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Chapter 189: The Squeeze-Dry Plan Continues to Add New Members
Greed Island.
Suyan lay on his back on the grass. Makomo, curled up like a little kitten, nestled against his arm. Flanking them were two fluffy YukimiBotamons. A gentle breeze brushed against his cheeks, carrying a faint scent of fresh grass intermingled with Makomo's elegant fragrance, making one want to endlessly sink into the moment.
It had been three months since Muzan was captured. With Muzan's apprehension, the affairs of the Demon Slayer world had begun to settle.
Ubuyashiki Kagaya was fortunate enough not to perish in the battle three months ago. As agreed, he handed over the majority of the Demon Slayer Corps' stockpile of ore used for forging Nichirin Swords to Suyan, keeping only a small portion in case new demons ever appeared in the future. Furthermore, after the battle, he personally disbanded the Demon Slayer Corps, the organization that had been entangled with demons for over a millennium. He also finally loosened the purse strings of the Ubuyashiki family's wealth, seeking out doctors in developed nations to address the family's genetic curse. Rumor had it that they had achieved significant results. It was hard to say whether this was purely due to medical advancements driven by technological progress, making the previously incurable genetic disease more manageable.
The Water Hashira, Tomioka Giyuu, was finally able to meet Sabito one last time before his reincarnation, thanks to the Nen aura Suyan provided. After a heartfelt conversation, Giyuu finally forgave himself. Following the disbandment of the Demon Slayer Corps, he peacefully secluded himself at home, living the life of a wealthy retiree.
As for Tanjiro and his younger brother Shigeru, who had been studying Water Breathing under the former Water Hashira, Urokodaki Sakonji, they managed to graduate by working together to kill the Hand Demon on Mt. Fujikasane under Urokodaki's watchful eye. Though graduating essentially meant unemployment, they were reunited with their mother and two younger brothers, who had been restored to humans with Tamayo's help. Nezuko and her sister Hanako chose to stay in Greed Island, only visiting their family together occasionally.
There was also Ume's older brother, Gyutaro. Who knew what had happened while he was staying at the Butterfly Mansion with Kamado Kie and the others, but he also chose to use the Humanizing Drug to become human again. Moreover, he acknowledged Kie as his mother. Gaining a bunch of younger brothers, he would live harmoniously with Tanjiro and the others in the future. According to Nezuko, Hanako, and Gyutaro's actual sister, Ume—who often visited home together—Kie seemed keen on arranging marriage interviews for Gyutaro. This had been giving Gyutaro a massive headache recently.
Aside from these developments, there were also their own matters. First was the Butterfly Mansion. In the great battle three months prior, the destruction had essentially leveled the entire estate, leaving the buildings shattered and in ruins. Afterward, Kocho Kanae successfully convinced her sister Shinobu, and together, everyone pitched in to replicate a brand-new Butterfly Mansion on a 1:1 scale inside Greed Island. This officially marked the relocation of the Butterfly Mansion girls into Greed Island. Even Shinobu, who had initially been reluctant, was accidentally tricked by Kanae during a massive brawl, leading her to join the ranks of those aiming to squeeze Suyan dry.
Additionally, over the past three months, apart from Muzan (who provided demon blood) and Enmu (who was beaten unconscious by Miyamoto Rei), both of whom were still locked in the Infinity Castle, Suyan had successfully obtained a batch of highly promising Blood Demon Arts from other demons.
Furthermore, Tamayo easily managed to combine her research with the zombie virus from the Highschool of the Dead world, developing a drug that allowed demons to grow stronger—and even acquire Blood Demon Arts—by consuming zombies. Suyan specifically purchased a batch of death-row inmates from the Demon Slayer world, used adjusted demon blood to turn them into demons, and had them consume the drug that altered their diet to zombies. Using their freedom as a bargaining chip in exchange for any Blood Demon Arts they awakened in the future, he tossed this new batch of demons into the Highschool of the Dead world.
And this was only the first batch. There were over a billion zombies in the Highschool of the Dead world that could serve as food for the demons. So, the number of demons deployed to that world in the future would certainly exceed the current batch. Even if only a small fraction awakened Blood Demon Arts in the future, given the sheer baseline numbers, they probably wouldn't lack Blood Demon Arts ever again.
However, all these tasks were delegated to Tamayo. As a condition, Suyan handed Muzan over to her as a test subject to fulfill her long-standing hatred. As long as she didn't kill Muzan or interfere with the production of new demons, Tamayo was free to torture him however she pleased. Beyond this, there was the research on the Immortality Elixir. Although there were still a few hurdles left to overcome, they were making good progress. Not long ago, when the Blue Spider Lily bloomed, Nezuko and the others found it near their home while visiting. After harvesting some to bring back as experimental materials for Tamayo, they specifically transplanted a few into Greed Island as local flora.
At this point, virtually everything Suyan needed or wanted to do in the Demon Slayer world was complete. Ever since the Butterfly Mansion was destroyed three months ago, eliminating their foothold in the Demon Slayer world, Suyan rarely visited it, spending almost every day inside Greed Island. He spent his days either training his Nen abilities or engaging in intimate activities with his contracted partners. Or, like now, he would hold Makomo and the YukimiBotamons while enjoying a beautiful sunbath on the grass.
It wasn't that he disliked this kind of life. His personality just wasn't as lazy as Marikawa Shizuka's. It was fine before he awakened Greed Island in the Highschool of the Dead world, since he had no way to travel to other worlds and spent almost every day hunting zombies with Saeko to strengthen his aura via Reizan. The days were fulfilling enough. Yet even then, he began to feel mentally fatigued towards the end. Now that his business in the Demon Slayer world was concluded and the world itself lacked any interesting attractions, Suyan genuinely felt a bit restless. The only thing that still held some interest for him was the hidden setting of Heaven and Hell unique to the Demon Slayer world. But after trying and continually failing to grasp how it worked, he stopped wasting time on it.
It had been over five months since he arrived in the Demon Slayer world. Less than half a year. Yet, a new Dimensional Gate hadn't generated in Greed Island.
Was there a way to accelerate this process? As Suyan gently stroked Makomo's head, he couldn't help but ponder this inwardly.
"Little Suyan! Little Suyan!"
Shizuka's voice snapped him out of his daze. Suyan looked up to see Shizuka puffing her cheeks at him. "Shizuka?"
"Hmph, what is Little Suyan thinking about so deeply? You were so absorbed you didn't even react when I called you." Getting a response from Suyan, Shizuka's puffed cheeks slowly deflated like a leaking balloon. She poked Suyan's cheek curiously.
Suyan grabbed Shizuka's finger, which was wreaking havoc on his face, gave it a light squeeze, and replied, "No, it's nothing. Nothing major."
"What gives? I thought you were thinking about something fun." Shizuka didn't pull her hand back, letting Suyan play with her fingers. She then glanced at Makomo in his arms and said, "Alright, it's time to eat. If we don't head over soon, Aoi is going to get mad."
"Wait, Shizuka, what did you just say?" Hearing Shizuka's words, a flash of inspiration suddenly pierced Suyan's mind. He quickly spoke up, trying to grasp that fleeting thought.
Shizuka blinked at Suyan in confusion. "What?"
"Shizuka." Suyan stared earnestly into Shizuka's golden eyes. "Could you repeat what you just said?"
Shizuka said weakly, "It's time to eat?"
Suyan shook his head, denying it. "Not that part."
Shizuka tried again, "Then... if we don't head over soon, Aoi is going to get mad?"
"Not that part either. The sentence before that," Suyan urged, growing slightly anxious that the fleeting inspiration would vanish. He grabbed Shizuka's hand.
"I thought you were thinking about something fun just now?" Seeing this, Shizuka's casual expression instantly vanished, and she began to feel anxious for Suyan. Her brain worked in overdrive as she recalled what she had said and repeated it.
"Exactly, that's the one." As soon as she said it, the spark flashed in Suyan's mind again, and this time, he accurately seized it. He jumped up, grabbed Shizuka's cheeks with both hands, and planted a heavy kiss on her pouting lips. "That's brilliant, Shizuka! I freaking love you to death."
Shizuka looked at Suyan, a bit dizzy. Normally, she would be angry or annoyed when Suyan squished her face like that, or at least pretend to be angry so he would coax her. But seeing the pure joy on Suyan's face—like a child who just got a new toy—she couldn't help but laugh along with him. She was curious what he had thought of that made him smile so happily. "Can Little Suyan explain?"
"Shizuka, what do you think about turning Greed Island into an amusement park?" Suyan didn't explain directly, instead asking her a question.
Shizuka replied dismissively, "Sounds nice." She remembered Suyan mentioning this before—the idea of modifying Greed Island to be like the actual Greed Island game from the Hunter x Hunter world. However, the workload was too massive. The only people available to do the work in Greed Island were the few contracted partners and Suyan himself. Aside from Suyan and Saeko, whose auras far surpassed the others due to Reizan, the rest of them simply couldn't normally maintain and operate such a vast Greed Island. Consequently, the idea was quickly shelved. She hadn't expected Suyan to bring it up again, and the thought that she might have to do manual labor made her want to turn and run.
"Forget it, talking to you is a waste of breath." Suyan rolled his eyes at her. As his earliest contracted partner, their relationship had reached the point where a simple pat on the rear was enough for him to know exactly what position she wanted. Naturally, he guessed that she was just trying to slack off. But Suyan didn't mind. He had never counted on this lazy woman anyway. He'd have better luck relying on her two YukimiBotamons for help.
Suyan waved his hand, gently woke Makomo, and said dismissively, "Let's go eat. It's a good time to bring this up with everyone."
Bringing this up again, Suyan's plans were naturally not as simple as Shizuka thought.
First, the population in Greed Island had increased, and it would continue to grow, providing the foundational conditions required to transform Greed Island into an amusement park.
Second, it would give him and the contracted partners something to do, preventing him from getting bored and keeping the girls from constantly plotting to squeeze him dry.
Third, the evolution of his Nen abilities proved something! From his initial Equivalent Exchange trading ability, to the Contract ability linking him and his partners, and now the Greed Island pocket dimension that housed them and allowed cross-world travel... Nen could evolve! At the very least, his Nen abilities evolved!
It just required fulfilling certain unknown hidden conditions and having the corresponding desire in his heart. The initial trading ability was a given; it was the first Nen ability he awakened after arriving in the Highschool of the Dead world. Then came the Contract ability, which awakened after he gave into Shizuka's temptation and slept with her. Finally, there was Greed Island. After Saeko's Reizan slaughtered tens of millions of zombies, the immense feedback pushed his Nen to an unimaginable level. Coupled with his growing weariness of the Highschool of the Dead world and his desire to travel to other worlds, and fulfilling the condition of contracting six Nen users of different types, he finally awakened the Greed Island pocket dimension ability.
And now, Suyan was attempting to actively interfere with this unconscious evolution of Nen, trying to steer his abilities in the direction he desired. His idea was to model his Greed Island after the Hunter x Hunter game and transform it into a game-like world. After all, if there was a game, there had to be players, right? Where would the players come from? By bypassing the restrictions of the Dimensional Gate and sending game invitations to unknown worlds, drawing 2D waifus from other universes straight to his doorstep! He could even try to use the invitations in reverse to enter the players' worlds.
Rather than just another Greed Island, it was more like a paradise combining concepts from Hunter x Hunter's Greed Island, No Game No Life, and Mondaiji-tachi's Little Garden.
Thus, this project was dubbed by Suyan as...
The Infinity Castle.
"Kill me! Kill me!"
In the dim space illuminated by only a faint candle, agonizing, heart-wrenching screams echoed through the Infinity Castle, sending chills down the spine.
"Experiment number six hundred and fifty-seven, failure..."
However, faced with the blood-curdling screams reverberating through the Infinity Castle, Tamayo turned a deaf ear, continuing her experiments unbothered. She even had the mental bandwidth to ponder the reasons for the failure. "What could be the cause?" Tamayo murmured thoughtfully.
"Um..." At this moment, a petite figure walked in through the door. Seeing Tamayo exuding the cold, detached aura of a mad scientist, and gazing at Lord Muzan, who was locked in a glass tank as a test subject—already tortured beyond recognition—she couldn't help but shudder. Her voice trembled as she addressed Tamayo, "Lady Tamayo, it's time for lunch..."
Hearing this, Tamayo froze for a moment, then glanced at Muzan in the tank. She removed the white gloves she wore during experiments, walked over to the girl, and said softly, "I understand. Let's head over together."
The girl didn't dare reply, only trembling as she followed Tamayo out of the Infinity Castle.
The white-haired girl was named Mukago. She was originally the Lower Rank 4 of the Twelve Kizuki. In the original story, after Rui was killed by Giyuu, she was one of the unlucky souls summoned to the Infinity Castle and purged by Muzan. However, because her Blood Demon Art allowed her to manipulate plant growth, she caught the attention of Suyan and Tamayo. Therefore, instead of being stripped of her Blood Demon Art like the others, she became an entity similar to a Nen Beast for Suyan, much like Daki before her. Furthermore, as Tamayo's assistant, she used her abilities to aid her in various experiments.
Stepping out of the Infinity Castle, the brilliant sunlight fell upon her face. Even now, Mukago couldn't believe that as a demon, she would ever see the sun again. Or that she would witness her former boss, Muzan, become a test subject on someone else's operating table. It had only been three months, yet everything had changed. It truly felt like a lifetime ago.
But what unsettled her more was this woman, Tamayo. In the Infinity Castle just moments ago, her expression had been darker and more terrifying than any demon, yet the moment she stepped outside, she wore such a... well, heartwarming smile? It was like she became a completely different person. Could she even be called human?!
"Is something wrong, Mukago?" Seeing her assistant stop in her tracks, Tamayo turned around, flashing a gentle smile as she asked softly.
Mukago's heart leaped, and she quickly collected herself. "N-No, it's nothing, Lady Tamayo."
"Mukago, you were a Lower Rank demon, and my power is considered below even the elite among demons. You really don't need to be so afraid of me," Tamayo said gently, seemingly seeing through the girl's thoughts.
Mukago quickly agreed, "Yes, yes." However, she couldn't help but complain internally. What normal demon would dare treat the tyrannical Muzan like that? When she agreed to Suyan's conditions and saw her former boss strapped to an operating table, she had nearly been scared to death. She wasn't like this "normal demon" Tamayo, who could disembowel Muzan without batting an eye.
Tamayo shook her head helplessly. She had wanted to build a good relationship with the girl since she was her assistant, but it seemed she would have to take it slow. It didn't matter though; the thought of seeing her Little Angel Makomo soon made the corners of Tamayo's mouth curl into a genuine, faint smile.
Ever since she gained a new lease on life in Greed Island, aside from spending her days torturing Muzan as a test subject, she spent her time watching Makomo heal her deeply scarred heart. And... Suyan!
Perhaps because she tortured Muzan so frequently lately, the intense hatred that once made her want to devour his flesh and drink his blood had slowly begun to fade. Instead, she had gradually started to anchor her heart onto Suyan and Little Angel Makomo.
Soon, Tamayo and Mukago arrived at the dining area. Almost everyone in Greed Island was there. Marikawa Shizuka, Busujima Saeko, Miyamoto Rei, Takagi Yuriko, Takagi Saya, and Minami Rika from the Highschool of the Dead world. Kocho Shinobu, Kocho Kanae, Kanzaki Aoi, Tsuyuri Kanao, and the three little girls from the Butterfly Mansion in the Demon Slayer world. As well as Ume, Koinatsu, and the five little girls Suyan brought back from the Entertainment District. And the one she wanted to see the most, Makomo.
Tamayo sat down next to Makomo. The table before them was laden with an incredibly lavish feast. Notably, these dishes weren't materialized using Greed Island's Conjuration abilities. They were all hand-cooked by Kanzaki Aoi, and the entire process had taken her less than an hour.
It had to be said, everyone had underestimated this timid girl who might wet herself at the sight of a demon. Among all the contracted partners from the Demon Slayer world, the first to awaken a Nen ability wasn't the Insect Hashira Shinobu or the Flower Hashira Kanae. It wasn't the love-struck Mitsuri Kanroji or Nezuko. It wasn't even the "true heroine" of the original story, Tsuyuri Kanao.
Surprisingly, it was Kanzaki Aoi, who had a rather inconspicuous presence in the original plot. In terms of Nen abilities, Aoi pulled ahead of all her Demon Slayer sisters, becoming the first to awaken her own. A Manipulation Type Nen ability.
Its name: Kanzaki Aoi's Mysterious Kitchen.
When she activated her Nen, the kitchen utensils around her would move on their own as if she were wielding them herself, automatically sorting, washing, chopping, and stir-frying ingredients... It was as if several—or even over a dozen—Kanzaki Aois were working in the kitchen simultaneously. Furthermore, the process was incredibly orderly; the utensils never interfered with one another, operating as smoothly and fluidly as a symphony performance. Although it wasn't a combat-oriented Nen ability, it successfully solidified Aoi's position as Greed Island's new head housekeeper and head chef.
It was just somewhat ironic. Kanzaki Aoi and Takagi Saya were the only two Manipulation Type Nen users among the contracted partners, yet neither of them had managed to awaken an ability that controlled people. Instead, Takagi Yuriko, a Transmutation Type Nen user positioned the furthest from the Manipulation category, had an ability that most closely resembled true Manipulation.
"Everyone, I have something to say!" Suyan's gaze swept across the girls. Seeing that everyone was present, he stood up, took a deep breath, and declared loudly, "I want to turn Greed Island into a paradise for everyone. Who's in favor, and who's opposed?"
Time flew by. The paradise project was passed unanimously and had been in full swing for over four months. Although there was still a long way to go before it was completely finished...
On this day, the third Dimensional Gate inside Greed Island appeared!!!
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