Yuya sat cross-legged,
and activated Heavenly Secrets Calculation.
This time, his efforts were not fruitless.
He once again entered that blank, empty space,
guided by an invisible thread,
which drew him toward a mysterious region.
A blurry image appeared.
It was... a girl?
The girl looked seventeen or eighteen,
dressed strangely, with a scepter in her hand,
and a small, strange beast in her arms.
Beyond that, no further information came through.
Yuya firmly committed the girl's appearance to memory,
then withdrew from Heavenly Secrets Calculation.
[You suffered backlash from Heavenly Secrets Calculation. HP -10]
Quite some time had passed since he last used Heavenly Secrets Calculation.
As long as he did not recklessly use Heavenly Secrets Calculation over and over,
the backlash would not be too severe.
It also depended on the strength of the person he was divining.
That girl was only average in strength,
and her standing was nothing like that of Princess Kaguya, a chosen child of fortune.
The backlash was almost negligible.
"Could the way to save Princess Kaguya lie with that girl?"
Yuya frowned in thought.
"Looks like I'm still not strong enough. I didn't get much information."
He murmured to himself.
Still, at least he was no longer completely without a lead, and a considerable weight lifted from his heart.
Seeing that evening was approaching, he decided not to continue training.
He had just mastered Spiraling Shuriken,
and had already tried all sorts of changes in its form.
Even with his extraordinary aptitude, he needed time to digest and consolidate what he had learned.
After all, haste made waste.
The next instant, a surge of Wind Release chakra rose from Yuya,
whipping up a fierce gale,
which actually lifted him into the air.
It was hard to imagine that, without the Rinnegan's repulsive force,
he could fly using nothing but Wind Release chakra.
After all, this required not only controlling his chakra output with absolute precision,
but also complete mastery over the shape transformation of Wind Release chakra.
He could release neither too much chakra nor too little.
The output had to remain absolutely stable, maintained at a fixed level.
He also had to keep the wind surging around him,
directing it wherever he wanted to go.
At the same time, his body had to withstand the strain produced by the interplay of wind and gravity.
And every single second consumed an enormous amount of chakra.
Most likely, flying with Wind Release chakra alone
was something only Otsutsuki Yuya could accomplish.
Now, his robes fluttered,
his expression indifferent,
as he soared leisurely through the sky, tens of thousands of feet above the ground.
Countless mountains spread out beneath his gaze.
Even he could not help feeling a surge of boundless exhilaration.
He could also faintly make out the Royal Palace.
He first flew toward the Starlight Pavilion's headquarters.
He was not afraid of attracting attention, and in his estimation,
the chances of anyone noticing him were less than ten percent.
Sure enough, just as he had expected,
he appeared as little more than a faint white speck in the sky.
Though the streets teemed with people, everyone was busy with their own affairs.
Few would look up at the sky for no reason.
And even when someone sharp-eyed in the crowd happened to glance upward,
the next moment, he rubbed his eyes in disbelief.
"What was that?"
Yet when he took a closer look, the white speck had already vanished.
The man shrugged, assuming he had imagined it.
Yuya arrived at the Starlight Pavilion's headquarters.
Security here was tight, with numerous guards stationed around it.
Naturally, Yuya's descent from the sky drew their attention.
They stared in disbelief at the figure who looked like a god descending to earth.
Once they confirmed that it was their crown prince and pavilion master,
everyone's breathing grew heavier.
They could not conceal the fervor in their eyes,
but their strict discipline kept them from making a commotion.
"Pavilion master!"
"Pavilion master!"
The guards bowed their heads respectfully as usual.
"Mm."
Yuya gave an almost imperceptible nod,
then stepped into the building with a calm expression.
Only after Yuya had walked away did the soldiers swallow,
and begin whispering among themselves.
"Our pavilion master was flying just now, wasn't he?"
"The pavilion master was born to be invincible. What's so extraordinary about him being able to fly?"
"True enough. But should we suggest that he change this damned work schedule?"
"Exactly. Nine in the morning to nine at night, six days a week. Who can take that?"
"Shh, quiet. If we're going to suggest anything, we should speak to Lady Hongyun. How could we trouble the pavilion master with something so trivial?"
"But I heard the pavilion master himself came up with this work schedule... what's it called again... 996..."
One guard spoke in a low voice.
Everyone fell silent.
Inside the headquarters, a woman dressed in red came forward to greet him.
She was tall and slender, with delicate features.
Her upturned eyes held a hint of allure.
When she saw that it truly was Yuya,
a flicker of almost uncontrollable joy flashed through her eyes.
Deep reverence and fervor rose within her as well,
but she buried those feelings deep in her heart.
She was the Starlight Pavilion's public-facing leader.
Its daily operations and affairs, both large and small,
were essentially all managed by her.
The Starlight Pavilion did not merely sell clothing.
It also sold accessories and all sorts of other goods,
and maintained trade with nearby countries.
It was simply best known for its charitable clothing initiatives in the Land of Ancestors.
At the same time, it also maintained an intelligence network.
Its informants were numerous, and its intelligence agents had long since spread throughout the Land of Ancestors.
Yuya walked straight to the chair on the raised dais and sat down.
Hongyun stood respectfully beside him.
Yuya waved a hand, asking her to bring paper and ink.
Then he took what he had seen in his divination
and drew the girl's likeness.
Her scepter, her strange beast, her unusual attire-
he reproduced every detail exactly.
"Print a hundred thousand copies and distribute them to our people. Find her."
"The vassal state rankings are coming up. Remember to keep an eye on outsiders."
Yuya gave his instructions.
He was just about to leave again.
"Pavilion master, recently..."
Hongyun pressed her lips together, hesitating.
"I already gave you the development roadmap and strategic plans for the next ten years, along with a series of marketing proposals. Just follow the plans. Has something gone wrong?"
Yuya asked.
"N-no. Your plans have been very successful. Everything has gone just as you predicted."
"The initial integration of market resources and technological optimization are complete, and we continue to develop and expand our customer base."
"Also, the flagship product we promoted this year has received a tremendous market response. The Starlight Pavilion's revenue this year has increased more than tenfold."
Naturally, Yuya had taught her all this modern operational knowledge and these marketing models.
Back then, he had even held several lessons specifically to help them understand these concepts.
That was why Hongyun, Qingyi, the leader of the Sky Feather Pavilion, and his other subordinates all revered him like a god.
And now, Hongyun made no attempt to hide her fervor toward the man before her.
"Get to the point."
Yuya frowned.
"Well... recently, an envoy from the Heavenly Sage Dynasty has shown great interest in the Starlight Pavilion's business model. He hopes to speak with you."
Hongyun explained.
"I won't see him."
Yuya sneered.
"Negotiate as we have in the past. Branch pavilions and authorized franchises are both acceptable. They provide the land and manpower; we control the supply of goods and provide the business model, keeping the initiative in our hands. You can decide everything yourself."
To him, nothing mattered more than Princess Kaguya now.
If he had not needed to find the girl from his divination, he would not even have bothered coming here.
"Set everything else aside. Our immediate priority is finding this girl. Whatever the cost."
Yuya rose and walked toward the door.
"Ah, yes."
Hongyun bowed respectfully, looking at the girl in the portrait.
Her expression held both apprehension and jealousy. When had any of them ever heard Yuya say "whatever the cost" before?
As Yuya reached the door, he thought for a moment, then said,
"You've... done well these past few years."
Hongyun's eyes reddened slightly.
After leaving the Starlight Pavilion's headquarters,
he passed a group of guards who all looked at him with deep respect, though they repeatedly seemed about to speak, reluctant to see him go...
Hmm, looks like they're very happy with the blessing of 996.
Seeing their expressions, Yuya nodded in satisfaction, then floated away.
"Pavilion master, about that work schedule..."
Watching Yuya fly away like a god, the guards exchanged glances before finally letting out a wistful sigh.
They still hadn't managed to speak up.
Yuya arrived outside Princess Kaguya's great hall.
Looking at the tightly shut doors, he still felt a little nervous.
"She should've cooled down by now, right?"
Yuya muttered under his breath.
Only after a long while did he muster the courage to walk inside.
Princess Kaguya was still sitting upright in her chair.
When she saw Yuya enter, she gave a cold laugh and stared at him without blinking.
Under the gaze of Princess Kaguya's beautiful eyes, Yuya swallowed.
For a moment, he actually felt rather flustered.
Princess Kaguya looked him up and down with a strange expression.
"Yuya, dear..."
She hesitated, then seemed to make up her mind:
"Come here and massage my legs..."
Yuya's knees went weak, and he nearly fell over.
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