Chapter 316 A move to reverse the situation in one fell swoop! (Part 1) [(1/3) More]
"Thank you." Ogata bowed to Mamosuke and Ade.
Under the guidance of Mazusuke and Ade, Ogata and Atachi successfully walked out of the burned area and arrived at the place where candlelight illuminated each other.
Mazusuke and Ade seemed not used to people bowing and saluting in front of them, especially samurai bowing and saluting in front of them, so the two of them instantly became cautious and didn't even know how to place their hands.
"No, you're welcome!" Mamosuke said stumblingly, "Samurai-sama, I wish you good luck in martial arts!"
"I'll give you a little thank you gift." Ogata smiled and took out a few cakes from the small bag hanging on his waist and handed them to Mamosuke and Ade.
This is exactly the grandma cake that Grandma Cai gave him when he said goodbye to him this morning.
"Thanks!"
After seeing the pieces of grandmother cake lying in their palms, Dosuke and Ade's eyes immediately lit up with dazzling looks.
Watching the brother and sister who received the cake and jumped away from the sight of Ogata and Atachi, Atachi smiled and leaned towards Ogata's side and said:
"You actually have grandma cake, where did you buy it?"
"Huh? You actually know about grandma cake?"
"Have you forgotten where I was born?" Omachi said angrily, "I am from Omi, and I still know Omi-Kusatsu's specialty granola cake."
"I didn't buy this. This was given to me by the owner of the hotel when I left the hotel where I stayed last night this morning."
Speaking of this, Ogata paused.
Ogata suddenly realized - a lot happened today...
From entering Kyoto this morning to now, events have happened one after another, leaving Ogata no time to even take a breath.
"...Ayi, you are really a weirdo." A-Ting suddenly said to Ogata in a cold voice.
"Huh? Why do you say that?"
"You can communicate with Hui Duo in such a friendly manner, and you can also salute and thank Hui Duo, and salute Hui Duo... This is the first time I have seen a warrior like you."
"...Omachi, did you see the expressions on Mazusuke and Ide's faces after they got the grandma cakes just now?"
"I saw it, what's wrong?"
"Whether it's a samurai, a commoner's child, or a filthy child, the expressions they show and the light in their eyes are the same after receiving a delicious dessert."
"Although I don't quite understand what you just said, I feel like you just said something powerful..."
"Is what I just said so difficult to understand..."
"I'm sorry... I actually haven't studied much. I only know kana, and I can't even read Chinese characters."
"I didn't expect you to be illiterate, Amachi..."
“It’s normal not to be able to read Chinese characters!”
After patting Ogata's shoulder angrily, Omachi stretched himself vigorously.
"Okay... let's go find a passerby and ask where Sanzi Street is... huh? Ayi, where are you looking?"
Omachi suddenly noticed that Ogata was turning his head and looking away.
"Looking at Nijo Castle."
Ogata's gaze went straight to Nijo Castle, the shogun's residence in Kyoto, the symbol of power of the Edo shogunate, also known as the Nijo Imperial Palace.
"What's there to see in Nijo Castle?"
"Just now, Dosuke has been talking about his resentment towards the shogunate, but he never mentioned a word like 'I want to overthrow the shogunate'..." Ogata said softly.
"No normal person would say such a thing..." Amachi said in a helpless tone, while following Ogata, he looked towards Nijo Castle.
"The Edo shogunate ruled Japan for nearly two hundred years..."
Atachi murmured.
"Whether it was the Kamakura shogunate or the Muromachi shogunate in the past, none of them were as powerful as the Edo shogunate, which had enjoyed power for so many years..."
"How is it possible... to defeat the Edo shogunate..."
"I don't even dare to think about 'overthrowing the Edo shogunate', let alone saying it..."
Having said this, A-Machi paused.
After gazing at the majestic Nijo Castle for several times, Omachi then said softly:
"Looking at it from a distance like this, Nijo Castle looks even more majestic."
"Like... a monster."
"The Edo shogunate was a huge monster just like Nijo Castle."
"It's impossible to defeat this monster..."
After saying that, Amachi walked away from Ogata, went to randomly catch passers-by, and asked about the location of Sanoji Street.
Only Ogata still stood where he was.
Looking at Nijo Castle in the distance.
I don't know what I'm thinking about.
…
…
"Makimura, I will lend you my baby temporarily. You must protect it well!"
"Don't worry, Uncle Yuan." Makimura smiled slightly at the middle-aged man in front of him, "This isn't the first time I've borrowed Poji. Don't you still trust me?"
After that, Makimura took out a handful of money and stuffed it into the middle-aged man's arms.
After seeing the money handed over by Makimura, the middle-aged man immediately smiled and started to smile.
Makimura is now in front of the door of an ordinary private house.
Standing in front of Makimura, the person whom Makimura affectionately calls "Uncle Yuan" is a very ordinary-looking middle-aged man.
Uncle Yuan is an old acquaintance of Makimura.
However, the relationship between the two is more like trading partners than friends.
Although Uncle Yuan looks unattractive, he actually has a skill: dog training.
The big dog named "Poji" currently being held in Makimura's arms is Uncle Yuan's proud creation.
Porgy has a very keen sense of smell and is particularly good at tracking people or items through scent.
Boji's expertise was of great help in investigating cases, so when he was still working in Kyoto, Makimura often came to Uncle Yuan to borrow Boji.
Poji, who has a keen sense of smell, also helped Makimura investigate several major cases.
After putting the money away, Uncle Yuan patted Makimura on the shoulder affectionately and said:
"Makimura, I haven't seen you for more than 2 years. Although I don't know what you are doing now, but after you are done, come and have a drink with me!"
"Yes." Makimura smiled slightly, "I will."
After bidding farewell to Uncle Yuan, Makimura carried Boji and walked towards Shimada and Hasegawa who were standing not far away.
"Makimura-senpai! Is this the dog named Porgy you just mentioned? He looks so cute!"
"Yeah. It's very cute. But it looks a bit old... I hope its sense of smell doesn't have legs."
After saying that, Makimura couldn't wait to take out the Wakasa incense and put it in front of Boji's nose.
"Porgy, sniff!"
After hearing Makimura's words, Boji immediately, like a conditioned reflex, carefully sniffed the small pinch of Wakasa incense in Makimura's palm.
When Boji was smelling Wakasa incense and remembering the smell of Wakasa incense, Makimura turned his head and asked Hasegawa beside him:
"Hasegawa-sama, do you really want to act with us?"
Just now, after Makimura said that he was going to borrow a dog and rely on Boji's power to track the bald man, Hasegawa said something that shocked both Makimura and Shimada: "I'll go with you."
Makimura and Shimada initially thought Hasegawa was just joking.
But after seeing Hasegawa really following behind them and following their actions, the two knew that Hasegawa was serious.
After hearing Makimura's question, Hasegawa smiled slightly:
"No matter what I say, I am a commander who has been transformed into a thief."
"Although I am only responsible for catching thieves and arsonists, in my eyes, catching thieves does not matter what department or organization."
"There is a group of people hiding in the shadows of Kyoto and plotting evil - how can I hide in a tea house and drink tea with peace of mind when something like this happens?"
"Lord Hasegawa, let me remind you - you are the commander of the Fire Pirates." Makimura said softly, "Your duty is to catch thieves and arsonists."
"Your behavior is considered overstepping your duties."
"Your behavior of insisting on intervening in matters that have nothing to do with the field you are responsible for...with all due respect, is a very stupid and stupid thing..."
"In the future, your political opponents may make a fuss about what you do tonight."
"Even if you know there are such consequences, do you still want to follow us?"
As soon as Makimura finished speaking, Hasegawa twitched the corners of his mouth, revealing a breezy smile.
"I don't know if I'm stupid or foolish, I just know that I stick to my heart and keep moving forward."
Upon hearing Hasegawa's words, Makimura was stunned.
There was a strange light in Hasegawa's eyes.
"...As expected of Hasegawa-sama, who opened the boarding house at all costs." After a while, Makimura sighed softly.
"Huh? Do you know about me?" Hasegawa raised his eyebrows.
"'Hasegawa Heizo, a reformed thief, spent a lot of money to build a training ground specifically for teaching prisoners skills' - I heard about this kind of thing a long time ago."
"Woof!" At this moment, Poji suddenly shouted.
Hearing Boji's cry, Makimura frowned.
"Porgy is ready..." Makimura put away the handful of Wakasa incense, and tightened his grip on Porgy's leash as he stood up, "Shimada, Lord Hasegawa, let's go!"
…
…
Kyoto, Sanji Street, a remote three-story building.
"Ha ha ha ha……"
Baldhead, whose legs were weak from running, panted heavily as he entered the first floor of this three-story building.
As soon as he entered the first floor, a male voice that was extremely familiar to the bald man sounded from in front of the bald man:
"Ichizaburo, you look very embarrassed. I just asked you to buy Wakasa incense and come back. Why are you so embarrassed?"
Hearing this male voice, the bald man looked shocked, and then he hurriedly knelt down on one knee and respectfully said to the owner of the male voice just now:
"Ryuunosuke-sama! Sorry, I encountered some accidents just now when I went out to buy Wakasa incense!"
"Accident?" The young man standing in front of the bald man, Ryuzosuke, raised his eyebrows slightly, "What's the accident? Let's talk about it."
The bald man explained to Ryunosuke exactly what happened when he went out to buy Wakasa incense.
After the bald man finished speaking, Ryuzosuke frowned slightly and asked:
"You mean - there is a tall, strong man chasing you... What kind of strong man? How tall is he?"
"He is over six feet tall!" Baldhead responded, "He is very strong! He doesn't have a sword on his waist. I don't know if he is a samurai, but judging from his skills, he really doesn't look like an ordinary civilian..."
"...Does he carry any weapons?" Ryunosuke asked.
"He was carrying a long thing on his back, but the long thing on his back was wrapped in cloth, so I don't know what he was carrying. Judging from the length, it might be an otachi or a short spear."
"...I understand. So - where is the Wakasa incense I asked you to buy? Is it still there?"
"Ryuunosuke-sama, I'm sorry..." The bald man showed a strong apology, "Wakasaka... failed to bring her back."
The bald man explained Wakasaka's whereabouts to Ryunosuke in simple sentences.
"That is to say - that strong man's companion threw Wakasa incense on you? No wonder the scent of Wakasa incense is so strong on your body."
"Ryunosuke-sama, I'm really sorry..."
"Okay, it's just a small matter. No need to apologize. If Wakasa-ka is gone, it will be gone."
After Ryuzosuke waved his hand, he continued to say to the bald head:
"Thank you for your hard work. Please rest here for a while."
"Yes!" Baldhead agreed loudly and then paused.
After hesitating for a while, Baldhead mustered up the courage to ask Ryunosuke:
"Sir Ryunosuke, I want to ask a question..."
"Say it."
"Why has it become so quiet here?" The bald head raised his head and glanced at the ceiling above, "I remember it was quite noisy here before..."
"Because those things have been assembled." A meaningful smile appeared on Ryunosuke's face, "We are doing some finishing work now, and after a while I will order everyone here to evacuate.
Here, abandon this stronghold."
"Have those things finally been assembled?!" The bald man's face was full of excitement.
"Yes." Ryunosuke nodded, "Although it took a little longer than I thought, I finally managed to assemble all those gadgets before the start of the Yamaboko Parade."
"You should have a good rest. I still have some things to do, so I will leave first."
"Yes! Lord Ryunosuke, please walk slowly!"
…
…
After tightening the cloak around him and lowering the hat on his head slightly, Ryunosuke quickly walked out of the third-floor hut.
Walking through a deserted street and passing an alley, an old voice suddenly came from the depths of the alley:
"Ryuunosuke."
Hearing this call, Ryunosuke stopped and turned his head to look deeper into the alley.
Looking into the depths of the dark alley, Ryunosuke said softly:
"Lord Hexian, what's going on?"
As Ryunosuke finished speaking, an old man with white hair and beard slowly walked out of the alley.
"Sir Ryunosuke." The old man whom Ryunosuke called Hexian showed an intriguing smile, "It seems that the plan is going very smoothly."
"Yes, thanks to you." Ryuzosuke said casually.
"So - should we talk about compensation?"
Upon hearing He Xian's words, Ryunosuke's face immediately darkened.
"It was you who asked me to lend you someone who could remotely monitor the owner of the metaphysics hall, so I lent you our elite sniper."