Mechanical Alchemist Chapter 34: Demon Sword
Shanyin Country is an island country composed of hundreds of islands.
Honshu Island is very large and has many vassal states including Izumo, Akada, Owari, Mikawa, Nagano and Akimoto.
It is said that it is a vassal state, but its territory is actually not very large. Three or two vassals are roughly equivalent to one county of Luying.
The lord is called a feudal lord, usually also called a daimyo, which is understood to be similar to being a prince. They fought independently and conquered each other, and were all nominally loyal to the royal family.
The divinely appointed royal family "Kamifu Clan" has its capital in Edo.
The "Old Rune Man" is the shogun, who has great power and is almost the first person under the imperial power. This guy's life is also full of legends. He started as a small feudal lord and got married step by step to where he is now.
This is the information Su Lun learned about Shanyin Country before
From Pirate City to Yamayakukuni, you usually take the sea route into the inland river, change to a small boat and go directly to Nagano, and then change the land route to Edo Castle...
Now the ships of their Ninth Fleet have been scuttled in the sea before they entered the inland river, so they can only take the land route.
On the winding mountain road, the beams of alchemy lamps and torches illuminated a long fire dragon.
Snowflakes are floating in the sky, and a thick layer of snow has accumulated on the roadside.
Under the moonlight, it is covered in silver.
"Bah! As soon as I came here, I encountered some kind of monster and sank the boat. What a **** unlucky thing."
"It's better not to be far from the shore, otherwise we will be in big trouble."
"The evil fire just now was so **** terrifying that it was gone as soon as people said it was gone. I still don't understand what it was about"
"Yes, I have heard about the monsters of Shanyin Country before, but they are rare. I didn't expect to be so unlucky, but we encountered them."
""
The six to seven hundred people of the Ninth Fleet had just come out of the sea, shivering from the cold, shivering, and walking around cursing.
In the crowd, Su Lun listened to everyone's whispers, thoughts racing in his mind.
Is it really because the monster was offended by the filth thrown into the sea?
Obviously it's not that simple.
Someone should stop them from going to Shanyin Country.
The squad captains and first mates seemed to have guessed something was wrong, but the big pirate group had money to take and they also had obligations.
Now that I realize something is wrong, I can only bite the bullet and move on.
The group walked a few kilometers, and the guide Matsunagahide who was walking at the front suddenly spoke again, his attitude was still extremely humble, "Mr. Hands, there is a village in the mountain col ahead, called 'Sword Forging Village'. We There are some special customs in Shanyin, and some small places will also enshrine monsters to protect their safety. Therefore, no matter what strange sacrificial behavior you see this time, please be sure to ignore those rural people and try not to touch them. There are some taboos, otherwise you will offend the monsters and you will get into a lot of trouble."
""
"Teabeard" Hanz's eyes twitched slightly as he listened.
If it were before, he would probably not take it seriously.
But after just experiencing the shipwreck, he no longer dared to be careless.
He even regretted that he had not listened to the guide's advice before and offended the monster, so he suffered heavy losses. He said to the people behind him: "Did you hear this? When you enter the village, you will be honest and don't leave him." Let’s mess around and find something to do. We’ll continue on our way tomorrow morning!”
"Yes, Captain!"
Everyone replied listlessly that they had just encountered a big change and no one wanted to cause more trouble.
But when Su Lun at the end of the team heard the guide's words, his mind became active.
Worship monsters?
He has been thinking about how the monster from Shanyin Country came to be.
The origins of monsters, sirens, and even aberrations can all be clearly explained and traced back to their origins.
But this "monster" is special.
They are like rootless duckweeds, existences that should only appear in legends and stories, but suddenly appear in reality.
The food chain, ecological chain, and reproductive chain are all difficult to explain using conventional principles.
It feels like something from myths and legends appeared out of thin air
After thinking hard to no avail, Su Lun continued to walk with the large army.
Not long after, they climbed over a mountain col and suddenly saw a small village.
There are not very bright lights in the village, which look like oil lamps and firewood. There was a layer of white snow on the roof, and smoke was still rising from the chimney.
The pirates of the Ninth Fleet suddenly became excited when they saw the village.
Not only did he have a place to stay, but more importantly, he saw a living person. The fear of being dominated by monsters dissipated a lot.
"Teabeard" Hanz waved his hand and said: "Brothers, find a farmer to stay at, and each team will arrange a sentry post. Set off early tomorrow morning!"
After a pause, he thought of something, and then warned: "We are not here to rob this time. Remember to stay in the house honestly and don't **** around!"
"Okay, Captain!"
"Got it, boss."
"Hahaha, finally I have a place to stay"
Everyone responded in unison. They couldn't wait to go inside the house to warm themselves up by the fire and warm their frozen bodies.
The pirates had no military discipline to speak of, so a group of people swarmed down.
Whoever can grab a good house belongs to him.
Su Lun was still carrying the issued individual artillery on his shoulders. He was not walking fast and fell behind the team.
When he passed the mountain pass, he was watching the guide Matsunaga Hide earnestly and repeatedly persuade the pirates who were going on not to touch some taboos.
Seeing that there was no one behind the team, the guide also left.
Su Lun saw him walking beside her and asked casually: "Mr. Guide, is there any explanation for the name 'Sword Forging Village' here?"
Yongxiu glanced at Su Lun, and bowed with fear on his face: "You can't afford to be a 'sir'. Just call me Yongxiu."
He buried his head and said: "We are now in the 'Izumo' territory. This area is rich in black iron ore. It has also produced good swords since ancient times. In the past, many villages near here made a living by mining and forging weapons. The same goes for the village. Later, due to some changes, the village declined."
"Oh"
Su Lun looked stunned as he listened.
I wanted to ask a few more questions, but unexpectedly, Yongxiu quietly fell behind and did not follow.
Su Lun glanced at the guy, a flash of thought flashed through his eyes, and he murmured in his heart: "The fleet's itinerary is arranged by the guide. If anyone really wants to stop this team from going to Edo City to collect taxes. This guy It’s very suspicious”
But there was nothing special about soul perception, so he didn’t think about it any more
This sword-forging house can only survive for a hundred households. When Su Lun came, the bigger and better houses had already been occupied by those powerful pirates.
Because people usually go to Edo by water, almost no outsiders come to this village. The villagers who had never seen outsiders looked very frightened and carefully waited on this group of pirates who had the word "evil" written on their faces.
The sailing food is not bad, but the food is very monotonous, mostly mashed potatoes as the staple food. The pirates who had eaten dry food for a few days were happily catching livestock, chickens and ducks in the cages, and the village was full of chickens and dogs.
Fortunately, all the division captains greeted them in advance and there was no trouble.
Su Lun was carrying the artillery and the camouflaged black rune umbrella. The black crow was very quiet on his shoulders and did not look dangerous.
But he didn't care. He walked and swept all the way, carefully observing every corner of the village.
After walking a few steps, Su Lun discovered that the houses in the village were all similar in shape. But there is only one building that looks like an ancestral hall and is particularly exquisitely built.
Taking the opportunity to find a house, Su Lun walked over. When he took a look, he discovered that the ancestral hall was swaying with dim candles, and what was enshrined on the table was not a tablet, but a "sword-like object" . Because it was wrapped in a strip of cloth that looked like a prayer flag, the whole sword couldn't be seen clearly.
It was not surprising that a village that made a living by making swords would offer swords as offerings, but Su Lun took a look, and an imperceptible strange color flashed across his expression.
"Hey"
I heard a soft sigh in my heart.
Because, he sensed a strange soul fluctuation from the "sword-like object".
"A monster, or the spirit of the sword?"
Su Lun was thinking in his heart.
No matter what the situation was, he felt something was wrong.
Let’s not say it’s a monster. The guide also reminded us before that these villagers will worship monsters.
It’s not surprising that the spirit fluctuations of monsters appear in the ancestral hall.
But if it is a spiritual sword, then it is probably a famous weapon of the "Twelve Excellent Swords" level. How could it appear in a village like this where all the villagers are ordinary people? No one came to get it?
It seems that the guide's previous warning worked. There are no pirates to disturb this ancestral hall.
Su Lun didn't intend to be too fussy. He took a quick look and walked straight to the end of the village.
There were people in the cottages along the way, and at the end, I found a house made of thatch and mud walls.
This Jianzhu Village is already very poor, and this family looks particularly poor.
I am so poor that no pirates are willing to stay here.
The holes in the window paper were not covered with new paper, but piles of firewood were used to block them.
There were no lights in the room, and it looked cold.
Seven or eight pirates were crowded into other houses, but not one was found in this one. Before Su Lun came, he saw a few pirates coming, but after entering the house and taking a look, he left cursing and went to the next room to squeeze in.
Su Lun felt that it was nice to have less people, it was quiet and no one would bother them.
He walked in and greeted the frightened old man at the door: "Excuse me, father-in-law. I want to stay at your house for one night."
In the soul's perception, besides the old man and the young man at the door, there was another person in the room. It seemed that he was hiding it deliberately, holding his breath and making no sound.
But Su Lun didn't care, as long as there was a tile to keep out the wind and snow.
The old man watched Su Lun enter the house and did not dare to refuse. He bowed and saluted, and explained in panic: "There is no warmth in the house, because I am afraid that adults will not get used to it."
Su Lun didn't mind, "It doesn't matter."
The old man didn't dare to show any dissatisfaction when he saw the people coming in. He called to the innocent and curious boy at the door and shouted: "Yoshino, go and boil some water for this adult."
"Oh."
The boy responded and got into the house.
As soon as Su Lun was about to enter the house, the team leader outside the door saw him and shouted: "Johnny, you and Sharp are on guard duty at midnight!"
The night guard works in three shifts, but only the midnight guard is cold and sleepy, and it is considered a hard job.
Usually it is the people with bad connections in the pirate group who get their turn.
Su Lun also felt it didn’t matter and responded, "Okay!"
Sharp's reluctant response came from several rooms next door, "Oh."
The house is not big, just three rooms.
It is not an exaggeration to say that this house is bare-walled. Except for an old table and two bamboo chairs, there is nothing that can be considered furniture. There are piles of hay everywhere in the house as a reserve of firewood and to keep out the wind.
Su Lun walked in. No one was causing trouble, so he deliberately avoided the room where people were hiding.
The old man pointed to the main house and said humbly: "Sir, if you don't mind, I will rest here tonight."
The bed was covered with thick straw and only a thin blue blanket. On this windy and snowy day, people could not feel the slightest warmth.
Su Lun frowned.
It’s not that I can’t live in it, but I feel like how can three people survive the winter in a house that leaks air everywhere?
There is only one bed in the house, and the other room where people are hiding is the woodshed.
In other words, Su Lun fell asleep on the bed, and the old man and the other two could only spend the night in the firewood pile.
He looked at it and sighed slightly, feeling a little guilty that he was causing trouble to others.
At this time, the child who went to boil water before also walked in cautiously holding a porcelain bowl.
The bowl is steaming.
The old man took it and handed it to Su Lun, with a worried smile on his face as if he had not taken good care of him: "I made you laugh. There are no cups or tea leaves at home, so I can only put some boiling water in porcelain bowls. I have not taken enough care of you."
Su Lun looked at the chipped porcelain bowl and probably guessed that there was probably no intact porcelain bowl left in the house.
He didn't mind at all, took it, took a sip, and said, "Thank you."
The warm boiling water flowed down the throat into the stomach, and Su Lun felt uncomfortable in his heart.
It has been a long time since I traveled to this world, and I have seen many poor and suffering people. But never once did he feel as bad as tonight.
Do humans pity the weak nature?
Still think this world can be better?
Su Lun doesn’t know.
At the moment of thinking, I turned around and saw the old man and the young man standing there cautiously, as if they did not dare to leave without his "adult" speaking.
Su Lun saw the loose clothes on the young man and asked, "The clothes don't seem to fit?"
It looks like a robe or a gown, starched and white, and full of patches.
The stitching is very rough, and it doesn’t look like a woman’s handiwork, but probably an old man’s.
Looking down, I saw that the shoes under my feet were still exposed, and my feet were purple from the cold.
The young man seemed a little timid and did not dare to speak when asked.
After hearing this, the old man smiled bitterly and said: "Replying to your lord, these clothes are made from my father-in-law's clothes. They don't fit. They are just used as clothes during the day and as a quilt at night. Make them bigger so they can be covered more easily. ."
"Oh."
Su Lun looked at it and said lightly.
He didn't see a quilt on the bed before, but he actually guessed it.
Without saying much, he took out a few pieces of clothes and shoes from the storage ring and handed them out, "These old clothes are not valuable, so they are just my overnight stay."
Seeing his behavior, the old man and the young man were not only unhappy, but immediately knelt down on the ground, even more frightened: "Sir, it is the honor of the Xiaochi family that you come to our house as a guest, and we absolutely dare not accept your things. ”
For these villagers who have never been out of the mountain village, foreign pirates are probably very big people.
Don't offend.
Su Lun put the clothes on the bed and said calmly: "Take it."
He was afraid that the two of them would be frightened, so he wanted to find some topic to lighten the atmosphere. Suddenly something occurred to him, and he casually talked about some light topics: "I also met a girl named Koike before, who happens to be from Izumo, I wonder if you know her. Well, her name is 'Koike Teppei'."
This is the geisha she met at the "Naganoya Geisha House" before. Su Lun had a good impression of her.
Hearing this, the young man was suddenly startled and couldn't help but said: "My sister is also called Teppei!"
Su Lun thought it might be the same name and said, "I met her in Golden City. She is a geisha."
The boy's eyes lit up and he spoke again: "My sister is also a kabuki performer in Edo!"
Su Lun also thought it was a coincidence that this was probably the home of Teppei Koike.
Hearing this, the old man couldn't help but said excitedly: "Sir, have you seen my little girl? Is she okay now? Ahem"
As he spoke, he couldn't help coughing twice.
Su Lun heard from the cough that the old man had a big problem with his lungs, like pneumoconiosis.
He said: "It's very good. She is already an outstanding geisha at Naganoya in Golden City."
After hearing this, the old man finally saw a hint of joy on his face, as if he was relieved to hear the news he had been waiting for for a long time, "She is doing well, that's good."
In Shanyin Country, the status of geisha is not low.
But usually the birth of geisha is very miserable. Most of them are young girls from poor families who were sold to geisha halls from an early age.
銆愯よ瘑鍗丶镄勮佷ggong鍙嬬粰鴴戞帹 drilling鄮殑杩珺公app 锛屽挭鍜阒呰合紒鐪熺壣涔韚ソ鐢锛屽紑杞︺佺Xun 铓剉兘闱纺umbrella涓chain楥氲扉涔︽姦鍙戞椂邂达纴杩欓勷鍙捙捠ヤ笅杞銆
After selling, you can no longer contact your family.
Su Lun said that he knew Koike Teppei. The old man didn't speak as lively as before and could chat for a few words.
"My previous problem was that I fell down while mining, and the iron powder was inhaled into my lungs. I had tuberculosis and I had no strength, so the mine owner refused to let me work in the mine. When I gave birth to Yoshino eight years ago, his mother also died in childbirth and the family was completely devastated. In order to gain income, I had no choice but to sell Teppei."
"Master Yushou is very kind. He gave us housing allowance and a lot of help. Unfortunately, the old man was too stupid and was deceived by the rogues who came to the village."
""
After chatting for a while, Su Lun also learned about the situation of the Xiaochi family.
It's very sad to hear.
Shanyin Country is already poor, and this is really the kind of family where people have been poor for several generations.
What is slightly strange is that when Su Lun listened to the old man talking about "Master Yushou", there was almost fanatical admiration on his face.
What exactly is the charm of the legendary "most beautiful princess in the world" Mitate Yahime that makes people admire her so much? (It’s not a ‘Mitarai’ surname, don’t take it seriously)
Perhaps because he thought Su Lun was not that scary, he peeked out his head from hiding in the woodshed while chatting. She was a fairly pretty little girl, about thirteen or fourteen years old.
Su Lun has very good night vision, but he pretends not to see it.
He asked the young man named Yoshino to wear the clothes he had given him, and gave the old man a healing potion. It could not cure the lung disease, but he could live a few more years.
While chatting, the family members finally saw expressions other than fear on their faces.
The atmosphere gradually became harmonious.
Su Lun is very interested in the monsters in Shanyin Country and wants to ask the locals about them. After thinking about it, I recounted my previous experience of meeting [Shiranui] and [Kappa].
The old man also said some things he knew.
Monsters have a very special meaning to the Shanyin people. They are scary and respectable, but they often protect them.
This statement is similar to what is written in Shenguiyizhi, and Su Lun did not get much useful information
While chatting, Su Lun suddenly thought of the spiritual knife in the village ancestral hall, and asked: "Old man, when I passed by the village entrance before, I saw a knife enshrined in the village ancestral hall. Is there anything particular about it?"
"this"
Hearing this, the old man's face clearly showed a look of embarrassment, and he hesitated: "It's not that the old man didn't tell the adults, it's that if he told you, it would bring you misfortune."
When Su Lun heard this, he became even more interested, but he also said: "If it's not convenient to say it, that's okay."
At this time, the young man Yoshino on the side was a little anxious, as if he was afraid of neglecting the distinguished guest, and interrupted: "Father, the eminent monk once said that people with upright hearts will not be affected. Just say it, Johnny Such a good person like you, sir, wouldn’t do that”
Eminent monk?
Listening to this, Su Lun felt that the sword was really special.
The old man glared at his son, but he was helpless.
He felt that it was a bit lame to conceal it. He hesitated for a moment, then turned around and asked Su Lun again: "My lord, do you really want to hear it?"
Su Lun smiled and nodded: "Yes. I am indeed quite interested."
Hearing this, the old man sighed slightly, as if he had just decided to say it.
He paused for a moment, and then said: "Because it is a famous sword, "Onimaru Hyakume Munemasa". ”
As soon as Su Lun heard this name, he suddenly felt like his hair was about to explode. He said in disbelief: "The 'demon sword' 'Onimaru Hyakume Munemasa' ranked third among the Twelve Masters of Famous Swords?" ”
This is a legendary sword with twelve names that has disappeared!
In the ancestral hall of this small village?
As soon as he opened his mouth, Su Lun said it was impossible and felt something was wrong.
But the old man opposite nodded with a complicated expression, "Yes."