A hakoseko is a small accessory used with furisode and oofurisode kimonos, usually consisting of a small sachet-like component and tassels. It can be thought of as a brooch on a Western formal dress.
And this hakoseko was what Shiki used to show her identity. The front side of the small sachet was embroidered with the Kamisato Clan crest. Any Inazuman would recognize this pattern.
According to Inazuma's customs, tokens are for common people because the materials are abundant and they are easy to make; you can just carve a piece of wood.
But a hakoseko is different. Silk is expensive, not to mention it's quite troublesome to make. Over time, it became a symbol of one's affiliated power.
Of course, this is just one method. After all, Shiki is not a member of the Kamisato Clan; she is only a consultant. Otherwise, she would have the family crest embroidered directly on her clothes, just like Ayaka.
The two Foot Soldier exchanged glances upon hearing this. The hakoseko was enough to prove the girl's identity, and her excuse about selecting jade steel for the Young Miss was also plausible. However, they hadn't received any such notification...
"Um... perhaps Miss Ryougi, you should come with us to see Lord Hanbei. He is the general supervisor here."
These two Foot Soldier were smart. Knowing that this was something they couldn't handle, they immediately passed the buck to their superior.
Whether there was a notification or whether the girl's identity was genuine was no longer their concern; their only responsibility was to bring her over.
"Of course," Shiki nodded slightly, without the slightest hesitation in her words. Seeing this, the two Foot Soldier completely believed what she said.
If her identity were fake, how could she be so confident? At the very least, there should be some flaw, right?
As for why they hadn't received a notification... Huh? It's not the first or second time that the Tenryou Commission's communication has been slow. Who knows what the reason might be.
These two Foot Soldier had already found an excuse for the girl, yet they didn't know that the Kamisato Clan had never issued any such notification; it was all made up by her.
But getting back to Hanbei, the supervisor, if you only heard the name, you might think he was Hyakubee's brother; the names are too similar.
Following the two Foot Soldier, Shiki finally caught a full glimpse of the Mikage Furnace Core; it was a massive fortress floating in the sky, with purple light seemingly capable of staining even the heavens.
Dozens to hundreds of meters of wooden bridges connected the central Mikage Furnace Core from all directions, resembling a giant spiderweb when viewed from afar.
Hanbei, as the overall person in charge of the Mikage Furnace Core, would certainly not be on top of the Mikage Furnace Core, just as a steel mill manager would not be right next to the furnace; his position was in a small house next to the blast furnace.
The clanging of hammering iron continuously came from the furnace, and Shiki could also see people constantly pulling purple-black substances into the furnace.
'Is that thing... the so-called jade steel?'
The color of jinghua bone marrow leaned towards purple, and if mixed and smelted with iron, it was very likely to result in this color.
One of the Foot Soldier walked into the small house, and after a short while, a middle-aged man dressed as a samurai walked out.
"Hello, Two Rituals consultant, my name is Hanbei, and I am the person in charge of the Mikage Furnace Core." The middle-aged man was very polite, undoubtedly because of her identity.
"Hello, Mr. Hanbei, I presume the Foot Soldier just now has already informed you of the purpose of my visit?" Shiki said unhurriedly.
"Hmm, there's certainly no problem with selecting a piece of jade steel, but I haven't received any notification regarding this matter, so..."
Hanbei was nominally in charge, but in reality, he was just a foreman; the Kujou Clan of the Tenryou Commission truly controlled this place.
"Hmm..." Shiki closed her eyes in thought for a moment, then feigned a somewhat helpless expression and said, "Alright, I understand. I suppose the letter got stuck somewhere again?"
"It's good that Two Rituals consultant can understand. If I haven't received notification, I truly cannot hand over the jade steel to you." Hanbei breathed a sigh of relief; fortunately, the other party didn't insist, otherwise, he would have been in a difficult situation, because he couldn't afford to offend either the Kamisato or the Kujou.
"However, since I can't take it, it's fine if I just take a look to see if there's anything suitable, right?"
"It's not easy for me to come all the way from Narukami Island. I'll pick out a good piece first, and then after Mr. Hanbei receives the notification, you can send someone to deliver it to the Kamisato Estate."
Shiki intended to further observe Tatarasuna. From the current perspective, everything here was normal and without issues, and there was no sign of the Fatui.
Hanbei thought carefully upon hearing this and realized that it was indeed a good method. He would comply with the regulations, and the consultant could also return and report to the Kamisato Clan.
"Then it's settled. I'll take you to the forge, where the already forged jade steel ingots are stored, or would you like to see those freshly taken from the Mikage Furnace Core?"
jade steel ingots are easy to understand; after forging out impurities, they are hammered into rectangular shapes, which are convenient for storage and can be quickly made into various weapons during wartime.
As for those freshly taken from the Mikage Furnace Core, they are the large purple-black chunks. Although they look large, in the end, they can only make one sword.
The former is more convenient, but because different masters will handle it, differences in forging techniques may lead to a decrease in the quality of the jade steel.
While the latter is more troublesome, it allows one master to provide a one-stop service, maximizing the quality of the jade steel.
Furthermore, if she were to look at freshly smelted jade steel, she would need to go up to the Mikage Furnace Core, which was exactly what she needed.
So the answer was obvious.
"I want to see the freshly smelted ones. Those assembly-line ingots won't meet the quality required by the Young Miss."
'As expected.' Hanbei thought to himself. A famous person's swords must be custom-made; how could they look at standard jade steel ingots?
"No problem, follow me."
The two followed the long wooden bridge and ascended to the lowest level of the Mikage Furnace Core, yet even so, it was still fifty or sixty meters above the ground.
Based on visual estimation, Shiki calculated that the complete Mikage Furnace Core was at least two hundred meters tall.
'How magnificent!'
She sighed in her heart. Having grown accustomed to the concrete jungles on Earth, this building, full of magical colors, gave her a profound shock.
Hanbei led the girl to the second level. At this time, workers were pulling freshly produced jade steel from the Mikage Furnace Core towards the furnace, and this was a checkpoint.
"Come, come, everyone, please pause your work for a moment." Hanbei finished speaking and looked at the girl: "Two Rituals consultant, you may begin selecting. Just tell me when you've chosen, but you only have five minutes."
"If I delay for too long, I will also be held accountable."
"Five minutes is enough."
Rainbow-blue Mystic Eyes of Death Perception emerged from her eyes. If one wanted to check quality, what could be more effective than the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception?
Of course, there were many lines of death on these freshly smelted items. She only needed to find the one with the fewest lines, but besides that, she also discovered some interesting things.
curse gods, also known as Archon remnants, usually manifested as black, gas-like substances and were invisible to ordinary people.
But Shiki had not expected that even after processing by the Mikage Furnace Core, the Archon remnants still existed. One could only say that they truly lived up to their name as Archon remnants capable of causing chaos in the world for thousands of years.
These things are very difficult to eliminate. After the object they are attached to disappears or dies, they will spontaneously seek out the next target.
For example, Xiao, who had been constantly farming at high intensity, had Archon remnants on him that had almost solidified after thousands of years of combat, even capable of infecting monsters that came near him.
The frenzied Hilichurls in the game were proof.
However, even karma, which even the adepti were helpless against, still had lines of death in front of her!
The presence of lines of death meant they could be completely killed. The jade steel contained Archon remnants, and although it was only a small amount, long-term contact would also cause mental problems.
Shiki walked around the checkpoint and then selected the piece of jade steel with the fewest lines of death.
The Mystic Eyes of Death Perception receded, and Shiki turned her head and said, "This one. It looks good."
"Alright, I'll keep it in the warehouse." Hanbei nodded, then motioned for Shiki to descend from the Mikage Furnace Core.
Throughout the entire process, Shiki felt that everything was normal; there were no troublesome Fatui, only busy workers.
As for the formidable Xavier, who rescued the Mikage Furnace Core in five days, Shiki didn't find him, but then again, such technical personnel usually only arrive after something happens.
After bidding farewell to Hanbei, Shiki activated the Waypoint on the hilltop, and after a moment of thought, teleported back to the Kamisato Estate.
She chose not to continue towards Yashiori Island, firstly because it was getting late, and secondly, the charade had to be played out completely. To avoid exposure, the Kamisato Clan had to send a letter to Tatarasuna.
As for Hiiragi Shinsuke, who had already been replaced by a Tanuki, Shiki had no intention of revealing it. The fewer people who knew about this, the better.
"Miss Ryougi? Why have you suddenly come?" Madarame Hyakubei stepped forward and asked.
"It's like this: I wish to purchase a piece of jade steel from Tatarasuna in the name of the Kamisato Clan. I have already selected it; you can have them send it directly here."
"I will pay the Mora as usual. Please make sure it's as soon as possible."
Although Shiki had never bought jade steel and didn't know its price, this didn't stop her from buying a piece herself. How expensive could it be, no matter how costly?
The Wavebreaker's Fin, collected by the Kujou Clan for hundreds of years, could be bought for one and a half million Mora, let alone a piece of jade steel that wasn't even a sword?
It would probably be around three to four hundred thousand at most. For Shiki, with tens of millions in savings, it was merely a drop in the bucket.
"Miss Ryougi's request is certainly no problem. I will write a letter to Tatarasuna immediately." Madarame Hyakubei smiled and nodded, then pulled out a pen and began to write.
One had to say, noble families were troublesome. It was clearly just a matter of saying, "I want to buy something," yet they insisted on using a plethora of polite greetings, filling three or four hundred characters.
However, the section concerning the purchase of Tamahagane only contained a few dozen characters. That's outrageous.
"Understood. I have already sent someone to deliver the letter to Tatarasuna. Does Miss Ryougi have any other requests?" asked Madarame Hyakubei.
"No," Shiki shook her head, then added, "When you see Ayaka, I need you to relay a message for me."
"Just tell her... it's time to treat the illness."
Having said that, Shiki left the Kamisato Estate, leaving Madarame Hyakubei utterly confused.
Treat an illness? What illness? Who is sick?
Walking out of the Kamisato Clan's compound, the sky was already stained red by the setting sun. Looking toward Inazuma City, Shiki, with her excellent eyesight, saw the soon-to-be-completed Statue of the Thousand-Armed, Hundred-Eyed God.
Its massive dual wings were visible even from Mt. Yougou. She believed that in just a few days, the Vision Hunt Decree would be enacted, and that cold statue would be filled with dull Visions.
Three days later... "Vision Hunt Decree! Hand over your Vision!"
A loud shout came from nearby, and Shiki, walking down the street, witnessed the following scene.
A squad of Tenryou Commission soldiers surrounded a young Oni man. Coincidentally, she knew both the leader of the squad and the one being surrounded.
'Arataki Itto and Kujou Sara. I didn't expect to run into them!'
The woman wearing single-toothed high wooden geta was undoubtedly Kujou Sara. Back when Shiki was pulling for the Electro Archon, Kujou Sara immediately reached maximum Constellation.
Arataki Itto, she had met before. In order to beat the Fox, he had eaten until he suffered severe allergic reactions, and Shiki was the one who pulled him back from the Gates of Hell.
"Hmph! This Great Lord doesn't care about your damned Vision Hunt Decree! You want my stuff? Fine, beat me first!" Arataki Itto clenched his fists, and a cracking sound emerged from them.
"A samurai duel? Very well. That way, you won't be able to claim the Tenryou Commission used superior numbers to bully you."
Kujou Sara said this while drawing the katana from her waist. Since it was a one-on-one duel, she naturally couldn't use her bow and arrow, as the bow only exerted its maximum effect from a distance.
Don't assume her swordsmanship was weak just because her usual weapon was a bow. As a General of the Tenryou Commission, merely knowing archery was insufficient.
At this moment, the Tenryou Commission soldiers consciously began dispersing the bystanders. In their view, Arataki Itto was just a minor hoodlum. For General Kujou to handle him would be effortless, wouldn't it?
"Hahaha, that's the spirit! But This Great Lord won't lose!" Seeing this, Arataki Itto also retrieved his broad-bladed Nodachi from his Vision Space.
The two stared intently at each other, the atmosphere freezing solid, but just then, a female voice broke the silence.
"Are you really planning to fight right here in the street?"
"Who is it?" "It's you!?" Kujou Sara and Arataki Itto spoke simultaneously. Kujou Sara didn't recognize Shiki, seeing her for the first time, but Arataki Itto remembered the young girl clearly, as she was his savior.
"Vision Hunt Decree! Bystanders— Wait, you have a Vision too!" A Foot Soldier was about to chase people away when he saw the Vision clipped onto the young girl's bowknot.
Hearing this, Kujou Sara's eyes narrowed. This noisy Oni clearly knew the other party. Did that mean they were working together?
But... would someone from the Kamisato Clan associate with a street gang?
"You two, even if you want to fight, you can't do it inside the city, right? The Lord Shogun strictly prohibits the use of elemental power within the city limits."
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