Demon Capital Slayer

Chapter 87: Smell the fragrance and accept the spirit
"Immortal arts? They are like clouds in the sky."

Motoko Hideya handed a cup of tea to Mitsurugi.

"Let's get down to business."

Next, I will tell you the first step in your cultivation journey. This is also public information, and most cultivators already know it.

"But making it public doesn't mean it's unimportant; on the contrary, it requires utmost caution."

"Wait a moment." Yu Jian suddenly interrupted her.

"Why?" the boy asked softly.

"What? Why?" Motoko Hideya blinked, seemingly not understanding.

Why has your attitude changed so much?

Yu Jian tapped the teacup, causing the pale golden tea to ripple once more. The more proficient he became in swordsmanship, the more he preferred to be straightforward.

"Oh, maybe it's because your older sister finds you cute." Motoko Hideya deliberately gave a strange aunt-like smile.

“I’m not joking,” Yu Jian said slowly.

"There's no such thing as a free lunch. Every gift comes with a price." Yu Jian then picked up the teacup, his hand as steady as if it were made of cast steel.

This is a hand that is extremely skilled with a sword.

Motoko Hideya's expression froze, and she felt a chill creep up her spine. She immediately dropped her frivolous expression.

“Actually, just like I said before, I want to invest in you.” The woman straightened her back, and her expression finally became serious.

"This is a very profitable business."

"Business?" Yu Jian paused, but his brows relaxed.

"Hey, do you prefer to hear it another way, big sister? It's not entirely unacceptable, but it depends on whether you can become an exceptionally good man in ten years." The serious expression on Motoko Hideya's face didn't last long before her true colors were revealed.

“But we will decide the winner in three months. Isn’t what you’re doing now…” Ignoring the older sister’s teasing, Yu Jian continued to ask.

"Isn't it possible that it would be more advantageous for me if you won?" Motoko Hideya chuckled.

"?" Yu Jian tilted his head.

"I need you to win, to win decisively, so that the company's stock price will fluctuate. I will use this opportunity to fight against the shareholders behind the scenes. I won't go into the specific business tactics."

"..." Yu Jian fell silent. He didn't quite understand what the other party was doing, and even felt that it was a very dangerous act.

"Just remember, if you win, everyone wins." Motoko Hideya extended two fingers from each hand and bent them like rabbit ears on either side of her head.

"Win-win".

"Ouch."

Yu Jian raised an eyebrow, then relaxed it; he had figured out what to do.

Pretend to understand, then go back and ask Lily.

What are you doing? Is it strange that a time traveler doesn't understand business matters? Time travelers aren't omniscient or omnipotent gods.

Would it be strange to ask a current female high school student about business matters?
Please, that's the great bodhisattva Aizen, who possesses boundless wisdom!
But then Yu Jian realized that even without his intervention, the other party would have arranged other unforeseen events to achieve their goal, so...

"You want to ask what I would do if this duel hadn't happened, right?" Motoko Hideya said with an expression that said, "I knew it."

"I was careless," Yu Jian thought with a start, and immediately regained his calm and composed demeanor.

"When the time comes, I'll arrange for Suzune-chan to run away, piloting her new mecha directly to the Sword-Unraveling Pavilion in the capital of the Ryukyu Kingdom. I bet that'll cause a huge mess, right?"

The woman spoke casually, as if she enjoyed watching a good show.

"..." Yu Jian frowned. What kind of island pilot defection scenario is this?

"I'm really fed up with you adults." The white-haired boy sighed.

"There's no way around it, the business world is like a battlefield, this is business warfare," said Motoko Hideya.

"Similarly, in order to avoid attracting their attention, I can't offer much overt help during this period, such as full funding for the orphanage. But I can offer some free fan service in private, well, you'll find out later."

Yu Jian frowned, displeased with this evasive behavior, but said nothing more.

"Now, let me tell you about the first part of the free service."

"..." Yu Jian raised his hand and gestured for them to proceed.

Ultimately, it's still an exchange of benefits, so there's less of a psychological burden.

He had absolutely no trust in the woman before him. But he was well aware of the profit-driven nature of capital; as long as the stakes didn't change significantly, the two could maintain their alliance, and calling them accomplices wouldn't be a problem.

Even before they've stolen any money, the robbers can remain united.

Furthermore, the other party showed me the military equipment they were developing and frankly revealed their upcoming conspiracy against investors.

Leaking either of these two pieces of information would cause a lot of trouble for Steel House Company and even for her personally, so this is a way of showing sincerity.

Yu Jian calmly viewed the matter. The objective reality was that he needed time to develop. As long as he had enough time to grow, he was fully confident that he could find each person in the future, explain the pros and cons, and solve all the problems.

As for morality, it can be used for self-discipline, but one should not have unnecessary and irrational expectations of others.

“Fu Ling.” Gangya Motoko suddenly uttered a word that Miken had heard before.

"Fruits, magic potions, elixirs, or the blood and flesh of saviors—in different mythologies across various regions, there are tales of heroes consuming, taking, or drinking some magical substance, thereby gaining special powers."

"Therefore, the first step in cultivation is to eat, to 'eat' the power from the Netherworld."

It could be some kind of physical entity, or it could simply be energy. By channeling one's will into it and taming it, the cultivator's first spiritual power will be born.

"Different schools may use different names for this, and the ritual steps may also vary, but in essence there is no difference; they all aim to allow people to truly come into contact with the power of the Netherworld."

Researchers at the International Institute of Spiritual Energy conducted a double-blind experiment and found that the effects of spiritual ingestion depended more on the individual's aptitude, with the influence of ritual differences being negligible.

As she spoke, Motoko Steel House simply took out a Chinese magazine.

Yu Jian shifted his gaze and found that the magazine, from its layout to its cover, had the feel of an academic journal. Was this a fantasy version of "Science" magazine? Did cultivators also have to write papers to graduate?
Writing papers, plagiarism checks, and whatever else—just don't want any of that!
Yu Jian had a strong urge to complain, but he managed to suppress it with great difficulty.

Why is it in Chinese?
Could it be that the cultivation techniques of the Upper Kingdom are the best in the world...? "Then, do you need me to prepare a shaman-style spirit-summoning ritual for you?" Motoko Hideya blinked.

"Is this also part of the investment?" Yu Jian did not immediately agree.

“Of course.” Motoko Hideya nodded.

"Speaking of which, you should already have some kind of imagery on you, right? Although I don't know exactly what it is, it's definitely not simple, because even without cultivation, you've begun to be influenced by imagery, otherwise you wouldn't have such exaggerated physical attributes."

"..." Before Miken could speak, Motoko Hideya raised her hand and made a shushing gesture.

"Hey, hey, hey, don't reveal any information easily. Imagery is one of the most important secrets of cultivators. Once it is leaked, you may be targeted."

“If you want to know what imagery you have within yourself, try meditating.” Motoko Hideya raised her hand and tapped her temple.

"Meditation?" Yu Jian asked.

"Calm down and use your inspiration inward, feel the marks left on your soul, which are records of past experiences and images you already possess."

"If the power of the Netherworld is not used to fill it and transform the imagery into a tangible spiritual force, the imagery will gradually dissipate over time, just as humans always forget their past mistakes."

"Furthermore, the human soul has its limits, so do not easily solidify images. Before attaining a complete visualization method, it is not a wise choice to arbitrarily solidify images."

"But first, only by completing the spiritual initiation can the image be solidified."

"Similarly, only those who have acquired spiritual power are qualified to practice visualization techniques. It's like paint; it must be prepared before painting."

Motoko Hideya said no more and placed the choice in front of Mitsurugi.

Yu Jian remained silent for two seconds, realizing that this was actually a game of strategy.

Ultimately, the key to determining who has the upper hand is strength; other minor tactics are not worth using and are unnecessary.

Therefore, he chose to believe in himself, not in others, but in his present self and his future self.

“Come here,” Yu Jian said, hearing himself speak.

"So decisive."

Motoko Hideya raised an eyebrow, as if she were seeing the past ten years ago.

On a cold, dry morning in Northeast Asia, when the kind, elderly shaman asked this question, this was her answer.

At this moment, just as at that moment.

For a moment, Motoko Hideya wanted to set aside all interests and concerns about return on investment, and simply help the boy in front of her to make up for her past self.

No, doing that might actually yield more feedback...

She then realized that something had sadly become embedded in her soul.

Even with grander goals, one can never return to that purest past.

The woman silently took out a thin incense stick and lit it.

He began to chant ancient and wild poems.

A primal, boundless dance begins beneath their feet.

When the music ended, it seemed as if nothing had happened.

"Is it really that simple?" Yu Jian stared at the red and shiny incense sticks, feeling that it was all too casual.

“Yes, old methods are often very simple.” Motoko Hideya’s voice revealed a calmness she hadn’t shown before.

"Don't worry, taking the spirit is just the first step, there won't be any exaggerated changes."

At most, there might be a few sparks or drops of water, or perhaps a gentle breeze, wisps of smoke, or a fleeting illusion—it all depends on which ghostly force you are most compatible with. Oh, and if lightning appears, that's like winning the lottery.

It's important to know that in most mythologies, lightning is considered the divine power of the chief god or a great deity.

"Hmm? They're here! Focus!"

Motoko Steel House's voice suddenly became shrill, like the cry of a bird.

Yu Jian immediately sensed an ancient aura emanating from the depths of the Netherworld, a call from nature itself.

"Once the ritual begins, you will find yourself transformed into some kind of animal, and all you have to do next is catch your prey! The prey that is most suitable for you!"

"Not the biggest, not the best, but the most suitable."

"Don't attack the elephant. Human greed is insatiable; neither a human nor a snake can swallow an elephant whole. Only a great snake, or rather, a dragon, can truly devour an elephant..."

The great elephant has no form; that clearly doesn't refer to the elephant in nature, but rather to something more metaphysical.

The sounds around him grew more and more distant. Yu Jian slowly closed his eyes, feeling his body sinking deeper and deeper.

Meanwhile, Motoko Hideya stared intently at the incense sticks, trying to judge the progress of the ritual by the shape of the smoke.

Wisps of smoke rise from the tip of the incense stick, winding upwards like a swimming mist snake.

"A white snake?" She frowned. In Northeast Asian shamanistic beliefs, this was not a good omen, as a white snake was the incarnation of a certain great demon.

But she quickly dismissed the idea.

Because snakes don't grow horns.

It will not be covered in clouds.

"..."

The white mist serpent was torn apart from the inside, and the smoke turned into pitch black like night, with occasional flashes of lightning.

It winds upwards, and swims endlessly.

But it's not a snake.

No longer a snake!

(End of this chapter)