The Path to Godhood Begins from the Otherworld

After Luo Shu exchanged these things, he activated [World Travel] and returned to his bedroom.

He immediately checked the smoke screen soundproofing barrier and found that the ice had not been triggered, and there were no abnormalities such as ether disturbances in the ether circulation inside the ether barrier, which finally put his mind at ease.

"Congratulations, you've passed the test."

Luo Shu muttered to himself before taking out three [Apprentice Magician Job Change Books] and three [Job Promotion Scrolls] from the "Sky Island World". He then removed the smoke and soundproofing barrier in the bedroom, opened the door, and returned to the living room.

As a result, as soon as I opened the door, I smelled the aroma of food.

It turned out that time had unknowingly come to the time for lunch.

Among the three girls, only Kurumizaka Ruri had nothing to do. Seeing Luo Shu finally come out, she quickly got up from the sofa and looked at her, "Shu Jun, you finally came out."

"Sorry, it took me some time to find something."

Luo Shu smiled gently, "Sorry to have kept you waiting."

"What's that in Shu-kun's hand?" Kurumizaka Ruri walked up to Luo Shu and noticed the book and three scrolls in his hands. She was curious and asked, "Is it for us?"

"Um, are Reina and Setsuna in the kitchen?"

"Yeah, they're preparing lunch."

Kurumizaka Ruri didn't rashly reach out to take what Luo Shu was holding, but instead talked about something else. "By the way, Shu-kun, that private investigator named Alice just sent me an email."

"I understand." Luo Shu nodded, then handed the thing in his hand to Kurumizaka Ruri, "Put it away first. After lunch, I will teach you how to use it."

"I know." After hearing this, Kurumizaka Ruri took the things from Luo Shu's hand and then put them on the table in the living room obediently.

Luo Shu quietly sat cross-legged at the low table in front of his laptop, and began to check the new email that Alice had just sent.

Chapter 34: Yunqu Mountain emerges from the water (Please subscribe~)

"Mr. Luo, let's skip the pleasantries.

I have already gathered the information you requested regarding the bankruptcy of the Liulichuan family. The investigation is nearing completion and I expect to have the information integrated by 8 o'clock tomorrow evening. Please be patient.

Secondly, regarding your new commission, we have completed the investigation. The poster who claimed to be an internal staff member of the Ministry of Education is indeed a real person. His name is Kikuchi Ryosuke, and he is one of the two former officials of the Ministry of Education. He left his high-end apartment in Chiyoda Ward at around nine o'clock this morning.

After leaving the apartment, Ryosuke Kikuchi was involved in a car accident on the way to Haneda Airport and has been confirmed dead. The Ministry of Transportation has not yet disclosed the truth of the accident.

According to my investigation, at noon yesterday, a senior official from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, went out and led a motorcade along the Ome-kaido, which is National Highway 411, to the Okutama Town Autonomous Region in Nishitama County, with the destination being Mount Kumotori in Chichibu-Tama National Park.

The Ministry of Education's convoy returned to the Ministry of Education yesterday evening. Yesterday, the media photographed the senior official, who was one of the two current Deputy Ministers of Education, Ashiki Kosuke. However, the media at the scene were quickly driven away, and it was impossible to confirm Ashiki Kosuke's real intention of going to Mount Kumotoriki.

However, during my investigation into Ashiki Kosuke's interpersonal relationships, I discovered that Kikuchi Ryosuke's father, Kikuchi Kengo, married Ashiki Kosuke's sister after graduating from the University of Tokyo. Later, the couple died in a plane crash while they were traveling abroad.

At the age of six, Kikuchi Ryo was placed in the care of Ashiki Kosuke. Two years ago, at the age of less than forty, Kikuchi Ryosuke was recommended by Ashiki Kosuke to become one of the two administrative officials. News reports at the time considered Kikuchi Ryosuke to be Ashiki Kosuke's successor after he retired as Vice Minister of Education.

However, after learning of Kousuke Koike's accidental death, Ashiki Kosuke suffered a sudden heart attack and was sent to St. Julian's Hospital in Chiyoda Ward. His current life or death is unknown.

Finally, regarding the blurry photo that seemed to be a cosplay of the elves in the isekai light novel, it was indeed taken secretly by Kousuke Kikuchi. However, I have not been able to find out the real motive for his doing so. For a politician, the act of posting secretly taken photos on the Internet is undoubtedly very abnormal in itself.

The above is all the information I have been able to collect so far."

After reading the email, Luo Shu's attention was not on the two senior officials of the Ministry of Education, but on the name of St. Julian's Hospital.

"Liuli, have you heard of St. Julian's Hospital?"

"I've heard of it. It's a very famous hospital in Chiyoda Ward."

"Big news happened at the Ministry of Education."

When Luo Shu heard what Kurumizaka Ruri said, he hesitated for a moment and did not continue to ask, but pointed at the computer screen and said,

"According to Alice's investigation, one of the current Ministry of Education officials, Ryosuke Kikuchi, was killed in a car accident. This Ryosuke Kikuchi was the one who posted on the forum.

The accidental death of Kikuchi Ryosuke directly led to the sudden heart attack and hospitalization of one of the two current Vice Ministers of Education, Ashiki Kosuke, whose current life or death is unknown. Do you think this is a coincidence?"

"Huh?" Kurumizaka Ruri had just sat down cross-legged next to Luo Shu when she heard Luo Shu briefly summarize Alice's new email. A look of astonishment immediately crossed her face. "When did this happen?"

"Just check online. I'm sure some media outlets have already published articles about it."

As Luo Shu spoke, he stood up and walked towards the kitchen, "I'll go to the kitchen to see if the two of them need help."

"Oh."

Kurumizaka Ruri's attention was already drawn to this big news.

After all, the Kurumizaka family is in business, and they usually pay a certain degree of attention to Fuso politics.

The Ministry of Education was related to the Fuso National Kendo Federation that she had previously investigated. Therefore, when she heard that two senior officials of the Ministry of Education had accidents in succession, she immediately realized that the next personnel changes in the Ministry of Education were foreseeable.

However, after reading the new email sent by Alice, she had a doubt.

That is, Alice did not find out the truth about the photo of the alien elf.

"Shu Jun, Alice doesn't seem to have given any results on the investigation of that photo."

"Liuli, do you think the authenticity of the photo still matters now?"

"what do you mean?"

"Since Kikuchi Kosuke is from Ashiki Kosuke's faction, let's assume this faction is responsible for contacting the elves from the other world. Now that two senior officials from this faction have suffered accidents, who benefits?"

"Another Vice Minister of Education and another official?"

"So, what do you think might be the focus of the political struggle between this faction and the Ashiki faction?"

"What political influence can contacting the elves from another world bring?"

"That's right. Now that the Ashiki faction has fallen, there is only one choice before the current Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology."

As Luo Shu spoke, he walked to the kitchen door, but was driven out by Reina and Setsuna. He had no choice but to return to the living room and sit down next to Kurumizaka Ruri again, then continued,

"Political struggles have always been brutal, and the marriage relationship between Ashiki Kosuke and Kikuchi Ryosuke made the political alliance formed by the two very strong.

With Kousuke Ashiki about to abdicate, he's arranging for Ryosuke Kikuchi to take over. Do you think that with Ryosuke Kikuchi's death, will the Ashiki faction still have a foothold in the Ministry of Education?"

"I understand. If the other faction in the Ministry of Education brings down the Ashiki faction, they could even use this as an opportunity to exert political pressure on the current Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology?"

"Maybe." Luo Shu thought for a moment and asked, "If I remember correctly, the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology is a member of the Fuso Cabinet, right?"

"Yes."

"So, the unexpected death of Kikuchi Ryosuke may also be involved in the political struggle for the election of the next Prime Minister of Fuso."

Luo Shu sighed. "After all, most of Fuso's Ministers of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology are appointed by the Prime Minister from the Diet. So, Ashiki Kosuke's trip to Mount Kumotori yesterday afternoon must have been instructed by this Minister."

"But how could the other faction opposing the Ashiki faction dare to act so brazenly?"

Kurumizaka Ruri is not very sensitive to politics, and she is a little confused.

As a Chinese before traveling through time, Luo Shu had read many history books. After a rough thought, he probably understood where Kikuchi Ryosuke's death came from.

"Everything must have a legitimate cause, especially political struggles. Do you understand why I say the authenticity of that photo is unimportant?"

"I still don't quite understand."

"I'm actually quite puzzled, because according to normal logic, as a politician, Kikuchi Ryosuke couldn't have understood how stupid it was to secretly take photos and post them online, but he still did it."

Luo Shu felt that Kikuchi Ryosuke's behavior was extremely abnormal and unbelievable.

After all, Kikuchi Ryosuke is one of the two youngest officials in the Ministry of Education. He was also designated as the second-in-command of the Ministry of Education, Deputy Minister of Education, because of Ashiki Kosuke. If he performs well after taking over, he may become the head of the Ministry of Education in the future, and it is not impossible for him to become a member of the cabinet in the future.

However, Kikuchi Ryosuke did something abnormal and idiotic, such as taking secret photos, posting them on online forums, and even leaking the information. His actions seemed to show that he had no regard for the continuation of his political life.

Thinking of this, Luo Shu expressed his understanding.

"Ruri, when it's already known that Kikuchi Ryosuke secretly took the photo, the authenticity of the photo is no longer important. For the political group in the Ministry of Education that opposes the Ashiki faction, Kikuchi Ryosuke's act of secretly taking the photo and posting it online to leak the secrets is their main concern.

After all, political struggles require a legitimate reason. Rather than focusing on the internal strife within the Ministry of Education, I'm more concerned about the series of unusual actions that Kikuchi Ryosuke took during his lifetime."

"Huh?" Kurumizaka Ruri was stunned when she heard this, and then she realized the weirdest thing about this matter, which was that it was actually the act of Kikuchi Ryosuke posting the secret photo.

"If you put it that way, then all of Kikuchi Ryosuke's actions, without exception, violate the logic of a qualified politician."

"Yes, it's impossible for Kikuchi Ryosuke not to know that his actions would lead to the premature end of his bright future, but he still did it. This is really weird."

Luo Shu rubbed his brows, feeling that politics was not something that ordinary people could handle. He changed the subject and said,

"Forget it. Judging from the investigation results Alice has provided so far, it's unlikely that we can find anything out from the Ashiki faction.

We will just need to keep an eye on the personnel changes at the Ministry of Education. We can now shift our focus to Mount Kumotori."

Chapter 35: So-called love at first sight is mostly just lust (please subscribe~)

"Indeed, although the Ashiki faction has collapsed, the fact that the Ministry of Education, which received a mysterious visitor from Mount Kumotori, did visit the Ministry of Education, is now undeniable. Of course, this assumes that this mysterious visitor actually exists."

After Luo Shu's guidance, Kurumizaka Ruri realized that this investigation was all about finding out whether the alien elf in the photo really existed and whether it had really had contact with the Ministry of Education.

"Liuli, do you know anything about Yunqu Mountain?"

"I've never been to Chichibu Tama National Park, but I know that Mount Kumotori is the second highest mountain in the park."

"Is Chichibu-Tama National Park forested?"

Hearing Luo Shu's question, Kurumizaka Ruri didn't rush to answer. She picked up her phone and operated it for a while. "Wait a moment, I'll ask Uncle Yoshida. One of my family's bodyguards is from Nishitama County."

"Ah."

The reason why Luo Shu asked about the forest coverage rate was mainly because he considered that it was a classic and conventional setting that elves liked forests.

If the photo really is of an elf from another world, then this Kumoqu Mountain is undoubtedly the location of the space-time node between this derivative world and the other world.

Luo Shu's purpose from the beginning to the end was very clear, which was to confirm whether the alien elves existed. If they really existed, then the alien world and the derivative world where the alien elves were located would only see where the time and space nodes were.

A few minutes later, Kurumizaka Ruri relayed the information about Kumotorishan she had obtained from her bodyguard to Luo Shu:

"According to the information provided by Uncle Yoshida, Chichibu Tama National Park has a high forest coverage rate.

Furthermore, a bodyguard from Nishitama County said that Mount Kumotori had been closed to the public for two years in the name of environmental protection. This incident caused significant dissatisfaction among many tourists who wanted to visit Kumotori and a large number of mountaineering enthusiasts in Fuso at the time.

"So, Yunqu Mountain was artificially blocked two years ago?"

"Yes." Kurumizaka Ruri nodded, and then quickly found relevant reports from two years ago on her computer. "The local people in Nishitama County also launched a large-scale protest against the blockade of Mount Kumotoriki.

Later, the Ministry of Education stepped in, and the current Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology submitted a series of compensatory measures for Nishitama County to the Diet, which completely quelled the protest.

At that time, Ashiki Kosuke was favored by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology because he handled things well.

"Then it all makes sense."

After hearing this, Luo Shu finally understood why the Zumu faction was being dealt with. It turned out that the Zumu faction had already had a political conflict with another faction two years ago.

"Alice also mentioned in the information she provided that Kikuchi Ryosuke became one of the two administrative officials at the Ministry of Education two years ago after being recommended by Ashiki Kosuke. The resolution of the Kumotorishan protests was probably Kikuchi Ryosuke's political debut."

"Really." Kurumizaka Ruri searched for news reports related to Nishitama County two years ago on her computer and quickly found the name of Kikuchi Ryosuke.

"Mr. Shu, two years ago, the Fuso Shimbun reported on several rising political figures, mentioning Kikuchi Ryosuke. They said that in his official political debut as a representative of Ashiki Kosuke, he performed extremely well in resolving the public protests against the blockade of Mount Kumotori in Nishitama County."

"That's even more suspicious." Luo Shu fell into deep thought. "Judging from the political talent Kikuchi Ryosuke displayed two years ago, his current actions are a bit too strange."

"Jiu-kun, do you think it's possible that Kikuchi Ryosuke was targeted by someone with supernatural powers?"

"Ok?"

Luo Shu didn't expect Kurumizaka Ruri to say that. He subconsciously wanted to deny it, but then he thought about it carefully and said,

"Liuli, what you said is really possible.

What if someone secretly targeted Kikuchi Kosuke through mental suggestion or even hypnosis, got him to post candid photos online, and then, after he was fired by the Ministry of Education, arranged a car accident to silence him...

Hiss, with no evidence, even if the alien spirits visiting the Ministry of Education really existed and intervened in the investigation, it would probably be difficult to find anything."

"It feels so complicated." When Kurumizaka Ruri heard Luo Shu's reasoning, she was suddenly overwhelmed.

"I finally understand why detective fiction deliberately emphasizes that superpowers cannot be included. It's too difficult for ordinary people to solve crimes like murders involving superpowers."

"Then forget about it. After all, our investigation commission wasn't completely fruitless."

Luo Shu stood up, then smiled and picked up Kurumizaka Ruri, spun her around, and then put her down, saying in a relaxed tone,

"After Mount Kumochi surfaces, you can have those of your bodyguards who are from Nishitama County go back under the pretext of recruiting new bodyguards. Have them conduct an on-site visit. It shouldn't be difficult to find any clues."

"Shu-kun, you're so eager to find out whether the alien spirits' visit to the Ministry of Education is true or not. Is there a reason I don't know?"

"Well, if there really are spirits from other worlds who have visited the Ministry of Education, I personally would like to make contact with them."

Luo Shu pondered for a moment, then smiled and asked, "Liuli, don't you want to visit another world where elves really exist?"

"Are you really just going to another world to take a look?"

Kurumizaka Ruri looked at Luo Shu suspiciously, "Shu Jun, I always feel like you are planning something."