The Storage Space was a place where time did not flow and space did not exist—it was absolute vacuum. Even as an undead spirit, Yuyuko existed outside the flow of time, and Lin Luo had no idea if she could move around in there, but even if she could, he would absolutely never let her enter!

Are you kidding me? With this glutton's abilities, if she got in, wouldn't she empty the place out? Forget the food; she’d probably eat the Seed of the Sacred Stone too!

“You dream too sweetly, but stop fantasizing. Just eat up and be done with it,” Lin Luo shot her a glare.

“Ah, how cold-hearted,” Yuyuko was greatly disappointed.

After feeding her for about half an hour, only stopping when Yuyuko was half full, Lin Luo finally stood up to leave... Of course, Yuyuko hadn't eaten enough, but he didn't have time to waste with this glutton. He needed to settle things with Kaguya quickly, and then head to the Netherworld Mound to find Lily. Although Lily was in good shape, he was still somewhat uneasy about her.

Bidding farewell to Yuyuko and Youmu, a moment later, Lin Luo arrived at the Classical Wing of the Three Great Exhibition Halls. The Classical Wing displayed items highly favored and noble in the Moon Capital, such as airborne ox-carts and floating feather robes that drifted around the body—things that immediately showed off the esteemed status of the Moon Capital’s elite. From this, one could see that the Lunarians truly viewed themselves as noble beings, making their designation of Earthlings as lowly beings somewhat understandable.

There weren't many visitors in this Classical Wing. Lin Luo searched around inside and, apart from a few familiar Youkai, most were strangers, nor did he spot Kaguya’s whereabouts.

“Then she must be in the Academic Hall. Tsk, I really thought she’d be here.”

Lin Luo clicked his tongue, then turned toward the Academic Hall. According to the panel description, this was the largest exhibition hall, displaying the most items, essentially covering all the advanced technologies of the Moon Capital—whether it was esoteric arts or science, it covered nearly everything... Just as Lin Luo expected, the vast majority of people were here, both Youkai he knew and those he didn't.

There was the Foolishness Squad led by the fairy Cirno, though Lin Luo figured they were just there for the spectacle; asking them to study academic matters was as fantastical as a fairy tale. Then there was the teacher-student duo, Mokou and Hakutaku no Eirin. As a half-beast of knowledge, Eirin would never miss such a great learning opportunity. Eirin was observing very intently, but Mokou, standing beside her, looked quite impatient.

Next were the Tengu from Youkai Mountain. They weren’t particularly interested in academic research, but since it was a rare chance to visit, they surely wanted to take photos for commemoration and future news material.

And Alice Margatroid; she was a Magic User, and since some of the Kyouma Gedo grimoires were on display, she couldn't possibly ignore it... Besides these individuals, there were others Lin Luo knew, or knew but hadn't seen, or hadn't heard of or seen—all sorts of Youkai. Bumping into acquaintances naturally led to greetings, which consumed a fair amount of Lin Luo’s time.

But to Lin Luo’s surprise, Kaguya was nowhere to be found even in the Academic Hall. This was strange.

“Reisen.” Lin Luo turned his gaze toward the Rabbit Youkai serving as a guide nearby, introducing various Lunarian items to the assembled Youkai. Reisen heard her name, turned around, paused when she saw Lin Luo, then apologized briefly to the surrounding Youkai before running over to him.

“Oh dear, I’m so sorry, I only just spotted you! Shall I help you with an introduction? About all the various items in our Moon Capital?” Reisen said to Lin Luo with a blush, smiling. It wasn't the blush of shyness, but rather the result of being exhausted from work.

“No need, I’ve already seen those...” Lin Luo gave an awkward smile. He’d spent at least half an hour in this Academic Hall, and for her to only notice him now was rather deflating. “I was looking for you to ask, do you know where Kaguya is?”

“Ah, the Princess?” The question made Reisen look a bit lost. She instinctively scanned her surroundings for a moment, then lowered her head and said sheepishly, “Um... she was here in the morning, but I haven’t seen her since then... I’m sorry!”

With that, she bowed deeply to Lin Luo.

Lin Luo grimaced. “Hey, if you haven’t seen her, you haven’t seen her. Why apologize to me?”

“Uh, that’s because...” Reisen’s face grew even redder, and she hesitated, unable to speak.

Seeing her delicate, soft-girl demeanor, Lin Luo felt a profound sense of oddity. Although Reisen was known as the most receptive Uke in Gensokyo, that was mostly due to her gentle nature. Being shy or blushing like this usually wasn't her thing. But now, she was completely like a timid, introverted young girl.

“So you really have become the Uke Rabbit, huh?” Lin Luo teased.

Reisen immediately shouted in protest, “I am not an Uke Rabbit!”

“Mhm, you sound a bit assertive now.” Lin Luo smiled and patted her head as encouragement. But the moment he touched her, Reisen’s already flushed face turned even deeper red, and she quickly lowered her head... Indeed, an Uke trying to put on an aggressive facade only lasted for a moment.

Afterward, Lin Luo didn't tease her further. After asking a few questions and finding out she truly didn't know where Kaguya had gone, and since she had work to attend to, he stopped bothering her.

Since Reisen didn't know, Lin Luo had no choice but to ask others. Reisen was constantly occupied with hosting duties, explaining this and that to visiting guests; it was normal for her not to have seen Kaguya. But everyone else was ostensibly "idling around," so they couldn't possibly have missed Kaguya.

However, the result was completely contrary to Lin Luo’s expectations. He asked almost every Youkai he was familiar with, and the result was always the same: no one had seen Kaguya since the grand event started that morning, whether inside or outside the hall. Even Mokou, who shared a millennium-long entanglement with Kaguya, hadn’t seen her.

“This is strange. Where could she have run off to?” Lin Luo couldn't help but frown deeply. With such a major event underway, Kaguya didn't even show up. What kind of trick was that woman playing?

“It’s not like she’s still playing games, is it?” Though he thought it, Lin Luo felt it was unlikely.

“I know where Kaguya is.” Just then, Lin Luo suddenly heard a young girl’s voice from behind him. He instinctively turned around, and then, he saw two horns.

“Hello, I am Shrine Maiden Suika,” the owner of the horns greeted him with a smile.

“...” Alright, Lin Luo was jolted. The person speaking was Iburki Suika, one of the Four Devas of the Oni, but her attire was peculiar. She wasn't wearing her usual clothes but a loose Shrine Maiden outfit. Judging by the exposed armpits and the size of the dress, it was clearly a hand-me-down from Reimu.

“Are you two playing some kind of game?” Lin Luo didn't ask Suika, but looked instead at the other girl standing behind her—the silly and foolish Reimu in red and white.

“What are you talking about...” Reimu frowned, seeming to express her displeasure, her tone carrying a hint of gloominess. “I’m not playing any game! Suika took my clothes to wear, honestly! One Shrine Maiden for the Hakurei Shrine is enough; it’s so annoying!”

What could Lin Luo say to that? He felt Reimu wasn't speaking to him, so he wisely kept quiet, instead looking at Suika... or rather, Shrine Maiden Suika. But does a shrine maiden carry a sake gourd?

“You just said you know where Kaguya is. Is that true?”

“Of course.” Suika completely ignored Reimu’s obvious complaint, put her hands on her hips, and laughed, “I’m probably the only one right now who knows where that woman is.”

“What do you mean?”

“Hehe.” Suika smiled mysteriously, offering no explanation, but saying instead, “If you want to find her, I can take you there. It might be a little troublesome, but it should be interesting... Gulp.”

Saying that, she took a swig of sake.

“Then I’ll trouble you to lead the way.” Naturally, Lin Luo wouldn't refuse. He had some understanding of Suika’s abilities; as one of the Three Great Oni, she could transform herself into mist by altering her density, remaining completely undiscovered while being able to see everywhere herself.

“Let’s go then. Oh, Reimu has to come along too,” Suika laughed heartily, then stumbled out, already slightly tipsy.

“Wait, why do I have to come too?” Reimu immediately became unhappy. “You said it was troublesome, I don’t want to get involved. I’m going to have tea.”

“But Reimu is my junior apprentice now. When a senior apprentice is doing something, shouldn’t the junior apprentice be watching over her?” Suika said without looking back.

“Huh?” Reimu’s eyes widened instantly. “When did I become your junior apprentice?”

“Because we are both Shrine Maidens. I’m older than you, so naturally, you are my junior apprentice.”

“...Give me back my clothes, you demon!” Reimu paused for a few seconds, then lunged forward fiercely. Judging by her expression, she probably intended to rip the Shrine Maiden dress right off Suika.

“These two really know how to make a fuss,” Lin Luo couldn't help but shake his head with a wry smile, following behind them as they walked out.

No one else paid attention to the trio’s movements. After leaving the Academic Hall, Suika took the lead, running toward one of the corridors inside the building, with Lin Luo and Reimu closely following behind her.

“Huh? What’s going on?” Shortly after they started running, Reimu suddenly exclaimed in surprise, because she noticed the narrow corridor was widening continuously and angling sharply upwards. “This unpleasant feeling seems a bit familiar...”

“Well, you’ll find out soon enough,” Suika laughed.

The three of them kept running, and after an unknown amount of time, a folding screen suddenly appeared ahead. Suika pushed the screen aside without hesitation, and then...

“Welcome, everyone. You truly kept me waiting,” across from the three, Kaguya sat enthroned in the void, smiling faintly, a crimson moon hanging behind her.

l;!--END--g;RH