Chapter 2081: Chapter 1521: If You Do Not Abandon Me, I Wish to Take You as My Godfather!

"Ah! Zuwaro, my friend, we meet again! This time, the journey north has been smooth. We didn’t stop at Victory Mountain Manor but bypassed it from afar... When we parted last time, I didn’t expect to meet you again so soon! The immense strength of your clan is truly astonishing!"

Mori no Kiyoshi stood at the port and was embraced warmly by Zuwaro, shaking his head with a smile.

These "Shandan Golden Tribe" and "East Sea Gummy People" meeting with rough embraces bear a distinctly Northern Land’s barbaric style, and it’s quite troublesome. If the Golden Shandan clan wants to establish themselves with the Shiba Clan’s reputations, these hospitality customs will need some serious revising...

Thinking of this, Mori no Kiyoshi sighed and pointed to the two Ocean Shielding Ships docked at the port, chuckling bitterly.

"Zuwaro! You really kept me in the dark! That ship of mine that vanished before—I didn’t realize it was ’invited’ away by you, both ship and crew... You should know, the cargo and craftsmen on that Ocean Shielding Ship cost me over one hundred jin of gold and brought the sect’s censure upon me! And my old friend, the former Kaozaki Family Head, Lord Nobuhiro, suffered significant losses because of this missing ship..."

"Haha! Sorry! Mori, when the ship was hijacked, we hadn’t even met!... Don’t you worry! We are friends, genuine friends! The losses from that Ocean Shielding Ship, I will repay them!... Come, come! Sit in the longhouse, let’s have some drinks together!"

Zuwaro laughed heartily, willing to settle this old debt with "money" and write off past events. Isn’t it just one hundred jin of gold? The Kingdom isn’t short on money, just the ways to spend it! And now, this reliable Kansai great merchant is the best way to turn useless "gold" into truly useful things!

"Zuwaro! Let’s not rush to drink yet... On this visit, all three ships have been loaded per your request. Two ships carry eight hundred stone rice, and the other carries one thousand jin of gunpowder and two thousand jin of salt!"

"Praise the Chief Divine! These eight hundred stone rice, two thousand jin salt, have arrived just in time! Hmm, only one thousand jin of gunpowder?"

"Indeed! Salt and rice are easy to procure, but gunpowder is difficult to buy, scarcely circulating in the market, truly expensive and troublesome... Even with the rice house’s capability, under such rush, we could only procure this much! Actually, if this item is bought in large quantities, it becomes very conspicuous, not only does it invite price hikes, but also attention..."

"Under the current situation, to stablely acquire large amounts of gunpowder, there are only two ways. One is contacting merchants from Sakai Port or Kyushu to procure saltpetre from overseas; the other is relying on our Tiantai Sect’s influence on village followers to drop Buddha directives, using tens of thousands of believers gathering saltpeter from various villages and towns... But such grand action, with my position in the Tiantai Sect, is not easy, far less convenient than if Juehui Monk were to act..."

Mori no Kiyoshi stood where he was, steering the conversation to the main business of this trip in a few brief words. He glanced around, lowered his voice, and with a complex expression inquired.

"Zuwaro, the cargo from these three ships, along with the people on board, are entrusted to you... I’m wondering, is Juehui Monk well?..."

"Haha! The Chief Divine protects, he’s doing great! Usually, he eats venison heartily and drinks fish soup boldly, the spicier the better. In these few months, he alone consumed several jin of my spices, and constantly asks us for divine smoke to inhale. Once full and satiated, he sits and chants without causing any trouble, even gaining some weight... Currently, he’s meditating in a cottage in the village, unaware of your arrival!"

Speaking of this "Great Monk," Zuwaro’s lips curled, showing some admiration. Not for anything else, but for the Great Monk’s ability to remain composed and unaffected, no matter the troubled deeds committed, the chaos stirred, or the problematic situations found! As long as the sword isn’t on his neck, he wholly adopts the demeanor of an "Elder Priest," eating and drinking without letting anything weigh on his conscience.

"Buddha! This Juehui guy actually eats venison, breaking the precept of vegetarianism? Also inhales divine smoke? Uh... that peculiar divine smoke indeed leaves a lasting impression..."

"Damned fool! This damned fool caused such a catastrophe, losing five hundred Monk Soldiers in one go, making me run around with sleepless nights, cleaning up for him... And yet he plays the role of a prisoner delightfully... He’s indeed a fool!"

Mori no Kiyoshi was momentarily speechless, grinding his teeth in resentment. Zuwaro joked a couple of times before returning to the main subject. His demeanor sternly shifted as he gazed at the Japanese large ship docked, speaking in a deep voice.

"Mori! As agreed, I will return this Juehui Priest Elder to you. And the noble progeny of the Japanese Clan you were to bring, the Shiba Divine Race?"

"Zou Jirou! Board the ship yourself, and bring Young Master Rongdong and Yue Ji here! Also, those Shiba’s retainers, also have them ’invited’ to the hands of the Shandan Samurai!"

"Yes, sir!"

Matsushita Zou Jirou bowed deeply, with an incomparably solemn expression, his body trembling slightly. He knew that what he was about to do was a significant "affair" related to the continuation and succession of the esteemed Martial Family! He almost moved stiffly, like a wooden person, stepping by step onto the ship.

After a while, accompanied by the chaotic, angry screams and unwilling struggles of Shiba’s retainers, two young nobles in Japanese aristocratic attire, led by Zou Jirou and accompanied by the "merchant ship samurai," walked cautiously and nervously towards them.