21st Century Necromancer-Chapter 919 - 912: Gao Tianyuan

Chapter 919 -912: Gao Tianyuan

Inside the hot spring of the Necromantic Space Castle, Chen Yu relaxed his body, letting the scalding water flow over him.

Whether it was extracting the world’s rules by the Sanzu River Bank to forge a divine rank, or using the power of the Storm Divine Core to aid Ni Nasu in summoning a typhoon to stop another typhoon, both tasks had drained Chen Yu immensely. Though the latter seemed relatively effortless, controlling a divine rank with the power of a demigod was still no easy feat.

Moreover, Amaterasu’s appearance forced Chen Yu to re-evaluate his entire plan. Combined with his initial mental exhaustion, Chen Yu’s thoughts had become chaotic.

While energy potions could invigorate the body and eliminate fatigue, they only addressed physical tiredness. The accumulated pressure on the soul and spirit could not be relieved by such remedies.

Even with the boost from an energy potion that made his body feel revitalized, Chen Yu’s spirit was still under considerable strain from the events of the day.

Amaterasu’s presence made Chen Yu realize a critical oversight in his previous series of plans: Gao Tianyuan.

As the core of the Japanese Deity system, Gao Tianyuan was not only the dwelling place of the Yaoyorozu no Tenjinshu but also the governance center of the pantheon.

According to Japanese mythology, back when Amaterasu sent her descendants to rule the Reed Plains in China — the human world — the then-ruler Ōkuninushi rebelled. Amaterasu had to dispatch Takemikazuchi directly from Gao Tianyuan to quell the resistance.

This demonstrates that Gao Tianyuan is quite akin to China’s Heavenly Court mentioned in mythology. It’s not merely a residence but also a hub of political and military power for the Japanese Deity system.

In Japanese mythology, the deities are divided into three categories: Heavenly Gods, Earthly Deities, and Magatsukami. Among them, the Yaoyorozu no Tenjinshu, led by Amaterasu, reside in Gao Tianyuan. The Earthly Deities are native gods of the Reed Plains in China — the human realm — while the Magatsukami belong to Yomi, as the disaster gods.

Having glimpsed Gao Tianyuan previously, Chen Yu clearly understood that Gao Tianyuan was Amaterasu’s divine kingdom. While the entire divine kingdom floated on the outer edge of reality, the Yaoyorozu no Tenjinshu residing within were not incapable of descending.

Though there might be various restrictions, and the deities themselves might avoid descending to the mortal plane, this didn’t mean they couldn’t do so.

In Chen Yu’s original calculations, he had expected that during Yomi’s invasion of the human world, the Yaoyorozu no Tenjinshu from Gao Tianyuan, if they descended, would naturally engage Yomi’s forces. He hadn’t anticipated them becoming his foes.

However, after conversing with Amaterasu, Chen Yu realized he had overlooked the possibility that Gao Tianyuan might directly dispatch deities to prevent him from breaking the boundaries between life and death.

Maybe it was because of the Inari God’s involvement—Chen Yu subconsciously assumed the Inari God would deal with those descending deities, causing him to overlook this detail. Chen Yu didn’t want to dwell on the reasons; revisiting it now was meaningless.

After all, Chen Yu had already agreed to Amaterasu’s terms in their earlier conversation, resolving this hidden threat.

But for Chen Yu, the conditions proposed by Amaterasu remained a headache; the task ahead wouldn’t be easy to accomplish.

“I didn’t expect him to have such a status.” Thinking about the mission Amaterasu had assigned him, Chen Yu rubbed his forehead, feeling a wave of frustration while marveling at the absurdity of certain events.

While Chen Yu was considering how to handle the matter, the sound of footsteps suddenly echoed in the bath chamber.

Hearing the noise, Chen Yu frowned slightly. These weren’t Jounouchi Hiromi’s footsteps.

“Commander, Madam asked me to massage you,” a voice rang out behind Chen Yu, unexpectedly belonging to Nagato.

“Nagato? Hiromi sent you?” Chen Yu turned his head to see Nagato wearing a light-colored bathrobe, her hair tied up neatly. She held a wooden basin in her hands, filled with towels and other items.

Nagato’s appearance surprised Chen Yu. While he had tasked the ship-girls with acting as maids, their main duty was to protect Jounouchi Hiromi rather than serve as actual attendants. Now, Nagato’s sudden offer to massage him during his bath — supposedly at Jounouchi Hiromi’s request — left Chen Yu feeling even more mentally fatigued.

“Madam said you’ve been working hard all day and wanted to provide a massage to help you relax,” Nagato explained, standing behind Chen Yu with her head lowered, seemingly avoiding his gaze. “Madam’s current health makes it inconvenient for her to do it herself. Originally, Belfast was supposed to come, but she admitted she didn’t know how to massage, so I was asked to assist.”

After Nagato finished speaking, noticing that Chen Yu was still soaking in the hot spring, she quickly added, “Commander, are you still bathing? If it’s inconvenient, I can wait outside until you’re done before starting the massage.”

Saying this, Nagato grabbed the wooden basin and prepared to leave.

Hearing her suggestion, Chen Yu felt a slight relief and waved his hand, signaling her to leave first.

Nagato, seemingly relieved herself, left the bath chamber with the expression of someone rescued from a predicament.

However, after leaving the chamber, Nagato’s face turned shy and remorseful. She silently berated herself for retreating at the crucial moment after gathering so much courage, missing an excellent chance to bond closely with her commander.

It wasn’t because Nagato harbored any romantic feelings toward Chen Yu. As a ship-girl, they were more like his children, and their affection for him was akin to a child’s reliance on a parent.

While adult ship-girls could suppress this sentiment, avoiding overt displays of attachment like the children of the Sixth Destroyer Squadron, they still cherished any opportunity to be close to Chen Yu.

For Nagato, today should have been a perfect chance, but her shyness made her retreat.

Nevertheless, after exiting the chamber, Nagato quickly calmed down. The feelings that made her heart race and cheeks flush dissipated, and she stood quietly outside with the wooden basin, waiting for Chen Yu to finish.

Chen Yu did not hurry his exit despite knowing Nagato was waiting outside. Instead, he let her wait for some time before emerging in a bathrobe, seemingly giving her time to collect herself.

“Commander.” Seeing Chen Yu emerge, Nagato addressed him. Although he wore only a bathrobe, her feelings had stabilized after her earlier adjustment, so she displayed no unusual reactions. She simply asked, “Commander, would you like me to give you a massage?”

Chen Yu didn’t say much at first, intending to refuse Nagato’s offer, but after some thought, he nodded and replied, “Massage my shoulders for me.”

With that, he walked toward an adjacent room, with Nagato following behind.