Because of this, if ancient humans wanted to live as safely and comfortably as possible, most chose to settle near both mountains and water, but not too close or too far, prioritizing flat land.
Following this logic, Sū ěr group had only moved a short distance toward the edge of the range before finding signs of human activity.
There were traps likely set by hunters, or marks made by woodcutters. Further on, they even saw human architecture, far more refined than the ancient Japanese structures Sū ěr had imagined.
After all, in his mind, people who dared to claim they "built a castle in a day" when they'd only put up a waist-high wall were lucky to have any shelter at all. But what appeared before his eyes was an exquisite courtyard with tiled roofs and white-painted walls.
This courtyard sat atop a low hill completely occupied by humans, holding the prime position. At the foot of the hill were several simple thatched huts, clearly the dwellings of commoners.
It was surprising, but remembering the Oni who had built grand underground cities with iron in the primordial era, Sū ěr felt he was being a bit dramatic.
Yōkai are the primary force of production.
In this ancient society without advanced technology, yōkai with immense strength and bizarre abilities could create incredible things.
There were commoners in servant attire and practitioners in monk robes. Sū ěr could see the glow of spiritual energy on them. Aside from that, what caught everyone's eye was an absolutely massive tree.
For a moment, Sū ěr thought they had arrived at the ancient location of the Goshinboku from the Higurashi Shrine, which would mean they had found the ancient well. But after the initial shock, he realized this giant tree wasn't the Goshinboku they were familiar with.
His time in Japan was enough for him to identify the species from its leaves. Without a doubt, it was the flower the later Japanese people loved most—the Cherry Blossom [Sakura].
But how could a cherry tree grow this thick and tall?!
If such a giant tree really existed in history, the records would never have forgotten it. Moreover, Sū ěr had never seen a cherry tree this massive even while browsing the internet daily in modern society.
If it had survived into the future, given the unique status of cherry blossoms in this country, such an ancient and towering tree would surely be the national tree, with shrines built specifically to worship it.
Which means… was it cut down?
And the history along with it was erased.
Sū ěr understood now. He was certain there was a yōkai behind this; only yōkai with strange and terrifying abilities could prevent humans from leaving even a scrap of information about this giant cherry tree for posterity.
He shared his theory with the others. Think had no objections. Without a doubt, this cherry tree that hadn't luckily survived into the future was tied to some secret. Thus, while exploring the area around the time portal, this tree became a primary focus.
But before that, they had to head back.
"How much time has passed?" Sū ěr asked casually, checking for any changes in himself.
"Time flow doesn't seem to be an issue. It matches the time passing in the modern world. It's much better than the primordial era, where a few days equaled months… Is it because the time jump this time wasn't that far?" Think speculated. "What about Miss Empty-Head?"
"Everything is normal~, Miss Potted Plant~," Jibril replied with a smile, though Sū ěr still felt uneasy.
"Are you sure? Things like feeling drowsy or fatigued count too. Feel it again carefully," Sū ěr pinched Jibril cheek and said.
In this world without Spirits [Elementals], Jibril existence was maintained by the broken tributary of the "Galaxy" that possessed time-traveling properties. After bringing Sū ěr and Think back to the modern world, that energy wasn't even enough for Jibril to maintain her strongest form. Her current mature appearance was just a transformation she used to spite Think; she was essentially still a child Flügel.
This time-portal relied on the well, which somehow borrowed power from that same Galaxy. Thus, its use could be seen as consuming the very foundation of Jibril existence. This was why Sū ěr had insisted they return quickly; he was afraid Jibril might suddenly vanish before they figured things out.
"Don't worry~, it's fine~~~" Jibril squinted her eyes, clearly delighted by Sū ěr concern. She rubbed her cheek against his hand. "Energy consumption is much lower than I expected. The unknown energy the Weed and I found accounts for the vast majority of it. It's like climbing a rope—much easier than flying directly."
Though there were no safety issues, the confusion on Jibril face hadn't faded. Despite her constant insults, she never underestimated Think intelligence. After all, if she really looked down on that "Weed," what did that make Jibril, who couldn't even understand the experimental logs in the Weed's old diary?
Yet even Think hadn't been able to define the concept of this unknown energy, let alone figure out why it was growing.
"As long as you're okay," Sū ěr nodded, then turned to Kagome. "Go back and explain these things to your grandfather first… By the way, keep that jewel safe. Don't mention it or show it to anyone else—Think, help her set up a concealment spell."
Sū ěr gestured to Think.
"…Okay, thank you," Kagome clutched the pink jewel tightly. She was still immersed in today's dream-like sequence of events as she watched Think finger tap the surface of the jade.
"Go back and get some rest. This isn't over yet. We might need your help again," Sū ěr said, sighing as he ruffled the girl's hair.
The Shikon Jewel, huh?
I have a feeling it's not anything good…