Miwa and Reiko's conditions

After the bonfire party ended, everyone left to get some rest.

It seemed to still be late summer. Once autumn arrived, most medicinal herbs would stop growing. The herbs they had used earlier had been chosen in a hurry, and sometimes both their medicinal effects and side effects were quite potent. Chen Yu's policy was to avoid using them whenever possible.

After asking Ukyo to look after Xiao Xi, who could not speak, he prepared to head down the mountain with Reiko and Miwa to gather herbs.

He had not originally planned to bring Reiko, but she had insisted on coming, leaving him no choice.

After he let Tsukasa know, Gen came hurrying over at Tsukasa's direction. The four of them then headed down the mountain together.

They stopped here and there along the way, but Chen Yu's mind was elsewhere.

He wanted to visit Ishigami Village, but he did not know whether Miwa and Reiko could be trusted.

"What a boring day." Gen took the herbs from Reiko and Miwa and placed them in the vine-woven basket on his back.

"I really wish I could have a bottle of cola," Gen complained.

"Cola?" His words caught Miwa and Reiko's attention.

"Yeah, cola," Gen replied. But he also knew that was impossible in this primitive world.

"Reiko, Miwa, if you had the chance, would you want a bottle of cola?" Chen Yu asked, looking at them.

"If I could have a glass, I wouldn't say no," Reiko said after thinking it over.

"What about you, Miwa?" Chen Yu looked at Miwa.

"I don't care," Miwa said flatly, then continued searching for herbs.

This is going to be tricky, Chen Yu thought.

Should I have Miwa leave with the herbs? But if she left and the three of us went on our own, wouldn't that cause even more trouble?

"Besides medicine, there's something else I want-a dagger," Miwa suddenly said.

"A dagger?" The other three stared at her in bewilderment.

"Yes, I want a dagger," Miwa repeated.

"Why? And couldn't you make one out of stone?" Reiko asked, thinking of how most weapons at the base were made of stone.

"That's different. It has to be metal," Miwa emphasized. At the same time, she remembered how her father had given her a dagger before he died, telling her it was a weapon to protect her. Once he was gone, she would be an orphan.

Afterward, she had carried that dagger with her as a protective charm. It was a keepsake from her father.

According to North East West South's explanation, it was now thirty-seven hundred years later. That meant her father's dagger was already gone...

"Would iron work?" Chen Yu asked.

"Of course, but it needs to have a specific shape," Miwa said.

"All right. In that case, let me ask you something. If you had a chance to restore our civilization, which side would you choose? Civilization, or starting over from scratch?" Chen Yu asked.

"Don't rush to answer. This is important. I need to hear what you think before I can decide. Although this will happen sooner or later, the sooner the better. If you're unwilling, I'll find an acupuncture point and give you an injection to make you temporarily forget. Once I say it, you'll know what you've learned, but I don't like forcing people," Chen Yu said.

"All I need is you, Lord Chen Yu!" Reiko said excitedly.

"If you can make that dagger, I don't mind. I'll keep your secret," Miwa said.

"That makes things easier." Chen Yu looked at the two of them, then at Gen.

Gen nodded, indicating that both women had spoken sincerely, and Chen Yu relaxed.

If they had managed to fool Gen, that would mean they were formidable characters. In that case, North East West South had revived some truly extraordinary people.

"A friend of mine is planning to rebuild civilization. His place can satisfy your longing for modern civilization, but we're still living in a Stone Age world, so it'll take some time. I need you to keep this secret for me. Just be careful in your everyday lives. If you're exposed, you can give me up. What I need is your help," Chen Yu said.

Over the past few days, he had learned what the two of them were good at. Miwa seemed to have some martial arts training, while Reiko possessed almost absurd strength.

She was nearly on par with Kohaku.

"No problem! Wherever my idol Chen Yu goes, I'll go!" Reiko said excitedly.

"If you can make it, I'll naturally help you," Miwa said, glancing at Chen Yu.

Looking at Reiko's excitement, Chen Yu got a certain feeling... A rabid fangirl???

"All right, then let's go," Chen Yu said, taking the lead.

He was gambling, too-gambling on their loyalty.

Chen Yu thought of Xiao Xi back at the base. She did not seem to have any particularly special qualities. If she did, it was that she would make a good assistant. Judging by the way she worked, she seemed to be very methodical about handling affairs. If the two empires made peace, Xiao Xi would be a fine administrator.

"Hey, Chen Yu, isn't it a little early to tell them about this?" Gen asked as he walked beside him.

"They'll come in handy sooner or later. The showdown between Tsukasa and Senku only needs one victory in battle," Chen Yu said after some thought. It seemed that the key was Tsukasa's younger sister.

Senku seemed to have made an agreement with Tsukasa to bring his sister out of her vegetative state. Only then had Tsukasa reconciled with him.

His arrival had changed many things. This was still only the beginning; the effects would become clearer later on, though there were some complications.

He needed to win over Kirisame and Mozu. He had not seen much of what those two did later, but with their help, the adventure on the American continent would face far fewer obstacles.

Before long, they arrived at the place where Senku conducted his experiments.

Looking around, Chen Yu felt that Ishigami Village's help seemed to have made things much easier for Senku.

The four of them reached the edge of the clearing, and Senku noticed them.

He looked over and saw Chen Yu and Gen with two unfamiliar girls.

"What is this place?" Reiko asked, looking around curiously.

"The starting point of modern civilization," Chen Yu replied.

"Yo, you're here! Who are they?" After greeting Chen Yu, Senku looked at Miwa and Reiko.

"They're Reiko and Miwa, our future support Medical Team," Chen Yu said, introducing them in turn.

"Can we trust them?" Senku asked.

"Yes, but they have conditions."

"What conditions?"

"A custom-made iron dagger. As for Reiko, I'm not sure, but let's give her a taste of what we have to offer first. Is the cola ready?" As Chen Yu spoke, he scanned Senku's surroundings, searching for the cola.

His arrival had better not have erased that stuff from the picture. After all, modern drinks would have a significant effect on the Tsukasa Empire.

After getting used to modern life, how miserable would it be to suddenly return to a primitive age where there were no tasty foods or drinks? Even if they could make them, who knew how long it would take? This was a primitive age, after all.

With cola, the people of the Tsukasa Empire would be easier to win over.

(I went and checked, and it does seem to be a shrike. But according to the Hundred Tales passed down by Byakuya, there seems to be a shrike in there. Still, the translation and anime I watched seemed to use Mozu. I'll deal with that later.)