Chapter 81. The First Commission (Sixth Update)

“Still within Nagoya?”
“What does that mean?”
“Why is it like this?”
Immediately, a wave of hushed murmurs swept through the grand hall. It wasn’t that anyone doubted the words of Atsuta Shrine—the shrine was unquestionably the most authoritative institution when it came to research on the Heavenly Cloud Sword. Rather, everyone found it odd: if someone had stolen the Heavenly Cloud Sword, wouldn’t it be best to flee as far as possible? Why remain in Nagoya? Was this some kind of tax-evading thief? Someone who delighted in stealing divine swords and mocking the shrine’s staff? No one could make sense of it.

Qiao Qiao was equally baffled. But since Mr. Asagami Saburo had spoken—well, they would search within Nagoya. The shrine surmised that whoever had stolen the Heavenly Cloud Sword must possess some means of suppressing the sword’s resonance with the shrine, a formidable power and not easy to deal with. Of course, if the thief had completely mastered the sword, Atsuta Shrine needn’t worry anymore; they could simply abandon the shrine and be done with it.

Jokes aside, the subsequent arrangements were to be coordinated between the exorcists’ associations from various regions and the shrine. A door-to-door search asking, “Excuse us, our Heavenly Cloud Sword is missing, have you seen it?” was clearly not an option. So how were they to find the divine sword?

Qiao Qiao sat below, watching as a priest from Atsuta Shrine explained. Though the shrine could not pinpoint the exact location of the Heavenly Cloud Sword, the sword itself was an artifact rich in spiritual energy. Its blade plunged into water would create a pool of spiritual water; thrust into a tree, a spiritual tree would sprout. Its mere presence intensified the surrounding spiritual power. And, where spiritual energy flourished, anomalies were drawn to it.

Thus, the shrine and the Nagoya Exorcists’ Association closely monitored all supernatural disturbances in the city. Whenever signs of an anomaly emerged, someone was dispatched immediately to investigate. In this manner, over the past half month, strange occurrences in Nagoya had sharply declined—barely had the faintest hint appeared before it was extinguished by the exorcists. The people lived in safety and prosperity, no longer plagued by supernatural threats. It seemed rather nice, actually.

While Qiao Qiao’s mind wandered to unrelated thoughts, he listened to the priest’s instructions. Even mobilizing all exorcists in Nagoya could not fully cover the area, which was why exorcists from Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Nara, and elsewhere had come to assist. Under such circumstances, exorcists could not act alone.

“Indeed, to steal the Heavenly Cloud Sword, one’s strength must be considerable; solo action would be far too dangerous,” Qiao Qiao murmured in agreement, overheard by his neighbor, Yukidei Masato.

“The point of forming teams isn’t so several people can overpower the thief,” Masato said with a smile. “It’s to ensure that, should we encounter the enemy, at least one person survives to sound the alarm.”

In the exorcists’ circle, it seemed notifying the authorities was a common understanding. Qiao Qiao was surprised by Masato’s words.

The standing group had finished their arrangements. Each team must consist of at least three members from different factions—not so much to complement each other’s weaknesses, but rather to keep one another in check. That way, should someone find the Heavenly Cloud Sword, personal greed wouldn’t cause trouble. Additionally, each team would have a member from Atsuta Shrine assigned to sense the sword’s presence at the scene.

Qiao Qiao glanced at the assignment sheet: Qiao Qiao, Yukidei Masato, Fujiwara Ayano, Asano Ariko.

Ah. He surveyed the room and quickly understood the logic behind the arrangement: the four of them were the youngest in the group. Gathered together, they were tasked with investigating areas within the city that had already been surveyed—a sort of final check. This was, in a way, the association’s way of caring for their juniors.

“Tch, we have to work with the priestess from Tenmangu again?” Masato clicked his tongue, careful not to let Fujiwara Ayano hear.

“Mr. Qiao, I look forward to working with you,” he said with a smile to Qiao Qiao. After the incident with the unruly child, Masato had looked into Qiao Qiao’s background and found him to be quite capable. More importantly, Qiao Qiao’s actions always left the genius of the Tsuchimikado family bewildered, and Masato felt a touch of schadenfreude watching that person’s perplexed expression. With that in mind, he was polite to Qiao Qiao. As for Asano, the priestess from Atsuta Shrine’s branch, Masato’s manner was more neutral; when it came to Fujiwara, whom he often worked with, he was even more casual.

Once the groups were settled, the four sat together and introduced themselves.

“Teacher, I didn’t expect you to come—are you worried about me?” Asano Ariko smiled brightly, sitting beside Qiao Qiao, excited yet a little anxious.

“As long as you’re safe,” Qiao Qiao replied, then asked, “What’s our next plan?”

Asano Ariko held a stack of documents—the list of spiritual anomalies they needed to investigate over the next few days. “Since we all just arrived after an overnight journey, we can rest at a hotel near the shrine this morning. In the afternoon, we’ll start at the aquarium.”

She distributed the materials as she spoke, stifling a yawn; she looked exhausted. Perhaps her own fatigue had influenced the decision to begin in the afternoon.

“The aquarium?” Qiao Qiao glanced at the documents. It sounded more like a spot for a school trip than a place for exorcisms.

“Yes, ten days ago, the aquarium experienced an anomalous incident, which the association dealt with. I was present as an observer,” Ariko said softly, her tone distinct from the other groups’ resolute voices. “Today, our task is to confirm the anomaly has been completely eliminated and conduct a secondary inspection.”

As Qiao Qiao listened, he scanned the documents for key information. Indeed, their destinations in the coming days were all relatively safe places in the city—sites of previous anomalies that had already been purified. To use an imperfect analogy, it was like maintaining order behind the front lines during wartime.

It wasn’t that the association looked down on Qiao Qiao and his group; it was simply to protect newcomers. Just as Kato Takeya and Master Xingming had done before. If novices were always sent to the front lines, the exorcists’ profession would never thrive.

Qiao Qiao wholeheartedly agreed. After discussing some details, the group followed Asano Ariko to a hot spring inn near the shrine. The entire inn had been reserved, and each exorcist was given a single room—a considerate touch.

Moreover, Qiao Qiao learned on the way that the National Exorcists’ Association would provide each exorcist with a minimum daily allowance of three hundred thousand yen for this operation, with the possibility of increases depending on circumstances. It was as if Qiao Qiao could tour Nagoya at his leisure, visit the shops, and earn three hundred thousand yen a day. Quite a high return.

If it weren’t for the imminent finals and exams, Qiao Qiao thought he could spend the whole summer here. But now, for the sake of his studies, he had brought along some textbooks—determined not to waste a single moment.

Back in his room, Qiao Qiao didn’t immediately collapse onto the bed. Instead, he carefully reviewed all the materials, spent another hour studying, then set his alarm, closed his eyes, and meditated to ease his fatigue. Spiritual energy allowed him to stay awake for a day or two, but, just to be safe, he rested for a while.

At noon, after a simple lunch at the hotel, the four regrouped and headed to the Nagoya Port Aquarium in the harbor district.