Pillar of the Nation

He indulged in ten women every night, constantly using various drugs to keep the warmth in his bed alive. Eventually, Mado Tadamori began hosting "one dragon, many phoenixes" parties at home, even demanding that other officials offer up their wives and daughters for his amusement. This life of luxury slowly corroded both his mind and body. The excessive physical exertion caused his vitality to plummet; despite decades of rampant indulgence, he had fathered only three daughters. This only drove the deeply patriarchal Mado Tadamori to intensify his efforts. Whether at the Daimyo Mansion, temples, or the Daimyo Clan Ancestral Hall, he would aggressively pursue any woman he encountered. Yet, fate played a cruel joke on him: the more he possessed, the more he lost. Despite having access to a level of carnal privilege that the poor could never imagine in a hundred lifetimes, he remained comically unable to sire a son.

Mado Tadamori siphoned off more than half of the Land of Rain's annual fiscal revenue, and the majority of the bustling commercial streets in Amegakure were his property. The underworld, the legitimate business sector, and the gray markets were all merely his subsidiaries. The fact that the common people had remained hungry and poorly clothed for decades while the Land of Rain developed was directly linked to his extravagant and insatiable lifestyle. Takamagahara was a paradise he had built only after heeding the suggestion of a certain woman, a project that had drained the national treasury for three years. Legend had it that deep within Takamagahara lay Mado Tadamori's most precious treasures and secrets. This rumor, in turn, attracted even more people to come and squander their wealth.

At fifty, Mado Tadamori was not only debauched but also obsessed with violence and the samurai spirit. He boasted that in his youth, he could kill fifty samurai in single combat, and he held the fierce, fearless courage and conviction of the samurai in high regard. Thus, he frequently hosted the Samurai Duel. A Samurai Duel was a fight to the death that could not end until one party was finished; the winner gained gold and women, while the loser lost his life.

Having had his body hollowed out by wine and lust, Mado Tadamori had gone too long without feeling threatened. He forgot that the Daimyo was now over twenty; he forgot that politicians hated how his hands reached too far and grabbed too much; he forgot how long it had been since the border soldiers had received their full pay; he forgot that a wave of resistance and assassination was already organizing among the common people! With his mind growing increasingly muddled, he compared himself to the sun—a sentiment that made the commoners of the Land of Rain wish they could perish along with the sun itself.

Uchiha Zhuang traced and organized what he had heard over the past few days, summarizing the general outline of the story. Mado Tadamori had forgotten his roots after becoming wealthy, so his enemies wanted him dead. But where was he now? Uchiha Zhuang had no clue how to approach Mado Tadamori, nor did he know how many guards were protecting him. Fortunately, the mission had no time limit, allowing him ample time to investigate and plan. Thinking it over, Uchiha Zhuang realized that this woman had certainly not sent someone on this mission for the first time; by providing no clues, she was clearly treating him as nothing more than cannon fodder. Uchiha Zhuang exited the main building, deciding to head out through the auxiliary complex to observe the commoners who made their living relying on Takamagahara.

Stepping out of the auxiliary hall, one could see that the surrounding streets were clean and tidy. Despite the constant drizzle, there was no standing water on the ground, as the entire underground drainage system was impeccably designed. From time to time, people dressed in attire ranging from wealthy to simple or even impoverished walked in and out of the hall in an orderly fashion. Walking along the unusually sturdy pavement, he had just cleared the tidy intersection when he was instantly drawn in by the noisy, bustling sounds of hawking, shouting, and calling. Not far away, the commercial street was a sea of people, filled with the atmosphere of daily life. Entering the street, waves of spicy, fragrant scents whetted his appetite—there were barbecues, teppanyaki, stir-fries, and deep-fried snacks. There were also numerous stalls for small games, souvenirs, daily necessities, medicinal herbs, and precious antiques. Although most of the residents here were dressed simply, their faces were filled with happy and joyful smiles.

The two ate as they walked, completely blending into the lively environment, looking just like ordinary foreign tourists. Having bought a Kappa doll to keep at home last time, Uchiha Zhuang bought some unique fish and shrimp sculptures this time, along with some jewelry characteristic of the Land of Water. After spending the morning browsing, the two returned to the clothing store, picked up the well-fitted outfits for Persia, and headed back to their lodging.

After helping Persia change into her new clothes, the two went to the atrium, where they had lunch, ordering Persia's favorite spicy sukiyaki hot pot. While waiting for the server to bring the dishes, Uchiha Zhuang asked, "We went to Takamagahara this morning, but we didn't find it particularly interesting. Why do so many people yearn for it?" The waitress chuckled at this, glancing at the busy Persia, who was fishing meat and vegetables out of the pot, and whispered, "Takamagahara has twenty-two floors above ground and five floors below. The twenty-two floors above ground feature hotels, commercial shops, cafes, bars, eateries, souvenir shops, casinos, theaters, boxing rings, red-light districts, bathhouses, and more. It's a place you'd never want to leave once you enter. I'm afraid you didn't actually go to play." Uchiha Zhuang's face flushed; inexperienced in leisure, he couldn't let himself be looked down upon. He asked again, "What about the five underground floors? I want to go there." The waitress continued, "You definitely need a ticket to enter the five underground floors. It's said they have a black market, clinics, specialty restaurants, unrestricted red-light districts, mercenary guilds, underground bars, Samurai Duel arenas, underground boxing, exchanges, training grounds, laboratories, and Lord Mado Tadamori's legendary secret vault. In fact, the five underground floors have much more to offer than the surface. There's a rumor in town: in Takamagahara, if you want it, you can even pluck the sun from the sky. That actually refers to the power held within those five underground floors." Uchiha Zhuang nodded and promptly ended the conversation.

He was astonished by the designer's ahead-of-its-time vision and the sheer intensity of the patron's desires. Uchiha Zhuang was shocked that such a postmodern, multi-functional building could exist in the incongruous Land of Rain. The waitress ignored the bumpkin Uchiha Zhuang; she encountered many guests every day who failed to appreciate the charm of Takamagahara. Persia happily and quickly polished off the meat and vegetables like a ruthless eating machine, while Uchiha Zhuang ate slowly, planning to head to Mado Tadamori's mansion to find him. If he found him, he would kill him with one strike, grab some documents from his room to complete the mission, and be done with it. Honestly, the vortex of life-and-death struggles in the Land of Rain had nothing to do with him; he had only taken the mission because that woman had grabbed his weakness (I'll call the Police Force!). "Damnable woman!" Uchiha Zhuang muttered viciously. Meanwhile, Tomoko was currently communicating telepathically with Ryūchi Cave, receiving a series of secret missions.

After finishing lunch, they returned to their room. Uchiha Zhuang instructed Persia to rest and wait for his return, telling her to have the server bring dinner to the room. As he spoke, he pulled a hairpin from his pocket and handed it to her. "Here, take this rose hairpin to pin back your hair so it doesn't keep falling into your face." Persia took the exquisitely crafted, vibrant rose-shaped hairpin and held it as if it were a treasure. Uchiha Zhuang prepared his supplies and gear, ready to infiltrate. He opened the window, faced the slanting wind and rain, squinted his eyes, and then vanished with a "whoosh." Persia walked to the window, looking at the pitch-black sky; it seemed a heavy storm was coming tonight. "Silly girl, there is no future for you and him. A guy like him, living in the wind and rain, might be killed any day, his corpse rotting in a gutter without anyone ever knowing. Don't fall for him!" the inner voice of the deity Xia Mi screamed. Persia simply pretended not to hear, staring blankly at the curtain of rain. "The Creator said we would meet, that he and I are one. We will unite, we will be together." Persia's childish words were spoken with absolute conviction.