Bai Ye was awakened by the clamor.
Rubbing his eyes groggily, he leaned against the window and looked out. The streets of Yoshiwara were already crowded.
The street lanterns had been lit.
Nightfall marked the arrival of Yoshiwara's liveliest hour.
The night was far from silent; on the contrary, it was boisterous.
So, it was time for him to get to work.
Bai Ye yawned. First, he tossed out the gacha machine; before heading out, he naturally had to try his luck with a pull.
Then…
"Damn it!" Bai Ye exclaimed, exasperated. "Have I been this unlucky lately?"
Grenade Pack (Item) (Blue): Comes with six Type 82-2 all-plastic hand grenades, six SL01A smoke bombs, and six M84 stun grenades.
Caterpie (Beast Tamer) (White): A bug-type beast, green on its back and white on its abdomen, with Y-shaped antennae. It can attach itself to trees using its prolegs and can evolve through cultivation.
A grenade pack…
An old friend!
Giving him a blue one was still showing some consideration, at least it came with more grenades, smoke bombs, and stun grenades.
As for the Caterpie…
Whoa!
Isn't this the legendary beast that can supposedly evolve into Rayquaza?
Bai Ye dismissively retracted Caterpie into its Beast Ball and took a deep breath. "Give me a golden gacha."
The first two pulls were duds. For the last golden gacha, Bai Ye was hoping for something good, though he didn't expect it to be of much use.
After all, with the Rumble-Rumble Fruit in hand, he was already quite powerful.
At least, give him something to feed the Steel Slime.
Soon, a golden gacha rolled out of the machine. The moment Bai Ye twisted it open, a golden light burst forth.
Aries Cloth (Armor) (Gold): The armor of Mr. Mu, guardian of the first palace of the Twelve Houses of the Zodiac – Aries. Upon wearing it, one can inherit Mu's abilities, excluding his martial arts.
Effects:
Psychokinesis (One of the Sixth Sense abilities of Cosmos, controlling matter or energy through thought. Those with strong mental power can tear space with their minds, even achieve temporal displacement.)
Five Senses Hypnosis (One of the Sixth Sense abilities of Cosmos, capable of controlling the opponent's five senses.)
X-Ray Vision (One of the Sixth Sense abilities of Cosmos, able to see through all objects. With sufficient mental power, one can even see through armor.)
Teleportation (One of the Sixth Sense abilities of Cosmos, allowing the retrieval of objects within a certain spatial distance without physical contact.)
Mind Transfer (One of the Sixth Sense abilities of Cosmos, instantly transporting from one place to another through imagination. With sufficient mental power, one can even transport an entire army.)
Aries Cloth…
This is good stuff!
However, while it was good, Bai Ye felt a mixture of joy and worry.
The joy was that among gold-quality items, this was considered mid-to-high tier. Feeding this to the Steel Slime would grant at least forty to fifty thousand growth points.
The worry was that this item couldn't be recorded by the Gate of Babylon.
It was strange, really. Gilgamesh's Gate of Babylon could store armor.
Why couldn't his?
It could only store weapons, and specifically melee weapons.
Of course, Bai Ye could understand the melee weapon part; what era did Gilgamesh exist in to have firearms? Besides, firearms wouldn't be associated with the word "treasure."
But the fact that armor couldn't be stored made Bai Ye feel it was abnormal, especially since Gilgamesh's own Gate of Babylon could store it.
Bai Ye could only attribute this to his Gate of Babylon not being of sufficient quality. Once its quality improved, it should be able to store armor and other types of treasures.
As for how the Aries Cloth would improve his strength…
Bai Ye didn't particularly care.
With the Rumble-Rumble Fruit in hand, apart from the Demon King and the top three Upper Moons, Bai Ye didn't fear anyone.
So, what difference would the Aries Cloth make?
Alright, at least he could declare the game over in advance.
Let's go home, everyone go home and pack up, I'm invincible again!
Aries Cloth plus the Rumble-Rumble Fruit…
Demon King, come out and fight me!
Thinking this, Bai Ye released the Steel Slime, which devoured the Aries Cloth. Then…
As the golden holy armor materialized on Bai Ye, its color instantly turned as dark as ink.
With these thoughts, Bai Ye got up and leaped out of the window.
Upon landing, he changed the Aries Cloth back into his Black Order uniform.
Wearing armor to meet a lady wasn't quite appropriate.
With this in mind, Bai Ye headed towards the Kyogokuya.
Kyogokuya was one of the largest establishments in Yoshiwara, naturally packed with people. As Bai Ye approached the entrance, he heard the clamor.
Upon entering, an elderly madam greeted him with a smile.
"Guest, please come this way."
Bai Ye shook his head. "I'm looking for Warabi-hime."
The madam smiled. "That might not be possible."
The surrounding patrons chimed in, "We all want to find Warabi-hime."
Bai Ye ignored them. "Why not?"
The madam explained, "As an oiran, Warabi-hime will perform in the main hall, and guests can then admire her elegance. However, Warabi-hime rarely entertains guests privately."
Bai Ye asked, "Does 'rarely' mean it's still possible?"
As he spoke, Bai Ye produced his money pouch.
Bai Ye said, "I have money."
Since it wasn't his money, Bai Ye felt no pain.
The madam shook her head. "Warabi-hime chooses her own guests. She likes handsome people."
Bai Ye replied, "Is that a problem for me?"
"Uh…"
The madam paused, then looked at Bai Ye's face. She had been so focused on his money pouch that she hadn't properly seen his face. Now, looking at him, his face did seem to possess that qualification.
The madam said, "If that's the case, after Warabi-hime's performance, you may invite her yourself. Whether she accepts, I cannot say."
"Good!" Bai Ye nodded and walked past the other patrons, muttering, "Indeed, everyone wants to find the oiran, but you're not handsome enough."
This remark drew immediate ire, and someone slammed their fist on the table.
But at this moment…
Bai Ye casually reached out and placed a hand on the man's shoulder, pushing him back down.
"I forgot to mention," Bai Ye said, "besides being handsome, I'm also quite good at fighting. Do you want to try?"
The man's face flushed with anger, but after struggling, he found Bai Ye's hand like an iron clamp, holding him firmly. Realizing this, he was shocked and then obediently lowered his head, conceding defeat.
Bai Ye smiled, released the man, and walked to an empty seat to sit down.
Soon, a servant brought some small dishes and wine.
As for ladies…
Bai Ye didn't want any. Women only affected his sword-drawing speed. He would patiently wait for the oiran to appear.
…