Nobody knows how to be a villain better than me.

A qualified boss not only needs to be able to make promises, but also needs to know when to wield the stick to establish authority, or to offer a carrot to motivate employees.

Samael wasn't short of money, so he naturally wouldn't be stingy with this expense.

Stimulated by the money, the jinx Jane felt the chill that had enveloped her vanish, and she excitedly began to recount the secrets she knew.

The Seven Riders of the Shogunate were not static; take the Archer class for example.

The first chosen one was Tawara Tota, a Heian period warrior revered as the ancestor of martial arts in the eastern country.

Secondly, there are two people who have served as Saber.

Watanabe no Tsuna, a samurai from the mid-Heian period, and one of the Four Heavenly Kings of Demon Slayers;

And the strongest swordsman of the Edo Yagyu Shinkage-ryu school, Yagyu Tajima-no-kami Munenori, who was known as "Sword and Zen in Oneness".

The Rider job class has undergone one change.

The previous one was Ushiwakamaru, a famous tragic military commander in Japan who was exceptionally gifted and known to all.

The Assassin class is quite mysterious, but legend has it that it has had two previous masters.

One of Japan's most outstanding swordsmen—Kojiro Sasaki;

Kato Danzo was a ninja who used the Fuma style and was active during the late Sengoku period.

Berserkers are frontline fighters, but their casualty rate is also quite high.

Hijikata Toshizo, a swordsman known as the "Demon of War" who served as the vice-commander of the Shinsengumi during the late Edo period;

And Mori Nagayoshi, a warrior from the Sengoku period known as "Oni Musashi".

The Caster class is relatively safe in the rear, and has only been replaced once.

However, the previous one was Abe no Seimei, the founder of the Tsuchimikado family, who was an Onmyoji active in the mid-Heian period and who oversaw the Onmyoryo, an important national government agency in Japan, from the Kamakura period to the early Meiji period.

The Lancer class suffered the most, having gone through four different classes.

Musashibo Benkei, who was active alongside Minamoto no Yoshitsune, was one of the most famous warrior monks in Japanese history.

Hozoin Inshun, the second-generation successor of Hozoin's spear technique, is a man whose skills are said to reach the level of gods and Buddhas.

He was hailed as an unparalleled warrior in Japan and later known as the God of War, the Dragon of Echigo – Nagao Kagetora.

And finally, Minamoto no Yorimitsu, the ancestor of the Minamoto clan, who eliminated many strange creatures such as "Shuten-dōji of Mount Ōe", "the Great Spider of Kyoto", and "the Gyūki of Senso-ji Temple", and was hailed as the strongest mysterious assassin of the Heian period.

弓兵1、剑士2、骑乘者1、暗杀者2、狂战士2、魔术师1、枪兵4……一共13个……

After listening attentively to Jane's account, Samael's eyes narrowed slightly, and his expression became more solemn.

For Heroic Spirits, their true names need to be kept secret, but the mention of names mentioned above clearly no longer requires this taboo.

In other words, before he arrived, there were already thirteen heroic spirits who had either fallen or disappeared...

The frequency of class changes is enough to wage two Holy Grail Wars.

Moreover, besides ordinary heroic spirits like Ushiwakamaru, Yagyu Tajima-no-kami Munenori, Musashibo Benkei, and Hozoin Inshun, there are also heavyweight figures like Minamoto no Yorimitsu and Abe no Seimei.

Clearly, the potential crisis at this singularity is far from simple.

After a brief analysis, a figure involuntarily surfaced in Samael's mind—

A young woman with purple hair and eyes, wearing a purple bodysuit, with long black hair tied up at the end, possessing an elegant, clean, and beautiful demeanor, exuding a maternal aura.

It was summoned as a Lancer... well, how should I put it...

Being a spearman is indeed a high-risk profession.

Samael silently complained to himself while mourning for that motherly Servant, Minamoto no Yorimitsu.

"Going out at night is too dangerous. If you want to visit the General's Mansion, it's best to do so during the day. We're doing this for your safety."

At this moment, Jian, the jinx kneeling on the ground, secretly glanced at the new boss's seemingly unpredictable expression, swallowed hard, and hurriedly made a solemn promise.

"Yes, yes!"

"Uh-huh!"

The twin female pirates Anne and Mary beside them nodded in unison, vouching for them.

After all, although they had conflicts, their interests were aligned in protecting their lives.

Having just embarked on the second phase of their lives, the three of them still had many things to enjoy, and going out to deliver things was something no one would want to do.

"I know."

Samael snapped out of his daze and nodded as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

With his keen senses and skill in lying, he could easily judge the truthfulness of what the other person was saying.

Even if the other party is holding back, it's absolutely certain that you shouldn't go out at night.

Moreover, judging from tonight's events, the minds of those Shogunate Heroic Spirits will also be affected at night, making them difficult to communicate with.

Having just entered this singularity, everything is still unclear, and there's no need to provoke them at this time.

At this moment, even the most quick-witted of the jinxes, Jane, understood the unspoken meaning in Samael's words. He immediately swallowed hard and stared intently at the thick stack of Fukuzawa Yukichi in the new boss's hand.

"Then you mean..."

"Report to the Golden Deer Bar tomorrow morning; I have something for you to do."

Samael answered casually, then pulled out three bills from a thick stack of banknotes and tossed them to the three new employees.

And this is considered a salary?

The three of them ran their fingertips along the texture of the banknotes, inhaling the strong smell of ink, their faces filled with surprise and delight.

The man, who had stood up at some point, looked at them with a wry smile and asked a question.

"You guys won't be late, will you?"

Instantly, with just a glance, that familiar chill shot from the tailbone of the three women to the top of their heads, causing the three pale-faced bandits to shake their heads repeatedly.

Having received positive and affirmative responses from the employees, Samael nodded in satisfaction and gracefully turned to leave.

Golden Deer Bar, second-floor bedroom.

After an unknown amount of time, "Samael," who had been sleeping soundly on the bed, turned into a wisp of blood mist and dissipated. In its place in the room was a figure sitting at the table drinking tea.

Immediately afterwards, the sound of a pen tip scratching across paper filled the room.

Soon after, Samael put down his pen, his dark eyes looking at the lines of clues listed above, a look of satisfaction on his face.

Tonight's trip was quite fruitful.

On the one hand, he figured out some of the distortions and taboos of this singularity, and on the other hand, he also gained three thugs who were passable.

Currently, all he needs to do is verify each of the deduced questions one by one, and he will gradually get closer to the truth and uncover the real culprit.

As usual, after memorizing the summary on the paper and cleaning up the scene, Samael's tense nerves relaxed. He lazily stretched his waist and got up to go to the bathroom to wash up.

The bedroom was only forty or fifty square meters, but it was small yet fully equipped. When Samael entered the bathroom, he even saw a separate large bathtub.

Feeling a slight stickiness on his body, he decisively removed his clothes and took a nice hot bath to relax.

As his somewhat weary body sank into the warm water, enjoying the gentle flow, Samael leaned back, letting out a comfortable groan, his thoughts drifting away in relaxation.

Due to their unique concept of cleanliness, the Japanese are very enthusiastic about bathing, and almost every household has a dedicated bathing facility.

The origin of this tradition is related to the Shinto culture native to Japan.

Legend has it that in ancient times, the primordial gods Izanagi-no-Mikoto and Izanami-no-Mikoto, who were brother and sister, united here and gave birth to their offspring, who became the origin of Shinto in Japan.

However, when Izanami gave birth to Kagutsuchi, the god of fire, she was burned by the flames that accompanied the divine fetus and eventually died.

Because she was the first being on this land to have the concept of death, she became the ruler of the Land of the Dead and the Lord of the Dead.

Unable to bear seeing his wife leave, Izanagi chased her all the way to the Land of the Dead, hoping to bring her back and rekindle their love.

However, during an unintentional glimpse, Izanagi discovered that his wife's appearance had been completely altered by the ravages of death, and he fled in terror.

Seeing this, Izanami was furious and sent the Yomi Oni (demons of the underworld) to hunt her down.

In the end, Izanagi proved superior, evaded the pursuit, and escaped back to the human world alone.

However, upon returning from the Land of the Dead, Izanagi did not even grieve for the fact that he and his wife could not reunite. The first thing he did was to go to Apokihara in Tsukushi Province, where he held a purification ritual to cleanse his body.

Perhaps, from today's perspective, Izanagi's reaction seems strange.

They were such a loving couple, yet he wanted to abandon his wife because of her uncleanliness, and was even eager to bathe and cleanse himself.

In reality, behind every myth lies another history.

This is a concept and custom of ancient Japan. They placed great importance on personal "cleanliness".

This is especially evident in their attitude towards the dead.

Ancient Japanese people treated the dead with fear of contamination.

When a person dies, a funeral must be held immediately and cannot be postponed.

On the tenth day after the death, the mourning period ends, and the whole family must take a bath.

The living usually abandon the house where the deceased lived and rebuild a new one.

This demonstrates the profound importance that the ancient Japanese placed on "cleanliness."

When Izanagi returned from the underworld, his body was defiled, and he was eager to cleanse himself.

At this time, he used a typical Japanese purification method, namely the purification ritual that Shintoism attaches great importance to.

While washing away the filth from his left eye, he created Amaterasu Omikami, the most revered god among the Japanese.

The moon goddess Tsukuyomi was born while washing her right eye;

The storm god Susanoo was born while he was washing his nose.

The three gods were born from "purity," and Japanese Shinto and culture are built on this unique concept of "purity."

Purification…Three Gods…Amaterasu…

As the steam in the bathtub gradually dissipated, Samael's thoughts returned. He slowly opened his eyes, grabbed a towel, wrapped it around his body, and walked barefoot to the bedside. He casually tapped the phone on the bedside table and checked the time.

It's past five o'clock...

Then, the ancient snake looked up at the ink-like night outside the window, and its brows gradually furrowed.

Tonight's night seems a bit long.

After an unknown amount of time, the faint sunlight leaped above the horizon, dispelling the long night and evaporating the hazy mist. The entire city was undergoing an imperceptible, earth-shattering transformation.

Modern skyscrapers have sprung up, and a dilapidated style has replaced the rustic charm. The scars and distortions left by the Holy Grail War are clearly imprinted on the central area of ​​Tokyo.

Samael, who was sleeping fully clothed on the bed, opened his eyes, turned on his phone, and glanced at the screen.

It is 7:00 AM now.

And right now, it's summer...

As night fades and dawn breaks, the sunlight dispels not only the darkness but also the chilly coldness.

Before long, the whole street became lively, with people coming and going, full of life.

As one of the few upscale establishments in the area, Golden Deer Bar also began its new day of business.

Not long after the store opened, a group of professional drunkards, including Columbus, Blackbeard, and Billy the Kid, filed out as if on cue, to get drunk early in the morning.

Judging from the looks of it, this group of hedonistic thugs had been going stir-crazy all night.

Captain Drake was still hungover from drinking too much the night before.

Having grown accustomed to this, female spy Mata Hari took on the roles of waitress, accountant, and cleaner, keeping herself constantly busy in the store.

However, out of concern for his new colleague, this senior colleague still kept an eye on Samael, the newcomer, ready to step in and save the day.

To Mata Hari's surprise, Samael behind the bar was not only a master bartender whose skills were so refined they could be described as art, but he also easily took over the bookkeeping, performing even better than she did.

"I used to own a bar before I came here."

Samael shrugged and explained the jobs he had done while slacking off in the Dark Council.

Mata Hari's eyes lit up, and she completely relaxed about the newcomer, focusing on her own work.

However, half an hour after opening, three unexpected figures sneaked into the store.

It's them...

Mata Hari frowned slightly as she watched Jane the cowgirl, the twin pirates Mary and Anne walk in together.