Chapter 78: Saori Who Ate the Dango Fruit
Saori looked at Ren with a troubled expression.
She and Saya were twin sisters, nearly identical in appearance. Since coming to the daimyo's residence, they had been studying dance and music, so they didn't have much combat ability.
However, Saori had accidentally eaten a Devil Fruit discovered by the Tenguyama magistrate's men in the Shibusawa Forest—the Paramecia-type Dango Fruit.
The Dango Fruit allowed her to produce dango from her own body. These dango had the same effect as the Kibi Dango from Doraemon, making animals obedient. It could even have a certain effect on Zoan users.
Originally, this fruit would have been eaten by Tamaki many years later, but now it had become Saori's ability.
This was why Ren had without hesitation handed the Den Den Mushi and the Tsuru over to her to raise. The Den Den Mushi was, in fact, a living creature and could be influenced by the Dango Fruit.
The beasts tamed in Kuri were also made to obey obediently and help farmers with their fields, thanks to the power of the Dango Fruit.
One could say that Saori had made a tremendous contribution to the agricultural development of Kuri.
However, Saori really didn't have much fondness for creatures like the Den Den Mushi. What she and her sister liked were fluffy creatures. Thinking of this, her watery eyes couldn't help but drift over toward Yuriko.
Yuriko, who could transform into a white fox, was simply perfect for her aesthetic. A fluffy Arctic fox, just unbearably cute. Now that was the kind of small animal they would want to raise.
Feeling her gaze, Yuriko shifted uncomfortably.
She found these two sisters to be a major headache. Saori was still relatively well-behaved, but her sister Saya was a complete troublemaker, very bold. Just a few days ago, she had even goaded Saori into secretly mixing dango into Yuriko's food.
As a result, the unsuspecting Yuriko had fallen right into their trap. She had been toyed with by these two disrespectful brats for a long time.
Even thinking back on it now still made her grit her teeth.
"After a few months, those Den Den Mushi should be tamed," Ren thought. He had handed them over to the sisters several months ago. Creatures like the Den Den Mushi were very easy to tame in the first place; feeding them a single dango was enough to make them completely docile.
"Then just give those Den Den Mushi to someone else," Ren nodded. There were now nearly a hundred maids in the daimyo's residence, but only the current few had been chosen by Yukiko and could become part of Ren's harem.
Although the other maids were also very beautiful, they were still a step below these few. Moreover, some of their backgrounds were not entirely clean. Some were descendants of criminals.
When Kuri was first established, not everyone who came here was so law-abiding. Some underworld figures, seeing an opportunity for profit, thought to bring their wives and daughters here to make a name for themselves. Some merchants were even unscrupulous, trying to move their shady dealings from other provinces to Kuri to exploit the common people.
After these people were subdued, they were all sent to do hard labor. The family members who passed the appearance check were brought back by Yukiko. Their status in the residence was lower, mainly responsible for the miscellaneous chores of the residence, or serving as dancers and female guards.
In addition to these people, there were the women brought back last time; the chores could be handed over to them.
...
Soon, it was the final night of the Fire Festival.
The news that the daimyo would leave the residence to watch the fireworks was deliberately spread by Yukiko. This immediately shifted the people of Kuri's expectations from the fireworks themselves to the daimyo.
Seeing the daimyo was no easy feat. The lord usually lived in seclusion, and even the people living at the foot of Mt. Kagegami had rarely seen Ren's face. The only time they got a good look was when the Kurotsu Beshi had impersonated him, and the commoners who followed him to the Flower Capital only stopped chasing near the checkpoint.
Everyone who had seen the daimyo at the time said he was as handsome as a god descending to earth. Many who hadn't seen him believed it without question and began to look forward to it.
To the people of Kuri, Ren was a legend, and no matter how much he was praised, it was not an exaggeration.
The reason why the people of Wano in the original story had a different attitude toward Kozuki Oden—from resenting him at the beginning to becoming brainless worshippers later—stemmed from two events: the Mountain God incident and his pacification of Kuri.
The first event made him a legend. Later, after he pacified Kuri, people couldn't help but feel that this man was indeed very strong. Although he was a scoundrel in the past, he had fortunately turned over a new leaf. Whether it was a monster bigger than a mountain or the century of chaos in Kuri, as long as he was there, he could handle it.
In the long, peaceful Wano, he was the only one who could cause such a huge commotion, just like the Dragon-Slaying Samurai of the past, leaving a deep impression.
It was precisely because of this that Kozuki Oden later became a pillar in people's hearts. They believed that as long as he returned, both Kurotsu Orochi and Kaido would be driven out.
It was a pity that this man betrayed the expectations of the entire country, even irresponsibly betting the lives of countless people on a so-called prophecy. Even if this prophecy were to come true in the end, what would be used to compensate for the suffering and the lives lost during those twenty years?
In Ren's eyes, Kozuki Oden was just a fool with great strength, or no, he wasn't even that strong in terms of power.
Incompetent and naive, that is just stupidity!
"Alright, my lord." Two maids finished adjusting Ren's clothes, then lowered their heads and silently stepped back two steps.
Today, he was wearing light-purple clothes. There weren't many patterns on the outfit, looking simple but not plain. The dark purple made him look even more mysterious and noble. If viewed from a distance, he would seem unapproachable.
However, the maids who often served Ren naturally knew that his personality was actually quite easygoing.
"Mm, once it gets dark, the fireworks festival will begin. If you want to watch, you can go watch too," Ren said. He was not a very demanding person. Even the servants had considerable freedom.
These maids had days off every month, and except for a few, the others also received a monthly salary. If someone grew tired of life in the daimyo's residence, or had saved up enough money, they could also choose to quit their job, buy a house in Kuri, and settle down.
After preparing, Ren led Yukiko and the others out of the daimyo's residence.
Saketaburo was already waiting at the gate with a squad of guards.
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