21st Century Necromancer
Chapter 852 - 846 The Touchstone

In Sasebo, Akagi did not take any action against the US military stationed there.

Although Americans were once enemies, since the war was lost back then, it's better to admit defeat straightforwardly. As for allowing foreign troops to station within the country, though it feels unpleasant, it's not enough for Akagi to truly do anything.

Despite her current demigod-level power and the ability she wielded as an aircraft carrier to project force, capable of effortlessly wiping the entire Sasebo US military base off the map, she would never act without Chen Yu's permission.

After paying tribute to her comrades-in-arms of the past at Sasebo and admiring the ships of today's Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, Akagi returned to Fukuoka.

However, seeing the ships of the Maritime Self-Defense Force, Akagi couldn't help but feel envious.

She was an old warship from the World War II era—originally a battlecruiser of the Amagi-class, later converted into an aircraft carrier. The design and structure were not initially intended for an aircraft carrier, and after several modifications, Akagi ultimately became one. Yet, her form undoubtedly resembled nothing more than a patchwork structure.

Compared to her junior, the Soryuu, built at Kure Port, Akagi was inferior in many respects, whether it was deck architecture, internal design, or sailing speed, all due to her origins as a converted cruiser. This isn't even considering the later Shoukaku and Zuikaku sisters or the Shinano modified from the Yamato Grade.

Hence, Akagi sincerely hoped that her hull could undergo a modernization upgrade, making her appearance more elegant.

"I really want a beautiful flight deck too!" Recalling the modern Kaga helicopter destroyer she had seen online, Akagi was filled with longing—those sleek lines and beautiful flight decks made her deeply fond of it.

If possible, she also wanted her hull to resemble something like that. Even if it could only accommodate tiny helicopters, it wouldn't matter.

At this thought, Akagi felt a touch of anticipation: "I wonder when the commander's promised modernization upgrade can begin. I really want some modern ship equipment! Electromagnetic catapults—I'd love to try those out!"

As Akagi pondered this, the car carrying her arrived back in Fukuoka.

Upon returning to Fukuoka, Akagi naturally became concerned with the handling of matters at Tenmangu Shrine.

"Lady Akagi, Tenmangu Shrine has agreed to return the relics of The Dingyuan. However, they said that since Dingyuan Pavilion is considered a historical site and most of The Dingyuan relics were used as structural supports for the building, fully disassembling them will take a significant amount of time. Therefore, they hope to return some of the relics in installments at first." In response to Akagi's inquiries, the Imperial Household Agency's attendant hurriedly reported the relevant situation.

"In installments? Return just a portion first?" Upon hearing this, Akagi immediately understood the intentions of the priests at Tenmangu Shrine. Her previously good mood was thoroughly ruined, and she snorted coldly in displeasure.

As an attendant of the Imperial Household Agency, he naturally could deduce Tenmangu Shrine's purpose of stalling for time. But he didn't criticize this fact nor take any action; rather, he merely reported it to Akagi.

There were certainly some subtle maneuvers and probing from the Imperial Household Agency involved here. However, hearing Akagi's cold snort, the attendant quickly explained: "Dingyuan Pavilion's architectural structure is indeed intricate. Many of The Dingyuan's relics were used as primary building materials. Completely extracting these relics intact will indeed require considerable time. I hope Lady Akagi can forgive us on this matter."

"Hmph! It seems I wasn't clear enough." Akagi could easily grasp that the Imperial Household Agency intended to use this matter to probe her, with Tenmangu Shrine merely acting as their pawn. Whether this pawn would be crushed by her—well, the Imperial Household Agency hadn't even considered that.

Understanding the situation, Akagi told the attendant, "Instruct them to completely dismantle the Dingyuan Pavilion. Disassemble all relics of The Dingyuan, then return them all at once—I don't want to see any more delays or excuses."

"Yes, Lady Akagi." The attendant quickly bowed in compliance. The Imperial Household Agency had tasked him with probing Akagi, but he had no intention of facing a demigod's wrath.

However, to accomplish his probing objective, the attendant deliberately added, "Lady Akagi, if the priests at Tenmangu Shrine continue to make excuses, what measures should we take? While the Imperial Household Agency represents the Imperial Family, we don't technically have jurisdiction over these Shrines. Should they procrastinate further, even the police wouldn't have a valid pretext to manage them effectively."

Upon hearing this, Akagi naturally understood his scheming. However, recalling Chen Yu's earlier instruction for her to properly teach those priests at Tenmangu Shrine a lesson, Akagi figured that since the Imperial Household Agency sought to test her, she might as well seize the opportunity to make a point.

With this in mind, Akagi replied decisively to the attendant, "Making excuses? If those two prior demigods could demolish Tenmangu Shrine once, I could do so as well."

Akagi's answer hit exactly where the Imperial Household Agency had hoped. The attendant swiftly bowed to Akagi again before leaving the room to convey her intentions to the priests of Tenmangu Shrine.

As she watched the attendant leave, Akagi couldn't help but mock inwardly. In this matter—whether it was Tenmangu Shrine or the Imperial Household Agency—each was harboring ulterior motives. Whether the incidents surrounding the destruction of Tenmangu Shrine would actually be addressed was of little concern to any of them.

In truth, even Akagi herself had little interest in resolving previous matters. After all, Chen Yu had dispatched her here to showcase military strength, not to genuinely address problems.

Now, with every party scheming for their own ends, it seemed inevitable that Tenmangu Shrine would become the target of Akagi's demonstration of strength.

For the situation to unfold this way was likely within the expectations of all involved. It's possible that even Tenmangu Shrine itself didn't care much about the matter. After all, the priests, who worshipped a deity at their shrine, had yet to truly experience the might of a demigod, not to mention the fact that this demigod's actions were to undermine their interests.

For the Imperial Household Agency, Akagi's trip to Fukuoka would inevitably require her to take action, whether it was against the two demigods who had previously demolished Tenmangu Shrine, or against Tenmangu Shrine itself—it didn't matter.

As long as Akagi could demonstrate military strength capable of deterring all of Japan and even the world, thereby announcing that Japan now had a new demigod, the Imperial Household Agency's purpose would be achieved.

Compared to proclaiming Japan's renewed protection by a demigod, a mere Tenmangu Shrine and a nearly incapacitated minor deity weren't even worth the Imperial Household Agency's consideration. They were nothing more than a convenient litmus test.