Volume 5
Chapter 2 Part
2
What does
Daitian pursue? 2
Translator : PolterGlast
"Dai Tian family,
was it? If it's just the Yotsurugi family, we can agree to an alliance. What do
you think?"
Akira's proposal
silenced the corner of Santenryō for a moment, and then a commotion erupted.
The response itself,
agreeing to an alliance, was not so surprising.
—However, the problem was the difference in status and
perception between the proposer and the proposed.
If the girl's words
were true, Dai Tian Lingying was the princess of the Shinkenten Sect, one of
the six religions of Tsonma.
On the other hand,
Yotsurugi Akira was merely a newly established feudal noble family among the
Eight Families of Takamagahara.
Naturally, it was seen
as an arrogant statement. Lingying's eyes narrowed sharply.
"Our minimum
requirement is an alliance with Takamagahara.
—We are simply demanding that you compensate us for
allowing the use of the Kamotsu concession as a supply port for Ron
Country."
"That's quite a
ridiculous proposal, considering the consequences.
A personal
relationship between the Yotsurugi family and the Dai Tian family is the
greatest concession we can offer."
Akira responded with a
sharp retort, refusing to yield to the girl's restraint.
Their gazes clashed in
the air, sparks flying.
Establishing
diplomatic relations could lead to friction with other countries, but a
personal relationship could be tolerated.
—However, Lingying found Akira's proposal difficult to
accept.
"Who is the
Yotsurugi family anyway?
I have given you tacit
permission to be here as a reward for your victory over me, but I don't
remember that I ever allowed you, who are not a member of the Eight Families,
to speak."
"—The Yotsurugi
family is one of the Eight Families. Last year, he won the Imperial Match against
the Ugetsu family and was recognized as the head of the new family."
"New? ...I've
never heard of the fall of the Ugetsu family."
There was a brief
silence. Lingying, who had changed the subject, was surprised by Shuu's
response.
The Eight Families of
Takamagahara were the defensive forces of Takamagahara, known throughout the
Eastern and Western Continents.
Among them, the Ugetsu
family, with a long history, was known as the greatest stronghold of
Takamagahara.
"—When I saw you,
you looked like you were just twelve years old. And you didn't even win first
place in the Imperial Tournament.
The Eight Families of
Takamagahara, which are so famous, seem to have deteriorated significantly,
with even their mastery of the five elements being neglected."
Li Fengjun, who had
been standing beside Lingying, raised his voice.
However, the response
from the Eight Families was lukewarm, with most of them simply shrugging their
shoulders.
Fengjun, who had made
such a rash statement, had an immaturity appropriate for his age.
Angered by the
unexpected reaction, Fengjun was about to retort in anger, but he was silenced
by Lingying's gaze.
"You are from the
Eghth Families, huh? I apologize for my ignorance. However, if we don't form an
alliance with Takamagahara, there will be no point in our visit.
—Besides, if we are willing to form a personal
alliance, what kind of assistance can Lord Yotsurugi provide to Tsonma?"
"You mean to
Tsonma, or rather, to Bharatush.
In the end, it will
benefit the Dai Tian family."
"Ah, I see,"
Akira's calm response
made Hariin Homare let out a wry smile.
Lingying, who still
hadn't grasped the full picture of the proposal, turned her gaze to Homare.
"As Lord
Yotsurugi pointed out, there is currently no reason for Ron Country to target
Tsonma.
—After all, they have Uxsanst, which has been focusing
on southward expansion, looming over them."
"That's right.
Thanks to Tsonma holding Uxsanst back, Takamagahara has been able to live in
peace."
"That's no longer
the case.
Geographically
speaking, Fangyu Province, where the main temple of the Shinkenten Sect is
located, should be in the southern part of Tsonma."
"...What's the
problem with that?"
Lingying's eyes
narrowed, revealing a strong sense of caution at being hit where it hurt.
Ignoring her attempt
to deceive, Homare spread out a map of the continent.
She placed her index
finger on Fangyu Province and slid it towards Bharatush.
"While Tsonma and
Uxsanst are glaring at each other, Ron Country can act freely under the guise
of development.
I guess they plan to
use the Eastern Continent Railway to invade Bharatush."
"You're not
wrong."
Lingying shrugged in
resignation, admitting to the speculation.
She had tried to
deceive them, but she had been completely exposed.
"If Bharatush falls,
Ron Country's supply lines will increase to two: Kamotsu in Takamagahara and
Bharatush.
After that, the next
target will be Fangyu Province, where the Shinkenten Sect is located."
"Yes. As Lord
Yotsurugi predicted, the lords of the Shinkenten Sect are currently calling on
the remaining six sects to resist this unprecedented invasion. However, it will
probably take half a year for the six sects to unite.
...We're asking
Takamagahara to buy us some time in the meantime."
"No matter how
you look at it, it's impossible."
As Lingying finished,
Akira gave a firm answer without hesitation.
Lingying glared at him
sharply, but Akira didn't back down and turned his gaze to the map.
"According to
information from Vansuir, Ron Country is in the final stages of conquering
Bharatush.
We don't have time to
wait half a year, and if Bharatush falls, it will be the same in the end."
"If the six sects
unite, the power difference between us and Ron Country will be clear.
All we need to do is
cut off Takamagahara's supply lines, and Ron Country will have to withdraw from
the Eastern Continent."
"Then let me ask
you, did the six sects unite during the Qingdao War?"
Akira's pursuit
finally silenced Lingying.
It was a well-known
fact that during the Qingdao War, the remaining six sects had hesitated to help
the besieged Yuzenma Sect.
It was inconceivable
that they would be willing to help others when they were in trouble themselves.
"By loudly
proclaiming an alliance with Takamagahara, we can provoke a war between Ron
Country and Uxsanst.
If we can weaken Ron
Country and Uxsanst, even if the six sects are not united, it will not be
difficult to win."
"...That's right.
Even if Takamagahara is razed to the ground, after the victory, Tsongma
promises to treat our former friends with the utmost courtesy and
gratitude."
"You're sitting
here, which means this isn't your intention.
In other words, you're
not here on behalf of Tsonma, but rather on behalf of the Shinkenten
Sect."
"Why..."
Lingying looked at
Akira blankly, exposed by the fact she had tried to hide.
Dai Tian Lingying was
who she claimed to be. However, her visit to Takamagahara was a personal
decision.
Even if an alliance
was formed with Lingying personally, since it had nothing to do with Tsonma and
the Dai Tian family, there would be no obligation for the country to pay any
price, no matter how favorable the terms.
If exposed, worst-case
scenario, Lingying could be assassinated in Takamagahara, but as long as a
treaty under the guise of an alliance is concluded, not only Takamagahara, but
also Ron Country, and Uxsanst will have no choice but to go along with it.
"You made a big
fuss about visiting as an envoy, despite the illegal nature of your trip. It's
more likely that you couldn't keep it a secret than that you forgot to leave a
record."
"…………"
"You must have
realized that Ron Country's invasion was coming faster than the Dai Tian family
had anticipated, right?
That's why you risked
your life to come to Takamagahara, knowing that if you didn't, it would be too
late to implement the countermeasures that the Dai Tian family was
planning."
"Yes. Once we
were found out, it was all over.
But the fact is, we
were invited here and made widely known at the Imperial Tournament. We can't
betray their expectations now that we have been recognized by the other noble
families, can we?"
"Your objective
was good, but you were a little too naive,"
Although it was a
little lacking, she had already achieved publicity for Ron Country and Uxsanst
by intervening in the tournament.
Homare gave a wry
smile to Lingying, who was bragging that all she had to do was go around with a
showy display of bravado.
"You disrupted
the junior division, which is just an amusement. Since it's a yearly event for
the younger generation to quarrel during the break, the surrounding nobles
probably took it as just a childish play."
"Junior?"
"Didn't you
notice how young they looked? The main event is probably in full swing right
now."
Especially this year,
with Yuge Kojo aiming for a consecutive victory, the topic was even more
heated.
Homare laughed, saying
that what they did was being treated as just a sideshow.
"I think it would
be best for you to accept Lord Yotsurugi's proposal. We have no intention of
getting involved in a personal alliance between you and him."
"Even so, there's
nothing an individual can do against a country.
—What can the Lord of the Yotsurugi family offer us in
return for an alliance?"
Hearing the topic
brought up, Akira glanced over at the map.
He tried to estimate
the amount of time it would take to cross the distance between Tsonma and
Bharatsh.
—Probably half a month. That was the amount of time
Akira expected to be able to act freely.
There was nothing to
gain, but there was nothing to lose either.
"As I said
earlier, we will only act to stop Ron Country's activities in Bharatush.
If you can promise to
cooperate with us, I will go to Tsonma personally, not as a member of the Eight
Families but as Akira."
"...Very well. I
believe in the spirit of the Lord Yotsurugi, and we will form an alliance.
Please accept this as
a token of our sincerity."
Their unwavering gazes
crossed, each carrying various intentions.
After a moment of
hesitation, Lingying took a small, thin box from her chest.
Even though it was
between individuals, one could not be too careful if it was about the price of
an alliance that was filled with speculation.
Akira carefully opened
the seal of the box that was handed to him.
A strong smell of
herbs filled his nostrils.
It wasn't a foul smell,
but it was a strange scent that made Akira frown.
Tilting the box, a
small, dark red bead rolled out onto Akira's palm.
"...What is
this?"
"It's a
prerequisite to practice the Five Qi Harmonization, but I'm sure you'll be
fine, judging by your skills earlier. —It's one of the secret medicines of the
Shinkenten Sect, called the Divine Refined Pill (Shinnendan)."
◇
Soon, Lingying and the
others left the wide room of Santenryō, after signing the alliance document.
Watching them leave
like a storm, the remaining members of Takamagahara exhaled the breath they had
been holding.
"I apologize for
acting on my own."
"It's alright.
Lord Yotsurugi has not exceeded his authority in negotiations.
You need to leave for
Bharatush as soon as possible after all."
"—However, you
haven't explained anything to us. I'll send you to Tsongma, but have you
figured out how to get to Baratushu?"
Dōgyō Harutane, a man
with a casual appearance, scratched his head.
Akira nodded in
response to the implicit demand for an explanation.
"Even if we use a
high-speed ship from Vansuir, it will take about 40 days to reach
Bharatush."
"Yes. Even with
the latest steam engines, there is a limit to the amount of coal that can be
loaded.
The longer the voyage,
the more we rely on sails. Even our navy's high-speed warships rely on sails
for basic navigation."
"...But in that
case, even if we arrive in Tsonma earlier, it won't change the time it takes to
reach Bharatush."
Akira tilted his head
at Homare's agreement.
Their original plan
was only to go to Qingdao to resupply and then to Bharatush.
Even if they arrived
in Qingdao earlier, it would take the same amount of time to transfer.
At worst, it would end
up wasting even more time.
Since the distance to
Bharatush was the real issue, Saki and the others didn't have any way to cover
up the situation.
"If we use the
Rinne Eigo, the Jinrouin family's divine artifact, we can travel there
faster."
"We should avoid
excessive interference with the dragon veins that are under the control of
other countries' divine pillars.
—Isn't that why we formed an alliance, Lord
Yotsurugi?"
Tsukinomiya Shuu
turned his gaze to Akira, soothing Jinrouin Ko's frustrated nod.
Although sea travel
had become more stable thanks to steam engines, there were still many problems.
—But that only applies to sea routes.
"If what Dai Tian
Lingying said is true, a railway has been built from Qingdao to Bharatush.
It would take a long
time by sea, but if we use the land route, the steam engine should be able to
maintain a sufficiently stable speed."
"I see. So you
mean to take advantage of the method that Ron Country is using."
"Yes. ...And if
I'm right, the dragon vein of Bharatush should be at the end of the railway.
To be honest, I would
feel safer going through Sita than returning Ravana directly to Lanka
territory.
"That's...
certainly true."
Shuu couldn't help but
smile wryly at Akira's honesty.
Although they had made
a pact with the gods, Ravana was the mastermind behind the chaos in
Takamagahara.
In addition, it was
still unclear why Sita, who was supposed to have banished him from Bharatush,
wished to revive him.
The situation was
still progressing, even though the reasons were unclear.
Very well. With that
assurance, Akira turned his gaze back to the gift from Lingying that remained
in his palm.
"Divine Refined
Pill. That's what she called it, isn't it?"
"Yes. Is it a
pill?"
"There's no
reason for her to lie at this point. I've never seen one before, but it's a
very valuable pill."
"What does it
do?"
Shuu shook his head in
response to Akira's curiosity.
After all, there was
much that was unknown about Tsonma.
A rare secret medicine
is one of those lost knowledge.
Just as Akira was
about to decide to ask Lingying about it, Tsuguho frowned and muttered.
"I remember that
there was a time when people were mining minerals in the name of Tsonma's pills
on the way from Hakudō Province to Shumon Province. The name of that pill was
Divine Refined Pill."
"Minerals?"
"Yes. According
to Tsonma's legend, the Divine Refined Pill is—"
The girl's lips formed
short words.
With those words as a
starting point, Akira and the others decided to go to Tsonma.
—If it was a pill that could help one ascend to
Immortality.
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