Stardew Valley of Gensokyo

"The one that escaped was no ordinary vengeful spirit."

With a dutiful shake of her head, Yakumo Ran continued, her pale yellow eyes remaining calm, "Do you still remember what happened when the Hakurei Great Barrier was formed?"

After he finished speaking, the bedroom fell silent.

Zhi acridine~

The sound of the wooden planks of the bed fitting together made Yakumo Yukari sit up from the bed, her purple eyes fixed on Yakumo Ran, her expression becoming serious.

So...it's her?

“If the intelligence is correct, yes.” Yakumo Ran added, “The current ruler of the old hell, Komeiji Satoru, is hunting her down, but unfortunately, there has been no good news so far.”

"She must be imprisoned as soon as possible!" Yukari Yakumo spoke quickly, then realized she was being a bit hasty and added, "Her thoughts are harmful; she cannot remain in Gensokyo as it is now."

More than a hundred years have passed since the Hakurei Barrier was formed, and both yokai and humans have lived in harmony without any major conflicts.

But Miyaguchi Zuirei is different. She is a shrine maiden from the old era, whose mission is to slay all monsters. No matter what happened in the end, she has been abandoned by the times and is like something swept into the dustbin of history.

Moreover, countless people paid the price and sacrificed their lives to achieve the goal of peaceful coexistence between yokai and humans... Even Miyaguchi Ruirei herself and her entire family were among the sacrifices made by humanity...

With peace on the horizon and the tide turning, and with those above abandoning her, Miyaguchi Zuirei, who had played the role of executioner, was no longer needed, even though she was once a hero of humanity...

Yukari Yakumo knew some of the truth from back then... the deception that led to her transformation into a demon was naturally eliminated, and the impact was ultimately minimized...

It's no wonder she became a vengeful spirit. Ultimately, only those who die tragically and are filled with hatred will become vengeful spirits instead of becoming Buddhas and waiting for the next reincarnation.

However, while sympathy is understandable, reality is rational. Neither monsters nor humans can afford the consequences of renewed conflict... The price of breaking harmony is immense.

In this post-barrier era, the village of Human Village no longer has the living environment that Miyako Deguchi Ruiling could have had; the ship that could have carried her has sunk in the old era.

Everything she did was in vain.

Yukari Yakumo bit her thumbnail with a cold expression, something she often did when she was anxious, something Ran Yakumo was used to.

"Does Reimu know about this?" she suddenly asked Yakumo Ran.

"Does this refer to the escape of the vengeful spirit, or to the truth?"

“There is no truth!” Yakumo Yukari said firmly. “Let bygones be bygones. Unraveling the wound will only cause it to bleed more.”

"That refers to the escape of vengeful spirits," Yakumo Ran replied calmly. "Reimu knows about vengeful spirits escaping, but since the victims are mostly youkai, the impact isn't widespread..."

"So she stayed at the shrine and didn't go out? That's good." Yukari Yakumo nodded.

In this matter, Reimu Hakurei's laid-back attitude earned her praise; any factor that could affect the stability of Gensokyo must be nipped in the bud.

Lost in thought, Yukari Yakumo raised her eyes and said to Ran:

"Provide Komeiji Satori with help so she can find that vengeful spirit and lock it up as soon as possible, so that the dead won't reappear!"

......

Chapter 141 Refusing Meal Replacements

An unfinished, dilapidated clock tower stands at the highest point of the Scarlet Devil Mansion, its stopped hands pointing vertically downwards at the protruding platform of the mansion.

"Has anything interesting happened lately, Sakuya?"

Artistic railings enclosed the entire balcony. Remilia strolled around, stroking the three-dimensional carvings with one hand, her eyes gazing at them with a seemingly unfocused expression.

Night is when vampires awaken. Moonlight, like nectar, falls on Remilia's expressionless profile, as if covering her with a mysterious veil, making her appear holy against her youthful face.

Sakuya Izayoi, who was following closely behind, naturally took in the beautiful scenery. With her hands crossed in front of her, she maintained a humble posture and replied, "Recently, there have been several cases of people fainting inexplicably in the Human Village. The people who fainted did not know what happened when they woke up."

"One noteworthy point is that it seems that only monsters have fainted; there have been no reports of humans suddenly fainting so far."

“Interesting, they specifically target monsters in the human village…” Remilia’s face showed a hint of surprise.

As the initiator of the Crimson Mist Incident, she was well aware of what Gensokyo was like now, and what the Human Village's true role was.

Beautiful things are built on unspeakable darkness, and anyone who tries to break through this shell will be punished, and in every way... whether they are monsters or humans.

This has absolutely nothing to do with the so-called small circles excluding outsiders...

Remilia only came to terms with the fact after being beaten up several times by both sides, and chose to turn a blind eye and live her peaceful life.

Ultimately, she had only come to Gensokyo because of a tactical shift, a few thoughts flashing in Remilia's eyes.

"Lady Remilia, should we prepare some precautions?" Izayoi Sakuya asked cautiously. "The trend of the affected youkai is that the number is expanding..."

"Need not."

Hearing Sakuya's worried voice, Remilia laughed heartily, put her hands on her hips, raised her chin, and said smugly, "No matter who she is, she's just a nobody in front of me, Remilia."

"Oh~ Really?"

The sudden unfamiliar voice made Izayoi Sakuya's eyes sharpen.

She crossed her arms over her chest, and several daggers with gleaming blades appeared between her fingers without her noticing.

"Lady Remilia, please stand behind me!"

Having made thorough preparations, Izayoi Sakuya faced the direction from which the sound came and spoke warily.

Even if the rumored monster-hunting creature appears, she will absolutely protect Lady Remilia... Maids don't just do housework... They can also speak with daggers!

After remaining on guard for a while, Izayoi Sakuya breathed a sigh of relief when she realized there was no movement in the direction the sound came from. She subconsciously said, "Looks like they've left?"

Yes, I'm leaving now~

Although it was Remilia's voice coming from behind, it made Izayoi Sakuya break out in a cold sweat.

When exactly did this happen?!

The more critical the situation, the more composed one must remain. Izayoi Sakuya quickly turned around, raising both arms, the dagger flashing coldly, but she quickly lowered them again...

Because... Remilia was smiling gently at her under the moonlight.

Remilia's exquisite beauty was, of course, beyond reproach, a belief Sakuya Izayoi held firmly, but...

"Get out of Lady Remilia's body now! Immediately! Right now!"

Unable to suppress her anger, Izayoi Sakuya glared fiercely.

This is absolutely unforgivable. Using Remilia's body to put on that smiling face...blasphemy! Pure blasphemy!

"Don't get so worked up, she won't die, at most she'll just fall into a coma."

As she spoke, 'Remilia' curiously pinched the fair and tender flesh on her arm. Contrary to her expectations, the skin was not tight or stiff; instead, it was no different from that of a normal human.

"Is this a vampire? This is the first time I've ever seen such a monster from the West."

Sakuya Izayoi, who had been staring at 'Remilia', calmed down. The culprit that had caused many yokai in the human village to fall into a coma had now taken control of Lady Remilia's body.

If they were to attack her, they would only harm Lady Remilia's own body, and there's no guarantee they could expel her. Given this level of body control, very few youkai could achieve that. In that case...

"Are you a vengeful spirit? Why did you attack Lady Remilia?" After sorting out her thoughts, Izayoi Sakuya stared intently at Remilia in front of her, preventing any unexpected events from occurring.

"You guessed it?" Remilia looked surprised.

Sakuya Izayoi remained silent with a cold expression. It was impossible to have a calm conversation with her now that some vengeful spirit had possessed Lady Remilia.

However, 'Remilia' wasn't annoyed. Instead, she smiled and said, "Before answering your question, may I ask you one?"

"Please."

"You're clearly just a human, so why are you so loyal to a demon?"

Remilia took a step forward, her white boat shoes adorned with red bows reflecting the moonlight. She reached out to touch Izayoi Sakuya's face, "Never-ending, until the end of life..."

"Remi..."

The scenery was too beautiful, and it was a pity that Remilia's physical stats were too high. Izayoi Sakuya was briefly confused, but she quickly realized that the person in front of her was not Remilia.

A cold glint flashed in her eyes, and Izayoi Sakuya took a step back to dodge the outstretched hand.

"You can't understand my feelings for Lady Remilia. I advise you to leave as soon as possible."

"Ok."

Remilia shrugged, turned around, her fluffy white dress swaying in the air. "I just came to see what the monster that almost achieved my goal looked like. It seems he's nothing special."

"Explain yourself clearly!" Izayoi Sakuya demanded, her brow furrowed.

A goal? What goal? And what does it have to do with Lady Remilia?

The question went unanswered, and in the moonlight, Remilia's body suddenly went limp and she was about to collapse to the ground.

Instinctively, Sakuya Izayoi activated Time Stop to appear beside Remilia and hugged her, asking urgently, "Young lady?"

Remilia's eyes were tightly closed, and her pink lips were moist.

"The vengeful spirit has already left, hasn't it?"

Swallowing hard, Sakuya Izayoi muttered to herself.

No one responded to her at that moment; her lips, like a whirlpool, deeply attracted Sakuya Izayoi's gaze.

Will it feel similar to pudding?

This thought suddenly popped into Sakuya Izayoi's mind...

"Sakuya? What just happened?"

Waking from her deep sleep, Remilia opened her eyes to see Izayoi Sakuya's face approaching. She instinctively pushed her away, stood up, and asked.

“...It’s a vengeful spirit,” Sakuya Izayoi replied softly.

The opportunity was gone forever, but she didn't regret it.

......

Chapter 142 So, here I come

In the Akina courtyard, two large snakeskin bags were leaning against the wall of the greenhouse, bulging and bulging.

Wiping the sweat from his brow, Akina Ze easily lifted a bag with one hand. "This should be enough, right?"

Through the open bag, you can see that it is filled with large, plump potatoes; this single burlap sack weighs several hundred kilograms.

However, this weight is nothing to Akina Zeya now; he can easily lift it with just his muscles without using any breathing force.

After weighing it in his hand, Akina Ze put it back in its original place and picked up the other snakeskin bag.

This one is different from the other one; it contains white radishes, but the weight is about the same.

"This should alleviate our immediate crisis, right?" Akina Ze put the snakeskin bag down uncertainly as well.

Recently, there has been some commotion in the Human Village. Many vendors who set up stalls there have inexplicably fallen into a deep sleep, and the main culprits are all monsters.

Some, like Little Night Sparrow, who didn't believe in the superstition, pushed their yakitori stall forward to test the waters, but unfortunately, they fell asleep on the spot in front of everyone.

This was terrible! Many monsters fled the human world, fearing they would be the next to fall into a deep sleep...

Ultimately, this matter has nothing to do with humans, and no human would suddenly fall into a coma, but... the connection between the human village and the yokai is too deep now...

The sudden withdrawal of the monster vendors caused an imbalance in supply and demand in the human village. Some non-essential items, such as handicrafts, could be left untouched for a few days, but the shortage of essential items, such as food, could lead to serious problems!

Akina Sawa only learned about this incident because Fujiwara no Mokou came to his door. Yesterday, he carried several sacks and sold all the white radishes and potatoes below the Venus quality.

This winter, Akina Sawa only grew these two kinds of vegetables in greenhouses, so that's all there is.

Akina Sawa also gazed in the direction of the Human Village, a solemn expression on his face.

He strongly suspected that the guy causing trouble in the human village was the same person who had bent down to talk to him and Motoori Kosuzu that day, because that kappa had also fainted at the time.

However, this is still just speculation, without any concrete evidence. Nevertheless, Akina Sawa still plans to go to the Hakurei Shrine after selling the food she has at the market.

If things continue to develop like this, relying solely on operating their own greenhouses around the clock will simply not be enough...

Now, Akina Ze is beginning to regret not building a larger greenhouse and squandering the grain reserves for spring, summer, and autumn...

Just then, Akina Ze, who was looking worried, saw Nikua, who was wearing a light blue dress, skipping in from outside the courtyard gate. He immediately composed himself... at least not to let the fairies feel troubled too.

If possible, Akina also hopes that Niqua can continue to be happy and not be bound by human suffering.

Upon seeing the person standing at the greenhouse entrance, Nikua's eyes lit up, and she changed her hopping direction and jumped over.

"Why are you the only one who came back? Where are Cirno and the Great Fairy?"

Touching the wobbly little head in front of him, Akina Ze also asked.

"Cirno took out a frozen frog and said she had to see it melt and the frog inside move. The Great Fairy and I waited for a long time but it didn't melt, so I made an excuse and came back first."