I became the Lord of the Eternal World in Tokyo.

"I will become the sword and blade in your hand, cutting down all those evil spirits and monsters that dare to cause trouble."

He heard Imagawa Yoshimoto chuckle.

So pleasant.

"That sounds really reliable."

The girl, feeling suffocated by the current situation in Mikawa Province, pursed her lips, curled into a ball, and wrapped the priest's robe even tighter.

"Then I'll have to trouble you even more from now on."

Uesugi Tetsuya withdrew his gaze and closed his eyes.

"My pleasure."

Nothing more was said that night.

The next morning.

The sounds of rustling conversations and footsteps could be heard from all over the village of Mountain Whale; a rough count suggested there were at least a hundred different places.

Just as Uesugi Tetsuya, who had been feigning sleep, opened the half-closed wooden door, he saw Kujira Goro approaching from a short distance away, bowing respectfully to him.

"Lord Che, we will be leaving the village today and heading towards the country of Totomi."

As Uesugi Tetsu looked around, all he saw were villagers carrying their belongings in cloth bags.

The villagers of Shanjing Village do whatever they are told, and the long-term high pressure they are under has indeed made them very efficient.

"Do you have any amulets or other small items?" Uesugi Tetsu asked.

Goro was taken aback at first, but he didn't ask any further questions. Instead, he nodded and said, "Yes, sir, yes!"

The village chief took out several roughly made amulets from his cloth bag—he was going to give them to some of the children.

Uesugi Tetsuya took the amulet and, after a few deep breaths, infused it with a small amount of lightning power.

"I have already blessed these amulets. In case of emergency, just throw them at the demons, and it will be no problem to kill the weak demons."

He returned it to Goro Kujira: "Consider it payment for sheltering us for one night and providing information."

Goro lowered his head and, upon seeing the amulet in his hand emitting tiny sparks of lightning, seemingly emanating a righteous aura, quickly bowed.

"Thank you, sir! Thank you, sir!"

“It’s just a matter of mutual benefit, no need for thanks.” Uesugi Tetsu turned around and left with these words, “We’re leaving now too… Good luck, Village Chief Kujira.”

Goro Kujira, however, maintained his ninety-degree bow and spoke loudly,

"—Whale Goro, I will never forget your kindness today!"

……

After saying goodbye to Goro Kujira, Tetsuya Uesugi waited for Yoshimoto Imagawa, who was dressed in full protective gear inside the house.

He took out a convenience store rice ball from his storage backpack, unpacked it, heated it briefly with his internal energy, and then handed it to the other person.

"This is quite delicious."

Imagawa Yoshimoto took a bite of the soft, chewy seaweed-smoked salmon rice ball and his eyes widened slightly.

"If Lord Yiyuan wants to eat, there are still plenty left."

Uesugi Tetsu figured that the sauce for rice balls probably couldn't be made in this era, so he attributed it to his non-existent hometown: "This is a specialty from my hometown."

After finishing her meal, the girl patted her lower abdomen and said, slightly embarrassed,

"Then, let's have one more."

After a quick breakfast, the two mounted their horses and left Shanjing Village, where a large crowd was flowing out from the other side.

Imagawa Yoshimoto turned around, a hint of doubt in his eyes, and asked, "Why are some villagers still not leaving?"

“Perhaps it’s because of the attachment to one’s homeland and the fear of the unknown.” Uesugi Tetsu opened the map and checked it again. “If people could live a stable life forever, how many would want to venture into the unknown?”

Imagawa Yoshimoto responded and silently noted down what he had said.

—Chejun, you always manage to utter such philosophical sentences.

No strange demons suddenly appeared at this moment, and the group from Mountain Whale Village left safely.

Following the map, Uesugi Tetsuya and his companion arrived at the edge of Mount Sanjiu, where they had to dismount and tie their horses to the foot of the mountain.

Because this mountain, Whale Mountain, is not only surrounded by mist, but also has extremely rugged roads just by looking at the outermost edge.

If they encounter demons along the way, both horses could perish if they are not careful.

Although it hadn't been long since they parted, Uesugi Tetsu was already missing the presence of the two-foot-tall man.

Without saying much, the two stepped into the mountains.

As predicted, there were no mountain whales—that is, wild boars—in the mountains of the mountain whales.

—Regarding the issue of this form of address, Imagawa Yoshimoto had already discussed it with Uesugi Tetsu when they first entered the mountains.

Moreover, not only were there no mountain whales, but the entire mountain was almost devoid of the chirping of insects and the calls of birds. Since Uesugi Tetsu had entered, he had not seen a single living creature.

It was eerily quiet.

The sound of him snapping a tree branch could be heard for more than ten meters.

As the saying goes, something unusual must be a sign of trouble, so Uesugi Tetsu felt that the probability of the Celestial Craftsman living in this quiet mountain was quite high.

Without saying much or making a sound, the two continued upwards along the rugged and steep natural path.

More than an hour later, Uesugi Tetsuya suddenly stopped and clenched the small hand in his hand—it was a normal thing to do to prevent them from getting separated in the thick fog and having an accident.

Imagawa Yoshimoto looked at him.

Uesugi Tetsu held his breath and listened intently.

Because he could already hear the faint, continuous sound of hammering.

Uesugi Tetsu couldn't help but smirk slightly: "The destination should be at the very top."

He pulled Imagawa Yoshimoto upstairs.

Before long, a somewhat dilapidated temple came into view of Imagawa Yoshimoto.

This must be the legendary location of the Heavenly Craftsman that the blacksmith of Junfu City and Chejun mentioned.

She raised her fingers and clenched her fists twice more.

Uesugi Tetsu nodded knowingly.

But just as he took a step, Uesugi Tetsuya stopped abruptly again.

He slowly turned his gaze, meeting the pair of enormous, car headlight-like crimson eyes that shrouded the thick fog.

……

Meanwhile, the two-foot-tall man, who had been lost for a long time, finally used the thermal imaging device he had conjured to spot the army that was resting at noon in the mountains.

"Thank goodness."

She patted her chest, thinking that thankfully she was only a few hours late and hadn't made a big mistake.

Otherwise, she wouldn't know how to explain it to Lord Che.

—But who can blame them when these two mountains and these two official roads look almost exactly the same!

When the Second Master went to the other side but found nothing, he was suspicious for a long time, wondering if the army led by Okabe Motonobu could travel hundreds of miles a day and arrive at Mikawa overnight.

"That's right."

The two-foot-tall man found the main camp, put down the thermal imaging device, and then manipulated the levitation board to slowly descend, finally crashing down from the sky.

With a thud, it landed in the center of the main formation.

Soon, it aroused the vigilance of the Red Armor Bannermen who were guarding the main camp and patrolling.

Swish swish!

Before the two-foot-tall man could speak, the neatly arranged spear tips were already aimed at her.

Only a few warriors have ever seen a two-foot-tall man.

"Uh……"

The man with the two feet quickly raised his hands and shouted in a clear voice, "Brothers, don't kill me! I am the shikigami of Onmyoji Che! I'm here to deliver a message to Lord Okabe!"

But the moment the words "Onmyoji Che" were uttered, the hatamoto began to look at each other in bewilderment, and the tips of their spears moved up slightly.

After all, the fact that this girl in the white dress inexplicably fell from the sky is indeed something that only legendary shikigami can do.

But the flag bearers still did not let their guard down.

The squad leader, his body surging with inner energy, narrowed his eyes and said in a deep voice, "Then you stay here and don't move. I'll go call..."

"Little boss, you're only two feet tall!"

Before the squad leader could finish speaking, a cheerful voice came from a nearby corner.

The squad leader was slightly taken aback, but didn't say anything more.

Because he could clearly hear that it was the voice of the boy who led Okabe-sama's horse.

Moreover, Okabe-sama was very kind to him, suggesting that he held a high position.

Within two seconds, Shiraishi's little head emerged from the encirclement of the Red Armored Bannermen, its big eyes blinking as it looked around.

"Where's the boss? Has the boss arrived yet?"

Upon hearing this, the squad leader immediately raised his hand and said, "Put down your weapons and go do what you're supposed to do."

The flag bearers put away their weapons, said nothing more, and continued to perform their duties.

The squad leader smiled upon seeing this—if he didn't send these colleagues away, his chances of contacting that person would be greatly reduced!

He also sheathed his katana and quickly turned his eyes, trying to find Uesugi Tetsuya's presence.

"—Hey? Where's the boss, Little Two-Foot Boss?"

In front of the two-foot-tall man, two identical white stones were speaking in the same tone.

Wow... when did this little guy learn to create clones?

Moreover, there is absolutely no difference.

Erchi-sama shook his head: "I was sent by Lord Che to deliver a message alone. Shiraishi, quickly bring me to Lord Okabe."

"Ugh……"

Before her eyes, two white stones sighed together, then shattered with a crack and vanished as phantoms.

Suddenly, Erchi Daren felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around and saw Bai Shi, who had a worried look on his face, beckoning to her and walking towards a tent.

The two-foot-tall man blinked.

She seemed completely unaware of the footsteps approaching from behind.

The girl gazed at Shiraishi as he swaggered off, and smiled.

This little rascal is working very hard!

The squad leader, who was standing not far away and kept turning his gaze around but dared not listen to their conversation, became more and more puzzled.

—Even the shikigami have appeared, so where is that great onmyoji? Why didn't he show up?

Main business is in front of the tent.

Shiraishi was stopped by two hatamoto.

He explained for a while, but Hatakemoto ignored him, letting the noise of the unruly child go in one ear and out the other.

So Baishi stood at the door with his hands raised, jumping up and down anxiously: "I already said! I have something urgent to report!"

Hatamoto, whose face was covered in armor, replied coldly, "Lord Okabe is conducting a sand table exercise and outsiders are not allowed to disturb him."

Shiraishi was going crazy: "Waaaaah! You two!"

But the two-foot-tall man who came from behind ignored the two bannermen and barged into the tent as if he couldn't see them at all.

"Be bold!"

The expressions on the two flag bearers' faces changed drastically, then they froze on the spot at the sound of the cold voice coming from inside the tent, cold sweat instantly soaking their backs.

"—Didn't I say that during the sand table simulation, no one should be allowed into the camp?"