…?
Ren and Machiyoi both fell silent.
Good grief.
Born a rebel, aren't you?
Oba-san might not guess what Kaguya meant—but Ren could.
"So…"
He thought for a beat, then deadpanned, "Kaguya, you really want to start a war on the moon, don't you?"
"Exactly!"
Kaguya stopped bothering to act like a baby.
With a flip she sat up in Machiyoi's lap, tiny hands patting those long legs. "This humble one intends to wage a war on the lunar surface."
"Hmph!"
Ren rubbed his brow, helpless. "You're setting me an awfully open-ended target. I'm not sure I can pull that off."
"This humble one believes in Father."
"With Father's ability, sooner or later you'll reach that height."
Kaguya brimmed with confidence in him.
Work hard and you get stronger.jpg
Those "nine characters" alone were proof enough of how absurd things already were.
Kaguya could already picture it:
leading her earthly Father to storm the Lunar Capital, snatching her "Father" up there, tossing him into a basement—this and that, that and this—tongue out, heart-eyes glinting, fingers flashing V-signs.
"…"
Ren watched his daughter's grin warp further and further.
Wasn't she fresh off the moon?
How did she evolve this fast?
"'Overthrowing one's betters.'"
"'Marching on the Capital.'"
"So that really is the tradition of the pantheon of the Plain of High Heaven."
All his thoughts condensed into one wry sigh.
"Yes."
Kaguya nodded solemnly. "Father, it's the tradition of that pantheon. Even if the age of gods has passed, we must carry it on!"
"Kaguya, aren't you afraid someone will hear you?"
Ren smiled at his overexcited daughter and pointed upward.
Kaguya waved a tiny hand. "Rest easy, Father. This humble one has people up there. We won't be discovered."
"In any case, better to be careful," Ren still advised. What else could he do? She was his girl now—he had to mind it.
Machiyoi listened without interrupting.
Kaguya's background? Please.
No one here was a fool; nothing about her said "ordinary infant."
And Machiyoi herself was a great yokai Ubume.
"Yu."
Only when their talk wound down did Machiyoi ask, "Do you intend to rebuild this city—truly raise it again?"
"Worth a try."
Ren smiled lazily. "Either way, it's something to pass the time. I'll give it a shot—if it works, great; if not, no big deal."
"That's fine," Machiyoi nodded.
Kaguya waved. "Father, this humble one has arrangements. As for gold, you can fetch the same amount from the bamboo grove every day."
"So I'm eating my daughter's soft rice now?" Ren stroked his chin.
Even in an age where yokai parade and humans and spirits coexist,
gold was hard currency.
Not only as money—
on the contrary,
in a world of the hidden arts, gold carried special value. For yin–yang masters and yokai alike, you could refine true gold from it through various methods.
True gold was superb for forging weapons, laying wards…
and more.
"Father, this humble one deems it perfectly fine to freeload."
"Heh heh heh—" *3
All three of them couldn't help but laugh.
When the teasing passed,
Ren moved to sit beside Machiyoi. "Oba-san, how do we even repair a city like this? Bring in outside help?"
On that question he was flying blind.
Machiyoi shook her head lightly. "Yu, no need to make it complicated. Among yokai at the Lake of the Black Tortoise lives a clan of kappa—masters of construction and engineering. I'll contact them. With enough gold, they'll gladly help."
"Lake of the Black Tortoise?"
Ren arched a brow. The name rang a bell.
Machiyoi nodded and explained, "The Lake of the Black Tortoise neighbors the Mountain of Tengu, out west on the surface. The kappa there are the largest kappa clan on the surface. The Ghost Ship of overseas Mount Suzuka was built by them."
"Besides, even humans—including yin–yang master families in Heian-kyō—maintain ties with that kappa clan."
"However,"
"the kappa of the Black Tortoise only take gold as payment. They say their research devours vast amounts of true gold."
Ren got the picture.
Pretty much what he'd guessed. No need to pry.
He just hadn't expected humans and yokai to be knit together like this.
Phantasmagoric. Night of a hundred demons. Humans and spirits in one world.
Then again,
with those three phrases, it made sense.
This era wasn't built by humans or yokai alone—it was built by both.
"Oba-san, easy to reach them?" Ren pressed down his thoughts and asked.
If they were set on rebuilding and becoming a city lord, they'd better prepare.
"No problem."
Machiyoi nodded. "I'll make contact. With a rich reward, the kappa will come quickly. After that, I'll reach out to others skilled in wards—yokai or yin–yang masters—to lay protections for the city."
"No problem."
Kaguya flicked her little hand, every inch the sudden nouveau riche. "This humble one has gold in abundance. The daily allotment is fixed, but with people above, a little backdoor work can send down far more in a day."
(End of Chapter)
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