Chapter 5: Mouri Toushirou, burdened by corruption...

Although the destination was a general store, most of the swords accompanying the Saniwa would wear their battle uniforms to protect him. Kashuu Kiyomitsu was no exception; he stood quietly outside the door, waiting for Kanshu to open it.

Han Zhou has not yet appointed any attendants, and no one has ever seen her office area.

Squeak—

As the door opened, Kiyomitsu Kashuu saw part of the office. An extra-long desk was piled high with documents, and the bookshelves behind it were overflowing with books. There was also a time-space detector gleaming faintly, suggesting a very busy atmosphere.

"My lord, have I disturbed you?"

Sensing the slight unease in Kashuu Kiyomitsu's voice, Hanshu shook his head. "No, let's go."

The two walked side by side toward the time converter in the courtyard, where they happened to run into the Genji brothers.

"Oh dear, is the head of the family going out?"

"Head of the family"

Compared to his easygoing older brother, Hizamaru has a very serious and earnest personality, but he is an exception when facing Higekiri.

"Okay. Go to the general store to buy some supplies. You guys go to the forging room to forge swords later; four should be enough. I'll wake it up when I get back."

The two brothers agreed. Forging a sword wasn't troublesome; they just needed to tell the swordsmith the materials they needed. If the forged sword wasn't awakened by a Saniwa, the swordsmith would simply place it on a sword rack—it was quite hassle-free.

Han Zhou once again used an illusion technique to change her appearance, but as soon as she landed, she sensed a foul aura.

Following the scent, they found a short sword with short, bluish-green hair, wearing a traditional Awataguchi military uniform, looking no different from the other short swords.

She glanced at him briefly, then cast her power mark on him before taking Kiyomitsu to go shopping.

Her citadel is just getting started. Even if Han Zhou herself isn't afraid of any threats, the swords in her citadel are different. As their leader, she needs to be responsible for them.

While Han Zhou was using her powers to explore the myriad houses, she discovered a separate space hidden by a barrier. Although the barrier she cast was quite impressive, it was practically made of paper to her.

The entrance is located below the largest shop in the general store that sells swords and light armor. This shop offers the best quality clothing, but it's also very expensive.

There weren't many Saniwa inside. They had originally only come to explore the hidden space, but when they noticed Kashuu Kiyomitsu's gaze occasionally glancing at the kimono, Kanshu stopped and followed his gaze.

The kimono that Kashuu Kiyomitsu saw was a beautiful blue, but it didn't match his own personal color at all. Kanshu knew who it was designed for—Yamato no Kami Yasusada.

Although he's not in the citadel yet, he'll come sooner or later.

"Boss, I need three pieces of each style of light armor for all the swords currently available."

The once bustling shop instantly fell silent.

......

In other words, Hanzhou needs to buy enough kimonos for three full-fledged sword-wielding masters!!! Even an ordinary Saniwa would have to carefully budget before buying just one.

"Are you... serious?"

"My lord!!! This is too much! One item would be enough!" Kashuu Kiyomitsu, recovering from his shock, tried to stop his lord from spending money recklessly.

"One set for everyday wear, one set for changing, and one set as a spare."

Han Zhou had already handed over the card, and the boss accepted it with a smile, afraid that this big spender might back out. This was a rare and lucrative order!

"What is this guest's Honmaru number? We will deliver it directly to your Honmaru."

“S001”

The atmosphere froze again.

An S-rank Honmaru symbolizes immense power. Shop owners like them are acutely aware of the special significance of the number 001. This is a Honmaru that no one has been able to sustain since the founding of the Time Government.

Now, this massive Honmaru, so large it's practically a small world unto itself, has found a master capable of sustaining it.

However, Kiyomitsu Kashuu and Kanshu paid no attention to the quiet atmosphere; Kanshu was currently being nagged.

"Aruji! I know your coffers are full, but they can't withstand this kind of spending! Clearly..." Kashuu Kiyomitsu stood with his hands on his hips, looking utterly exasperated.

Han Zhou seemed to be listening attentively, but in reality, her mind was already wandering. Her ethereal gaze noticed the smudged nail polish on Kashuu Kiyomitsu's hand; he'd probably been busy accompanying her to the general store and hadn't had time to touch it up after the battle.

"Kiyomitsu"

"What's wrong, Aruji? You should be more careful with your spending."

"Your nail polish is chipped. How about we go buy some new ones and I'll fix it for you?"

"Huh?! Is that okay?"

The Saniwa in the shop looked at Kanshuu, who had interrupted Kashuu Kiyomitsu's output with a single sentence, with a hint of respect in his eyes, and in various other ways...

"Kiyomitsu, you go outside and wait for me. I have some things I want to confirm with the boss."

Having bought so much lightly packed goods, I was genuinely worried about whether they would arrive at the citadel unharmed. Kashuu Kiyomitsu didn't suspect anything and obediently walked towards the door.

But he forgot that his lord was a man who didn't value money. If it were damaged during transport, Han Zhou would simply buy a new one.

After sending Kashuu Kiyomitsu away, Han Zhou went to the front desk. Other customers had waiters introducing them to customers, but only a big spender like Han Zhou was entitled to have the boss come out to serve him.

"Boss, do you only sell clothes?"

The owner of the light clothing store was startled, but remained calm and continued to laugh it off.

"This customer is joking. Our lightweight packaging is top-notch, so shipping is absolutely no problem. We'll cover any damage afterward."

The conversation between the two seemed normal, with nothing unusual to be found.

But in reality, both sides were testing each other. As the owner of the largest light-clothing store in the Wanwu Shops, he had a good eye for people. The fact that he could buy so much light-clothing without batting an eye meant that the other party was definitely not short of money.

Furthermore, since the citadel's number is S001, its abilities are undoubtedly considerable, and its aura is quite strong. Although its appearance is rather ordinary (a false face constructed by Hanshu using illusion magic).

After a moment's thought, the owner handed over a business card, a smile on his face. "Please contact us if you need anything."

Sensing the spiritual energy emanating from the business card, Han Zhou accepted it. It was encased in a layer of array; on the surface, it appeared to be just an ordinary business card, but only by deciphering the array would the true information be revealed.

"Are you done talking?"

"Yes, the clothing store will compensate us if there is any damage during delivery."

Han Zhou stood quietly beside Kashuu Kiyomitsu, listening to him talk about nail polish. In a daze, the image in her vision was no longer that of the sword spirit with pigtails.

Instead, it was a young man with a ponytail, wearing a light blue haori (traditional blue and white clothing). He enthusiastically shared his observations of the day with her.

Noticing her distracted state, Kiyomitsu Kashuu spoke up to remind her.

"My lord?"

"It's nothing. Last time I bought pigeon blood color, this time I'll get vermilion, and maybe some gold powder too?"

"good!"