Chapter 702: A Bustling Affair

The Prezumliba triplets, ghostly spirits who also serve as a musical troupe, were summoned by Saigyouji Yuyuko for the banquet.

Why did I hear the name "Shanghai Alice Phantom Band" from a ghostly spirit of Gensokyo?

Huai Shi, who was live-streaming a doujin piece in Gensokyo, froze and asked, "Band?"

"The melody of this piece fits our creative style perfectly," said the shortest one, Lilica.

"Such a beautiful melancholic sound," said Luna, with bright golden hair, thoroughly satisfied.

"Welcome to the Shanghai Alice Phantom Band!" declared Merulan, with vividly colored hair, proudly.

Okay, it's not an auditory hallucination.

As the three ghostly spirits manipulated instruments out of thin air to display their talent, a song called "Bad Apple" began to play, leaving Huai Shi stunned.

Su Lin and the others nearby patted their ears, feeling as if the fourth wall was too fragile—or perhaps their band had a member named ZUN.

But wasn't that supposed to be a club?

"When we held banquets before, someone apparently gave them that name, though both Shanghai and Alice objected," said Reimu.

The shrine maiden patted her bulging belly, a toothpick clenched between her teeth, her unrefined tooth-picking motion resembling a middle-aged man.

Maybe it was that NEET who lived for chaos.

"Triggering an easter egg achievement by talking to an NPC," Xing propped her chin on one hand, thinking. "I'll go explore around later."

Don't go near the Principle of Humanity—Fujihara Miko's 【Hey, what are you doing?】 and ten Star Domains have already been taken by that Su guy.

"Though we're not short on supplies, this can't go on," Meng Qi reminded from beside him.

"Yes, the cost is too high."

Su Lin shifted his gaze from the greasy Reimu's belly toward the dining hall's small realm, where several gluttons nearby seemed to share a mutual understanding, exchanging menu ideas.

"Extremely sorry."

Though Konpaku Youmu remained wary of Su Lin due to the tabloid reports and doujinshi, she now blushed furiously as she handed him a box: "I've never seen Yuyuko-sama release her appetite like this—White Jade Tower will pay for it!"

"Someone already paid," said Su Lin.

Behind the ravenous Yuyuko, numerous phoenix butterflies emerged; several ethereal, translucent cultivators hovered nearby, secretly capturing them with their soul forms.

Meanwhile, heavy storage bags piled up before Ye Fan's cashier, Ru Hua.

Yuyuko may be profiting handsomely, but Ye Fan never loses.

"Spirit butterflies… aren't they for collecting payment?" Youmu opened her mouth, then suddenly sighed in relief: "Looks like this month's finances are safe."

Meng Qi picked up the slightly vibrating Book of Divine Commendation, where a character symbolizing 【Death】 had ignited.

The authority of death resides on that person.

It truly matches what Tai Gongwang said—authorities that influence or govern the world's laws choose their hosts.

Perhaps due to the influence of this ability, entities like ghostly spirits, mountain spirits, and undead souls unconsciously drift toward its vicinity; as Huai Shi watched the ghostly spirit band perform, a laugh echoed in his ear.

"Yohoho~ Ladies seem to be in high spirits. Might I, Brook, join your band?"

The bone skeleton with a spiky hairstyle removed his hat politely: "Miss Huai-zhi, I'm a loyal fan of your livestream—may I please see your underwear?"

"I'm male," Huai Shi said flatly.

"Eh?" Brook's jaw dropped to the ground.

He shifted his harassment toward another target, only to be immediately beaten by the three ghostly spirits with their instruments.

The Straw Hat Pirates meanwhile stacked sea king ingredients nearby.

"Su Nan, these should be enough?" Luffy grinned, waving his hand. "We've fished out all the ferocious sea kings from that sea region."

Su Lin, arms behind his back, frowned: "Feels like I haven't seen you in a long time."

"Hahaha, what nonsense are you talking?" Luffy took off his straw hat and hung it behind his neck. "I'm here at every banquet."

Su Lin suddenly understood.

He was here. Always here.

But before delving deeper into this, Su Lin looked toward Sanji, who stood gripping a kitchen knife, trembling violently, eyes filled with hearts, blood streaming from his nose: "I suggest giving him a resurrection artifact."

Gensokyo, filled with beautiful girls, was still too overwhelming for Sanji.

"No no no."

Sanji rose from the ground, combed his hair neatly, lit a cigarette, exhaled a cloud of smoke, then smirked.

"A proper chef never lets his guests feel hunger."

"Cooks from other worlds lack experience—I face Luffy every single day."

"Long time no see, Miss Bie Xue. I'll handle the kitchen orders."

He flicked his hair, and suddenly held a thick stack of paper—each page covered in dish names.

"The tables are empty! Stop staring and start cutting meat!"

"But weren't they full just now?"

Sanji froze, turned his head toward the kitchen's small realm—and saw all the plates cleared away. Luffy lay sprawled in the center, his swollen belly bearing a confused squirrel that had just crawled out of the plate wreckage.

"Didn't you just eat a meal before coming?!"

"Didn't catching ingredients exhaust you, Sanji? Is the food ready yet?"

The four humans and the squirrel all turned toward the kitchen. A crushing pressure of 【Hunger】 surged like a demonic tidal wave, dimming the flames of the stove.

Sanji, hallucinating, gasped violently; he instinctively tore open his sweat-soaked neckerchief, his nerves stretched to the breaking point.

"New guy."

Senjumaru Shutoku's Combat Continuation activated again; he placed one hand on Sanji's shoulder and sneered: "Ahead lies hell."

The realm was sealed; only greasy smoke escaped, coagulating into tar-like clouds.

"High cost" refers to the chefs' exhaustion—if this continues, all chefs will be broken before the banquet even officially begins.

"I wish we could have banquets like this every day."

Reimu twitched her nose, wearing a look of delight: "Is this really all the people you're using for a wedding? You could hold one every day if you wanted."

Walk straight out of the shrine, turn left, find Sunday, who builds dream worlds next door, and have her take you to Pinnokoni for a daydream you'll never wake from.

"Better not—the Great Barrier would protest."

Reimu suddenly gave up and said, "Besides, if everyone holds their weddings here, I won't have time to rest. A shrine maiden's job isn't to officiate marriages."

"You're wrong, Reimu. Performing a Shinto wedding ceremony is also part of a shrine maiden's duties." A shrine maiden with long green hair and a white, armpit-exposing miko outfit walked over.

"Sanae." Reimu glared at her, "What are you doing here?"

"It wasn't a disturbance, yet it caused such a commotion—everyone's been curious."

Sanae placed her hands before her and bowed slightly to the group.

"Good day, Mr. Su Lin. I didn't get a chance to greet you properly at the Nine Heavens Waterfall, and likewise to all of you—it's my first time meeting you."

"If you need a Shinto wedding ceremony, you'd be better off holding it at the Moriya Shrine, rather than at the poorly run Hakurei Shrine."

"Our shrine has two genuine divine beings."

Even in Gensokyo, competition within the industry never fades.

"I've never even heard of a Shinto wedding ceremony," Reimu crossed her arms. "If you're not coming to the reception, don't come here to cause trouble."

"That's exactly why I say your Hakurei Shrine is outdated."

Sanae, drawing on her history lessons from the outside world, explained to Reimu:

"It began in Meiji 33, modeled after Catholicism, a major branch of Christianity, with the premise of divine approval and witness, built upon the foundation of Shendao Sect rituals."

"Before that, Japan had no formal wedding ceremony. In the West, adult men and women of the Catholic faith must obtain permission from God Yahweh and His Son Jesus to marry."

"Of course, after localization, the deities involved were changed to the shrine's own gods."

"So it's just something you copied?" Reimu waved her hand dismissively. "It's just a formality—learn it quickly and be done with it."

"But your Hakurei Shrine doesn't even enshrine a god—how can you perform the ceremony?" Sanae smiled smugly.

"Who says we don't?" Reimu waved her hand, and the front doors of the shrine flew open from afar: "The Hakurei Shrine enshrines more gods than your Moriya Shrine!"

"What…?!" Sanae's exasperated expression froze.

"Amen." Reimu clapped her hands and pressed them together. "These are the gods the Hakurei Shrine has always enshrined."

"Liar!"

"Why would I lie to you?"

Reimu wore a smug, triumphant expression.

The two were locked in argument, but after exchanging glances, Su Lin and Meng Qi casually slipped aside—only to bump into something soft after two steps.

A spatial fold rippled, and a blue-haired girl with a canvas backpack emerged from behind an optical camouflage cloak, clutching her head.

"Ah! Found you!" Komeiji grabbed Su Lin's wrist.

Su Lin: "?"

Who the hell are you?

"Komeiji!" Sanae rushed over, trying to pry them apart—but Komeiji gripped too tightly, and Sanae dared not pull hard for fear of hurting her, so she hastily apologized to Su Lin:

"I'm sorry! She means no harm—please don't attack her!"

"Let's fight again! Last time, Saimonmaru interfered with the controls! Our kappa mecha is definitely stronger than yours!" Komeiji refused to let go: "For the honor and dignity of Kappa Technology!"

Countless days and nights of research—even entering the Old Hell, trading countless cucumbers with that idiot golden crow for a power source.

Finally completed, ready for mass production, ready to make Kappa Technology famous throughout Gensokyo—only to have this happen:

"The Strongest Mecha Technology Is Definitely Kappa (Komeiji Kogasa)" "Even the Tengu Deserve It (Though Not a Kappa, Inubashiri Kana's Skill Isn't Bad)" "Saimonmaru Fumiko Isn't Bad Either—After All, She's the Fastest Tengu" "Who Is Su Lin?"

Thinking of the recent hot topic on Youkai Mountain, Komeiji felt even worse.

"If your mecha wins, you can do anything to me under the Gensokyo Amusement Park Plan!"

"..."

Amitabha Buddha—why must Su Lin's entry into Gensokyo always involve a hentai plot?

Are more youkai starting to believe this nonsense?

"Even if you say that, my Unicorn Gundam is completely destroyed—beyond repair."

"?!"

The kappa girl sat on the ground, her tone a mix of relief and regret: "Then there's nothing to be done. Kappa Technology can only take first place—no need to gamble my virtue."

"Is Saimonmaru Fumiko highly trusted in Gensokyo?" Su Lin asked.

"Not exactly." Sanae pulled out a newspaper from her sleeve: "But every day's report is about you. Kappas and Tengu are neighbors—these papers are everywhere."

"A Disturbance That Risks the Future?! The Red Mist Disturbance Failed—The Red Magic Hall Sisters, Both Vampires, Have Fallen Into the Hands of the Outsider Su Lin, Becoming Forbidden Offspring!" (Illustration: Red Magic Hall Amusement Park Plan Completed!)

Figure 1: A photo of a human male lifting Remilia high above his head.

Figure 2: Patchouli and the little demon lie on the ground, their bodies obscured by a mosaic.

Su Lin had grown used to such baseless rumors—he could calmly laugh them off.

Just as he was about to order Chen Gong to launch the spirits of all human history as artillery shells toward Youkai Mountain, Sanae's words stopped him.

"Fumiko has already been punished by the Demon Lord—pelted with stars all night long."

Sanae pulled out a flip phone, opened her photo album, revealing Saimonmaru Fumiko, wrapped in bandages, feathers gone from her wings, hooked up to IVs, lying in bed.

"Gensokyo hasn't seen a man like you in a long time, and after you beat Reimu in the mecha match, she started paying attention to you."

"I imagine this has been quite a headache for you."

Sanae's tone softened, filled with understanding, and she offered a comforting smile:

"Don't worry—no youkai or human in Gensokyo will believe these impossible things. Besides, even when I was outside, I used Photoshop."

She spoke well and had high emotional intelligence; without competing with Reimu, this shrine maiden clearly displayed greater breadth of character—twofold.

Beside them, Hakurei Reimu felt the urge to hurl her Yin-Yang Jade at her.

Shamingwan's long-standing rumors have damaged her reputation, so only beings like the Kappa, Reimu, and Yumemi—who seem not very smart—would believe her.

"Big brother~"

A red figure seized the moment when Su Lin was lost in thought and lunged behind him with lightning speed.

"Flandre?"

"Want to play together?"

Flandre, who rarely left her home, had also come to the Hakurei Shrine.

Slightly surprised, Su Lin's gaze settled on Sunday—or rather, the group Sunday had brought with him.

Sensing Su Lin's gaze, Remilia stopped and instantly hid behind Satsuki, her face flushed, hands clutching her hat, her body trembling.

"Eh, Satsuki, is he looking at me?!"

"Miss."

Satsuki didn't know what to do; even the usually composed Patchouli and the little demon had retreated behind her, like playing hawk-and-chicks.

"Look, even the Second Miss behaves normally, and there are many people around—please mind your manners."

"Flandre."

Remilia lifted her head, glanced at Flandre on Su Lin's back, swallowed hard, then regained her composure and walked forward.

"They've wandered into a world under construction," Sunday said slowly. "I sensed light and order's power on them, so I came to find you."

"Thank you, my Jesus."

"You need not be so formal."

The conversation ended; Remilia shrank behind Satsuki, and Touhouya Sanae stepped back half a step.