"You have obtained a hidden mission."
"Eliminate Upper Rank Six of the Twelve Kizuki. Mission rewards: Upper Rank Six Random Blood Demon Art x1, Upper Rank Six Random Blood Demon Art x1, Shard of God's Stone x15."
"So the demon in the Entertainment District is an Upper Rank demon. No wonder the Sound Hashira had to personally intervene!"
Bai Ye revealed a look of sudden realization. A demon that Uzui Tengen had to deal with personally would certainly not be an ordinary foe.
At the same time, Bai Ye wore a puzzled expression.
What was going on with these rewards?
Upper Rank Six Random Blood Demon Art was easy to understand; it meant getting one of the target's Blood Demon Arts at random.
But why were there two?
If it was meant to be two random Blood Demon Arts from the target, why not simply state "x2"?
Was there something more to this?
As Bai Ye pondered, Tsuruhina examined the obi. "This doesn't seem to be a demon itself, but rather a demonic artifact."
Bai Ye snapped back to attention. "Of course, the matter isn't over yet."
The true demon was Upper Rank Six. This obi was likely just a tool belonging to it, used to imprison 'food.'
Bai Ye stated, "I'll leave the cleanup here to you. Notify your husband, and I'll be taking my leave."
With that, Bai Ye's body transformed into a current of electricity and vanished. When he reappeared, Bai Ye was back on the streets of the Entertainment District.
Due to the sudden earthquake, many people had fled into the streets.
Bai Ye spotted Kamado Tanjiro amidst the crowd, looking around. He clearly hadn't run out because of the earthquake.
Instead, as the ground cracked from the battle, Kamado Tanjiro had smelled the presence of a demon from underground.
Bai Ye waved to Kamado Tanjiro from within the crowd and then moved through the throng to a nearby corner.
"Don't worry, there was indeed a demon, but I've already taken care of it," Bai Ye said. "However, the matter isn't concluded. There are still demons lurking within the Entertainment District, and they're clearly more troublesome."
Kamado Tanjiro asked, "Mr. Bai Ye, do you have any leads?"
"Yes!" Bai Ye replied. "Who is the most beautiful woman in the Entertainment District?"
Kamado Tanjiro answered, "Naturally, it's the Oiran."
Bai Ye inquired, "And the most beautiful among the Oiran?"
Kamado Tanjiro thought for a moment. "Each establishment has its own Oiran, but the most famous are likely Koikatsu Oiran of Tokito House and Warabi-hime Oiran of Kyogoku House."
Bai Ye stated, "You go find Koikatsu, and I'll go find Warabi-hime."
Kamado Tanjiro asked in confusion, "Will the demon target them?"
Bai Ye explained, "Currently, the missing individuals have all been beautiful girls from the Entertainment District. While we don't know the exact reason, the keywords 'beautiful' and 'girl' are certain. In that case, wouldn't the most beautiful girls in the Entertainment District become his targets?"
Kamado Tanjiro nodded. "That makes sense. In that case, I will certainly look after Miss Koikatsu."
"Good!" Bai Ye nodded, then added sheepishly, "Wait a moment."
Kamado Tanjiro asked, "What is it?"
"Give me some money," Bai Ye said, scratching his head in embarrassment. "It costs a lot to visit an Oiran. Without money, I can't even get in."
Kamado Tanjiro took out his money pouch and handed it to Bai Ye. "This is all I have."
Bai Ye nodded, took the money, and then went back to catch up on sleep.
Demons generally didn't appear during the day, as they feared sunlight. Of course, activity within buildings was an exception. However, Bai Ye had just dealt with that obi, and he felt that even if the opponent was Upper Rank Six, they wouldn't be so brazen as to show themselves and cause trouble.
Walking along the street, Bai Ye checked his rewards.
He didn't need to mention the Shards of God's Stone; they were good stuff.
Recently, Bai Ye had scavenged quite a few Shards of God's Stone, all thanks to the generous contributions of the brothers from Karasumaru and the Evil Spirit Group, who bravely offered their Shards of God's Stone.
With another fifteen pieces now, he was certainly more well-off.
But he was still a bit short of a complete God's Stone. Moreover, Bai Ye felt he had no immediate hope of obtaining one, especially with the gluttonous Steel Slime around.
Sound Breathing...
Although there were two tasks, one of them was an advancement of Sound Breathing.
Bai Ye thought it was quite good. This should be relatively popular, especially the advanced version, which he could likely trade for good items.
Besides that, there was also some good news...
The proficiency of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit had reached its maximum.
Rumble-Rumble Fruit (Devil Fruit) (Item) (Gold): Upon consumption, this supreme Logia-type fruit allows the user's body to become elemental. They can transform their body into lightning and, while in this lightning state, become immune to physical attacks and a portion of energy attacks, while also being able to unleash lightning attacks. Through mastery of the ability, the power of their attacks can be enhanced, and more techniques can be learned.
Weakness: Cannot touch saltwater or Seastone.
Current Proficiency: 0/3000
Abilities Unlocked: 3/12
Abilities:
Instantaneous Movement (Utilizing the Rumble-Rumble Fruit's initial electric field, transforming into a current allows for high-speed movement within the electric field, bypassing obstacles.)
Lightning Strike (Releases terrifying lightning from the palm with immense destructive power and blinding light, capable of affecting the vision of targets within a certain area.)
Thunder Shock (A supersonic shockwave generated by breaking the air with lightning, repelling approaching attacks.)
Bai Ye's expression brightened initially, seeing a defensive move. Then, his brow furrowed. His True Qi Body Protection seemed to be on its way out.
Although the Rumble-Rumble Fruit previously had only two abilities, Instantaneous Movement and Electric Discharge, making it seem a bit monotonous, Bai Ye actually had plenty of offensive techniques and didn't lack in that regard. So, monotony in offense wasn't an issue.
However, in terms of defense, Bai Ye was indeed rather lacking. Being able to add another defensive ability now was a good thing.
Upon closer inspection, Bai Ye realized that Thunder Shock wasn't a purely defensive technique. It didn't block attacks but rather repelled them.
This meant that opponents might not even get the chance to touch Bai Ye. And even if they did, physical attacks were still ineffective against him.
Therefore, the utility of True Qi Body Protection seemed even more diminished.
After all, True Qi Body Protection was a purely "blocking" type of defensive move.
The fortunate aspect was that True Qi Body Protection was part of the Five Spirit Incantations, and it would eventually be upgraded and advanced, so it wouldn't be completely useless.
As for proficiency...
The second stage of proficiency had increased from 0/1000 to 0/3000.
It didn't seem like much now, but if it doubled each time, and the Rumble-Rumble Fruit had a total of twelve effects...
Bai Ye couldn't help but break into a cold sweat.
The Steel Slime needed to consume things, the Treasury of Kings needed weapons to be thrown into it, and the Rumble-Rumble Fruit needed to improve its proficiency...
Was his future promising, or was the road ahead arduous?
Just looking at it made Bai Ye feel a bit tired.
Fortunately, Bai Ye still had an "Ah Q spirit." Feeling dejected, he decided not to think about it anymore.
Go back to sleep!
...