Although Luo Shu had been tricked by So'unga into returning briefly to the present world, it was precisely because of this that Kikyo had stopped hesitating and directly signed the Familia contract.
There was an element of "seeing is believing" at play here.
After witnessing the present world with her own eyes, Kikyo fully accepted Luo Shu's explanations. Realising her homeland was doomed to destruction, grasping at the only lifeline available became the natural course of action.
Hence, the contract signing had proceeded so smoothly.
'The only loss should be the 2000 Points spent on establishing the two passageways, right?'
Thinking of the expended points, Luo Shu felt it was a pity, but not overly distressing.
Although spending 2000 Points to return to the Abyss Warring States seemed like a loss, So'unga's manipulations had also allowed Luo Shu to detect issues with the Tree of Ages. Overall, it actually worked to his advantage.
After all, an enemy in plain sight was always better than one lurking in the shadows.
Being schemed against was certainly unpleasant, but if So'unga knew that its plot had driven Luo Shu to bring not only the SDS's Demigod Rank artefacts but also a Demigod's clone, the one left regretting would definitely not be Luo Shu.
That was why Luo Shu could genuinely say his mood was good—because it truly was.
After this brief mental reflection, Luo Shu glanced around and asked in surprise:
"Nothing unexpected happened at the shrine?"
"Nothing," Senhime Rin Getsu replied indifferently, then glanced at Kikyo. "Though the shrine maiden's sister came by. I managed to fob her off."
"Kaede?"
Kikyo was somewhat taken aback by this. But as she surveyed the dim surroundings, she frowned.
"How long were we gone?"
She remembered leaving during the day, yet now it was clearly the dead of night.
"About three hours," Senhime Rin Getsu answered.
Luo Shu then explained:
"The time ratio between the present world and here is quite high—roughly half an hour here equals a full day there.
"Even though we weren't gone long in the present world, the time difference means half a day passing here is normal."
After clarifying the time discrepancy, Luo Shu couldn't help but express his puzzlement:
"But given this much time, why haven't So'unga and the Tree of Ages shown themselves?
"What exactly are they planning?
"Could they really just be trying to send me and Kikyo back to the present world?
"Do they actually think dumping us there would make them completely safe?"
If that were truly the case, Luo Shu had nothing more to say.
Senhime Rin Getsu remained silent, as she too was unsure of So'unga's intentions.
Logically, as Tōga's former wife, she should be a sworn enemy in So'unga's eyes. Yet so far, she hadn't seen any action from it.
While it was highly likely that So'unga was preparing something major, strangely, Senhime Rin Getsu felt no concern at all.
As for the reason she wasn't worried...
At this thought, she couldn't help but glance at Luo Shu.
With this guy here, the one who should be worried wasn't her—it was that Demon Sword.
A god, even in its infancy, was a being far beyond the terror of any yokai.
Not to mention, this god had the backing of a powerful organisation in the present world.
Just the existence of mass-produced Hero Rank entities like the Skill Demon Gods spoke volumes about the SDS's profound resources.
If So'unga truly pushed the SDS to their limits, who knew what monstrous things they might unleash upon that malevolent spirit in a saturation attack?
From this perspective, So'unga's decision to send Luo Shu away was actually quite sound.
But it likely never imagined Luo Shu could still descend into this world even after the passage became one-way.
And the irony was—this method relied on Senhime Rin Getsu, a Familia member residing in the Abyss Warring States.
In a way, the clan hasn't treated So'unga badly.
"This is getting rather troublesome!"
Luo Shu gazed at the cold moonlight illuminating the corridor and said somewhat helplessly:
"So'unga is actually hiding. I thought that after sending me off, it would launch a surprise attack on the shrine. Yet it hasn't made a move at all."
"I misjudged its patience!"
Hearing this, Kikyo glanced at Luo Shu before speaking calmly:
"But it will come here sooner or later, won't it?"
"After all, the passage is right here."
"Kikyo, you're not wrong, but we can't just keep defending the shrine indefinitely."
Luo Shu shook his head slightly before saying:
"The SDS came here not just to experiment with Skill Demon Gods, but also to collect Abyss Artefacts. While defending the shrine is safe, we'd lose out on most resources to other organisations."
"If others profit hugely while we barely break even, doesn't that round up to a massive loss?"
Faced with Luo Shu's twisted logic, both Kikyo and Senhime Rin Getsu were left speechless.
When others are eyeing you with hostility, you're thinking about profits?
They truly didn't know how to describe Luo Shu.
Should they call him overly career-driven? Or say he completely disregards So'unga's threat?
Unlike the silent pair, Luo Shu remained focused:
"Guess we'll have to trouble Kirika Tachibana to send some investigative Abyss Artefacts."
"Better yet, if possible, dispatch someone skilled in divination. Those mystical types might not be strong fighters, but their supernatural tracking is spot-on."
"If you're looking for divination experts, we happen to have the perfect candidate right here."
The sudden female voice made Luo Shu turn towards Yukari Oikawa, descending gracefully from the sky, along with Yomi Isayama, whom the Yuki-onna forcibly brought along.
Seeing them, Luo Shu raised an eyebrow curiously:
"How did you two end up together?"
At this, Yomi Isayama's face flushed slightly.
Counting carefully, this was her third meeting with Luo Shu. The first encounter was fine, the second turned them into enemies, and now she'd been captured - she didn't know how to face him anymore.
In contrast to Yomi's discomfort, Yukari Oikawa remained completely composed:
"This girl was sent by that witch to recruit Kikyo, and we happened to catch her with that Dog Demon's help."
"Witch?"
Kikyo looked puzzled, unsure why this mentioned witch would target her.
Senhime Rin Getsu added:
"She was using the authority of the Musashi Province daimyo, which suggests that this so-called witch has controlled the daimyo."
"The daimyo is controlled?" Kikyo sounded shocked that someone would dare target a feudal lord.
Luo Shu, however, understood and even approved of Kuesu Jingūji's methods:
"I see, controlling a daimyo to gather resources? That's actually quite clever."
"Speaking of which, how's the security around the shogunate's army these days? Could we replicate this strategy?"
At Luo Shu's words, both Kikyo and Yomi Isayama fell silent.
For a Warring States period shrine maiden and a modern woman raised with bushido values, this suggestion of overthrowing superiors was morally jarring.
The yokai Senhime Rin Getsu had no such qualms, answering directly:
"That fool from Owari - Nobunaga Oda - has plenty of shrine maidens and monks around him who rival Great Yokai in power. Targeting him would be high-risk."
"Aside from that, compared to the shogun, the daimyo of each region have stronger control over their local territories. Although the shogun is the common leader, his words often only hold weight in Kyoto or directly controlled areas."
Luo Shu suddenly realised: "I almost forgot that the political system here in Japan is somewhat similar to a tribal alliance."
"In that case, it seems the only way is to strengthen resource collection by controlling each daimyo one by one."
"Hmm..."
After pondering for a moment, Luo Shu turned to Yomi Isayama and said:
"Perhaps we need to cooperate with that witch from the Jingūji family."
"For instance, in controlling the daimyo, or... divination regarding So'unga."
At this point, Luo Shu couldn't help but look curiously at Yomi Isayama:
"But speaking of which, are you sure Kuesu Jingūji is skilled in divination?"
Yomi Isayama paused briefly before replying: "All members of the Jingūji family are skilled in divination."
Hearing this, Luo Shu nodded in understanding, then said with a slightly odd expression:
"If she's skilled in divination, then here's the question."
"Before asking you to come here, did Kuesu Jingūji perform a divination?"
At these words, Yomi Isayama froze.