The afterlife blew up Gensokyo

"Go cook... By the way, what do you like to eat for lunch?"

"ravioli."

The Detective Girl's eyes lit up immediately.

"Oh, then I won't make this for lunch."

Ragnarok Detective Girl: "???"

........................................................................

Winter afternoons always seem exceptionally long. After Shenqi and the succubus left the bamboo forest to head to the celestial realm, the entire bamboo forest became unusually quiet.

Hishikami Tanjo is the type who rarely speaks, while Yagokoro Eirin, since returning to the bamboo forest, seems to have been inspired by her time in the dream world. During this period, she has spent almost every day in her personal laboratory... making medicine.

To put it in simple gaming terms... during this period, Eirin Yagokoro seemed to have been given a kind of fanatical buff in the field of pharmaceuticals.

Even when Shinki and the succubus traveled to the Celestial Realm, Eirin Yagokoro stayed in her laboratory and did not go out to see them off.

—Although Yagokoro Eirin is named a pharmacy, Shibai prefers to call it a laboratory and cautiously classifies it as the most dangerous place in the bamboo forest.

What a joke! For someone whose skill points in pharmaceutical manufacturing are completely misplaced, you simply cannot imagine how bizarre the drugs Yagokoro Eirin creates are.

Out of curiosity, Shi Bai once entered Eirin Yagokoro's laboratory. When he went in, he saw a bird originally named "Gu," which he later named Pigeon, wriggling on the ground...

...Yagokoro Eirin's newly developed drug successfully rewrote the pigeon's DNA, making the bird, which could originally fly, mistake itself for a snake.

So, what kind of terrifying drug is his disciple, Yagokoro Eirin, currently researching?

Besides the two of them, the only other one was Youxiang, who had moved into the bamboo forest. However, she was even more languid than the Detective Heroine, who was always the last to get up.

While he continued writing the medical book, Youxiang spent most of her time curled up on the sofa in his room, quietly flipping through the books he had placed on the bookshelf.

Aside from meals, she spent all her time sleeping. Sometimes, even when reading on the sofa, she would fall asleep without realizing it, and Shi Bai would have to carry her back to her own bed each time.

This winter seems exceptionally long, yet it is also unexpectedly peaceful.

One month after Shinki and the succubus set off, an uninvited guest visited the tranquil bamboo forest.

P.S.: I'll update the third chapter tomorrow afternoon. I have a terrible headache. I need to adjust my sleep schedule and try to update during the daytime. Tickets.

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I recommend "Touhou Redemption: The Endless Tomorrow." The writing style is serious, a breath of fresh air among vulgar fanfiction, truly a rare gem of Gensokyo fanfiction. Here's a brief summary:

(With a personal guarantee of a completed work of over a million words, please enjoy with confidence.)

Nothing left...

But still can't get rid of...

All that's left is hatred and anger...

Then... let me embrace this spiral of contradictions until destruction...

——Neo Avilux (Touhou Gensokyo work)

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Eastern Redemption: The Endless Tomorrow

Chapter Seventy-Five: Unseen on a Moonlit Night

Although it was early morning, a light snow was still falling from the winter sky, and the world was covered in white.

In the biting cold wind, a figure emerged from the snow and stopped in front of the bamboo forest.

—This is a woman who is excessively elegant and luxurious.

"This must be it, right? If everything goes smoothly..."

After letting out a soft sigh, the figure walked straight into the bamboo forest. During this process, the barrier set up by Yagokoro Eirin had no effect whatsoever.

At the same moment this uninvited guest entered the bamboo forest, Shi Bai put down his calligraphy brush, breathed on his hands which were red from the cold, and then stretched comfortably.

"Finally, this epic novel is finished..."

Following the seven talents he had previously unlocked, three days ago, he finally unlocked the talent [Qing Nang].

Thanks to the effect of unlocking the strongest medical talent, the medical book that he originally expected to take at least several months to complete was finished in just three days.

Last night, he even wrote until the very end, working through the entire night.

"In this way, we can finally give them some explanation..."

After writing the three large characters "Qing Nang Jing" on the title page of the book, Shi Bai looked at the fruits of his labor and sighed softly.

All beings in the Celestial Realm are remnants of the previous era. Although they were able to survive from the previous era to the next due to the sacrifice of Feng Yan and the others, they are not allowed to come to this world.

This world does not belong to them, nor does this era. All they can do is stay in the celestial realm.

Although it is called the heavenly realm, it is actually a refuge, and even more so, a veritable prison that traps them.

As for the future after the Celestial Realm... who knows?

Although Shi Bai knew that later on, a portion of the Heavenly Realm would be separated to become the Heavenly Realm, which would become the abode of immortals who had cultivated to perfection and become celestial beings, or the abode of the dead who had been judged to become Buddhas.

But at least for now, the Celestial Realm is nothing more than a refuge left over from the previous era.

It's like he knows that the Yin-Yang Jewel is the greatest secret treasure passed down in the Hakurei Shrine, but he doesn't know that the Yin-Yang Jewel was created by Shinki. These two things are actually the same principle.

"If any members of the Eastern God Clan still exist, they must be able to come up with a solution to the future problems of the Celestial Realm..."

Shi Bai glanced at the eight talents he had unlocked and the remaining rows of talents that he hadn't unlocked on the system interface, and frowned as if he had suddenly thought of something.

"...No, if it was the Eastern God Clan who proposed building the Celestial Realm, then they must have made preparations beforehand...After all, the Celestial Realm is only so big, and if it can't be connected to the main world, its resources will gradually be depleted. The current state of the Celestial Realm is no different from its extinction..."

After frowning and thinking for a long time, Shi Bai couldn't help but chuckle when his gaze inadvertently fell on a snowflake that had landed in front of his window.

"Why think so much? If the sky falls, there are tall people to hold it up. Anyway, if a towering figure will appear in the future, it means that the problems of the celestial realm should have been resolved... Hmm? An outsider?"

Seeing the tall woman outside who had clearly entered the bamboo forest from the outside and was now standing there staring blankly at the houses, Shi Bai thought for a moment, then got up and went out.

..................................................................

"this place……"

Looking at the bamboo forest in front of her, which was completely different from what she had imagined, Tsukiyo, who had taken time out of her busy schedule to come here, couldn't help but feel a little lost.

Although the war between gods and demons has temporarily ceased, just as the demon core, mainly composed of oni (ghosts), has begun to disintegrate, the gods are not in much better shape.

After enduring this exhausting ordeal for some time, a distraught Tsukiyo began to consider seeking help.

After all, there are many gods who abhor war and live in seclusion. Now that the war is over, perhaps we can ask those reclusive gods to come out of seclusion again.

Her destination was the Yashinagami, said to be the oldest and most powerful of the gods.

Although she was somewhat surprised by the bamboo forest that had been lost and found again, when she recalled the deeds of the legendary being among the gods, Tsukiyomi felt that it was only natural.

However, after she entered the bamboo forest, she was completely bewildered by everything inside.

—Especially about a couplet that she found extremely meaningful.

"First came Hongjun, then came Heaven? Could it be that the legendary Heaven was established by a being named Hongjun? Zi Ma was even before the Great Dao... But who is Zi Ma? The so-called Dao, left over from the ancient mythological era, is said to contain the ultimate principles of heaven and earth, but no deity has been able to comprehend it yet, let alone the Great Dao... Could this being called Zi Ma be an existence from the ancient mythological era?"

The more Yueye thought about it, the more alarmed she became.

"I've heard that the legendary being who lives in seclusion here has been researching ancient myths. Could it be that he has already uncovered the secrets of these ancient histories? If that's the case..."

"Hey, what are you doing?"

Just as Tsukiyo was still in shock, a voice suddenly came from beside her.

"I'm deciphering... Wait, who are you!?"

Suddenly jolted awake from her shock, Tsukiyo quickly distanced herself from the being that had appeared beside her at some unknown time.

"Please, anyone who just barges into someone's house and demands to know who they are is scum of the earth, okay?"

Looking at the woman in front of him with long, silver hair reaching her waist and a wary expression, Shi Bai couldn't help but roll his eyes.

"By the way, who are you?"

“I am one of the gods… no, my name is Tsukiyomi.”

Seemingly realizing how inappropriate her previous behavior was, Tsukiyo's face flushed slightly, and she gave a slight bow to the man in front of her.

"I apologize for my unauthorized visit. I suppose you are the Yashinokami who lives in seclusion here?"

"Meeting under the moon? Eightfold divination and divine power?"

After staring at the woman in front of him with a strange expression for a while, Shi Bai turned his head and shouted at the top of his lungs towards Yagokoro Eirin's laboratory.

"Yagoshi, someone's here to see you!!"

After shouting that, Shi Bai turned around and spoke to Yue Yejian, who was clearly in a daze.

"Okay, she'll be here in a minute."

Tsukiyo: "..."

No... why does it feel a little different from what I imagined?

P.S.: There might be two or three updates later, depending on my personal situation.

By the way, this book is going to be burned at the stake tomorrow, please vote!

Chapter Seventy-Six: An Impossible Idea

In the freezing weather, I often wake up to find the windows covered in frost flowers.

The cold air seemed to be everywhere; you could see white mist rising from your mouth with just a breath. However, thanks to the heater, the room was warm as spring.

"Ask me to go back?"

After listening to Tsukiyomi's words, who was sitting somewhat reservedly in front of her, Yagokoro Eirin frowned and then refused without thinking.

"I'm sorry, but since a peaceful era has already arrived, there's no point in me going back, is there?"

"No, the so-called arrival of peace is only one-sided. Right now, we gods are facing a life-or-death crisis."

After calming himself down slightly, Yueyejian spoke seriously.

"The tide of a new era is approaching, and this world is becoming increasingly unsuitable for us gods to live in. Faced with this life-or-death crisis, we need a completely new land."

What does "a crisis of life and death" refer to?

After glancing at Yagokoro Eirin, who had fallen into silence, Shibai thought for a moment and then asked Tsukiyomi in front of him with some curiosity.

"Why do you say that this world has become unsuitable for your gods to live in?"

"...If we divide the world into two sides, the pure and the impure, then we gods represent the pure side, while the monsters represent the impure side."

After glancing at the man in front of her and hesitating for a moment, Tsukiyo began to explain, taking into account his identity as Yasui Kanade-sensei.

"With the opening of the underworld and our failure to control it, filth began to spread across the land. For us, who represent 'purity,' it was an intolerable existence. We gods cannot accept such filth like monsters, so we can only choose to leave... This is the real reason why continuing the war is meaningless. The tide of the times is unstoppable, and those who attempt to stop it will only turn to dust in the end."

At this point, Tsukiyo gave a slight wry smile.

"In fact, filth has a great impact on both us gods and monsters. It's just that monsters are better able to adapt. If they can adapt, they can continue to stay in the world and barely survive. If they can't adapt, they have no choice but to leave if they don't want to perish."

"Survival of the fittest, huh... No wonder you all want to control the underworld."

Shi Bai shook his head, his expression noncommittal.

"That's right. In fact, if either side could control the Underworld, this wouldn't have happened, but we all failed."

Tsukiyo sighed softly.

"The emergence of reincarnation represents the beginning of lifespan, and the filth that permeates the earth simultaneously gives rise to the concept of lifespan. With the opening of the underworld, the lifespan of living beings will continuously shorten. As time passes, the filth on the earth will increase to a certain point, reaching a constant value. At that time, those immortal beings will no longer be born in this world. What will appear in this world at that time will be beings with extremely short lifespans. Can you imagine that scene? Those races that appear in this world at that time, their average lifespan may not even be ten thousand years. What a short-lived and tragic race they will be."

"Uh... I think their lifespan is probably less than a hundred years."

Touching his chin, Shi Bai nodded with a slightly strange expression.

"So what do you plan to do? Leave the earth? Surely not all gods share your thoughts?"

“There are indeed gods who refuse to leave, but do you expect me to give up the existence of the majority for the sake of the existence of a minority? That is absolutely impossible.”

Yueye shook her head slightly.