The Tidal Empire possessed customs and scenery utterly different from the other empires on the Castro continent. From high above, it was a breathtaking expanse of green, dotted with villages and cities nestled among the foliage.
It might not rival the prosperity of the mainland empires, but it was undoubtedly a paradise in the human world.
After entering Tidal Empire airspace, the flying magic vehicle continued onward, planning to land near the central city known as Kyoto. Both the empire’s most sacred Zenith Palace and the Ancestral Shrine were located within Kyoto.
At this point, Ye Chui gathered his companions and spoke solemnly. “This is no longer the open sea. Out there we could do whatever we wanted, but inside the Tidal Empire we must be cautious in everything we do.”
“Of the Twelve Mythical Beast clans, the Fire Fox, Falcon, and Sea Demon clans have been imprisoned by the rebels. The Ancestral God and Witch clans are confined in the Zenith Palace. The Mad Dragon and Lantern clans remain neutral, but as imperial invaders they would definitely attack us if they found us. Of the rebel clans, we have already dealt with the leaders of the Wild Bull and Shadow Snake clans, so they pose little threat. The Water Spirit’s role is the National Lockdown Grand Array, and since we have already slipped through, we need not worry about it further. Our primary enemy now is that Puppet God.” Debbie continued seriously.
“Puppet God, heh.” At that moment, Celty’s head, cradled in Turtle Baby’s arms, let out a mocking laugh.
Ye Chui glanced at Celty and suddenly remembered something. Among the God races there was indeed a Puppet God named Jarvis, who now resided within his magic tome as the passive defensive spell’s guardian. Most importantly, Jarvis and Celty were old acquaintances. However, Jarvis only appeared when Ye Chui was attacked, so they rarely had the chance to talk. Celty’s scornful tone was clearly because the name “Puppet God” differed by just one word from “Puppet God” Jarvis.
“Jarvis is the ancestor of all puppets. The name Puppet God really is laughable,” Celty explained with a smile, noticing everyone’s attention.
“Is your Jarvis that amazing? He only shows up when Ye Chui is in danger. He used to seem impressive, but lately he just appears and does nothing,” Debbie said curiously. They were all familiar with Ye Chui’s passive guardian, the armoured swordsman who had once been a god, summoned somehow by Ye Chui’s spell.
“Jarvis is currently a heroic spirit, but his power is completely different from ordinary heroic spirits. In fact, Jarvis is unlike any warrior. He is an intelligent lifeform born in the Dark Secret Realm world. The God of Gods trained him into a mighty puppet warrior. The source of his strength lies in his physical body. Now he is summoned only in soul form, so of course his power is greatly reduced. If we could find his puppet body and reunite soul and flesh, I dare say he could crush a little beast like the Sea Angel in minutes,” Celty declared confidently.
The Sea Angel had been the most terrifying enemy they had ever faced, a complete apostle. Even Ye Chui had to be swallowed before he could detonate a bomb inside it. Yet Celty claimed a fully restored Jarvis could destroy such a creature instantly.
A spark of eagerness flashed in Ye Chui’s eyes. “Jarvis’s puppet body? Five thousand years have passed since the gods fell. Surely it was destroyed long ago?”
“No. Jarvis’s body was forged personally by the God of Gods and possesses eternal indestructibility. It must be hidden somewhere now, most likely sealed by the Church,” Celty said with certainty. She then sighed. “Alas, speaking of Jarvis reminds me of another fellow. Back then, Jarvis, myself, and an assassin called the Faceless God formed a terrifying trio. We did many things for the God of Gods… Those were the days.”
“What happened to that Faceless God?” Green asked curiously.
“How would I know?” A trace of nostalgia and sadness crossed Celty’s beautiful face. “The Faceless God was only a mid-tier god. He probably perished when the gods fell…”
…
While Celty reminisced about the glorious past, the flying vehicle had quietly entered the heart of the Tidal Empire.
Spotting Kyoto was easy. The empire’s most distinctive landmark was the great snow-capped mountain, Poor Scholar Peak. Kyoto lay at its foot, easily recognisable from the air.
The vehicle entered stealth mode and slowly descended into a forest.
Ye Chui and company changed out of their pirate attire into brand-new Tidal Empire clothing.
Tidal fashion was completely different from the mainland, possessing an exotic, ornate beauty.
These clothes had been personally purchased by Debbie before their departure. Some shops in the Star Empire capital sold foreign curiosities and garments, and business was reportedly excellent.
When the group stepped off the vehicle, they were already dressed in splendid Tidal attire. The luxurious, exquisite clothing made them feel entirely different. They had also disguised their appearances: fake beards, elaborate headdresses, and so on.
Ye Chui stored the vehicle in his [Storage Space] with a wave, checked their bearings, and led the way out of the forest, reminding everyone, “This is a covert operation. We must infiltrate the Ancestral Shrine without causing any disturbance and find the Witch clan heirs. Covert! Covert! Covert! I’m saying the important thing three times. Nobody cause trouble or do anything conspicuous!”
“Don’t worry! We look exactly like Tidal people now. No one will ever spot us!” Debbie declared confidently. “Even Celty is disguised as a proper Tidal-style ball. Absolutely no problem.”
Celty had once again been wrapped in illusion magic, hidden inside a brightly coloured rubber ball of the sort commonly seen as a toy in the island nation. Turtle Baby still carried her.
Thus, fully confident in their disguises, the group walked a stretch through the forest until they reached a main road. After about half an hour they came upon a post station. Ye Chui spent twenty gold coins to buy a carriage outright from the station master.
Throughout the transaction the station master kept eyeing them strangely.
“We were on our way to Kyoto to visit relatives when bandits robbed us of our carriage and luggage,” Ye Chui explained, perfectly imitating the Tidal accent. He had directly downloaded the [Tidal Dialect] skill from Red Beard during their days at sea, so his speech should be indistinguishable from a native’s.
The station master nodded, but his eyes still held that trace of oddity.
Once the carriage had left the station, Ye Chui looked puzzled at his companions. “Did we give ourselves away somehow? That boss kept giving us weird looks. In his memory world he seemed to regard us as outsiders and had strong opinions about our clothes…”
“Look how dirty and worn his own clothes were. Ours are so gorgeous and expensive; he must be jealous,” Debbie explained.
Ye Chui frowned. “I still feel something’s off…”
The carriage entered Kyoto without incident.
The city felt completely different from the great cities of the Castro continent. There were no heavy guards at the gates and no registration checks. Only now could Ye Chui’s group truly appreciate the unique atmosphere of this island nation. To Ye Chui, it felt somewhat similar to ancient Japan from another world.
Along the way Ye Chui noticed many peculiar shops: puppet shops.
Puppets as combat magic constructs existed on the mainland too, and Ye Chui had encountered many puppeteers, but in the Tidal Empire puppeteers were the most outstanding, possessing a unique puppet culture. Occasionally one could even see puppets clanking along the streets, almost like robots.
Ye Chui also spotted distinctive “puppet figure” shops. Basically miniature puppet sculptures. Ye Chui thought they should just be called figurines…
Bart and Evans’s father was Tidal-born, so they carried Tidal blood, yet this was their first visit to their ancestral land. They stared out the window in wonder.
The carriage stopped in an open area. The group alighted, planning to find somewhere to eat and ask directions to the Ancestral Shrine. But the moment they stepped down, Ye Chui realised they were once again drawing many stares.
It seemed every person on the street was looking at them oddly.
“Our clothes are correct… they match the style here. Why are they staring like that?” Green whispered to Ye Chui, baffled.
“Maybe because I’m handsome?” Ye Chui offered seriously.
Green: “Guild Master…”
“Alright, definitely not that. Maybe, as Debbie said, they’re jealous because we look so good?” Ye Chui guessed. He pulled out his iPad magic tome, preparing to enter a passer-by’s memory world and investigate.
But before he could act, red dots suddenly rushed in from all directions, surrounding them in the blink of an eye, Tidal Empire’s signature Dark Swordsmen!
They had been discovered!?
How was that possible?
Throughout the journey, at Ye Chui’s insistence, no one had spoken loudly to avoid revealing accents. Their clothes were authentic Tidal garments. To avoid notice, even Xiles’s golden hair had been dyed black, the most common colour in the Tidal Empire. With such perfect disguises, how could they have been exposed so quickly?
“They probably just noticed we’re outsiders and want to question us. Everyone stay calm,” Ye Chui reassured his companions.
However…
“Your physical characteristics… you are the Random Magic Guild!” A man with a handlebar moustache, clad in heavy armour, stepped forward warily among the Dark Swordsmen, eyes wide as he stared at the group.
“…” Ye Chui was speechless with shock. Their covert infiltration had lasted mere moments before discovery? He could not help asking, “I’ve been extremely careful. I’m certain no magic detected us, and our disguises were perfect. How did you identify us?”
Was it some mythical beast ability?
“It’s only early autumn, and you’re strutting around in traditional ceremonial attire that is worn only on New Year and Ancestral God Day. It would be harder not to notice you…” the moustached man said incredulously. He had never seen such an eye-catching disguise. It was like waving a torch in the dead of night!
The moment Ye Chui’s group stepped off the carriage, someone had reported their whereabouts to the Tidal Empire guard.
“Uh…”
Everyone instinctively turned to look at Debbie.
Debbie had a sudden realisation, lightly smacking her fist into her palm. “That shopkeeper who sold me the clothes did mention something about traditional ceremonial garments… So that’s what he meant.”
“…”
