The sky turned gray, looking as though it was about to rain. The year was drawing to a close, and Kuri's New Year was fast approaching.
Unfortunately, it wouldn't snow for the Kuri New Year. Instead, the climate remained sweltering. The moisture in the air made it even harder to breathe, as though they were locked inside a sauna.
Both Buggy and Enel felt somewhat stifled. A few days had passed since the football match, and they noticed that the Tengyo Bugyo soldiers patrolling Kuri were increasing their rounds.
And yet, Kuri's public order was perfectly fine.
Truth be told, aside from a few mischievous kids who might sneak into the fields to steal some sweet potatoes or other crops to roast, there wasn't even a proper thief in all of Kuri.
Many people could sense what this de facto martial law implied. This was especially true for the merchants who traveled between the various regions conducting trade.
They knew better than anyone about the changes occurring in other regions — small shifts, like the Shogun recently increasing the taxes he collected. Not by much, but it signaled an ominous omen.
Everyone worried whether the acting Shogun might become a greedy snake. But restrained by the Shogun's authority and various other reasons, they could do nothing more than worry.
"Lately, the laws have been getting stricter too." A merchant pulled down the sedge hat on his head and whispered to his companion beside him. "I heard that fellow from Sanpeigawa planned to spend money to smooth things over for his business, but instead he got arrested for bribery."
For itinerant merchants like them, traveling between different regions, spending a little money to grease palms and avoid trouble was a common practice.
"If they actually enforce it strictly, that might be a good thing." The other man dismissed it with a wave.
"Those bloodsuckers — we don't even know how much money we waste on them every year! If people everywhere were like Kuri, now that would be a good thing."
"That's true." The other man nodded.
"But regardless, we'd better be careful lately. Wouldn't want to accidentally break the law." The merchant caravan departed Kuri at a leisurely pace, carrying grain purchased cheaply from Kuri, bound for Ringo.
Ringo's agriculture had improved significantly thanks to the farming machinery sold by Kuri. But the climate being what it was, the harvest each year was still meager.
Under these circumstances, Ringo was heavily dependent on grain imports from Kuri. Most of this trade was controlled by the Kuri Daimyo's estate, but Keiko understood well the principle of sharing the spoils — having the meat meant letting others have some broth too. So she released a portion of the market to independent merchants.
This was precisely why Kuri had become a place merchants flocked to. Without profit to be made, Kuri's foreign trade could never have flourished.
But this time, their plans seemed to have hit a snag.
After leaving Kuri, the caravan was quickly targeted by a group in Shimotsuki. The cargo guards soon spotted signs of trouble and drew their swords, going on high alert.
Then, beneath the terrified expressions of the two merchants, a band of ragged ronin wearing tattered sedge hats slowly surrounded them.
"Well now, business comes walking right to our door."
"Who are you people?" The guards' faces grew grim. These ronin might have been dressed shabbily, but upon closer inspection, every one of them was tall and powerfully built — not like true ronin at all.
"Just stray dogs in the wild. The Nozobishu, nothing more."
The one who appeared to be their leader rested the back of his blade against his shoulder. Beneath his sedge hat, his eyes gleamed with a bloodthirsty red light.
The so-called Nobusi were nothing more than beggars roaming the mountains and wilderness — hardly worth mentioning. Though calling them bandits wouldn't be far off either.
"There should be plenty of valuables in those boxes, yeah? Leave them behind, and you can get lost!" The Nozobishu leader declared arrogantly, chin raised high.
"You're this brazen — aren't you afraid the Shimotsuki Daimyo's army will come wipe out you bandits?" one of the samurai snapped angrily. It was his first time seeing such audacious bandits, and he couldn't contain his temper.
The wild-dog Nozobishu all sneered in unison. "Interesting. Brothers, since these folks don't know their place, let's go big."
As he spoke, he drew a finger across his throat. One after another, the others broke into cruel grins.
This sight — not just the two merchants, but even the guards couldn't help but feel their courage falter. The hands gripping their swords were trembling.
"Wait, please, warriors!" One of the merchants, sensing things going south, hurriedly cried out.
"I'm just a small-time trader. These are just resold grain — barely worth anything. If you'd like them, take them. Just spare our lives, and let's part as friends."
As a merchant, no one wanted to hand over their goods. Let alone the fact that they had paid good money to hire all these guards — this was supposed to be the moment they earned their keep.
But this merchant had clearly perceived the gap in strength between the two sides. These guards were absolutely no match for these men.
And these so-called "Nozobishu" looked like they were well-trained. He couldn't help but wonder if he had offended someone powerful.
"Finally, someone sensible. In that case, have your men drop their weapons." The Nozobishu leader waved his hand grandly, then strode off with the two merchants' goods.
Before leaving, noticing someone still seemed resentful, he called out mockingly: "Pathetic. You're not thinking of going to the Shimotsuki Daimyo, are you? How naive."
Only after the bandits had faded into the distance did the other merchant slowly speak.
"That fellow — what did he mean by that last remark? Could it be that they're in cahoots with the Shimotsuki Daimyo?"
"Who knows..." The other merchant shook his head. His expression was grim, but he was also helpless.
Similar incidents had begun cropping up in many places across the country. These so-called Nozobishu were, naturally, dispatched by Kurozumi Orochi.
With Kaido serving as his scapegoat, his movements had accelerated.
The Nozobishu's purpose was to join forces with the local underworld and temporarily tie down the influence of each region's Daimyo. This would give him the breathing room to bring the entire Flower Capital completely under his control!
He no longer needed to put on that hypocritical facade in front of others. Now he could unleash his hatred, his resentment — completely and utterly!
[
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