pertwk Chapter 400 Fictional Historian
Chapter 400 Fictional Historian
Chapter 400 Fictional Historian
Once you leave the city, the further you go from the city center, the denser the buildings become.
There is no land on the Steel Continent; the greenery in the city is cultivated at great expense.
Such an environment is naturally not something ordinary people can afford. Generally speaking, those who live in the city center have a certain social status and power.
As for ordinary people, they can only live outside the city.
Furthermore, because Namba is one of the few economically developed cities, many people choose Namba as their first choice of residence. If they can't live in the city, they can live outside the city.
Although several yakuza organizations, such as the East City Gang, have territories within the city, their largest territories are actually outside the city limits.
Therefore, within the city, you can see green plants and courtyards, just like cities in other countries, and even more futuristic than cities in other countries.
But outside the city, the various small and medium-sized towns are filled with steel skyscrapers, with no greenery at all, a completely different scene from the city center.
This is actually considered good. If you go to the other half of Japan's territory—the Steel Continent—you will see all kinds of factories, smog covering the sky, and all sorts of indescribable smells in the air.
There, even a four-star martial artist might show signs of poisoning if they excessively absorb vital energy.
Industrial zones are located outside the city, while heavily polluting industries are located outside the steel industry zone.
Although that side is the natural environment, the Steel Continent is the developed region, where the rulers of the Western Alliance and Heian-kyo reside. Therefore, the people of the less developed Japan are left to suffer.
A streak of black smoke flew down from the night sky and landed on the top of a building.
Then the black energy took shape, surrounding an invisible force field constructed of crystal, binding the true energy and forming a body. Then the meridians and bones were simulated from the inside, and a complete human body was formed.
As the true energy circulated through the meridians, the "Heavenly Demon Rebirth Technique" was activated, "condensing".
With a single word, the law came into being, and a figure appeared that looked exactly like the real person.
"Deconstructed and reconstructed, its body structure is exactly the same, enough to unleash 80% of my strength." Bai Ze made his judgment after sensing it for a moment.
If one were to enlarge their body and reveal the true "Law of Heaven and Earth - Third Stage", the power they could unleash would still be greater than that of Bai Ze's original form. However, to maintain a normal human body size, they would not be able to absorb vital energy in large quantities and could only unleash about 80% of their strength.
But that's enough.
After Bai Ze had adjusted to the situation, he said calmly, "Come on up."
As soon as he finished speaking, the rooftop door opened, and Sarutobi, dressed in a tight-fitting outfit, strode up.
"grown ups."
He bowed and reported, "Most of the high-ranking members of the loyalist group have arrived, and they already know that Kamiizumi Muneshige will be ambushed and killed. They are currently discussing the matter."
"You're quite well-informed; your backers must be quite powerful," Bai Ze chuckled.
Although it seems that the whole world knows about the ambush of Kamiizumi Muneshige, and it's almost reached other worlds, those who can find out about it so quickly are no small figures.
For example, the Imperial Household Agency of Japan, which directly serves the retired emperor, was painstakingly built by the Japanese imperial family and is said to be personally led by the retired emperor's own sister, the current Shinto priestess of Japan.
Furthermore, the Ursus Security Council is no ordinary organization; its 1.5 million informants alone are astonishing.
The fact that the Sonno Joi (Supporters of the Emperor) were able to learn the news so quickly was clearly not because it was revealed by Kamiizumi Muneshige, but rather because it was a message from the supporters behind the Sonno Joi.
Sarutobi reported: "According to Takasugi Toichi, a disciple of Kamiizumi Muneshige, the message was indeed sent by a powerful figure behind the scenes, but the identity of that person was not revealed."
Takasugi Toichi, the disciple and deputy of Kamiizumi Muneshige, is a Seven-Star Warrior. If nothing unexpected happens, Takasugi Toichi will succeed Kamiizumi Muneshige.
Apart from Kamiizumi Muneshige, there are no other eight stars among the loyalists of the Sovereign Kingdom.
Or rather, there aren't many eight-star creatures in the entire Kingdom of Ying.
The development of martial arts in this world was initially based on exploration of other worlds. Significant discoveries made in these early explorations, leading to the timely training of powerful martial artists, would provide a tremendous advantage for future explorations.
One step at a time, one step at a time.
The strong can explore further than the weak and have a greater chance of obtaining good things. Not to mention, they can also snatch opportunities from the weak.
Yingguo itself is a small country, and it is controlled by the Western Alliance, which intentionally or unintentionally suppresses it, so there are naturally fewer experts.
Currently, the mainstays of Ying Kingdom are two nine-star warriors, not a single ten-star warrior, let alone a Heavenly Gate warrior.
While recalling the information on the main members of the King's Guard, Bai Ze said, "Takasugi Toichi, I remember he was originally a disciple of the Katori Shinto-ryu school, so his strength should be quite good."
"Yes, he did study under the tutelage of the Sword Saint Tsukahara," Sarutobi replied.
The so-called Sword Saint of Iehara is the master of the largest swordsmanship school in Japan and one of the two nine-star warriors.
Takasugi Toichi first joined the Shinto school under Shika, then joined the Sonno Shishi, was expelled from the Shinto school, and became a disciple of Kamiizumi Muneshige.
Having studied under two powerful masters, he should have some skills.
"Let's go and see the leadership of the pro-King patriots."
As Bai Ze spoke, his divine sense had already quietly spread out.
..
..
The stronghold of the loyalists was located in the basement of a building about 300 meters away.
It was converted from an abandoned underground parking lot and also has secret passages. If anything seems amiss, people can immediately escape into the underground floors and disperse.
There are many similar safe havens for those who uphold the King, some of which even Sarutobi might not know about.
At this time, more than 300 people had gathered at the stronghold.
They patrolled back and forth in the underground parking lot, intentionally or unintentionally guarding a secret room at the very back.
Inside the secret room, more than ten people sat upright. The leader was dressed in a kimono with a haori over it. He looked to be in his thirties and had a scar on his face that diminished his handsome appearance and added to his menacing aura and imposing presence.
He is none other than Takasugi Toichi, the current deputy leader of the Revere-the-King patriots.
Besides him, the other two Seven Stars of the Venerable King also arrived, and eight of the dozen or so Six Stars also came. They are all here now.
The atmosphere inside the sealed room was tense, as the group held differing opinions regarding the rescue of Kamiizumi Muneshige.
Some say that by rushing directly into Namba City and causing destruction everywhere, they gave Muneshige Kamiizumi a chance to escape.
Some say that they should first contact Kamijouzumi Muneshige and let the leader make the decision.
Others suggested observing the situation and waiting for the right opportunity.
There are generally three factions with differing opinions, making it difficult to reach a consensus.
Sitting in the main seat, Takasugi Toichi appeared calm, as if he were considering his choice, but in reality, he was deliberately indulging himself and stalling for time.
As Kamiizumi Muneshige's disciple and successor, he naturally knew Kamiizumi Muneshige's thoughts and plans. Given the current situation, Takasugi Toichi's idea was simply to do nothing and wait for Kamiizumi Muneshige to return.
But such thoughts are obviously impossible to say aloud.
Therefore, Takasugi Toichi intentionally let everyone argue back and forth.
After the argument, they fell into silence. After the silence, the argument was about to begin again.
"Vice-leader, what do you think we should do?" one of them asked, looking at Takasugi Toichi.
Upon hearing this, Takasugi Toichi was trying to find a way to evade the question when suddenly there was a noise coming from the door of the secret room.
Then, the door to the secret chamber opened, and a dark, cloud-like aura surged forth, surrounding the mysterious figure clad in a black robe as they entered the chamber.
"Who goes there?!"
The atmosphere of the argument suddenly fell silent, and all eyes were focused on the newcomer.
"Sarutobi, you actually brought in outsiders without permission! Do you want to be a traitor?"
One of the six-star warriors, a middle-aged man with gray hair and beard, dressed as a samurai, was the first to speak up and question Sarutobi, who was following behind Bai Ze.
"Of course not."
Sarutobi, head held high, replied in a loud voice, "Lord Danzo comes from Heian-kyo and is our ally. It was he who killed the pursuers, allowing us to escape from Namba City."
Heian Jing···.
Upon hearing these three words, everyone present showed a look of hesitation.
Not everyone present knows who the important figures who support the pro-King patriots are, but one thing is certain.
That is, the supporters are definitely in Heian-kyo, and most likely they are members of that noble family.
"Mr. Iwakura Tomomori, we met once before. Back then, you were following behind Chief Kamiizumi."
Bai Ze looked at the first samurai with gray hair and beard who had spoken first, and gave him a reminder.
Iwakura Tomomori was taken aback when he heard this.
Have we met?
Still under the leadership of Chief Kamiizumi... Is that right?
He unearthed some distant memories, and it seemed that they had indeed met before.
Two years ago, the leader of the Kamiizumi clan went to Heian-kyo and asked me to find a secluded place to meet with an envoy of a great figure.
I happened to be there at the time, so the leader of the Kamiizumi introduced himself.
Yes, that's right, that's exactly it.
Iwakura Tomomori was confused, Iwakura Tomomori reminisced, Iwakura Tomomori suddenly realized.
He remembered.
"So it's Lord Shimura Danzo."
Iwakura Tomomori looked on with sudden realization. "You didn't reveal your true face, so I didn't recognize you at all."
"And Mr. Samejima, we've met him too," Bai Ze said, looking at the other person. "Back then, the Sakura flowers in Heian-kyo were in full bloom."
Upon hearing this, Samejima, a samurai with a cold and hard expression and his hand on his sword, immediately recalled the non-existent memory after a brief moment of confusion.
He nodded and said in a deep voice, "Lord Danzo, it's been a long time since I last greeted you."
These two were veterans among the pro-King patriots; with their endorsement, the others gradually lowered their guard.
The hostility turned into realization, and they looked like they were "one of us."
As for why he was wearing a black robe, it was obviously to conceal his identity.
But actually?
Of course, both of their memories are fabricated.
Before Bai Ze spoke, Shimura Danzo did not exist in their memories at all, but after Bai Ze "reminded" them, a fragment was quietly inserted into their memories, and they believed it without a doubt.
Everything is a manifestation of the power of words.
A fabricated memory can be directly inserted into the other person's mind. Even if there are some discordant elements, the other person can fill in the gaps in their memory and force it to become reasonable.
Among the group, only Takasugi Toichi and another member of the Seven Stars still had doubts, but at this moment they could not find any evidence to question them.
Although they met with the envoys of those important figures along with Kamiizumi Muneshige, it was only a few times, and they could not possibly have met all of the important figures' envoys.
Besides, no one stipulates that the envoy can only be the same person, right?
Therefore, even if he had some doubts in his heart, Takasugi Toichi could not say them out loud at this moment.
If he were to raise any objections, Bai Ze could conjure up several more informants for him in no time.
Three seven-stars are hard to move, so surely a group of six-stars can be controlled?
If that's still not enough, the three hundred or so people outside can all come forward as witnesses.
No matter how much you doubt him, "Shimura Danzo" is one of us, and it's no use for Kamiizumi Muneshige to question him.
Moreover, Takasugi Toichi didn't have time to argue at the moment. He immediately asked, "Does this... Lord Danzo mean for us to enter Namba City immediately?"
"Does Mr. Takasugi find this inappropriate?" Bai Ze asked in return.
"That's definitely not appropriate," Takasugi Toichi replied in a deep voice.
At this point, he could no longer remain silent.
If we remain silent any longer, the loyalists will mobilize in full force to cause trouble in Namba City.
Kamiizumi Muneshige was just putting on an act, but once the loyalists to the emperor were mobilized, it was no longer just an act.
Nine times out of ten, Western Union members will turn the charade into reality and keep all the loyalists and patriots.
Ultimately, they are still in an adversarial position, but they are temporarily on the same side because of their shared interests.
Even this temporary stance cannot be revealed, otherwise those who uphold the king's cause will be doomed.
"The leader is an eight-star martial artist. If he wants to leave, even if there are people surrounding him, they can't stop him."
Takasugi Touichi addressed the group, saying, "But if we make our move, the leader, for our safety, might not be able to leave even if he wanted to. This could very well be a trick by the Western Alliance to lure us in; we absolutely cannot fall for it."
Upon hearing this, everyone couldn't help but nod in agreement, agreeing that it made sense.
"But according to the intelligence we have, the Western Alliance are truly confident that they can keep the Shangquan leader here," Bai Ze said.
He didn't give any reasons, only information, which greatly reduced Takasugi Toichi's persuasiveness.
No matter how reasonable Takasugi Toichi's words are, they are still just his guesses, but the information here is absolutely real.
By donning the guise of an envoy, Bai Ze naturally acquired the credibility of a so-called important figure.
Compared to speculation, some people are clearly more willing to believe the intelligence from important figures.
"This..." Iwakura Tomomori cooperated by showing a hesitant expression.
Under the weight of Bai Ze's historical records, Iwakura Tomomori had completely come to believe in Bai Ze's identity, and his stance had subtly shifted.
Not to mention him, everyone else was quite hesitant at this moment.
Those who previously opposed taking direct action are now beginning to lean towards Bai Ze's suggestion.
"Or is it that Mr. Takasugi is unwilling to rescue Boss Kamiizumi?"
Bai Ze looked at Takasugi Toichi, his voice becoming serious, "This won't do, Mr. Takasugi."