Stardew Valley of Gensokyo

But Fujiwara no Mokou also had her own unique solution.

She punched herself in the chest, then coughed violently, expelling a clump of fresh lung debris.

The bodies of the people of Penglai are so simple and unadorned.

But looking at the old lung on the ground, covered in blood and blurred out, and wiping the blood from the corner of her mouth, Fujiwara no Mokou felt that this matter could not be left unresolved.

It's a pity that Kaguya Houraisan wasn't nearby, otherwise Fujiwara no Mokou would have felt better if she had just forced this piece of trash into her mouth.

She was so wronged that she felt like she was vomiting her lungs out. She was determined to find out what happened and make the culprit know what it meant to have a close encounter with a fist!

Fujiwara no Mokou loosely clenched her fist.

But smelling the lingering stench in the air, a thought inexplicably popped into Fujiwara no Mokou's mind: Why does this smell seem so familiar? It's like I've seen it before.

She remembered; it must have happened decades ago, and it was strange that it was happening again now.

Shaking her head, Fujiwara no Mokou decided to find the scene of the incident first.

The stench is always traceable in the air, especially to someone with Fujiwara no Mokou's unusually keen sense of smell, it is very noticeable.

Before long, she followed the scent to Akina Sawaya's house, but looking at the familiar little house in front of her, Fujiwara no Mokou had some doubts.

That shouldn't be the case. What would Akina need that for?

But the stench was indeed coming from inside. Suppressing her doubts, Fujiwara no Mokou went inside.

But as soon as she stepped into the courtyard, Fujiwara no Mokou felt that she had already solved the case, after all, there was such a big reporter standing there.

This must be another mess that Aya Shameimaru did!

“I need an explanation!” Fujiwara no Mokou shouted.

Chapter 77 I'll Think of a Way

"I need an explanation."

It was like a freezing rain suddenly falling on a warm winter morning.

Hearing that familiar voice, Akina Sawa, who was discussing with Shameimaru Aya how to wash the blankets, turned around in confusion.

A familiar figure was standing at the gate of the courtyard.

With her long, silvery-white hair and undeniably striking red overalls... judging from her expression, she didn't seem to be there for a friendly exchange.

"Did I do something bad recently? But I don't remember doing anything like that..." Akina Ze asked, slightly uneasy.

"Mokou, what brings you here?"

"I'm here to find the culprit." Fujiwara no Mokou stated her purpose clearly and concisely.

"Ha...haha." Akina Ze also gave an awkward laugh in response, "We don't have any so-called culprit here, right, Wenwen?"

Akina Sawa also turned to look at Shameimaru Aya, but found that her eyes were somewhat evasive.

hum.

Could it be that Miss Wenwen did something wrong, which is why Captain Mokou came to visit?

No! Akina Sawa shook his head, dismissing the thought from his mind.

Miss Wenwen has been staying with him these past few days, so even if she were to commit a crime, she wouldn't have had the opportunity to do so.

Having already reached a conclusion in his mind, Akina Sawa said, "Captain Mokou, you're here to rest temporarily, right? Wait a moment, I'll pour you a cup of tea."

As he spoke, Akina Ze also planned to go to the kitchen to brew a cup of chrysanthemum tea to refresh and cool the body.

But to his surprise, Akina Sawa suddenly felt his left arm being gripped tightly.

"Captain Mokou? What's going on?" Akina Sawa asked with a puzzled look as he looked at the arm that Fujiwara Mokou was holding.

"No need, I've already found the culprit."

Looking at Fujiwara no Mokou's serious expression and her arm that was being grabbed.

A terrifying thought popped into Akina Zeya's mind, and he pointed to his face with his other finger and asked:

"You're not referring to me as the culprit you're talking about, are you?"

“That’s right, it’s you or her!” Fujiwara no Mokou nodded and turned her gaze to Shameimaru Aya, who was still hugging the blanket.

......

Under the cherry blossom tree in the courtyard.

Now that the fairies find the yard smelly, they've gone to play by the river, leaving only three people in the yard, including Fujiwara no Mokou.

There was already a table under the cherry blossom tree, and after getting Mokou's permission, Akina Sawa went to the inner room and brought out three more chairs.

Before long, the group sat down together.

"So... the stench from the ink we accidentally spilled on the bookstore floor has permeated the entire Human Village?"

After learning the whole story from Fujiwara no Mokou, Akina Sawa still couldn't believe that the stench from the ink on the floor of that room could travel so far...

"That's the truth." Fujiwara nods in confirmation. "After all, it's ink made by a kappa, so it's normal that it's more special than regular ink."

From what Mokou said, Akina Sawa also noticed a key point: "Mokou, you also know that this kind of ink that emits a foul smell is made by kappa?"

"Of course I know, similar things have happened in the Human Village before."

"Could you tell me what happened back then?" Akina Sawa was also curious. He was quite interested in what had happened in the Human Village before he came to Gensokyo.

Since someone wanted to hear it, Fujiwara no Mokou didn't mind the trouble and recalled the past, saying, "Back when I was still the previous shrine maiden, the human village wasn't as prosperous as it is now."

“Back then, there was a place in the village that specialized in copying books. Many people would go there if they needed to make copies, and Master Huiyin’s temple school was no exception.”

"So the shop owner's business was very good, but this also brought a problem."

Seeing Akina Sawa's increasingly curious expression, Fujiwara no Mokou continued, "Because the demand was too high and there were too few copyists, many people's needs were not being met, and the boss was troubled by this. It was at that time..."

"The kappa is here?" Akina Sawa guessed, based on the information he had received earlier.

“Yes, you’re right.” Fujiwara no Mokou nodded and continued to describe the past. “Back then, the kappa reached an agreement with that boss, saying that he would give away a printing press for free, but on the condition that the copy shop could only use his ink from then on.”

"So that boss agreed..." At this point, Akina Ze knew that the boss would definitely agree. After all, the free printing press could completely meet the business needs of the entire copy shop. It was just a matter of changing the ink supplier. Even if he were the boss, he would agree.

“But are the things of kappa really that simple?” Fujiwara no Mokou sneered. “The only price is that my whole body has to bear it. For an entire summer, the stench emanating from the copying room enveloped my whole body.”

"Sigh~"

Akina Sawa also gasped. He was already on the verge of collapse after just a few hours of exposure that morning. If he had to smell this odor all summer long, he would go crazy!

After thinking for a moment, Akina Sawa asked, "Captain Mokou, didn't you try to stop them?"

"Stop them? How can I stop them? They're doing business, and there's a shrine maiden involved. It's not my place to interfere." Even after all these years, Fujiwara no Mokou was still somewhat indignant.

"So what happened next?"

Hearing that Mokou hadn't resolved the matter, Akina Sawa asked curiously.

"I don't know what happened after that," Fujiwara no Mokou laughed carelessly. "During that period, I moved to the Lost Bamboo Forest, and ambushing and beating up Kaguya was quite a fun pastime."

Having heard the whole story, it's a bit of a shame that I don't know how it will end, but for now, I still need to think about the present.

Akina Sawa tentatively asked, "So, Mokou, what do you plan to do with us?"

"Is that even a question?" Fujiwara no Mokou glared at Akina Sawa and said, "Now it's my turn to be in charge of the people. Originally, I wanted to ban you from using that ink, but as long as you promise that this stench will not be allowed to spread in the future, I'll let you do whatever you want with it."

"How can you do that?"

Aya Shameimaru, who had been listening the whole time, couldn't hold back any longer. Her understanding of this ink was probably second only to that of the kappa who created it.

Want kappa ink to not smell bad? Absolutely not!

"This is the human village. I'm only doing this because of Akina-kun. If you don't agree, you can move back to Youkai Mountain." Fujiwara no Mokou already disliked the monsters of Youkai Mountain, so she spoke without any politeness.

Asked to move out?

Fujiwara no Mokou's attack struck Aya Shameimaru's core area directly. Now that things have come to this, she will never move it back. But now the printing press ink is unusable, and newspapers cannot be printed. What should she do?

The usually quick-witted Aya Shameimaru suddenly became anxious; she didn't want to give up either option.

Seeing that Miss Wenwen was in a helpless situation, Akina Sawa could only step forward and say to Fujiwara no Mokou, "Mokou, I'll think of a way. We'll make sure the smell doesn't get out again."

"I hope so. It's not that I'm being too strict," Fujiwara no Mokou sighed and said calmly, "The humans among us don't have this special constitution. They can't stand this smell."

"My physique is just that of an average human," Akina Ze said with a laugh.

Hearing this, Fujiwara no Mokou glared at him, "You think I can't tell?"

Before Akina Sawa could explain, Fujiwara no Mokou said, "That's it for now. Remember not to let the scent waft out again, or I'll really have to take action."

As she spoke, Fujiwara no Mokou clenched her fist menacingly.

"Okay, okay, no problem at all!" Qiu Mingze quickly nodded in agreement.

Having received the promise, Fujiwara no Mokou could no longer bear the faint stench in the yard and hurriedly left.

At this moment, Aya Shameimaru came to her senses. Her face was pale and she looked at Akina Sawa for help, saying, "What should I do with my newspaper?"

"Don't worry." Akina Sawa, as if comforting a fairy, habitually reached out and patted Aya Shameimaru's head, saying, "I'll think of something."

Chapter Seventy-Eight: The Shrine Maiden's Serenity

Life at Hakurei Shrine has always been peaceful, especially since the beginning of winter.

Although the Hakurei Shrine appears somewhat deserted compared to its activity in the previous days.

In the kitchen, Reimu Hakurei was busy, picking up a radish that she had chopped beforehand from the cutting board and pouring it into a wok.

Now that the temporary resident has left, Reimu Hakurei has to pick up her iron spoon and pot again to cook for herself.

Zizzi~

White radishes are rich in water, and they sizzle and splatter hot oil as soon as they hit the oil.

But Reimu Hakurei wasn't alarmed. She had already covered her arms with a thin layer of spiritual energy shield before cooking, so the oil wouldn't splash onto her hands.

There are many wonderful uses for spiritual power, and Reimu Hakurei is well-versed in this.

Soon, a delicious aroma wafted from the kitchen—the dish was ready.

The cook, Reimu Hakurei, scooped a small piece of radish from the pot with an iron spoon, put it in her mouth, took a small bite, but shook her head in dissatisfaction.

"It's not the same taste."

In fact, Reimu Hakurei is recreating the taste of the dishes she made a few days ago when Sawa Akina was still staying at the shrine.

But after trying several times, Reimu Hakurei always felt that the dishes she made didn't taste the same as those made by Sawa Akina, even though she used the same ingredients and seasonings.

"Hey."

With a sigh, Reimu Hakurei covered the plate of what she considered a failure with a lid. She planned to save it for Suika to eat that evening, since she couldn't waste food.

After finishing what she wanted to do, Reimu Hakurei felt a little bored. She strolled to the offering box in front of the hall, sat down, and gazed at the scenery in the distance—the scenery had remained unchanged for more than a decade.

Suddenly, Reimu Hakurei, who was looking at the scenery, raised an eyebrow. A familiar figure was slowly emerging from the torii gate at the end of the imperial road.

First, a head with a goofy smile appeared, followed by a body waving its hands enthusiastically in greeting.

Upon seeing this scene, the lonely Reimu Hakurei couldn't help but curl up her lips slightly.

......

That familiar figure was none other than Akina Zeya. Whenever he encountered a problem he couldn't solve, his first thought was to go find Reimu.

After persuading Aya Shameimaru to try copying the newspaper by hand to get through the immediate crisis, Akina Sawa also set off for the Hakurei Shrine.

He firmly believed that the priestess must have some way to solve this after arriving in Gensokyo.

However, as he walked along the path to Hakurei Shrine, Akina Sawa felt a little uneasy.

Since he last asked Reimu for help to solve the house's barrier problem, he hasn't seemed to have visited the shrine to see the shrine maiden.

It's cold outside, so I don't really want to move around too much.

But now that he's asking the shrine maiden for help again, Akina Sawa is a little worried that Reimu won't help him.

Time flies when you're thinking.

Before long, Akina Sawa saw the torii gate at the end of the imperial road. He took a deep breath and stepped onto the bluestone.

But the next second, Akina Zeya's anxiety vanished without a trace.