Kinrenka's Deal

Compared to the previous era, the countries of the world have changed.

For example, the United States lost Alaska, and Alaska is now dotted with small countries.

Japan abandoned the Pacific islands of Minamitorishima, Okinotorishima, the Ogasawara Islands, and others.

The Republic of Korea annexed North Korea and renamed itself the Republic of Jinhan. Its borders also expanded northward.

China's name itself has not changed, but its borders have. Its mountainous northwestern border has retreated considerably, narrowing its sphere of influence and concentrating it in the plains.

One of the Flower Witch's daughters, Kinrenka, has put down roots in Wuhan, a city at the heart of modern Chinese territory.

Eastern China was peaceful, but the west still had inadequate measures against monsters, and public safety was poor.

Kinrenka, the guardian of Wuhan between east and west, also serves as a bulwark against the motley assortment of monsters flowing in from the west. She has protected Wuhan for over sixty years, making her a true old hand.

Many citizens had been born under Kinrenka's protection, grown into adults, and eventually grown old that way.

Like all members of the Flower Witch clan, Kinrenka had established a flower-burial system.

In exchange for protecting everyone living in Wuhan throughout their lives, every citizen offered their corpse to Kinrenka after death, without exception.

However, China's flower funerals also accommodated local culture, with brilliantly colored petals scattered in great profusion for the dead and countless sound-making nuts bursting to create a lively funeral.

The Flower Witch clan's goal was to obtain nutrients from corpses, not to come into conflict with humans. They pursued practical benefits while respecting human values and seeking coexistence. To an extent.

Fuyou wanted the nutrients from my corpse too, but she wasn't going to make enemies of Spider-san or Hiyori over it.

Anyway.

Two days after leaving Beijing, we arrived in Wuhan.

Wuhan, a major city in the basin of the ridiculously huge Yangtze River, had an incredible number of fields and orchards. Shenyang had been quite a breadbasket too, but this was on another level. I thought I was seeing the countryside from the train window, only for the exact same view to continue for a full hour. How enormous was this place? As expected of a continent—the scale was nothing like Japan's.

The scenery naturally changed as we entered the city from the outskirts, but it was still lush.

Tall brick buildings stood in dense rows, and ships busily traveled the waterways. At the same time, low shrubs bearing beautiful orange flowers had been planted everywhere, making the city easy on the eyes. The crisp, refreshing scent drifting faintly through the streets, reminiscent of herbs, must have come from the flowers.

Fish with rainbow-colored scales leaped from the deep, clear surface of the enormous river, sending up splashes. Cats yawned widely in the shade of the shrubs, while birds perched on the signs of Chinese-style inns and chirped merrily.

Wuhan was a rare city that combined an enormous population with a comfortable natural environment. Its atmosphere was pleasant, and its environment was even better.

I had visited Flower Witch-controlled districts and spent time with Fuyou, so I understood perfectly. This really felt like Flower Witch territory. I couldn't put my finger on it, but the atmosphere was unmistakably theirs.

If you didn't mind having your corpse munched on, plenty of people would probably worship it as an ideal city.

Wearing sunglasses and a hat to maximize my facial defenses and minimize my presence, I let Hiyori lead me through Wuhan's crowds as she said excitedly,

"The local liquor here is delicious. I've got a recommendation, so let's drink together."

"Oh, Nectar? There were tons of Treants growing in the suburbs."

Treants are tree-type monsters that produce the ingredients for magic-power enhancers. They compete with the Flower Witch clan, so naturally they do not grow within the area under the clan's roots. Outside their sphere of control, however, there are quite a lot of them.

Nectar, the magical liquor brewed from magic-power enhancers, is genuinely delicious. It has a fluffy intoxication that feels like the unpleasant floating sensation of magic-power depletion turned in a pleasant direction, and its soft, fragrant woody scent is wonderful too. I always warm it up before drinking it to bring out the aroma.

However, it has a fairly high alcohol content, and my hands become unsteady until the drunkenness wears off, so I only drink it before bed.

Apparently, it also lowers the precision of magic control, though I wouldn't know. Hiyori and Mamono-kun told me so.

"If you've come to Wuhan, you absolutely have to try Golden Lotus Liquor. It should be produced and distributed in large quantities, but demand is high too, so hardly any of it makes it overseas."

"Is it that good? Should I make a chocolate cocktail with it?"

"Ah... I'd appreciate that, but try not to feed me quite so much chocolate. I said I liked it, but if I eat too much, my, uh... figure..."

"Huh? You're not fat at all."

"Don't say it so casually. I'm maintaining it! I work hard at this, you know."

"Right? Well, if you got fat, your Charm of 100,000,000 would drop to 99,999,999."

It was a tiny difference, but perhaps it was like the way I obsessed over every detail of my magic staff. Probably. I couldn't relate to a woman's fixation on her own beauty, but I could understand it.

While we rambled on and strolled around, we eventually reached the center of Wuhan, where Kinrenka lived.

Flower Witches were easy to locate because they grew a giant white-leaved tree beside themselves.

According to Fuyou, they kept only the finest upper layer of the nutrients they absorbed for themselves and stored the rest in the giant tree. If their roots, leaves, or branches withered, were severed, or rotted due to battle or illness, they consumed the nutrients in the giant tree and regenerated immediately.

Apparently, they also used it for reproduction. I don't know much about botany, but I privately thought it was something like the relationship between staminate and pistillate flowers.

Hiyori's Transcendent ID card was effectively a free pass anywhere, so we were easily allowed into the Wuhan government office, whose entrance had the appearance of a botanical garden. She declined a guide and pulled me along while I carefully watched the floor as I walked.

As we proceeded, the long wooden corridor inside gradually changed from wood to earth, with thick roots thrusting out of it. The rich smell of soil and a refreshing fragrance like being in a forest tickled my nose, making it clear that we were approaching Kinrenka.

Kinrenka, the daughter of a Flower Witch and Fuyou's younger sister, was in the center of the government office. A white giant tree grew in the circular courtyard, and a giant orange flower in the shape of a woman bloomed at its roots.

The orange flower blooming atop the softly mounded black soil was brilliantly colored, resembling the sun, a perfectly ripened fruit, and a jewel all at once.

Every petal overflowed with vitality, and its bright, lively orange color reminded me of the midsummer sun.

And a human figure was growing from the center of that flower. The petals were a different color from the red of the Flower Witch and Fuyou, but the features looked a lot like theirs... Or did they...?

All good-looking women look the same to me, so I couldn't tell. I supposed they looked alike. They were blood relatives, after all. Not that I knew.

"Nice to meet you, Blue Witch. I am Kinrenka. I've heard much of your fame."

"Ah, nice to meet you too. I've heard about you. I came to discuss something today, but..."

"Now, now, don't rush. Let's chat a little first. That man beside you is Dairi, right? I know about him. Mother told me. Oh? Hmm..."

A root from Kinrenka slithered toward my feet, but flinched and withdrew when a ring of frost pillars sprang up around them.

It was a relief that my guard was so thorough. Her clan was excessively friendly toward me, but their values differed from those of humans, which made them a little frightening.

"Hmm. You don't look as impressive as Mother made you sound, though... Hey, why won't Dairi meet my eyes? Is it because I'm too beautiful?"

"Um, looking at your face makes me nauseous."

"What?"

"Wait, Kinrenka, calm down. He doesn't mean anything by it. He's just socially inept. Let's discuss this calmly. And Dairi, don't say anything unnecessary. I'll do the talking, so shut up for now!"

"Uh, yeah..."

While I stared at the ground and dug into it with my shoe heel, Hiyori, our negotiator, calmed the enraged Kinrenka and explained how to deal with me.

Kinrenka was utterly dumbfounded, but she obediently made and put on a makeshift wooden mask. At last, we could look one another in the face properly.

Could we make everyone who looks human in this world wear a mask? I think it would be a requirement that harmed no one. What do you say?

"All right, then, let me start over. This guy decided he wants to make a magic staff. We'd like you to provide some high-quality wood suitable for use as staff material. Can you do that?"

"Of course. I know what kinds of materials are suitable for staffs, too. So? What will the Blue Witch do for me in return for providing them?"

"One option is to pay twice the market price. But you're not desperate enough for pocket change, are you? How about payment in liquid fertilizer? I have contacts in America."

"We have enough nutrients. The land around Wuhan is fertile, and its population is large."

Since I'd been told to keep quiet, I silently listened to the two of them talk. Hiyori was amazing—she could fight and negotiate.

I could negotiate too, you know. If it was through a computer screen or by exchanging documents, that is.

Eventually, the conversation turned toward leveraging the Blue Witch's combat power, and Hiyori tilted her head.

"A proxy duel against a demon? Why?"

"There's an ancient law from back when Wuhan was just beginning to recover. The kind where winning a duel lets you force your claim through. The Transcendents of that era created it to silence ordinary people, and it's long since fallen into disuse. But there's some lunatic who dragged out that moldy old law as a shield and challenged me to a duel. It's a flaw in the legal system."

"Can't you handle it yourself?"

"I could, but the opponent is a pretty formidable demon. They're also a bad matchup for me, so if the Blue Witch stood in for me and fought the duel, I could feel safe."

"I see. What are the rules?"

"No staffs. Fight to the death if necessary; surrender is allowed. The location is the plaza behind the government office."

"All right. I'll take it."

Hiyori accepted the extremely dangerous proxy duel with remarkable ease.

It was dangerous, but that was only natural. Even a Transcendent couldn't beat Hiyori, so what chance did a demon have?

Even without Cureanos, with neither side using a staff, the conditions were even. There was no reason for us to lose. If the opponent survived for even ten seconds, it would be an impressive achievement.

I had to buy some popcorn and cola. Though would it all be over before I could eat or drink any of it?

And so we settled the matter.

All it would take was Hiyori crushing the enemy as her proxy, and a generous supply of high-quality wood for my staff materials would fall into my hands. Easy money.

I'd give her a shoulder massage when the duel was over. Thank you for all your hard work, as always.

While Kinrenka sent out an eyeball familiar to summon the other party, we headed for the plaza behind the government office. A spacious square area had already been roped off in the very center of the exercise grounds, and the place had been thoroughly cleared of people.

A battle between a Transcendent and a demon could kill people from the aftereffects alone if things went badly. Of course they had cleared everyone out.

There were some spectators, but they did not cross the low shrubbery marking the boundary between the road and the plaza. In fact, any insolent person who tried to enter was dragged back by vines extending from the shrubs.

Could every shrub in the city actually be Kinrenka? If so, she really had roots spread throughout the entire city. Her control was absurdly absolute, Kinrenka.

Hiyori cast layer after layer of defensive magic on me to prevent stray spells from hitting me, then entered the dueling area in the center of the plaza.

Fuyou was strong. I'd put her somewhere around Otsu 1 to Ko 3.

Her younger sister Kinrenka should be about as strong.

What sort of opponent could make Kinrenka reluctant to fight? And could they last three seconds against Hiyori?

I sat at the edge with my knees hugged to my chest and waited lazily. Before long, the opponent appeared from the government office's back entrance.

"Mimimii! My name is Tsubaki Sugoizo! If I win, the entire rapeseed field becomes my territory! Now, let us have a fair and square contest!"

The energetic girl who burst out was around middle-school age, with hair that burned bright red. She looked like the Kindled Flame Witch.

Hiyori, who had been waiting with her weight resting listlessly on one leg, opened her mouth wide in shock.

I reeled backward in astonishment too.

C-c-c-crap!

Someone truly incredible had just shown up!