Look, It's Lord Laughing Brahma, We're Saved!

Uesugi Tetsu saw Tokugawa Ririko wipe the glistening water droplets from the corner of her lips and asked doubtfully, "Uesugi-kun, why are you following me?"

The girl looked at Uesugi Tetsu, who had suddenly appeared, and for some reason, thought of the new knowledge she had learned that morning.

So, Ririko subconsciously took two steps back, her expression odd, and flailed her hands in the air: "Could it be that you want to do... things to me?"

Splash, splash, splash.

Cool water gushed from the stainless steel faucet.

After Uesugi Tetsu had his fill, he pouted helplessly, "I came to drink water."

As he spoke, he didn't forget to turn off the faucet. His concept of water conservation became more profound every time he saw the utility bill.

Ririko crossed her arms and snorted, "Oh, what a coincidence. You've found the best-tasting tap water in this school."

"But since it's Uesugi-kun, I'll reluctantly share this treasure trove with you."

Uesugi Tetsu stared at Ririko, who seemed like a completely different person, and finally voiced his confusion: "Does your 'cold and aloof' passive skill activate whenever there are people around?"

"That's right."

Ririko nodded, putting on a dejected, sour-faced expression:

"If you haven't experienced your desk and locker being stuffed with love letters, and people confessing to you during lunch break and after school every day, you probably wouldn't understand why I do this."

Uesugi Tetsu broke out in a sweat.

It wasn't a bad thing for high schoolers to have a lot of energy, but this was a bit too much...

As she spoke, Ririko put on her 'keep-everyone-at-a-distance' attitude again, coldly spreading her hands: "After doing this, the whole world became peaceful."

Uesugi Tetsu couldn't help but clap and exclaim, "Is this the effortless control of a seasoned artist? I'm impressed."

After a brief chat, Ririko, who was looking down at her reflection in the water, spoke, "Uesugi-kun, I kind of understand what that cop did back then."

Cop... Nanjō-sis?

Ririko's tone lowered: "For ordinary people, knowing too much really isn't a good thing."

Uesugi Tetsu recalled the danger he faced after learning his father's oni identity and sighed, "Sometimes, ignorance really is bliss."

Ririko said, "I think I need to go apologize to her."

"You'll have the chance."

After smilingly bidding farewell to Ririko, Uesugi Tetsu casually found a sunny patch of grass and lay down. As for dealing with the teacher, Ririko would handle that.

He closed his eyes.

Immense water pressure washed over him.

The fresh scent of grass vanished instantly, replaced by a pungent smell of sulfur.

Silently transforming into Laughing Brahma, Uesugi Tetsu skillfully pushed open the door and hurried towards the workshop.

His original plan was to gradually reduce the number of workshop apprentices, ensuring not to waste a single bit of Soul Ash, and then finally kill the foreman.

But the incident at noon where Shizuma Manatsu acquired White Brahma, and the Onmyo Bureau's helplessness against supernatural methods, were constantly warning Uesugi Tetsu—time was running out.

Since he had to race against time, he couldn't afford to slowly collect the meager Soul Ash from the apprentices anymore.

"Roar!"

Uesugi Tetsu's unrestrained haste naturally attracted the attention of the farmers by the roadside, and upon seeing his Western-style school uniform, they charged at him like madmen.

"Seeking death."

Uesugi Tetsu snorted coldly, and his cleaver materialized in his hand.

His footsteps didn't falter. He simply took a deep breath, accumulating the energy within him to a critical point before unleashing it with a roar.

A rusty blade flashed and disappeared.

Gulp.

The farmer's head fell, along with Uesugi Tetsu's retreating footsteps, stirring up a negligible amount of dust.

Soul Ash +5.

Before long, Uesugi Tetsu arrived at the location where he had observed the workshop.

The time was clearly much earlier than his last visit; there was no sign of the twin moons in the sky, yet the rumbling sound of machinery could still be heard from within the workshop.

After tidying his attire by the stream and finding no flaws, Uesugi Tetsu swaggered towards the operating workshop.

Upon reaching the workshop's entrance, Uesugi Tetsu was surprised to find that even though the apprentices inside had noticed his presence, none dared to leave their workstations.

He called out loudly, "Summon your supervisor."

Although no apprentices responded, within two minutes, the foreman he had seen from the Hundred-Eyed Demon's perspective hurried towards the entrance.

The foreman's expression underwent a dramatic change.

The moment he saw Uesugi Tetsu's Western attire, his face contorted into a furious snarl, but upon seeing the Laughing Brahma mask, it transformed into an overly enthusiastic smile.

"Mr. Laughing Brahma, hello."

The foreman stepped forward with a fawning smile, extending his hands towards Uesugi Tetsu: "May I ask what brings you to my humble abode..."

Uesugi Tetsu, seeing the dense yellow fog above the heads of the people opposite him, didn't attack immediately. Instead, he asked, "I notice your workshop seems a bit different from traditional ones."

"Yes, yes!" the foreman said, bowing deeply and sighing heavily. "The foreign factories have been exploiting us for a long time, and they're also destroying the environment without regard for the consequences. Our surrounding farmland has been polluted and ruined."

Uesugi Tetsu pondered, the plot seemed to be unfolding completely differently than he had imagined.

The foreman paused, his eyes suddenly flashing with brilliance. "So, I thought we needed to cultivate a group of our own, localized craftsmen and workers."

"And then learn that assembly line technology too..."

Uesugi Tetsu raised an eyebrow. "Learn the barbarians' techniques to defeat the barbarians?"

The foreman was stunned for a long time before he roughly understood the meaning of the phrase. He immediately nodded, "Yes, that's exactly what I mean!"

Uesugi Tetsu asked again, "Would you mind stepping aside for a moment to talk?"

The foreman nodded and pointed to a secluded part of the forest nearby. "Of course."

In the foreman's eyes, a Brahma dressed in Western-style clothing must be a highly educated individual who had studied at the source of these factories.

Otherwise, why would these Brahmas, whose brains were filled with nothing but muscle, wear such clothes and act so refined?

It was like the White Brahma that had come to the village to recuperate not long ago. He had sent his apprentices to negotiate, but they were actually devoured by it.

It was simply the epitome of an uncivilized, bloodthirsty beast!

Unlike the one before him—dressed properly, speaking gently, and behaving courteously.

A flicker of hope surged in the foreman's heart.

Perhaps this was their chance to drive away those foreign factories...

They walked into the dense forest, Uesugi Tetsu walking silently, the foreman following closely beside him.

After tens of seconds, Uesugi Tetsu finally spoke, "Your workshop has some potential. Can you move it away from this village?"

The foreman shook his head. "We can't move. Neither the machines nor the apprentices could withstand a long journey."

"And if we leave, who will care about Arakawa Village in the future?"

Uesugi Tetsu said nothing more.

The two walked further and further away from the workshop.

Seemingly due to the prolonged silence, the foreman took the initiative to break the topic, saying indignantly, "Several apprentices went missing a couple of days ago. It must have been those damned outsiders who did it!"

Hearing this, Uesugi Tetsu stopped walking.

This was because they were now a sufficient distance away from the workshop.