Chapter 25: Road to Recovery and New Project

"What a fascinating curse."

An old woman looks over Aria with her Senjutsu as we watch from the side.

"The curse is tied to the pacifier on her chest. In exchange for generating more energy, the pacifier consumes your life force. It theoretically can create unlimited energy, but the negative side effect is too much for humans."

I look at her and say.

"Can you cure her?"

"Dispel the curse? No. The pacifier will explode if I try to do that, and by the amount of energy inside that thing, it will take Japan, Korea, and a good chunk of China and Russia in the process."

Holy shit. That is a massive explosion.

"Then can you help with her life force so she can live a long life?"

The old woman nods her head and says.

"That is an easier task. Return in… three days. That should be enough for me to make a concoction for the ritual and herb bath to restore her life force."

I can see Reborn walk forward and look at her with a serious expression.

"How much for the treatment?"

"One and a half billion yen."

I wince a little at that number. I think it is almost ten million USD, right? Around that price range.

"I will give twenty percent off if you can pay it with gold."

Oh? Perfect. Before Reborn can say something, I walk forward and say.

"Gold? I will give you the payment in a day or two."

The old woman smiles and says.

"Perfect. With gold, I can buy the ingredients faster. Anyway, to prevent this from happening once again, I recommend you go to China and seek a Cultivator there to teach you their technique to increase her life force."

There is a cultivator in this world?! 

"Most of them are an arrogant bunch, but there are a few that are willing to help."

"I will ask around for now."

"Good. Inform Yasaka when you have my gold, and I will buy the ingredients, then start to prepare the ritual circle."

I nod and watch her leave the room. I can see Yasaka walk toward me and say.

"With that done, do you guys want to explore the city?"

I look at the others and see them nodding their heads.

==||==

While walking around the city, I decided to ask a question that I have wanted to ask since we arrived here.

"Lady Yasaka, can I ask why so many people are looking at us? I don't mind their gaze, but some of them give me a shiver."

"You don't know? Your entire body releases a great scent, you know? It is as if we are basking under the sky with a clear sky above us. All Youkai have an enchanted sense; we can feel your energy and love it. The one that looks like they want to jump at you is the one that is in their mating season. They might be able to hold it back in public, but I don't think it is safe for you to get close to them when no one is around or, even worse, go to their house."

I nod my head in understanding. They can sense the Dying Will Flame, huh?

"What about you? Do you feel something when you are close to us?"

"Fufufu~ What made you think I did not feel anything?"

She leans close to me, close enough for me to feel the heat of her body and hear her purring.

"Be careful when we are alone, Valerian~"

I shudder a little when she playfully bites my ears and gives me a sultry smile. She takes Aria and the rest of the women to enter the nearby hot spring.

That vixen is dangerous.

I shake my head and look at the others.

"Do you guys want to enter the hot spring first, or do you guys want to eat first?"

It turns out they want to go to the hot spring first before eating. After we take off our clothes and clean our bodies, we enter the hot spring, and I feel relaxed. I can feel the water in here has some sort of energy that heals all the strain in my muscles and makes me relax.

While enjoying the warm water, Reborn, wearing a duck outfit, swims toward me and says.

"Vale"

"Reborn? Is there something you need?"

"I want to ask about the payment that the old woman wants. Can you cover the payment for now? I will repay you in gold later."

"Don't worry about it. If you want to repay me, you can repay me with tech or weapons from your place."

"Can I? That is easier than getting a large amount of gold."

"Yeah. Also, can you ask an engineer and PR person to help me create a tech company? I want to buy tech from your place and introduce them here. It is 1997 here, and I think you know what I mean."

Reborn quickly understands what I am saying and gives me a smirk.

"Smart. However, you should ask Byakuran about that. His family is perfect for this kind of thing."

I nod and see Byakuran swimming around the pool.

"Byakuran! Can you come here, please?"

He swims toward me and says.

"What's up?"

I explain it to him, and he smiles at me.

"That is easy enough. It is easier if you decide to absorb all the memory of your alternate self."

"And ending up a megalomaniac? No, thank you."

Byakuran pouts and says.

"Fine. I will send people to your territory when we are back. However, I suggest you start low. Start with a low-level android instead of a modern one. With that, you can control the tech of this world, and the other competitors cannot keep up with you."

That is a good idea. When the competitor is about to reach our level, we can release more advanced tech and leave them in the dust once again. We can even make it for cheap because we can get the raw material from another world.

The only problem is the worker. We need a lot of them. I will think about it later.

"Thank you, Byakuran. How much do I owe you?"

He waves his hand and says.

"Think of this as a payment for healing Aria. I don't want Uni to be an orphan. Anyway, brother. I see that you love a big bouncy kind, huh? Felicia, Martha, and now Yasaka. Fufufufu~ Should I send someone with a big bouncy for this project? I know this woman called Rena, and she has–"

Before he can finish his sentences, I slap his head.