24: A great change unseen in a century

Surrounded by billowing steam, Fukase Akira leaned against the edge of the pool, contentedly blowing smoke rings, while the writer stared up at the stalactites on the ceiling of the cavern, lost in thought.

In this relaxed atmosphere, Lin Luo naturally brought up the encounter from the evening—the dead-silent alley, the Lower Rank demon named Kamanue, the youth named Ogata Ichirō who claimed to be from the Demon Slayer Corps, and that Pillar who used Flower Breathing, Kochou Kanae.

"...The boy's Kasugai Crow, his Breathing Technique, and that bone-deep hatred for 'demons' and his fighting style—they all carry an aura that doesn't belong here," Lin Luo's voice echoed in the spacious cavern. "Especially when Kanae mentioned cooperation with the 'Special Affairs Management Department,' using words like 'Fusion' and 'citizen'..."

He paused, his gaze piercing through the hazy steam to land on Mr. Long, who was also soaking in the pool opposite him with a calm expression.

"Mr. Long," Lin Luo asked directly, voicing the suspicion that had been circling in his mind for a long time, "The Demon Slayer Corps... they shouldn't be 'native' to our side, right?"

The pool water rippled slightly as Mr. Long placed a wet towel on his forehead, letting out an ambiguous sigh.

"Your intuition is very sharp." He confirmed Lin Luo's suspicion, his voice steady yet carrying a hint of gravity. "They are indeed not from the Dragon Kingdom. Strictly speaking, in fact... they cannot be considered people of our world."

Although he already had a premonition, hearing Mr. Long confirm it in person still made Lin Luo widen his eyes slightly. Fukase Akira at the edge of the pool raised his eyebrows, and even the writer who had been staring at the cave ceiling withdrew his gaze.

The steam from the hot spring seemed to freeze at this moment.

"Not... this world?" An ethereal voice filled with confusion rang out.

Everyone looked toward the sound to see Mariko, like a dark lotus blooming in the water, drifting over silently. Her beautiful figure was faintly visible in the steam... or rather, completely unhidden.

"Miss Mariko! At least put this on!" An anxious shout followed immediately. Akine, wearing a cute strawberry-patterned swimsuit, was seen clutching a large bath towel tightly. She lunged, attempting to wrap the towel around Mariko, but unsurprisingly passed right through the translucent spirit, nearly falling into the pool herself and causing water to splash everywhere.

"Pfft..." Fukase Akira couldn't help but laugh, only to choke on a mouthful of spring water and begin coughing.

Only now did Lin Luo deeply realize why Fukase Akira had insisted he change into swimming trunks before entering the bath back in the changing room—the bath rules of this monster apartment indeed had their deep meaning. He subconsciously shrank down into the water, exposing only the part above his eyes, refusing to look at anything improper.

"Mm," Mr. Long ignored the daily farce before him, nodded with his usual expression, and continued the previous topic. He scooped up a handful of warm spring water, watching the droplets slip through his fingers as if deliberating his words.

"About a year or so ago," his voice carried a steady echo in the cavern, drawing everyone's attention back (except for Akine, who was still struggling with the air-towel, and the innocent-looking Mariko). "The space-time structure experienced a disturbance that was small in scale but extremely strange in nature. It was like... two pieces of fabric with vastly different textures being forcibly stitched together by invisible thread."

He raised his hand, gesturing lightly in the billowing white steam: "The world fragment where the Demon Slayer Corps is located, along with the nest of demons they are fighting to the death—the 'Infinity Castle'—and the numerous evil demons entrenched within, were 'flung' out by this chaotic force. Like a message in a bottle, it ultimately became embedded in the bedrock of our world. Now, they are undergoing a slow and continuous Fusion with our reality's rules."

"So, Miss Kanae, whom Mr. Lin Luo mentioned..." Akine, who had finally given up on 'capturing' Mariko and was panting, heard this and momentarily forgot the embarrassment before her. Her purple eyes were filled with disbelief. "Is she a Cultivator from another world?"

"You can understand it that way." Mr. Long nodded slightly. "This is also one of the important reasons why the Department Headquarters ultimately decided to adopt a strategy of cooperation. They are not invaders; from a certain perspective, they are also victims of that accidental space-time incident, yet they still steadfastly uphold the duty of protecting humanity."

Lin Luo leaned against the smooth, warm wall of the pool, feeling the warm current surging from underground intertwine with the shock rising in his heart.

The steam of the hot spring seemed to become viscous due to these heavy words. Mr. Long's voice was not loud, but under the amplification effect of the cavern, it clearly reached everyone's ears. Even Akine, who had been 'struggling' with the air, stopped her movements and stood frozen, clutching the bath towel.

"This is a great change unprecedented in the last hundred years." Mr. Long repeated, his tone unprecedentedly grave. He looked around, his gaze sweeping over every person, monster, and spirit present, finally landing on the misty water surface.

"The land we are stepping on at this moment, the land that bears Longevity Manor, has become one of the... central nodes of this space-time Fusion."

"A central node?" Lin Luo repeated subconsciously, feeling that the spring water didn't seem as warm anymore.

"That's right." Mr. Long affirmed, the usual gentle smile on his face long gone, leaving only seriousness. "The higher-ups have repeatedly confirmed through various channels that it is not just the world fragment where the Demon Slayer Corps is. In the future... there will be more 'world fragments' from different dimensions and with different rules, attracted and pulled by some force we do not yet fully understand, ultimately merging with our reality, especially in the area with this place as its core."

He sighed with a deep sense of helplessness: "So, you should have vaguely sensed before that the boundary between the inner world and the outer world is accelerating in its blurring. This is not a natural evolution, but a direct consequence of passively enduring the impact of this large-scale Fusion. Monsters appear frequently, spiritual barriers multiply; things that previously hid in the 'inner' world are now more likely to surface in the 'outer' world. Our previous response strategies were mostly passive defense and post-incident cleanup, but now it seems we fear we need more active intervention and preparation."

The cavern was silent, with only the subtle gurgling sound of the continuously flowing spring water. Fukase Akira extinguished the cigarette in his hand, the writer furrowed his brows, Akine subconsciously hugged the bath towel tightly, and even the oblivious Mariko seemed to sense the heaviness of the atmosphere, floating quietly in the steam.

The gravity on Mr. Long's face was as if blown away by the wind. He suddenly chuckled, breaking the heavy atmosphere in the cavern, and casually splashed a handful of warm water onto his face.

"Alright, alright, why are you all looking so gloomy?" His tone was much lighter, carrying his usual soothing nuance. "If the sky falls, the tall ones will hold it up. These major affairs concerning the direction of the world are not things you young ones need to worry about yet. Trust the higher-ups; we have inherited for thousands of years, what kind of storms haven't we seen? We have our own confidence and ability to cope."

Lin Luo, however, heard something deeper in these words. He pressed, "Is this anomaly... global?"

Mr. Long nodded, then shook his head, explaining: "The root may be global, but the specific impact is not homogeneous. The territory of the Dragon Kingdom has its own Laws and Legacy to protect it, like a rock; the Fusion must also follow our rules. Other major powers also have their own Legacies and power systems, barely able to maintain the stability of their own territories—it can be said that each has its own destiny."

He paused, his tone carrying a trace of an imperceptible sigh: "The real trouble lies with those small nations with short histories, shallow Legacies, and a lack of powerful power systems for protection. Their world barriers are the most fragile, like undefended cities, most easily invaded, merged with, or even... overwritten by these space-time fragments. The order there has likely already begun to collapse in ways we cannot imagine."

Lin Luo felt a chill in his heart and wanted to ask for more details, such as what this "Legacy" specifically referred to and how other countries were responding.

But Mr. Long waved his hand, interrupting his thoughts. With a smile that meant "that's enough," he looked at him with a meaningful gaze: "Telling you all this is already an exception. If you delve deeper, it's not something an idler like me can blab about." He changed the subject, with a hint of teasing: "If you really want to know those top-secret matters that even I might not be clear about, why look far and wide? Go home and ask your family's old man—wouldn't that be more direct?"

At the mention of "going home" and "the old man," Lin Luo immediately became like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. His previous thirst for knowledge vanished without a trace, his face filled with resistance. He pouted and muttered, "Fine, then I'll just not know. I finally managed to run away; I don't want to go back."

Seeing him like this, Mr. Long couldn't help but chuckle, as if he had expected it all along.

"Old Master Lin knew you would be like this." He shook his head, his tone carrying a bit of understanding. "So he specifically asked me to pass something on to you. After the bath, I'll give it to you."

Upon hearing this, Lin Luo couldn't help but click his tongue. He knew it; the big and small things he encountered probably couldn't escape the eyes and ears of that old man at home. While he was "living freely" here, the old man was probably perfectly aware of everything on his end.

However, the old man taking the initiative to have Mr. Long pass something on piqued his curiosity. He hadn't stolen few things from the old man's treasure chests while running away this time, and he considered himself to have figured out most of the family's background. What else could the old man have hidden that he hadn't seen?

"What kind of thing is so mysterious that it can only be given after the bath?" Lin Luo couldn't help but ask. "Could it be some treasure kept at the bottom of the chest, and he's finally willing to pass it on to me?"

Mr. Long smiled without a word, just contentedly splashing water on himself, keeping him in suspense.

Now, although the hot spring was good, Lin Luo couldn't sit still. The heaviness caused by the world's dramatic changes was temporarily diluted by his curiosity about that unknown "gift."