Takashimoto Shizuka’s eyes were opened wide as she looked carefully at the youngster before her from up close. Her chin was held as he stuffed something that tasted weird into her mouth.
The Japanese flight attendant’s cheeks gave a hint of a blush.
She became somewhat panicky and shrank backward, slipping away from Chen Xiaolian’s grasp. Then, she spoke out in a nervous whisper, “You… Your Imperial Highness, that’s… too rude…”
“Enough, I am not some Prince,” said Chen Xiaolian who waved his hand.
“Not a… Prince?”
Takashimoto Shizuka stared at Chen Xiaolian.
“Mm. To begin with, I am not even a Japanese. Your Japanese Imperial Highness, that shitty Prince… could he be as smart as me? Could he be better at fighting than me? If the real Prince did come here, he would probably have wet his pants long ago.”
Chen Xiaolian noticed that Takashimoto Shizuka’s forehead was no longer bleeding. It seemed that the spicy bar had begun to go to work.
He reached out with his hand and patted her on her face. This move of his caused the Japanese flight attendant to blush somewhat – for some unknown reason, when facing this Japanese flight attendant, Chen Xiaolian had a desire to tease and pull pranks on her. Perhaps, it was because of the first kiss…
Besides, back then I was the one being tempted…
Resisting was truly hard!
Takashimoto Shizuka diverted her eyes away and looked like a frightened deer. She anxiously shrank back. After being patted on her cheeks, she revealed more confusion within her eyes.
Fortunately for her, Chen Xiaolian then stood up and left.
The cabin was filled with shouts of joy and celebration.
The flight attendants ran into the cockpit.
Roddy who was seated inside became the happiest person on the planet.
Several of the flight attendants held Roddy’s head and kissed his face wildly.
Roddy’s forehead and cheeks were covered with lip marks.
There was also a flight attendant with stunningly well-endowed breasts who held onto Roddy in happiness, resulting in Roddy’s face descending into her soft valley.
Is he not afraid of suffocating to death?
Chen Xiaolian observed Roddy for a moment and chose not to enter the cockpit.
The flight captain re-entered the cockpit and worked together with Roddy to pilot the plane – after that, he took over the flight once more.
At the same time, he also got into contact with the government forces.
Chen Xiaolian moved straight toward Sawakita Mitsuo and sat in the row before him. Then, he turned around and faced the old man.
Sawakita Mitsuo, Nagase Komi and the middle-aged man had already returned to their respective seats.
The old man looked at Chen Xiaolian with narrowed eyes. There was an aura coming from his eyes that did not match his age.
“Well then, let’s make a formal introduction, Guild Leader Xiaolian,” said Sawakita Mitsuo with a faint smile. “Allow me to introduce myself. I am the leader of a guild from Japan; you may call me Guild Leader Sawakita. Right, I almost forgot. My guild’s name is… Shogunate.”
Pu!
Hearing that, Chen Xiaolian who just happened to be drinking a bottle of water nearly sprayed the contents of his mouth.
Shogunate?
He stared at Sawakita Mitsuo.
The old man smiled and said, “My nickname is ‘Generalissimo’.”
Shogunate Generalissimo?
Interesting.
But…
Chen Xiaolian thought about it.
This Sawakita Mitsuo seemed different compared to what he had imagined.
As a Professor of Theology of an Imperial University and also the Vice-Grand Steward of the Japanese Imperial Household Agency, he should be someone loyal to the Japanese Imperial family.
And yet… judging from this old man’s behaviour so far, it would appear that he did not have much respect for the Japanese Imperial family.
This was inconsistent with most Japanese of his age. Especially when you take into consideration the fact that he was also something like a minister in the Japanese Household Agency. Additionally, he was also someone who held the title of ‘Great Teacher’.
Just now, he had led Chen Xiaolian to impersonate a member of the Imperial family of Japan.
Something like that was something that other Japanese citizens would never do.
The people of Japan view the Emperor as God himself. And the Imperial family was basically the family of Gods. Who would dare provoke the Imperial family?
Impersonating one was an act of profanity.
Additionally, this old man was clearly wearing the clothes of the Shinto religion, signifying his high position within the Shinto religion.
What was the Shinto? The Shinto was Japan’s ethic religion! The purpose of the Shinto religion was to elevate the Emperor of Japan to become a being of worship!
The old man’s decision to have Chen Xiaolian impersonate a member of the Imperial family indicated that he was somewhat lacking in feelings of respect and worship toward the Imperial family that most Shinto priests should have.
And then there was his nickname.
Shogunate Generalissimo!
What was the Shogunate?
In the history of Japan, there was a period lasting over 682 years, the Shogunate Era. In that era, true power lied within the Shogunate while the Emperor of Japan was reduced to a puppet figure!
For him to have such audacity, giving himself such a nickname: Shogunate Generalissimo; there was no need to wonder about this old man’s view of the Emperor of Japan.
“You seemed surprised to hear my nickname?” the old man asked as he looked at Chen Xiaolian.
Chen Xiaolian did not try to conceal his thoughts. He said, “As the Great Teacher of the Imperial family, you gave yourself this nickname of Shogunate Generalissimo… he he… Guild Leader Sawakita’s disposition is truly stunning. You are a highly placed member of the Imperial Household Agency, yet you nicknamed yourself Shogunate Generalissimo. What of the Emperor then?”
Sawakita Mitsuo curiously regarded Chen Xiaolian and murmured, “Is it that surprising? An Awakened would ask me why a Japanese holds no respect for the Emperor?”
A peculiar smile appeared on his face and he said, “Back then, I did believe in the Shinto religion. However… think about it. After getting sucked into this game, after finding out that this world was created by the Development Team… would we still be able to put our faith in the Gods of this world? Naturally, the Emperor would be no God either… even His Majesty the Emperor is something that the Development Team had created, a mere NPC.”
Chen Xiaolian stared at the old man with widened eyes and said, “The Emperor is a mere NPC… old man, do you dare to speak those words when you are inside the Imperial Household Agency?”
“… ha ha ha ha!”
After exchanging glances, the two of them burst out laughing.
As someone who was born in Nanjing, Chen Xiaolian was actually someone who held a certain bias against Japanese citizens [1].
However, this Sawakita Mitsuo was just too interesting and Chen Xiaolian could not help but feel a sense of goodwill toward him.
Naturally, the fact that this old man had helped save him just now when he was holding onto dear life was also a huge reason for this.
As such, the atmosphere between the two of them became much warmer.
“For Guild Leader Xiaolian to fly to the US at this time, could it be that you are also going to participate in the punishment instance dungeon?” Sawakita Mitsuo asked Chen Xiaolian.
Chen Xiaolian nodded his head. He did not bother concealing that fact and asked instead, “Did Nagase Komi tell you my name?”
“Mm, after Komi entered my guild, she told me about the things that had happened to her in the past. About what happened back then, I would like to thank Guild Leader Xiaolian for taking good care of Komi. Hearing what she told me, I can tell that there were some misunderstandings. However, I have already told her that if not for you, she would likely have died in the Tokyo instance dungeon.”
Nagase Komi who was seated beside him suddenly stood up and bowed toward Chen Xiaolian. With a serious expression on her face, she said, “Guild Leader Xiaolian! Thank you for your care and guidance back then! Back then, I had given you a great deal of problems and I also misunderstood you. Please forgive me!”
Chen Xiaolian gaped as he observed the bald girl who had a cold an indifferent expression on her face. There was also a hint of firmness there.
It was hard to imagine that this was the same timid and panicky girl that he had met a month ago in the Tokyo instance dungeon.
This Nagase Komi seemed to have been reborn. Her face was a mask of calmness and cold indifference. Additionally, there was a hint of confidence behind her expression!
The old man waved his hand and Nagase Komi sat back down.
Next, Sawakita Mitsuo produced a bottle of wine… only God knows which item on his body was a storage equipment.
It was a white bottle of porcelain containing sake. He removed the cover and took a swig. Then, he turned to Chen Xiaolian.
“Guild Leader Xiaolian, are you free to talk?”
Chen Xiaolian chuckled and answered, “We are on an airplane, I doubt I’d be going anywhere. Since Mr Sawakita wants to talk, I don’t mind accompanying you.”
However, Chen Xiaolian had no interest in drinking wine. He instead produced a bottle of Coke. After opening it, he gulped down two mouthfuls.
“You youngsters. You always like these kind of drinks,” said Sawakita Mitsuo with a faint smile.
“How old are you?”
“Over 60.”
Sawakita Mitsuo laughed.
He shook his head and there was an amused look in his face. He continued, “I was born in Japan during the Showa era… that would be in the 50s.
“Back then, Japan was in the process of rebuilding itself after the war. The entire nation came as one to rebuild itself over the ashes of war. The people of that generation exuded perseverance, firmness and resolution. You could practically see the word dedication and hard work on each of their faces…
“Truth be told…”
As he said that, Sawakita Mitsuo suddenly lowered his voice, “This matter caused me quite some problems.”
“Eh?” Chen Xiaolian was surprised to hear that.
“It was an era where the people must endure with struggles and risks. Everyone had to give up their individuality and every citizen were seemingly transformed into one unified force, dedicated to working hard with everything they had to rebuild the nation.
“However… as for me, I am a natural born lazy bum.
“My laziness goes all the way down to my bones and I do not like being bound. Even more so, I do not like the idea of being a cog in a machine.
“Hmmm… maybe I was just born without the traits that a Japanese should have.”
Chen Xiaolian was speechless as he looked at the old man.
“… thus, due to my laziness, back then, I did not want to go to the factory to be a factory worker, or a construction worker, or a skilled worker or a police… I am a very lazy person who just don’t want to work.
“Thankfully, I have a good head on my shoulders.
“After considering it for a long time, I finally found a way out.
“In the beginning, I chose to study medicine. Later on though, I came to realize that being a doctor is an exhausting job.
“Back then, the whole nation was dedicated in their struggle to rebuild the nation. Everyone was filled with the desire to work hard.
“Doctors were no exception.
“Such a bitter path was beyond me. Thus, after mulling it over and over, I realized that there was only one path for me.
“This was the only path that could allow me to live an easy life. A life where I can blatantly be lazy, where I can choose to not work hard. Yet, I can still garner the respect of others and gain a high social status.”
After saying that, Sawakita Mitsuo winked and laughed, “… by becoming a God stick. A very powerful God stick. [2]”
Chen Xiaolian burst into laughter. It was a sincere laugh.
“Thus, I began to study religion. I used my brilliant mind to learn the Shinto religion and became a specialist in this religion. In the end, I even became a Professor of Theology and a high ranking member of the Shinto clergy – in this world, there is no other job more relaxing that this, one that would allow me to laze about openly!”
…