Chapter 61: A Man of Resolve
After traversing the rainforest and then hurrying along a mountain path for some time, Mord finally spotted signs of human habitation just before sunset in the evening. It was a rather small town, located on the outskirts of the capital.
Everything here stood in stark contrast to the modern world outside, as it appeared incredibly dilapidated, as if from another era.
Just the day before, Mord had been riding airplanes and high-speed trains, watching romance films on his laptop. Yet, this town before him still had the most primitive dirt roads, where dust flew everywhere with each gust of wind. The houses lining the streets were mostly shabby wooden huts, with few two-story buildings in sight.
Outside the town were cultivated farmlands, where even at this hour, short-statured commoners were still toiling. The shops along the street had sparse business, and the few pedestrians hurried on their way.
Mord glanced around and noticed many people with sallow, malnourished complexions, clearly suffering from long-term nutritional deficiencies. From time to time, down-and-out ronin wandered about, indicating that public safety was not particularly good. Most of these ronin headed straight into a roadside izakaya.
Just then, a commotion erupted from up ahead.
"We've given you enough face, Rokurō. Tomorrow is the final deadline. If you still can't come up with the money, don't blame us for not holding back," a group of thugs shouted, kicking over a vegetable stall.
Vegetables scattered across the ground, and an elderly woman in her seventies or eighties lay on the ground. In front of her stood a petite figure, arms spread wide, shielding the old woman.
The young boy stood straight, glaring at the thugs without backing down an inch.
Having achieved their goal, the thugs dispersed, but not before helping themselves to some fruits and vegetables on their way out.
Once they were gone, the boy's defiant posture immediately relaxed, as if a heavy burden had been lifted. He quickly turned to help the old woman up.
"Are you alright, Grandma?"
"Grandma's fine, Grandma's fine..." the old woman choked out, tears welling in her eyes. "It's my fault for burdening you."
"It's nothing. Let me help you inside first."
After settling the old woman in the back room to rest, the boy returned to the front to gather the scattered vegetables. There, he found a stranger standing by his stall—a down-and-out ronin holding a daikon radish he had picked up from the ground. Their eyes met, and the ronin took a heavy bite.
"Don't worry, I'll pay."
...
Rokurō secretly studied the man before him, still finding it hard to believe everything that had just happened. Yet, the small pouch of coins in his arms confirmed it was all real.
He and his grandmother could hardly earn this much money in an entire month of hard work. And this ronin before him only asked to stay for a few days in return.
With this money, they could pay the protection fee tomorrow.
Rokurō tightened his grip on the pouch.
"I'm a bit hungry. Come on, take me somewhere to get a proper meal," Mord said, picking up Rokurō and heading out the door.
...
Tavern.
As soon as Mord and Rokurō entered, a woman with fading but still noticeable charm approached them.
She stepped right up to Mord and bowed deeply at a ninety-degree angle. Her loose kimono gaped slightly, revealing a glimpse of pale skin.
"Welcome! Oh, it's Mikoto." The proprietress laughed as she looked at the newcomer.
"I told you to call me Rokurō! Sister Myou!" The "little boy" was clearly upset at having their identity exposed.
"Hehe." The young proprietress covered her mouth with a chuckle, then turned her gaze to Mord beside them. "And this is?"
"A tenant temporarily staying at my place, here for a meal." Little Mikoto spoke up.
"Oh my, little Mikoto really remembers her sister's kindness, bringing guests to my place." The proprietress walked over to Mikoto, placing a hand beside her mouth as she loudly conspired. "Is he a wealthy mark? Should I serve only the expensive dishes later?"
What an interesting person.
The corner of Mord's lips curled slightly upward.
"Please come inside, both of you!"
After teasing little Mikoto, the proprietress warmly ushered Mord and the others inside. The dishes were quite simple.
A pot of sake and one sukiyaki.
Little Mikoto kept swallowing saliva as she stared at the beef in the pot, clearly not having eaten meat for a long time.
After receiving Mord's permission, Mikoto could no longer restrain herself and began devouring the food ravenously.
While Mikoto was eating, Mord took the opportunity to sip his sake and survey the surroundings.
The tavern neatly arranged twelve small square tables, separated by small screens. The interior was clean and tidy, with neat tatami mats. There weren't many customers at the moment.
"You're quite familiar with the proprietress here?"
"Sister Myou usually takes good care of me. She buys most of the fruits and vegetables my grandmother grows. When Grandma and I first arrived here, if it weren't for Sister Myou's help, we probably would have ended up dead on the streets long ago." Mikoto's voice was muffled with food in her mouth.
"You're not from around here?"
When Mord asked this question, Mikoto fell silent.
Just as Mikoto was about to speak.
A commotion suddenly erupted nearby.
"When Lord Tenshou was still alive, he was making various preparations to accumulate strength for opening the country. Now that General Hisamoto has taken power, he's actually reversing historical progress with nationwide martial law. With his approach, civil liberties will never be realized in this country."
"Keep your voice down. We're only a few dozen miles from Kyoto—the shogunate's spies are everywhere."
"Who's afraid of those vicious dogs! If I could die heroically like teacher Sakata Gintoki, becoming a star that illuminates this world, then what does death matter?!"
"Don't be foolish! What 'becoming stars'... such romanticism brings no benefits! We need to accumulate strength, understand? The princess is still alive, we must shoulder the responsibility of saving this nation."
"For us now, living is more valuable than dying, understand?"
The people in the adjacent private room were clearly drunk.
Although they tried to lower their voices during the argument, within Mord's perception range, nothing could escape his notice.
Opening the country? Civil liberties?
Interesting.
On the way here, Mord had researched information about this country.
A century of national isolation had led to widespread poverty among the people. Seeking change, the current lord Tenshou had begun developing thoughts about opening the country.
Although the entire nation remained in a state of isolation from the outside world, important members of the Jappon Country's royal family were consistently sent abroad for education during their youth.
The seed of opening the nation, cherished by Lord Tenshou, was planted during that time.
Over the years, despite his governance, this national policy remained unbroken.
Yet the overall environment had become the most relaxed in over a century. Some smuggled books became the budding ground for progressive ideas among the populace.
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