Yama Rising

Silence.

Despite having liquidated so many of his precious assets, he had still been unable to retrieve the Obsidian Heaven’s Eye Bowl.

Want? No, it’s more of a yearning. In fact, it’s something that I dream about every day!

Each and every single one of them had done everything that was reasonably within their abilities in order to prepare for the auctions today. They had given up investments, and even sold off their personal collections. Most of them had come to the auctions with approximately two billion RMB in their pockets, so who could’ve expected the one to come out on top to be a young man that wasn’t even Nipponese to begin with?!

Nishino Mio was an old lady who generally presented herself with an elegant poise. That said, her usual graceful disposition was nowhere to be found.

This was a great artifact that represented modern day Nippon! Here was an artifact that had witnessed one of the greatest turning points of Nipponese history! And yet the one who obtained possession of it wasn’t even Nipponese! What shame! How incredibly regrettable!

Despite knowing how things would likely pan out this evening, even Iwasaki Kyouya couldn’t help but chuckle bitterly to himself as he stared blankly at the ceiling.

One by one, the top Nipponese tycoons stood up and left the auction hall, unable to hide the despondence in their heart. Within moments, the number of attendees fell by approximately one quarter of their original numbers. When those who were leaving had left, and those who were still reeling from shock finally settled down slightly, the audience began to applaud gently.

A successful bid in the astronomical quantum of three billion was still something worth applauding!

Qin Ye stood up and slowly made his way towards Grandmaster Chu. Master Kamo and Iwasaki Kyouya also stood up at the same time.

Qin Ye felt an unspeakable fatigue creep over his heart. He had truly traveled far and wide in order to achieve all he had today - from the City of Salvation, to Eastsea City, and then finally to the East Cathay Sea. It was a journey of a thousand miles to the east. Furthermore, this journey of his was interspersed with skirmishes with various forces as well as his nimble avoidance of potential pitfalls and altercations with Oda Nobunaga, the Onmyojis, as well as Azai Nagamasa. And finally… he managed to obtain the artifact that he had been gunning for all this while.

“Alright. And please allow me to express my deepest apologies once again.” Grandmaster Chu bowed deeply, “Gentlemen, please follow me.”

“Haaa--...” Nishino Mio was wearing a kimono, and her assistants had just helped her up from the third floor to the top deck of the cruise liner.

A robe befitting of reclaiming the history of Nippon.

She slowly made her way over to a couch and slumped back into it, staring out into the vast oceans without saying a single word. Her mood felt as downcast as the dark night skies, and her expressions were as distant as the horizons about her.

“Miss, please be at ease. Your competitor this time had simply been too well-prepared.” Her attendant-bodyguard who served her the cup of tea spoke with a cautious, measured tone of voice, “After all, not even Sony’s chairman was able to measure up against the eventual winner of the bid. This isn’t your fault.”

She stared out into the dark waters around as she continued to murmur aloud, “The Obsidian Heaven’s Eye Bowl is an artifact filled with historical significance. I’ve always respected Oda Nobunaga. He was the best of both worlds, an amalgam of a politician and a military leader that was rarely seen in the East. How great was his ambition to unify Nippon? But who would’ve thought that a raging inferno at Honnoji would turn his dreams to ashes?”

She choked up slightly, “I can’t help but feel incompetent. I’ve let Nippon down by allowing it to end up in the hands of a foreigner. But… this isn’t the end. One day, I’ll muster enough funds to purchase it from that gentleman.”

After all, they could all tell that their mistress needed some time to herself to manage her thoughts. Nishino Mio didn’t say anything more either. She simply watched the sky and the sea, breathing softly as her mood gradually eased up.

“What’s the matter, my lady?” One of her bodyguards asked immediately.

She put them on and glanced about carefully. Three seconds later, she abruptly shot to her feet and stared into the distance.

Her bodyguards froze in place and turned to look in the same direction.

There were dozens and dozens of turtle shells drifting in the ocean, all around the cruise liner!

It was far too bizarre. The vastness of the ocean was already a source of fear to some, and yet the peculiar sight of the encirclement of turtle shells simply made one’s hair stand on end!

Nobody spoke. They simply perked up their ears and listened intently to their surroundings. Within moments, their ears picked up on soft clicking sounds cutting through the deafening silence.

“That’s coming from the ship’s anchor.” One of the bodyguards finally responded with a gasp, “Something… is tugging on the anchor…”

And that’s not all. The anchor was made out of steel, so what creature could possibly tug on the anchor with such great strength to tighten it so much that it made such creaking sounds?”

The sudden realization of what might await them in the darkness caused an electrifying sensation to surge straight through their minds. Their breaths grew ragged, while Nishino Mio immediately whispered, “Where’s the anchor? Take me there immediately!”

“No.” Nishino immediately interjected, “It will only complicate things if we sound the alarm rashly. Let’s go take a look at the situation first. Do you have your guns with you?”

There’s really something tugging at it!

“Miss…” One of the bodyguards blurted out suddenly. His hands trembled as he pointed feebly into the distance, “P-p-please look there…”

There was a small mound that appeared to rise out of the waters in the horizon.

There wasn’t an island there just a moment ago!

Something’s going on… Something big is going on!

No response.

Nishino Mio’s eyes gleamed brightly as she nodded meaningfully at her bodyguards. One of them immediately gnashed his teeth and rushed forward, grabbing the back of the seat and spinning it around at once.

The captain was still dressed in his captain’s outfit.

More accurately speaking, his entire face from his forehead to his jaw had been gouged out, leaving nothing more than a grotesque, gaping hole where his face should have been.

Nobody knew when it happened, or who the culprit was.

Everyone immediately whipped around with their guns raised in front of them. And then, they saw something that they would never forget.

The monster’s entire body was wrapped in wisps of dark energy. Its body appeared like a turtle’s and yet it had long, slender limbs extending out of the shell. The top of its head was completely bald and shiny, surrounded only by a ring of hair that grew all around the head just above its eyes. Its body was dripping wet, while sharp jagged teeth extended menacingly out of its gaping wide mouth. Its three golden eyes stared transfixed at them, while it licked its lips greedily with its scarlet tongue.

Nishino Mio and her bodyguards were all Nipponese, and they naturally recognized that this monster was none other than the legendary Kappa.

Those turtle shells…

She suddenly understood everything - what the mysterious entities pulling the cruise liner was, and what those turtle shells around the cruise liner were.

Where the hell did they come from?!

Did they kill the captain? Why? Is it because the captain anchored the ship where he shouldn’t have? Where are they taking us?

Sssss!!! SSSS!!! A series of similar goosebumps-inducing shrieks echoed through various other parts of the cruise like an opening symphony of death on a lonesome stage in the middle of the vast seas.