This Is a Win-Win!

Just as Tokichiro had said, he really could get a word in with Saito Dosan, the ruler of Mino.

Although that connection had been built through selling spirit stones in the past, it also showed that he was indeed exceptional. Otherwise, Saito Dosan would not have regarded him so highly... In this era, not every merchant could simply request an audience with the lord of a city or province.

Not long after they sent someone to announce their arrival, the group of three was summoned to the entirely white, three-story, five-tiered Tenshu. The Viper of Mino was waiting for them on the top floor.

"Lord Dosan is still very imposing. Though he may have grown older these past few years and begun cultivating his character, you should know his nickname..." Tokichiro followed the servant leading the way and lowered his voice to warn the two behind him. "So it would be best to show proper respect. At the very least, do not forget your manners."

"Mm-hm, got it, got it..."

Gu Mo followed the group ahead, nodding repeatedly like a pecking chick while curiously looking around at the interior decorations of the Tenshu.

This was the tallest, most important, and most representative part of a Japanese castle. It served as an observation post and command center, and was also one of the symbols of feudal authority. He had only heard about such places before and had never seen one. He had not expected his first visit to be under these circumstances rather than as part of a tour group...

—Under circumstances like these...

—Actually arriving in the historical era corresponding to it...

It felt rather strange, and it also filled him with an indescribable excitement, as if every cell in his body was leaping with joy... It was because of everything before his eyes, but not entirely. There was also his anticipation for the magnificent sights of other worlds in the future.

If nothing unexpected happened, every Dungeon World would be a new world waiting for him to explore, filled with the unknown and adventure...

Ancient and modern, China and foreign lands, exotic mountains and rivers, fantasy and reality, history and myth... and so on and so forth.

How could that not excite him?

Ah, sure enough! Compared to boring, lifeless reality, these dazzling and fantastical experiences were much more interesting! As this thought flashed through Gu Mo's mind, some of his worries and unease instantly vanished without a trace. Even his expression relaxed considerably.

He had originally been in something of a give-up-and-go-with-the-flow mindset. After all, by the time he woke up, he was already far away from Thirteen Cherry Blossom Village. Leaving was unrealistic, so he could only accept reality.

But even so, he could not help harboring a few concerns. For example, he worried about the ratio between the passage of time in the Dungeon World and the real world, worried about how long it would take before he could return, and worried about the various troubles he might face after returning...

Yet at this moment, his thoughts suddenly became clear. Since some things had already become settled, agonizing over them would not change anything. Whatever trouble awaited him after he returned would be something to deal with later. What mattered more was focusing on his current situation.

—Besides, it might not be that troublesome. As long as he was not missing for far too long, perhaps no one would even notice.

People needed to know themselves. There were not that many people who cared about you every day or constantly tracked your movements. Even close friends, under the intensity and fast pace of modern society, did not have that much time and energy. More often than not, they could only get in touch occasionally after some time had passed.

Tokichiro had no idea that his new companion had suddenly figured certain things out and become much more open-minded. He merely looked back with some concern, then immediately began to fret.

Had this new companion actually listened to him? Though Gu Mo had nodded readily enough, his constant "mm-hm, yeah" responses felt rather perfunctory.

Moreover, judging from the way he was looking around with such interest, he did not seem to hold much reverence for a place like the Tenshu. He was as casual as the flower-viewing tourists Tokichiro had seen before... Should he call it confidence born of skill, or something else?

He had thought that compared to Axiu, who had not seen much of the world, this Ming man would be steadier and more composed. Yet the situation seemed completely reversed. Axiu was clearly the one sitting quietly and looking straight ahead.

Tokichiro pulled a pained face, wanting to offer another reminder—perhaps explain Lord Dosan's temper, personality, and methods. A man in power could be unpredictable in his moods and was not to be treated lightly. But he looked at the servant leading them and did not know how to say it.

He could hardly speak ill of someone's master in front of that master's servant. Even if his companions handled things well afterward, he himself would probably suffer for it.

Hopefully they would all be reliable later—or Lord Dosan would be more forgiving. As long as he did not get angry, it would be fine...

"We have arrived. Please wait here, everyone. Lord Dosan will be here shortly."

The servant leading the way finally stopped. He slid open the door at the end of the corridor, bowed deferentially, and gestured into the dimly secluded Japanese-style room within, inviting them inside.

The three entered one after another in silence, then heard the door close behind them.

The room became dim once more.

Of course, that might have simply been an illusion caused by what he was used to... Gu Mo examined the candle stands on both sides of the room. The candlelight burned quietly, casting a steady, gentle glow that illuminated the enclosed space to a certain degree. Perhaps people of this era considered it quite bright lighting.

But to him, someone who had experienced the light pollution of later generations, where he could not see stars even outside, let alone indoors, this level of illumination...

Emmmm, it was quite atmospheric. Perfect for telling ghost stories.

Time passed second by second in silence. After looking around for a while, Gu Mo found there was really nothing much to see.

There was not much in the room. Apart from the bronze candle stands giving off their gentle light, there was only a Buddha statue enshrined at the head of the room and several calligraphy and paintings hanging on the wall behind it. But the lighting was too dim to make out what they were.

He was not rude enough to stand up and lean in for a closer look at a time like this. Instead, he tilted his head slightly and looked toward Hidechiyo, who was kneeling beside him with dignified posture, admiring the girl's proper sitting form. After spending the past two days together, he no longer felt unbearably awkward whenever he faced Axiu, nor did he wish to avoid her—

Because the girl truly seemed not to care about it afterward and had no intention of pursuing the matter, which naturally relieved him.

At most, things still felt a little awkward, but it was no longer a major problem.

He watched her for a while, until Hidechiyo finally seemed to notice. She raised an eyebrow and turned to look at him in confusion. Gu Mo smiled with narrowed eyes and gently pointed a finger at her face, seemingly indicating something.

"..."

"..."

Though her face was still covered and her expression could not be seen clearly, Hidechiyo's body seemed to stiffen.

Should she remove her face covering?

She still felt somewhat at a loss. She had long been used to living alone and having no dealings with anyone. Only when she occasionally accepted demon-slaying commissions did she interact with people, and even then, she always covered her face... If someone happened to glimpse her true appearance by accident, that was nothing. She did not care much about it.

But deliberately lowering her face covering and interacting normally with others was still unfamiliar and uncomfortable for the girl.

After hesitating for a moment, however, she let out a silent sigh and gently removed the cloth covering her face, revealing a delicate face as exquisite as a doll's. Her expression, however, was quite flat—one could even call it somewhat cold...

Of course, it was not that she had a cold or aloof personality. Mainly, she did not know what expression she ought to make at a time like this, so she instinctively tightened her little face and pressed her lips together. It was easy for others to mistake that as aloofness and detachment.

Gu Mo was not too surprised. He had long known what Hidechiyo looked like, so he merely blinked as he looked at this extremely familiar girl and made his final confirmation. She was indeed almost exactly the same as the image he had personally created in his mind.

Black hair, a beauty mark beneath her eye, crimson pupils...

Every feature was identical.

But Tokichiro, seeing her for the first time, was not nearly so calm. He froze completely, so shocked that he almost could not recover. He had never seen such a beautiful girl before. He even felt that the daughters of court nobles and aristocrats, even Princesses, were probably no more beautiful than this.

Only after a long while did he turn his head toward Gu Mo in a daze, staring at him intently as though he wanted to say something. Yet though he opened his mouth several times, nothing came out.

Was this what it meant to be a winner in life? How enviable!

But right then—

"Hahahaha, the Monkey came again? I hadn't seen you for months. I thought you'd died somewhere..." A hearty laugh accompanied footsteps in the corridor outside. The next moment, the door opened, and a burly bald figure strode into the room.

With a start, Tokichiro immediately came to his senses. He cast all his previous feelings aside, and an ingratiating, flattering expression appeared on his face almost by reflex.

"How could that be, Lord Dosan? I have been traveling all over the land these past days to carry out your instructions. Before completing the task you gave me, I would never dare leave this world. My death would mean nothing, but I would hate to delay your affairs..."

Hidechiyo was slightly stunned beside him, and her expression became a little strange. How could this man say such a long string of words in one breath, and in such a natural, emotional tone? It was clearly flattery and bootlicking at a glance, yet it somehow sounded as though it came straight from his heart.

Gu Mo's gaze flickered, but he found it perfectly natural. After all, this was the Monkey who had risen step by step from humble origins and would eventually become the ruler of the land. He simply knew very clearly what he wanted, and he was always able to shamelessly seize opportunities rather than worry about other people's opinions.

Compared to him, Gu Mo had felt mortified merely because the person involved had discovered one of his lies...

Yeah, he was still far too inexperienced. Perhaps he ought to learn from the Monkey in this regard.

"Hahaha, you Monkey really know how to talk..." Saito Dosan laughed again. He walked straight past the three of them and sat down casually at the head of the room, holding an exquisite wine flask in his hand. "How did things go? Since you have come to see me, it means that the spirit stones I ordered you to gather..."

His words abruptly stopped. The ruler of Mino swept his gaze over the three of them, and it instantly fixed upon Hidechiyo. Then his expression froze.

"That is correct, Lord Dosan. Regarding the matter of gathering spirit stones from various places that you entrusted to me..." The Monkey noticed nothing at all and continued reporting respectfully with a beaming smile and lowered eyes.

"Stop talking! Shut up first!"

But he had barely begun before Saito Dosan barked and cut him off.

Tokichiro was startled. His face turned slightly pale as he raised his head, unsure what he had said wrong. But then he discovered that the Viper at the head of the room was not looking at him at all. Instead, Dosan was staring fixedly at the black-haired girl, his eyes full of disbelief and fervent hope.

Just moments ago, Saito Dosan had instinctively thought Yoshitatsu had somehow returned and was waiting here for him. But he immediately realized something was wrong.

He remembered something. When his children had been born, they had actually been twins. He had split apart a name he himself had once used and named them Yoshihide and Yoshitatsu... But for some reason, his wife had later taken Yoshihide away, leaving only Yoshitatsu with him.

Which meant...

This man known as the Viper of Mino, ruthless and vicious as he was, rarely appeared nervous. Even his voice trembled slightly with excitement. "You... what is your name?"

"..."

"..."

The black-haired girl was also somewhat unable to react. Why had this man asked for her name the moment he arrived?

Instinctively, she wanted to reach for the short blade at her waist and introduce herself in her usual way, but she grasped at empty air. Only then did she remember that weapons were not allowed in the Tenshu, so she had temporarily set it aside before coming here.

"Forgive her, Lord Dosan..." Gu Mo coughed lightly and spoke up from beside her. "Axiu cannot speak. She did not mean to ignore your question..."

"...Axiu?!"

A sharp light burst from Saito Dosan's eyes. He did not care about any of that. Instead, he immediately caught the key point, his incomparably sharp gaze locking onto Gu Mo as his tone changed. "You mean her name is 'Hide'?"

Gu Mo quickly thought it over, then nodded with certainty. "Yes. She also has a blade left by her mother, and that character is engraved on it."

Strictly speaking, Hidechiyo was a name she had only adopted later. It was not practical for everyone to keep calling her Axiu, especially after she steadily accumulated achievements and her fame and status grew higher and higher. Naturally, she needed a formal name, so based on the character "Hide," she was given the formal name Hidechiyo.

Thus, from beginning to end, only that character, "Hide," could be confirmed.

"Where is that blade? Bring it to me, quickly!"

Saito Dosan had almost confirmed it. He tossed aside the wine flask in his hand, sprang up from the floor, then stepped forward in one bound and seized the black-haired girl by the shoulders, shaking her forcefully as he spoke with extreme excitement.

Crash!

"What happened?!"

"An assassin!"

"Lord Dosan! Lord Dosan!"

"Wh-what... Lord Yoshitatsu?!"

The exquisite wine flask shattered to pieces. The sharp sound caused a commotion in the corridor outside, and within a few breaths, a large group of elite armored samurai carrying swords smashed through the fragile wooden door and surged in like a tide!

"Get the hell out, all of you!!"

Saito Dosan turned around and roared at his subordinates with a savage expression.

The group looked at one another, shrank their necks, and realized that there did not seem to be any assassin. They hurriedly retreated in disgrace, crowding into the corridor. The clanking of their armor gradually faded away, leaving behind only the shattered sliding door.

"..."

"..."

Turning back, Saito Dosan changed expressions as quickly as turning a page. He put on the kindest, most amiable face and spoke especially gently to the stunned black-haired girl.

"Axiu, I... you... I am your father!"

Silence filled the room.

Tokichiro's mouth fell open so wide it nearly would not close. Those words echoed through his mind, and a single thought firmly occupied his consciousness. He instinctively looked toward the young man—

If Miss Axiu was Lord Dosan's daughter, then given how close Gu Mo was to her, would he not immediately soar to the heavens and rise to greatness?

Unaware that, strictly speaking, the three had all met on the same day, Tokichiro instinctively believed the lie Gu Mo had told him earlier. He felt utterly terrible. Comparisons truly hurt—why was the gap between people so enormous?

He had struggled for so many years and was still accumulating capital, waiting for a chance to distinguish himself... Even after working so desperately, all he could do was exhaust every means to obtain one opportunity!

And some people... had probably been winning from the very beginning!

Unaware of Tokichiro's inner turmoil, Gu Mo merely watched the reunion between father and daughter before him and nodded in satisfaction. Everything was unfolding exactly as he had expected. Axiu would recognize her biological father and receive the acknowledgment and treatment she deserved, while he could comfortably latch onto a powerful patron.

This was absolutely a win-win!