The combat prowess of Mion Hataji was considerable, and her speed equally impressive; adept at both close-quarters engagement and long-range duels, she could be considered an all-rounder among the higher echelons. Though she hadn't reached the pinnacle of the Spirit Rank, she was undeniably close, barely making it into the top tier of Gensokyo's power rankings.

Of course, she was still far removed from the absolute peak fighting strength.

In a true engagement, while her Destructive Black Flame might cause a bit of trouble, it wouldn't be difficult for Lin Luo to prevail over her. However, he simply couldn't do that; circumstances in every regard forbade it.

A casual bout wouldn't matter, but if he truly ignored the established Spell Card rules to fight, whether he won or lost would constitute an act of provocation against Gensokyo. Setting aside what might happen to Mion Hataji, the Youkai Mountain standing behind her would certainly not let Lin Luo off the hook.

If the situation were to escalate, Hakurei Reimu would undoubtedly treat him as an Incident to be suppressed, potentially even drawing out the reclusive, powerful figures who rarely ventured out. At that point, he might well become an enemy of all Gensokyo.

Therefore, what was unfolding now was not a battle, but merely a snatching contest. Lin Luo initiated no attacks; his singular focus, from start to finish, was the camera clutched in Mion Hataji's hands.

Although Mion’s movement speed was formidable, Lin Luo’s explosive burst capacity via Instantaneous Movement meant he was no less swift. For a time, the two figures streaked across the sky, their swift trajectories a dazzling blur to the eye.

"Truly impressive. This is the first time I've met anyone whose speed can match mine!" Mion Hataji remarked with genuine praise while deftly evading Lin Luo's grasp. Though not the strongest in Gensokyo, when it came to pure mobility, she was indisputably number one.

Lin Luo remained silent. While the current display suggested an even contest, he was already feeling the strain. Though the Source within him could supply endless power, maintaining repeated Void Instantaneous Movements was incredibly taxing on his stamina. To keep up his maximum speed, he needed a brief pause after every thirty bursts.

And any pause, even just for a tenth of a second, was enough for the opponent to seize the advantage. While he was proficient in aerial combat—capable of instantly dispatching the four Oni Kings of the Netherworld—facing an aerial master like Mion Hataji fully exposed his own deficiencies.

He couldn't speak, or the leakage of his internal aura would only amplify his disadvantage. Mion, however, had no such worries. While she lacked the power of the Rules, her own Source had already undergone vitalization. In fact, apart from humans and weaker youkai, most of the spirits ranked in the top tier within Gensokyo possessed an activated Source; their Source was their rule.

Even Marisa and Alice had begun to vitalize the Source within them; it was only a matter of time, and not much time at that, before they broke into the first tier.

Yet, despite her seemingly relaxed demeanor, Mion Hataji was under pressure no less intense than Lin Luo's. She had only encountered that kind of relentlessly close pursuit from a select few, like Remilia, but those individuals could never sustain it for long. Lin Luo, however, had maintained it for a full ten minutes, astonishing her greatly.

"How strange. Are you human or youkai?" Mion couldn't help but ask. Such exaggerated mobility clearly surpassed human limits. Although Lin Luo carried traces of youkai energy, she swore he was no youkai.

"Human or demon matters little," Lin Luo finally spoke. He had already conceded; under these conditions where he couldn't use his combat skills, he had no chance of winning. However, he wouldn't let her off so easily.

During his momentary pause, Lin Luo reached out with a void grasp, a camera instantly appearing in his hand. Re-engaging his Instantaneous Movement to approach the young woman, his target was no longer her camera, but... her skirt.

Because she had been entirely focused on defending against Lin Luo snatching the camera, Mion’s personal defense had been minimal. Caught completely off guard by this sudden maneuver, she was instantly ensnared. With a sharp swish, her skirt was flipped high, revealing the white undergarments beneath. At the same instant, Lin Luo slammed the shutter button: Click, click, click!

"Hey! That’s utterly shameless!" Mion Hataji was not the simple-minded girl Marisa was. Struck by such a sudden assault, her pretty face flushed crimson. She instinctively clutched at her hem, and when she looked up at Lin Luo, veins were already popping on her forehead, her expression utterly mortified.

She could never have imagined her opponent would resort to such a despicable tactic. Wasn't he supposed to be gay?

"You have your professional ethics, and I have mine. Observe the person before attacking—that is my life's creed. Didn't you know that?" Lin Luo stopped his action, smiling smugly. Although he couldn't fly, his mastery of Illusionary Law allowed him to stand firm in the void.

Since Mion used her camera against him, he would return the favor in kind.

"White panties. Not bad taste, Wenwen," Lin Luo plucked the freshly taken photos from the bottom of the camera, quickly glancing at one himself—finding the angle quite good—before presenting it to the young woman with sincere praise.

"..." So, she'd run into a rogue. And he was supposed to be gay.

Mion Hataji was completely speechless. However, she was a youkai who had lived for over a thousand years; merely having her underthings photographed wasn't enough to send her into a frenzy. She managed a calm smile. "Are you planning to use this photo to threaten me? It's useless. Even if you publicized this picture widely, I would still publish the news report."

"No, you misunderstand." Lin Luo shook his head, carefully tucking the photo into his pocket, his face unblinking. "I plan to keep this photo to... pleasure myself to it at night." Crack.

Hearing that, the young woman nearly lost her balance and plummeted, tumbling through the air. No matter how much she dismissed others, she couldn't remain composed about something like this—becoming someone's object of fantasy! What a disaster!

What angered her even more was that Lin Luo immediately followed up by taking several more full-body shots of her... presumably for the same purpose.

Mion Hataji’s eyelids twitched violently. Lin Luo’s shamelessness exceeded her wildest imagination, compelling her to make a swift departure. She shot him a fierce glare, and in an instant, she was gone.

"Indeed, an audacious person is unbeatable," Lin Luo tutted, shaking his head with a touch of awe. He let her leave; chasing her would be pointless. If Mion Hataji really published his activities, then he... "Do I really have to masturbate to the photo?"

"Forget it. I'll deal with it later." With a sigh, Lin Luo recalled the camera to his storage space, then stepped onto his Light Speed Skateboard, flying toward the easternmost edge of Gensokyo—the location of the Hakurei Shrine.

He had initially planned to seek out Hakurei Reimu anyway, merely delayed by Mokou. Now, burdened with this cursed, accursed thing, he definitely needed Reimu's help to resolve it. After all, no matter how lazy she was, she was still a miko, and should have a way to deal with curses. Moreover, he had apparently offended the paparazzi Wen. He needed to secure a good relationship with Reimu before his reputation truly shook Gensokyo... with money.

Generally speaking, Lin Luo's thoughts mirrored Marisa's: both immediately thought of the lazy miko. In some ways, perhaps they were quite compatible (massive misconception).

If one discounted unpredictable realms like the Netherworld and Heaven, Gensokyo was not vast. With the flight speed of the Light Speed Skateboard, after a short while, soaring high over the treacherous Beast Path, Lin Luo arrived at the eastern edge, spotting the derelict shrine that had become a 'youkai den.'

However, to avoid alarming Reimu, and to signal his peaceful intentions, Lin Luo landed on the ground several hundred meters before the Hakurei Shrine and walked the rest of the way.

The Hakurei Shrine was more than just a shrine; it was the boundary point between Gensokyo and the outside world—a crucial pivot that separated the two realms. There existed a Hakurei Shrine in the outside world too, but that one had been abandoned for a long time; it was likely unknown to anyone out there now.

Standing on the grounds of the Hakurei Shrine, Lin Luo looked back and could see the entirety of Gensokyo spread out before him. This gave him a bit of insight into why so many youkai enjoyed holding feasts here—it wasn't just because of Hakurei Reimu’s presence, but because it was a prime spot for sightseeing... perhaps.

Though it was daytime, the main door of the shrine was tightly shut. Lin Luo surmised the lazy one was asleep, which was nothing unusual. Given her leisurely life, if she didn't sleep to pass the time, she truly would have nothing to do.

Lin Luo retrieved a thick stack of bills from his storage space, approached the offering box near the entrance, and called out loudly, "Is the miko in? I've come to pay my respects, and I've brought an offering."

As soon as his voice faded, Lin Luo heard a flurry of crashing sounds from inside the shrine, sounding quite hurried. Simultaneously, several young women’s voices could be heard.

"I'm coming, I'm coming."

"Strange, that voice sounds a bit familiar..."

"It really does. I think I heard it recently."

...Right, Lin Luo recognized them. Mokou and a certain thunderous presence were also inside. They probably shared the same objective as him.

"Where is the offering money?" Soon, the main door of the shrine was pushed open, and a young woman appeared in the doorway. Her eyes immediately fell upon Lin Luo... his hand reaching toward the offering box, and the banknotes he held.

Lin Luo saw her too. Just as he remembered: the girl had clear eyes and a pretty face, long, beautiful black hair tied into two small braids with red and white ribbons, and a huge red bow atop her head. She wore the red and white attire of a shrine maiden, adorned with a yellow ribbon tied at her chest. Though a miko, she was quite daringly revealing her armpits... it was Hakurei Reimu.

But that wasn't the main point. The important part was:

Ding! System detected a World Heart Host. Identity verification complete. Current subject Hakurei Reimu is Host Forty-Four of the Fantasy Heart!

Sure enough, she couldn't escape. Lazy A...