"Lu Mingfei, when did you become so hardworking?”Caesar said," I read in the morning.”
Lu Mingfei was flipping through 100 Lectures on Japanese Mythology and History. It was true that he wasn't very interested in this kind of book, but since Lu Wuze had forced it on him, it meant that it was useful. Based on past experience, Lu Wuze would never give anything more or less. Every item had its uses. This was like when you received a canned dog in a game, a dog would definitely appear in the quest. You needed to use the canned dog to lure it to death. If you lost the canned dog halfway, then sorry, you could only go back to the quest to get the canned dog. With Lu Mingfei's wisdom from the game, the contents of the booklet should be of some use.
"I understand Japanese culture, so I can brag when I go back.”Lu Mingfei was full of nonsense.
The booklet only talked about the most superficial parts of Japanese mythology. Lu Mingfei had already learned about similar content from cartoons. However, it was still necessary to calm down and understand. The professors said that the myths of various ethnic groups were rewritten according to history, and those seemingly absurd myths actually had their origins in history.
The most typical example was the Great Flood. The Bible said that only Noah's family and the animals on the ark survived the flood that drowned the entire world. Before the 20th century, non-religious scientists thought that the Great Flood was completely fictional. They could not imagine a flood that drowned the entire world. If they looked down from space, wouldn't the Earth be a blue water ball? Even if there really was a flood, there would be huge waves that were hundreds of meters high. Even aircraft carriers would not be able to survive, let alone Noah's wooden boat. A flood of this level could only have happened hundreds of millions or even billions of years ago. At that time, the Earth might still be the Cambrian-dominated Trilobites. Not to mention humans, even dinosaurs had not evolved.
However, gradually, mythologists discovered that the Bible was not the only one that had the myth of the Great Flood. From the myths of Mesopotamia to the myths of ancient China and then to Indian mythology, all the ethnic groups in the continent of Europe and Asia from east to west had stories of the flood drowning the world. The only difference was that the saviors believed that a strong man named Yu the Great had dealt with the flood. The ancient Indian book, Manu Code, said that humans survived the flood because the ship of the human ancestor, Manu, was taken to the Himalayas by a giant fish and saved. Then, some scholars estimated that about 12,000 years ago, the Fourth Ice Age on Earth ended. A huge amount of glaciers melted, and the sea level rose, leading to a geological phenomenon called " ocean flooding." The seawater flooded the lowlands. That world-wide flood remained in the memories of the ancients, so all races left behind the myth of the flood destroying the world. Now, people were looking for Noah's Ark all over the world. They were looking for the remains of the big ship along the Black Sea coast and in the mountains of Greece. In the era of the flood, both the Black Sea and the mountains of Greece were submerged under water.
Since there were mixed-bloods in Japan, there should be traces of the dragon civilization in Japanese mythology. However, Lu Mingfei could not figure it out. In his reading of Japanese mythology, it was very petty and had nothing to do with the grand dragon civilization.
According to the booklet, it was said that a pair of male and female gods, Izanagi and Izanami, stirred up sand from the bottom of the sea, and the sand settled to form Japan. Then, the god-like brother and sister got married. Because they couldn't find other blind dates, they were forced to have such a forbidden relationship. The Siblings Gods were upgraded to the Husband and Wife Gods. They multiplied the entire god system in Japan. Fire God, Thunder God, Mountain God, Water God... They created gods vigorously, and even the big ones could become gods. Japanese mythology was the family history of Izanagi and Izanami. All the gods were their family members, and everything was their family business.
"Are you trying to find out the relationship between Japanese mythology and the dragon civilization?”Chu Zihang said," I'm afraid it's very difficult. The professors have tried to interpret Japanese mythology, but they encountered a huge obstacle. Japanese mythology is completely inconsistent with the known history of the dragon race. For example, the gods in Japanese mythology have no enemies. They are like a large family that continues to reproduce. The professors are unable to interpret conflicts and wars from this, and war is the main axis of the history of the dragon race.”
"This book says that the imperial family is the descendants of the gods.”Lu Mingfei flipped through the booklet." The first emperor, Emperor Shenwu, is a descendant of the great god Amaterasu. Isn't this too much of a fraud?”
"This is a characteristic of Japanese mythology. It had a very coherent timeline. Every generation of descendants of Izanagi and Izanami had been written in a book called the Book of Ancient Affairs. Starting from Emperor Shenwu, every generation of descendants was an emperor, and every generation before was a god. From this point of view, the Japanese Emperor Clan was the only existing Protoss clan in the world with a family tree.”
"Historians are raised by their families, so they can naturally spout whatever nonsense they want. "If I get rich, I'll write a family tree for myself. I'll say that my ancestors were all heroes, like that person and that person…" Lu Mingfei started to scratch his head.
"You seem to be talking about people with that surname, right?”Caesar said.
"Damn it, our Lu family has never produced any famous figures in history!”Lu Mingfei sighed.
"The genealogy of the Japanese emperors is indeed unreliable. The first ten generations of emperors only have written records but cannot be verified. The Japanese wrote history like they wrote myths. Until World War II, many Japanese believed that the emperor was a descendant of a god. It could be said that Japanese mythology and history were one. It could also be said that the Japanese had lived in myths since ancient times, and the descendants of gods were still the nominal emperors of this country.”Chu Zihang said.
"Has there ever been an Ancient Dragon awakening in Japanese history?”Lu Mingfei asked.
"There are no records at all. I've already contacted Norma to check. There has been no revival in Japan, and there are no traces of dragon civilization. Japan was the cleanest place in the world. There were no dragons at all. The cases handled by the Japanese branch were all trivial matters, such as an antique related to the dragon civilization unearthed in Europe being auctioned in Japan.”
"There's no dragon civilization in Japan? Where did the mixed-blood come from?" Lu Mingfei asked.
"No one knows. The origin of the Japanese mixed-blood is like a Japanese myth. It's still a mystery to this day. It's said that even they don't know.”Chu Zihang turned his head and looked out of the window.
A black Lexus passed by the streets of Tokyo. After a night of rain, the air in Tokyo was fresh and had a slight smell of seaweed. The news said that the warm and humid air from the Pacific Ocean was controlling the climate throughout Japan, and there would be continuous rainy days in the near future. Caesar's team sat in the back of the luxury car. Chu Zihang and Caesar chose the seats by the window on both sides without any suspense. Lu Mingfei sat between them. From yesterday until this morning, Caesar and Chu Zihang had not spoken much. They had always talked to Lu Mingfei. Even if they were to argue about a problem, they would always exchange opinions with Lu Mingfei. Lu Mingfei had a feeling that as the master of this family of three, his two concubines were having a cold war, and he was caught in the middle.
Master Lu Mingfei was in a very delicate situation. On paper, he was a lackey of the student council, but he had a life-and-death relationship with the president of the Lionheart Cultist in private. He even secretly coveted his future sister-in-law…If he was really acting in a gangster movie, he would definitely end up being shot on the streets. In short, although there were only three people in Caesar's team, the complicated relationship between them was like a time bomb that would explode at any time.
Tokyo at night was completely different from Tokyo during the day. At night, Tokyo was colorful and seductive, like a seductive lady wearing a kimono. During the day, Tokyo was a sporty girl with simple colors. The buildings blended into the background of the sky and did not stand out. This was a neat and orderly city. Commuters who were in a hurry jogged in and out of the subway. Pedestrians walked very quickly, but their movements were orderly. Everyone seemed to be running on invisible tracks. Very few people would leave their tracks. People waited silently at the traffic lights across the street. The crowd grew bigger and bigger, but no one was anxious or spoke loudly. Then, as the red light turned green, the cars on the street stopped completely in a second, and the crowd surged through the streets. They dispersed along their respective tracks. The traffic resumed when the red light lit up, and a new crowd waited silently under the red light.
Chu Zihang turned his head and saw Lu Mingfei staring out of the car window in a daze. His pupils reflected the endless traffic.
"This is a country bound by rules. The entire country is a complicated machine. Everyone is a part of this machine, and they are bound by the rules to operate at high speed. Such a life was really scary.”Chu Zihang said softly," Are you thinking about this too?”
" No…I'm thinking about how thick the calves of Japanese girls are…"
Chu Zihang silently turned his head back. The same serious eyes staring at the same thing, the observer's psychological activities may be completely different. Seeing Lin Daiyu, Jia Baoyu's heart moved and thought, I've seen this sister before... Seeing Lin Daiyu, Xue Pan thought, Lolita has three good qualities, her voice is delicate and her body is easy to push.
The car stopped. The girl in a black suit opened the car door and bowed deeply with her hands on her trousers."Welcome to the Japanese branch.”
After breakfast, the Japanese branch's car was already waiting downstairs to take them on a tour of the Japanese branch's base in Tokyo. Breakfast was directly pushed into the suite from the dining car. In addition to the breakfast personally made by the head chef, there was also a faxed document that showed their schedule for the day. The schedule was filmed every fifteen minutes. From nine in the morning to six in the evening, they were expected to visit the office center of the Japanese branch in the east and the Imperial Palace arranged by the Imperial Palace Hall. They had to pay homage to the 1400-year-old Senso-ji Temple and go shopping in Ginza. Lunch was arranged at a Michelin three-star French restaurant, and dinner was prepared by the chef of the family. The fresh fish for dinner had been shipped from Tsukiji's fish market at six o'clock in the morning, including a 1.86-meter deep-sea tuna. This itinerary was so detailed that even Chu Zihang was surprised. If they encountered a traffic jam, they had prepared a backup plan. From nine in the morning to six in the afternoon, they had no free time at all. They had also become parts of the giant machine in Japan, and they could not help but move with it.
"I thought there would be men in black bowing.”Caesar got out of the car and looked up at the black skyscraper.
In the elegant gray buildings, such a building wrapped in iron-black glass walls looked very abrupt. It was like a black iron stele, hinting at the strength of the organization that lived in it.，"If you visit the family shrine, they still maintain the tradition of welcoming you, but in the East City, they have to keep a low profile so as not to disturb the neighbors.”The person standing outside the car door was Minamoto's assistant, Yabuki Sakura. They had already met last night. She was a slender and tall figure that was rare among Japanese girls. Her long black hair was combed into a high ponytail like that of a Kendo girl.
"Because of the traffic jam, everyone is already four minutes behind the schedule. However, it doesn't matter. We have already checked the traffic conditions along the way, so the meeting between you and the family heads has been delayed by fifteen minutes. Let me show you around the office.”
"This building was completed at the end of 2004. It is the headquarters of Genji Heavy Industries, and also the school's office center in Tokyo.”Sakura led Caesar's trio into the spacious hall.
The sound of hurried and powerful footsteps could be heard everywhere in the hall. Staff members carrying files came and went. The air was filled with the faint smell of perfume. The bell of the elevator rang one after another. It looked like this building was no different from the top business center in Ginza, except for the official business they were dealing with...
"Director! It was a message from the Marsh Crow Society. Their relationship with the Fire Hall Group had deteriorated sharply recently. There had been four armed fights in the past three days. Two people had suffered minor injuries and one was seriously injured and hospitalized. They had asked the main family to mediate.”The young man with thick glasses followed the middle-aged man out of the elevator and read the fax in his hand.
"The influence of the Marsh Crows is getting smaller and smaller. The size of the club has shrunk by 22% compared to the previous year, and the offerings to the main family have also decreased by 11.2%. If this continues, we can only lower the credit rating of Origin Bookstore from 'C' to 'D'! Under such circumstances, it would be difficult for the main family to make a decision that was beneficial to the Marsh Raven Union to mediate the conflict between it and the 'B' class Fire Hall Group!”"But if we don't solve the problem with the Marsh Crow Society, it will affect the Huo family's year-end bonus!"”
"Yes, yes, I'm still paying off my housing loan…Director, do you think we can get rid of this burden by eliminating the Marsh Crow Society?”
" Last night, our ship carrying the Tomahawk Missile Warhead sank outside Nagasaki Port. The area where the accident happened is now sealed off by the Coast Guard. If they salvage the ship..." Two men in black suits paced in the corner with their hands in their arms, their faces solemn.
"What about bribing the person in charge of the Coast Guard? Those combat units are worth 1.2 billion US dollars. If they fall into the hands of the Coast Guard, won't we have to commit suicide in front of the family head?”
"The other party seems to be a very upright person. Bribery tactics are useless on him. I say, why don't we use his wife and daughter to threaten him! It would be too late if he did not use some swift and decisive methods now!”
"The new family rules prohibit the use of kidnapping and blackmail. We have to commit harakiri even if it's swift and decisive!”
"It doesn't have to be a kidnapping. What if he uses his wife's erotic video?”
"Forcing unrelated women to shoot erotic videos to threaten them seems to be prohibited by the new family rules. I remember it's chapter 6, section 4, section 3. The new family rules are really too strict. Are we still an underworld organization? Even the CIA can do more bad things than us!”
"There's no need to force it. According to the file, his wife was a signed artist at the family's audio studio before she married him.”
"Ah! That was great! Hurry up and bring out her work for us to check it out!”
"Everything has been settled. I've settled the issue of the license plate through Councilman Qingchuan. You are all my most valued students. I believe that one day, you will do better than me! After doing your own business well, remember to repay the family and set an example for your younger brothers!”A white-haired, well-dressed old man was lecturing three young people who were constantly nodding and bowing on the sofa in the lounge area. His words were full of positive energy.
"If it wasn't for Teacher's help, how could we have our own nightclub and casino? In our hearts, our teacher is as loving and majestic as a father! This is the club's lifetime reputation gold card. All expenses are free. Teacher, please bring your friends to visit when you are free. We will definitely arrange for the youngest girls to serve you! Teacher, do you still like sailor suits as much as before?”The leader of the students was filled with gratitude. He knelt down and held a pure gold card in front of the teacher.
"Aiya, aiya, what else can make a teacher more gratified than receiving a gift from a student! You've grown up and are the pillars of the country! The teacher was very pleased, but he couldn't accept this gold card…It wasn't that he wasn't interested in the sailor suit anymore, but his wife had been very strict recently. "Master's wife said that if I really like sailor suits, she can wear something…" The teacher's white eyebrows trembled. " Everyone…seems to be very motivated." Lu Mingfei's eyes twitched." Is this the new generation of underworld organizations?”
"It should be said to be the management organization of the underworld. Genji Heavy Industries 'computer room stored information on the entire Japanese underworld, and all the underworld members had records here. In order to manage this huge organization, the family has a total of 13 classes with more than two people working in shifts. There are 600 operators. They answer calls for help from all over Japan day and night. These calls are all from the underworld members that we have identified.”Sakura said," You can think of this place as the information center of the Japanese underworld.”
" A society in the shadows," Caesar said." The first thing people in the underworld ask for help when they are in trouble is you instead of the police, right?”
"Yes, as long as we recognize the Eight Sheqi Families as our main family and pay their membership fees regularly, we have the obligation to get them to help us. Young people who joined these underworld gangs would receive an identity card at the same time they signed the contract. This meant that the family recognized their status in the underworld, and they could call the family directly to ask for help. At the same time, the family also had a foundation that provided medical and pension insurance for everyone.”
"There's also medical insurance and social security?" Lu Mingfei exclaimed," Such good treatment?”
" Most insurance companies are very harsh when they apply for medical and pension insurance for underworld employees. Therefore, the main family has raised a fund of 160 billion yen and invested it worldwide. The dividends from the investment will be used to provide benefits for the members of the society. The model of operation of the fund is the same as that of the Canada Teachers 'Retired Fund. If a member of the club unfortunately died, the family would also bear the tuition and living expenses of his child until he was eighteen years old.”
"You make it sound like I want to join too!" Lu Mingfei said.
"I can try to contact the human resources department for you, but it's true that the family rarely recruits foreigners.”Sakura swiped her card to open the VIP viewing elevator." Please."”
The sightseeing elevator went up all the way. Lu Mingfei could overlook the bustling scene through the iron-black glass curtain wall. There was a snake-shaped elevated road between the high-rise buildings in Shinjuku District. There was constant traffic, and one of the elevated roads actually passed through Genji Heavy Industry. The fifth and sixth floors of the building did not exist. Instead, they were replaced by a highway tunnel. Tens of thousands of vehicles passed through the building every day, while the other floors were completely unaffected.
"When the building was almost completed, the Tokyo government decided to build the elevated highway. However, after negotiations, the government could not accept the price offered by the main family. They could only give up the plan to demolish the building and sign a 100-year lease to rent the fifth and sixth floors of the building to build an elevated highway. The upper floors were suspended and supported by the mushroom pillars.”Sakura said.
Caesar was also somewhat moved. With the financial resources of the Tokyo government, they had the money to build an expensive elevated highway, but they could not afford to buy this building. This showed the shocking land price of this building and the status of the Ozaki Eight in Japan.
"The weight of more than ten thousand tons on the sixth floor is pressed on the twelve bearing columns. Is the structure stable? I heard that Japan is a place where earthquakes and hurricanes are very serious.”Chu Zihang said.
"The design and construction of this building is the Maruyama Construction Office under the Tachibana family. In the Japanese construction industry, no one would doubt the work of the Maruyama Construction Office. It has a history of 500 years. The founder once built the Edo Tianshou Pavilion for Toyotomi Hideyoshi. The Tokyo government trusted the Maruyama Construction Company, allowing the important elevated highway to pass through Genji Heavy Industries. In the ten years since it was built, there had never been an earthquake or hurricane that could affect the passage of the tunnel.”
"Amazing!" Lu Mingfei praised.
Ding! The elevator stopped on the 28th floor. The moment the elevator door opened, the field of vision suddenly widened. The entire floor was an office hall, and hundreds of girls sat in the cubicles, answering the phone while searching on the computer screen. Their crisp " hah " filled their ears.
"These are the operators of the family. The family's hot line is open 24 hours a day. For members of the underworld, there are always hundreds of operators waiting to hear his help. When setting up this hot line, the family requested that the service must be better than the police department's call, and the tone and attitude must be friendly. During the earthquake and tsunami, we also received calls for help from civilians. More than 50,000 people under our family participated in the disaster relief.”Sakura said.
"I am really the father of the Japanese people!”Lu Mingfei said.
After passing through the call center and going up the stairs to the 29th floor, the first thing Lu Mingfei saw was a huge map of Tokyo that occupied the entire wall. Unlike the 3D projection map in the central control room of the headquarters, this map was printed on paper with colorful darts. The staff member took notes on a small piece of paper while answering the phone. Then, he rolled up the piece of paper and threw it on a colorful dart. Another group of people looked at the map thoughtfully. Occasionally, someone would suddenly stand up and pull out a dart from the map. He would return to his desk and be surrounded by a group of black-clothed subordinates.
"It's like a battle command." Lu Mingfei said.
"We call it the liaison department. There were conflicts every hour or even every minute of the day. If it was a small matter, the operator would directly throw the task to the relevant class to deal with it after receiving the call. However, if the operator felt that it had to be reported, they would report the situation to the communication department. The officers in the liaison department were all old men with status and experience in the underworld. Some of them had good relationships with the police, some had personal relationships with gang leaders, and some were experts in specific industries. They would receive missions according to their strengths. The old man was not used to facing the computer, so the family agreed to let them use the old way of working.”Sakura said.
"Throw darts?" Caesar asked.
"In the Edo period, it was their custom to stick a note on their ribs and throw it out.”
Unlike the fast-paced 28th floor and the strict 29th floor, the environment on the 30th floor was relaxing. This floor was Japanese style. The elderly wore kimonos and sat around the tatami, drinking tea and whispering.
"Is this your old cadre activity room?”Lu Mingfei asked.
"This place is called the Strategy Department. Only the most senior members of the family can enter the Strategy Department. They used to be the leaders of the underworld, so there are very few things that need them to appear. All they usually do is drink tea, but with them here, this building's position in the Japanese underworld will be even more stable. They were the pillars that supported this place.”Sakura said," Only when it's very difficult will they work. They usually can't go public because they've been wanted by the police for more than ten years.”
" Just like the House of Lords in ancient Rome." Caesar said," Interesting."
"We're having a meeting with them?”Lu Mingfei asked.
"No, although they are elders worthy of respect in the clan, the person who has the right to discuss with you is the person with the highest status in the clan, the patriarch of the eight surnames.”Sakura said," At this time, the eight family heads are already waiting for you in the Xingshen Temple. Please follow me."”
"Eight Family Patriarchs?" In Lu Mingfei's mind, eight old men who were as thin as bones appeared. They wore black kimonos and breathed out Yin Qi from their nostrils.
Sakura pulled open a hidden sliding door, allowing sunlight to seep in. There was actually a spacious balcony on this floor. It was hidden in a corner of the building, and it was difficult to detect from the ground or the sky. Only by pulling open this sliding door could one enter this cave.
The name of the temple was indeed the style of a temple. However, it was not a Buddhist temple but a temple of Japanese Shinto. There was a small vermilion " Torii ". The granite walls were carved with various ghosts and gods of Shinto, from the solemn Amaterasu, the Moon Reading, the mighty Susanoo, and the ferocious demons and ghosts. Some had lion-like faces and fangs, and some sat cross-legged on a pile of skeletons. The wind and clouds surrounded these demons and gods, as if a hundred ghosts were at night. There was actually a clear spring on the balcony. Surrounding the spring was a dry landscape made of white stones and green grass. It was leisurely and Zen.
Sakura held a copper basin filled with clear water. Lu Mingfei quickly washed his hands and rinsed his mouth. The book Lu Wuze recommended was indeed useful. At least he knew that before visiting the shrine, there was a so-called " hand washing ceremony ". The black and white stone table was put together into a circular Tai Chi pattern, and the six people waiting at the table stood up and bowed.
" Everyone has already met the head of the Yuan Family, Mr. Yuan Zhisheng..." Sakura introduced.
Caesar was a little surprised. He didn't expect that the young man who picked them up yesterday was one of the highest-ranking people in the Eight Families of Snake Division. It seemed that the Eight Families of Snake Division were especially friendly to them.
" The head of the Ryuuma family, Mr. Ryuuma Kenichiro. Mr. Ryuuma Kenichiro is the current head of the Japan branch."
The head of the Ryuuma family was neither skinny nor gloomy. He looked like a man who was going through a mid-life crisis. He was wearing a meticulous suit and his hair was combed very carefully, but he did not look energetic. It was as if his face was filled with the words," Overtime pressure, big boss, fierce promotion, not expecting my wife to fool around with someone else, daughter in a puppy relationship, why don't I die?"
This guy is the most terrifying person in the underworld? And the current head of the Japan branch? This guy was a pure middle-aged loser, right? Lu Mingfei muttered in his heart.
"The head of the Inuyama family, Mister Inuyama He. Mr. Inuyama was the first branch head and an old friend of Headmaster Angers.”
The grey-haired head of the Inuyama family looked very kind, and his smile was as bright as the sun. He scratched his head and laughed,"Aiya, aiya, because I can't kill Ange, I can only be friends with him." What a pity."
" The head of the Sakurai family, Ms. Sakurai Nanami. She's also the inspector of the Japan branch." The head of the Sakurai family was actually a stunning young woman. Although she was deliberately dressed conservatively, the suit dress could not hide her hot curves. The pair of dark red thick-rimmed glasses on her face made her face look like it was made up.
"The head of the Windfiend family, Mr. Kotaro Windfiend, and the head of the Obiki Eight Families, Wakata. When the head of the family is not around, the food of the family is cut off by Mr. Windfiend. Mr. Windfiend is not working in the Japanese branch, but for this mission, we borrowed the ninja group of the Windfiend family, so Mr. Windfiend is also attending today's meeting.”
The head of the Wind Demon family finally fit the image of a mafia boss in Lu Mingfei's heart. This old man in a black kimono looked as if he was forged from fine iron. His gaze was as cold as a knife, and standing in front of him felt like a knife was pointed at his glabella. However, the name was a little weird. Kotaro the Wind Demon? It sounded like either a stage name or an online name. Was this old man addicted to the Nobunaga's Ambition series or the Musou Sengoku series? He couldn't possibly be the real Kotaro Fuuma, the Ninja King from more than 400 years ago.
"Finally, this is the head of the Tachibana Capital, Mr. Tachibana Masamune. He is also the head of the Sheqi Eight Families.”
"You didn't expect the so-called underworld members to be people like us, did you?”Tachibana Masamune, who was dressed in white linen clothes, smiled and shook hands with the Caesar team." Actually, we didn't expect the ace commissioner of the academy headquarters to be such an outstanding young man.”
Although he was already a white-haired old man, Tachibana Masamune had established his position as the " leader of leaders " in the hearts of the guests with just that smile. Even the fierce Wind Demon Kotaro was not as calm as he was. His natural and friendly beauty had a kind of confidence that he had things firmly in his hands.
"Master Miyamoto is making some preparations. As for the head of the Uesugi family, she was not in good health. Something happened again in the middle of the night last night and she is still in bed. Please forgive her rudeness.”Tachibana Masamune said," It's not convenient for me to be present at the Gao County Conference. I'll leave now."”Sakurazaka bowed.
"There's no rush. Wait for me, Inuyama, and Mister Windfiend. Mister Windfiend and I aren't from the Japanese branch. We just need to focus on helping the academy with the mission. As for Inuyama Jun, although he was once the head of the Japan branch, he had already retired, so it was inconvenient for him to attend such a confidential meeting. We'll meet the outstanding young people in the academy and have a chat. Then, we can go and have tea with the old geezers in the strategy department.”Ju Zhengzong smiled.
"The tea is very fragrant." Caesar said casually.
A charcoal stove was lit on the table, and on top of it sat a Kansai iron pot. The iron pot was dark and heavy, and the upper half of it was like a durian with countless blunt thorns. The lower half of the Yatengu was carved with a red face and a long nose. It spread its wings and flew in the flames of the clouds. The charcoal fire burned the bottom of the pot red, and the Yatengu's face and the edge of its wings were glowing. The water was about to boil. A breeze blew past, and the water in the kettle gurgled. From such a high place, one could directly look at the sea of Tokyo Bay. The white sails under the sun were scattered. It was fortunate that this tea could be praised by the heir of the Gattuso family.”Tachibana Masamune said," There's nothing much to entertain everyone. Let's use the Japanese tea ceremony."”
"Are you Japanese?" Kaisa looked at Ju Zhengzong with a scrutinizing gaze.
Tachibana Masamune's nose bridge was straight and his eyes were deep. The lines of his face were as clear as a knife, different from the average Japanese old man. However, he had pure black pupils and his every move carried a strong Japanese flavor.
"I'm only half Japanese, the other half Russian.”Tachibana Masamune said.
Caesar frowned, which reminded him of the former Soviet icebreaker.
"I've been in Japan for many years, but many people can't tell that I'm half Russian. How did you tell, Mr. Gattuso?”Tachibana Masamune asked.
"Accent, your accent has the characteristics of the Slavic language. You can distinguish between hard and soft palates because this is a typical Russian pronunciation.”Caesar said," You are not only of Russian descent. You have also lived in Russia.”
This was something that Lu Mingfei and Chu Zihang had no say in. Both of their mother tongues were Chinese, and Chu Zihang's English pronunciation was only slightly stronger than Lu Mingfei's because he was a man of few words. However, Kaesaikai noticed it when he heard Tachibana Masamune's first sentence. He had been taught different languages since he was young. In addition to Italian, he could also speak English, French, and Spanish fluently. He could distinguish the languages of every country in Europe.
Even Wind Devil and Yuan Zhi Sheng were surprised. It was obvious that the other family heads didn't know about this.
" I didn't expect that after so many years, this matter still couldn't be hidden from people." Tachibana Masamune smiled." Yes, I lived in Russia for about 30 years. That was still the era of the Soviet Union. Everyone ate the food distributed to them, and the children were proud to wear military uniforms.”
Caesar hesitated for a moment and did not continue asking. Tachibana Masamune had lived in Russia before, so it was impossible to infer that Tachibana Masamune had something to do with the Lenin. Japan and Russia had fought in the northeast of China, and after World War II, there were quite a number of mixed-race Japanese and Russian. Moreover, Ju Zhengzong was very magnanimous and did not seem to be hiding any secrets.
The water boiled. Ju Zhengzong lifted the iron pot and poured the boiling water into the tea bowl before pouring the water away. This was a standard Japanese tea ceremony procedure. The first hot water was only used to heat the tea bowl. Then, he used a wooden teaspoon to pick out two spoonfuls of tea powder and put them into a tea bowl. Then, he took a large spoonful of hot water from the iron pot and poured it into the tea bowl, stirring it gently with the tea pot. His technique was light and agile, but his expression was solemn. The sleeves of his linen kimono fluttered in the breeze, like a zither player playing in the wind. The soundless zither music was like the ocean of Wang Yang.
"Check the reference books. How do I solve this?”Caesar leaned closer to Lu Mingfei's ear and lowered his voice.
"Yes, yes! The tea ceremony is in the attachment of my book, 100 Lectures on Japanese Mythology and History!”Lu Mingfei was flipping through a book under the table.
"I got it! The person who brewed the tea would turn the patterned side of the tea bowl towards the person who was drinking the tea…Then…we would use an ancient silk gauze as a cushion and rotate it twice clockwise to show respect to the person who brewed the tea…Then, um, after drinking the tea, we would rotate the tea bowl three times counterclockwise and lower our heads to admire the patterns of the tea bowl. We could also praise it twice.”Lu Mingfei whispered. Fortunately, the table was wide enough. The people opposite them probably couldn't hear what they were saying clearly. They only saw the three of them whispering to each other.
Caesar and Chu Zihang didn't say a word. They were memorizing the process in their hearts. From the moment they entered the building, they realized that the H branch was a dangerous place. However, Caesar and Chu Zihang would not be like Lu Mingfei, praising how powerful they were. The Japanese branch was a mafia society, and the Student Union and Lionheart Society were also societies. The leaders of the society did not want to be easily overwhelmed by the other party's aura, so they were extra careful with their every move. Wandering in the martial world was nothing more than dealing with each move. The other party attacked with the etiquette of offering tea, so they used the etiquette of drinking tea to break it, letting the people in the Japanese branch understand that the headquarters were not uncultured and deserved its reputation.
As expected, Tachibana Masamune took out the golden silk gauze from his waist and placed it on the tea bowl. He rotated it gently in his hand and turned the side with the bamboo sparrow pattern toward Caesar. He bent down and served the tea. Caesar had long noticed that there was also a golden ancient silk gauze in front of him. He bent down and took the tea bowl without changing his expression. He also used the ancient silk gauze to cushion it and rotated it twice clockwise in his palm. He faced the bamboo sparrow pattern to Ju Zhengzong. Lu Mingfei's booklet said that this was a sign of respect for the tea-maker. Caesar did it meticulously. He also knew that the tea ceremony was a solemn etiquette in Japan, and mistakes were shameful.
Ju Zhengzong then served tea to Chu Zihang and Lu Mingfei, who also copied Caesar's method meticulously.
The three of them raised their heads and drank the tea at the same time. Their movements paused for a moment, and then their bodies slowly returned to their original positions. They rotated the tea bowl twice counterclockwise and aimed the bamboo sparrow pattern at themselves again. They lowered their heads to admire the pattern of the tea bowl, and their faces revealed an expression of admiration.
"Making tea is one of my few specialties. I won't take up any more of your precious time. Mister Wind Demon, Inuyama, and I will take our leave first. The academy's affairs will be handled by Shikasho, Madam Sakurai, and Ryama-kun.”Tachibana Masamune stood up and said goodbye." I hope that everyone will be happy in Japan and that your mission will go smoothly.”
Caesar's team stood up and returned the greeting. Tachibana Masamune left the balcony with Wind Demon Kotaro and Inuyama He.
The sliding door closed behind him. Kotaro stepped forward and said in a low voice,""Mr. Zheng Zong, are they qualified?”
"Although the children say that they are unreliable children, I believe in their excellence. Caesar's bloodline is also top-notch among Class A's. He is not valued by Angers just because he is a child of the Gattuso family. Chu Zihang wasn't as uncontrollable as the file said. I couldn't feel any killing intent leaking from him when I was facing him. This meant that although the ratio of his dragon blood was very high, his self-control was stronger and he could restrain the dragon blood. This quality was very rare. The only thing I can't be sure of is Lu Mingfei, but the whole world has to believe in the people that Hilbert Jean Ange believes in!”
Ju Zheng Zong said in a deep voice," Their arrival is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for us. We must not miss it!”
" I have the same feeling. They know that we are from the underworld, but they are not afraid of us, and they are reasonable in their response. They even know the etiquette of tea ceremony." Kotaro frowned." However, they drank all the tea that you brewed with boiling water. Isn't it hot?"”
On the balcony, Caesar's team sat quietly in the wind. They sat straight and watched Yuan Zhisheng take out his notebook, sea map, and various materials.
"I see tears in your eyes.”Caesar lowered his voice.
"But it's not because I'm full of love.”Lu Mingfei also lowered his voice." Didn't your damn book say that tea should be cooled before drinking?”
"No, not a single word…"
" But at least we broke the Japanese's trick..." Chu Zihang licked his burning mouth. He didn't know if the cup of hot tea had burned a layer of skin there. Although he did not dare to agree with Caesar that he had won in this round of contact, a person with strong self-esteem like him did not seem to complain about Caesar's competitiveness.
"Norma has already passed the mission description to the team leader. I think everyone knows that your mission this time is to survey the 1992 sinking of the Icebreaker Lenin.”Yuan Tachisei spread out the map on the table and circled a certain position in red." This is the map of the Sea of Japan. The last distress signal from the Vladimir was sent from this position, which is 120 nautical miles away from the Japanese coastline.”
"Yes." Caesar nodded.
" Although there aren't many routes that pass through that sea area, it is indeed a safe sea area. There are no reefs, icebergs, or turbulent currents. For an icebreaker of the size of the Lenin, the possibility of an accident in a safe sea area is very small. It was designed to conquer the most dangerous sea in the world, and it would not sink even if it was hit by torpedoes. However, such a ship actually crashed in the safety zone, which was one of the biggest unsolved cases in the files of the Japanese Coast Guard.”
This book is provided by FunNovel Novel Book | Fan Fiction Novel [Beautiful Free Novel Book]