Chapter 160
One of the two people who took him away from Sumeru City was Aizen, who was always by his side. However, Momo Hinamori disappeared after leaving Sumeru City. It turns out that she did not disappear, but disguised herself as the Dendro Archon!
He forgot that Aizen could transform into other people, so what about Momo Hinamori? Momo Hinamori, like Aizen, could summon trees to attack, so could she also transform into someone else, like the Momo Hinamori Dendro Archon?
Thinking about this, Alhaitham felt a sense of dread.
The Dendro Archon summons trees to fight, and Momo Hinamori can also summon trees to fight. If we disregard their different appearances, they are essentially the same person!
Was all of this just a setup? It was all an illusion!
There is no Dendro Archon at all; it was a woman named Momo Hinamori who transformed into one!
Now, they have taken control of the very top of Sumeru as the Dendro Archon, and next they plan to take control of the higher-ups of Sumeru. The position of the Grand Sage is their next target.
Although it's unclear why they did this, it's obvious from what I just heard that they wanted to use Alhaitham for this plan. They wanted him to become the Grand Sage first, but because of his personality, he didn't like being the Grand Sage, so he would take the initiative to find someone else and step down, which would leave the position of Grand Sage vacant.
All of this was planned by the other party!
Alhaitham's expression was extremely solemn.
He didn't know what Aizen and Momo Hinamori were planning, but it was definitely not simple. As a Sumeru person, he couldn't let them run amok in Sumeru. He had to find out what their plan was!
Since you don't want me to be the Grand Sage, then I must become the Grand Sage!
270. The name of Aizen will soon resound throughout many worlds.
[Meme Lord: So, you've now become Archbishop of Sin?]
[So Arrogant Pride! Yes, Pride indeed! Just like my name, I am now the Archbishop of Pride. With the help of my loyal subordinate Reinhard, I have successfully joined the Archbishop of Sin and become the Archbishop of Pride. Not only that, I have also mastered the Archbishop of Sloth.]
[Perverted Scum Man: What?! How come you're so lucky to have it all?!]
[So Arrogant! I always said I'd have a great time in Otherworld, hahaha!]
[This Perverted Scum Man: "You were only able to get by because the Senior Group Leader brought people over to help you!"]
[So Arrogant! Hmph, getting help from a senior is a testament to my wisdom!]
[So Arrogant! Besides, it took me a long time to convince Reinhard to help me. When I joined the Witch Cult, I tried several times before succeeding. In order to choose the optimal path, I even invented a suicide device that would allow me to die instantly without any pain, so that I could rewind time without any pain.]
[Perverted Scum Man: How come I didn't think of this painless way to rewind time?!]
[Meme Lord: What, you can rewind after death now too?]
In the early stages Satou Kazuma valued his life highly, running away immediately if he couldn't win, which made him extremely cautious when fighting the frogs. However, later on, after Aqua started threatening Eris to revive Kazuma, he began to act recklessly, using himself as bait to trap and kill the Demon King's Army. Moreover, the number of times he died started to increase dramatically. Although he couldn't rewind time after dying, as long as Aqua was still around, he could revive on the spot!
[The Perverted Scum Man: No, it's just resurrection. If I could rewind time, the first thing I'd want to do is go back to the moment of reincarnation so I can make my choices again.]
He said that, but Kazuma had already gotten used to being with Aqua and the others, and he wouldn't be willing to go back now.
[So Arrogant! Anyway, I'm starting out as the villain now, how exciting! I'm really looking forward to the upcoming Royal Capital election!]
[The Hair Gel Man in the Sky: Entering the game as a villain is indeed a good choice. Moreover, from this perspective, you don't need to worry about being restricted by your righteous identity. There are many things you can do, and you can more easily control those characters who cause destruction.]
[Give Me Some Face: Hmm, that's a good idea, I think it's a great idea!]
[Meme Lord: For Shanks, this should be very familiar to you. After all, as one of the Emperor of the Sea of the Sea, what you do is similar to what he's doing now—maintaining the balance of the world as a pirate, isn't it?]
[Give Me Some Face: Oh? The Group Leader actually knows about this?]
[Meme Lord: I've at least wandered around your world for a while, so I know a few things, including what you did when you were a pirate.]
[Give Me Some Face: I see, but these things shouldn't be so easy to figure out, right? I didn't expect the Senior Group Leader to be so amazing, figuring it out in such a short time.]
[Meme Lord: Because I've been doing that lately too.]
[Give Me Some Face: Huh?]
[Meme Lord: By the way, I did it by transforming into Captain Aizen's appearance.]
[The Hair Gel Man in the Sky:?]
Aizen, who was watching, couldn't help but have a question mark pop into his head.
What did you say?
Sanctimonious Palace, Li Yue, who was sitting inside the sealing sphere of the Greater Lord Rukkhadevata in Aizen's form, couldn't help but laugh out loud when he saw the question mark Aizen had raised.
Relying on his previous trickery of Alhaitham, he deliberately acted like a villain in front of him, even having Nahida speak to him (Aizen) as Momo Hinamori, successfully making Alhaitham believe that he, Li Yue, and Nahida were imposters. After Nahida summoned him and asked him to become a sage, Alhaitham readily agreed, so decisively that even Cyno, who came with him, was stunned. Didn't you say you didn't want to be Grand Sage? So you were just trying to fool me?
When Alhaitham agreed, Nahida, as Li Yue had requested, feigned surprise for a very brief moment, but Alhaitham, who was very attentive to detail, caught it and immediately felt that he had made the right move.
He not only demanded to be a Grand Sage, but also requested that he be willing to manage everything in Sumeru for Nahida.
Is there really such a good thing?
That was the first thing that came to Nahida's mind. Then, at Li Yue's instruction, she thought about it for a while and agreed.
After obtaining the power he wanted, Alhaitham nodded in satisfaction, giving Li Yue was observing from the shadows, a sense of absolute confidence that everything was under his control.
Li Yue and Nahida both have the ability to read minds, so they immediately took a look at what Alhaitham was thinking. What they saw was that Alhaitham wanted to become Grand Sage, following behind this disguised Dendro Archon, watching her, waiting for her to reveal a flaw, and then collecting evidence.
Li Yue immediately thought of Shinsui Shinji from the Bleach world. After suspecting Aizen and feeling that there was something wrong with Aizen, he took Aizen under his wing so that he could monitor Aizen at any time. Alhaitham's current behavior is exactly the same as Shinsui Shinji's behavior a hundred years ago!
Just because you're so obedient and fall for their trap, Li Yue will eventually make Nahida utter Aizen's classic line.
"Alhaitham, it wasn't you who chose me, but me who chose you! From the very beginning, I never intended for anyone else to become the Grand Sage!"
At that time, Alhaitham will probably be terrified.
[The Hair Gel Man in the Sky: Li Yue-kun, can you tell me what you did with my likeness this time?]
Aizen spoke again in the Chat Group, but this time it was a private message.
[Meme Lord: He didn't do anything special, he just played the villainous role as a godfather.]
[The Hair Gel Man in the Sky: I don't think this is appropriate, after all, I'm not from Teyvat continent.]
[Meme Lord: I get it. From now on, I won't use my adoptive father's image in Teyvat continent; I'll use it in other worlds!]
[The Hair Gel Man in the Sky:?]
In Las Noches, Aizen, who was squatting in the research room, was utterly speechless.
When Aizen saw Li Yue obtain the dream power that allowed him to transform, Li Yue transformed into [Yao Aizen] right in front of him. At the time, Aizen felt that this situation might occur on a large scale in the future, but he didn't expect it to happen so early. Now Li Yue has already started doing this.
[Meme Lord: Don't worry, Godfather, I definitely won't let your image be ruined. I'll make you the most famous superstar in the world!]
[The Hair Gel Man in the Sky: Whatever makes you happy.]
Although he was thinking, "Thank you," there was nothing he could do to stop Li Yue. He could only let her do whatever made Li Yue happy.
As Aizen's private message ended, a new private message popped up.
[The Fat Woman in Black Stockings: Li Yue-kun, there's something I need to tell you.]
271. Touma Kazusa complained about "White Album".
[Meme Lord: Uh, you mean, Kashiwagi Eri's novel was taken down after a complaint?]
[Fat Woman in Black Stockings: That's right, your novel has been removed from the platform after a complaint.]
[Meme Lord: Why?]
Looking at the message from Kasumigaoka, Li Yue scratched his head in confusion. He had written the same content as Saekano: How to Raise a Boring Girlfriend, but he had modified it a bit. He changed it from making a game to forming a band, and the characters he wrote about were changed to people from White Album. He even added A-karing. So why was it taken down?
[Meme Lord: Could it be that Eriri's drawings were too erotic?]
[Fat Woman in Black Stockings: That's not quite right. Although that Blondie is good at drawing doujinshi, she still knows what she should and shouldn't draw in a proper illustration. As for the so-called eroticism, any light novel illustration will have a little bit of that, so no one will complain.]
[Meme Lord: Then why?]
Li Yue was very curious.
[The Fat Woman in Black Stockings: Because Touma Kazusa complained.]
[Meme Lord:?]
[Meme Lord: What do you mean by Touma Kazusa complaining...? Wait, you mean Touma Kazusa filed a complaint?]
[The Fat Woman in Black Stockings: Yes, it's Touma Kazusa with the same name as in your novel. I've filed a complaint.]
Inside the apartment, Kasumigaoka leaned back in his office chair, his right leg crossed over his left, trembling slightly, a smug smile on his face.
[Meme Lord: Just wondering, isn't Touma Kazusa a piano prodigy, and her mother a world-class pianist?]
[The Fat Woman in Black Stockings: Don't you see that clearly?]
[Meme Lord:...]
Hiss--
Looking at the message sent back by Kasumigaoka, Li Yue couldn't help but lean back. It really was Touma Kazusa!
Touma Kazusa, one of the main heroines in White Album 2, usually appears as a cool and aloof person with long, straight black hair. However, she is not a simple person at all. She is the daughter of world-class pianist Touma Yoko. Her background is not used much in the story, but in reality, if her background were used, she could accomplish many things.
Moreover, she was quite a celebrity at her school, after all, her mother was a celebrity, and she herself was one of the school's most beautiful girls.
Li Yue could already imagine what kind of situation she would face after her novel was published.
Originally, people might have just watched her from afar because of her aloof personality, but now suddenly a light novel has appeared with the name Touma Kazusa, and the character setting is the same as the Touma Kazusa in front of them, a piano girl.
Then, there happened to be a girl named Kitahara Haruki in their school, and another Ogiso Setsuna.
This isn't a light novel, it's a real-life record!
After Kashiwagi Eri's novel became a hit, the entire Mine City Affiliated High School became lively. Three big names emerged from the school, and it seems that these three big names are involved in a love triangle!
Although I don't know who that person named A-karing is, there's definitely something wrong with Touma Kazusa, Ogiso Setsuna, and Kitahara Haruki!
[The Fat Woman in Black Stockings: Simply put, this girl named Touma Kazusa has suddenly become a hot topic on campus because of your novel. Although she was quite popular before, she's even more popular now, and because of your novel, she's been the subject of many rumors.]
[The Fat Woman in Black Stockings: For example, her classmates all thought she was a cool and aloof person, but they never expected her to be a secretly flirtatious woman who likes to shake her leg and rub against other boys with her black stockings.]
[Meme Lord:...]
[The Fat Woman in Black Stockings: Touma Kazusa has temporarily left the school. Another girl named Ogiso Setsuna is less affected and is still staying at the school. As for the male protagonist, Kitahara Haruki, he's unaffected; in fact, he's probably having a good time. The one complaining about your novel is Touma Kazusa's mother, a world-renowned pianist. She can't just ignore her daughter's mistreatment.]
[Fat Woman in Black Stockings: So, after Touma Kazusa's family complained, the publisher chose to temporarily remove the book from shelves. Naturally, Kashiwagi Eri- sensei is going to have some trouble too. The online discussions are quite interesting right now; that girl must be under a lot of pressure.]
This is a bit awkward. I originally wanted to see Kasumigaoka and maybe tease Eriri a bit, but now, there are actually people from White Album in the world of Kasumigaoka.
Moreover, as Kasumigaoka said, if Touma Kazusa's mother complains, the publisher will definitely give her face. After all, light novels don't have that high status to begin with; they don't have the same status as traditional literature in Japan. Furthermore, Kashiwagi Eri is a doujinshi illustrator who has transitioned to mainstream art, so the matter can be handled even more directly.
It seems that public opinion is overwhelmingly in favor of the other side, both online and in real life.
[Meme Lord: Wait a minute, I'm coming right away.]
Li Yue stood up from the stage. He had to go check on the situation. He had wanted to create this fun himself, but now that the real person had appeared, Eriri would have to bear the pressure for him, which was no longer fun.
Standing up from the meditation pedestal of the Greater Lord Rukkhadevata, Li Yue drew his sword and cleaved open the Portal to the world of Kasumigaoka.
As soon as Li Yue landed, she heard Kasumigaoka's voice.
"You came really fast. Are you that worried about Eriri?"
"After all, this is the trouble I caused her. Although I like to tease her, I won't let her take the blame for me. I can still do that."
As Li Yue spoke, she took out her phone in front of Kasumigaoka and dialed Eriri's number.
The call was answered quickly, and Eriri's panicked voice came from the other end.
Hey! Where are you?!
"Oh dear, you seem to be in a real hurry."
"How could I not be anxious about something like this? My work has been taken down after complaints. If it were just being taken down after complaints, that would be one thing, but now I've been branded as a stalker and voyeur! Especially since I used to be a doujinshi artist, now people online are calling me a stalker who writes novels because I stalk girls!"
Judging from Eriri's voice and words, this little blonde is really anxious. Although no one knows her real identity yet, her pen name, Kashiwagi Eri, is probably really in trouble. In Japan, doujinshi artists are already considered to be of lower status, and they could even end up in jail if they are complained about.
However, Eriri's father is a British diplomat, so she should receive some special treatment, but she will definitely not be able to avoid the online criticism directed at Kashiwagi Eri.
"Well, don't worry, I called you after hearing about this."
Li Yue spoke up to comfort her.
"Don't worry, I'll help you resolve this."
272. First meeting with Touma Kazusa
"I'm sorry to have kept you waiting, Ms. Kashiwagi Eri."
"No, that's not true. It's me who's bothering you."
In the editorial reception room of Fushigawa Bunko, editor Machida Sonoko pushed open the door and greeted Eriri, who was sitting on the sofa. Eriri immediately stood up and nodded back to Machida Sonoko.
"It's really rare for you, Utaha, to come to me on your own initiative."
"I'm just here with someone, you don't need to focus your attention on me."