Volume 5: Kyoto Summer Campaign Chapter 317: A move that changes the situation in one fell swoop! (Part 1)
"Thank you." Okada bowed and thanked Dosuke and Aide.
Under the guidance of Dousuke and Aide, Ogata and Amachi successfully walked out of the burned area and came to the place where candlelight was shining.
Dousuke and Aide seemed to be unaccustomed to people bowing to them, especially samurai, so they instantly became stiff and didn't even know how to place their hands.
"No, you're welcome!" Douzhu stuttered, "Master Samurai, I wish you good luck in martial arts!"
"Here's a little thank you gift for you." Ogata smiled and took out a few cakes from the small bag hanging around his waist and handed them to Dosuke and Aide.
This is exactly the cake that Grandma Gao gave to his grandmother when he said goodbye to Grandma Gao this morning.
"Thanks!"
After seeing the pieces of grandma cake lying in their palms, Douzhu and Achu's eyes immediately lit up with dazzling looks.
After watching the brother and sister who received the grandma cake and skipped away from the sight of Ogata and O-Machi, O-Machi smiled and came to Ogata's side and said:
"You actually have grandma cake, where did you buy it?"
"Huh? You actually know about grandma cake?"
"Have you forgotten where I was born?" Ating said unhappily, "I'm from Omi. I know the specialty of Omi Kusatsu, the laolao cake."
"I didn't buy it. The innkeeper gave it to me this morning when I left the inn where I stayed last night."
Having said this, Ogata paused.
Ogata suddenly realized that a lot of things happened today...
Since entering Kyoto this morning, events have happened one after another, leaving Ogata no time to catch his breath.
"...Ayi, you are such a weirdo." Atachi suddenly said this to Ogata.
"Hmm ? Why do you say that?"
"You communicate with Eta in such a friendly manner, and you even bow to Eta to express your gratitude and salute him... This is the first time I've seen a samurai like you."
"…A-Machi, did you see the expressions on Tousuke and A-Izu's faces after they got the laolao cakes?"
"I see. What's wrong?"
"Whether they were samurai, commoner children, or Eta children, the expressions they showed and the light in their eyes after receiving the delicious dessert were all the same."
"Although I don't quite understand what you said just now, I feel like you said something very impressive..."
"Is what I just said so hard to understand..."
"I'm sorry... I haven't really been educated. I only know kana, and I can't even read kanji."
"I didn't expect that you, A-Ming, are still illiterate..."
“It’s normal not to be able to read Chinese characters!”
After patting Ogata's shoulder unhappily, Atachi stretched vigorously.
"Okay... let's go find a passerby and ask where Third Prince Street is... um? Ayi, where are you looking?"
A-Machi suddenly noticed that Ogata was turning his head and looking away.
"I'm looking at Nijo Castle."
Ogata's gaze was directed straight to the Shogun's headquarters in Kyoto, the symbol of power of the Edo Shogunate - Nijo Castle, also known as Nijo Palace.
"What's so interesting about Nijo Castle?"
"Just now, Dousuke has been expressing his hatred towards the shogunate, but he didn't mention anything like 'I want to overthrow the shogunate'..." Ogata said softly.
"No normal person would say such a thing..." A-machi said this in a helpless tone, and looked towards Nijo Castle with Ogata.
"The Edo Shogunate ruled Japan for nearly two hundred years..."
Ating murmured.
"Whether it was the Kamakura Shogunate or the Muromachi Shogunate, none of them lasted for so many years and remained as powerful as the Edo Shogunate..."
"How is it possible... to defeat the Edo Shogunate..."
"I don't even dare to think about 'overthrow the Edo shogunate', let alone say it..."
At this point, Ating paused.
After gazing at the towering Nijo Castle for a few seconds, Atachi continued softly:
"From a distance like this, Nijo Castle looks even more majestic and magnificent."
"Like... a monster."
"The Edo Shogunate is just like Nijo Castle. It is a huge monster."
"It's impossible to defeat this monster..."
After saying that, Atachi walked away from Ogata's side and randomly caught passers-by to ask about the location of Sanzi Street.
Only Ogata was still standing there.
Looking at Nijo Castle in the distance.
I don’t know what he is thinking about.
…
…
"Mucun, I'm lending you my treasure for now. Please protect it well!"
"Don't worry, Uncle Yuan." Mucun smiled at the middle-aged man in front of him, "This is not the first time I borrow Boji. Are you still worried about me?"
After saying that, Mucun took out a handful of money and stuffed it into the middle-aged man's arms.
After seeing the money that Mucun stuffed into his hand, the middle-aged man immediately smiled happily.
Mucun is now standing in front of the gate of an ordinary house.
The man standing in front of Mucun, whom Mucun affectionately called "Uncle Yuan", was a middle-aged man with a very ordinary appearance.
Uncle Yuan is an old acquaintance of Mucun.
However, the relationship between the two is more like trading partners than friends.
Although Uncle Yuan doesn't look good, he actually has a skill: training dogs.
The big dog named "Boji" currently held in Mucun's arms is Uncle Yuan's masterpiece.
Porgy has a very keen sense of smell and is particularly good at tracking people or objects by scent.
Boji's expertise was very helpful in solving cases, so when he was still working as a yoli in Kyoto, Makimura would often come to Uncle Yuan to borrow Boji.
And Boji, who had a keen sense of smell, also helped Mucun solve several major cases several times.
After collecting the money, Uncle Yuan patted Mucun's shoulder affectionately and said:
"Mucun, I haven't seen you for more than two years. I don't know what you are doing now, but when you are done, come and have a drink with me!"
"Yes." Makura smiled slightly, "I will."
After saying goodbye to Uncle Yuan, Makimura held Boji and walked towards Shimada and Hasegawa who were standing not far away.
"Makimura-senpai! Is this the dog named Boji you just mentioned? It's so cute!"
"Yeah. It's very cute. But it looks a bit old... I hope its sense of smell doesn't deteriorate."
After saying that, Makimura couldn't wait to take out the Wakasa incense and put it to Boji's nose.
"Porgy, sniff!"
Hearing what Makimura said, Boji immediately sniffed the small handful of Wakasa incense in Makimura's palm carefully as if it was a conditioned reflex.
While Boji was sniffing and remembering the scent of Wakasa incense, Makimura turned his head and asked Hasegawa beside him:
"Lord Hasegawa, are you sure you want to join us?"
Just now, after Makimura said that he wanted to borrow a dog and rely on Boji's power to track down the bald man, Hasegawa said something that surprised Makimura and Shimada: "I'll go with you."
At first, Makimura and Shimada thought Hasegawa was just joking.
But after seeing Hasegawa really following closely behind them and acting with them, the two realized that Hasegawa was serious.
After hearing Makimura's question, Hasegawa smiled slightly:
"I am the leader of the Fire Thief Kai after all."
"Although I am only responsible for catching thieves and arsonists, in my eyes, catching thieves does not distinguish between departments or organizations."
"There is a group of people hiding in the dark of Kyoto, plotting something bad. How can I hide in a teahouse and drink tea with a clear conscience when something like this happens?"
"Master Hasegawa, let me remind you that you are the chief of the Fire Bandits." Makimura said softly, "Your duty is to catch thieves and arsonists."
"Your behavior is beyond your authority."
"Your behavior of meddling in matters that have nothing to do with the area you are in charge of...excuse me, this is a very stupid and foolish thing to do..."
"Some of your political opponents may make a big fuss about what you did tonight."
"Even if you know there will be such consequences, are you still going to follow us?"
As soon as Makimura finished speaking, Hasegawa curled the corners of his mouth and revealed a light smile.
“I don’t know whether I am stupid or foolish, I just stick to my heart and keep moving forward.”
Makimura was stunned when he heard Hasegawa's words.
There was a strange light in his eyes when he looked at Hasegawa.
"...As expected of Lord Hasegawa who opened the Hitoshiyome Field at all costs." After a long while, Makimura sighed softly.
"Huh? You know about me?" Hasegawa raised his eyebrows.
"'Hasegawa Heizo, the fire thief, spent a lot of money to build a footstool to teach criminals a skill' - I heard about this a long time ago."
"Woof!" At this moment, Bogie suddenly shouted.
Hearing Boji's cry, Mucun frowned.
"Boji is ready..." Makimura put away the handful of Wakasa incense, and held Boji's leash tightly while standing up, "Shimada, Lord Hasegawa, let's go!"
…
…
Kyoto, Sanji Street, a remote three-story building.
"Ha ha ha ha……"
The bald man, whose legs were weak from running, entered the first floor of the three-story building while panting.
As soon as he entered the first floor, a male voice that was extremely familiar to the bald man sounded in front of him:
"Ichi Saburo, you look really embarrassed. I just asked you to go buy some Wakasako incense, why are you in such a mess?"
Hearing this male voice, the bald man showed a look of surprise, then he knelt on one knee in a hurry and said respectfully to the owner of the male voice just now:
"Ryunosuke-sama! I'm sorry, I encountered something unexpected when I was out buying Wakasa incense!"
"Accident?" The young man standing in front of the bald man, Ryunosuke, raised his eyebrows slightly, "What accident? Tell me about it."
The bald man told Ryunosuke everything that happened to him when he went out to buy Wakasa incense.
After the bald man finished speaking, Ryunosuke frowned slightly and asked back:
"You mean - there's a big, strong man chasing you... What kind of strong man? How tall is he?"
"He's over six feet tall!" the bald man replied, "He's very strong! He doesn't have a sword on his waist, so I don't know if he's a samurai, but judging by his skills, he doesn't look like an ordinary civilian..."
"…Did he carry any weapons?" Ryunosuke asked.
"He had something long on his back, but it was wrapped in cloth, so I don't know what he was carrying. Judging from its length, it could be a sword or a short gun."
“…I see. So – where’s the Wakasa incense I asked you to buy? Is it still there?”
"Sir Ryunosuke, I'm sorry..." The bald man showed a look of deep apology, "Wakasa Ka... I failed to bring her back successfully."
The bald man briefly explained to Ryunosuke where Wakasako was.
"In other words - the strong man's companion threw the Wakasa incense on you? No wonder the scent of Wakasa incense is so strong on you."
"Master Ryunosuke, I'm really sorry..."
"Alright, it's just a small matter. No need to apologize. Wakasaka is gone, so let it be."
Ryunosuke waved his hand and continued to speak to the bald man:
"You've worked hard. Take a rest here for a while."
"Yes!" The bald man responded loudly and paused.
After hesitating for a while, the bald man mustered up the courage to ask Ryunosuke:
"Master Ryunosuke, I want to ask a question..."
"Go ahead."
"Why is it so quiet here?" The bald man raised his head and glanced at the ceiling. "I remember it used to be quite noisy here..."
"Because those things have been assembled." Ryunosuke showed a meaningful smile on his face, "Now we are doing some finishing work. In a while, I will order everyone here to evacuate and abandon this base."
"Are those things finally assembled?!" the bald man's face was full of excitement.
"Yeah." Ryunosuke nodded. "Although it took a little longer than I thought, I finally assembled all the stuff before the 'Yamaboko Parade' started."
"You should have a good rest. I have some things to do, so I'll leave first."
"Yes! Lord Ryunosuke, please take care!"
…
…
After tightening his cloak and pulling the hat on his head a little lower, Ryunosuke quickly walked out of the small house on the third floor.
I walked through the deserted streets and passed an alley. Suddenly, an old voice came from the depths of the alley:
"Ryunosuke."
Hearing the shout, Ryunosuke stopped and turned his head to look deeper into the alley.
Looking into the dark alley, Ryunosuke whispered:
"Master Hexian, what's the matter?"
As Ryunosuke finished speaking, an old man with white hair and beard slowly walked out from the depths of the alley.
"Master Ryunosuke." The old man, whom Ryunosuke called Tsurugen, showed an intriguing smile, "It seems that the plan is going well."
"Yes, thanks to you." Ryunosuke said casually.
"So—should we talk about compensation?"
When Ryunosuke heard what Tsurugan said, his face immediately darkened.
"It was you who asked me to lend you a talent who could remotely monitor the head of the Metaphysics Hall, so I lent you our elite sniper."
