Sakuya absolutely had to return to the Scarlet Devil Mansion; after all, she had been away from Gensokyo for several months. Big Sister, Second Sister, and Mu-Q were all the types who couldn't manage their own lives. A few months would be enough time for the Mansion to descend into chaos if the fairy maids couldn't step up... Though, coming to think of it, from the current feeling, it seemed no major anomaly had occurred in Gensokyo. Perhaps they had managed to adapt over these past months?

Logically, having forced himself upon and assaulted the head maid, he really should have gone to communicate with Big Sister. But given that spoiled vampire's temperament, it would likely be a difficult conversation, and his own fist wasn't that hard right now... Lin Luo felt that meeting Remilia so soon was not a wise choice, but doing nothing felt equally wrong.

After much deliberation, Lin Luo made a difficult decision and said to Sakuya, "How about this: Lily will go to the Scarlet Devil Mansion with you, and I'll take a look around Gensokyo first."

"Uh..." At Lin Luo's suggestion, both Lily and Sakuya looked utterly bewildered, unable to comprehend. Lily even frowned, "Isn't that a bit much, given your current strength?"

Upon arriving in Gensokyo, Lin Luo's power of rules was naturally restricted again. Without it, while his strength was still at the peak of the Spirit Tier, it was only just starting out—far from the absolute peak like Lily, who could probably rank among the top tier in Gensokyo. If he encountered any top-level powerhouses, however, it would be troublesome.

"Don't worry, my strength is enough for self-preservation. Even if real trouble arises, I can contact you immediately," Lin Luo said with a smile. Although Gensokyo had many troublesome entities, bloodshed rarely occurred, and those few top-tier beings wouldn't casually show up to frighten people. In general, as long as he didn't go looking for trouble, he would likely be safe.

"Alright, then we'll do as you say." Hearing his explanation, Lily and Sakuya no longer objected. After exchanging a few instructions, the two headed toward the Scarlet Devil Mansion.

Lin Luo watched them until their figures vanished from sight before looking away. He trusted that with Lily’s leadership qualities and experience in handling affairs, coupled with Sakuya’s assistance, they could surely build good friendships with everyone in the Scarlet Devil Mansion. If that happened, things on his end would be much easier too.

But speaking of which, what should he do now... Ah, perhaps he should go and communicate with Yukari first. She was, after all, the boss of Gensokyo. If he could establish an intimate relationship with her, passage through Gensokyo would essentially be unimpeded.

Of course, Lin Luo would absolutely not admit that a major reason for not going to the Scarlet Devil Mansion was to go woo Yukari.

He already knew where the Hakurei Shrine was; Sakuya had told him before. As long as one wasn't hopelessly directionally challenged, it was easy to find. And given Yukari's status in Gensokyo, there was a high probability she possessed the World Heart.

"Found you, intruder!" Not long after Lin Luo started walking, he suddenly heard a loud voice boom from the sky. The moment he looked up, he saw blue and white stripes... oh wait, no, a young girl rapidly flying on a broomstick. Because of the sheer speed, her skirt fluttered constantly, occasionally revealing the blue and white underneath.

"Damn, meeting the protagonist this quickly," Lin Luo couldn't help but mutter when he saw the girl's face. He never imagined the first person he'd encounter in Gensokyo would be the heart-stealing thief, Marisa.

There was a saying circulating in Gensokyo: If you meet Marisa, be sure to guard your wallet, and also guard your chest, because she will steal your body and your heart... Of course, rumors shouldn't always be believed.

At least, Lin Luo didn't believe it; no matter how one looked at it, Marisa couldn't possibly come to steal his body and heart.

Marisa probably hadn't noticed her bloomers were showing, or perhaps she simply didn't care. With a whoosh, she jumped down from mid-air, landing a few meters in front of Lin Luo. Holding her broom in one hand and pointing at Lin Luo with the other, she grinned and shouted, "I am the ordinary magician, Kirisame Marisa! Come and fight me!"

Indeed, the speechless Marisa left Lin Luo speechless and feeling a bit foolish. He reflexively asked, "A duel? Why?"

"Eh? Aren't you an intruder?" Marisa was momentarily stunned but quickly recovered, declaring solemnly, "I wouldn't be mistaken. You definitely walked over from the barrier point just now. Even if you deny it, it's no use, intruder!"

Well, Lin Luo understood. His arrival had indeed triggered a reaction from the Great Barrier, and someone had actually come to deal with him. But shouldn't Yukari have been the first one here? Why was it Marisa?

"You've misunderstood. I'm not some intruder; I'm just a traveler passing by coincidentally," Lin Luo said, spreading his hands to show his innocence.

"A traveler?" Marisa sized Lin Luo up from head to toe, then displayed a mischievous, wicked smile. "Heh heh, I won't be easily fooled by you. I can feel a very powerful energy on you, so you are unquestionably the intruder."

Hearing that, Lin Luo was left without words. Having powerful energy made one an intruder? Then Yakumo Yukari and Kazami Yuuka would be total deviants, wouldn't they?

However, Lin Luo also knew that Marisa was the stubborn type; once she fixed something in her mind, it was hard to change it, and she wouldn't try to understand others. But that didn't mean she was hard to get along with. On the contrary, because of Marisa's straightforward personality, there wasn't much pressure interacting with her.

"Fine. Since you say I'm an intruder, then I'm an intruder. So, what do you plan to do?" Lin Luo shrugged, not particularly caring. In truth, although Marisa was one of the protagonists of the Touhou series, her strength wasn't very high—about the same level as Sakuya.

"Of course, to fight!" Marisa replied without hesitation, then pointed at Lin Luo. "Since you've come to Gensokyo, let's settle this the Gensokyo way—a duel. If you lose, you'll be taught a lesson. Any objections?"

"No objections. But what if you lose?"

"If I lose?" Marisa blinked, then laughed, "If I lose, I won't bother you anymore."

Well, if he lost, he got punished, but if she lost, nothing happened. That logic was quite something... Lin Luo felt like groaning internally but didn't oppose her proposal. It wouldn't hurt to play around with Marisa; it could be considered the first step in conquering Gensokyo.

"Since you agree, I'll tell you about the way we fight in Gensokyo..."

The way to fight in Gensokyo was the Spell Card Rules—a method of combat that emphasized mutual competition and aesthetic display. Simply put, one would name their ultimate techniques with a spell card, which needed to be declared upon use. Before the fight, both parties had to prepare the same number of spell cards. The one who used up their cards first was deemed the loser. This way, even weaker youkai could potentially defeat powerful ones, and the battle would become much more interesting.

The Spell Card Rules were proposed by Hakurei Reimu. Because Reimu possessed an absolute, overwhelming advantage over youkai—not through superior strength, but through a difference in existence that prevented any youkai from defeating the Hakurei Shrine Maiden—all youkai naturally accepted the combat rule she proposed.

Although Lin Luo understood it clearly, since he was currently roleplaying as a passing traveler (whom no one would believe), he couldn't very well reveal that he knew everything. So, he just listened to Marisa drone on. Besides, the expression on Marisa's face while talking was quite amusing.

"Did you understand everything?" After finishing, Marisa immediately asked.

"Very clearly," Lin Luo nodded. "Then I'll prepare five spell cards."

"Five cards? That feels a little few, but okay, five it is." Marisa seemed a bit disappointed but didn't dwell on it, immediately assuming a combat stance and grinning broadly, "Let's begin! I should warn you, I won't hold back."

"Likewise," Lin Luo smiled faintly; in reality, he would hold back a little.

"Star Sign – Starfall Sky!" Marisa roared, pushing both hands forward. She started with a big move; countless stars flew from her hands, hurtling forward.

Lin Luo slightly narrowed his eyes. While this move of Marisa's covered a wide area, its power and speed were mediocre... Of course, this was only relative to her level; its destructive power hadn't reached the High Spirit Tier.

"Illusion Sign – Light of Illusion."

As the saying goes, when in Rome, do as the Romans do. Lin Luo didn't mind shouting a battle cry. He pointed forward, and a white orb of light shot from his hand, instantly splitting into countless fragments. Moving second but striking first, it merged and absorbed all the incoming stars.

"Wow, such a beautiful danmaku!" Marisa was somewhat surprised that her first attack was broken so easily and couldn't help but praise it. However, without panic on her face, she immediately retreated backward as the white light approached her. "Love Sign – Star Direct Hit!"

The same technique, but the attack launched was completely different. Now, a straight, dazzling beam of starlight shot from her hand, instantly shattering all the white light orbs heading toward her, blasting straight at Lin Luo.

Marisa was a magician, but the magic she used wasn't the mysterious and powerful kind of sorcery. She focused more on firepower; she could be called a pure power-type mage. Among human mages, none could surpass her in terms of sheer destructive force—at least, within Gensokyo.

This move, Star Direct Hit, hadn't quite reached the level of High Spirit Tier, but it was very close.

"Light Sign – Illusion Impact!"

Lin Luo neither dodged nor evaded. He punched forward, and a ray of light shot out from his hand. The two collided with a loud boom, and the resulting shockwave kicked up clouds of dust and smoke.

"It's similar to my move; this is interesting!" Marisa said excitedly, looking quite happy. She seemed to have pegged Lin Luo as a firepower-type mage too, and her tone became much friendlier.

Lin Luo smiled calmly, offering no explanation. Although Marisa wasn't a host, raising her favorability level was still a good thing.

Although their fight looked somewhat childish, it truly was. After all, if Lin Luo or Marisa truly fought with their full strength, it would undoubtedly shake the heavens and earth. Regardless of victory or defeat, the surrounding environment would suffer massive destruction.

The reason for the Spell Card Rules in the first place was to prevent irreconcilable disputes in Gensokyo that could lead to war. Thus, generally speaking, spell card battles wouldn't result in casualties; instead, they could be seen as a means of exchange.

If it were a life-or-death battle, would the fighting style be so monotonous? Even Reimu dealt with incidents using methods outside the Spell Card Rules.

Five spell cards—the two quickly used up four. Since Lin Luo was holding back slightly, the score was temporarily tied. Only the last spell card remained. Seemingly aware that her opponent was tricky, Marisa decided not to hide her trump card, taking off her hat to reveal the mini-danmaku furnace inside.

"Flashiness isn't the only thing about magic; danmaku is all about firepower, DA☆ZE!" Marisa laughed dominantly, reciting her catchphrase while activating the furnace in her hand.

Instantly, Lin Luo felt the immense magical power released by that furnace. While it wasn't enough to make him transform, it was definitely enough to pose a threat to his current state.

Facing Marisa's strongest attack, Lin Luo dared not be careless and focused his attention, standing ready.

"Magic Cannon – Ultimate Flower!"

Amidst Marisa's confident cry, a massive beam of light shot out from the furnace, tearing through the air with unparalleled momentum, swallowing sound, breaking the speed of light, and violently blasting toward the enemy opposite her.

"This woman..."

Lin Luo's expression completely changed. As expected of one of Gensokyo's two main protagonists! Although Marisa's inherent strength hadn't reached the peak of the Spirit Tier, the attack she unleashed borrowing the power of the furnace was undeniably at that level. If he took that hit head-on, the consequences would be disastrous.

Fortunately, Lin Luo hadn't underestimated Marisa either and had been fully focused and prepared. Facing an attack already approaching the speed of light, he didn't even think before using the Destroyer Black Flame.

"Destroyer—Wing of Wild Flame!"

A black flame ignited in the palm of Lin Luo's hand. With a wave, the black flame shot out, instantly transforming into a black bird about a meter in diameter. It let out a soft cry and flew directly toward the terrifying beam of light.

CRACKLE

The moment they contacted, the black bird folded its wings, completely enveloping the front end of the light beam. Then, it rapidly extended forward. In just a short moment, the light beam was completely "devoured" by the black flame.

Finally, under Lin Luo's control, the black bird reformed into a flower of flame and flew back into his palm.

Looking up, the thief Marisa opposite him stood there dumbfounded.