Not only was Abe no Seimei utterly bewildered—even Kamo no Yasunori looked at Dōman with the same expression.
—Did you get something wrong?
Ashiya Dōman said irritably, "What kind of looks are those? Didn't you see that even the great yōkai Ryūkotsusei was being used as a porter?"
The figure before them was clearly extraordinary at a glance. And yet… she was rather far removed from what they had imagined the Lunar Palace to be.
The blue figure leaned toward the magatama and repeated, "Hello? Are you there? Can you hear me? Hello…?"
After composing himself, the famed Great Onmyōji of Kyoto spoke in his signature voice. "Young lady, greetings. I am Abe no Seimei. I come on behalf of the onmyōji to speak with the leader of the Lunar Palace."
"Oh! You startled me. I thought I had broken it. Uncle Karan would scold me again for fiddling with things…"
Only after hearing him respond did Lana let out a small sigh of relief. Blinking her dragon-like eyes, she looked at him. "Onmyōji? Hmm… I suppose you are within the target scope. If you have something to say, you may speak to me. For such minor matters, my lord does not concern herself."
"Uh… does not concern herself?"
Seimei was momentarily speechless. This was the first time he had received such a blunt and unapologetic reply.
And yet her manner showed no trace of pretense. She genuinely believed that the onmyōji lineage did not qualify for cooperation.
Still—the three giants of onmyōdō present did not dare show temper.
After all, none of them were fools. Even through the mirror, they could clearly see the colossal dragon shadow weaving through the clouds behind her.
Though separated by distance, they could sense the nearly inexhaustible demonic power contained within that massive dragon body. A casual movement from it would likely unleash unimaginable devastation.
"To use a great yōkai as a porter… is this the strength of the Lunar Palace?"
Kamo no Yasunori could not help but murmur in awe. From this alone, he already understood that the organization's power far exceeded his comprehension.
"May I ask how to address you, miss?"
Since they could not meet the leader of the Lunar Palace, they could only settle for the next best option.
"I… I am Lana."
Her voice remained as timid as ever.
"Miss Lana, a certain onmyōji friend of mine—whose name I cannot conveniently disclose—once introduced the Lunar Palace to me. He said your organization intends to reform this world."
Worthy of his title as Great Onmyōji, Seimei sold out his colleague with perfect composure, utterly ignoring the glare Dōman shot at him.
Lana made a thoughtful expression, then brightened in realization. "Oh… you mean the onmyōji who barged in that day? Is he doing well now?"
"Thanks to you, he is eating well, drinking well, and in better spirits than ever."
Indeed—Dōman's face had already darkened to the point that he nearly slapped a talisman onto Seimei's cheek.
"Oh, I see… Right, I almost forgot. What was it you wished to discuss?"
Not detecting hostility or hidden schemes in her tone, Seimei felt slightly reassured and probed cautiously. "In truth, our onmyōji lineage also harbors the idea of reforming this world…"
"You also wish to reform the world?!" Startled, Lana asked curiously, "Then what kind of world do you intend to create?"
Seimei shook his head. "That is precisely the problem. The onmyōji are a vast collective, entangled in many interests. For years, we have been unable to reach a consensus."
"Like a noisy zoo?"
"Miss Lana…" Seimei nearly failed to suppress a smile. "Even the animals in a zoo see farther than those people. At least they know what they want. Those individuals want everything."
"Then, if that is so, Seimei-dono, how can you represent the onmyōji?" Lana suddenly asked.
"It has been a long time since I've had such a conversation. I nearly trapped myself without noticing. As expected of a member of the Lunar Palace—Miss Lana's rhetoric is admirable."
Seimei spoke frankly. "So-called 'right to speak' or 'representative authority' has never been determined by who shouts the loudest or who commands the largest numbers… Surely the Lunar Palace, which practices hegemony, understands this deeply."
His words were exceedingly direct.
He articulated a simple truth.
Power is authority.
The foundations of 'right to speak,' 'right to represent,' 'right of interpretation,' 'ownership,' and even 'sovereignty' do not lie in persuading others to listen to you.
They lie in making others unable not to listen.
And there are only two means to achieve that.
The first is the kingly path: in essence, establishing shared interests and identifying mutual benefit. This approach is suitable for times of peace.
The second is the hegemonic path: using force to compel acceptance of one's proposals—or directly eliminating opposing voices, becoming the only voice that remains.
This method is better suited to chaotic eras of war and disorder.
Up to this point, everything the Lunar Palace had done clearly followed the hegemonic path, executing its plans across the world with methodical precision through absolute power.
In Kyoto, the hegemonic path had long been criticized by officials and nobles fond of cosmetics and rhetoric. They called it a "last resort," or something "unbefitting noble conduct."
Yet in truth, it was precisely because hegemony was effective—and because they themselves lacked such strength and feared being stripped of their own 'rights' by stronger forces—that they resisted it in roundabout ways.
They possessed no power. Thus, they possessed no sense of security.
In reality, such people were far less resolute than they claimed. If pushed to the brink, the speed with which they would bow their heads and flatter the strong would be astonishing.
Having spent so long at Satsuki's side, Lana had long since developed deeper insights into such matters.
She nodded lightly, then posed another sharp question in her gentle voice.
"From a certain perspective, that reasoning is indeed correct… But Seimei-dono, do you understand the price of cooperating with a hegemon?"
Hearing Lana's words, the three men present were momentarily surprised—but quickly understood.
Frankly speaking, if they were in the position of the Lunar Palace, they certainly would not appear so harmless.
Psychological manipulation. Provocation. Analysis. Bargaining. Intimidation. Deception…
As onmyōji, they would employ every method without hesitation.
Yet now, standing outside the negotiation table, they were almost comprehensively suppressed by the Lunar Palace. Though the other party had not directly made a move, the mere tip of the iceberg occasionally revealed was enough to deter anyone.
"At this point, what bargaining chips do you onmyōji possess that would allow you to negotiate cooperation with the Lunar Palace?"
Abe no Seimei probed tentatively. "What about my Zhanshi Lüe Jue?"
A string of data flashed through Lana's mind as she retrieved keywords relating to the text he mentioned.
Before long, she located relevant records within the Giant Tenseigan. (Satsuki had once seen a brief introduction to renowned onmyōdō works while browsing books in Katori Shrine, and this title had been among them.)
After a moment, Lana shook her head.
"In essence, that book is an extension of the Liuren divination system. My lord already possesses the Liuren Compendium for study. The value of your work is insufficient."
"The Liuren Compendium?!"
Kamo no Yasunori exclaimed in shock. "The Lunar Palace actually possesses such a strange and precious text?"
It was rare for Ashiya Dōman to see his teacher so startled. He lowered his voice and asked, "Teacher, you have heard of it?"
"That is a long story. I once told you that the onmyōji lineage did not originate independently in this land. It derived from a religion called Daoism from another continent. As for the Liuren Compendium, I once read in a manuscript passed down by my family's ancestor, En no Ozunu, that this work existed. It was praised as a collected masterpiece of the highest level of ancient Liuren numerological arts."
As he spoke, longing filled Yasunori's eyes.
"I had thought the book never made its way into Japan. I did not expect it to have fallen into the hands of the Lunar Palace."
Hearing this explanation, Seimei felt as though he had displayed petty tricks before a master. He had assumed that with his ability and reputation, his authored work would at least earn some measure of respect.
Instead, the other side casually brought out a legendary text revered even by immortals.
That was awkward.
From this alone, he could infer that even in the field he excelled at most—onmyōdō—the other side held him in little regard. It would be difficult to produce an appropriate bargaining chip now.
But Seimei's mind moved quickly.
"In that case, may I ask a question?"
"What question?"
"What is the purpose behind the Lunar Palace's large-scale dissemination of black magatama throughout the world?"
This time, Lana fell silent.
The [Black Magatama] was primarily constructed from Satsuki's Dead Line, containing remote communication technology, an improved version of the Telescope Technique derived from another world, contract techniques, and more.
Yet these were only part of its functions.
Within the Dead Line, at its core, lay the authority power of Satsuki's Three Divine Kings' Sacred Wheel. That was the true essence of the artifact.
Through issuing missions, the black magatama selected the most promising individual specimens across various species in this world. Through "rewards," it converted a portion of natural energy to strengthen them, stimulating further biological enhancement.
It would then continue recording their data, releasing "limit-breaking missions" to repeatedly test their boundaries. Through this cycle, it continuously stimulated extreme breakthroughs within each species while documenting all variations.
Such growth meant little to Satsuki at her current level.
But her subordinates still had vast room for advancement. Moreover, this process gathered preliminary data for constructing a biological archive for a brand-new world.
Satsuki had long planned this. She had simply handled it quietly, giving it the flavor of an unseen giant. At the time, she had only provided direction and suggestions—the Three Kings had devised the concrete implementation together.
Thus, in the beginning, even Satsuki herself had not fully understood why they requested such a multifunctional artifact.
Her extended stay in the Demon-Hunting Village had been precisely because she needed time to design and construct the [Black Magatama].
The Three Kings seemed to have transplanted the logic of game testing into this world—continually probing the limits of the "server," discovering further possibilities, and eliminating potential problems or "bugs" while they were still in their infancy.
...
Returning to the present—
The question Seimei posed was not one Lana could easily answer.
The plan was still ongoing. Though progress had accelerated under the Lunar Palace's intervention, it was clearly not time to make it public.
And Lana was unaccustomed to lying.
So she chose a middle path.
"It relates to our organization's purpose."
Seimei's face took on a contemplative expression. She had not lied—but neither had she given a direct response. That alone suggested the matter was far from simple.
Clearly, it would be inappropriate to press further.
Seimei smiled knowingly. "In that case, why not allow your side to propose terms? What kind of bargaining chip would satisfy the prerequisite for cooperation?"
Lana shook her head.
"I cannot decide matters of cooperation with the Lunar Palace. However… personally, I do not oppose cooperating with Mr. Abe."
After all, gathering more individual data aligned perfectly with the tasks they were executing.
"Oh? And how would that cooperation proceed?"
Sensing an opening, Seimei immediately followed up.
"Defeat my avatar. Or continue completing the missions of the [Black Magatama]. Choose one of the two."
Lana spoke in her usual timid tone.
"As long as Mr. Abe accomplishes either, it will suffice… Though I personally suggest continuing the missions. That would give you a higher chance of survival."
Was it really appropriate to say something so direct in such a gentle voice?
Seimei could not help but smile wryly at her earnest expression.
It was not that he doubted her sincerity. The strength of the Lunar Palace was plain for all to see.
He simply found this member named Lana quite interesting. Moreover, she carried a uniquely distinctive presence.
"Let us end our discussion here for today. I have other matters to attend to." Lana's gaze shifted briefly toward a distant direction before returning to the image. "When we next meet, I hope it will be after Mr. Abe has completed his task… After all, I would rather not casually kill a target with potential."