Chapter 2083: Chapter 1522: Such a Divine Descendant Beauty Should Be Presented to Your Majesty!

"Rongdong pays... pays respects to his godfather!..."

"... ? Haha! Stand up, stand up! Good! What a good son!..."

At the port of Ezo land, witnessed by the Tiantai Envoy and the kingdom’s people, Shiba Rongdong performed the Japanese solemn "kneeling ceremony," and swore by his ancestor’s name, affirming his godfather-son relationship with Zuwaro, sharing family honor. After receiving the ritual, Zuwaro followed Nava customs, gently holding Shiba Rongdong’s hair bun. He then reached into his bosom and pulled out a gold Hummingbird Talisman, as a return gift to his "adoptive son."

"Here! Adong, put on this gold talisman! Your father didn’t prepare any other gift, so this gold will have to suffice... Later, I will personally host your conversion ceremony to believe in the Chief Divine!..."

Shiba Rongdong pursed his lips, took the one jin heavy gold talisman, and solemnly placed it around his neck. Instantly, the emotions in his heart felt as heavy as the talisman, weighing down his neck. Young unease and imagination stirred within his inexperienced mind, eventually manifesting in his deeply bowed head.

"Witness of ancestors! Godfather, Rongdong... shall heed your words!"

"Young Master!! You mustn’t, you mustn’t! How can the honorable Shiba Family be reduced to associating with Shandan people and recognizing a Barbarian Chief as a father?! If Lord Yilian knew from the grave, he would surely die with regret!..."

Seeing this formal ceremony, among the ten or so retainers of the Shiba Clan, there erupted several cries of discontent. One particularly agitated elder retainer struggled incessantly under the watch of the "merchant ship samurai," kicking aimlessly like a frog, nearly overwhelming four samurai trying to restrain him.

"Hmm? What’s this?..."

Zuwaro furrowed his brow, glanced at the disheveled old fellow, unsure of what he was shouting. Witnessing this, Mori no Kiyoshi sighed again and instructed the samurai on the ship.

"Cover Lord Zhenzhong’s mouth and bind his hands and feet. Be careful, don’t injure him."

"Young Master! Young Master... uh! Huh... huh..."

The shouting quickly faded, and the struggling kicking "frog" became a flailing "trout" in the snow. Mori no Kiyoshi shook his head helplessly and explained to Zuwaro.

"Ancestor! This is the house elder of the Echizen Shiba Clan, responsible for clan rituals as a ’senior,’ named ’Izayama Sadayoshi.’ His main family is the Echizen Izayama Clan, fought vigorously in the Onin War for the Shiba Clan, fulfilling his duties as a retainer. Unfortunately, as the Asakura Clan usurped the Guardian of Echizen position, their power grew stronger... the Echizen Izayama Clan had to submit, forsaking the Shiba main family to pledge allegiance to the Asakura Clan. This elder of the Echizen Izayama Clan became the last loyal senior retainer to follow the Shiba Clan..."

"Oh?! A loyal retainer then? Equivalent to military merit or honorable nobility? Is he related to the Echizen Province’s Izayama Great Tribe among the Japanese?"...

Zuwaro’s eyes brightened, pondering for a moment, then looking at the remaining ten or so old and young Shiba loyalists, he spoke.

"What about these people? Are they also from the Izayama Great Tribe?..."

"No, definitely not! Ancestor, the silent elder warrior is the former Auditor of the Shiba Clan, Fujiwara Tadaki, from the Echizen Horie Family. The upright-looking middle-aged warrior is the Shiba Clan’s last Military Commissioner, Yokoyama Seishu, from the Echizen Yokoyama Family. The one insulting me is my friend, the Shiba Clan’s current Temple and Shrine Affairs Officer, Kai Shigeru, from the Echizen Kai Family..."

Mori no Kiyoshi counted on his fingers, listing the backgrounds of these Shiba loyalists, all of whom came from Japanese noble martial families, significant aristocratic families of Echizen Country. Their existence was like an extended spider web, intertwining the remaining descendants of the Shiba Clan with various martial families of Echizen!

"Witness of Buddha! Whether the Echizen Izayama Family, the Echizen Horie Family, the Echizen Yokoyama Family, or the Echizen Kai Family, they are thousands of stones or even ten thousand stones noble localities, not much different in stone height from the Ezo Kaozaki Clan!"...

"These noble families all once served the Shiba Clan, holding equal status to the Asakura Clan. Nowadays, although forced to pledge allegiance to the usurping Asakura Clan, their two hundred years of loyalty to the Echizen Shiba Clan remain untouched. As long as there’s a trace of the Echizen Shiba Clan lineage, the Asakura Clan’s control over Echizen cannot be entirely stable. Hence, this is why Rongdong, if he stayed in Kansai, would eventually fall victim to the Asakura Clan’s hand sooner or later..."

At this, Mori no Kiyoshi turned to deeply bow to these Shiba loyalists, speaking solemnly.

"May Buddha bless you, loyal retainer warriors of the Shiba Clan! This time, bringing Rongdong and everyone north was solely my doing, executed by hired Rangers from the rice house. If any bear resentment, please direct it to me alone, not implicate the Tiantai Sect, or harm the Shandan Clan..."

"I swear before Buddha! Whether you acknowledge it or not, the revival of the Shiba Clan is our shared vision! Faced with the overwhelming power of the Asakura Clan, the only feasible path is to seek mighty support. Aligning with the Shandan Golden Clan, continuing the Shiba Family bloodline, establishing foothold in the Northern Ezo, might be the only and most likely path. I hope everyone preserves their lives, collaborates with the Shandan Clan, without counting personal fame or disgrace, never forsaking their loyalty..."

After these placations of "Buddhist Law," Mori no Kiyoshi did not look at the assorted expressions of the Shiba loyalists but looked towards Zuwaro, respectfully bowing.

"Ancestor! These are loyal warriors of the Shiba Clan who, even in these circumstances, remain unwavering towards their main family! Their presence represents the last twilight of the Shiba Clan, and the last connection with Echizen Country. Preserving them actually benefits your tribe greatly, even establishing connections between the Shiba Family and the martial families of Honshu... I hope your tribe patiently persuades, preserving the lives of these loyal warriors!"...

"Furthermore, witness of Buddha! These retainers possess family-inherited culture and martial arts, acquainted with territory governance, which your tribe could undoubtedly utilize... when your tribe communicates with the Honshu Daimyo in the future, surely relying solely on bows and blades isn’t advisable?..."

"Mori, you make a valid point. We too admire the loyal warriors... witness of Chief Divine! It’s merely ten eating mouths. Even if they are unwilling to serve the tribes, we will still sustain them!"

Zuwaro nodded with a smile, already calculating how to tap into the talents of these delivered Japanese martial families and assigning them work. He eyed those "loyalists," who, following Mori no Kiyoshi’s words, mostly calmed down, no longer clamoring.

"Chief Divine! These Japanese affairs are quite interesting. They evidently act, yet insist on maintaining a layer of falsehood. Mori no Kiyoshi is one, Rongdong is another, these loyalists are another... they aren’t as transparent and natural as the meat-eating, smoking Great Monk."

"Ah, Ancestor! This is Yue Ji, Rongdong’s sister, one of Lord Yilian’s only two bloodlines... in her arms, the wooden box holds Shiba Clan’s ’Family Tree Documents,’ ’Bloodline Documents,’ and the ’Shogunate Appointment’ conferring the Shiba Clan as Guardian of Echizen over a century ago, along with other important shogunate documents..."

Mori no Kiyoshi expression filled with emotion, instructing Yue Ji to open the wooden box in her arms revealing rolls of "important documents" filled with Chinese characters. The existence of these "important documents" is what legally establishes the Shiba Clan’s family status in Japan.

"Sir, it’s... all here."

The young girl Yue Ji opened the wooden box, timidly raising her head, finally revealing her face. Her long black hair cascaded over her shoulders, like flowing water. Her clear eyes, a tranquil lake. Her delicate lips, blossoms of plum. And her anxious reddened jade neck, akin to the petal of a white flower in early spring, standing out in the harsh snowy north.

"Oh! What a beauty of Echizen! Especially with that high-noble lady demeanor, coupled with youthful timidity... intriguing!"

Seeing Yue Ji’s beauty, Ryuzoji Temple Jia Hong widened his eyes, unable to hold back his internal praise. Zuwaro’s expression shifted slightly, also surprised. Chimere and Warrior Chief Tamikusa exchanged glances, subtly nodding. Mori no Kiyoshi hesitated a little observing everyone’s reactions, yet still held a sense of tenderness and protection towards the grown Yue Ji, instructing firmly.

"Yue Ji, step forward... perform the ritual of homage from an adoptive daughter to my dear friend, your godfather, esteemed Golden Chief Zuwaro!..."

"Ah, yes..."

"Witness of Chief Divine! No, no ceremonies allowed!"

Chimere the High Priest strode forward, halting Yue Ji’s ceremony. Then, with a serious expression, he faced the kingdom’s leaders, particularly nodding to Zuwaro, solemnly stating.

"Chief Divine protects! This young girl of Japanese Divine Descendant lineage... should be taken back to the Kingdom of the Lake, offered to the divine-revelation Your Majesty! Let His Majesty leave an offspring of divine blood and return to the Western Sea Continent..."

"You all serve His Majesty as loyal Priests and Nobility... what do you think?..."