"...Are you sure this is your old home?"
"To be honest…I'm not so sure anymore."
The three stood in front of a massive amusement park, looking at each other, especially Ikenouchi Toyohiko, who was completely bewildered.
He lowered his head, looked at the map in his hand, then raised his head to look at the massive amusement park, then lowered his head again to carefully identify their location… A sorrowful, bitter smile then spread across his face.
This was indeed the former residence of Ikenouchi, but it was clear…nothing remained now; everything he remembered had become completely different…even the environment had drastically changed. In his memory, there should have been a small river here, and a dense forest over there…Now, there was nothing, which was why he hadn't recognized it.
But the map wouldn't lie.
Maki glanced at her father; she felt he wasn't quite right…She had never seen him make such an expression before.
Stepping forward, she patted his shoulder, then embraced her father from behind as a form of comfort.
Fang Wuwei looked at the massive amusement park before him, and a sudden impulse welled up in his heart.
"Maki…"
"Hmm?"
"Want to go in and play?"
"…Okay."
Ikenouchi Toyohiko: …?
Watching the two excitedly walk into the amusement park, Ikenouchi Toyohiko had a multitude of complaints he wanted to voice.
Why are you two so leisurely?!
It wasn't that Fang Wuwei wanted to be leisurely; it was truly that there was nothing to do and absolutely no clues at the present.
He hadn't even found Ye Tian on the system's radar, which was a rather alarming sign.
Because this indicated that either Ye Tian was dead, or Ye Tian was not an illegal Crossing at all.
This was troublesome. According to the information from the Far East Society's driver informant, Ye Tian was still alive and still active behind the scenes, secretly controlling this entire country.
Ye Tian absolutely could not be dead, which left only one other possibility…
Fang Wuwei felt a tingling in his scalp. To be honest, he no longer wanted to deal with this matter, but…
He glanced at the Ikenouchi father and daughter beside him and felt that if he just left like this, he would be letting them down greatly, because he had told them before coming that he would at least investigate some results…
Alas…
Ikenouchi Toyohiko looked at an emblem with text hanging in the amusement park, his face filled with sorrow.
That emblem indicated that this amusement park was an asset of the Buren Family.
...............
"So, what exactly do we do now?"
In a lavishly decorated Western restaurant, Ikenouchi Toyohiko had no appetite. He picked up his fork and fiddled with the seemingly delicious steak in front of him, sighing with one hand propping up his face.
It wasn't that he had no plan, but he had just discovered that Fang Wuwei, who brought them here, seemed to have no fighting spirit…
This gave him a very bad premonition. If Mr. Fang gave up, then all their efforts would be useless.
Ye Tian…was too powerful. At the present, only Fang Wuwei, whose depths were equally unknown, might have a chance to fight him.
"Hmm…"
Fang Wuwei looked up at the already dim sky. Unlike the daytime, the night sky here was also black, with a bright moon, as white as snow, hanging solitarily in the sky.
"Since there are no clues here, then we will go to the Central District tomorrow."
"Go now?"
Maki was still devouring her steak. She looked up at the two somewhat serious people.
Honestly, she was the one least affected by this whole endeavor. Ikenouchi Toyohiko's motivation was to avenge his family, but she had grown up on the other side. Her family had never told her anything about this, and she had only just learned about this revenge plan. While she wanted to help her father avenge the Ikenouchi, she didn't feel much personal attachment.
In other words, she was only here to follow her master and her father, helping them with their tasks.
As for Fang Wuwei, the reason he insisted on coming was his fear that Ye Tian would invade the Surface World, and also to complete his work… But now you tell me he isn't even the target of my work? Why should I even bother.
"Since we found nothing here, of course we should go to the next place immediately… Of course, let's wait until tomorrow."
Fang Wuwei forked a piece of steak into his mouth, his thoughts drifting hundreds of miles away.
For today, let's rest.
After spending a night at the inn, the next day, around noon, the group took a taxi after having lunch.
The good news was that the taxi driver also seemed to be from the Far East Society and knew a lot of information.
The bad news was…this guy drove too fast, and they were very close to their destination in the Central District, so they got out of the car without really asking much.
After bidding farewell to the driver, the three disembarked outside the city. Originally, they were supposed to enter the city, but the driver told them that the current situation was not optimistic. Everyone entering and exiting needed to have their identity and magic level investigated before being allowed into the city after layers of filtering. Taxis were also prohibited from carrying passengers in and out of the city.
So they could only enter on foot… As for the investigation? They would still be investigated, but it was clear that there was no way to stop Fang Wuwei, who possessed the Eternal Mangekyo.
Illusion magic was as effective as ever. The group walked along a pedestrian path and passed through the thick city walls to enter the Central District.
Upon entering the Central District, they saw a truly magnificent and spectacular building in the distance—a very large castle. Even from afar, one could see the castle's opulence and extravagance.
Now they knew what the royal castle landmark was.
However, there was an even bigger problem at the present.
"…Master, I think we might need a guide."
"I thought so too…"
Looking at the almost shoulder-to-shoulder crowd in front of them, the three stood by the roadside, somewhat at a loss.
Ikenouchi Toyohiko silently covered his face. He had come as a guide, yet he was almost useless, which made him feel extremely guilty.
"Oh, Dad!"
Ikenouchi Maki walked forward and patted her father's shoulder, her tone comforting.
Ikenouchi Toyohiko released his hands from his face and looked back, two tears squeezing out from the corners of his eyes. He thought Maki had seen his distress and came to comfort him, feeling a surge of relief and emotion in his heart.
They say daughters are like little padded jackets…
"Dad, it's okay! Although you really weren't much use this trip, relax, you're not always this useless…"
Ikenouchi Toyohiko's face instantly darkened.
His own daughter, he was used to it…he was used to it…
The three blended into the crowd. Ikenouchi Toyohiko walked in front, heading towards the center, his fists tightly clenched.
Fang Wuwei walked in the middle, constantly observing his surroundings, checking for anything noteworthy.
Ikenouchi Maki walked at the back, one hand holding onto Fang Wuwei's clothes in front to prevent herself from getting lost, and the other hand covering her forehead, which had just been harshly smacked by her father.