Nobody knows how to be a villain better than me.

Am I still half asleep? That shouldn't be the case.

Seeing that no one was paying attention, Samael carefully got up and tiptoed outside for some fresh air. Scáthach, Skadi, and Anna glanced up one after another, but ignored her and continued to lower their eyes, busy with the finishing touches.

"What's wrong? Can't figure it out?"

Just as Samael was racking his brains, his secretary, Fox, carrying a tray, offered the holy king a cup of hot tea, a smile playing on her lips.

"They are..."

The ancient snake glanced at the rustling sound coming from the main hall, picked up its hot tea, took a sip, composed itself, and then pulled the obvious culprit to the corner, asking it a sheepish question.

"Seeing that you're working so hard, isn't it normal to help you share some of the burden?"

After all, even I, an outsider who has benefited from your work, feel a little sorry to see you so busy with government affairs all day long without even a moment to rest. So I came here specifically to accompany you in handling government affairs, hoping to relieve the pressure you are under.

The misunderstanding has been cleared up. As those who are closer to you, shouldn't they be easing your stress rather than adding to it?

Tamamo-no-Mae blinked her bright golden eyes and responded with a smile.

"You passed the test so easily? That shouldn't be the case..."

"Should she cry and complain, argue with you, or fight you to the death with her wand? With external enemies at hand, overcoming difficulties together is more important than internal strife. Don't think that only you know how to give and be considerate."

The fox spirit rolled her eyes at Samael, gave a light snort of annoyance, and stood up for Skadi and the others inside the door. She glanced at the busy figures behind her, shook her head with a playful expression, and said something meaningful.

"Of course, this is on the premise that what you give them is far more than what you receive from them..."

Samael felt inexplicably guilty, so he changed the subject and looked the fox spirit over and over again, as if he had seen a novel species.

"However, I didn't expect you to help me clarify things."

"Oh no, is it wrong to repay kindness? I'm so heartbroken! Listen to me!"

"...The truth!"

"Tsk, well, from the moment you fled in panic, I already enjoyed the sight of you plummeting from the peak to the valley, the pathetic sight of your fall. It's just that this kind of thing is addictive."

Therefore, the person who gives hope to despair, who holds my hand and watches you climb up from the bottom of the valley, is also my favorite.

Interesting pastimes naturally involve falling from great heights, again and again...

Luxurious ingredients should be savored repeatedly, until every last drop of juice and residue is chewed away, only then can the exquisite flavor of the soul be fully appreciated. To plunge directly into despair after reaching the pinnacle of hope is simply too dull.

Tamamo-no-Mae lowered her hand from her pale chest, rolled her eyes at the clueless man, and smiled. Without any hesitation, she leaned close to Samael and sniffed him. Her golden eyes sparkled, radiating the playful and amusing aura of a beast chasing and toying with its prey.

The man's unique fragrance, unlike any other being in this world, captivated her deeply.

The only pity is that, after traveling to many places, I only found this one unique creature.

Sure enough, this vixen had a penchant for cultivating souls into food; souls mixed with various emotions and life experiences were the ultimate delicacy to her.

As she spoke, Tamamo-no-Mae closed her eyes with the delight of a puppy, sniffing deeply around the prey she had marked, a glistening drop of saliva dripping from the corner of her mouth.

Samael glanced at it and felt a chill run down his spine. Veins bulged on his forehead. Unable to bear it any longer, he grabbed the fox spirit that kept getting closer and tapped Tamamo-no-Mae's head with his finger.

"Uh, sorry, my appetite kicked in and I almost couldn't resist."

Tamamo-no-Mae snapped out of her daze, rubbed her head, wiped away her drool, smiled apologetically, and patted and kneaded her stiff cheeks several times before the blood-red bestiality that filled her golden eyes gradually faded away.

"By the way, when did you develop such excellent administrative skills?"

Samael glanced back into the main hall and saw the well-organized administrative team, which had been brought together by Tamamo-no-Mae. Out of curiosity, he casually asked a question.

"When will it be available? They're actually good at this!"

Tamamo-no-Mae complained irritably, and as she pondered, a hint of nostalgia and inexplicable loss and melancholy appeared in her eyes.

Was she already good at it? Could she be the one who helped Dixing with the reforms?

Samael pondered the words, a sense of understanding gradually appearing in his eyes. As he pondered, his gaze turned intently to Tamamo-no-Mae beside him.

The nine-tailed fox was originally auspicious beast that brought prosperity to the land in China, rather than a demon that brought chaos to the country.

Chapter 138 Losing Face for the Entire Village of Foxes (1/3)

The Classic of Mountains and Seas says: "There is a beast on Mount Qingqiu. It looks like a fox with nine tails. Its cry is like that of an infant. It can eat people, and those who eat it will not be harmed by poison."

This is one of the earliest records of the nine-tailed fox. The phrase "can eat people" does not refer to its bloodthirstiness or cruelty, but rather that as a totem and object of worship, it can devour enemies and possesses the divine power to protect the tribe.

The saying "eating her will prevent one from being harmed by evil spirits" means that eating her flesh and blood can protect one from evil influences, which is related to primitive witchcraft beliefs.

In addition, she is a symbol of auspicious omens in times of peace and prosperity. The "Illustrated Compendium of Auspicious Omens" mentions that "when a ruler is not swayed by lust, a nine-tailed fox will appear."

Other sayings, such as "When the nine-tailed fox appears, the king's benevolence and wisdom will arrive," and "When virtue reaches birds and beasts, the fox will have nine tails," all praise the beauty symbolized by the nine-tailed fox.

Moreover, its appearance is often related to royal power.

Legend has it that Yu the Great's wife was a nine-tailed fox from Tushan Qingqiu named "Nüjiao". At that time, the nine-tailed fox had a good reputation and no negative image.

However, after the appearance of three beauties who brought ruin to the country—Mo Xi, Da Ji, and Bao Si—the status of the nine-tailed fox plummeted, and she became associated with causing chaos in the country and overthrowing the monarchy.

Coincidentally, the three mentioned above are very likely all incarnations of this despicable fox in front of us, which means that she has first disgraced the entire fox village.

Lacking precise written records, it is difficult to verify what kind of person Xia Zhimoxi was. However, the discovery of oracle bone inscriptions has provided some clues about the deeds of Daji from the Shang Dynasty.

The posthumous title "Zhou" originally meant cruelty and wickedness, which is equivalent to pointing at the emperor's nose and calling him a bastard. In history, Di Xin, who was satirized as "King Zhou", was not a foolish person. On the contrary, he had the qualities of a wise ruler.

During his reign, militarily he conquered the Dongyi and defeated the Guifang. Politically, he abolished human sacrifice and promoted slave officials to high-ranking positions. However, his numerous foreign wars, as well as his falling out with his elder brother Wei Zi Qi and other old nobles due to the succession to the throne, likely led to a severe depletion of the Shang Dynasty's national strength, which was then exploited by the Zhou Dynasty, resulting in the defeat at Muye.

The Zhou people's criticism of his other crime—listening to a woman's words—is even less tenable.

In fact, women were quite active in the Shang Dynasty. Legend has it that Daji, the concubine of Emperor Xin, may have been an outstanding figure like Fu Hao, the female general during the reign of Emperor Wu Ding. Many political decisions may have been related to this "femme fatale".

Even going back to the uniqueness of the divine era, the role of the nine-tailed fox in totem worship to signify royal power suggests that the fox spirit who overthrew the Shang Dynasty might actually have been a wise man secretly assisting the emperor and trying to save the country.

If that's the case, then it makes sense that Tamamo-no-Mae possesses exceptional administrative abilities.

Samael glanced down at the two slices of ginger in his cup, took a sip, and couldn't help but admire them.

"Ginger is a good thing. It can induce sweating and dispel cold, regulate the spleen and stomach, and can also be used as a seasoning to remove fishy smells and enhance aroma. You seem to be quite familiar with the properties of this plant. If the climate is suitable later, we can plant more around Athens..."

"What kind of seeds are we planting? All those surnamed Jiang are bad seeds! Not a single one of them is good!"

In a daze, Tamamo-no-Mae, upon hearing this, seemed to have had some sensitive nerve touched, and immediately flew into a rage, her face darkening as she gritted her teeth and cursed angrily.

"what?"

"I mean, when it gets old and rotten, this stuff easily accumulates toxins. In short, old ginger is utterly worthless and doesn't deserve any promotion."

Tamamo-no-Mae raised her eyebrows, rolled her eyes, pointed at the monk and cursed him as a bald thief, subtly insulting her former mortal enemy.

"Have you made enemies with someone surnamed Jiang elsewhere?"

The holy king before him was clearly not so easily fooled. He looked the fox spirit up and down and asked her questions with great interest.

"He's really gone too far! We were just keeping to ourselves, but he dared to plot against me behind my back! And he's even trying to smear me!"

Tamamo-no-Mae ground her canines together, her clenched silver teeth making a grinding sound, but then, as if remembering something, the corners of her lips curled up triumphantly, full of mockery and sarcasm.

"However, we suffered a loss, but he didn't gain anything either! He's brought disaster to the country and its people, haha, he really ruined the country he worked so hard to build, what can old Jiang do to me?"

"So, you just ran away?"

Samael's question caused Tamamo-no-Mae's smile to freeze instantly.

So, after you supported Emperor Xin's reforms in the Shang Dynasty and were overthrown by Jiang Ziya, you actually hid down and became Bao Si to take revenge, causing great harm to the country and the people, and causing the Zhou Dynasty to never recover.

Oh, by the way, this person wasn't even included in the Investiture of the Gods. Maybe you've been stirring things up behind the scenes again?

Good heavens, now Old Jiang will hate you to the core!

The ancient snake understood, and roughly grasped the fox spirit's movements and the reason for fleeing from China.

Nonsense, Old Jiang is just a lackey pushed out by the higher-ups. This vixen has caused a ruckus, messing with everyone behind the scenes, both those she should and shouldn't have messed with. If she doesn't run away now, what will she do? Turn herself into a fox scarf?

"Can we change the subject...?"

"You went to Japan and did the same thing all over again?"

"Ahem, what do you mean by causing trouble? We're educating the people and illuminating the world!"

"And then, it was overturned by the local natives?"

"..."

Tamamo-no-Mae, who was trying her best to defend herself, had a stiff face, felt a tightness in her chest, and almost wanted to vomit blood.

Does he even know how to have a conversation?! Does he even know how to have a conversation?! Can't this jerk say a single decent human word?!

"What do you mean 'natives'?! Those are clearly a swarm of Shinto Onmyoji and powerful monks from the Koyaji Temple! And if it were just these people, it wouldn't be so bad, the key is..."

Tamamo-no-Mae took a deep breath, suppressing her internal injuries, and forced out a dry laugh. She suppressed her rage and reiterated her statement, but at a certain moment, she abruptly stopped, hanging her head and muttering curses in frustration.

"That damned old man Jiang is always nagging me, and that crazy guy with the plate-shaped hair under the Bodhi tree is also a persistent ghost. And that guy surnamed Abe is a traitor, he's even worse!"

Goodness, you've got a lot of enemies.

Samael glanced at Tamamo-no-Mae with a mocking look, his eyes gleaming. He roughly understood the taboo this scoundrel was referring to, and the reason for his escape.

The original inhabitants of Japan had little concept of culture and relied entirely on external transmission. The arrival of Amaterasu Omikami started the story. They originally intended to live in their own little world, but they couldn't stop external infiltration.

The monk Rikono was a devout Buddhist, and it is very likely that Tamamo-no-Mae developed a grudge against Buddhism while she was indulging in her time in the Mauryan Empire in India.

The concept of Shintoism in Japan only emerged after Emperor Jimmu. The legends of alchemists seeking immortality and Xu Fu's eastward voyage are said to be the origin of Emperor Jimmu's teachings, clearly indicating Chinese intervention behind the scenes.

Therefore, the two forces that participated in the Battle of Nasuno and besieged Amaterasu Omikami were most likely related to the two great pantheons of India and China.

If they don't run away now, and are caught, they won't just be turned into scarves; they might not even be left with a decent piece of skin.

Tamamo-no-Mae turned around with a resentful look and glared at the guy who had ruined the atmosphere, then rolled her eyes and made a suggestion with a smile.

"So, Your Majesty, would you like me to be your personal scribe? If you would entrust all your troubles to me, I am willing to solve all your trivial matters."

"You've already convinced them, so I don't need to agree anymore. Isn't it already done?"

"I'd like to hear the official appointment; life needs a sense of ritual!"

"Fine, I accept my fate. As long as it doesn't break, it's fine with me. Do whatever you want."

Samael nodded helplessly, glancing at the beast that played with the world as if it were a game, and muttered to himself.

Tsk, having this woman around is like having a ticking time bomb.

Well, Athena and Themis are offline, so we'll just have to make do for now since we need help.

The ancient serpent suppressed its thoughts, made up its mind, and took the initiative to reach out its hand to this peerless enchantress.

After receiving a definite reply, Tamamo-no-Mae beamed with joy, nodded in satisfaction, and a subtle glint appeared in her eyes.

How exactly did the conversation shift from ginger slices to her painful past?

It's just common sense, it's about being frank. Cooperation requires a foundation of mutual trust. Some things are better left unsaid.

But you seem to know quite a bit about us, fellow villager...

Tamamo-no-Mae's expression was meaningful, her eyes filled with a hidden insight beneath her cynicism.

Immediately, a shimmering light appeared, and a pair of brown ears stood up from her pink hair. A loose and gorgeous blue shrine maiden's dress appeared on her body, tied at the waist with a large bow that bound her bodice, and golden bell ornaments hanging from her ears. These details washed away some of Tamamo-no-Mae's frivolity, making her appear even more elegant and noble.

"Let's go, Your Majesty. Your stage is set; it's time to take the stage."

Tamamo-no-Mae, full of confidence, took Samael's arm and led the holy king toward the Acropolis of Athens, a long-lost sense of familiarity welling up in her heart.

Well, whatever, I can go back to my old experience with Tamamo.

Hopefully, things won't capsize so quickly this time.

Two, double the happiness.jpg

Chapter 139 Actors, Please Take Your Seats (2/3)

Woo~woo~

As the sun rose, the mournful sound of horns washed away the bloodshed and chaos of the previous night, shattering the dreams of the Athenians. In the solemn atmosphere, the rallies, either instinctively opened their doors and windows to watch from afar, or took to the streets and gathered along both sides of the road.

The city was bustling with people, and all eyes, whether surprised, confused, or nervous, converged on the limestone hill at the highest point of the Acropolis in Athens.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the Valkyries, dressed in white hooded trench coats, with swan wings on their backs, and wielding divine iron shields and radiant spears, gracefully ascended from Mount Ares, spreading out in an orderly fashion above the Acropolis of Athens, like steel domes protecting the city.

Then, the well-equipped Athenian hoplites, divided into several squares, maintained their formation and strode out of the camp in a mighty procession, appearing before the Athenians and marching to the foot of the Acropolis. Tens of thousands of men moved as one, the earth trembled, metal clanged, and the fierce and murderous aura of the soldiers was overwhelming, like tigers released from their cages.

The residents along the route unconsciously clenched their fists, their faces flushed, their hearts pounding, and in their excitement, they couldn't help but recall the solemn and majestic mobilization for their first marathon.

Buzz buzz!