Stardew Valley of Gensokyo

"It's alright." Akina Ze also touched his nose and said, "I'm not afraid of any monsters as long as they don't reveal their original form, as long as they look like humans."

As she spoke, Akina Sawa also turned her gaze to Kawashiro Nitori. The legendary kappa is bald on top, but she has a thick head of light blue twin tails, which is completely mismatched.

"Original form?" Kawashiro Nitori looked puzzled, then suddenly laughed after thinking for a long time: "That was a long, long time ago. Now, most of the youkai in Gensokyo have changed into humans. We kappa are the ones who have changed the most thoroughly."

"I see." Akina Ze nodded in agreement with her statement, but after walking for a while, he realized that if there were yokai that could transform into humans, there must also be yokai that could not change at all, right?

With this thought in mind, Akina Sawa also asked, "Are there any yokai that don't change in the direction of humans at all?"

Faced with this question, Kawashiro Nitori looked up with a strange expression: "It no longer exists."

It no longer exists? What does that mean?

Akina Sawa was also filled with doubt. What exactly did this so-called non-existence refer to? Did it mean evolving to the point of non-existence, or...?

The hidden side of Gensokyo seems to be emerging... and then there's the fact that the technology in the Human Village is basically locked down... Akina Sawa shook his head and dismissed the thought, honestly deciding not to think about such things anymore.

Gensokyo is a place that has been established for a long time. If you rashly break the status quo... no one will thank you.

As an outsider and a new villager, Akina Ze also kept in mind that he was just a farmer.

......

Chapter 135 Crimson Sunset

As the sun began to set, thick cumulus clouds piled up on the horizon, and withered weeds along the roadside swayed in the breeze.

Akina Ze also emerged from the secret passage, looked up and saw the setting sun, and couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Although the underground world is vast, it still feels somewhat cramped compared to the land under the blue sky.

Walking underground for extended periods inevitably leads to the accumulation of lactic acid in the thighs, causing some pain that requires a few days of rest or a massage to alleviate.

Kawashiro Nitori didn't come up with them; she still had to continue working hard at the construction site to complete the construction task as soon as possible. However, without Reiuji Sora causing trouble, the Kappa clan's mechanical abilities should allow them to finish quickly.

Compared to those trivial troubles, Akina Ze still prefers to lie on the rocking chair in the yard and spend the day peacefully.

Taking a deep breath of the refreshing, chilly wind, stretching lazily, Akina Ze strode towards his own yard.

"Lady Suwako and Lady Kanako are such good people, why won't everyone believe it...?"

Wearing a leaky shrine maiden outfit from the Moriya Shrine, Sanae Kochiya, with her long hair tied up, squatted dejectedly on a street corner, watching the people coming and going.

Recently, Sanae Kochiya's missionary work has suffered repeated setbacks. This morning, she rushed to the village full of confidence to preach, but even when the moon was high in the sky, very few people paid any attention to her.

Back when the Moriya Shrine first entered Gensokyo, the residents were initially wary, but gradually lowered their guard. Sanae Kochiya, as one of only two shrine maidens in Gensokyo, received much praise. Compared to the lazy Reimu Hakurei, even her little tricks and miracles could win cheers from the onlookers.

Every day, residents, with Sanae's support, go to Moriya Shrine to worship.

But now... Sanae Kochiya feels no different from the kappa next door who sells groceries. She is regarded by the residents as part of their daily lives, and except for some children, she has no faith.

Why do people in the Human Village not believe in gods...? Sanae Kochiya sighed after a long time, propped her cheek up with one hand, and looked into the distance in a daze.

She understood that in the outside world, monsters didn't exist and people didn't have a devout faith in gods. But Gensokyo was a world where monsters and spirits coexisted, so why couldn't people sincerely worship the gods?

Or was it because the Hakurei Shrine had tarnished the image of the gods in people's hearts that her own Moriya Shrine was also implicated? Sanae Kochiya couldn't understand...

But if she couldn't figure it out, so be it. Sanae Kochiya stood up, looked up at the sunset, and a smile appeared on her lips.

His two divine deities were waiting for him to come home and cook.

"Huh? Is that Mr. Akina?"

Just then, Sanae Kochiya, who had regained her spirits, saw someone walking towards her from not far away on the street.

Akina Zeya was walking home with his head down, his hands in his pockets, and his steps were slow.

This is what happens after experiencing the torment of lactic acid and being completely exhausted.

"Mr. Akina, you look very tired today. Did you do a lot of hard work?"

A large-breasted, green-haired shrine maiden, Kochiya Sanae, with a white ribbon wrapped around her chest, approached and helped the staggering Akina Zeya. Her delicate eyebrows arched slightly, and her blue eyes gazed at him with concern. "Do you need me to heal you? This is a blessing from the gods~"

"Miss Koufeng Valley?" Suddenly having his arm supported, Akina Sawa was at a loss for what to do. He reached out to push her away, but he couldn't bear to let go of the softness he felt at his elbow.

Looking at the fair face so close to his, he had to admit that this was a shrine maiden completely different from Reimu Hakurei, in every respect.

Obeying the force exerted by Dongfeng Valley's hands, Akina Sawa sat down steadily, even though it was just a bump on the side of the road.

"Thank you for your hard work today, Mr. Akina, for your contribution to the food of the community~"

As undisguised words of passion flowed from Sanae Kochiya's mouth, a pair of hands covered in green light gently rested on the back of Zeya Akina's hands.

Warmth... a warm current seemed to enter Akina Sawaya's body from the point of contact.

The soreness in my thighs, calves, and every other part of my body that felt this warm current miraculously disappeared.

Is this what they call healing magic?

Feeling the changes in his body, Akina Zeya's expression softened. Looking at Kouchi Sanae, who was bending over and earnestly applying healing, a thought flashed through his mind.

She's completely different from Reimu...

It's said that Miss Kochiya also came to Gensokyo from the outside world, right?

"Mr. Akina, I have a question for you. Could you answer it?"

As Akina Ze was enjoying the soothing sensation of a hot spring, he heard Kochiya Sanae's voice and replied without hesitation, "If it's something I know, I'll tell you."

"Compared to the outside world, do you prefer your current life in Gensokyo? I want to hear your honest opinion."

This question caused Akina Ze to fall silent for a moment. He had never considered this matter before, and the sudden question left him unable to think of an answer for the time being. So he asked in return, "And what about you, Miss Koufeng Valley?"

“Of course I will follow my gods. Wherever they go, I will go. I am happy wherever they are.” Without any hesitation, Sanae Kochiya answered decisively without even blinking.

"...I think I understand what you're thinking."

A wave of emotion welled up in Akina Zeya's silent heart.

Sanae Kochiya, who has always appeared gentle, revealed a resolute side to herself, which may be one of the reasons why she became a shrine maiden at Moriya Shrine... I envy her for having such a close family.

"And what about you?" Sanae Kochiya looked up, the sunset casting a rosy veil over her fair face.

"I?"

Akina Sawa also spread his five fingers, then clenched them into a fist, "Just an ordinary farmer who disappeared to Gensokyo."

"But if you want to hear my answer, then I'll tell you that I like this leisurely and stable life where I can freely control my time."

Akina Sawa also smiled. Perhaps Gensokyo had a dark side that he didn't know about, but so what? The life he was living now was real.

He had no interest in taking on any role other than that of a farmer, because change did not mean progress for the better.

"Thank you for your hard work, Ms. Kochiya Sanae."

Feeling that the soreness in his body had been completely healed and disappeared, Akina Ze stood up and expressed his gratitude.

The setting sun and gentle breeze tousled her long, flowing hair. Sanae Kochiya gathered her hair up, her beautiful eyes filled with a smile.

"You're welcome. This is a blessing from the gods."

She's completely different from Reimu Hakurei... Perhaps this is what a shrine maiden should be like?

......

Chapter 136 The Sealed One

The old hell had no distinction between day and night. The troublemakers who were causing destruction stopped their activities, and construction resumed at the hot spring hotel in the ruins of the scorching hell. The biggest change from before was that rows of sound-absorbing devices, several meters high, were erected around the construction site.

This will absorb most of the noise from the construction site, preventing it from affecting Lingwu Lukong and the ghosts living in the old capital.

Without this measure, the construction process would most likely have been interrupted again, and this time it wouldn't be so easy to resolve.

A sudden burst of noise erupted at the construction site.

Beside the newly dug hot pool pit, an unidentified object, about three centimeters tall and covered in yellow mud, lay quietly in the shovel in front of the excavator. It was so tightly covered that no details could be seen.

The kappa, who was acting as the safety officer, spotted the foreign object in the shovel and immediately stopped the excavator's work, which attracted a large number of onlookers who were just watching the drama unfold.

"Rinse it with water," the safety officer, Kappa, instructed.

Immediately, a kappa, who loves to watch the fun, came over with a water pipe as thick as an arm.

Pfft~

Water splashed everywhere.

Under the powerful impact, large swaths of yellow mud were shattered into pieces, gradually revealing the true nature of the unidentified object within—

"Just a brown earthenware pot?"

Witnessing the true nature of the scene under the impact of the water, the kappa standing at the front asked in confusion.

“No, I think this should be an antique.” The bespectacled kappa touched the bridge of his nose with one hand.

"What?! This must be a cucumber canned food bestowed upon me by the gods! I even prayed half a prayer yesterday to that god named Nako-sama or something!" the kappa, greedy for cucumbers, exclaimed.

The heated argument grew louder and louder. Everyone knew that anything dug up in this godforsaken, remote place was definitely valuable, especially since it was dug up in the Old Hell.

If it were some precious cultural relic containing unknown history, wouldn't Shirasawa Keine be able to make a fortune selling it to someone in the village?

The quick-witted kappa, having grasped this connection, scrambled to grab it. Even the simple-minded kappa, seeing so many people fighting over it, realized its value and joined in without hesitation.

One moment a kappa excitedly raises a clay pot, the next it's being pulled into someone else's arms. Overjoyed and then devastated, it turns around and tries to snatch it back, and the cycle repeats itself.

In the midst of the fierce struggle, few kappa noticed that there was also a palm-sized yellow paper talisman stuck to the top of the jar.

Fortunately, the yellow paper talisman depicting a kappa who couldn't read was stuck on very tightly, showing no signs of coming off. Moreover, the paper was completely intact, without any trace of having just been pulled out of the water, which was enough to show its extraordinary nature.

With veins bulging on his forehead, Kawashiro Nitori, unable to contain himself any longer, slammed his pen on the table and forcefully pulled his chair back.

I'm here racking my brains trying to figure out how to save on the budget. What are you guys doing out there?

Stepping outside the tent and seeing the chaotic scene before him, Kawashiro Naritori frowned slightly, picked up a megaphone from a nearby stool, and shouted, "What's all this commotion? Get back to work!"

In an instant, the scene fell silent. The kappa looked at each other, and not one of them uttered a sound.

The project manager looked very angry, and nobody wanted to be the first to stick their neck out and get in trouble.

"What are you waiting for? Go get to work!"

Seeing that all the kappa were looking over, Kawashiro Nitori's expression changed and he shouted again.

Only then did the kappa realize what was happening. Some moved bricks, some operated the tower crane, and some fished. In the blink of an eye, the camp returned to its usual order.

A fixed daily wage is more important than uncertain income.

"Bring it!"

The initial safety officer, Kappa, obtained the pottery jar. She was about to leave quietly, but was spotted by Kawashiro Nitori.

"......for you."

With a long face, the safety officer Kappa handed over the pottery jar, never expecting that after fighting for so long, he still couldn't keep it in the end.

Looking at the pottery jar handed to him, He Chenghe's blue eyes were filled with curiosity. What could be inside?

Could it be hidden ancient technology?

"Wait! What's that!?"

Just as she was about to reach out and take it, Kawashiro Natsumi's pupils suddenly contracted, because she noticed the yellow talisman on the rim of the jar, and an ominous premonition immediately welled up in her heart—

This is a sealed item!

Just then, the safety officer Kappa, who was holding the pottery jar, let go of it, mistakenly thinking that Kawashiro Nitori had already held it down below.

Under the watchful eyes of the two, the brown pottery jar fell freely toward the ground.

At this moment, Kawashiro Nitori's mind suddenly became much clearer, and his thinking speed was several times faster than usual.

Based on the current speed at which the pottery jar is falling, it is absolutely impossible to reach it with your hand now and catch it before it hits the ground.

But! A glint flashed in Kawashiro Nitori's eyes.

Based on my own height and considering that the ground beneath my feet is not hardened, and with the current gravitational acceleration, the pottery jar will not break even if it is smashed straight down on the ground!

The thought process happened in the blink of an eye. Kawashiro Nitori, confident in his calculations, was completely relieved and even had the energy to observe the astonished expression on the kappa's face.

Don't worry, I won't deduct your salary.

Pong!

The earthenware pot fell to the ground, embedding itself straight in the soil, its bottom making an ominous sound as it collided.