"Somebody like you, the Ten Shadows inheritor," Naobito didn't take a second off to take another drink, fully focused on drilling his point on the teenager. "Is fated to become Head of the Zen'in Clan, you'll get around eventually, let's not equivocate this," his face held a look that made no room for a counterargument. If it were used for a different topic, the amount of confidence radiating from him could make anybody question their own view of life.
Megumi stayed silent and stared at him with a deadpan face. Yet at the same time, a small bead of sweat found itself forming at the back of his neck, wondering what Naobito was getting at. How can he be so sure of this? Did he hold some sort of leverage over him? Did it involve his family? His sister?!
"Well, that's all I wanted to say," Naobito breathed out while holding an uncaring expression, looking at the other resident in the room with an uncaring gaze. "You can leave if you want, I don't really care," the smell of alcohol became more accentuated when he finally took another drink of his gourd. His eyes were practically 'shoo-ing' Fushiguro Megumi.
If there was one thing Naobito valued far more than tradition, it would be power. Even if he would never admit it, Zen'in Naobito recognized the value of Toji, the Sorcerer Killer. Despite the Heavenly Restriction being seen as inferior to Sorcery, he knew its potential best compared to everybody else. Despite the fact that it was looked down upon, it was a tool that could have been easily used to bolster the clan.
If that sort of power could have reached the Zen'in Clan to greater heights, then screw tradition, that came second to the development of the clan. That much Naobito was able to recognize, and why he was willing to bet on this outsider to become a powerful head. His Cursed Technique came into play, sure, but also the fact Fushiguro Megumi was also under the care of Gojo goddamned Satoru of all people.
Overall, despite the strength of that one singular man, the Gojo Clan was a one trick pony in Naobito's eyes. Sure, their crown jewel Cursed Technique and Inherited Trait were all formidable, but it still lacked something, something that the Zen'in clan possessed. Quantity. Both Heavenly Restriction and the Ten Shadows could exist at the same time, providing more avenues for expansion than the Gojo clan. Projection Sorcery wasn't anything to look down upon either, and Naobito knew that the most out of everybody.
On the other side, Megumi had regathered his thoughts after staring at the ground for a brief moment. Turning upwards to an uncaring and aloof Naobito, he was about to open his mouth and speak his unfettered thoughts to him. However, the sound of the wooden and traditional Japanese door sliding open made him halt dead in his tracks.
Out came a man dressed in a white dress shirt and black dress pants. Upon his face laid shades tinted with an impeccable vantablack sheen that no light could reflect through. It was as if he had been crafted by the Will of Heaven itself, an appearance that would make many swoon over him from all different parts of the world.
Atop his head was a lustrous patch of hair that would make even the esteemed mythological unicorns green with envy. It was so naturally smooth and textured that it wouldn't be out of place to say it came out of an anime, where every detail and drawing was crafted with perfect precision.
From those details alone, anybody could recognize him as the Strongest Sorcerer of the Heisei Era.
"Yo~! You two done?" Gojo Satoru abruptly peered into the room, not a hint of respect for the Head of the Zen'in clan in the slightest. "Hm? I take it everything went well~?" The white haired man lowered his shades, letting the low glint of his Six Eyes do all the talking. Staring down a grumpy Naobito, Gojo had already had his apprehension for letting Megumi come here, but it was the latter's idea to do so anyways. As a sensei, he couldn't impede his student's wants, so he decided to see how it would develop.
"Gojo Satoru, huh? You sure know how to ruin a mood," Naobito sounded far grouchier than before, narrowing his creased eyes towards the younger lad. "Che, I've already wanted to speak what I wanted to the kid, take him off and go," deciding to consolidate in his alcohol, the Sorcerer leaned back and took a large gulp. At the rate he was going at, the bitter liquid would most likely run out at the next sip.
"Eh, alright," Gojo leaned on the door frame with the left side of his body, pushing his left arm against it while his legs crossed together. Using his free hand to cut through the wind with a swift movement, he motioned towards Megumi to approach him, "C'mon Megumi, we're going now. Don't wanna see an old man get into a drunken stupor, after all." However, he did not miss the chance to fire off a half-baked insult towards Naobito.
Megumi opened his mouth one more time, but couldn't find himself speaking through it. He felt like a puppet with strings attached to him, not being able to talk, feeling himself being controlled by the whims of others. Closing his mouth, the black haired man held a resigned expression, shutting his eyes and reluctantly standing up. His muscles were still tense, fist barely fighting back the urge to clench.
"Let's go, then," Megumi breathed a small sigh, the air in his chest leaving and letting him deflate. However, despite the lessening pressure placed upon him, Megumi couldn't completely bat away the urge of vexation festering like a tumor.
Gojo watched the man approach him with a more neutral expression, completely breaking away from his usual despondent humor. His prized Six Eyes could tell all the frustrations welling up with his student like an organism under a microscope. What it told him was that the pressure and stress of his muscles were increasing, a spiking increase in bodily hormones such as norepinephrine and adrenaline. Gojo wondered what exactly was said in this room, but if he found out Naobito was pulling some bullshit, then...
"It's fine," Megumi waved Gojo off by raising his hand in front of the white haired man's face. He didn't move it any closer, because the Ten Shadows user was sure his sensei's Neutral Limitless: Infinity would completely stop any closer movement. "Let's just go, I've had enough for today," his eyes were tired when staring at Gojo. Despite having had a good night's sleep yesterday, the day being a weekend, and having not done any strenuous activity; this singular event had caused his emotions to fall down to the dumps.
***
Irritated and despondent, Megumi placed his hands in his pockets while staring without much focus. His steps continued to move at their normal pace, a way to conserve as much energy as possible while also spanning the most efficient distance his legs could move. Currently, his mind was occupied with what Naobito had said to him, leaving the black haired man perpetually confused on how he was so confident he would become Head of the Zen'in Clan.
Reviewing what he knew, Megumi was sure of the fact that the clan's politics and position did not interest him in the slightest. In fact, even if they provided him with an infinite welfare of money, the teenager didn't care much for things either. Luxury wasn't enticing to him, considering how living a mediocre life in terms of assets didn't seem too bad for him, and was exactly what he strove for.
Power? He couldn't care about power. Invisible assets such as those usually brought out the worst in people, and Megumi was afraid he would abandon all of his ideals and morality if he was given too much. Living second place wasn't such a bad thing either, and considering how absolutely monstrous Gojo Satoru was, there was no way for him to reach first place anyways. Especially since it was most likely he would never tame the last Shikigami in his arsenal.
Speaking of that Shikigami, neither were any of the previous clan members who inherited this technique. Entire centuries of progress and potential growth, yet nobody had cracked the code into taming the God of Shikigami, so what hope did an angsty spiky haired teenager have? Absolutely none.
It was just that... he could never see himself surpassing that behemoth. Megumi had seen depictions of it from bystanders who watched it be summoned, and goodness did it look like it came from both Heaven and Hell itself. A spiritual energy could be felt just from the art paintings of the Shikigami, making Megumi fully understand what the implications of its strength was.
All in all, he could only view it as a last resort, one that would implode and vanquish his very life. That was the only usage the black haired man could make out of it.
Megumi felt the back of his collar being grabbed, the firm grip of Gojo Satoru clenching around it and pulling him to the rear. Right after, the howling sound of a truck's horns could be heard, the wind billowing from its wake and flowing onto the teenager's form. Feeling his clothes flutter and his hair flatten. It felt like the cruel embrace of death had just brushed against him.
Gojo looked at the scene with an exasperated look, before chiding Megumi like how a parent would to their child, "Look both ways before you cross the street, Megumi-chan." Whatever was said to Megumi back at the little meeting with the Zen'in Clan leader had definitely afflicted the teenager to an extent. "You were about to get isekai'd, ya' know?" Yet despite his qualms with the situation, Gojo decided to let out a small joke.
"...Isekai?" Megumi questioned, all the while letting his body recover from the brief moment of fight or flight. Finding himself calming down completely, he turned to Gojo while his eyes held a glint of confusion, reflected from the signals of his brain, "what do you mean by that?" The Ten Shadows user knew what that term meant, but wondered how it applied to being run over by a truck. Or maybe Gojo Satoru was just rambling on about something that didn't matter, like he always had.
"You don't know?" Gojo turned around and tilted his head downwards, so the azure radiance from his eyes peered through the black sheen of his tinted glasses. "You really don't?" Seeing the confused look on Megumi's face, the white haired man sighed, "damn... I was sure you teenagers like you loved watching or reading that trendy new genre driving about...." At that moment, Gojo found the perfect opportunity for a joke, "like a truck, eh~? you get it?"
A smug look made its way on the blue-eyed man's face, a small snicker of laughter threatening to spill out like a damn into full blown hilarity. Yet the man held enough self-control that he didn't make a complete full of himself in the middle of the street.
Megumi watched with an unchanging expression, casting an unresponsive message towards Gojo Satoru. To narrow it down into words, the teenager thought the joke was absolutely terrible, one only a beer-drunken father could make. Having heard enough of it, the Ten Shadows user decided to continue to make his way through the sidewalk.
Placing his hands in his pockets and keeping focus on his path this time, Megumi slightly bent his back while walking.
"...Hey! It couldn't have been that bad...?" Getting the cue, Gojo shrugged while continuing to walk alongside his student. "But still, you should see all the crazy titles this isekai genre is makin' up!" Deciding to change the topic and hopefully make Megumi forget about his (totally amazing) joke, he spoke in a more lofty tone.
Megumi wanted to say that he didn't want to hear about it, letting his mouth hang open for a second. However, after a brief moment of contemplation and immediate deliberation, he realized that rejecting Gojo himself would do nothing to impede what he wished to say. The result would still be the same, the white haired man would just continue to ramble on, "okay, I'll hear you out." However, his words of confirmation were just a formality, Megumi planning to let the words travel through one ear and out the other. "What's the 'crazy' title you're talking about?"
"Hmm..." Gojo placed a check shaped finger under his chin, "I'm pretty sure one was named... Wow! I got Reincarnated into a Crap-sack of a World with a Cheat Army of Magic Summons! Time to Become the Strongest!' His hands moved expressively, connoting every single word with the exorbitant energy he passively gave off.
Megumi paused in his steps, brain moving full blast in order to register the word barf he had just been forced to witness. Like a PC short circuiting and sending sparks out, it was as if steam was leaving his ears. In fact, the black haired man could
Or rather, that was what Gojo Satoru was seeing, when turning around and gauging Fushiguro Megumi's response to his words. Could what he was witnessing be considered a response, though? It was more like he had completely blue-screened his student when stating the title, "yo! Megumi-chan! You alright?" Gojo called out to his student.
The black haired teenager in question twitched their fingers, their eyes registering the world once more. A reboot was in progress before, and now his brain had completely regained function after being overprocessed from the atrocious words his sensei had spoken. Megumi turned to him with a frustrated look, "what kind of title is that?"
"Uh...? An isekai manga title?" Gojo shrugged and gave him a playful smile, "it's all the rage these days, and that one was like... the second highest selling manga going about right now." The white haired man pulled out his phone, turned it on and scrolled through a few apps and tabs.
Megumi watched on in silence, still trying to make sense of what he had heard. For what reason should a manga title be that long? Never once in his life did the Ten Shadows user read a book that reached that... stories' length of a title. In fact, should it even be called a title? Call it a damn summary at that point.
It was at that moment Megumi realized why he preferred non-fiction books over fictional books, and why he also stayed away from anime and manga. Despite the few times he had watched them, the young Sorcerer was glad he hadn't delved too deeply into them.
"Aha! There it is!" Gojo placed the object in front of Megumi's eyes, the latter slightly jolting at his quick and abrupt action. It was like a speeding car, only that it completely braked when just a millimeter from crashing into a sorry folk.
"...What?" Megumi felt his shock go away all the while he looked at the cover of the digitized manga he was seeing. The blue lights of the modern object coalescing and cascading into an image that looked like... "why is she nude?" The cover of the manga showcased what he assumed to be the heroine of the story in a... questionable (?) pose, and lacking appropriate attire.
Wearing something like that in the streets of Japan would be seen as indecent, and catch many stray gazes from perverted old men. Overall, it wouldn't be an acceptable outfit, unless worn at a cosplay convention. Maybe Megumi was thinking too deeply about it, but why did his own country have an obsession over these things?
"Hm?" Gojo looked confused, before flipping his phone around to take a look at it himself, "eh? I guess so? But it's not like she's naked or anything," he continued to swing the phone between his fingers, playing around with the object. "Well, I wouldn't know, since I've never read it," and then shrugged right after.
"Then... Why are you telling me this?" Megumi raised an eyebrow, closing his eyelids and rubbing them to get the image out of his eyes. Not that he thought about it, didn't this whole conversation spring up because Gojo worried about him getting run over by a truck? The Ten Shadows user didn't even have to worry about being killed by a speeding truck in the first place.
"Eh, thought you would know what i was talking about," Gojo rubbed the back of his neck, "but I guess I also don't know much about this topic either, hm~," indeed; the Sorcerer didn't have much time to delve into hobbies after all. Not that he would like it anyways.
"...Okay?" Megumi didn't know how to respond to him, 'so he just wanted to talk about something random, typical.' It had always been a habit that was recognizable from Gojo Satoru, so he had gotten used to these random conversations.
"Would you wanna be isekai'd?" Gojo continued walking again, but at a slower pace so Megumi could keep up. "Get transferred to another world and all that jazz?" Personally, the white haired man wouldn't mind something like that happening to himself, losing all identity and social standing would alleviate all the burdens from his shoulders. Though, the Strongest Sorcerer would definitely feel slightly guilty for all the problems that would cause for the world.
"No way," Megumi made his point as straight as possible. Being randomly transported to another world would be a terrible experience, unless you were granted god-given abilities as the title of the... Piece of 'literature' that Gojo had referenced, then having to find a footing and surviving in an unknown environment would be its own special hell.
Besides, such a notion was as outlandish as him ever taming Mahoraga.
***
Fushiguro Megumi was feeling an atrociously vague sense of deja vu right now. For some reason, the human body could have a lapse in memory and cause brief spouts of memories that you remember doing; but hadn't actually done before. That was where deja vu came into play, but the black haired man couldn't quite put a finger on if he had actually...
...Nevermind, forget about it. There were far more worrying matters that he had to attend to right now. Currently, the meeting Megumi was about to get himself into would be nothing but pure anxiety. An anxiety that clawed at his skin, ripping deep into his stomach and twisting around his intestines as if they were instruments to manipulate.
Maybe he was overthinking this, maybe he shouldn't be worried with the backing of Ch'en. From what Megumi knew, the dragon lady knew Wei Yenwu on a personal level, evident through her explanations about him. From what she had given him, he could somewhat make head or tails over the sort of person the Chief Executive was. But did it give him any powerful sense of security? Nope.
To get rid of this anxiety while being driven to the place where they would meet Wei Yenwu, Megumi thought back to the Zen'in Clan. A clan that once was, and no longer will be, thanks to the efforts of a certain Heavenly Restricted being. If he had to be completely honest, Megumi was shocked at first, flabbergasted at what she had done. However, at the same time, a brief moment of relief overtook him.
From inside the bleeding womb of the Zen'in Clan, arose Maki, the Second Coming of the Monkey King.
Therefore, he wouldn't have to worry about being assassinated just because he chose to become the head of a clan. Megumi had already had his vacillations with making such a life altering decision, especially when he discovered he was being a target of assassination. But Maki had literally put a premature end to all those threats hounding and clawing at his back.
"Nervous?" Ch'en asked Megumi, the two of them having made their way to the back seat, and decided to stay there for the rest of the ride. "I won't blame you," the dragon lady admitted not even a split second after. Dealing with Wei Yenwu, especially only from hearing rumors and descriptions of the iron-clad man would be intimidating for anybody.
"I guess so," Megumi replied, he didn't have much experience in politics anyways. It probably would have been a good idea to study it, especially after he was elected as leader of a clan before. But then again, nothing before or after that had truly elicited him to put effort into committing his studies to politics. Especially with the timeframe between the events back on Earth.
"Just remember what I told you, alright?" Ch'en turned to glance at him with a discerning gaze. From what she could tell, Megumi hadn't had any sleep yesterday, from the bags under his eyes and lethargic responses. "Did you seriously not get any rest yesterday? Need I remind you that today is a big event?" Not missing a beat in laying it on Megumi, Ch'en crossed her arms and gave him a disapproving look.
"...Sorry, thought of training," Megumi hadn't even met her gaze, choosing to stare off into the moving cityscape of Lungmen. To be honest, he had recently found out that entire Nomadic Cities existed in this world. Yes, that meant that cities could move with wheels on them, and battle like warships but on land. It was all absurd, and made Megumi wonder how the hell this world didn't have other major technological advancements that surpassed Earth to such a degree that a... moving city did.
"You've been training for 12 hours everyday," Ch'en felt the urge to force the black haired man to look her dead in the eye, but decided against such an action. "Are you that obsessed with your training regimen? Or are you a masochist who likes to feel his muscles being ripped apart?" She laid the facts clearly in his face. Whenever she, Hoshiguma, Swire, or even Lin walked into training, they all noticed one singular thing; that he was in a dead-set trance. Unnatural and uncanny, he was a corpse-like machine hell bent on doing nothing but practicing using his weapons or summoning his Shikigamis. "You've been at this crap for a whole week."
"My bad," Megumi had already used Reverse Cursed Technique to get rid of the exhaustion he was feeling, but it could only do so much with the pace he was moving at. Although his efficiency had increased dramatically from all the abuse of refreshing his mind and body; the fact still remained that it drained him to a significant degree. "I'll... keep a check on myself next time," an empty promise, but that was all he could give.
Megumi was not Gojo Satoru, not possessing the Six Eyes, and didn't have the gigantic capacity that Ryomen Sukuna did. The only reason the training progress of his power had spiked to such unprecedented degree was because the King of Curses possessed his body, unrestricted; for an entire month. Along with the fact that he had fully incarnated through him. No matter how much he tried to reason it, Ryomen Sukuna was the bastard who made the person who he was today.
Physically, Megumi was satisfied with the explosive growth that was happening, having been bathed in his Cursed Energy. Mentally? He had gotten over some of the vices that had plagued him in regards to using Sukuna's Cursed Technique and his influence, but there were implicit moments where his brain just... rejected the feeling of having to rely on him. A side of Megumi just couldn't accept him fully, a restrictor on his potential.
...To experience a growth on par with Gojo Satoru and Ryomen Sukuna... he would need an entire revelation to take place in his mind.
"You always seem bothered," Ch'en decided to point out, getting somewhat of a better understanding of him from the past week. The unresponsiveness when in training mode, the aggression against random Blood Hound members (she swore he was about to summon Mizuchi on fodder), the look of desperation(?) as if he were trying to catch up to something. "It's been going on like that for the past week," and she doubted it was just the meeting with Wei Yenwu.
Texas was overhearing the conversation the two were having from the wheel, feeling her Lupo ears twitch at their words. She had been hired by Ch'en to drive them to Wei Yenwu's occupational building, since the majority of the LGD forces' vehicles were being sent to combat the rise of the Blood Hounds' numbers. It didn't help any further that the Head of the LGD had her car totalled in an all-out street war with the Blood Hounds recently.
She didn't mind Fushiguro Megumi, the man completely matched her tempo in many things. But at the same time, Texas couldn't help but feel a sickly feeling emanating from him, and the soulless eyes lacked any light in them. As if they had all the lifeblood stripped from it, leaving it nothing but a bare and endless abyss. It didn't help whenever he summoned his familiars or got into combat mode that Megumi felt like he was standing upon a mountain of corpses.
All in all, it did not do well for her Lupo senses, making the woman want to either lash out at him or initiate a tactical retreat. That wasn't even including the fact that a certain white haired Lupo had been stalking her and the black haired man. The latter was none the wiser, having been far too tired recently to notice such a thing, and Texas had recently found out why in this car.
The mysteries that kept piling up about him reminded the former Texas Famiglia member that the world of Terra was far, far larger than she thought. She also bet that it was those wolves of his that had attracted Lappland's attention so much. Seeing how Megumi was able to defeat the white haired Lupo in a fight, however, made her worry less about his well-being. Still, the fact that Lappland was after him made her feel slightly bad.
On the side of Megumi, he had stayed silent at Ch'en's previous words for the past few seconds, letting it register and process in his mind for a quick response. Opening his mouth slowly, he replied, "don't worry, I can handle it just fine." Megumi was asked the same question by all the other LGD girls and Lin, and he gave the same half-baked response. He didn't know why they were so worried, he could in fact, handle it.
Clearing her head, Texas decided to just focus on the road.
After all, nothing was comparable to the torment that Ryomen Sukuna put him under, and the experience of being brain scrambled by Unlimited Void. Seriously, the sheer amount of information felt like a highly pressurized tsunami formed into a singular point, and directed towards his gray matter...
...Then experience that entire thing for 900 years, and yeah, even Fushiguro Megumi still wondered how he was even alive and kicking. From what he knew about the human brain, the Ten Shadows user should be flopped over and dead in a hundred different lifetimes, but by some miracle he survived despite not having the anatomy of a Cursed Spirit. The more Megumi delved on this sort of matter, the more exasperated he became.
Ch'en impatiently tapped her finger against the car door's armrest, having to hear Megumi's deflective response for the millionth time. They always varied, but carried the same message from what she should interpret. The message could be boiled down into one phrase, 'leave me alone.' The inflection and ways of his words helped prove this case too, being presented in the most monotone way ever.
"Seriously? And Swire calls me a hardass," Ch'en shook her head exhaustedly. "...Hold on, did you eat anything today?" Or even yesterday? She remembered how Megumi had denied the request to go out to eat out at lunch last afternoon... and how he seemed to have been training all-night yesterday. Their meeting time for Wei Yenwu was in the early morning, where his schedule was the most free, and since the dragon lady skipped breakfast herself...
"I'll be fine," Megumi waved her off, "anybody tell you that you worry too much?" He then decided to make a counter-attack towards Ch'en and her incessant questions. "You should worry more about yourself," especially with how stressed the woman seemed over the matter of the Blood Hounds, she was the last person to lecture him about taking care of oneself.
Ch'en wanted to rebuke him, but found her words dying in her throat. Funneling what she wanted to say back down, the dragon lady crossed her arms and leaned back on her seat. The man known as Fushiguro Megumi was somebody who wouldn't be difficult to deal with, especially with his usually polite attitude and lack of going against anything.
However, one thing she found out recently, was that he could very well be an adamant arguer if it relates to matters that he cared a lot about. In this case, Ch'en was aware that he was somebody who was paranoid and fearful to an extent. Maybe that was why he had always locked himself in his room and trained like there was no tomorrow.
But that was simply a theory she had.
***
Lin Yuhsia took a sip of her tea from a delicately crafted cup. It was decorated with purple flowers lining its white exterior along with intricate roots spreading out. The calming air outside the traditional Yanese room helped provide comfort despite the grayish traditional walls painting a scene of isolation.
However, she didn't feel isolated behind the gray walls in the slightest, and neither was she alone in the room. "Father," opening her eyes after setting her tea cup down, she called out to the man who she had decided to pay a visit to. "Busy today, isn't it?" She was sitting on her knees, reminiscing about the past week.
"Busy? When is it ever a lax day?" Her father, Lin Kojui, the Rat King, held his own tea cup, glancing out at the small rectangular openings that let light in. "Well, with those Blood Hound dogs finding their way here, this whole mess was bound to happen." It would have been nice to send his best men to deal with those little pups, but Wei Yenwu had stopped him from doing so.
Lin Kojui was a literal anthropomorphic mouse, sitting up straight as any normal human being would. He wore traditional Yanese robes that were colored black, with occasional accents of blue and a white fur coat draped over his back.
"The LGD is handling them quite well," Lin pointed out, "there won't be any need for our involvement." With how aggressive Ch'en had been in the past few weeks leading the charge against their operational bases and hidden warehouses, the Zalak was sure it would blow over eventually.
"Hm," the Rat King held a contemplative look in his deep and stern eyes, "well, I was sure I'd ought to teach those who dare to target my daughter a lesson." But if Yuhsia said so, then who was he to impede in her matters? Although, that didn't settle his frustrations with those Siracusan lowlives.
Also, when did his daughter start believing in the LGD? It was quite a surprise even for him. Especially with the strained relationship the mouse lady had with Ch'en.
"I'm sure it will be fine," Lin softly replied to her father, "besides, I've made it out of that ordeal without a scratch on my tail."
"Of course," the Rat King waved his hand while taking a sip of his tea cup, "I've heard that some young man was there... Fushiguro Megumi, was it?" Kojui already knew about the man to a certain extent, thanks to his informants. Color him surprised when he finally returned to Lungmen from a short trip and all of those Chimera Bird and Shadow Tiger craze ran rampant.
Don't even get him started on the Water Dragon.
"Mhm, he was a help," Lin remembered the confused expression of his face when she pointed out that there were five other people outside the room. Megumi had believed them to be her guards or security, but that was far from the case.
"And the mess he's caused with Lungmen?" Kojui was also well aware that the man Lin spoke of was the one making all the summons. "Megumi, huh? Higashinese female name for blessing... heh, isn't that quite a picture to behold?"
"Megumi is a lot more polite than you would think," Lin casually spoke in defense of him, "despite his home having been razed to the ground, of course."
"Ah, pardon?" The Rat King looked quite surprised at the fact, taking a moment to stroke his beard and contemplate. "I see, I haven't discovered this facet of information yet," but he could see how his daughter could. After all, she was one of the four people included who were supposed to observe the man. In relation to the information he heard, it wasn't too absurd to hear that one's home has been razed to the ground, seeing how rampant Catastrophes were in Terra.
"Of course, Ch'en is at fault for the majority of his brief moments of extremity, I hope you can understand that," Lin didn't miss a beat in pitting some of the blame on Ch'en while she was at it.
"Ha!" Kojui looked humored, feeling his head move along with his small laugh, "ah, you haven't changed that much in regards to her, haven't you?" All over a silly little promise those two made when they were young. But this wasn't his matter to step into either, it was theirs.
"That doesn't matter," Lin silently took a sip of her tea cup while closing her eyes.
"You're right, it doesn't," Kojui shook his head while taking another sip of his own, "tell that man he has my thanks. If he's as you have been describing him, then there's no worry over you, correct?" The Rat King was well aware that this Fushiguro Megumi could impose a great danger on his daughter.
What led to that belief? Well, it certainly wasn't the skyscraper spanning bird and mythological dragon, now was it? Or was it not the purple explosion that lit up the skies of Lungmen? Surely not.
"I don't believe he is foolish enough to cause trouble with the situation he is in," Lin explained, "with his recent actions and all."
"Yes, yes, I know," Kojui didn't need to be lectured by his daughter about the man much further. "Though... from the information I've learnt, he's the descendant of a bigshot clan, is he not?" Besides not being aware of his home being destroyed before, he certainly knew that.
"...Father?" Lin tilted her head in confusion.
"Ah, forget it, it's just the thoughts of a senile old man," Kojui lightly coughed into his fist. "But if you truly prefer those who are polite..."
"...Father." Lin was slightly miffed.
"Don't worry, I'll see him for myself one day," Kojui waved her off, "putting this matter aside, isn't that young lad planning to meet with that paranoid man?"
The mouse lady decided to push whatever her father was suggesting earlier away, "I'm sure he'll do just fine, Ch'en is speaking positively for him."
"Oh? If she can speak positively for him, as you say, then I don't see much problems developing from a little meeting," the Rat King nodded with an assured look. In his eyes, Ch'en was quite a bright woman after all. One that could do what Wei Yenwu couldn't.
Lin silently agreed with him, pushing away the butterflies fluttering in her stomach.
***
The towering structure stood in front of Megumi, piercing up to the morning sky of Lungmen. If he felt anything, it would be 'insignificant,' that was the sense of feeling that it invoked. Like an ant staring up at a human being, there was no chance for them to ever survive if the human's feet were raised and sent down towards them. Just as in the case of Fushiguro Megumi, if the Chief Executive so wills it, then his life could be vanquished with just a wave of a hand.
This world was different from his previous one, that much has been established in Megumi's head ever since the first day when he was transmigrated. The fact that magical powers aka Originium Arts is more of a normality than that of Sorcery in his previous life, then that also meant a higher military power built upon that. Not only military power, but also the police force, which could be seen by Ch'en of all people.
All of these factors were also barring the fact that these Terran people had far superior physical strength compared to that of human beings. If Megumi had to compare, a goddamned child could overpower an adult back on Earth, showing the disparity of his worlds in full force. Although he hadn't met anybody who could meet the level of Gojo Satoru (because he was far too high of a bar to reach), he wasn't unwilling to bet that there was somebody who could reach his level in Terra.
The higher population of Arts users only gave rise to a higher chance of more powerful people being born. In the case of Jujutsu Society, Ryomen Sukuna and Gojo Satoru were ungodly exceptions to the world itself. That was why they were so powerful despite the low population of Sorcerers.
If Megumi remembered correctly from his studies, the staggeringly low population of Sorcerers was due to the fact of the Sengoku Era. The absolute slaughterfest during the Warring States Period had many Sorcerers participating in it. Even if it didn't match the power or force of the Heian Era, the fact that war ran rampant contributed to the loss of many bloodlines, clans, and overall Sorcerers.
Gojo Satoru made the class write an essay on how it could be seen today, which Nobara and Yuji promptly failed. Megumi? Well, he could say he received a mediocre grade of 94%, it was nothing much.
Megumi realized that was besides the point, and shook his head to focus more clearly on his previous point. If he became a 'kill on sight' variable for Lungmen, then he doubted there would be much he could do against the brunt of a powerful city wishing to slaughter him. Perhaps running away and traveling the wastelands of Terra would be the only option available to him.
But maybe this was something he was overthinking, a worst case scenario isn't guaranteed for everything. However, Megumi had gotten far too used to worst case scenarios, considering how he had his body snatched by Ryomen Sukuna and had to go through the death of his sister, Gojo Satoru, and the evisceration of thousands of lives.
There was no way Megumi was about to give himself even a split second of respite, being diligent and aware of any dangers that surrounded him were top priority. Ever since he let himself de-stress after being observed by Ch'en and Lin, he was immediately attacked by Lappland while alone in a back alley.
So now-
"-You've been dazed a lot, recently," Ch'en patted Megumi on the back with slightly excessive force, making him jolt. "Don't let it screw this meeting over," the woman could feel her lips thinning when watching the black haired man stare back dazedly at her.
"Sure, sure..." Megumi turned around and rubbed his eyes, letting the exhaustion fade away from the contact. "I can keep myself awake, don't worry," cycling more Reverse Cursed Technique to his brain, Megumi felt the wave of exhaustion completely pass him by. However, the problem with his application of Positive Cursed Energy was that it was simply a band-aid fix, compared to the more permanent application that he hadn't quite figured out yet.
The same application that Gojo and Sukuna used.
"Alright, we're going in," Ch'en walked past Megumi briskly, motioning him to follow along with her. "Chief Wei doesn't care if I bring my weapon inside with me, so there's no need to worry about me," the blue haired Lung also added on. With Chi Xiao being the family heirloom, Wei Yenwu trusted his niece to use it responsibly the most. Even then, she was sure the politician knew that she could barely draw the sword due to its conditions.
'...Hold on, wouldn't he have seen the video of the Chimera Bird?' Then Wei Yenwu would have definitely seen the red slash she sent towards the Shikigami. 'Was that Shikigami also a combination?' Aside from Chi Xiao and Wei Yenwu, the dragon lady was aware of Megumi's ability to combine his Shikigamis into more powerful creatures. Though, she didn't know if the bird even had a normal form, so she also attributed it to possibly being a normal summon.
While Ch'en's thoughts ran on in silence, Megumi began following her. Though, not before giving Texas a small wave while she drove her car to depart. He didn't have much of an opinion of the black haired Lupo, but she seemed like a nice enough person, so Megumi felt no need to hold any gripes against her. Despite her unknown connection to Lappland, the Ten Shadows user was aware enough even Texas was slightly bothered by the white haired Lupo.
Not soon after his thoughts, Megumi found himself standing in the white hallways of the building. It was different from the view outside, that much was to be expected, and there stood a female receptionist at an equally white desk. Watching Ch'en walk up to the woman, he followed along.
"Hello," the receptionist turned her attention to Ch'en, a brief flash of recognition within her eyes. "Ah, Superintendent Ch'en, you have a meeting with Wei Yenwu scheduled today..." She began pulling out a list from under her desk before taking a look at it.
"Yes, I do," Ch'en nodded and kept a professional tone. The blue haired Lung was glad that the receptionist hadn't just let the Head of the LGD through without checking anything first. From this alone, Ch'en could tell the other woman took her job seriously.
"Along with... Fushiguro Megumi, you two are quite early on time," the woman nodded to herself while analyzing the list. "Okay, then, just walk down the hallway to your right and take the elevator up. Chief Wei should be waiting," the receptionist nodded and motioned to where they should go.
"Thank you," Ch'en moved right after hearing those words, making her path towards her destination.
Megumi gave a brief glance towards the receptionist and lowered his head respectfully, and made his way along with Ch'en. He briefly saw the receptionist simply smiling back at him in response. The Sorcerer knew it was a trained response for any guests that came through, so he didn't put much thought into it.
Something had been bothering him the moment he exited Texas' car, and that was the weird sensation prickling at the back of his neck. Megumi was sure somebody had been following and spying on them, but he didn't know who. Neither did Ch'en seem aware of it either, but the feeling had lessened the moment he entered this building.
Maybe it was some branch of the Blood Hounds that focused on stealth and dispatching their targets? Or was it something else? The presence Megumi felt was far too high danger to be comparable to any Blood Hound he had met.
"Make sure to remember what I told you," Ch'en told Megumi while arriving at the elevator. With a short movement of her arm and extending her finger, the Lung tapped the button for the elevator.
"I will, don't worry," Megumi was met with a respressed look from Ch'en, the woman sighing at him.
"I'm placing a six hour limit with the time you can spend on the training rooms, by the way," not pulling back any punches, she made her decision known at that very moment. Ch'en knew it was better to get it over with then and now than stall on the subject any longer.
"What's the reason?" Megumi was sure he wasn't being a bother by getting out of the LGD's hair and staying isolated in the training room. So why as Ch'en so adamant about him staying out of there?
"...It's because you're causing a mess in there," Ch'en was worried about his health, but it was only slightly, nothing more than that. So she decided to bring up the secondary reason, "the scratches you cause along them have been getting deeper for the last week. It might become a problem in the long run."
"I'll go elsewhere then," Megumi already knew Lungmen had a few gyms meant for Arts users to try out their abilities. So if he wasn't causing damage in the LGD's training quarters, then...
"You're still restricted to six hours in those, too," Ch'en hastily replied, "I-it's that you could be doing something outside of our view, that's all."
"Then... just send somebody to watch me," Megumi ignored her brief stutter and placed his hands in his pockets. "That would be much easier for the both of us, wouldn't it?" The LGD had a large number of police officers, and he was sure Ch'en could make a system where a singular person could keep watch of him.
"That's-," Ch'en was cut off when the elevator door opened, revealing a small room illuminated from golden baked lights. "-We'll talk about this later," she felt miffed, but decided that the stress over this matter wasn't worth it at this moment.
"I'll keep that in mind," Megumi walked into the elevator after Ch'en.
"Keep the meeting in mind," the dragon lady crossed her arms. "Chief Wei probably knows everything about you, considering the wide network of information that he has." If anybody asked Ch'en what her relationship was with her uncle, it would be complicated.
"We'll just have to see," Megumi already anticipated that to some point. Why else had he wanted to meet him in the first place? "It's like the advice you gave me, just make work with the details you provided."
"Hmph," Ch'en watched the elevator door close, the structure setting course to the top of the building. "Finally getting it after a week, huh?"
"I've been getting it," Megumi raised an eyebrow towards her, "multi-tasking isn't that difficult for me."
"Still less productive than focusing on one task at once, and the loud noises of those damned chains completely cut off what I wanted to tell you," Ch'en remembered vividly. While he was either swinging his three-section staff or striking with his never ending chain (how the hell did it extend so long in the first place?), the sounds muffled her words at times.
"...Swire was right about you."
"...This guy," Ch'en had to resist the urge to grab him by the collar and pinning him against the wall.
The elevator ride felt like an eternity afterwards, for Ch'en that is.
For Megumi, he couldn't get rid of the indescribable feeling of being watched last time.
***
Wei Yenwu sat in his office room, the carpentry and walls looked as if they had been forged from an ancient bronze color. However, the only differentiation it had from that sort of material was its texture, the walls bearing a more wooden make up while the floor was about the same. Spotless and clean, the care put into making them look as presentable as possible was evident with every single microscopic detail.
To be honest, not even he knew if such miniscule details were necessary at first, but when dealing with political matters... his early suspicions were answered. People looked at every detail to hold against somebody, even if it were some of the most petty and trivial of things. The political landscape wasn't something he enjoyed, more so something that was necessary.
Which was the same case for Lin Kojui, the Rat King. That stubborn old man had taken the burden of ruling the Underworld of Lungmen. It was natural for any country to possess an underworld or slums, and it was also impossible to truly get rid of one. Wei Yenwu wasn't a naive man, as long as a prosperous city existed, so did its dregs.
The only way to most effectively and efficiently combat the depravity of the underworld is to control it. In regards to Lin Kojui, Wei Yenwu held both respect and trust for that man, even if it may be misplaced at times. Ever since that event, Lungmen's control had been split between the two as a matter of fact.
Right now, there were rampant crime rates rising as a result of unsavory people making themselves known. The Siracusans have either decided to sink their claws in Lungmen, or are only taking things slowly with their current methods. Despite the Blood Hounds being an evident gang, there still laid many possibilities that they were still in connection with Siracusa somehow.
It would be a complete headache if the Famiglias themselves got involved, and would be the last thing Wei Yenwu would want to deal with. In fact, both him and Lin Kojui would be massaging their temples if this situation escalated any further.
Currently, the LGD and Lungmen's already established underworld were combatting and repelling any efforts those foolish Blood Hounds were making. Wei Yenwu was sure they would eventually reach their leader or put a complete stop to their actions, that much trust he could hold in Ch'en Hui-chieh and Lin Yuhsia.
...There was also the fact he could simply send in his Shadow Guards and be done with the entire situation. However, the Chief Executive found that this would be a good opportunity to assess how far his niece's capabilities had grown. What better way than to see how she would handle the Blood Hounds? The results so far had shown that the woman knew well enough how to protect Lungmen.
But the political scene may still be an iffy topic for Ch'en, and Wei Yenwu couldn't truly place a finger on where she was in such a place. That was half of the reason why he couldn't trust Lungmen to her yet, especially with her hot-headed personality.
Continuing on the matter of the current state of Lungmen, the biggest headache so far was the arrival of Arturia Giallo, somebody who is backed by Werner von Hochberg. Wei knew only brief details about the Sankta woman, but the fact that she was a wanted criminal in Laterano did not provide him any positive view of her.
He had to ask himself why a woman such as her was even in Lungmen, when they should be in the confines of Leithanien and enjoying the musical Arts they had playing every single day. Just Arturia being here gave risk of a political crisis, one that reminded him of the time where... nevermind, it wasn't good to delve on those thoughts.
"Hm?" Wei Yenwu could hear a soft knock on his door, realizing that the person he wished to meet was already here. "Early as usual, aren't you Hui-chieh?" The man walked to his desk and picked up his pipe which had laid there, "well then, let's see what you two have to say."
***
When Megumi first stepped out of the elevator, he didn't expect to see a literal dragon lady. From his observations, she was humanoid in shape, but possessed dragon fur all across her body. Compared to Ch'en, who only had a tail and horns, this one was more... bestial if he had to describe it.
The woman who was waiting for them by the elevator gave Megumi a small smile, before turning to Ch'en. "It's been quite a bit, hasn't it, Ch'en?" She gave a small greeting to a familiar face.
"Miss Fumizuki," Ch'en replied respectfully, "are you here to bring us to Chief Wei?"
"If you believe so, then yes," Fumizuki turned to Megumi after confirming her expectations, "and you must be Fushiguro Megumi."
"That's correct, pleased to meet you, Miss Fumizuki." Megumi gave her a small bow out of respect, seeing Ch'en speaking to her more polite than usual. That must have meant that he would have to be more cautious with showing any signs that would imply disrespect.
"Oh, there's no need to be so formal," Fumizuki waved him off, "I'm simply here to guide you to where you need to be."
Ch'en didn't know if there was a need for that, since she understood the layout of the entire building like the back of her hand. But if she insisted, then... "lead the way."
"Then please, follow me," Fumizuki gave the sign for the both of them to follow her.
Megumi began to move his legs when seeing Fumizuki make her way down the hallway alongside Ch'en.
***
When he first walked into the room, the extravagant sight of it didn't really surprise him. Megumi had to admit that it was far more tuned that whatever the Zen'in clan had, but maybe it was just a cultural difference.
Most of the quarters from what he had remembered from the now defunct clan had been simplistic in nature, but then again, Megumi hadn't seen all the interior structures when he first visited the place.
Fumizuki had opened the door for them, moving out of the way to let the two enter.
Ch'en was the first to step in while Megumi came in next, making sure to keep his steps soft and not producing any sounds.
The air was warm, the light bearing down on him wasn't too intense either. The decorations were what caught his eye the most, but that became a secondary eye-catcher when there existed something far more interesting.
Megumi turned his gaze to meet a draconic man, somebody who resembled a humanoid dragon, but was more bestial than Ch'en. If he had to draw any comparisons, Wei Yenwu was practically the exact same race as Fumizuki in terms of features.
"I'll be going now, best of wishes to the both of you," Fumizuki called out from behind Ch'en and Megumi before lowering her head and closing the door behind them.
Ch'en gave her a small glance behind before turning back to face Wei Yenwu, "Chief Wei, we're here."
"As early as usual," the man held a pipe in his right hand while standing beside his desk. "Please have a seat you two, I'm sure the three of us do not wish to complicate things," right after, he motioned with his free hand to the table in front of them.
Megumi met his gaze for a moment, seeing a flash of scrutiny before the draconic man moved forward to his side of the table. With a slightly disturbed feeling, the black haired man walked forward and moved to the right of the couch, while Ch'en was moving left.
After a few seconds, the two had settled down on the comfortable and luxurious couch, finding themselves basking in its comfort. However, the moment would only last for a small period of time.
"Fushiguro Megumi," Wei Yenwu greeted the other man, "I've heard and seen many things about you." That much was obvious considering the position of power that he held. Whatever happened in Lungmen could never stray from his eyes, and if it were something as big as what had been happening the last few weeks; then it became apparent of the issues in which he was aware of.
"Chief Wei, I take it that they're... mixed, aren't they?" Megumi placed his hands resting on his thighs while he sat himself up straight. "With what I've done, I would have expected as much," there was no need to act dumb, Wei Yenwu knew that he was the one who summoned Nue: Totality, Tiger Funeral, and Mizuchi. That much was already fleshed out when he and Ch'en prepared for this meeting.
"That's quite a way to put it," Wei fitted the pipe in his mouth and took an inhale before pulling it out. "Seeing how you're already aware that I'm also aware, then there's no need to mince our words," he nodded to himself, "Ch'en Hui-chieh, do you know what you're doing?" His head turned to the Head Superintendent of the LGD.
Not missing a single beat, Ch'en responded, "yes, of course I do." She had thought it was an absurd idea to have somebody who could raze city blocks walking around Lungmen, but the past few weeks haven't been too bad with him around. Aside from Mizuchi... but that was an outlier.
She had already made sure to drill him about acting on impulse and admonishing him for not running away from Lappland so the LGD could handle her. After that incident though, there had been nothing that had been any alarm for danger.
"Despite everything that has occurred?" Wei questioned while raising a slight eyebrow, "if you truly believe so, then let's hear it from the man himself. What is your purpose for residing in Lungmen?" He shifted his attention to Megumi, the black haired man having been silent for the past few exchanges.
"It was the first place I found," Megumi replied, "after leaving my home." He wasn't lying in the slightest. Indeed, Lungmen was the first place he found after he was sent away from his world. The method via this transportation he still wasn't aware of. "Unfortunate circumstances happened, but I do not wish to bring Lungmen under any harm."
Wei Yenwu already knew from the information that his Shadow Guards gathered, Fushiguro Megumi's home had been razed to the ground. There was no need to research the place, or look for it, an island residing far from Terra's supercontinent wouldn't be easy to reach with all the dangers nature presented.
"I can see that," Wei balanced his pipe between his fingers, "but this isn't about your capabilities. That mysterious power you hold is of no concern," considering how he hadn't abused it in any harmful way yet. "But the implication it brings is certainly of concern. Do you understand?"
"Chief Wei, you don't mean..." Ch'en spoke up from beside Megumi, brows furrowing.
"Stop," Wei raised his hand to silence Ch'en, keeping his gaze fixated on the Ten Shadow user. "I want to hear it from him myself. I ask of you, are you aware of the implications your abilities bring?"
Ch'en looked peeved, but settled herself back down on her seat and crossed her arms.
'Strong,' Megumi dryly commented in his head. The man standing before him far surpassed any other opponent that he had met in Lungmen, and it wasn't even a competition. If he had to battle him, the black haired man was sure he would have to pull off all stops, and even then; Megumi wasn't sure if he would even be able to kill him. At best, he was betting his chances were 30/70, not in his favor at all.
...It would be a different case with the use of a Sacred Treasure, however.
"By implications..." Megumi narrowed his eyes while scrounging through his brain for any information. If he remembered correctly, Ch'en had been worried about his blood lacking any Originium in it, and how some news sources have been outraged at the... reduction of Originium in the vicinity of Nue: Totality's lightning. "...You don't mean my destructive capabilities, but the fact of the pulverized Originium particles, am I correct?"
"You've narrowed it down well," Wei admitted with a nod, "yes, and you should be fully aware of the implications that your ability brings." Oripathy and risk of infection is rampant, disgracing nearly every single part of Terra. If a country such as Ursus had found out this sort of information, they would be fiending to have somebody who could destroy Originium particles in their hands.
It wasn't just the idea of reducing Originium, but having an asset such as Fushiguro Megumi could inspire a sense of leveraging, and that wasn't including his absurd summons either. If Wei Yenwu remembered correctly, the black haired man was a descendant of a now defunct elite clan, and had done everything thus far at the tender age of 18 years-old.
If he didn't scream genius or prodigy, then what the hell was Megumi? Not even Ch'en held this sort of explosive rate of growth when Wei taught her how to wield the sword technique of Chi Xiao, nor when she rose in the ranks of the LGD.
"I'm not aware of Terra's political climate at a professional level, that much I can admit," Megumi spoke out, slightly making Ch'en irritated at his show of weakness. "If I had to guess, then they would want an 'asset' such as me, right?" He remembered how foreign countries started invading Japan the moment the notion of Cursed Spirits and Cursed Energy became a thing. No thanks to Kenjaku.
"Right on the mark," Wei snapped the fingers of his free hand, "and residing in the city of Lungmen... I'm sure you know the excessive display you've shown has been recorded by practically all of its residents." The news had spread far and wide across the city, not a single citizen being ignorant of it, "but that also means it could leak and breach to the outside world." Despite long range communication being axed because of Catastrophes, Originium, and the nature of Nomadic Cities; there still existed messengers.
Megumi felt his hand barely grip tighter, "so I would be a target, wouldn't I?" Of course, his Cursed Energy just had to be capable of destroying Originium particles, a thing that was extremely difficult to fully dispose of.
"Did I forget to mention your medical reports?" Wei Yenwu casually added on, "never before seen on Terra, zero Originium in your blood, need I say more?" He continued asking rhetorical questions to Megumi.
"Chief Wei," Ch'en interrupted the conversation of the two, "his blood and body has only been recorded once. The records have also already been kept private the moment-," she was immediately cut off right after.
"If you're so confident about your efforts of keeping it private, then why is it that I am able to discover it?" Wei shot back with an indisputable counter argument before Ch'en could fully form her own.
"I..." Ch'en had no way to reply to him. He was right, if she was as confident as she was in this sort of detail not leaking out, then why could Chief Wei have found it out in the first place. "Hm..." Ch'en chewed on her own thoughts after.
"I thought so," Chief Wei took a whiff of his pipe while shifting his gaze back to Fushiguro Megumi. The black haired man from his sight had kept the same neutral expression as when he first walked into the room, an impeccable stoicism that even he was impressed by. So effective in fact, that he could mistake the man for a corpse. "I'll paint the picture out clearly, you possess abilities never heard of before outside of Terra's confines, which include but are not limited to: the capability of destroying Originium particles entirely, summoning 'mythological' beasts, and all at the tender age of 18. Am I missing any crucial detail?"
"You are not," Megumi replied, having lied straight out of his mouth. Wei Yenwu was missing one detail, but he would never reveal it in the first place.
Ch'en impatiently tapped her arm while keeping them crossed, sending a worried gaze towards Fushiguro Megumi. She already knew the political impact he could have, but having it spelt out in front of her by Wei Yenwu was not comforting in the slightest. But what was she expecting? The Chief Executive of Lungmen knew far too many things, sometimes even for his own good.
"If this information lands on the hands of say... Ursus, then you already know how they would act," Wei was sure even if Megumi didn't know the state of the political climate well, then the mention of Ursus should ring a few bells. "Imagine the streets of Lungmen being littered with spies and informants from that country, would that provide any security for this city's citizens?"
"It would not," Megumi already knew what the Chief Executive was getting at.
"If their method of receiving you in the palm of their hands discreetly doesn't work, then I doubt it would just end at that." Remembering the methods of Kashchey almost made Wei almost reveal a lapse in the impenetrable wall he held himself as, "violence and force would be used as a good measure for them. That is excluding every other country that could be 'interested,' to put it mildly, in you."
'...So Ch'en was right, he cares for Lungmen more than anything,' could he even make any counter argument towards Wei Yenwu? Megumi's mere existence was placing this city in a political jeopardy. He was sure the dragon man didn't care much about his capabilities, or putting it to any good use, but more so the danger it held for the city.
A stranger like him... if Megumi had to make an assumption, he was sure Wei Yenwu wouldn't mind just giving him off to Ursus, this world's equivalent of Russia. Whether it was 100% accurate or not wasn't something he could delve on at the moment.
"Let me propose something to you, Fushiguro Megumi," Wei didn't give him a second to contemplate fully the information he had received. "Your existence in Lungmen is a jeopardy to its security, and we all know that," he gave a brief glance to Ch'en.
The dragon lady bit the inside of her mouth.
"...Is there a reason to keep you in Lungmen's wall?" Wei Yenwu gave his ultimatum.
Megumi opened his mouth, "yes, there is." There was not a hint of hesitance in it, he had already known what to say.
"Ho~?" Wei Yenwu looked at the Ten Shadows user's unflinching response with a curious look. "Pray tell, what could that be?"
"Ch'en Hui-chieh..." Megumi drew out his voice.Over the course of his stay in this world named Terra, he had felt this weird energy signature lingering in almost every part of the world. It wasn't something that passed by his thoughts much, but Megumi knew it was more apparent in some other people that he would pass by. Who else could they be, but infected people? "...she's infected, isn't she?"
The energy signature was obvious with the time he had spent with her. Not only that, but his sensory skills of these mystical rock particles have become greater, but Megumi was sure Gojo Satoru would be a thousand times better than him at such a thing if he were the one to transmigrate.
"..."
A silence followed, finding itself pervading the room completely. Not even the soft bristling sound of the lights' coursing electricity could be heard, nor the incessant and habitual tapping of Ch'en's index finger on her crossed arm. Only one thought rang into the Superintendent's mind, 'how did he know...?'
The smoke of Wei Yenwu's pipe continued to flow aromatically in the air, swirling about as the mini clouds slowly started to burn out.
"...Fushiguro Megumi," the Chief Executive of Lungmen had a shadow cast over his eyes, a grave and baritone voice leaving his throat. "Are you threatening me?" Could the man be using this as leverage over him? How did he even know such a closely guarded secret?
"Far from it," Megumi continued on with the same energy he had been throughout the entire conversation. "In fact, I can cure her."
It was time for him to provide his ultimatum against Wei's own, a plan one week in the making.