I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

He guiltily looked away.

"This is a personal matter, please forgive me for keeping it confidential."

Ogata smiled knowingly and considerately stopped the conversation, not pressing further.

After putting away his playful mood, he adopted a serious tone:

"It can now be concluded that 'alchemy' is indeed a magical technique, capable of creating incredible and unbelievable artifacts."

"Since the 'Berserker's Water' can turn ordinary people into monsters that are difficult to kill, it is not surprising that the 'Breath of Immortality' does exist and can truly grant immortality."

“This item is already related to the ‘power of immortality,’ so I cannot ignore it.”

As Ogata spoke, he turned to look at Aoto:

"Mr. Tachibana, it seems we'll have to part ways for a while. I've decided to go to the West, and I'll set off immediately after a short time."

Qing Deng raised an eyebrow, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes:

"You're going to study 'alchemy'?"

Ogata nodded:

“That’s right. Without studying alchemy, we can’t know the details of the ‘Baccano!’”

"It just so happens that Atachi has always wanted to go to the West to broaden her horizons, so I'll help her fulfill her dream."

Aoto glanced sideways at Ogata, giving him a deep look:

“Mr. Ogata, you’re quite obsessed with the ‘power of immortality’.”

Ogata smiled calmly:

"After dealing with the 'power of immortality' for so long, I've learned one thing—we must never let the 'power of immortality' fall into the hands of ambitious people."

"I have personally witnessed the cruel tragedies that can occur when ambitious individuals gain control of the 'power of immortality'."

"The entire island has become a testing ground, and countless poor people have been abducted to be experimented on... The 'power of immortality' is a true Pandora's box, and one wrong move can lead to a horrifying tragedy or even an irreversible disaster."

“I have no intention of being a hero, but I really can’t bear to see the world suffer again because of the power of immortality.”

"Therefore, I will do everything in my power to monitor the 'power of immortality' and never allow any ambitious person to obtain this extraordinary power again."

Qingdeng was silent for a moment, then let out a soft, silent sigh:

"Are you leaving...? That's a real shame, I was hoping to talk to you more..."

As fellow time travelers, Aoto felt a special closeness to Ogata.

This rare friend is preparing to go to the far west, and it is unknown when he will return... Thinking of this, Qingdeng couldn't help but feel a little lonely.

Ogata chuckled to himself:

"Tachibana-kun, there's no need to make that face. I'm not about to set off anytime soon."

"This is a long journey that spans half the globe, and it will take at least several months to prepare for departure."

“We will have many more opportunities to meet before this.”

At this point, Ogata slowly raised his gaze—the enormous Hakodate Magistrate's Office was now right in front of them!

The Hakodate Magistrate's Office, as it is known, was indeed heavily guarded in the truest sense of its name.

Countless Ainu people guarded this magnificent building, all armed with muskets and well-equipped.

Upon seeing unidentified individuals approaching, all the guards tensed up and went into battle mode.

Upon seeing the light blue haori on Aoto's body and the black robe on Ogata's body, their facial expressions were dominated by intense fear and indignation.

"It's Kazuto! Kazuto has attacked!"

"It's that black-robed man who's been causing chaos everywhere! How come he's still alive?!"

"Quick! Set up your guns! Shoot them! We can't let them get close to Xilika!"

The guards then began to run quickly.

Before long, a dense array of muskets appeared before Aoto and Ogata.

Ogata slightly lowered his center of gravity, his right hand resting on the hilt of the Great Shakuten sword:

"In short, let's leave the future for later and deal with the immediate problems first."

Qingdeng did not respond, but silently raised his left hand and gripped the scabbard of Vairocana.

Suddenly, as if he had thought of something, he said in a relaxed and soft voice:

"Upon closer reflection, today is truly a good day."

"Hmm? What makes you say that?"

"I'll get to fight alongside the 'Eternal Sword Saint' again. Such an opportunity is rare indeed. Considering you'll be heading west soon, I'd better seize this chance to learn a few more moves from you."

Ogata smiled but said nothing.

next moment--

bass!

bass!

Two beams of light, one black and purple and the other silver and white, shot towards the sky.

Two lion-like swordsmen bared their claws and fearlessly charged straight into the enemy's main force.

……

……

Hakodate Magistrate's Office, Ōhiro-mata—

Xilika sat alone in the very center of the large hall.

His ever-present red-scabbard katana lay quietly on his lap.

His face was expressionless, devoid of any emotion, making it impossible to guess what he was thinking.

The shouts of battle outside grew closer and louder.

The Mongol army launched a massive attack into the fortress, which was on the verge of falling... The situation had become extremely urgent, but strangely, Xilika felt unusually calm at this moment.

Even though he was in the middle of the battlefield, with ferocious enemies about to attack him, for some reason, his mind drifted uncontrollably into the distance.

He suddenly recalled the afternoon his father first took him to the market at Fukuyama Castle (the domain headquarters of the Matsumae Domain).

He still vividly remembers the scenes from that time.

The warm sunlight shone on his shoulders as he held his father's large hand and walked through the bustling crowd.

The towering buildings he had never seen before, the countless people... everything he saw had a powerful impact on him.

Is this the town of Watari? It's so bustling!

He later learned that the Matsumae Domain was just a small domain with a very small area and a low rice yield.

There are many powerful and influential domains in Japan that are even more prosperous than Matsumae Domain.

These feudal states were far inferior to the Edo Shogunate, which ruled Japan.

He originally thought that the Edo Shogunate was the most powerful force in the world, but he never expected that there was a country with a larger area and greater power beyond the vast ocean!

At that moment, he exclaimed in genuine amazement: "The world is so big."

It turns out that the world is not only filled with dense forests and magnificent mountains, but also with grand cities and prosperous towns.

After the initial joy, he belatedly felt a strong sense of resentment.

Why can't we Ainu people own these cities and towns?

Why do we Ainu people continue to live a primitive life of fishing and hunting, unable to even smelt a mere piece of iron?

Why...why?!

I want vast lands, I want an endless supply of food, I want cities, I want weapons... I want more!

To this end, he tirelessly lobbied various tribes and painstakingly organized the "Ainu Alliance".

He wanted to seize Goryokaku and Matsumae Domain, and then launch a further attack to take over Honshu Oshima!

These lands originally belonged to our ancestors, and it is only right that we take them back!

He actively prepared for war while gathering intelligence and keeping a close eye on the situation.

He was overjoyed when he learned that the people had split into two major groups, East and West, and were embroiled in an unprecedented civil war.

He truly believed that this was a godsend opportunity to start a war!

Whether it's "Niou" Tachibana Aoto or anyone else, they absolutely cannot spare enough troops to deal with the war in the north!

Having made the decision, he resolutely sent his troops south and captured Wulingguo with minimal casualties... This tremendous victory left him feeling momentarily dazed.

He genuinely believed that after receiving Mael's aid and being equipped with the most advanced firearms of the time, the Ainu people would be able to compete with the Hogans.

Unexpectedly... this was nothing but an illusion, a mirage.

Niou Tachibana no Aoto could indeed not spare many troops—but he only needed a very small force to utterly defeat them!

The fortress he had placed high hopes on was easily breached, and his painstakingly built "Ainu coalition" suffered defeat after defeat.

Niou, Tachibana Aoto, told him with the cold edge of his blade: The reason you have been able to be so arrogant until now is purely due to luck; you just haven't met me yet.

So the "Yamato Conquest" was just a joke... Did I do something wrong...?

Where exactly did we go wrong?

Should I not have formed the "Ainu Alliance"?

Was it wrong of me to start the war?

Or... should I not have gone to the market in the first place?

That day was the beginning of everything.

That day I witnessed the vastness of the world.

From that day on, I could no longer tolerate the simple thatched hut, nor could I comfortably abide by the ancestral rules, and I developed a strong aversion to the traditional fishing and hunting life.

If I hadn't gone to the market in Kazumi and hadn't seen all that, I'd probably still be living a carefree life now.