Chapter 706: Chapter 41: World-Creation Level Abilities
"Hmmmm... isn’t this a bit too hasty?"
Gu Mo tugged at the corners of his mouth, but still shook his head: "This approach is inappropriate. I don’t want to do such things. Moreover, consciously manipulating the Power of Death is completely different from manipulating it instinctively. She is more fragile than that tree, but equally dangerous."
"Well, isn’t that the case then..."
Yakumo Zi seemed to have anticipated this. She raised her fan, gently concealing her face as if pouting: "Since you don’t want this choice, then the only way left is another path, so what’s there to be conflicted about?"
"..."
"..."
"...Alright, you have a point..."
Gu Mo couldn’t help but sigh. So is this how Zi drops hints to him?
He glanced subconsciously at the Monster Maiden across from him, shaking his head inwardly—perhaps it’s uncertain too. If Zi were to make the decision herself, she might choose this relatively simple method, since he understands this friend well, and she could be the most yokai-like Demon in some respects.
"Indeed, if it were for me to choose, I would probably choose this way..."
Yakumo Zi seemed to know what his strange look was implying, lightly humming as she replied candidly.
The situation with that Demon Cherry Blossom was quite peculiar, and its capabilities were so dangerous. Even now, when it hadn’t truly matured, it already posed quite the trouble, not less formidable than a Great Demon. If there was an opportunity to remove such a threat directly, she naturally wouldn’t let it slip easily.
And Miss Narita seemed to have inadvertently, in some sense, become a semi-body of the Demon Cherry Blossom, directly making a move from her would be much easier.
"Weren’t you just having a pleasant conversation?" Gu Mo blinked.
"Just pretending, we only just met, and who knows if this young lady truly is as she seems on the surface? Perhaps it’s the Demon Cherry Blossom deliberately confusing us..." the Monster Maiden replied calmly.
"Speaking of which, I think your compatibility with her seems quite suitable, maybe you could become friends, who knows..." Gu Mo coughed lightly as he said this.
After all, words are unnecessary when they don’t match, and although there was an element of collecting information earlier, it was the first time he saw Zi genuinely engaging with a newly met young girl.
Though it felt a bit strange thinking about it—
Furthermore, the young lady named Narita Youyou appeared somewhat innocent, completely unmindful of how bizarre it was to converse with two strangers sneaking into her yard late at night.
Instead, she spoke eagerly, as if she hadn’t conversed like this in quite some time.
In truth, she hadn’t communicated much with people, unable to control the Power of Death within herself well. Even when speaking with her maidservants, she remained sparing in her words...because she knew very well that her words carried the Power of Death.
They easily transformed into death-decreeing Word Spirit, causing those who heard them to perish instantly.
Even with much effort to restrain, it was inevitable that some of the death aura would leak, thus she could only reduce communication, keeping the death aura received daily within normal limits.
Now managing to meet two people who could communicate normally, they were indeed the ones she found to interact with normally in recent years. By consciously controlling the spread of the Power of Death, no adverse effects would occur, unsurprisingly why she was so enthusiastic about it.
Of course, strictly speaking, the young lady wasn’t completely naive either, more like naturally deceptive—
Natural innocence was merely her disguise, and considering her as an unsophisticated sweet innocent would indeed be a grievous mistake. She also possessed some cunning nature, quite calculating, while Yakumo Zi probed into this young lady, she was simultaneously probing them too.
Although this approach seemed somewhat immature, it was quite impressive for a sixteen-year-old human girl.
Bold and graceful...
Moreover, her personality bared some resemblance to Zi...
So that’s why they could communicate well, perhaps that’s just it.
Yakumo Zi did not comment on his thoughts, only replied with a soft "hm". Gu Mo thought for a moment and didn’t elaborate either. Maybe after a few more chats, they could truly become friends, which might just be a possible scenario. He had this intuitive premonition, potentially a sign of increasingly refined skills in the "predicting the future" domain—
Though he lacked an EX-level Thousand-Mile Eye, but whether it was "inquiring spirits for augury" or "covering stars for divination", amongst many others, he had gradually mastered them through learning.
From star-watching to hand-calculating, from foreseeing events to sudden inspiration, his skill in predicting future destiny, including many Earth Fiend techniques...all steadily rising with accumulated proficiency, although currently still at a reinforcement+1 extra Skill Level.
However, looking at the current rate of usage and experience accumulation, achieving reinforcement+2 extra Skill Level Effect wasn’t too far off.
"Miss Narita’s situation, has a coincidence aspect to it, probably stems from her father, Narita Song Saint, sealing the Demon Cherry Blossom with life over a decade ago, leaving behind unresolved issues..." Gu Mo gathered his wandering thoughts, beginning to carefully ponder.
Yakumo Zi raised an eyebrow lightly, instinctively becoming a bit cautious.
She was now very sensitive to the word "coincidence", quite disliked it...especially as not long ago, an ultra-small probability coincidence had just occurred, where a spell element employed required the exact five treasure pieces the Princess of the Moon demanded for a marriage proposal.
Although the person proved it was indeed a coincidental clash, wasn’t it more dangerous because of that?
"The Demon Cherry Blossom’s furious counterattack, the curse of the Power of Death tainted the Narita Song Saint’s bloodline, even descending across generations to his daughter, the current Miss Narita. However, it didn’t kill her. Though we’re not sure what transpired, from what we see now, she has already replaced part of the Demon Cherry Blossom’s consciousness..."
With his hand against his chin, continuing to speak, Gu Mo wondered whether to lament Narita Youyou’s luck, or her misfortune.
She was lucky because she didn’t die immediately; instead, against all odds, she harnessed the Demon Cherry Blossom’s power, even replacing its intelligent consciousness to exist independently, becoming a dangerous figure who, possessing a frail human body, could rival a Great Demon’s power...
As for the unfortunate aspects...
Is there even a need to say it? It was indeed a calamity; her father died from it early, and she couldn’t control the Power of Death well. If she hadn’t strived to restrain herself, the Narita household might have already perished entirely.
"Her inability to fully control the Power of Death indicates that although she became the main consciousness of the West Traveling Demon, she couldn’t completely resist the inherent instincts of the Demon Cherry Blossom. When that tree blooms, it’s at the moment when her self will vanish, leaving only the part of the West Traveling Demon..."
The Monster Maiden calmly commented: "It certainly delayed the appearance of the West Traveling Demon for a while, yet ultimately changed nothing. It’s difficult for an ordinary spirit to resist that tree."
In fact, the ability to persist until now already makes the young lady of the Narita family remarkable.
Even if the Demon Cherry Blossom is reduced to instinct, it remains a powerful instinct that humans cannot contend against. Instead of being utterly defeated and assimilated in consciousness, she has stood alone for many years; it’s indeed something to be proud of...
"Let’s try to enhance her own statistics and see if she can master the Power of Death, or perhaps separate the Power of Death from herself." Gu Mo quickly pondered and made plans, his mind working at full tilt upon becoming serious, with computational power rivaling that of a supercomputer, formulating over a hundred initial plans in the blink of an eye.
Of course, not all of them are usable; they still need further screening and refinement.
"I hope it succeeds..."
Yakumo Zi listened to his plan, remaining noncommittal while recalling something, believing she should remain vigilant.
It’s best if she, herself, interacts more with that young lady of the Narita family; she doesn’t want to see more ’coincidences’ happening.
"Lord Zi, Lord Gu Mo... you’re back."
At this moment, a voice sounded from the corridor outside.
The door opened, and the Fox Demon Maiden, Yakumo Lan appeared outside the door. She looked at the two inside who were sitting and talking, and didn’t feel surprised at all—she had become so familiar with this scene that it couldn’t be more familiar. Casually greeting them, she began asking what the two wanted to eat today.
She looked confident, appearing to be sure that she could do her best no matter what type of cuisine it was.
Even those that glow!
"Speaking of which, Lan’s skills are getting better and better..."
Choosing a few favorite dishes skillfully, Gu Mo couldn’t help but compliment, often dropping by for a meal for this very reason.
He had once generously imparted a bunch of various specialty recipes, and indeed it was worth it. Yet, it seems a bit odd; despite also being a Nine-tailed Fox, how come Miss Tamamo no Mae lacks talent in culinary arts? Although she was multi-tasking between the real-world dimension and the Nioh Dungeon, even completed a culinary training class in the Fate Dungeon with the Red Yama.
Presently, her culinary skills have reached a high level, but talent is talent; it’s non-negotiable.
The most straightforward indicator is the inefficiency in gaining experience, requiring more time and effort to reach the same heights.
"Praise should be said face to face... By the way, how’s that maid doll of yours going?"
Yakumo Zi glanced at Yakumo Lan, who had already closed the door and left, looked a bit exasperated at this guy, then seemingly recalled something, asked with curiosity.
"You’re talking about Shirotsubaki, right? There’s no issue at the moment, but the program still needs further adjustments..."
Gu Mo responded calmly: "There’s no problem with the capability statistics, but in terms of truly creating life, it’s still a bit challenging for me currently."
"Creating life... Can it be done?"
Yakumo Zi frowned tightly, casting a skeptical glance his way, remembering something. Shinki used to always fret, convinced that this man was one of her clan—what exactly was the reason; she had always been curious about it.
According to what he says, he seems truly able to do it, just not at the moment?
"Of course, there’s no problem!" Gu Mo earnestly gave her a thumbs up, laughing heartily: "After all, my ability, like Shinki’s, is the power to create on the level of worlds..."
The fusion process of his entity is nearly complete; it could be accomplished at any moment, so he is very confident about this.
But—
"..."
"..."
The Monster Maiden squinted her eyes, looking at him with a menacing glance—
The statement regarding his powers seemed to have changed again, is he really that cautious and guarded? Even though she had shared her own abilities with him, he had so little trust in her?
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