The gap opened.
Gu Mo reappeared above the Demon Mountain.
"Honestly, why won't they believe my explanation as a multi-talented ability user... Damn it, they didn't even let me stay for a meal, Zi is really stingy, getting more impolite than she was at the beginning." Kicked out, he couldn't help but grumble a few words, then surveyed his surroundings.
At this time, when the night is deep and the world is quiet, the Demon Mountain is no exception. It has always been this way; they drink during the day and adhere to the rhythm of sleeping at night, not sleeping is not an option, each one is dead drunk beyond recognition.
After all, it's specially enhanced fine wine, enough to knock out Tengu and Oni—
Gu Mo once thought Kanako was rather addicted to alcohol, but compared to these inhabitants of Demon Mountain, the purple-haired older sister-like god was already very moderate, able to control herself well.
She drinks only to savor the taste of the wine, but doesn't like getting drunk, while the ghosts on the mountain are just driven by the whim of getting drunk. At least, according to Ibuki Suika and Hoshiguma Yugi's remarks, no matter how good the taste of the wine is, if it can't bring intoxication...
Then it doesn't count as alcohol!
Precisely because of this, deep inside Demon Mountain, the drunken atmosphere always rushes skyward, which has become a daily feature.
"I was wrong... I was wrong, Lord Lingkyuu Irin... Wuwuwu... No, no, no, don't dismantle my printing factory..."
As the night wind gently blew, strange sounds came from the mountain, Gu Mo listened carefully for a while, nodded with satisfaction, it seems the paparazzo Wen was caught in the act again, and was now being angrily beaten by the Great Tengu...
Serves him right!
Ever since selling the necessary technology and conceptual aspects wrapped in a package to this dedicated paparazzo, he quickly realized something was amiss, because Aya Shameimaru was indeed very dedicated, even more so than imagined.
The result was that with Demon Mountain at the center, the style of the Non-human World gradually became somewhat askew...
Gu Mo only discovered this within these centuries, realizing it was somewhat late.
With arms folded, letting the moonlight shine upon him, the white-clothed Daoist stood quietly listening to the cries coming from Demon Mountain. After a while, he turned and stepped forward, disappearing into the air.
In the next moment, the surrounding scenery changed, and he was back on the ship.
Above the sea of clouds, the magic ship floated steadily without moving, since its world tour years ago, it had returned here, no longer needing to venture, existing only as the address of the Curiosity Shop, though rarely receiving visitors.
The collaboration between Tengu and Kappa had established the online shopping and offline delivery ecosystem in this land, those knowing the name of the Magic Ship Curiosity Shop had become old customers over the years, new customers were often invited by elders thinking of inviting new users for discounts.
Everything could be done on the "Magic Net," there was fundamentally no need to come to the magic ship personally.
The past was in the past, the new era must have its new spirit, the current state means the magic ship hovering near Demon Mountain's sky for many years rarely opens for business, having received fewer than a palm's count of customers in the last century.
Many automata have ceased use, as there was no longer the need for numerous automatic dolls to perform tasks.
Like the glorious past, when the Curiosity Shop first opened, crowds rushed to the banks of Black Tortoise Creek in throngs, it's been a long, long time since such a scene occurred... although it was Gu Mo's minor trick back then that led to it, deliberately fostering that marketing effect.
His figure flickered onto the deck, using the innate barrier to warp space for precise travel, Gu Mo returned to his stronghold.
There was quiet throughout the ship, not much lighting overall, only a few cabins emitted light.
A magic lamp hung on the deck, casting a dim glow over a broad area, he lowered his head under the light, examining the shining surface of the deck, somewhat skeptical about whether it had been polished or entirely replaced.
"Lord Gu Mo..."
Without a sound, a silver-haired automaton maid appeared beside him, gently bowing in greeting.
Appearing like a specter amidst shadow and light, not present a second earlier, yet suddenly there the next, abrupt and without warning, making one suspect whether the transition was edited, or that time was erased by some power.
"Shirotsubaki, aren't you resting so late?"
Gu Mo wasn't startled, just nodded slightly, eyeing the automaton maid before him, noticing her short silver hair paired with a classic blue and white maid attire, still expressionless, pupils dull, eyes void of emotion.
"I just entered rest mode, but detected your return, so came immediately to see if you needed anything."
The maid answered methodically, with a voice and tone that was extremely flat, devoid of modulation.
It surely sounded pleasant, yet there was an impression of playing a pre-recorded dialogue audio, the kind that leaves an instinctive sense of mechanical feeling, as if the opposite party wasn't a real person.
—Automaton.
—A true automaton.
Nothing embodies that concept more than this maid.
After brief comments, Gu Mo temporarily ordered the maid chief to standby while pondering what's missing for the maid chief. As it stands, the envisioned performance was already realized, otherwise he wouldn't call her his most perfect creation.
This was indeed a truly versatile maid—
Master of housekeeping, skilled in space magic, able to pull out chainsaws and hammers from a four-dimensional skirt at any time, and even manipulate time magic for relocation, work, battle, etc...
Already close to Great Demon level, with formidable capabilities.
Currently, what's lacking is true wisdom and understanding, or rather, a true soul and life... Once this is completed, this maid will be perfect enough.
"Is she called Shirotsubaki?" A curious and melodious voice, as crystalline as a spring, came from behind. "Such a lovely name, did you give it to her?"
"Yes, it was the night after the full moon, and I thought my design was foolproof, that I could create a perfect work. But unexpectedly, it turned out to be somewhat unforeseen. I originally thought she was completely perfect but found that she was missing the most crucial step, causing her to slip from ideal completion to incompleteness..."
Gu Mo said casually, "So I gave her such a name, as a reminder to myself that she is not perfect yet and I still have more to do..."
Shirotsubaki.
The night after the fifteenth-night full moon, the crescent moon is endowed with special meaning, symbolizing the state of slipping from completeness to incompleteness.
"I see..."
The person behind nodded thoughtfully.
"Isn't Your Highness the Princess going to rest?" Gu Mo calmly turned around, raising his eyebrows at the elegant black-haired girl behind him.
He had just met her in the first half of the night, so why had she come again in the second half?
Could it be she didn't want to give up?
He hesitated for a moment but still proceeded to remind her seriously, "Your Highness, we had an agreement, that issue was to be brushed aside, everyone can pretend it never happened..."
This person really is...
The black long-haired girl suppressed a certain impulse within her, took a deep breath several times, glanced at the large ship hovering in the sky, and huffed angrily: "You're quite full of yourself. I wasn't here to look for you at all... I didn't expect that so-called Magic Ship Store to be your territory!"
If she had known such a thing, she wouldn't have come.
What an infuriating guy!
"Oh?"
Gu Mo paused slightly but then quickly realized, so it's a customer. Considering that, this princess likely just discovered his Curiosity Shop and came by out of curiosity?
Wait a second, isn't she the Princess of the Moon, essentially a wealthy... no, that's too disrespectful, I should say a VIP premium customer! Besides, over all these years, I've only opened markets on the surface; I have yet to establish connections on the Moon.
Hmmmm, I should definitely collect some Moon specialties too.
Even a princess exiled and demoted to the mortal realm must have some artifacts or technologies for trade, right? Moreover, considering how much the Moon Surface Sage values her, her restoration is almost a foregone conclusion.
Thus—credit is acceptable!
Instantly recognizing the value in the black long-haired girl before him, Gu Mo immediately donned a smile rumored to have the "single transaction profit increases by fifty percent" attribute, turning into warmth and friendliness that wrapped around others like a spring breeze.
"Oh my, isn't it a great honor to have Princess Kaguya grace us with her presence? Today, our store is truly honored..."
"..."
"..."
The black long-haired girl stayed silent but began to instinctively feel that her impromptu visit was a mistake.
"Come, come, what would Her Highness like to purchase? Do you have a membership account? If not, would you like to sign up for one..."
Gu Mo very warmly and skillfully rubbed his hands together, transforming into a seasoned professional salesperson, saying this with a smile.
"Hmph, I have changed my mind. I'm not planning to patronize your business..." The princess snorted softly, now it was her turn, naturally she would play hard to get.
However, the moment she finished speaking, the face in front of her changed, and a terrifying aura emanated from him.
"Hey, what are you..." The girl was immediately startled, what was this person doing?
Could it be that upon discovering a customer's complaints, he was about to turn hostile and scalp her now? This must be a shady store!
In the next moment, Kaguya realized that it wasn't due to that; it was because of a change occurring on the person opposite her. His body seemed to blur, as if the space around him stretched, causing his figure to alternate between his tall, erect human form and another indistinct shape.
That figure resembled a giant serpent with horns and claws...
A breathtaking pressure blossomed in an instant!
"...!!" The face of the black long-haired girl froze slightly, and she took a step back on the deck.
Under the moonlight, a shadow that induced a shiver upon sight expanded bit by bit, cloaking her seemingly tiny form in this moment, as well as enveloping the entire deck, then the entire magic ship, eventually casting a shadow that directly concealed the ground below—
The body as thick as age-old trees surpassing millennia, the form long enough to cover the sky and block out the sun.
That was a "Dragon."
A roar ripped the firmament, in an instant, all things lost color, the sun and moon dimmed.
The entire land was enveloped in darkness in an instant.
