579 A Heavenly Descent: The Ghost Miko! Yukari's Daughter, Father Unknown... Hey, a Single Mother Won't Do!

Yukari Yakumo had offered Lin Luo considerable guidance within the Yakumo residence, raising him to the Earthly Tier in just three days. From that perspective, claiming the title of "teacher" wasn't entirely inaccurate, for a teacher for a day remains a teacher for life—though Lin Luo found the appellation awkward, he didn't dwell on it for long. What currently held his attention was the Ghost Miko!

The image of the Ghost Miko was deeply ingrained; unquestionably, she was the personification of terror in Gensokyo. Gazing at the figure radiating murderous intent, a shiver traced its way down Lin Luo’s spine. While oppressive aura didn't perfectly correlate with true strength, the pressure emanating from the Ghost Miko currently dwarfed that of Yukari Yakumo. Yet, Yukari had confidently declared she could handle her. Lin Luo couldn't help but harbor doubts and asked, "Can you actually defeat the Ghost Miko?"

He couldn't be entirely blamed for doubting Yukari; on the surface, the Ghost Miko seemed slightly stronger. Of course, Yukari, as the hidden powerhouse, might have deliberately concealed her true strength, never unleashing her full potential. It wasn't impossible that her absolute peak surpassed that of the Ghost Miko.

But Lin Luo soon realized how naive he had been.

"How could I?" Yukari shot him a look, then shrugged. "The Hakurei Shrine Maiden is invincible in Gensokyo; that's a fundamental setting, you know. Without the Spell Card rules, I couldn't even win against a normal Reimu, let alone now that she's become a Demon God. I don't even have one-thousandth of a chance to beat her."

"..." Lin Luo was speechless, near collapse. "Then why did you say you would deal with the Ghost Miko?!"

"Of course. Even though I can't defeat the Ghost Miko, I possess the power that can absolutely suppress her—the only power in all creation capable of subduing the Ghost Miko..." Yukari gazed straight ahead at the rapidly charging Ghost Miko, a confident smile dawning in her eyes, as she slowly raised her right hand.

The only power in existence capable of subduing the Ghost Miko? Lin Luo was deeply puzzled. While he couldn't beat her, he understood the extent of the Ghost Miko's might. There were only two ways to defeat her: first, through a suppression of Mystery, or second, through a suppression of sheer power. Higher-tier Mysteries are nullified by even higher-tier Mysteries, much like the Star Road. As for power, it needed no explanation; if a Heavenly Tier expert were present, they could certainly vanquish the Ghost Miko. But Yukari herself admitted she was weaker in power, and the Ghost Miko was supreme in Mystery. So, where did this confidence spring from?

Lin Luo’s expression grew solemn as he watched Yukari's gesture, his gaze heavy with concentration. Across the field, the Ghost Miko had already closed the distance, her terrifying killing intent instantly engulfing Yukari. Then, just as the Ghost Miko prepared to strike—

A slight smile played on Yukari's lips. She lightly flicked her right index finger and thumb. "Come forth! Heavenly Descent... Offering Box!"

"Holy crap!" Hearing those words, Lin Luo's body jolted violently, a wave of frustrated energy bursting forth; he completely lost his composure. Following the direction of Yukari's finger, space ripped open, and a familiar offering box tumbled out of the gap. He finally understood... what descends from the heavens isn't always Icarus; sometimes, it's the offering box!

That offering box, naturally, was Reimu’s collection box from the Hakurei Shrine. And it dropped with uncanny precision, landing a few meters in front of Yukari. Before the Ghost Miko’s attack could land, the box obstructed her view.

A heavenly descent of an offering box was already absurd, but what followed was even more bewildering: upon seeing the box, the Ghost Miko instinctively halted her assault.

"That's right!" Lin Luo suddenly remembered. Reimu’s initial transformation into the Ghost Miko wasn't triggered by a chest-patting incident, but because Yukari had fed her nonsense about donation bullet patterns, making Reimu believe that the donations from outside shrines were sufficient for bullet hell battles. Realizing how neglected and impoverished the most important shrine in Gensokyo was, her resulting imbalance had twisted her into the Ghost Miko... Though this time the issue wasn't directly related to the donation money, using the donations to fight the Ghost Miko was clearly a viable tactic.

Yukari first produced the offering box; what came next was inevitable...

"Now, let me show you the difference between the realm of the wealthy and the poor!" Just as Lin Luo anticipated, capitalizing on the brief distraction caused by the offering box, Yukari cried out. Gaps burst open behind her with a clamor reminiscent of opening the Gate of Babylon. Countless paper bills fluttered toward the offering box, slotting precisely inside... Incidentally, every bill was ten thousand yen.

This was the legendary Donation Bullet Pattern!

"..." Lin Luo was utterly dumbfounded. The Ghost Miko, too, seemed mesmerized by this rain of donations, freezing in place, her killing intent slowly beginning to recede.

"It actually works?!" Lin Luo's eyes nearly popped out in shock. He hadn't held much hope, but it seemed Yukari had come prepared. If this problem could be solved with mere money, it was no issue for Lin Luo. His tension immediately eased.

"Then I'll throw a Donation Bullet Pattern too." Lin Luo crossed his arms, letting his wealthy aura erupt. He activated his storage space, and amidst blinding golden light, countless gold bricks and bars shot out towards the offering box.

In an instant, the golden radiance obscured the sky, blinding to the eye. Even the Ghost Miko seemed forced to retreat several steps by the 'sacred' aura of the dazzling light.

"Such a vulgar display of wealth." Yukari frowned, casting a look of disdainful scorn at Lin Luo.

"..." Lin Luo felt a bit helpless venting his frustration. "Wait, you started using this method first, didn't you?"

"That's different. My money was transferred in from the outside world; no matter how vulgar, it has nothing to do with me personally," Yukari declared haughtily, chin held high.

"Hey, hey, isn't what you did stealing?"

"It was merely relocation."

"..." Lin Luo sighed. Indeed, competing with Yukari on shamelessness was impossible. She didn't need to drag you down to her level; she could defeat you purely with her wealth of experience.

So, Lin Luo stopped arguing with Yukari and focused entirely on casting his donation barrage. While the Donation Bullet Pattern had an effect on the Ghost Miko, it didn't seem to influence her core being. There was no sign of her reverting to normal Reimu, and her killing intent flickered in and out.

"How long do we have to keep throwing money before she reverts?" Lin Luo couldn't help asking Yukari. Since she thought of an unconventional method like the Donation Bullet Pattern, she should have some experience with the procedure.

"Generally, once she receives enough incense money, she should regain consciousness," Yukari replied.

"How much is 'enough'?"

"Well, fill the offering box to the brim."

"To the brim?" Yukari answered casually, but Lin Luo felt a massive disconnect. They had been casting donation barrages for several minutes now, yet the offering box, only half a meter tall, showed no sign of overflowing. This was extremely strange!

"Don't you think there's something wrong with that offering box?" Lin Luo voiced his suspicion.

"Nothing wrong. I just made its capacity infinitely large," Yukari shook her head.

"Infinitely large?" Lin Luo nearly spat blood. "Doesn't that mean it can never be filled? What the heck are you doing?!"

"Infinite is just an exaggeration. In reality, filling it with a few hundred million should be close enough to full. I enlarged it to make the Donation Bullet Pattern more spectacular. Don't you want to show off for a bit longer?"

"...I think it would be better if you restored the offering box to its normal state. The visual impact of seeing the amount of money pile up would be more effective than this current barrage," Lin Luo decided against arguing further and suggested.

"That actually makes some sense..." Yukari mused, frowning thoughtfully for a moment, then deactivated the bottomless-pit state of the offering box. Instantly, a torrent of paper bills and gold erupted from the box like a fountain. Soon, the sky began to rain down 'incense money,' creating a scene so magnificent it defied description.

As the treasure fell onto the Ghost Miko, the powerful, invincible figure was violently knocked out of the air. She landed, forming a mountain of money nearly ten meters high. Except for her head, the rest of the Ghost Miko's body was buried beneath the heap... It was unexpected yet logical: the Ghost Miko was knocked unconscious.

As a result of this battle, a notoriously greedy merchant in the outside world found his fortune wiped out overnight, his company collapsing, leaving him to become a destitute vagrant—reportedly, this man's real name was Yi Tengcheng.

"It's not entirely wrong, perhaps. One hundred thousand Mikos or something..." Watching Reimu return to her normal state, her sleeping face radiating an expression of pure bliss, Lin Luo couldn't help but feel a sense of profound realization.

"Alright, the matter is resolved now. When she wakes up, she'll forget all her memories as the Ghost Miko. You don't need to worry," Yukari approached Lin Luo and 'kindly' reminded him.

"Just the memories of being the Ghost Miko? What about the other memories?" What worried Lin Luo wasn't the transformation, but the pushing incident. Reimu forgetting what happened while she was a Demon God wouldn't affect him much; if only she could forget the memory of being overpowered, that would be ideal.

"What do you think?" Yukari countered, looking at Lin Luo as if he were an idiot. Clearly, forgetting that was impossible.

"Then she might turn into the Ghost Miko again?"

"That’s uncertain, but under normal circumstances, she shouldn't transform twice in succession."

"Gensokyo doesn't subscribe to normal circumstances, does it? What if she transforms into the Ghost Miko again?" Lin Luo asked weakly. Although the Donation Bullet Pattern resolved this crisis, it offered no guarantee of success next time.

Yukari shrugged. "That's not my problem anymore."

"What do you mean, not your problem? This entire situation is your fault!" Yukari’s irresponsibility almost spurred Lin Luo into a fit of rage, and he pointed at her, accusing her vehemently.

Yukari remained composed, shrugging. "I only pushed you once, and now I've helped you once. By my count, we're even."

"...You can't calculate it that way." Lin Luo felt dejected. "Fine. I'll just repair her body then."

"Repairing her body won't make her forget you pushed her," But before he could move, Yukari delivered a bucket of cold water without hesitation.

Lin Luo had no retort. "Can you please stop discouraging me?"

"Well, good luck with the rest. I'm going back to sleep." Yukari smiled faintly, opened a gap, and as she left, she gave Lin Luo a 'suggestive' look.

"That woman really deserves a good spanking..." Lin Luo muttered under his breath. He felt a strong urge to capture that Gap Yokai, restrain her, and... push her down. But given the disparity in their strength, that was clearly out of the question.

He was also deeply troubled about how to handle the aftermath. Yukari could brush it off and walk away like nothing happened, but he couldn't. Although he considered restoring Reimu’s body, Yukari had a point: the body could be fixed, but memories couldn't be undone. It was a true dilemma.

Unable to think of a good solution, Lin Luo decided to let nature take its course. Reimu showed no signs of waking up yet, and Lin Luo made no attempt to rouse her... His mindset was akin to that of a death row inmate the night before execution: stretch out every possible second of life.

To maximize his chances of survival, and to pass the time, Lin Luo began gathering the gold bricks, stacking them one by one until he had quickly fashioned a large, golden bed. He then moved Reimu onto the 'bed' and proceeded to cover her with layers of paper money...

While others might use the heavens as a canopy and the earth as a furnace, Reimu was currently enveloped by currency with a furnace of gold. When she awoke and saw the scene, she froze, a flicker of pleasant surprise crossing her stunned face. However, upon seeing Lin Luo, the events of before immediately rushed back to her.

After some time spent venting, her mood seemed to calm down. She did not transform into the Ghost Miko again, nor did she lash out at Lin Luo with murderous intent. She simply sat there, staring unblinkingly at him.

"..." While avoiding a rampaging Ghost Miko was a blessing, the heavy atmosphere still made Lin Luo feel like he was sitting on a bed of nails and fire. "Uh, say something."

"Ran, go prepare some clothes," Yukari instructed her Shikigami inside the Yakumo residence.

"What kind of clothes?"

"Hmm, baby clothes. And diapers. Oh, and prepare some toys as well..." Yukari began to ponder, resting her chin in her hand.

"Lady Yukari, are... are you pregnant?" Upon hearing this, Ran Yakumo lost her composure.

Yukari remained noncommittal. "Heh heh, who knows? But preparing in advance is never a bad idea. If it actually happens and we have nothing ready, wouldn't that cause chaos?"

"Um... who is the father?" Ran Yakumo felt this question was crucial.

"Who knows," Yukari replied vaguely.

"..." In an instant, the word 'harem' flashed across Ran Yakumo's mind.

: I haven't asked for much this month. It's the end of the month, and you all should have a few votes left. Plus, there’s double voting starting soon! This opportunity cannot be missed, so starting tomorrow, I will erupt—a sustained, massive burst over three days. Tomorrow will be a bit lighter, around 20,000 characters. The day after should be closer to 30,000. As for the final day... I think it will be a terrifying number.

Additionally, the final battle of this volume, the Three Kings War, is about to begin. Please look forward to it.

Finally, double voting starts tomorrow at midnight. I hope everyone saves their votes until then to cast for this book; don't let others trick you into voting for them!—

Oh, about that Moe Battle—we won't be able to break into the top ten, so don't waste money on it. Just use your free votes. This thing is truly not worth spending actual money on. RO