Chapter 434

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Chapter 434: New Year on Europa

Clearly, Kokonohana Nori had no experience in praying. She used to not believe in gods or respect immortals.

Now, during her prayers, she didn’t think about being concise. Instead, she treated the shrine as a confessional and poured out all her thoughts.

Bai Wei opened the Golden Power and saw, "Wow… Are you writing a diary here?"

Many of her words were unspoken thoughts, but not all of it was nonsense.

This New Year’s visit to the shrine was anything but normal from every aspect.

For Kokonohana Nori, one of the three officials at the shrine, the pressure was quite high. The chief priest had already shared some of the burden with her, but she still didn’t know how to handle the rest of the pressure and could only avoid it.

The shogunate and the emperor, these two originally peaceful suns, once they start fighting for power, will inevitably cause a series of chain reactions.

Today these are just appetizers.

Originally, the shrine was in a relatively sensitive position. It can be said that, except for the military controlled by the shogunate in Yingzhou, the police department, the shrine, and the Bureau of Onmyoryou are all power institutions that need to be fought for.

The golden tree of the shrine is also a miraculous thing that cannot be concealed. With Bai Wei’s previous manifestation of holiness in front of people, it further strengthened the unstoppable rise of the shrine. In the past, the shrine only had the desperate efforts of the sword witch priests, but now there is also a high priest. It immediately transformed from a potential stock into a top-quality stock. If you don’t buy more shares at this time, it can only be said that you are not a qualified gambler.

Kokonohana Nori told all these troubles again, also giving Bai Wei a certain understanding of the situation.

What surprised him a little was the internal conflict within the Hokusinn clan that just happened.

Hokusinn Ryo… Bai Wei has never heard Hokusinn Kichyō mention this name before. Perhaps she herself is also unaware of it. After all, Hokusinn Kichyō has been a figurehead for the past decade and only recently improved. If Hokusinn Xuanma intended to keep it secret, she couldn’t have known either.

This is Hokusinn Kichyō’s family matter, and Bai Wei cannot get involved.

What he is more concerned about is the changes in the political situation in Yingzhou now. The contradictions are intensifying, which can be said to be worsening, and will surely have certain unfavorable effects.

This is the first day of the New Year, January 1st, but many troubles have already started to show up. I hope they won’t come one after another.

I made a wish for myself, hoping to have a more relaxing year.

The cars parked in front of the Yagyū’s house.

The three siblings got off the car, Bai Wei leaned down and knocked on the car window, waiting for it to roll down when Simozi opens the door.

He said to Hokusinn Kichyō inside the car, "Remember to be cautious around this person called Hokusinn Ryo, don’t approach her recklessly."

Hokusinn Kichyō seemed unfamiliar with Hokusinn Ryo’s name, but she still nodded and said, "I understand."

Bai Wei said, "Remember to keep the amulet with you."

He stood up, took a few steps back towards the doorstep, then stopped and turned back, "Happy New Year."

Hokusinn Kichyō immediately said, "I want a gift."

She hadn’t finished speaking when she got slapped in the head. Bai Wei pointed at her from a distance and said, "Don’t push your luck, go take care of your dad."

As the vehicle drove away, Bai Wei closed the gate and stretched his body lazily. Now he needed to sleep and replenish his lost energy.

Luckily, he only needed to celebrate the New Year and didn’t have to worry about Valentine’s Day.

After giving his two younger sisters red envelopes, Bai Wei quickly decided to go to bed.

It was already noon, and he had another event to attend… It was really troublesome.

…

Even in Europa, New Year is celebrated with family.

Tulip Academy started its vacation a week early, and Alena went back home for the New Year.

It was about three days ago when Michelle returned to the witch village. Her mother had already moved back to their old house.

Her own mother was a village woman, and she herself was a village woman too. She didn’t have any habits that she couldn’t get used to, let alone feeling superior after living outside for a long time.

In fact, when she returned to the village, she specifically dressed up as she used to be. The shining Michelle stayed on campus, and she herself was just an ordinary girl back in her hometown.

No matter how she soared and controlled everything outside, when she returned home, her mother would raise an eyebrow, and she had to obediently wait to be scolded.

The New Year’s Eve arrived in the blink of an eye.

Mother had prepared the meals early on, but because they were in the village, the New Year atmosphere was strong but not particularly strong.

Every household depended on each other and couldn’t do without family connections, so they would definitely gather together on New Year’s Eve.

Mother was always restless and wouldn’t stay at home watching TV programs. She would go out and find card-playing friends to pass the time.

When a person reaches middle age, it’s like this. Although mother was a Dragonborn and didn’t appear old, her heart was already a mature woman.

After finishing the New Year’s Eve dinner, Michelle stayed at home washing the dishes and sighed. This holiday season was really embarrassing.

She turned on the TV and watched the New Year’s Eve program on Europa. The program was lively and she could even hear the mahjong sounds from the neighbor’s second floor when she opened the window.

The mother took care of her feelings and specially chose the second floor of the neighboring house as a temporary game room. Several middle-aged women were happily playing, maybe after drinking a lot of milk.

After hearing this sound, Michelle no longer felt lonely, but instead found it very noisy. Despite turning up the TV volume so loud, she couldn’t block the shouting and screaming of the neighboring middle-aged women, making her feel like she was transported back to World War II.

She sighed softly and closed the window, thinking of finding something to do to distract herself.

She was about to turn off the TV, and then get up and go back to her room to read.

But suddenly, with a bang, the TV turned on again and a burst of singing and dancing came in.

She turned around, looking at this strange supernatural event and said, "Huh?"

A voice came from the room, saying, "Why not watch the TV program, it’s a rare New Year’s Eve."

Michelle blinked her eyes, and in the next moment, her eyes seemed to be filled with a starry sky.

She quickly jumped back onto the sofa, then hugged the pillow on the sofa, with her hands around her knees.

"You should have told me as soon as Mr. Devil arrived."

"I couldn’t find the right moment, and I saw you staring blankly the whole time."

"Because I was bored." She unconsciously started acting cute, a tone she hadn’t used in front of her mother for years.

"I actually find this TV show quite interesting, at least more interesting than Yingzhou’s, which is only about singing and song contests."

"Is that so?" Michelle suddenly laughed. "Now it seems very natural when Mr. Devil talks about these things."

"Why do you keep calling me Mr. Devil?" Bai Wei asked.

"I got used to it, and I don’t want to change it, and…," Michelle hugged the pillow. "It makes me feel special, doesn’t it? Many people call you Mr. White, but only I call you Mr. Devil."

…Not really, Judy also calls you that.

Bai Wei didn’t respond, so he just sat on the couch and looked at the TV.

Most of Europa’s cultural development focused on the allied nations, and you could see the values of the mainstream in this era through cultural programs.

As an ordinary viewer, Bai Wei didn’t like things that were too hypocritical because slogans could only be shouted out but couldn’t attract people.

Whether some values can be cleverly packaged and taught in an entertaining way, this reveals the cultural characteristics of this era.

Bai Wei watched a few programs and thought they were good. "This program is great…"

"What’s so good about it? It’s just the same old topics, like racial equality, oh, and urging for childbirth." Michelle, as a young viewer, had seen these kinds of programs many times, so she just sat there and complained, "I know the recent birth rate is not good, the centaurs are going crazy trying to find donors everywhere, but this kind of thing can’t be rushed. The more it’s talked about, the more young people become resentful."

Bai Wei, in an old man’s tone, sighed, "This problem is urgent, and it’s natural to be worried."

"But that doesn’t mean we should have children just for the sake of it, for example, me…"

"For example, you?"

"I…" Michelle pondered for a moment, thinking that if she really wanted to have a child, it might not be impossible. However, she also remembered what Alena had said the other day. Her face felt a burning sensation and she couldn’t help but blush. She quickly changed the subject, "Let’s not talk about this anymore. Would Mr. Devil like some drinks and snacks? I can get you some french fries."

Bai Wei replied, "No need, I can’t eat or drink."

Michelle watched the TV program and said, "It’s not convenient when we can’t meet face-to-face and talk like this."

Bai Wei knew she was lost in her thoughts again and teased her by tugging at a strand of her hair, "Tell me about your hometown. Is this place a village of witches?"

With this topic in mind, Michelle began to talk about her home. She had a deep understanding of this place, having grown up here since she was a child. Needless to say, she had a lot to say.

Through Michelle’s storytelling, Bai Wei learned about the current lives of the witches, which were similar to their intentions in the past – finding a peaceful place to settle down and pursue their careers. After many years of being witches in the village, they had formed a stable community.

When the conversation about this topic was almost over and it was around ten o’clock, Bai Wei asked, "Did Black Rose contact you after that?"

"Not yet, maybe they are still evaluating me. But I haven’t told anyone about Mr. Devil’s secret."

Bai Wei chuckled, "But you couldn’t hide the fact that someone is behind you." He didn’t really mind.

Michelle curiously asked, "Does Mr. Devil know the descendants of the Golden Clan?"

Bai Wei paused and said, "He knows, but I have to keep this information confidential. If you want to find out about his origins, you’ll have to figure it out yourselves. If the time is right, I can give you some hints, but not now."

The two of them chatted away, and as time gradually approached midnight, Michelle, perhaps too relaxed, fell asleep on the sofa. Dragonborn had a strong constitution and didn’t need to worry about catching a cold. Bai Wei covered her with a blanket and quietly withdrew.

But he didn’t have time to rest yet, as he had another place to go.