[Comprehensive] Playing off again

"Really? Thanks."

After inquiring about the news, Elan smiled at the passerby, and left while the passerby was in a daze.

"Yamamoto..."

What a distinctive name.

Hundred Monogatari, a popular game, is played in many places, and the biggest and most well-known one is organized by a timber merchant named Yamamoto Gorozaemon. He often plays games with many people, even far beyond Nobles of other classes were attracted to attend.

Is the story really that good?

Seems to be interesting.

Elan was eager to try, and walked briskly to where the other party was - the black sea, where white sails could be seen.

This place is called Yamamoto’s Tangerine Ship, and Elan can see many women with heavy makeup, slender bodies wrapped in brightly colored kimonos, smiling and charming, and it’s really a feast for the eyes.

"Have all the oirans in Yoshiwara been hired?"

"What a great deal..."

"Ah, I'm really envious, if only I could get on the boat!"

Elam boarded the ship.

Too lazy to take the troublesome route of grabbing an invitation card and then going through the inspection, the black-haired young man familiarly eliminated his sense of existence and walked to the cabin.

"..."

Is this really human?

The Yamamoto Gorozaemon in front of him is huge, obese, with loose teeth, and his soul and body are highly unified. Is it too much?Regardless of length and width, they are several times that of ordinary people——

She is already transforming into a "monster".

As expected of Edo, where humans and demons live together, can even such anomalies be accepted calmly?

There was a bit of interest in the dark eyes, looking at Yamamoto as if looking at a huge experimental white mouse, Elan walked slowly past the playful courtesans, and walked into Yamamoto's room.

There are many paintings here.

Ghost painting.

Elan picked up a piece of drawing paper with ugly ghosts at random, and the ghosts on the next one were still so ugly... He lost interest in the appearance of these ghosts after looking at a few of them casually.Well, humans might think it's "scary", but in Elan's eyes, it's just plain ugly.

Surprisingly, the monsters in these paintings have all become real.

Part of it, which Elan detoured to meet, was exactly as it was in the painting.By the way, since those monsters do not conform to his aesthetics, they no longer exist.

According to the interpretation of this world, the ability to make others fear or awe oneself through a certain ability is the ability of the monster itself, so when the fictional evil spirit is frightening, a new monster can be formed.

Good idea.

Elan knows why so many residents are talking about ghost stories and strengthening their power. It's not just obsession or fear. I'm afraid it's because of Yamamoto's subsequent fueling. In order for new monsters to appear, then...he created So many monsters, what do they want to do?This question only stayed in my mind for a moment, and Elan quickly forgot it.

It doesn't matter, he has nothing to do with the savior.

As long as the game is fun... ah, I can't wait!

Yamamoto, who was playing with the oiran, suddenly felt a chill down his back and lost interest.In the haze, it seemed as if a pair of eyes from the abyss were watching him, urging him to open the Hundred Stories.

The shudder running down his spine was so vivid and disappeared in an instant, Yamamoto didn't understand why, but he followed his intuition.

Going down the stairs on the deck to the cabin, even if there is still daylight outside, it will not affect the darkness here.

Candles flickered one after another, and the candlelight reflected weird faces, which looked like monsters at first glance.

The crowd gathered neatly in a circle, including merchants, officials, dandies, monks, and oirans among them, and in the center of the circle was a tea pot carved with patterns of ghosts traveling at night, which looked very Antique, which suits the occasion unexpectedly.

Elan saw the "fear" gathered on it at a glance, and looked away casually.

The tea made from the dissolution of the "Ai" gathered in Edo Castle due to the strange talk, will take on the characteristics of monsters after drinking for a long time. No wonder some people in the crowd look abnormal, especially the organizer Yamamoto.If the tea is to be brewed, it must be related to strange stories, and its taste must be so delicious that it is unstoppable. It is said that a man who has everything can taste the taste, making people feel as if they are in power. Because of this, it is possible to recruit "distinguished guests" for a mere timber merchant.

Simply put, addictive.

If you connect this kind of tea with the spread of strange stories, it will make sense.Among the guests, the three teachings and nine streams must be very happy to do this handy favor.

Is it the tea of ​​the overlord...

Suddenly want to compare it with poppies.

In the previous world, the God of Darkness had of course collected many things he was interested in, including various drugs, so should he use them?Elan is ready to move.

Hundred Stories started.

The first person who told the strange story didn't know what he had just escaped. He just told a strange story about the ghost, and then blew out the candle.People took turns telling the prepared stories, the invisible "fear" of human beings gathered, and the pattern of hundreds of ghosts carved on the tea pot glowed, creating a gloomy and strange atmosphere.When it was Yamamoto's turn, he unsurprisingly made up...or created a youkai that didn't exist.Yamamoto drank the Tyrant's tea happily, immersed in the arrogance brought by the tea to dominate the world, and drew the centipede monster in his mind.

The guests and oirans all expressed their praises, looking very flattering. It won't be long before this strange talk will spread and become real. With the appearance of people who saw the centipede or were killed by the centipede, " Awes will gather and become true, overwhelming terror!

Yamamoto is proud.

"Why did you stop?"

In the pursuit, the cold voice sounded like a dagger piercing the ice, the dissatisfaction was obvious, and he said ironically, "Is this also called 'Hundred Stories'?"

"What do you know..."

The person who was eager to flatter the horse said while looking towards the place where the sound was made, and suddenly lost his voice.

At some point, a young man sat between them.

His black hair was loosely flowing like spring water in a mountain stream, and his kneeling posture made the ends of his hair touch the ground and then spread out on the ground, like fine velvet; his fair face showed a jade-like texture under the candlelight, There was an indescribable ghostly aura in the handsome face, and the pitch-black eyes were like black pearls immersed in white water. Under the sky, it should be moving, but at this time, it was creepy.

Was there such a person in the beginning?Is he... really human?

The person who was near the boy was drenched in cold sweat, almost pissed off by the brain, didn't care to get up, and was about to crawl away, but soon couldn't move.

A playboy who pays great attention to his image and loves smugness shed tears in his heart.You can change your sitting or standing posture, why did you choose this crawling posture?Please give me half a cup of tea to sort out my image!

His cry could not reach Elan's heart at all.

Against the background of the "statue" running away with terror, the figure of the young man became more and more treacherous, and unpredictable power flowed unhurriedly in the cabin. Morning. Go ahead."

Yamamoto wanted to say something, but seeing those dark eyes looking straight at him, he lost his voice.

At the same time, an unknown number of people had the illusion of "eye contact" with the boy. They soon discovered that they couldn't say anything except strange talk, as if there was some kind of strange force obstructing their thinking. Soon, they forgot Others, focus on talking about it...

Erlanto gills.

Whether it is the experience of tens of thousands of years in the original world, or the experience in the Hundred Stories of Qingxingdeng, it tells Elan that he is not suitable for telling stories.

To be precise, it is okay to retell stories told by others, but if he is asked to summarize his knowledge into a story, or create his own, the listeners will either be in a fog or feel dry and want to sleep, almost without exception.When the bard Elan couldn't find an audience, he once talked to Phil for half a month. Later, the God of Light had a good quality sleep and didn't hear the prayers of the believers for two years.

Big fire.

The Dark God sighed rather sadly.

People who participated in Hundred Stories had more or less stories in their stomachs, and their levels were even more uneven. Elan messed up the order as he listened.

"You said."

"It is your turn."

After the candle was blown out for a circle, the boy didn't speak anymore, he manipulated the fire, and whoever had the candle in front of him lit, it was his turn.

At first, people were a little scared, but later, I don’t know if they were happy to hear that the "frozen" people were able to act, and everyone's fear weakened a little, thinking that "even if this boy is a monster, he is also a story-loving boy." Monsters, maybe they won't harm people", everyone continued to talk.

The climax comes after an oiran finishes his strange talk.

"Great story. What do you want?"

Huh?

The oiran heard the boy ask.

The audience paused because of the boy's voice after a long time, like the image of the pause button being pressed.

Are, are you talking to the slave family...?

The oiran raised her head tremblingly, and turned her gaze to the young man, only to see that pair of unpopular eyes were looking at her gently at this moment, with a handsome face and complicated and luxurious clothes, she looked like a nobleman from Kyoto. Personable.She had only met such a young man once, but even a real nobleman seemed to be inferior to the charm of a young man.

Elan: Cos Abba.

The oiran's face blushed quietly.

She thought for a while, and summoned up the courage to say: "...My lord, I want a hairpin, can, can I?"

The boy said with a smile, "Stretch out your hand."

The oiran did as she said.

As if appearing out of nowhere, the jewelry inlaid with bright gems fell into her palm. The exquisite and gorgeous craftsmanship far surpassed this era. In the darkness with only a little light, the rare light shone on the soft velvet, showing the vermilion bird. Winged posture.

"This this!"

All women's eyes grow on it, and men are no exception. Anyone can see that this hairpin is priceless.

Another candle was lit.

"Is it my turn?"

The selected man said hesitantly, his face glowing.

The atmosphere in the cabin slowly changed.

"My lord, I want a sharp knife."

"For personal use?"

"Yes."

An elegant, gorgeous, and appropriate-sized Odachi appeared in front of the young man.

"My lord, I hope to get a good medicine that can make my face last forever."

"Even if it reduces the life span of the user by a third?"

"no problem!"

Oh, it doesn't look like it's for personal use.

Small porcelain bottles appear in the hands of middle-aged people.

One by one the requirements were met, although after several days, only three people were rewarded, but everyone's enthusiasm was mobilized.At this time, they no longer thought it was a catastrophe, but were excited by this adventure, racking their brains to think of novel, interesting and scary stories, and looking forward to the candlelight in front of them.

As the host, Yamamoto Goro Zaemon did his part to afford everyone's food, clothing, housing and transportation, feeling bitter in his heart.

It's not because the juvenile dove occupies the magpie's nest.

As early as when the youkai created by himself and obeying his orders pretended to be servants and came up to change food and water, he told him that he couldn't see through the boy and could only feel that he was very weird. Yamamoto put down the idea of ​​using force. Among them, many of them are the key to realizing his ambitions. It would be a pity if they were injured.

What's more, what if a monster with the appearance of a boy takes him under the knife?

The sudden appearance, the candles lit out of thin air, and the behavior of only listening to the story without hurting others, all made Yamamoto secretly vigilant and did not move.

Then, the boy gave the treasure.

That's right, it's not "sent", but "given".

This young man's temperament is outstanding, and it is particularly dazzling when he no longer conceals his existence. It is a kind of contradictory feeling, like a flickering light in the dark. Such temperament, even among monsters, must be very Prestige, second to none.

The thought of confrontation dissipated at this point, and like everyone present, Yamamoto began to think about stories.

Yamamoto is very fond of ghost stories, and there are countless ghost stories in his mind, which can be a complete story with a little processing. However, it is a pity that no matter how he shouts in his heart, "Choose me! Choose me!", in front of him None of the candles were lit.

Yamamoto was very sad.

The darkness could not block the sight of the gods, and Elan occasionally saw the sad expression of Yamamoto, who could be called an (ugly) giant compared to others, and felt that his eyes were going to be blind.

He turned his head blankly.

Not only is it not cute at all, but it also makes people want to immediately destroy this thing that pollutes the city appearance humanely.

Yamamoto finally asked: "My lord, why don't you always choose me?"

Elan answered him honestly: "Your stories are the same, full of mindless monsters attacking people, boring." Hundreds of years later, such stories were called running accounts.

Brainless and boring?

Yamamoto suffered a major blow.

The others nodded secretly.

Even though they are full of praise for Yamamoto's story in terms of the status of Tyrant Tea and the master, but in fact, it is indeed as boring as the boy said.There is no love that is lingering or love-hate, no friendship that is sincere or stabbed in the back, no family relationship that is touching or disgusting, and there is no pre-provision. Attacking humans in this way, and then the attacked person is either dead or poisoned or...

If you hear it too much, it’s that tune.

What's more, he sighed in his heart: As expected, he was just a merchant selling wood, no matter how rich he was, he would be like that, with no background and no class.

Elam did not eat the water that the servants respectfully offered.

The so-called gourmet food in this era is incomparable to what the Dark God enjoyed in the past. Elan, who was never willing to wrong himself, took out delicious food from the "half plane" and enjoyed it by himself.

The strong or elegant aroma wafts in the almost enclosed space, but no one dares to ask him to share it.

There must be more treasures on the boy!

Everyone's eyes became brighter.

The idea of ​​snatching disappeared in a flash, just kidding, what if I scare people away?What's more, among so many treasures, who can guarantee that there are no enemies?Think about it, apart from jewels and sharp swords, some people even got something that can make youth last forever... No one is willing to leave the boy.

Gods don't need sleep, and so do some monsters.

Elan's spirit made people more and more confirm his identity, but no matter how much he wanted to participate in this feast, human beings would eventually rest.

A calm person can control himself to leave the table and sleep, but a person who is concerned about gain and loss always feels that going to sleep is a big loss. Even if he goes to the toilet, the speed is very fast. Going to catch up on sleep resentfully, the oirans feel that it is a waste of time to even take care of their appearance, let alone take a beauty sleep.

Seven days passed in a blink of an eye.

The flower street in Yoshiwara can’t stay closed all the time. Mom Sang came to remind me many times. Although her words were polite, her attitude was very anxious. The oirans left reluctantly. Yamamoto needs to pay for it, but no one cares about it—the fewer competitors, the better!

The men "shared the same hatred".

Yes, just so much.

Hundred Stories has lasted for half a month.

During this period of time, including the oiran who disembarked, everyone had their turn more than five times. Those with outstanding stories even told more than a dozen strange stories, such as the medicine to cure stubborn diseases, the cat that brings wealth, and the pearl that clears the mind. Once it was given out, the one who got the sword was the one who asked for the pearl, and with this pearl, he was able to think better. The boy smiled at him several times, seeing the third reward beckoning to him, the others envied him Apart from jealousy and hatred, they dare not imitate because they are afraid of wasting opportunities.

Tsk, why didn't I practice storytelling more before!

Yamamoto, who didn't get a reward, stopped other things and devoted himself to the game wholeheartedly, thinking hard.

Edo streets.

Nuliang carp watched the sky, murmured puzzledly: "It's strange, haven't there been any new monsters making trouble recently?"