Cyber Era Witch
Chapter 814 - 670: Greetings from a Ninja

Chapter 814: Chapter 670: Greetings from a Ninja

The snow stopped quickly, and coming face-to-face was the thorough drought of the streets all night.

Tsuchigumo remembered this was related to global cooling; the cold restrained water evaporation, reducing the efficiency of the water cycle—the weather would only get dryer and more silent. She walked briskly behind Mizuiro Yoshioka and Little Fool, not wanting to be left in the freeze damage.

"That is..." Tsuchigumo looked up to see a tall and splendid building standing alone at one side of the crossroads, a glowing screen on the front showing Synthetic Human product advertisements, lights bright enough to illuminate a corner of the night sky.

"Yes—Nestor Hotel." Mizuiro Yoshioka led Tsuchigumo inside.

In the dining room’s private booth of room 705 on the 7th floor of the hotel, a waitress brought them food and drinks. She was quick on her feet, with a sweet smile, dressed in traditional attire, adorned with blue and white water patterns on her Flying Fish Brand coat, her dyed brown hair pinned up with a jade hairpin, wearing white tabi socks with wooden sandals underneath.

They were served a milk hot pot.

Three liters of full-fat milk, fiery red hot pot base, boiling water, sesame paste, green onion, ginger, garlic, and star anise all poured into the large copper pot, cooked until boiling, with the fragrance overflowing. Little Fool was enticed by the smell, hopping non-stop on her own mat.

Then they added the food, including egg tofu, sliced beef, fatty lamb rolls, kelp, mushrooms, cabbage, carrots, udon noodles, cuttlefish, shrimp, and a large amount of meatballs; besides these were several large plates of braised dishes, cold dishes, and assorted seafood.

"Please help yourselves," Mizuiro Yoshioka said with a smile.

"I’m going to start," Tsuchigumo said softly with her eyes closed, and then reopened her eyes to eat, while Little Fool had already begun to pick up the tasty food.

They dipped their food into citrus vinegar from their plates, a sauce made by mixing citrus juice with vinegar, offering both a sweet and sour flavor. Added to the creamy aroma of milk hot pot, the spiciness from the soup base, and the umami from the kelp, it created a taste with rich layers.

Little Fool ate with great relish, nearly puffing up her little belly; all the food rolled on her tongue and then went into her stomach, her eyes shone brightly, not picky about any food.

Mizuiro Yoshioka only ate a little, while Tsuchigumo ate a lot.

"You have a good appetite?" Mizuiro Yoshioka observed Tsuchigumo’s way of eating.

"...Of course, you don’t know what I’ve been eating before. They’re all things like pancakes, berries, chicken, canned goods, beans... Ah, anyway, nothing compares to this meal I’m having now," Tsuchigumo responded to Mizuiro Yoshioka’s question.

Hearing this, Mizuiro Yoshioka was quite pleased.

"Yes, this meal costs 3900," she said.

Perhaps by some magical power, after hearing the price of the meal, Tsuchigumo felt that everything she ate afterwards was 10 times more delicious.

Those hot pot ingredients initially seemed as if they came from a frozen refrigerator, but now they looked like they came from the kitchen of an aristocrat. Making them look that ordinary must have been a creative intention.

It was getting late, approaching 1 AM, and Little Fool fell asleep as soon as she finished eating, her body leaning backward.

Mizuiro Yoshioka picked her up, ready to bring her to the guest room for rest.

"This child is tired, it’s been such a long day," Mizuiro Yoshioka said to Tsuchigumo, "I never thought so much would happen."

"After I finish training her, I will return to Hot Tree Continent to my colleagues and tell them what to do," Tsuchigumo said succinctly.

"I hope you know what you’re doing," Mizuiro Yoshioka reminded.

"Don’t worry," Tsuchigumo nodded.

In her own guest room, Tsuchigumo entered the bathroom, bracing the walls with her giant limbs, suspending herself in the air to bathe. The hot water spread all over her body, softening stiff muscles.

Withstand the pressure, she reminded herself. Complete the commands of the Cyber Specter, avoid the worst outcome.

And most important, preserve life, survive. Face the future, don’t think too much.

Renwang Security gave her a lot of time for action, and Tsuchigumo actually had a series of targets, covering various corporate cities on the island.

But after becoming aware of the existence of the Cyber Specter, she dared not explore around the Northern Archipelago, her other missions and goals felt out of reach.

Thus, following that time, Tsuchigumo primarily trained Little Fool.

Mizuiro Yoshioka found a suitable training area for them and stayed for the long term, observing how Tsuchigumo trained Little Fool, and she would also meet Little Fool’s other needs.

"Shouldn’t someone like you from the Witch Division, a high official, be busy with a pile of tasks at all times?" Tsuchigumo noticed Mizuiro Yoshioka lingering around.

"No," Mizuiro Yoshioka explained with a smile, "Firstly, if a department is well-organized, you will have a plethora of clerks under you, diligently completing all sorts of tasks for you. If you work hard, just issue a plan casually, and those below will scheme, weave, and create it... then press it further down, actually bringing numerous troubles to front-line executors. So, it’s better for someone like me to cause less trouble, after all, everyone knows what they should do, and it’s all already summarized clearly in timetables, OA, and information systems."

"I still don’t understand."

"What I mean is—Nestor Corporation doesn’t lack people capable of causing trouble, what it lacks are those who realize they shouldn’t cause trouble. Its original structure stands well; laissez-faire is the supreme wisdom," Mizuiro Yoshioka explained.

Tsuchigumo thought Mizuiro Yoshioka seemed somewhat irresponsible, but there was nothing she could do; Mizuiro Yoshioka was wealthier and of higher status, always seeming to make sense.

She then turned her attention to Little Fool’s learning.

"Ninjutsu means the technique of endurance," Tsuchigumo told Little Fool, "Modern Ninja have developed from the ancient training programs, correcting many misconceptions, eliminating those improper trainings that cause permanent damage to the body, leaving only techniques that are closely related to the real way of survival. These trainings must start from childhood, continuing into adulthood, day after day, never relenting."

"Mm!" Little Fool was ready.

Tsuchigumo promptly taught Little Fool how to endure pain and pressure, how to stay focused.

She found that during training, Little Fool could remain as still as a corpse, capable of withstanding arduous assessments and passing through terrifying ordeals, with great courage and rarely speaking.

Most astonishing was Little Fool’s patience; she could spend tens of hours concentrating without moving, something even Tsuchigumo herself couldn’t do.

She reminded Tsuchigumo of those highly-favored peers from her childhood training, always earning praises from the Ninja Master.

This tiny child harbored infinite potential.

Just like Play-Doh.

High-quality Play-Doh can be molded into beautiful shapes by skilled craftsmen. Both the material and the artisan are important.

Perhaps Tsuchigumo was not a first-rate teacher, but Little Fool was definitely top-tier material.

"Every ninja writes their own scroll, and you have confiscated many scrolls from other ninjas. Now I give you my own Ninjutsu Scroll," Tsuchigumo handed her Ninjutsu Scroll to Little Fool.

"Guabu." Little Fool solemnly knelt on the mat to receive the scroll.

"The scroll records espionage and survival skills, which are crucial for a ninja. It can help you survive in the harshest environments, teach you how to scout hostile environments, and let you know how to formulate, create, and handle various poisons and explosives. Beyond these skills, you also need to strengthen your physique to be able to run, climb, swim, and be versatile, making fewer mistakes and solving more problems. In time, you will become a true ninja, a Ninja Witch, mastering both Ninjutsu and Magic Power," Tsuchigumo instructed Little Fool.

"Guabu." Little Fool understood.

"Plus, the most important thing is the ninja’s greeting. Greeting in ninja combat is of supreme etiquette. Everything else can be put to the side, but politeness comes first," Tsuchigumo said earnestly.

"That makes sense!" Little Fool nodded vigorously.

"Basic phrases like ’Hello, Xu Cheng, I am Tsuchigumo.’ And you should reciprocate: ’Hello, Tsuchigumo, I am Xu Cheng,’ adding ’Nice to meet you’ for a first encounter. Greeting when meeting is the most important, and attacking before the greeting is finished is very rude."

"Oh!"

"Greeting must take place before a fight, and you must respond to others’ greetings. You cannot attack while the other person is greeting, but you can strike once before the greeting. In situations like a brawl among many, greetings can be omitted. Even if you are sworn enemies, greetings are mandatory. By identifying each other’s names, it acknowledges the merit of each combatant in the battle, a protocol that must be followed even to the grave," Tsuchigumo passed on the most important ninja matter to Little Fool.

Little Fool pondered and understood everything.

Her wisdom grew, embedding Tsuchigumo’s teachings into her mind.

And this was a chance to let the whole world know she was Xu Cheng, no longer Little Fool.

When Mizuiro Yoshioka came to pick her up, Little Fool tidied up her sleeves, tied her pant legs, walked to the door, and bowed to Mizuiro Yoshioka.

"Hello, Mizuiro Yoshioka, I am Xu Cheng," Little Fool pressed her hands together.

"Eh—Xu Cheng." Mizuiro Yoshioka had never thought Little Fool would speak to her so seriously.

"Yes! Xu Cheng! Xu Cheng! Xu Cheng!" Little Fool repeated three times, then happily ran over and jumped into Mizuiro Yoshioka’s arms.

Mizuiro Yoshioka noticed the signs of Little Fool’s training and looked into the room to meet Tsuchigumo’s gaze; they both nodded. Tsuchigumo turned away from the metal wall to tidy up the training equipment, wiping sweat from her body with a quick-dry towel.

They both found solace in Little Fool’s progress, nurturing this tender child until she became a truly excellent Witch; that too must be an important duty for them.

After these days of training, Little Fool had transformed.

"You seem to care a lot about the name Xu Cheng? Don’t want to be called Little Fool anymore?" Mizuiro Yoshioka held Little Fool.

"Xu Cheng is the name ’Daddy’ gave me, it’s very important," Little Fool buried her head in Mizuiro Yoshioka’s shoulder.

"Yes, you can still be Little Fool, it’s very cute, and everyone likes you," Mizuiro Yoshioka didn’t understand.

"’Daddy,’ or the person I call ’Daddy,’ went to Jialong Slope and will have a real child soon. You all didn’t tell me, but I know," Little Fool looked up at Mizuiro Yoshioka.

"Ah..."

"And that new child will definitely replace Little Fool in ’Daddy’s’ heart," Little Fool said seriously.

"That child..." Mizuiro Yoshioka sighed inwardly. A child truly connected by blood, unlike Little Fool who was simply found and taken in.

"So, I don’t want to be Little Fool anymore. Call me ’Xu Cheng,’" Xu Cheng said.

"Okay, Xu Cheng, okay..." Mizuiro Yoshioka said softly.

"Auntie Yoshioka, are you staying with me because you feel taking care of me will get you extra favor from my ’Daddy’? No, that’s not right anymore, it’s useless, Daddy doesn’t pay attention to me anymore," Xu Cheng told Mizuiro Yoshioka.

Mizuiro Yoshioka’s heart trembled, lifting Xu Cheng high into the air.

"Am I such a shallow person?" Mizuiro Yoshioka sighed, "When we just picked you up, haven’t I cared for you all night, watching you slowly recover health and strength? Among those who care about you the most... my name will forever be there."

Xu Cheng showed a faint smile.

This was good, too.