Market Day

The only difference between wizards and Muggle is that wizards possess magic.

Therefore, it can be said that magic is the foundation of a wizard's existence.

Similarly, for Onmyoji, incantation power is the very foundation of their existence.

After all, it's just a difference in how they're addressed; in essence, there's no difference between a wizard and Onmyoji, between magic and curse power.

Therefore, the Shikigami that is constantly drawing on the Onmyoji's magical power is essentially drawing on the Onmyoji's very essence.

For more details, please refer to "Mosquito Essence" Voldemort and "Senior Sister" Quirrell.

This situation will not only greatly weaken the Onmyoji's spellcasting ability, but also keep them in a state of constantly consuming spell power, and may even reduce Onmyoji vitality.

The more powerful Shikigami, the faster its life force is reduced.

Dumbledore over 100 years old and still very active. In contrast, in the world of Onmyoji, living to 60 is considered extremely old. This is the reason why.

So, given that Shikigami have such significant drawbacks, why do Onmyoji continue to use Shikigami?

That's certainly not because they're stupid.

Rather, it's because Shikigami's single advantage is enough to erase all its disadvantages.

Shikigami can quickly boost combat power!

Even a child with no physical strength can become a "human battery" if he possesses sufficient magical power and successfully seals a Shikigami. The Shikigami will then eliminate all enemies for him!

Or will they be destroyed by the enemy?

In short, in the harsh living environment of the Japan Curse World, it's more reliable to prioritize survival than to consider whether one can live to be a hundred.

"It seems the Wand business won't be able to proceed in Japan."

Bell thought regretfully.

After all, compared to spells that require years of learning and practice, a trigger that can be pulled with a flick of a finger is much more suitable for combat.

This is at least true for ordinary Onmyoji.

"Gege! Gege! Wake up!"

Little Shanna is very excited today. Not only because it's market day, but also because after shopping, her family will be going home!

Although Shanna doesn't dislike traveling—in fact, you could say she enjoys traveling with her Gege —she's still quite young. This is the first time Shanna has been away from home for so long, and she misses her beloved pets.

Opening his sleepy eyes, Bell, though accustomed to waking up early in this life, still found the feeling of getting out of bed less than pleasant.

I sat up and glanced at the pitch-black night outside the window.

"Shanna, what time is it?"

Bell asked

"4:30!"

"..."

"Let me sleep for another 5 minutes."

With a thud, Bell fell back onto the bed and pulled the blanket over her head.

"Gege! Wake up! The sun's already high in the sky!"

Little Shanna relentlessly pulled at her Gege, shaking him violently.

"..."

Bell was speechless. Where was the sun shining on his backside? The sun clearly hadn't even gotten up yet!

Could it be that my little sister has a talent for Prophecy? In the little girl's heavenly eyes, the sun has already risen?

In the end, Bell, unable to resist Shanna's strong will, could only force himself to get up and play with his younger sister for several hours.

"This is really lively!"

Looking at the crowded people in front of him, Bell couldn't help but sigh.

At this moment, the Bell family, led by Yomi, arrived at the outside of an abandoned factory on the outskirts of Tokyo.

Watching people walk in through the factory's dilapidated gates, Bell felt a little more excited about today's "market day."

Hearing Bell's sentiments, Yomi nodded in agreement. It was also her first time attending the "market."

As the heir to the Isayama Family, Yomi's father usually takes care of all her needs.

Upon entering the factory, what appeared before them was... a dilapidated factory.

Bell's eyes twitched as he looked at the market venue, which seemed to be "true to its word."

But thinking about it carefully, it seems quite normal?

After all, even someone from a prestigious family like the Yomi wouldn't be able to cast many decent spells. Finding a few wandering Onmyoji who could use spells like the Undetectable Extension Charm would probably be quite difficult.

Because the group arrived very early, the "shop owners" in the market were still busy setting up their stalls and no one had time to solicit customers.

"How much does this pendant cost?"

Bell pointed to a magatama-shaped ornament on the stall and asked.

The pendant was just an ordinary ornament; aside from being quite pretty, it didn't possess any magical properties. Bell planned to buy it as a souvenir. After all, apart from Japan, it seemed that no other country had this kind of magatama-shaped ornament.

The stall owner stared at Bell and his group for a while before saying, "One million Japanese Yen."

Yes, you heard right, the common currency in the Japan Curse World is the Japanese Yen.

When Bell first heard the news, he was quite surprised. It wasn't until he learned the details of the Curse World from Zhao Youde and Yomi that he was able to understand.

There was no other way; under the rampage of evil spirits, the Onmyoji and the Japanese Government had to cooperate with each other.

This resulted in Onmyoji interacting and communicating very frequently with ordinary people.

According to Yomi, if an ordinary person witnesses Onmyoji exorcising a spirit, their memory will not be erased; they only need to sign a confidentiality agreement with the relevant government department.

"100,000 Japanese Yen, take it or leave it."

Bell had no interest in being taken advantage of.

"Dude, that's a joke you've gone too far. You know, this is..."

Too lazy to waste any more words, Bell turned and left.

"Wait! Sell it!"

With the money exchanged for the gift, Bell placed the emerald green jade jewel around Shanna's neck. The little girl seemed quite happy.

Incidentally, Bell obtained his Japanese Yen by selling Gemstone. Although Galleon can be exchanged for Japanese Yen as ordinary gold, it's a huge loss. Even though Bell is usually extravagant, he wouldn't choose to do that.

"Bell..."

Yomi looked like he wanted to say something but hesitated.

"What's wrong, Sister Yomi? Just say what's on your mind, there's no need to hold back."

Bell looked curiously at the hesitant Yomi.

"You overpaid. That pendant is useless to Onmyoji, so very few people would be interested in it. If you bargain a bit more, you should be able to buy it for 40,000 or 50,000 Japanese Yen."

Although Yomi could be considered a true young lady from a wealthy family, she didn't have much money to spare.

To be honest, the salary in the Countermeasures Office isn't very high. Not to mention she was just an intern.

"It's okay. As long as Shanna is happy, that's enough."

Bell reached out and ruffled his little sister's hair. The little girl was happily playing with the magatama pendant.