Chapter 444
The Heavenly Craftsman Zashiki-warashi Appears!
Chapter 444 The Heavenly Craftsman Zashiki-warashi Appears! (This is just a child's joke; don't take Imagawa seriously.)
Beneath the leaden dome, on the vast wilderness.
A tiny figure carrying a giant travel backpack two or three times larger than himself is striding happily toward an interesting unknown.
Each step was deeply embedded in the gray sand due to its weight, yet she lifted each step with ease.
The Zashiki-warashi walks alone on the earth of the world.
ding ding...
clang clang...
The sounds of metal striking metal, sometimes crisp, sometimes dull, emanated from the palm of this small figure, accompanied by the constant flashes of tiny sparks.
Indeed, even during the long journey, she never had a moment to rest.
Whether walking, sitting, or lying down, once you wake up from a wonderful dream, you must forge yourself between your palms.
Forging, forging, tempering techniques, exhausting all skills.
"These are just the basic skills of a master craftsman."
The Zashiki-warashi continued to mutter to itself as always.
The long and lonely journey of seeking enlightenment had long since honed her skills in keeping herself entertained, and talking to herself was a common occurrence for her.
"My newly learned skills are not yet proficient enough, and my precision in the minute details is not high enough, not to mention my experience is still insufficient..."
The Zashiki-warashi, who only knew how to bear the pressure alone, sighed softly: "Ten-gong may represent the strongest, but it does not mean perfect."
clang!
The sound, like a hammer striking heavily, was interrupted.
Zashiki looked up, quite puzzled.
She seemed to hear... the sound of a train moving on the tracks?
But this is a "no man's land" where even demons are extremely rare, and almost no force is willing to set foot in it.
Could it be that I misheard?
The idea had barely formed in her mind when two bright, dragon-like headlights lit up at the edge of her vision, piercing the silent darkness of the desolate wilderness!
Whoohoo!
Unlike the clanging sound of wheels and rails, the train made a strange sound that was similar to, yet slightly different from, the sound of wind breaking.
Zashiki was something I had never heard of before.
"What a spectacle this is!"
Zashiki, her eyes sparkling with curiosity, quickly strode after the "spectacle train."
But before she could take more than a few steps, she discovered that the train was rushing toward her at an extremely high speed!
"So fast!"
Before Zashiki could even process the thought, her left hand instinctively pressed a button on the edge of her backpack, causing a huge, dark blue-green tortoise shell to unfold and wrap around her.
This was her "turtle-like" instinct, honed through years of navigating the mortal world alone. In short, if she saw something amiss, she would retreat; if danger truly arose, she would teleport away immediately.
To the Zashiki-warashi's surprise, the astonishingly fast, technologically advanced silver-white train slowly came to a stop.
Or... in front of her!?
Through the translucent tortoise shell, Zashiki gazed with a somewhat fascinated look back and forth at the long, silver dragon.
"It looks somewhat similar to the Kisaragi Train I rode before, but this one looks more streamlined and stylish, and it seems to be faster as well."
As she thought this, she looked around again, but found no other creatures besides herself.
"That is to say..."
A bold idea popped into her mind: "This train is here to pick me up!?"
Because of certain experiences in the world of the living, Zashiki has developed a habit of being extremely cautious when facing unusual situations.
So even though he didn't sense any malice, Zashiki still maintained a basic level of vigilance.
She took out several small items with different sheens from her backpack, put on thin black rubber gloves, and then put them in her hands before putting away the tortoise shell.
Nothing happened.
"It seems they really have come to pick me up."
Zashiki thought for a moment, then first touched the surface of the silver-white dragon with his gloved hand.
The relevant information immediately came to mind.
"Hmm... Someone wants me to go somewhere... Will I automatically return after 72 hours?"
The zashiki looked on with unusual curiosity.
—The destination may be dangerous.
But how many crises has she encountered, resolved, and escaped along the way?
There are too many, a little more won't make a difference!
If your curiosity can't be satisfied, that's a big deal!
Zashiki smiled happily and stepped into the silver-white dragon, hearing the hatch behind him close in the blink of an eye.
"Wuhu, let's go!"
Zashiki whistled softly, and then the view outside the transparent car window began to change astonishingly.
—A desolate, uninhabited land; a vaguely prosperous city; a deathly, dark blue sea; a sun-drenched, noisy steel forest…
The eternal world, the deep sea, the present world—everything outside the car window formed a picture scroll, unfolding before Zashiki's eyes.
"Just seeing this scene made the trip totally worth it!"
……
Uesugi Tetsuya gazed at the long, silvery-white dragon that slowly passed through the black tent and stopped at the barrier of the Pure Lotus Embryo Treasury.
He glanced down at the time on his phone, his eyes wide with surprise.
In just five minutes, the silver-white dragon brought the Zashiki from the distant world to its doorstep.
This is ridiculously efficient; no wonder it's a one-time reward item for SSS-level rewards.
A silver-white dragon could be seen opening the hatch, revealing a wheat-colored girl with neat short hair carrying a backpack the size of a small mountain.
On areas like the shoulders, you can even see very obvious tan lines, with black and white marks.
—Zashiki stepped out of the magical silver-white dragon carriage, and just as he was about to turn back to touch it to try and get more information, he found that the latter had suddenly vanished into thin air.
Disappeared!
"whispering sound."
With a displeased pout, Zashiki looked up again at the black barrier that enveloped the world.
"This seems to be the real world... but is it the kind of place where you can only enter and not leave?"
We must remain vigilant.
After making a simple assessment of the current situation, Zashiki looked at the large house in front of him and exchanged a glance with the girl who was sitting in the center of the dojo on the first floor with its doors wide open.
Who is this?
The exact same thought simultaneously surfaced in the minds of Ririko and Zashiki.
"I couldn't sense any hostility or murderous intent, and they seemed completely unaware of why I was there."
Zashiki blinked and tentatively greeted Ririko.
"Hello?"
Ririko was also looking the backpack girl up and down, who had appeared out of nowhere and made Kenshin feel that she was very "powerful".
She noticed the unusual hammer that the zashiki was holding.
"A blacksmith, huh..."
After a moment's thought, Ririko didn't greet the other person, but simply pointed upstairs: "The person looking for you should be on the top floor."
Zashiki looked up in the direction she was pointing and sensed more than one aura.
Thanks!
She grinned at Ririko, then pulled her foot back just before stepping onto the floor, asking the latter somewhat seriously, "Do you want to take off your shoes?"
Ririko looked down at the pair of worn boots, covered in dust and mud and scratches.
After casually laying down a layer of qi-infused flooring, Ririko raised her chin and said, "Let's go straight up."
"Great!"
Zashiki gave her a thumbs up and strode onto the protective aura, heading towards the top floor.
crunch...
"drink!"
As soon as the rooftop door was pushed open, the girl's sweet shout, along with glistening beads of sweat, rushed towards Zashiki. Zashiki subconsciously licked her lips, paused after tasting the familiar slightly salty flavor, then waved to Chisa, who was also stunned.
"Um... hello?"
Chisa's mind was nearly fried from the intense training. After a while, she nodded blankly at Zashiki and replied.
"Hello."
She didn't even think much about who the person in front of her was.
—This is definitely not the person looking for her.
Having made this judgment in her mind, Zashiki continued to shift her gaze and saw the two-foot-tall man blinking and smiling at her.
Zashiki was a little confused, feeling that the other person looked somewhat familiar.
But... who is this again?
I have a feeling that I've seen it before, like a long time ago.
The only interaction between Zashiki and the two-foot-tall man was probably their few encounters in Arakawa Village, where she met the tall and mature "eight-foot-tall man".
If you can recognize it immediately, that's what you call an amazing memory.
Zashiki scratched his head, then looked at the most unremarkable ordinary passerby next to the familiar girl.
The next instant, her eyes widened.
"Prajna... no, Mr. Che!?"
Zashiki covered her mouth, unable to suppress a loud gasp.
Uesugi Tetsu smiled at her: "Long time no see, Zashiki."
"How have you been since we parted ways during the Warring States period?"
"Wow!"
The newly appointed master craftsman's weathered yet still enthusiastic face revealed obvious surprise.
Zashiki rushed over, exclaiming in surprise.
"Mr. Che, you're still alive!"
Uesugi Tetsu: "..."
That's such an auspicious saying.
However, the last time she met Zashiki was "five hundred years ago," and there are probably no more than five people who have survived from that era to the present day. She was right to say that.
As he helped Zashiki unload her heavy backpack, Uesugi Tetsu asked the girl, who not only didn't look "older," but whose tone and expression had become even more youthful.
"Zashiki, in the long years, have you fulfilled your wish to see many things and become a master craftsman?"
"Humph!"
Having caught the key words, Zashiki proudly raised his head and patted his bulging chest: "Easy peasy!"
"—Zashiki has now personally created a wonder, truly a masterpiece of craftsmanship!"
The work of nature.
The true master craftsman is probably only found in the present world by the person standing before me, and even in the vast and boundless world where eras converge, it would be difficult to find another like him.
"Congratulations."
Uesugi Tetsu suppressed the urge to pat Zashiki's head and exhaled, "Unfortunately, my circumstances are simple, and I don't have anything to give you as a gift right now."
"Oh, that's not important."
Zashiki waved her hand dismissively: "The greatest gift is that you're still alive and healthy, Mr. Tetsu!"
"Oh, right."
She suddenly raised a finger as if she had remembered something: "Mr. Che, I saw the head of the family not long ago! You and her now..."
"Which one is in charge?"
Uesugi Tetsu interrupted with a basic attack.
The zashiki gave him a "you know perfectly well" look, shook his head, and said loudly,
"Of course, it is Imagawa Yoshimoto, the sole designated leader of the Imagawa clan, the one whom everyone hopes to rule, the overlord of the Sengoku period, the lord of the Imagawa clan!"
Although Uesugi Tetsu wanted to complain, "There's not enough room for so many people," a sudden surge of thoughts overwhelmed him, and he didn't know how to respond.
Zashiki, however, continued nonchalantly, "I could tell you two were on good terms back then!"
As he spoke, Tiangong leaned closer and asked in a low voice,
"So, has there been any progress since then?"
Faced with this ineffective whispered conspiracy, the crowd, whose curiosity had been piqued by the previous words, naturally pricked up their ears to wait for what would follow.
Except for Xiao Jia, who remained silent, she stayed obediently in place, spinning around as if she couldn't hear anything.
"hehe."
Uesugi Tetsu laughed heartily: "The kid doesn't know any better, he was just joking."
He grabbed Zashiki and, without saying a word, took out the [Bifang Remnant Flame], [Millennial Tree Heart], [Wrathful Prajna Mask], [Jealousy Mask - Prototype], and [Resentment Mask - Prototype] from his storage bag with one hand.
Then, bring out the spider cutter from the waist.
This made Zashiki stare wide-eyed, and he almost drooled.
All that gossip and talk about being the leader has been completely forgotten!
"Zashiki, could you please make these for me separately..."
Before he could finish speaking, the Zashiki-warashi pounded his chest with a loud "duang duang": "Leave it to me! Please leave the forging to me!"
"As for the compensation..."
"Absolutely not!" Zashiki exclaimed excitedly. "Even if you asked me to pay for the forging, Mr. Tetsu, I would totally agree!"
Her forging in the mortal world has always been about "turning waste into treasure" and "turning decay into magic".
But when the real "treasure and wonder" came into view, Zashiki admitted that she was very excited.
After briefly explaining the purpose of forging each material to Zashiki, Uesugi Tetsuya asked her, "Shall we begin..."
"Seventy-two hours is a little tight, but it's more than enough!"
Zashiki's fingers swept over the rare or never-before-seen materials, finally stopping on the spider cutter that was waving to her.
She grinned at Qing Dafang.
"After all, I am a master craftsman!"
After setting up the "Pure Lotus Womb" barrier on the two feet, Uesugi Tetsu said to her, "Zashiki, I feel like you haven't changed much over all this time."
"If that's the case, Mr. Che, aren't you the same?"
Zashiki stroked the hilt of the Spider Cutter: "It's exactly the same as when we said goodbye in Arakawa Village back then."
"Leave the forging to me..."
On the rooftop, a huge backpack was unpacked layer by layer, revealing a simple anvil and various tools.
"Mr. Che, then please don't let anyone disturb me."
"rest assured."
Uesugi Tetsu responded, signaling Chisa, who was still training, to stop, and also used his internal energy to inform Ririko downstairs.
"—Observing this master craftsman's forging skills might yield considerable benefits."
After saying this to the two, Uesugi Tetsuya activated his spirit control technique, setting up layers of complex barriers inside the tent.
clang!
After a dull thud, the unique forging process of the Tenko Zashiki officially began!
"Since receiving the legacy of my predecessors requires at least the power of ghosts and gods, then I must demonstrate strength sufficient to crush them."
Uesugi Tetsu gazed at Zashiki-warashi, who seemed to have isolated herself from the world as she began forging, watching the remnants of the Bifang flame gradually merge with the Spider Cutter between her five fingers.
Sixteen hours later, as the new sun rose.
Zashiki, who hadn't had a drop of water, raised the Spider Cutter, its blade wreathed in blue flames, and twisted its neck as it spoke.
"Let's start with the simplest one, just to warm things up!"
(End of this chapter)