Chapter 148: Deliberation

"Why are you so certain that another world exists?"

Though deeply reluctant to bring the matter up, he had no reason to conceal it now if he wanted to open the passage: "Because someone from a world outside of this one is trying to kill me, which leads me to guess that Xiaotang must have ended up in that very world."

Kagura laughed upon hearing this. The idea that someone from another world would cross over just to kill an ordinary person—especially the weakest one right before her—seemed absurd. "That is quite a novel tale. Someone from another realm wants you dead? You must be joking with me!"

"How could I be?"

"Unfortunately, I cannot help you." Curious though she might be, she was not about to offer her assistance without something to gain.

"Why?"

Kagura shrugged and spread her hands. "Opening a portal to another world requires me to pay a certain price. We are hardly close, so why should I sacrifice myself for the sake of another?"

"What kind of price?" Dubin asked anxiously.

"How should I know? I've never opened one before." She wore a look of utter helplessness. If she went ahead with this, she wouldn't be able to come out and play for quite some time, and doing so afterward would be even less likely—Le'er would surely suppress her entirely. The losses outweighed any potential gains.

Dubin’s expression fell into deep disappointment. Seeing that look, Le'er knew Kagura had no intention of sacrificing herself to open the portal for him. Besides, if Le'er were to fully retake control of the body, Kagura would rarely get a chance to emerge unless she willingly permitted it. After all, there was only one body, and neither personality was inclined to cede dominance to the other. Caught in this dilemma, Le'er suddenly recalled something kept within the forbidden grounds. "Right! When I was a child, I once went into the forbidden grounds and heard my father speak of a divine staff kept in there capable of opening space. I'm just not certain if it can bridge the Five-Color Realm, though."

"Whether it can or not, we must try," Dubin said, a spark of hope seemingly reigniting within him.

Kagura crossed her arms, looking at him with utter disdain. "You two can go if you love trouble so much, but I'm staying out of it."

"If you don't go, I won't be able to get there either!" Le'er shot her an exasperated glance.

Watching her converse with herself, Dubin couldn't help wondering if he was losing his sanity, or if he was simply witnessing two distinct personalities talking in front of him. "Kagura, Zeng Jia has been looking for you these past few days. Do you think I should tell him your true identity?"

Hearing this, Kagura flared up instantly, her face flushed with anger. "Are you threatening me? Believe it or not, I'll wipe you out."

"I believe you. But I'm sure you have a reason for not wanting him to know. Come with me, and I give you my word I won't reveal who you really are."

Kagura thought to herself: *This fellow is truly obnoxious. Should I just kill him?*

"He is my friend! If you pull any more stunts like that, I will never let you come out again!" Hearing her inner thoughts, Le'er panicked immediately.

"Damn it, whose side are you on? You're actually helping an outsider!"

"Who told you not to help me? Just help him out, and when you wake up afterward, I'll grant you a full year of control over the body." Because these matters were inconvenient for Dubin to overhear, Le'er made a difficult choice and communicated directly with Kagura through their shared mind.

Kagura wore a peculiar expression at this proposition. Was this girl serious? Would she really be willing to surrender a whole year of dominance? Was this some kind of trap? Once she helped them, she would inevitably enter a dormant state, and it would take a considerable amount of time to recover. If Le'er reneged on the agreement afterward, she'd have no way to seek redress. No, this was clearly a devious plot to trick her.

Sensing her hesitation and distrust, Le'er turned slightly bashful, and with a reddening face, she coaxed, "As long as you agree to help send him to the parallel world, then for that entire year of bodily control, no matter what you choose to do—even if you end up sleeping with him—I will not stop you."

"What does 'sleeping with him' mean?" Kagura asked with a wicked grin, playing dumb.

"You know very well what it means!" Le'er covered her flushed face, fidgeting shyly. Seeing her flustered state, Kagura finally relented. "Very well, I know. Since we are sisters, and my dear little sister is being so remarkably magnanimous, how can I, as the elder sister, refuse?"

Kagura glared at Dubin and muttered, "My other self simply has too soft a heart. All for the sake of some ridiculous notion of friendship... Ah, well. Mister, count yourself lucky."

Judging by her reaction, Dubin guessed they had reached some sort of agreement. He couldn't help feeling a pang of guilt that she had to compromise so much just to assist him.

"First of all, it is quite impossible for me alone to open a passage to the other side of the parallel world," Kagura explained. "Le'er is correct; there is a sacred artifact called the Space-Time Staff within the forbidden grounds. This artifact is intrinsically linked to the Sacred Light Jade. After absorbing the jade, Le'er acquired the power of light, but she possesses no spatial affinity. The one who inherited that aspect of the power is me, for I was born from the evolution of the Sacred Light Jade itself. To put it simply, I am the living consciousness of the jade."

Curious, Dubin asked, "What actually is the Sacred Light Jade, anyway? Why do so many people desire it?"

"What the Sacred Light Jade is happens to be my personal privacy, and I have no obligation to disclose it to you. As for those people—humpf—they are nothing more than a bunch of brainless fools. Inheriting the Sacred Light Jade is not as simple as it appears on the surface. The jade chooses its master; it's not something anyone can absorb just by wishing it. One must endure and survive the trials of the jade to inherit the power of light. Those who attempt to force it only end up turning to ash."

"How terrifying!" Dubin murmured in astonishment. It seemed this power was truly not something anyone could casually wield.

"You thought it would be easy? Le'er herself nearly died at the hands of the Sacred Light Jade. She was only six years old at the time, and it was only through her sheer perseverance through endless trials that she achieved what she has today."

"Wait, if she inherited the Sacred Light Jade at age six, doesn't that mean her father no longer had it?"

"You ask far too many questions," Kagura snapped, growing impatient with his endless inquiries.

"Alright, alright, I'll stop asking. When are we heading to the forbidden grounds, then?"

Kagura gave him a withering look. "Given my current level of strength, do you honestly think we can just storm the forbidden grounds right now?"

"My apologies, I didn't think this through," Dubin said awkwardly. He had been too anxious and completely forgotten that she had only just neutralized the ability-sealing drug with the aid of the R vaccine.

Shortly after, the group took shelter in a discreet motel located in the nearby suburbs. Dubin had been somewhat surprised at how easily they had managed to rescue her, but since the deed was done, there was no use dwelling on it. Their pursuers were undoubtedly searching frantically for Kagura's traces, while they—having never exposed their identities—could wander openly through the urban districts of Tokyo.

Subsequent investigations revealed that their enemies were secretly enlisting local underworld syndicates to aid the search. For a time, the entire Kanto region hummed with undercurrents of tension. Guided by the Black Panther, Dubin realized that the Yagyu family had initiated covert operations.

Returning to the motel, everyone assessed the situation. Looking concerned, Dubin said, "Every faction is out looking for you right now. How on earth are we supposed to get you into the forbidden grounds?"

Kagura sat cross-legged on the bed, nonchalantly munching on a cookie. "You don't need to worry about that. When the time comes, you'll simply teleport with me—just the two of us."

"Just the two of us? Will that even work?" Dubin worried aloud, sensing potential danger in such a small party.

"That is our Nakajima family's forbidden ground; outsiders are strictly forbidden to enter save for the head of the family. Bringing you along inside is already a massive concession on my part."

"I see." Dubin understood that certain clans placed immense emphasis on tradition, particularly eastern families who strictly adhered to ancestral decrees. "If that's the case, the rest of you will just have to wait here."

"How can you be so dense? Their mission is to cause a ruckus everywhere, creating decoys so those people will assume I'm hiding out in those locations. Otherwise, with all the formidable experts stationed within the Nakajima estate, how do you expect me to slip back inside?" Kagura did not hesitate to belittle him. The more she looked at this man, the more irritating he seemed—he was simply born to be scolded.

"Right, right. It's your household, so you call the shots." With their tasks assigned, the group dispersed across various locations to spread the designated rumors.