Mechanical Alchemist-Chapter 329 - 238: Someone has contaminated the sun

Su Lun sensed that the officers of the North Sea Fleet had entered the Imperial Garden to see the current Emperor Akihito of the Shinfuku Clan.

To be precise, they were not there to pay a visit, but to negotiate.

According to the status acknowledged by the Xide Empire for Oleg, the "King of the North Sea" was the legitimate ruler over the vast maritime area of the North Sea, which included four countries in the North Continent.

The envoys under Oleg’s command naturally had a status equal to that of kings of subsidiary nations.

However, Su Lun also anticipated that the negotiations would not go smoothly.

Because he had already asked the Princess earlier and knew that the royal Shinfuku Clan would definitely have a tough stance, even if it meant mutual destruction, they would not compromise.

After all, they represented not only the imperial power but also the divine authority.

If they were to yield, the entire belief system would collapse immediately, unsettling the populace, and that would be a true disaster.

As expected, it wasn’t long after those pirates entered that numerous powerful presences suddenly burst forth.

There were the pirates’, and also those originally hidden in various royal sanctuaries.

The two sides were locked in a tense standoff, neither willing to give ground, their auras escalating.

This caused the originally fragrant and chirpy imperial residence to suddenly become a place of surging undercurrents.

But merely moments later, a tyrannical presence abruptly descended. It felt like a black hole had formed around, with a strange suction force that seemed to devour the entire palace complex. That terrifying pressure, which made hearts shudder, hit everyone within its reach.

In an instant, the imposing aura of the representatives from Mountain Hermit was suppressed, and they beat a retreat.

This was the suppression of absolute power.

In the library, Su Lun continued to browse through the books.

Feeling the overpowering aura, he slightly narrowed his eyes and muttered to himself, "Gluttonous realm... The ability of a tier-seven professional to control a law is truly terrifying."

"Gluttonous Grand General" Yixier Peion, the double awakening of [B-010-Big Stomach King], there was probably no one in Mountain Hermit who could be his opponent.

However, the Shinfuku Clan was not without the power to fight.

Although the high-tier experts and weapons equipment of the Mountain Hermit country indeed could not match the North Sea Fleet.

But they still had the "Power of the Gods."

Su Lun had seen the fourth floor of the library.

The heritage of the Shinfuku Clan was not as simple as it appeared on the surface.

If it really came to a fight, there was still confidence in mutual destruction.

But after the fight, it seemed like the Takeda Shogunate would be reaping the benefits, right?

And the "Monster" Abe Yasukazu and his backing from the third-party Kachusha family, what role were they playing?

"It’s very complicated..."

Su Lun mused over these thoughts as he continued reading.

The current situation in Mountain Hermit was like muddy water, but he wasn’t really interested in political matters.

He just thought about bidding the Princess farewell before leaving the library soon.

With the Black Sun Grand Festival tomorrow, which would surely bring great calamities, the imperial residence was not safe, and Su Lun needed to prepare early.

....

It wasn’t long after that the group of ill-intentioned pirates were teasing the court maidens again and jokingly headed out.

As expected, no fight had erupted, probably because some sort of compromise was reached.

After the noise had disappeared for a quarter of an hour, Su Lun put down his book and finally stood up.

His gaze turned towards the entrance of the library.

At that moment, the Shinfuku Princess entered, dressed in her red and white shrine maiden attire.

Su Lun glanced at her, and his gaze slightly faltered.

The Princess was serving Amaterasu Omikami and had spent the last three days in gentle incensed baths and fasting in preparation for tomorrow’s grand festival. Although her demeanor had always appeared fresh and elegant, there was still a trace of "humanity." Now, however, that semblance was completely gone. Her skin even shimmered with a faint phosphorescence, her aura ethereal, almost divine.

She looked at Su Lun, bowed slightly as a formality, "Mr. Su Lun, shall we take a walk together?"

Su Lun nodded in response, knowing she intended to see him off, and said, "Miss Princess, you’re so busy, there’s no need to see me off personally."

Before leaving for Edo, there was still a protective deal in place. Now, despite her busy schedule, the Princess still made time to see him off, truly treating him as a friend.

A trace of emotion finally appeared in Princess’s eyes as she smiled lightly, "Mr. Su Lun is the Princess’s friend; of course, she must see him off personally.

Despite keeping his expression unchanged, Su Lun felt the weight in her words.

Although they had become quite familiar over these days, the Princess had never used the word "friend" in conversation.

The situation in Mountain Hermit was bleak, and she likely knew this might be their last goodbye.

The two walked out, entering the Imperial Garden they had passed previously.

The last time they were here it was late at night, brightly lit.

Now it was dusk, the sky streaked with red.

The cherry blossoms in the garden were in full bloom, and the frogs in the lotus pond reflected their figures in their eyes.

The pair didn’t speak for a while, the soft sound of the wind the only noise.

Su Lun felt he should say something and asked, "Earlier I saw people from the North Sea Fleet arriving; didn’t the negotiations go well?"

The white clogs on the Princess’s feet clacked against the stone path.

Upon hearing this, she replied calmly, "The result of the negotiations doesn’t really matter. The high priest of the Iga Shrine used the Divine Arts to foresee that the foreign invaders would perish in the divine wrath. There’s no need to worry. What’s troubling now is the actions of the Takeda Shogunate…"

Su Lun raised an eyebrow when he heard this.

Divination?

This level of divination, I’m afraid even the "High Priest" would not survive it.

But... the outcome is that the North Sea fleet will be destroyed by the gods?!

What seemed like a casual topic turned out to reveal a major secret.

But if the story really develops this way, it makes even less sense.

As it stands now, the North Sea fleet is "invincible" in the Mountain Hermit!

What kind of power could annihilate an army of ten thousand with seventh-tier professionals and ultra-strong modern equipment?

Could it be the secret technique of the Shinfuku Mitsuko family?

The situation grew even more perplexing from there.

Su Lun did not ask further.

The Princess revealing such classified information obviously meant she did not consider him an outsider.

At the same time, Su Lun also inexplicably breathed a sigh of relief, feeling that these unruly pirates were more troublesome than the Takeda Shogunate, and it would be better if they were dealt with by mysterious forces.

After a pause, the Princess continued, "Under pressure from all sides, the Takeda Shogunate has summoned a large army to Edo these past few days. It looks like they are preparing for a decisive battle with those pirates, but in reality, it’s aimed at our royal family. Nearly seventy percent of the lords near Edo are loyal to Takeda Nobuyasu. The grand festival tomorrow will definitely see battles. Mr. Su Lun and Miss Senjo, please make sure to stay away from Iga Shrine, the Imperial Palace, and White Cloud God Mountain..."

At this moment, there was no trace of emotion in her expression or tone.

Su Lun was contemplative and did not speak.

Although they were not afraid of trouble, he and Senjo currently had no capacity to involve themselves in a national-level battle.

Thinking it over, he then asked, "What about Ote Himeya?"

"The intelligence operatives have not discovered her whereabouts. She must have realized that she was exposed and is hiding somewhere," said the Princess.

"Oh," responded Su Lun, his brows slightly furrowed.

Ever since he learned that Ote Himeya was a man-made "Pandora," he had felt that another "great conspiracy" was brewing in the shadows.

But by then, there was no time left to say more.

The two of them had already reached the gate of the Imperial Palace,

The Princess stopped there and bowed slightly, "I apologize, Mr. Su Lun, but this is as far as I can go. After the Bath Fumigation, I cannot leave the Imperial Palace."

Su Lun nodded, "Alright."

He turned to look back, "Please take care, Miss Princess," he said.

With a twinkle in her eyes and finally a hint of a smile, the Princess replied, "You too, Mr. Su Lun."

.....

Su Lun left the Imperial Palace and found Senjo gambling in the casinos of the western Ginza district.

Soon, the two were walking on the streets.

Having killed a proxy captain of the North Sea fleet a few days ago, Senjo had kept a low profile, now dressed as a ronin with a hat covering her face.

She casually carried the Demon Blade wrapped in cloth on her shoulder, clapping Su Lun on the shoulder and teasing, "So, enjoying your days with the Princess?"

Su Lun raised an eyebrow, "Well taken care of with food and shelter, not bad."

There wasn’t much else to say, as he had been staying in the library these days.

"Is that all?"

Senjo, disappointed not to hear what she wanted, said, "Didn’t anything special happen?"

"Oh, actually, yes."

Remembering something, Su Lun continued, "I found a novel by Fujiwara Hayato in the library..."

As he spoke, he relayed the intelligence he knew to Senjo.

Upon hearing this, Senjo, who normally had zero interest in literary figures, suddenly became interested and exclaimed in surprise, "Does the Netherworld really exist?"

"Yeah, I also find it hard to believe."

Su Lun shrugged and took out the "Ghost Train Ticket" to show her, adding, "But it seems to be true."

Looking at the Edokko who were burning paper offerings on the streets, his eyes also showed deep thought.

In the last few days, the frequency of ghosts and monsters appearing in the city had increased, a situation that looked very abnormal no matter how one saw it.

He questioned, "Senjo, do you think this ’Netherworld Manifestation’ could be man-made?"

"It shouldn’t be."

Senjo pondered for a while before responding, "Certain special cursed objects indeed have the capacity to affect the mortal world on a large scale. But the current situation is definitely not something that ordinary ’Sealed Artifacts’ could stir up. Apart from those indescribable divine powers, I can’t think of anything else. If there really was someone who could control such powers, they probably wouldn’t need to wait for the ’Black Sun Grand Festival’ to replace the Shinfuku Mitsuko family."

"Hmm."

Su Lun nodded, in agreement with her thoughts.

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Senjo rolled her eyes and added, "However, the situation of the Shinfuku Mitsuko family is very bad now. Tomorrow is likely to be a fierce battle. The Princess’s situation does not look promising..."

As friends, they naturally could not stand by and watch the Princess be in danger.

If they could be of any help, they would certainly intervene.

But the Princess’s identity, whether as a royal or a saigū, destined her to be involved in the chaos.

This errand was not easy to help with.

Moreover, the situation was so complicated that Su Lun and his companion couldn’t guess what would happen tomorrow.

They could only take one step at a time.

As they walked, they spotted a tavern by the street. Turning his head, he asked, "Are you hungry?"

Su Lun shook his head, "I just ate before we left."

"Oh, then let’s find a place to rest," he replied.

With things to do tomorrow, they needed to conserve energy, so they no longer planned to mingle in the gambling quarters.

A few steps later, they saw a high-end inn named "Red Ayu" and decided to check into a room.

Knowing the complicated situation in Edo, Chitajo had already arranged for Lolorota and the other crew members to leave Edo ahead of time.

For now, it was just the two of them.

But this was nothing unusual.

After setting up a barrier in the room, they both began meditating on the inn’s tatami mats.

Su Lun unlocked his Spider Lance armor and began tinkering with his peculiar puppet.

As he watched Chitajo pull out that ancient engraving knife, his aura suddenly burst forth, and he curiously asked, "Sister Chitajo, why do I feel like your Sword Intent has changed since before?"

The feeling was akin to when Chitajo had obtained the Demon Blade Zongzheng, and her realm in the Sword Dao had suddenly risen.

"Yes," she replied.

With the sword in her hand, there was always a sharpness in her eyes.

She smacked her lips and said, "A few days ago, that girl gave me the ’Akutagawa Ittoryu Secret Technique.’ After contemplating it these past days, I’ve gained a lot of insight. My Sword Intent has also shown signs of transforming into energy, and I am nearly touching the threshold of the highest realm of the Sword Dao. Unfortunately, I am always slightly hesitant to advance, and I just can’t figure out where the deficiency lies."

(Sword Dao Realm: Sword Expert - Great Sword Expert - Sword Saint - Sword God)

With a sigh, she added, "Ah, it would be great if I could consult a Sword Saint in person..."

There weren’t many who could provide her guidance in the Sword Dao, and she had come to the Mountain Hermit specifically for the contemporary Sword Saint, Akutagawa Ryuichi, but to her disappointment, he had already passed away.

Suddenly, Chitajo seemed to recall something, her eyes blazing with excitement, "If the Netherworld truly has those ancient Sword Saints and Sword Gods, you know, I would really like to go and see."

Su Lun replied, "Are you talking about that Sword Saint, Yagyu Juubei, we encountered a hundred years ago?"

Chitajo shrugged, "Yes. Unfortunately, we haven’t encountered him again since that day."

"..."

Hearing this, Su Lun had a sudden flash of inspiration.

A thought emerged in his mind: Could the manifestation of the Netherworld be related to Fujiwara Hayato?

After all, that great literary figure was the only known person who had ever visited the Netherworld.

Even a Shinto Shrine Maiden didn’t possess such knowledge.

However, thoughts were just thoughts, and Su Lun could not connect them in a way that made sense according to his own understanding.

....

The next day, Edo Castle was bustling early in the morning.

The Black Sun Grand Festival was the most important ritual event in the Mountain Hermit.

People participated in these grand celebrations to joyfully encourage the return of Amaterasu Omikami to the human realm.

The streets were filled with carts crafted by artisans over the past few days, and the Fii River was crowded with hundreds of colorful boats and pleasure crafts, while the banks were packed with people in festive attire.

Sumo performances, geisha appearances, lion dances, and large drums...

The parade stretched for miles, traveling from the southern city along the Fii River towards the Sunlit Divine Mountain at the foot of the imperial residence, where shrine maidens held rituals. Finally, as the Black Sun set, grand fireworks lit up the sky, and in the Shinto shrine at Iga, the Shinfuku Mitsuko began her sacred Kagura dance, summoning Amaterasu Omikami as the sunlight returned to the earth...

This was a ritual process that had continued for thousands of years.

Su Lun had seen it before in the frescoes on the fourth floor of the imperial library.

The current scene was exactly the same.

Because of the Princess’s warning, Su Lun and Chitajo did not approach the Iga Shrine or the imperial residence at the foot of the Sunlit Divine Mountain.

If a battle were to break out, the main battlefield would be like a meat grinder; even the strong could be affected.

They were observing through a telescope on a hill far from the shrine.

After thoroughly questioning the Princess and adding to his own amateur star-gazing skills, Su Lun was confident that the eclipse would occur around twelve-fifteen in the afternoon.

There was still about half an hour to go.

After observing through the telescope for a while, they could already see a large number of troops and samurai gathering.

Chitajo said, "The Takeda shogunate and the North Sea fleet have all arrived, it looks like they’re preparing for a full assault..."

Scanning the crowd, Su Lun noted, "Shogunate General Takeda Nobuyasu has appeared, but Ote Himeya hasn’t shown up yet..."

....

Meanwhile, on the other hand.

At the docks of Edo Castle, the flags of dozens of pirate ships from the North Sea fleet fluttered in the wind.

The muzzles of hundreds of cannons were all aimed high, targeting the palaces at the foot of the Sunlit Divine Mountain.

At the command, these large-caliber cannons would deliver round after round of firepower to Edo Castle.

On the deck of the flagship, the Ninth Fleet commander "Glutton Grand General" Yixier Peion and his officers were fully armed and assembled.

"Boss, Shinfuku Mitsuko still refused to sign the treaty!"

"If those guys can’t see reason, then prepare for battle. Hmph, it’s just as well. Without using force to subdue them, they will never truly submit."

"Yes, boss."

"Although we signed the contract, let’s wait for those guys from Takeda Shogunate to make the first move! I’ve always felt that Takeda Nobuyasu has other intentions, let’s test their resolve too..."

"Yes!"

....

"Two minutes left."

Wearing sunglasses, Su Lun occasionally looked at the pocket watch in his hand, then up at the sky.

Next to him, Chisen lay back and closed his eyes for a nap.

The weather was fine today, completely cloudless.

In the sky, the sun’s disk turned somewhat white. Gradually, as time passed, black filaments began to appear around the edge of the solar circle.

So far, except for the anticipated North Sea Fleet and Takeda Shogunate, there hadn’t been any unexpected developments.

Su Lun was also curious about the divination results the Princess had mentioned, wondering how exactly the gods would obliterate the dozens of ships at the dock.

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Also, did Amaterasu Omikami really exist?

"One minute left..."

Since they were several kilometers away from the battle, both were quite calm. No matter how wildly the shells flew, they wouldn’t reach their direction.

The sky gradually darkened, the solar eclipse was about to unfold before their eyes.

But suddenly, Su Lun’s expression tightened. "Huh..."

Because at that moment, his left eye discerned something special.

The words [Sunlight] suddenly turned into [a type of light with cursed properties]...

Su Lun’s first thought was, perhaps due to religious reasons in Mountain Hermit, this eclipse is different from others?

But thinking again about the situation in Mountain Hermit, he had a bad premonition.

Then, in a very short time, the sun was slowly consumed by darkness, becoming crescent-shaped, and finally turned into a black orb with a halo.

Upon closer inspection, it appeared ominously dark.

It was then that Su Lun blurted out expletively, "Damn...

Because at that moment, what his eye discerned about the solar eclipse turned into a string of descriptions of a cursed space.

[Deadly Novel · Netherworld]

Explanation: A specially triggered cursed space, this is the world of the dead. Where the light of the black sun shines, those without belief in gods will be sucked into this space: even for top professionals, this is a ’T-level’ space; once inside, the aura of the Netherworld will corrode the living’s positive energy, gradually turning them into ghosts as their spiritual energy is absorbed, and food and water consumption accelerates the process. Only with the approval of the gods within the book’s world can you escape from here.

Chisen, awakened by Su Lun’s exclamation, asked anxiously, "What’s wrong?"

Upon another glance, Su Lun’s face had turned as dark as the sun.

With his eyes twitching uncontrollably, Su Lun spoke in a shocked and incredulous tone: "Something big has happened..."

Chisen immediately realized the gravity of the situation, as she had never seen Su Lun lose his composure like this before.

Su Lun muttered to himself, "Just now... someone took advantage of the solar eclipse to contaminate the sun."

"What???"

At hearing this, Chisen also couldn’t hide her astonishment.

Looking up at the ominously dark sun, her expression finally changed.

...

Realizing the final piece of the puzzle, Su Lun finally understood everything.

The novel about the Netherworld by Fujiwara Hayato, it had really been written!

And turned into a highly powerful cursed item!

Novel manifestation...

No wonder it felt so familiar.

Su Lun thought back to his experiences at 88 Old Linden Ginkgo Street.

Crucially, someone had used this cursed novel to create a "T-level cursed space" and by contaminating the sun, had brought all places touched by sunlight under the influence of this space.

Although he didn’t know how vast the cursed space’s influence was, at least no non-believers in Edo Castle could escape!

No wonder the Princess’s divination predicted the annihilation of the North Sea Fleet; so that was why...

Su Lun and his companion’s original plan was to watch the battle from afar.

Thinking they were safe at such a distance, and not being mere inanimate objects, they had no expectation of being impacted by the main battlefield.

Had there been a chance, they might even have tried to escape with the Princess.

But who could have anticipated that someone would contaminate the sun?

There was nowhere to hide!

For God’s sake... how did they manage this?

Who had the capability to do this?

Su Lun suddenly thought of someone: "Ote Himeya?!"