My wireless keyboard is broken, so I can only type with the laptop keyboard for now. My speed has slowed down significantly—what a tragedy...

Since Lily's body was extremely frail, after treating her injuries, Lin Luo sent her into the Fourth Space. The Fourth Space was the absolute best environment for recuperation; it allowed no external interference to cause any disruption. A few days later, when she emerged, both her spirit and physical constitution would be restored to their optimal state... a complete Earth-rank, no, even beyond that!

Though Lily's recent training was arduous, her gains were equally immense, nearly catching up to his own. If she were pitted against beings of the level of the Four Sacred Beasts, she could likely finish them off within minutes... provided it was a one-on-one confrontation.

Afterward, Lin Luo departed the Tomb of No Affinity, heading toward the Eientei.

The words of the Dark King could not be ignored. Although the opponent surely had his own agenda, his credibility should be relatively high. If the Evil King truly arrived in this world, Lin Luo absolutely needed to make preparations beforehand.

Upon reaching Eientei, the Moon Capital Exposition was still ongoing, and the atmosphere was even more festive than before. Fairies, youkai, and humans—regardless of strength—were all gathered together, eating, drinking, and carousing... It had to be said, Gensokyo truly was peaceful at times like this.

Lin Luo did not linger outside. After exchanging greetings with those he knew, he immediately entered the house of Eientei. Although his hasty actions caused some curiosity among the assembled company, they didn't dwell on it, continuing their banquet.

"Judging by your expression, it seems something is about to happen," a voice came from nearby just as Lin Luo entered the inner courtyard. Turning around, he saw Eirin Yagokoro walking toward him.

"Eirin, yes, there is indeed something," Lin Luo nodded. There was no need for concealment now. He spoke solemnly, "I think the danger you prophesied might have arrived..."

"Come and talk." Without waiting for Lin Luo to finish, Eirin interrupted him and led the way toward a certain direction inside the house—the eternal corridor.

"Is she still there?" Lin Luo stepped forward, unable to help but ask.

Eirin naturally knew who he was referring to. As they walked, she replied, "A few days ago, I re-ran the divination and found that inauspicious aura growing thicker. So, I laid down a spell to keep the Princess there temporarily; having even a little extra security will be safer now."

Inauspicious meant signs of death. Eirin's words made Lin Luo feel somewhat uneasy. Logically speaking, with that terrifying killing array in the Bamboo Forest of the Lost, and such a great master as Eirin beside Kaguya, it should be difficult for the Evil King to deal with Kaguya, no matter how heaven-defying his power was. But... nothing could be finalized until the conclusion was reached.

"Oh my, what is it this time?" Seeing Lin Luo and Eirin arrive together at the False Moon, Kaguya, seemingly seated upon the moon, smiled. "Did you come to visit? It's perfect; it gets a bit boring being here alone."

Lin Luo looked at her for a moment, then said gravely, "...The Three Kings have come!"

"Hm?" Kaguya's expression froze for a beat.

By the time Lin Luo emerged from the False Moon, it was nearly evening, and the exposition was concluding. Aside from Reisen and Tewi sorting out the activity hall, with a few fairies helping, most people had already left... What exactly Lin Luo, Kaguya, and Eirin discussed within the False Moon was a secret known only to the three of them.

The matter at Eientei was temporarily concluded. Everything that needed to be said had been spoken, and all preparations were complete. His next destination was the Hakurei Shrine... Lin Luo was preparing to play a large game.

As he flew toward the Hakurei Shrine and descended from the air, he saw Reimu sweeping the courtyard. This time, she wasn't using a robot to clean; she held the broom herself, sweeping erratically. It was obvious she wasn't cleaning seriously, just going through the motions. Furthermore, her gaze seemed somewhat unfocused, as if pondering something.

Lin Luo made no deliberate attempt to conceal his presence. Hearing the sound behind her, Reimu instinctively turned around. Upon seeing Lin Luo, her normally airheaded demeanor instantly shifted to one of being utterly flustered, as if startled. She retreated backward, holding the broom in front of her, and shouted loudly, "Miko does not get married!"

"..." Lin Luo was speechless and awkwardly dumbfounded. Why was she still hung up on that? Couldn't she just give him a friend-zone card directly?

"Relax, I’m not here to propose a contract."

"Oh, well, that's good then." Reimu visibly relaxed, taking the reassurance to heart, but she didn't lower her guard against Lin Luo, asking, "Then what are you here for? My shrine has been dedicated to cultivation for ten thousand years; we aren't accepting new business for now."

"Your integrity has fallen completely," Lin Luo rolled his eyes dramatically.

"Integrity is something you just toss away," Reimu replied dismissively.

"..." How was he supposed to even retort to that? Shaking his head, Lin Luo walked closer with a wry smile. "Stop guarding against me. I'm not going to eat you. I'm here today to discuss serious business."

Reimu frowned. "What serious business?"

"Let's talk inside," Lin Luo said casually, and before Reimu could react, he walked toward the shrine.

"Hey, there's no tea for you inside!" Reimu's face changed. She quickly dropped the broom and tried to pull Lin Luo back, but she was a step too slow. By the time she ran over, Lin Luo had already opened the shrine doors.

"Whoa! What is this?" Upon pushing the door open, Lin Luo was startled. The interior of the house was a complete mess—scrap metal, wooden planks, and junk were piled everywhere, almost rivaling Marisa's home. A strong, pungent smell of alcohol permeated the air. What made him utterly speechless was Suika Ibuki, still in her shrine maiden attire, sprawled across the table, eyes closed in deep sleep.

"I told you there's no tea for you in here," Reimu stood behind him, looking utterly dejected.

Lin Luo’s mouth twitched slightly. "What game are you two playing now?"

"Game my foot!" Reimu shot him a look, then complained, "This one starts acting crazy whenever she gets drunk. She not only broke my things but also turned my house upside down. It took me immense effort just to subdue her. Ugh, youkai are truly terrible."

Well, the shrine being in this state was indeed quite terrible.

Lin Luo muttered under his breath, then walked to the table, moved Suika's body aside, and pulled a flask from his storage space. He poured two cups and looked at Reimu with a smile. "Let's talk while we drink."

"...Seriously, why does everyone you meet cause me trouble?" Reimu complained verbally but sat down anyway. "What did you want to discuss? I’m stating this upfront: any talk of a contract is off the table."

"I already said it wasn't about that," Lin Luo cursed her lack of integrity internally, then grew serious. "You should understand the matter of the God War, so I'll be direct..."

"Um, I don't really understand very well..." Reimu scratched her head, deliberately playing dumb.

Lin Luo gave her a look. "This is why people call you an idiot."

"What! I can be smart sometimes too!" Reimu looked displeased and immediately frowned to argue back.

The underlying meaning was that most of the time she was an idiot?

Honestly, Lin Luo really wanted to argue, but serious matters were more important than witty comebacks. Ignoring Reimu's sensitive point, he said soberly, "Among the Travelers, there are the Three Kings. Currently, I am probably the weakest. Now, the other two Kings seem to have arrived in this world. If they appear, they will inevitably target the Hosts. I won't hide it from you: there are three Hosts in Gensokyo. Besides you and Kaguya, there is also Sakuya... You should know what I mean, right?"

"The Travelers will instigate a war in Gensokyo..." Although Reimu was foolish in some ways, that didn't mean she was ignorant. She could analyze this situation.

"Exactly! If the Evil King targets Kaguya, Eientei will be plunged into war. If the Evil King targets Sakuya, the Scarlet Devil Mansion will similarly face conflict. Either of these factions, if destabilized, can cause immense destruction to Gensokyo. Moreover..." Lin Luo paused, then stated gravely, "The Evil King is not someone who exercises restraint. I don't know how strong he truly is, but based on the information I have, he is unscrupulous in his methods. If we don't prepare beforehand, Gensokyo is certain to be drenched in blood and gore!"

"Ah... how troublesome!" Reimu pressed her forehead, looking impatient. She knew Lin Luo wasn't exaggerating, but this kind of thing... "What do you want me to do?"

"Use your authority."

"What authority do I have? I’m just a shrine maiden of the Hakurei Shrine," Reimu said nonchalantly.

But Lin Luo shook his head. "Precisely because you are the Shrine Maiden of the Hakurei Shrine, you possess this authority. If Gensokyo were an empire, you would undoubtedly be its sovereign! Protecting Gensokyo is your responsibility, is it not? It's what the youkai will do."

"...Am I supposed to go and talk to every single youkai?" Reimu frowned. She knew this much: the Spell Card Rules were established firstly because she proposed them, and secondly to maintain Gensokyo's balance. Now, if it was to protect Gensokyo's peace, the youkai would certainly follow.

"Leave this matter to me." Just then, a girl's voice sounded from the doorway. Both turned their heads instinctively, only to see Aya Shameimaru standing there.

Reimu immediately asked, "Why are you here?"

"To conduct an interview, of course, but I overheard something unexpected," Aya Shameimaru chuckled, showing off the camera in her hand. "So, I thought, perhaps my skills are needed at a time like this?"

Reimu sighed. "Fine, that saves me the trouble. Now, I'll speak, and you write it down."

"No problem!" Aya Shameimaru immediately agreed with a cheerful grin.

Then, Reimu assumed a serious expression and spoke solemnly: "I am Reimu Hakurei, the Shrine Maiden of the Hakurei Shrine. My duty is to protect the peace and balance of Gensokyo. Now, an enemy capable of destroying Gensokyo is imminent. Therefore, I hereby announce the temporary suspension of the Spell Card Rules. Let all—humans, youkai, undead, and fairies—unleash your full power and unite to eliminate the invaders! I name this operation: Gensokyo Total Mobilization!"

: Having been hard for three months straight, I'm definitely flagging now. I need to recharge, or I really might be completely exhausted. Also, shouldn't I be igniting soon? IO