"Done!"
Luo Shu clapped his hands, then rested a finger on his chin as he examined the Dark Shrine Maiden Tsubaki before him, now bound in a tortoise shell binding, before smiling in satisfaction:
"First time doing this, but judging by the results, my practical skills aren't bad at all."
Hearing this, Kikyo, beside him, wore an expression of wanting to complain but not knowing how to put it.
The way the ropes were tied looked extremely peculiar to her, seemingly over-emphasising certain feminine features.
If Kikyo thought so, then Tsubaki, being from the same era, naturally felt the same.
And as the one being tied up, Tsubaki's current state was one of extreme humiliation:
"You bastard!!"
"How dare you humiliate a noble shrine maiden like this!"
"Divine retribution!"
"You'll definitely face divine retribution!!"
Hearing Tsubaki's curses, Kikyo opened her mouth slightly but hesitated to speak.
She very much wanted to say that divine retribution was highly unlikely to befall a deity.
But considering her strained relationship with Tsubaki, any explanation might only add fuel to the fire, so she remained silent.
Having finished tying up Tsubaki, Luo Shu turned to Kikyo and asked:
"How do you plan to handle the village? Getting a bunch of Warring States-era relics to accept the world I come from won't be easy."
Kikyo fell silent at this. Although her brief visit to Luo Shu's world had been due solely to So'unga and the Tree of Ages' schemes, that single experience had broadened her horizons.
The modern skyscrapers and bustling traffic might truly be too much for the villagers to accept.
At least she couldn't accept it in the short term.
Thinking this, Kikyo sighed softly and said, "There's no other choice now, is there?"
"No choice then..."
Luo Shu murmured to himself before turning his head to gaze at the distant Tree of Ages and the silver-haired witch standing beneath it. He chuckled softly:
"Perhaps another option might present itself in time."
He was alluding to the cultivation of Yggdrasil. If Kuesu Jingūji's method proved genuine—if the Tree of Ages could truly be nurtured into Yggdrasil—then this Abyss Warring States might still have a glimmer of hope.
"Regardless, though leaving one's homeland is difficult, please ensure the villagers are prepared, Kikyo."
Kikyo nodded in acknowledgement, watching as Luo Shu walked towards the Tree of Ages. Finally, she sighed and began making her way back to the village.
Witnessing this, Tsubaki, still bound in the tortoise shell binding on the ground, was utterly dumbfounded.
'You're all leaving just like that? Untie me first!!'
'Come back here!!!'
As Tsubaki raged internally, Luo Shu had already reached the base of the Tree of Ages. Tilting his head back to observe the towering canopy, he asked:
"How are things progressing?"
"Passable at best."
Kuesu Jingūji withdrew her hand from the tree's trunk, frowning as she explained:
"The self-awareness born within the Tree of Ages was scattered by your earlier strike. Now it possesses only blank instincts - precisely the ideal state for imprinting control and cultivating it into Yggdrasil."
"This aligns well with our initial projections."
Before executing their ambush on the Tree of Ages, Luo Shu and Kuesu had spent considerable time planning and devising meticulous strategies to critically wound the ancient tree.
For this purpose, Luo Shu had even volunteered as target practice, enduring numerous of Kuesu's soul-targeting and spiritual spells to ensure the Tree of Ages was precisely weakened to its current state.
Judging by present circumstances, events remained firmly within their control.
"How long until we can begin the Yggdrasil cultivation?"
"Minimum two weeks - in this realm's timeframe."
As she spoke, Kuesu turned to face Luo Shu directly:
"Though personally, you'll need to return to the present world. The SDS resources still require your authority to mobilise."
Luo Shu fell silent at this.
Leaving Kuesu Jingūji alone with the Tree of Ages carried undeniable risks.
At worst, there was even a possibility that Kuesu would abscond with the tree itself.
Yet ultimately, Luo Shu acquiesced.
"Then I'll leave subsequent matters in your hands."
Pretending to be completely nonchalant, Luo Shu gave Kuesu a slight nod before turning towards the steps to rejoin Chisato Nishikigi and the others below.
Observing this, Kuesu shot him a mildly surprised glance but offered no further comment.
Meanwhile, as Luo Shu descended the ruined staircase, his eyes flickered with concealed intent as he mentally summoned an interface.
The display belonged to the Mysticism Encyclopaedia.
[Detailed divination regarding Kuesu Jingūji, based on materials 001-008: Results obtained.]
The panel displayed a slowly pulsing notification.
This divination had been secretly initiated through the Encyclopaedia ever since Luo Shu first encountered Kuesu at Tōga's tomb in the Underworld.
Its components included eight trace elements - strands of hair, residual magical signatures, exhaled air particles and other minute connections to Kuesu herself.
For this purpose, Luo Shu even utilised a significant portion of the Encyclopaedia's functions. In fact, the energy consumed in divining So'unga and Naraku's traces was less than a hundredth required to divine Kuesu Jingūji's whereabouts.
The reason for such extreme measures was simple – among all those from the present world who had entered the Abyss, Kuesu Jingūji remained the most enigmatic figure to Luo Shu.
Faced with such an unknown entity, Luo Shu's natural caution demanded thorough investigation.
Thus, he pretended to be inept at divination, even subtly threatening informant Yomi Isayama into secrecy while concealing the truth from colleagues, deliberately displaying impatience towards divination errors.
All this was to make Kuesu Jingūji believe Luo Shu lacked divination capabilities, thereby creating opportunities to obtain necessary correlating objects that could reveal extensive information through divination.
Now was the time to reap the rewards.
'Then, let me see what your deal really is.'
Witnessing this scene, Luo Shu's gaze darkened as he mentally assessed the divination results.
[Kuesu Jingūji (Vessel Spirit State, Pseudo-Demigod Rank)]
[Vessel Spirit of the Demigod Rank Abyss Artefact 'Book of Truth', having memorised the book's entire contents, becomes an anthropomorphic Vessel Spirit under specific conditions.]
[Due to her unique nature, she triggered fusion with the Book of Truth, resulting in a half-human, half-artefact hybrid state. (Analysis yielded records from Book of Truth, Vessel Spirit Conversion Technology, Book of Truth Technique Composition Diagrams, etc.)]
[Currently, Kuesu Jingūji exists in a semi-fused state, confirmed traits include: severely diminished emotional perception, retaining only thirst for knowledge. (Analysis yielded: Emotion Suppression Release Technique)]
[Insufficient conditions for divining Book of Truth control methods – requires Kuesu Jingūji's blood essence and soul fragments.]
Surveying the extensive records in the Mysticism Encyclopaedia, Luo Shu deeply furrowed his brows:
'A Vessel Spirit of the Demigod Rank grimoire Book of Truth?'
'And this pseudo-Demigod... reaching Demigod Rank in base state yet incapable of even basic Concept Entanglement. Tch, so such wild Demigods exist?'
'Truly... an unexpectedly surprising answer.'
With this thought, Luo Shu turned his gaze towards the shrine upon the stone steps.
At that moment, Kuesu Jingūji had somehow appeared at the edge of the shrine, looking down at Luo Shu below.
'That strange sensation just now...'
Kuesu Jingūji felt suspicious internally, yet maintained her smiling facade.
'Troublesome woman. As expected, the Encyclopaedia at Demigod Rank can't completely evade her notice...'
Luo Shu narrowed his eyes, forcing a smile.
Their eyes met momentarily before both nodded in tacit understanding, turning away simultaneously.