“Agreed, I want to save the Prince’s life.”
There was no need to think. Chun Hei made his decision decisively.
“I will absolutely not let the Prince go to his death!”
“Thank you.” Yong Jin’s eyes trembled slightly.
“I need to find a clue.”
“Yes.” Yong Jin seemed to recall something and said softly, “Right, Lord Ba… Lord Wolf, I’ve thought of a method. I will investigate and inform you if I have any news.”
“Mhm.”
“There’s one more thing, it must be kept a secret from the Prince.”
“Okay, okay!” Chun Hei made a gesture and left directly.
“Before heading to Mibu Village, I should visit my Ami. I estimate it’s time for another harvest.”
After speaking, Chun Hei approached a nearby Sculptor’s Idol and teleported to Senpou Temple.
Ami stood serenely before the brightly lit altar. Seeing Wolf approach, she spoke first, “Did you give the rice to the Prince?”
“Yes.” Wolf nodded. “The Prince made dumplings with the rice he received.”
“Oh.” The young lady’s eyes lit up. “The Divine Heir, made by hand…”
“Yes, the Prince is very serious about it.”
“Oh… is that so? Right, the Divine Heir… is also someone’s child. I never realized something so obvious… to sever immortality must also be the case, which is why he is lost. Even so, he made his choice.”
Ami said a lot, her words filled with praise for the Prince.
Wolf listened quietly by her side.
Finally, she looked up, “Warrior of the Prince, I have something I wish to ask…”
“Ask away.”
“May I ask the Prince’s age…”
“Fifteen.”
“Only fifteen? I truly hope to have a chance to meet him.”
Damn it, is she falling for my Prince?
Chun Hei stroked his chin and looked around at the delicate Ami. I came first.
It really is the season for White Album…
After sitting by the Ghost Fire, Chun Hei re-entered the room.
At this moment, Ami clasped her hands together and prayed devoutly before the altar behind her, “Everyone… what should I do… When the [Severance of Immortality] is complete, I will surely lose something precious as well… Such thoughts have been lingering in my mind, unable to be dispelled.”
When immortality is severed, she will lose something precious… Could this also refer to the Prince’s death?
Is this another hint?
“Hey.”
Unable to decipher it, Chun Hei stepped forward directly, interrupting Ami’s muttering.
“Wow, Warrior of the Prince.” A hint of panic flashed across Ami’s face. “You’re here.”
“What you said…”
“Oh, just some vague thoughts, it’s nothing important.”
Then, she tactfully issued a request for him to leave, “Farewell, Warrior of the Prince. May the ending you walk towards be filled with the fruits of harvest.”
The plotline concluded, it was time for battle!
Shaking off the strange thoughts in his mind, Chun Hei decisively headed towards Mibu Village.
Mibu Village was located at the end of the waterways in the lower reaches of Ashina. The second item needed to synthesize the Divine Dragon’s Heritage was there.
Along the way,
A gaunt monk sat by a golden Buddha statue by the bonfire, his aura weak.
As Chun Hei approached, a cutscene dialogue was triggered.
“You, you, cough, cough… cough, cough… If you are also a fellow devotee of Buddhism, can you help me defeat the Buddha’s enemies?”
“Buddha’s enemies?”
“The enemies are in the ruined temple ahead… To deceive the villagers, illusions were used to seal off the village.”
Having accepted the quest, Chun Hei headed directly to the ruined temple the monk mentioned. Normally, he wouldn’t bother with such quests, but this time it was a bit different; the person mentioned the illusions, which piqued his interest.
After all, since the Lady Butterfly, he hadn’t encountered any similar illusions.
However, Chun Hei had a premonition that he might encounter similar enemies in the future. Illusions could greatly restrict ordinary players and be quite tormenting, something the designers wouldn’t miss an opportunity for.
Therefore, preparing for the future became very important.
To counter illusions, the [Sounding Seed] was crucial. He had spent nearly half a month grinding in the game, and had only collected a meager amount of Sounding Seeds. Now that there was someone related to illusions, this item would undoubtedly be involved.
As expected,
On the way to the ruined temple, Chun Hei collected more [Sounding Seeds]. With a few Sounding Seeds, Chun Hei successfully defeated the headless figures within the illusions of the ruined temple, dispelled all illusions, and rescued the village.
Afterward, he returned to the golden Buddha statue. The gaunt monk was still there.
“Although I am old… I still wish for the Buddha to return to the temple.” With that, the monk lowered his head and passed away.
“Alright, collecting the Sounding Seeds is enough.”
Chun Hei didn’t expect any reward from the monk, as behind him lay a vast expanse of unexplored territory with many treasures to collect.
It seemed like no reward was given, but in reality, the rewards were already in place.
“While I’m scavenging, I’ll share the information I’ve gathered with everyone.”
Chun Hei enjoyed using fragmented time to educate his viewers about the game’s plot and story, which also deepened his understanding of the world of Sekiro:
“The place we are currently in is called the Mibu Village area, located at the junction of Ashina’s lower reaches and the Mibu Village entrance. I believe this place has a strong connection to Lady Butterfly. The illusions in the village just now, and the description of the ‘Phantom Kunai’ indicate that a young Adacho trained in a place called Susumu Forest, far to the north of Ashina, a place filled with mist and illusions, perfect for her illusionary arts. So far, this is the only place named Mibu Village area, and this place has illusions and mist. I believe she trained here, and the Sounding Seeds obtained just now are further proof.”
“Isn’t there a saying, where the most poisonous snakes dwell, often grow the herbs that can cure their venom? The Sounding Seed is the herb for interacting with illusions. Since I haven’t figured out if this place is north or east of Ashina Castle, I can’t be entirely sure, but it’s highly likely. Mibu Village is ahead, and I’m almost done scavenging.”
After the explanation, Chun Hei had also looted all the treasures in the Mibu Village area. There weren’t many important items, mainly some Sounding Seeds, which gave him a sense of security.
In the future, when facing unknown enemies, even if they used illusions, he wouldn’t be completely blind and at their mercy.
As the exploration deepened, the forest ahead gradually became more somber.
A few dark crows flew across the sky, bringing a hint of life to the dead village.
The nearby stream gradually dried up, and the dark brown mud emitted a foul odor, as if animal carcasses had been soaked in the mud, releasing a strong rotten smell.
It could be said that this was the most eerie map in the entire game.
“Is this Mibu Village?”
“Did I accidentally enter an Undead Settlement?!”