After leaving Mount Fujikasane, Qingshui rested for two days at Fujiaya and received his Nichirin Blade.
"Isn't it amazing? When a Nichirin Blade is first touched by a swordsman who has mastered a Breathing Style, it changes color based on the swordsman's attributes! Try it out!" Haganezuka Kozo, the swordsmith who delivered the Nichirin Blade to Qingshui, urged him.
Qingshui's hand gripped the hilt of the Nichirin Blade, and he drew it.
The blade was slender, and as Qingshui breathed gently, a unique color began to shimmer on its surface.
It was primarily light blue, with delicate yet brilliant golden patterns near the back of the blade, making it look as opulent as porcelain, while the metallic sheen added a chilling edge to the longsword.
"A beautiful blade. Blue and green are typically characteristics of swordsmen suited for Wind Breathing, and gold is for Thunder Breathing. Many powerful swordsmen have Nichirin Blades that incorporate both of these colors," Haganezuka Kozo said, gazing mesmerized at the patterns on the Nichirin Blade.
"Mr. Haganezuka, may I ask... about the components on those blueprints I asked Senior Amane to pass on?"
"Ah, right! The components on the blueprints!" Haganezuka Kozo scratched his head. Combined with the distorted Hannya mask on his face, he looked utterly comical.
"We generally understood your blueprints, and we tried to make them, but the precision you requested is too high. Even the most skilled village chief couldn't perfect them." Haganezuka Kozo scratched his head and ears.
"It's fine if you can just roughly create the embryo and ensure it's useful against Demons. I can refine and polish them myself later," Qingshui said, sheathing the blade and addressing the swordsmith.
"Hehe, about that..." Haganezuka Kozo seemed a bit embarrassed. "May I be so bold as to ask, Mr. Qingshui, how do you plan to refine them? We use the traditional techniques passed down in the swordsmith village, but no matter what we do, it's very difficult to achieve that level of precision."
"Oh, that? It's simple. My uncle is a Police Superintendent General at police headquarters. I can ask him to let me use the high-tech equipment on the production line for high-precision gun parts. I just need to modify the parameters," Qingshui said seriously.
This was merely his excuse. He actually intended to use the machine tools he manufactured himself, but that would require Chakra Threads.
However, equipment capable of producing gun parts was indeed sufficient to maintain a relatively high level of precision for the components, so refining and polishing them wouldn't be an issue.
He hadn't entrusted the truly difficult internal parts to the swordsmiths; they were only responsible for the components that could inflict damage on Demons.
"Is that so? Ever since we discovered that modern blast furnace steelmaking methods aren't suitable for Scarlet Ore, we've stuck to traditional forging methods. I never thought there would be machinery we could learn from. Then... do you think you could contact your important relative? You know, if we had such machines, even an apprentice swordsmith could forge a qualified Nichirin Blade. That would be a huge improvement for the Demon Slayer Corps!" Haganezuka Kozo said, waving his hands.
How would I have the ability to get equipment from a weapon production line for you?
"I can borrow it, but I probably don't have the ability to move these things. However... perhaps Mr. Haganezuka, you could ask Senior Ubuyashiki Kagaya? The Ubuyashiki family has many businesses and connections in the secular world, and they also have ties to the government. If he were to step forward, perhaps he could obtain it." Qingshui said to Haganezuka Kozo.
The latter nodded repeatedly. "Hm, that makes sense. It seems I'll have to trouble the Master after all."
...
...
After seeing Haganezuka Kozo off, Qingshui took his newly acquired Nichirin Blade to the nearest town.
He needed to use the telephone at the town's post office to contact Uesugi Sakaii and inquire if he had investigated the Kamado family's situation.
Qingshui walked quickly. He set off after dinner and was already nearing the town in just an hour.
"Caw—caw—Uesugi Qingshui, Uesugi Qingshui!" Kasugai Crow Douzi squawked loudly in the sky.
"Demon incident in Toshō Town ahead, please investigate immediately, please investigate immediately!"
Qingshui grabbed a handful of edamame, put it in his palm, and fed it to Kasugai Crow Douzi, looking at the town ahead.
Toshō Town was precisely his destination, and he was only a few hundred meters from its entrance.
Demons only act at night. I'll go to the post office to use the phone first, then check for information at Fujiaya, and then act after dark. Qingshui looked at the sun, which hadn't yet set, and walked into Toshō Town.
Telephones were a rare commodity back then, and not everyone could use the one at the post office.
However, Qingshui simply took out the identification his uncle, Uesugi Sakaii, had given him, and he was able to use the phone without issue.
"Connect me to Shiga Police Headquarters, Police Superintendent General's office," Qingshui said into the phone.
After about ten seconds, the operator on the other end connected the call to Shiga Police Headquarters via the switchboard.
"Moshi moshi, this is Uesugi Sakaii." Uesugi Sakaii's familiar voice came from the other end of the line.
"Uncle, it's me."
Qingshui said in a low voice.
"Cough, cough, I'm working right now, and you're a registered patrol officer. Some rules still need to be followed. When you're working, remember to use titles."
"Understood, Police Superintendent General."
Qingshui pouted.
"You want to ask about the Kamado family from last time, right?"
"Yes."
"Your third uncle and I put in a lot of effort just to find that family. They all live in the mountains to make chopping wood and burning charcoal easier. They weren't even counted in the last Meiji era census. I couldn't even find their records. It was the people your third uncle sent who got the lead from the villagers below Mount Kumotori."
"Thank you, Uncle and Third Uncle, for your trouble," Qingshui said politely.
"I told you to use titles!"
"Right, Police Superintendent General."
"Mm, we've already explained the specific situation to them. Their family does indeed have that Dance of the Fire God you mentioned passed down. You can find their home by starting from Tanbayama Village, Yamanashi Prefecture, and then…"
"Thank you very much, Police Superintendent General. Oh, and I mentioned before that it would be best to invite their family down from the mountain, so…"
"I told them. They said it's their ancestral land and they can't move. They also said it would be inconvenient to chop wood if they moved down the mountain, and they absolutely refused to move."
"I understand."
Qingshui chatted with Uesugi Sakaii for a while longer before hanging up the phone.
"Sigh…"
Qingshui rubbed his temples helplessly.
It's hard to convince those determined to doom themselves.
It was almost winter already. If that family didn't come down the mountain soon, there would be trouble once the heavy snow started.
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