From Earthbound Spirit to Tokyo Evil

All he got was J's furious rebuke and a meaningless order to find the real culprit behind the incident as soon as possible.

If Akasaka had such ability, then such a thing would never have the chance to happen.

This is like tying them up with handcuffs and shackles and forcing them to participate in a sprint competition. How could such a ridiculous thing be possible in the world?

"Akasaka will try his best," Kuroda Koji said, holding back his grief. "But... this is probably beyond our capabilities. Mr. J, under the current mechanism, there are very few things we can do. You should be aware of this."

He was immediately lifted up by J's telekinesis, his throat was strangled, and he was completely unable to breathe.

"Are you teaching me how to do things?" J cursed angrily.

Kuroda Koji completely gave up struggling until J took the initiative to put him down, allowing him to spend a few minutes catching his breath.

"If killing me can solve the problem, then please do it immediately. However, Mr. J, this is not the first time you have served as the leader of Tokyo Watch. You should know Akasaka's situation better than anyone else. Please calm down and tell me honestly, is Akasaka really capable of solving such a problem?

We are not afraid of sacrifice, and we are not afraid of making greater efforts. However, if our actions are doomed to be in vain, and may even waste precious time and give the enemy a chance to grow stronger, then what is the point of such efforts? "

"Please, please relax the restrictions on Akasaka a little bit!" Kuroda Koji sighed. "Akasaka was built by the Watchers. If the Watchers don't even trust Akasaka, then who else on this land is worthy of your trust? Mr. J, please execute me for being so reckless, but please also think carefully about the current situation. If it continues like this, I'm afraid the situation will eventually develop to a point where it can't be controlled."

Chapter 106 Trading

"I haven't been here for a few days. It seems something extraordinary has happened here."

M's sudden appearance caused a flurry of activity in the Skeleton Shrine.

In the past, she would arrive in a convoy of at least three cars, or she would take a helicopter and land directly on the open space in front of the torii gate. This was the first time she came alone in a car, and it caught the shrine maidens completely off guard.

The three newly appeared shikigami all caught her eye, but the shrine maidens were surprised to see that she did not try to catch them for study as she had done before. Instead, she watched them run away from a distance, smiled, and walked along the approach to the main hall.

"Ms. M." Kana Nomiya felt helpless as if she had encountered an unwelcome guest, but she had to go out to greet him.

"Come to the main hall. I have something to say." M said, then turned around to look at Sasaki Daisuke and others who were about to escape from the sacred forest, and said, "The people from the Corpse Organization should also come."

The words were still unpleasant, but there was a subtle change in attitude.

The group quickly sat down in the main hall. M changed his previous casual behavior and sat upright in the position directly opposite the shrine.

Did she take the wrong medicine?

"Mu Yuan, can you let me see your new item?"

She knew that this wasn't strange, nothing that happened here was hidden from Akasaka, but it was rather odd that she spoke in such a tone.

Kimoto looked at Kana Nomiya and Rika Inaba, then looked in the direction of the shrine, pulled out the wooden sword, handed it to her with both hands, and then took off the bronze mirror and handed it to her.

M held them in her hands and studied them for a while, and everyone was looking at her silently.

Several people thought that she would suddenly stick the wooden sword into the ground, or simply throw the bronze mirror into the sky to test their strength with her telekinesis, but she quickly shook her head and returned the things to Mu Yuan.

Xia Chuan himself couldn't tell the difference in strength between these things, so how could she possibly tell?

For her, all that could be confirmed was whether these things were similar to what she had seen in the secret warehouse at the Watcher headquarters.

"Please try to invite Haizhai or Hailin here. I have something to say to them today."

Kana Nomiya looked at Rika Inaba, and the two exchanged opinions silently. Finally, the three Nomiya sisters stood up.

During the long Kagura dance, although Xia Chuan already knew what was happening here and had focused his attention here, he still did not show up. Instead, he hid silently, ready to see what this woman was trying to do.

Although Natsukawa had thought about changing the Kagura dance to be more cheerful, this matter had always been at the bottom of his priority list. Therefore, the Kagura dance of the Skeleton Shrine actually still used those that were previously stolen from Sugawara Michizane's system. In Natsukawa's words, it was like a funeral music.

After this went on for more than an hour, M finally lost his patience.

"Haiqi, you still won't show up?" She signaled the miko to stop and said directly to the shrine. "Forget it, I'll just say it straight away, I want to make a deal with you!"

Everyone in the hall was a little surprised, because her tone was obviously not as arrogant and condescending as usual. Although there was still no hint of request, at least she was speaking with an equal attitude.

"If you can get rid of that knife-wielding fellow from the Styx, I will allow the Skeleton Shrine to obtain legal religious status. We can follow the example of new religions in the United States and conduct limited public missionary work."

There was a dead silence in the main hall.

In such a conversation, other people can only serve as background members.

M waited for nearly a minute, then sighed slightly: "Then, let your miko and the people from the Corpse Agency protect me for a while, is that okay?"

What? They had previously failed to drag the Skeleton Society into the conflict between the Watchers and the Cheka by staying at the shrine, but now they were planning to use this method to force the Skeleton Society to fight against the Styx Society?

Xia Chuan felt that her previous suggestion was not her original intention at all. She had deliberately proposed a deal that was impossible for both parties to achieve just for the sake of this proposal, and then pretended to be a compromise.

"If you don't object, I'll take it as your agreement," M said.

Sure enough, it still smells familiar.

"We are priests and cannot leave the shrine without God's order." Kana Nomiya hurriedly looked for an excuse.

"Then it should be okay for Inaba to protect me, right? Aren't the Mukuro Organization out there exorcising spirits every day? They don't have restrictions that prevent them from leaving the shrine, right?"

Kana Nomiya looked at Rika Inaba, who seemed a little conflicted.

Her way of thinking is still stuck in the state of being suppressed by Akasaka. She cannot, like Nomiya Kana, see them as just collaborators who have temporarily gained an advantage.

"Ask her the price." Xia Chuan finally couldn't bear it anymore and spoke to her through the magatama.

After a few months, she finally heard Natsukawa's voice again. Inaba Rika couldn't help but raise her head, and this subtle movement was immediately noticed by people.

M waited quietly.

"Ms. M, may I ask, what price are you willing to pay for this?" Inaba Rika's mentality suddenly changed completely, and even her voice became louder unconsciously.

"What do you want?" M asked back.

Inaba Rika was silent for a moment, then said, "Then let's talk about it after you have thought it through."

"Haibi, you are the one who is instructing her, right?" M asked immediately. "Why don't you talk to me directly? There are indeed some misunderstandings between the two of us, but it has been so long and there has been no unpleasantness between the two of us. That page should have been turned over long ago, right?"

Inaba Rika remained silent for a long time before she said, "Ms. M, please think about the price you are willing to pay before you come back."

"Isn't a project as large as the Skeleton Shrine enough to demonstrate our sincerity? The Skeleton Agency has now been tacitly allowed to act legally. Isn't that enough?"

"Ms. M's life is priceless." Inaba Rika continued to say something that was totally inconsistent with her personality. "You can take back the Skeleton Shrine at any time, and the Skeleton Agency can stop operating at any time. We will not have any complaints, nor will we change our friendly attitude towards Akasaka because of this. Besides, we don't need such a large place in the first place. If it weren't for helping Akasaka better, there would be no need for the Skeleton Agency to exist at all."

M laughed: "Haiqi, you have become cunning."

Inaba Rika did not answer, but sat there quietly.

M's smile gradually faded.

It had been a long time since she had felt such a complete loss of initiative after becoming an important member of the Watchers.

"Then, in exchange for my safety, the Skeleton Society will become the only legal heterodox organization in Tokyo, which cannot be public and will accept limited guidance and supervision from the Watchers. Of course, corresponding to this, it can only obtain limited support in terms of materials, information, and force. Members of the Skeleton Society who accept registration and supervision can obtain legal identities to live in Tokyo, and their safety is guaranteed by the Tokyo Watchers and Akasaka. Those who do not accept registration and supervision are not included in this list, and their safety is not protected. If accidental injuries occur, the Watchers and Akasaka will not bear any responsibility, and the Skeleton Society may not retaliate in any form on this basis. The Skeleton Society promises not to engage in any behavior that is detrimental to the interests of the Watchers, Akasaka, and Neon."

She said these words in one breath and waited quietly.

These terms were slightly different from what she had proposed last time, but these terms were probably the limit of what the Watcher could tolerate.

Xia Chuan actually didn't really need the things she promised, but according to Long Qingting's theory, if he wanted to achieve something, the Watchers would be a hurdle he couldn't overcome, and the Styx Society was another.

Deliberate avoidance will not solve any problem.

M wanted to use this method to obtain more intelligence about the Skeleton Society, and even drag them into the dispute with the Styx Society again, but why couldn't he use this opportunity to obtain more intelligence about the Watchers and the Styx Society and try to gain more benefits?

What's more, promising to protect her doesn't mean you'll really do it with all your strength.

Since she asked for the protection of the Skeleton Organization, it would be enough to let the Skeleton Organization do its best. It would also be a good opportunity to test the effectiveness of those things.

Anyway, no matter what the result is, the one who made the promise was only the shrine maiden Inaba Rika of the Corpse Observation. What does it have to do with the skeleton?

What does it have to do with Natsukawa Daimyojin?

"Ms. M, do you have such authority?" Inaba Rika asked after a moment. "You are not the person in charge of Tokyo Watch now, right?"

"If you agree, I will convince J, and of course I will convince the Watcher headquarters," said M. "If I don't do my best to promote this matter, you can withdraw at any time."

"So, what we got is just a promise that may not be fulfilled?"

"You are only taking the possible risks. It is very likely that the Styx will not come to me at all." M replied. "This is the best offer I can give, Haisui. I don't know what you want or what results you want to achieve. But if your ideals are really what you said before, then you should not reject me. Rome was not built in a day. If you stand still, you will never make any progress. You must try to take this step."

The personal promise of the shrine maiden Rika Inaba and the personal promise of the senior official M really complement each other.

"Starting from which day?" Inaba Rika paused for a moment.

"Now." M replied immediately.

"When will it end?"

"I'm leaving Neon because I feel I no longer need your protection, or until you realize that I broke my promise and didn't really push this matter forward."

"Then please start fulfilling your promise immediately," said Rika Inaba.

M immediately took out his cell phone.

"J? I'm back now. Yes, I have something to talk to you about. It's something related to the Skeleton Society."

Chapter 107 Calculation

M has made a gesture, but how effective it will actually be, probably only she herself knows.

However, Xia Chuan never expected this from the beginning.

He also began to quietly give instructions to the priestesses.

The primary task of the shrine maidens is to strengthen their training, find out the most suitable fighting method for the Rat God, and improve their self-protection ability. The secondary task is to deal with the reception of Akasaka or other visitors who may appear, and subtly expand the influence of the shrine.

The mission of the Corpse Agency is to take advantage of the opportunity to protect M to contact as many people in Akasaka and Tokyo Watch as possible, spread the news that "M is being protected by the Skeleton Society" as widely as possible, and publicize the fact that the Skeleton Society has been recognized by the Watchers as a fait accompli. At the same time, they must also be careful to spread the vague concept that "the Watchers are no longer capable and have to rely on the Skeleton Society for protection when facing the Styx Society."

Anyway, with M's personality, she is likely to take the initiative to cause trouble to attract the attention of the Styx Society and push the Skeleton Society and the Styx Society to fight again. Therefore, instead of being kicked into the whirlpool by her without gaining any benefits, it is better to take the initiative to muddy the water and create an impact first.

"If you encounter an enemy, fight if you can, hone your abilities and expand your influence; but if you can't, retreat immediately, don't hesitate, and don't fight to the death for M and the Styx. If M is courting death and provoking a strong enemy, don't worry about her, just let her die."

Such an instruction made Inaba Rika feel a little dizzy. No matter how she looked at it, it didn't seem like they wanted to fulfill their promise.

What is Lord Haizhi planning?

"Do you think M is really seeking our help out of fear? If she just wanted to save her life, there are many ways to do it, and she wouldn't have to come to us. She just wants to drag us into this and take the blame for the Watchers. Since her starting point is not good, we naturally don't need to talk about the spirit of the contract with her."

In fact, Inaba Rika is not the most suitable candidate for this task. It would be more appropriate to let her swap positions with Nomiya Kana. If Kawaguchi Rena was a few years older, she would be the most suitable candidate.

However, Xia Chuan has long been accustomed to the fact that his subordinates are useless, and his mentality is not that concerned, especially when facing a few guys from the Corpse Organization.

It can be said that the Nomiya family and Inaba Rika were dragged into this job passively. They were attracted by the high salary, the truth behind the job, the adventure and other things. They were given the opportunity to choose at the beginning, but it was they who decided to stay.

These guys have had it easy for long enough, it's time for them to take responsibility.

The members of the Corpse Agency naturally had mixed feelings.

Tachibana Koichi and Kimoto Juri had no choice. Whether as members of the Akasaka or Mukuro Agency, such missions were normal for them.

As for the others, they felt a little bit uneasy.

M's ability must be much stronger than theirs. The weaker party protects the stronger party. The logic behind this can only be said that those who understand will naturally understand.

"I don't even have a bronze mirror and a wooden sword..." Sugishita said in a low voice, but just as he finished speaking, he saw a big crow flying in from outside with a bundle in its beak. It landed on his table, made a "cackle" sound, and then flew away.

Qingdao wanted to laugh a little, but in the end he couldn't.

"Lord Kaitani will never let us go on a mission that will ensure our death. He will definitely look after us!" Daisuke Sasaki said loudly.

Qingdao sighed, walked to the equipment warehouse, and began to take out things he thought might be useful.

"If the Watchers don't arrange for manpower, I suggest that we split into three groups," Tachibana Hirokazu suggested. "I, Aoshima, and Sasaki will form a group, mainly responsible for combat; Kimoto and Inaba will form a group, responsible for personal security; Sugishita and Hyakume will form a group, mainly responsible for intelligence, logistics, and support?"

If there was no instruction from Natsukawa, and they really wanted to carry out the protection mission, then this arrangement would definitely be the most reasonable, but... Inaba Rika was worried about how to implement the decree of the God of Corpse, because no matter how she thought about it, Tachibana and Kimoto would not abandon M. If they followed his suggestion, the final result would most likely be that both groups would not be able to evacuate, and probably only the group that Sugishita, the sly guy, was in could escape in time.

"Will M listen to our arrangements?" Fortunately, Mu Yuan asked back at this time. "She is not the people we have protected before. Do you dare to tell her what she can and cannot do, where she can go and where she cannot go?"

"Yeah, let's listen to M's own opinion first." Inaba Rika immediately agreed.

But the first thing they heard was the news of Ishino Shinjiro's death from inside Akasaka. Combined with the time when this incident happened, people suddenly realized, and M's reaction suddenly became very reasonable.

Although he had never really thought about protecting her from the beginning, Xia Chuan still felt like he had lost out.

If I had known this would be the case, I should have strived for more favorable conditions.

Kimoto and Tachibana were a little excited.

They had no special feelings for Ishino Shinjiro, but as a member of the Akasaka clan, it was a huge shame for every member of the Akasaka clan that their newly-retired superior was brutally killed by the enemy.

The group quickly prepared their equipment, and at this time, the car sent by M also arrived.

It was not the black SUV they usually used before, but a bus that was obviously specially modified.