They were truly a motley crew. At a glance, they significantly expanded Sū ěr mental inventory of youkai forms. Setting aside those who looked human, the others were far from "normal."
Most youkai looked as if they had grown entirely at random, like deep-sea creatures—distorted, ungoverned, and grotesque. Their mere appearance was enough to stop a child from crying by scaring them into silence.
From this perspective, Yukari Yakumo and Yuuka Kazami were the most aesthetically pleasing youkai in Sū ěr eyes.
"Izumo, I suppose?" Sū ěr guessed cautiously, though there was likely no other answer.
Gods and demons ruling together—this was the essence of the nation that stood in opposition to Yamato, according to what Sū ěr had gathered from Yukari.
As for further details, Yukari had been evasive, unwilling to say more, as if she had some unspeakable difficulty.
"Humph~ look there. Isn't that our acquaintance?" Think pointed in a certain direction, sounding amused.
Following Think lead, Sū ěr easily found the figure in the golden hair and purple dress. She was standing at the front of a group of youkai, beside another being wearing silk clothes—clearly a high-status youkai... or perhaps a god?
She seemed to have integrated perfectly. Yukari appeared to hold considerable prestige among those youkai; as she gestured and gave orders, the youkai moved to the flanks of the human "army."
"How should I put it? Maybe this is 'heaven rewards the diligent'?" Sū ěr was amused. "A person with a dream—no, a youkai with a dream—is working hard. It's quite inspirational."
A moment's thought revealed why Yukari was there. The direction of this army was too obvious; they were heading for Yamato. Along the way, they would undoubtedly encounter the Nine-Tailed Fox heading east. For Yukari, who aspired to be the Youkai Overlord, this Nine-Tails was her greatest current rival.
Not surprising at all.
She really was working hard.
Sū ěr had no intention of seeking Yukari out. He believed it wouldn't be long before she came to the bamboo cottage herself. After all... she should know this was his territory.
Sū ěr judgment was correct. In fact, on the very first night the army arrived, before it was even fully dark, Yukari knocked on the door of the bamboo cottage.
Having visited many times, Yukari was quite familiar with Sū ěr and Think home. But this time, her face didn't bear her usual unchangeable fake smile. Instead, it was marked by obvious annoyance, rage, and other negative emotions.
Ignoring the fact that Sū ěr had just boiled the water, Yukari sat down and downed three cups of hot tea in a row, even swallowing the tea leaves at the bottom as if she were tearing apart and devouring the people who had made her so angry.
"What's happened? It's not like you to be unable to keep your cool," Sū ěr said, lifting the teapot and shaking it; a single drop from the spout was all that remained.
Compared to the old youkai who had witnessed Amaterasu time, Yukari was undoubtedly a young youkai with grand ambitions. But even for a young youkai, in Sū ěr memory, she was the type to keep her cards close to her chest—so what had triggered this?
He was curious. Anything that could break this youkai's act was bound to be entertaining—a perfect after-dinner dessert.
"...I'm just frustrated by those fools," Yukari said, her brain finally cooling down after the tea. She knew her reaction was a bit undignified... but the moment she thought about it, she felt the anger rising again. "I thought youkai like Yuuka Kazami were difficult to communicate with, but compared to those idiots, Yuuka is as brilliant and friendly as a rabbit!"
The blonde youkai pounded the table.
"Pfft... ahem. I mean, what did they do?" Sū ěr asked, pressing down his laughter.
"Most youkai can't even understand what you're trying to say! Even things directly related to their own interests... Meat, Kill, Eat! Aside from those three things, you can't get a fourth word out of their mouths!" Yukari sighed wearily.
"Maybe 'Sleep'?"
"...Then add sleep—the fifth thing!"
Yukari was unusually forceful in front of Sū ěr, practically killing him with her glare. Sū ěr didn't get angry; instead, he cheerfully added more water to the teapot and set it on the stove.
"Continue. I'm actually curious about the average intelligence of youkai," Think said, emerging from Sū ěr and floating nearby with her head tilted.
"The average intelligence level is that they don't have intelligence!" The blonde youkai collapsed onto the table, her arms spread out. She had clearly exhausted too much mental energy, to the point of not even having the strength to act mysterious. "Honestly, just getting them to obediently go where I tell them and not eat those humans has nearly drained me."
"It's like trying to teach a swarm of annoying bugs not to fly into a fire, or trying to make their shallow brains understand that they should use utensils instead of eating directly off the ground," Think nodded and said fluently. "I get it."
"Yes! Exactly! That's it!" Think understanding gave Yukari a spark of life. With the sincere gaze of someone seeking a senior's guidance, she asked Think, "So, how can I solve this problem?"
"Uh, maybe you need to raise the educational level of the youkai community? I mean, compulsory education or something; it could effectively reduce the illiteracy rate among youkai," Sū ěr interjected, suddenly struck by an idea that seemed increasingly perfect as he spoke. "Look, it's about the healthy growth and future development of thousands of youkai. If you succeed, you'll gain massive prestige. It's a project that benefits the present and the future."
"Then you can give yourself a title, like 'King of Wisdom' or 'Prajna Youkai' or something... How about it? Isn't it great?"
Snap!
Sū ěr snapped his fingers.