21st Century Necromancer
Chapter 837 - 833: Etiquette

Chen Yu returned after handling affairs in Fukuoka, so naturally, Ni Nasu no longer needed to disguise herself as him. Although he was only there for a day, it must be said that it was fortunate he had Ni Nasu as a contingency plan to impersonate him; otherwise, there was indeed a risk of mishap.

Now that he's back in person, and since yesterday was relatively uneventful, no one would possibly know that he had made a trip to Fukuoka, dismantled the Tenmangu Shrine, and summoned a brand-new demigod during his visit.

Speaking of the matter with the demigod, Chen Yu had already announced publicly through Monk Xinyuan that there were only five demigods around him, plus the so-called "temporary" summon, Kirov, making a total of six demigod-level ship-girls. As such, he no longer enjoyed the prior perks where ship-girls brought him breakfast every morning as was the case a few days ago.

Of course, Jounouchi Hiromi still had ship-girls by her side, tasked with her personal security. However, the rotation of personnel had changed—from employing ship-girls beyond those Chen Yu had made public to exclusively those six ship-girls.

As for the Shoukaku and Zuikaku sisters seen previously or the other ship-girls who appeared in recent times, the memories of anyone who encountered them in the hospital would be wiped clean, ensuring that people would not remember them.

Even if someone were to investigate the matter, they would only find that Jounouchi Hiromi occasionally had relatives or maids hired by Chen Yu to take care of her during her pregnancy. No one would suspect that the individuals surrounding Jounouchi Hiromi were all demigods.

After all, to the rest of the world, the notion of Chen Yu using demigods as servants and maids was utterly unimaginable.

Moreover, Chen Yu had deliberately ensured the memory erasure of everyone at the hospital, eliminating any potential risks entirely.

As Chen Yu managed his daily affairs, representatives from the Japanese Government unsurprisingly arrived to discuss the incidents in Fukuoka.

"Lord Chen Yu." The arriving individual bowed respectfully to Chen Yu before presenting a business card. "I am Kei Kawabe of the Imperial Household Agency, here to visit you under orders."

Although Chen Yu's office had no other occupants, the visitor from the Imperial Household Agency remained exceedingly cautious, refraining from uttering anything that might reveal Chen Yu's identity as a demigod. This prudence could appear slightly rude, but Kei Kawabe did his utmost to maintain impeccable decorum.

"Under orders to visit?" Chen Yu silently chuckled to himself, fully aware that those orders originated from the Emperor.

The only individual capable of commanding the Imperial Household Agency was the Emperor. As part of the Imperial Family's exclusive jurisdiction, staffed entirely by members of the Old Noble Families, the agency handled royal affairs without needing to heed the Prime Minister. Thus, the one issuing the command could only be the Emperor.

"Why have you come? And what assistance does the sender of the orders require from me?" Chen Yu feigned ignorance while clearly understanding the visit's purpose—it was connected to his actions in Fukuoka.

The emissary from the Imperial Household Agency was cautious. Despite knowing that Chen Yu was a demigod and that no one could eavesdrop under such circumstances, he uttered no superfluous words. Instead, he opened a briefcase, took out a document, and respectfully presented it to Chen Yu with both hands.

Glancing briefly at the document, Chen Yu immediately recognized it was related to the havoc he had caused at Tenmangu Shrine. He nodded slightly and said, "I understand the situation. But what exactly do you want me to do? The incident occurred yesterday, and those responsible for the actions could not possibly remain on the scene."

"We are aware of this, but the incident is significant, and we kindly request that Lord Chen Yu dispatch someone to handle the matter," Kei Kawabe responded. He understood Chen Yu's insinuation—that dispatching personnel amounted to nothing more than cleaning up the aftermath, something hardly requiring a demigod's personal involvement.

However, the involvement of a demigod in the matter would vastly amplify deterrent effects—a key goal behind Emperor Reiwa's costly agreements with Chen Yu. The objective was to signal to the world that Japan was once again protected by a demigod.

Chen Yu naturally grasped the underlying implications. After briefly considering, he nodded and said, "I will dispatch someone to handle this matter. She will meet with you later, but it will merely be a formality. You must take care of the specifics yourselves."

"Of course. It is already an immense honor that you would dispatch someone," Kei Kawabe replied gratefully. He knew better than to press further. For Chen Yu to authorize someone to address the situation was already him granting immense face. Naturally, the dispatched personnel would only oversee formalities—the real task of resolving the incident fell to Japan's existing teams that handled such matters.

For contemporary Japan, borrowing Chen Yu's demigod identity was what mattered most. Whether sent personnel could resolve the event was of secondary importance.

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Chen Yu's choice to handle the matter was, of course, a ship-girl.

This wasn't because Chen Yu lacked other options; rather, deploying a ship-girl was the optimal way to showcase Japan's martial deterrence while fulfilling his agreement with the Emperor.

The ship-girl dispatched by Chen Yu was Akagi. However, today Akagi did not wear her beloved red kimono. Instead, she donned a white outfit with a red hakama resembling a kendo uniform, her hair tied into a ponytail with sandalwood paper. Her equipment comprised a bow and katana transformed from her ship gear.

Following the address provided, Akagi arrived at the Imperial Household Agency within the Imperial Palace. Having received advance notice, the agency organized a considerable ceremonial reception in preparation to welcome Akagi.

Throughout Japanese history, demigods were acknowledged as real entities, and thus, protocols for receiving them were well-established.

In earlier times, the Imperial Family claimed descent from Amaterasu Ōmikami, with each generation of Emperors considered godly offspring. Several major noble families linked to the Imperial Family also carried traces of divine lineage. While not gods themselves, their extraordinary talents often produced demigods with ease.

These demigods possessed immense power and mostly descended from Gao Tianyuan's divine pantheon. Many shared bloodlines with the Imperial Family, with some originating as branches of the Imperial Clan following their abdication. Consequently, during times when the Emperor retained supreme political authority, official ceremonies for receiving demigods were equated with those for Imperial princes.

This protocol persisted even throughout the Shogunate era and remained unchanged.

During the Meiji Era, however, with the Westernization of etiquette, the Meiji Government significantly revised past ceremonial norms. The status of demigods, seen as less critical with advancements in technology, saw their honorary treatment downgraded from prince-level receptions to those befitting dukes.

This practice continued through subsequent Taisho and Showa periods. However, the Showa Era gambled recklessly, attempting overreach akin to a snake swallowing an elephant. Not only did Japan lose all its demigods during that time, but it also squandered much of its Shinto capabilities, leaving post-war Japan with merely a handful of remaining legendary transcendents.

Decades later, as Japan formally welcomed a demigod once again, the Imperial Household Agency consulted the Emperor and Prime Minister, scouring historical texts to resurrect old practices. Ultimately, they reinstated the prince-level ceremonial tradition used in former days to receive Akagi.