I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

The strangers shouted excitedly.

"The age and appearance match perfectly! Even the special skill of 'proficient in mathematics' matches perfectly. There's no such coincidence in the world!"

"Alice... I've finally found you! I've finally found you!"

Before he had finished speaking, he couldn't wait to start running north.

"Sir, please wait!"

The young man quickly called out to him.

Where are you headed?

"Is there even a question?"

The stranger said without turning his head.

"I'm going to find my daughter! That's why I traveled all this way to this small island nation!"

Having said that, he ignored the young man and prepared to continue walking.

However, the young man promptly added new words, causing him to stop again.

"My lord, new instructions have been issued from above! You are ordered to return to the 'main stronghold' immediately!"

The stranger paused for a moment.

"...Why did you have to make me go back at this time of year?"

His face was long and his cheeks were dark; his expression was extremely unpleasant.

"I am just a nobody, so I am not clear about the specifics."

"However... according to what 'above' has revealed, after years of forbearance and accumulation, we are about to make a big move!"

When the young man spoke of the word "big move," he could hardly contain his excitement.

"..."

The stranger remained silent, not uttering a sound.

After a while, he let out a long sigh.

"There's nothing I can do... Since it's his order, I have no choice but to obey."

“I gave up the precious time of ‘reuniting with my daughter’ and rushed back to the ‘big nest’ as fast as I could.”

"If I haven't been summoned back for some important matter, then I won't let this go so easily!"

*******

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Could it be... that Elodie is Alice?! (Like a slapstick comedian.jpg)

Chapter 787 The Peerless Warrior of Kyoto and Osaka: Kazami Kazuma, the Prodigy of Osaka! [4500]

"Qingdeng, look! That's the famous 'Dojima Rice Market'!"

"Rice prices throughout the world are based on the rice prices at the Dojima Rice Market!"

"To a certain extent, the stability of the Dojima rice market determines the safety of the entire world!"

“If you keep walking along this street, you will arrive at the famous ‘Shinmachi’!”

"If you sniff hard, you can almost smell the alluring fragrance of cosmetics."

"Ah, Qingdeng, don't worry, I will absolutely not let you go to Shinmachi!"

"If I find out that you went to Shinmachi or any other entertainment district, I will immediately inform Ms. Chiba and Tsukasa, and also tell Grandma!"

"That magnificent, towering castle that pierces the sky is Osaka Castle!"

"Unfortunately, this Osaka Castle was rebuilt by the Edo Shogunate after it destroyed the Toyotomi family."

"The original 'Toyotomi Osaka Castle' was reduced to ashes in the 'Siege of Osaka'."

"I've heard that the Toyotomi clan's Osaka Castle was far more magnificent than this Tokugawa clan's Osaka Castle. I really want to see it for myself!"

"Qingdeng, did you know? It's said that Sanada Yukimura, 'Japan's No. 1 Soldier,' was Chacha's lover! Toyotomi Hideyori's biological father was Sanada Yukimura!"

"When the Toyotomi clan was about to fall, Sanada Yukimura held Chacha tightly and said, 'I, Nobushige... will serve you to the very end.' It was a truly poignant story."

"But I've also heard that Toyotomi Hideyori's biological father wasn't Sanada Yukimura, but Mori Katsunaga!"

"I have a feeling that all of the 'Seven Generals of Osaka' have something to do with Chacha... Who exactly is Toyotomi Hideyori's biological father?"

……

After saying goodbye to the stranger, Aoto and Kinoshita Mai continued their planned tour of Osaka's alleys.

Before setting off, Kinoshita Mai patted her chest and told Aoto, "If you choose me as your tour guide, you definitely won't be disappointed!"... As it turned out, she wasn't just making things up.

Because she grew up in Osaka, she has a deep understanding of the town.

She could readily recall all the important locations in Osaka, as well as various unofficial historical anecdotes and rumors related to Osaka.

For example, right now—she is enthusiastically telling Qingdeng about Chacha's romantic escapades.

Chacha was the last matriarch of the Toyotomi family.

Legend has it that in order to consolidate her position, she gave Toyotomi Hideyoshi a huge cuckold's horns so that she could get pregnant. Therefore, Toyotomi Hideyori, the second lord of the Toyotomi family, was not Toyotomi Hideyoshi's child.

As for who Toyotomi Hideyori's "father" was, there are many versions, from "Osaka Sanno-father" to "Osaka Nanano-father," which is quite amusing.

Osaka was once the main castle of the Toyotomi family, hence there are many stories related to the Toyotomi family.

The bizarre and fantastical historical rumors, such as "the bloodline of the Toyotomi family has not been cut off" and "the descendants of the Toyotomi family intend to overthrow the Edo Shogunate and restore the glory of the Toyotomi family," made Qing Deng sigh: the imagination of the masses is indeed rich!

Kinoshita Mai seems to have a particular fondness for the unofficial histories of the Toyotomi family.

After she got started, she talked nonstop with great enthusiasm, her eyes shining.

Although the anecdotes and rumors that Kinoshita Mai mentioned were all nonsense, comparable to the story of "Nurhaci raising military funds by selling ditches," Qing Deng still listened with great interest.

Firstly, he was happy to see Kinoshita Mai's happy expression.

Secondly, these unofficial histories are quite interesting! Especially the anecdotes about "Osaka Nana no Chika" (the father of Osaka Nana no Chika), Qing Deng was completely captivated by them—there's no way around it, humans have always had a special fondness for this kind of story.

Thirdly, he wanted to learn more about the town.

Recently, he hasn't just been indulging in eating, drinking, and having fun every day, enjoying the pleasures of being rich.

Although Kinoshita Rin's writings forged a close alliance between the Karasawa and Hatatsu Domain, specific details of the cooperation—such as "how much grain to deliver on which date"—still needed further discussion.

Therefore, Qing Deng's main task recently has been to meet, hold meetings, and negotiate with Kinoshita Rin.

How many meetings have been held and attended in the past few days? To be honest, Qingdeng has lost count.

In fact, this long and tedious task finally came to an end this afternoon.

Having barely finished his work in Osaka today, Aoto has to rush back to Kyoto tomorrow... His schedule is packed.

Taking a vacation is simply a pipe dream.

Because he was so busy, he was able to properly explore this ancient town with a long history during his many days in Osaka.

Now that Hulu House is an ally of Qin Jinfan, he will likely visit the place frequently in the coming days.

In short, it's never a bad thing to learn more about Osaka.

To be fair, Aoto quite likes Osaka.

To put it simply... Osaka has a very down-to-earth atmosphere.

Even just walking through the streets at night, Aoto could clearly feel the significant differences between Osaka and Edo and Kyoto.

Coincidentally, the "Three Capitals" represent three different cultures.

Edo represents the samurai culture.

Kyoto represents the culture of the aristocracy and courtiers.

Osaka represents the culture of its citizens and businesses.

In other places, the social hierarchy of "scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants" was maintained.

Osaka is the only exception—it is a town of merchants, scholars, farmers, and artisans.

In Osaka, merchants held an unparalleled and prestigious status, and the townspeople took pride in being merchants.

On the surface, Osaka was a territorial domain, directly under the control of the shogunate.

In reality, Osaka was governed by the "Osaka Misato," an organization of merchants, which had a very strong tradition of citizen self-governance and was more like an autonomous dominion.

The nature of citizen self-governance gives Osaka a level of "freedom" that other towns cannot match, and its political environment is very relaxed.

Because of the flourishing economic activity, the seeds of capitalism gradually emerged.

The wealthy merchants with capital and raw materials hired townspeople with free status to produce goods to meet market demands.

Osaka town had long been home to numerous workshops with characteristics of modern factories.

The economic prosperity, coupled with a relaxed political environment, fostered a flourishing of civic culture.

The lights were on, and the place was bustling with people.

The streets and alleys are bustling with activity, and all kinds of arts and crafts are flourishing.

In the brothels and theaters, people adorned themselves with flowers and enjoyed the scenery.

Perhaps it is because of this prosperity that the people of Osaka treat each other in such a bold and unique way.

Qingdeng really likes this kind of lively atmosphere.

For him, Osaka would be a great choice if he were looking for a place to retire.

Just as Aoto was attentively listening to Kinoshita Mai's "Lecture on Osaka's Unofficial History" while casually observing the surrounding street scene—

"Ho...! Ho...! Ho...! Ho...! Ho...!"

With the blessing of "Wind Perceiver +4", Qing Deng, whose hearing was exceptional, suddenly heard heavy breathing.

Qingdeng looked in the direction of the sound—not far away, an old monk with a shiny bald head and wearing a tattered robe was leaning against the earthen wall with both hands, breathing rapidly as if mixed with sand.