Chapter 405: Heading to the Legendary Shangri-La
After the banquet, life seemed to return to tranquility once more.
No troubles came knocking; each day was spent either accompanying the ladies during the day or being accompanied by them at night.
Meanwhile, several pieces of news spread online, all concerning the sudden deaths of certain wealthy individuals or families in Tokyo.
Anyone observant would notice that these were all people who had attended the banquet that day.
Moreover, they were the ones who had gotten involved when Tendo Kisara and Shiba Miori clashed.
Ending up like this could be considered just deserts.
In contrast, the East Coast of the new USNA was now in even greater chaos...
Across the ocean.
Washington, D.C.
Neon lights flickered on the streets, with wild dancing and raucous singing, making it seem like a city that never slept, reminiscent of the Roaring Twenties of the twentieth century.
Due to the war, currency had rapidly depreciated, and the money in everyone's hands was no longer worth anything, so why not indulge in one final, grand revelry?
Yet, behind this revelry...
In an inconspicuous apartment building in a dilapidated alley.
A dark figure quietly pried open the floorboards and slipped into an underground passage.
The world beneath the apartment was starkly different from the shabbiness above ground.
Bright and tidy, the glare from the fluorescent lights was almost blinding, as if it were two separate worlds.
However, at that moment, from the depths of this pristine, almost holy corridor, two sets of footsteps broke the silence.
"Yawn~ Buddy, our work can finally come to an end."
"Yeah, after working overtime for half a month straight, we'll have to go out and have a proper drink."
Two researchers in white lab coats stretched their stiff arms, leisurely complaining about the overtime they had endured over the past two weeks.
For the past half-month, they had stayed in the research lab day and night, all to decipher the so-called White Stone Tablet. Today, they had finally made a breakthrough.
"Honestly, it's all the fault of that Asian guy named Shiba Tatsuya. He had to go and develop a permanent gravity-controlled Magic thermonuclear fusion reactor, using a replica of a Magic relic called the [Artificial Holy Relic] as the core technology. It's made every country anxious, and that's why we've been so exhausted."
"Exactly. And the higher-ups, who knows what they were thinking, insisted on reclaiming the West Coast, saying those old stone slabs held some earth-shattering secret.
But all we deciphered was the location of a legendary city called [Shambhala].
Do those fools up there really believe there's some ultra-advanced Magic civilization there?"
"Hah, if there really was, how could it have vanished from history? It's just a fairy tale exaggerated by later generations."
At this, the two exchanged a smile, agreeing wholeheartedly with each other's views.
But the next moment...
Suddenly, a dark shadow flashed by, and their expressions froze on their faces.
Their bodies uncontrollably pitched forward.
The moment they hit the ground, they instantly turned into scattered chunks of flesh, and the spilled blood quickly stained the pure white floor crimson.
And the dark figure revealed its true form.
A slender cat tail, golden cat ears, and a black, form-fitting combat uniform—who else could it be but Zeta?
Zeta flicked the blood from her fingertips, then bent down to retrieve a D-card from the bloodstained pocket of her lab coat.
Without hesitation, she turned and strode toward the white door at the end of the corridor.
She swiped the card across the reader.
Beep!
The door slid open.
Her objective was simple: to obtain the sixteen White Stone Tablets held by the new USNA.
As for whether "Shambhala" was real or not, she didn't care.
Completing the mission was all that mattered.
However, the moment she took the tablets, the lights in the research facility dimmed. The corridor was bathed in red light, and a piercing alarm blared.
The bodies in the hallway had been discovered!
A heavily armed military squad surrounded the underground research facility.
Inside, Zeta's cat ears twitched slightly, instantly discerning the number of approaching forces.
At least a fully equipped platoon!
Yet, a faint, delighted smile gradually spread across her face.
Let it be chaotic.
The more chaotic, the better.
Only with enough chaos could she slip away more smoothly.
As expected.
When the reconnaissance team reached the underground level, it was empty—nothing but scattered, gruesome corpses.
Zeta had already sneaked out of the research facility and was crouched on the rooftop of a nearby apartment building, hidden in the darkness, watching the police cars passing below.
"A bunch of fools."
With those words, her figure vanished once more into the shadows.
Originally, the new USNA's research on the White Stone Tablets was a secret national project. After Zeta's disruption, it was fully exposed to the world.
This led the independent Republic of California to entangle with major global corporations, purchasing weapons and leasing military forces through land concession agreements.
Once again, a fierce war erupted with the new USNA.
By the time Zeta arrived at Mishima Island, a week had already passed since the conflict began.
Mahiro was, as usual, enjoying his afternoon tea, with Aurora—who had recently acquired a physical body—sitting beside him.
Just a few days earlier, Mahiro and the legendary Great Alchemist Nina had used Spirit Blood to reconstruct physical bodies for Aurora and Marianne, bringing them back to life.
Aurora, naturally, retained her original mature figure.
But Marianne encountered a minor issue.
Whether it was because she had grown accustomed to being a loli or because she no longer wanted to be a mother to Nunnally but rather a sister, she had requested him to craft a loli body for her.
Now, she and Nunnally truly resembled a pair of sisters, often linking arms and heading to Arcadia to play with the children there.
Was this her way of letting go?
At that moment, Mahiro set down his teacup and placed the stone tablet on the ground.
He looked at the cat-girl Zeta kneeling before him.
"A city of highly advanced magical civilization called 'Shambhala'?"
"Yes, my lord. That's what the researchers claimed."
"Alright."
Mahiro let out a soft sigh, causing Zeta's heart to skip a beat.
"My lord, what's wrong? Did my investigation… go awry?"
"It's fine, it's not your fault."
Mahiro massaged the bridge of his nose and waved his hand dismissively.
What was giving him a headache was naturally this legendary city called "Shambhala."
Regarding this name, he actually had some understanding, or rather, most people were quite familiar with it.
Because Shambhala is a transliteration from Tibetan. Apart from that, there is another translated name from the 1933 novel Lost Horizon, which transformed the transliteration "Shambhala" into "Shangri-La."
The original meaning of Shangri-La is "paradise." It originally appeared as a sacred site in Tibetan Buddhism, with descriptions of the belief in "Shambhala" and depictions of the "Kingdom of Shambhala" found in Buddhist scriptures such as the Kalachakra Tantra and the Kangyur.
In terms of status, it is equivalent to the Western Pure Land spoken of in Chinese Buddhism.
Therefore, the legends surrounding it are countless.
Sheele had once searched for this Tibetan Buddhist utopia, but unfortunately, she returned empty-handed in the end...
As for Shambhala, Mahiro didn't view it through any particular lens. He simply felt that once something related to India—especially Tibetan Buddhism—was involved, things were bound to become troublesome.
After all, when it came to Tibetan Buddhism, the things that came to mind were either bones or...
Not to mention, this was a world of magic...
But complaints aside, he still had to go. He might as well treat it as a trip.
Therefore, he didn't bring many people on this journey.
Mayumi said she wanted to work hard to conceive a child with him, so she followed along.
Then there was Miyuki, who said she wanted to go out for a walk.
Next were Alpha, who served as a bodyguard, and Nu, who was responsible for handling travel arrangements.
"Lord Mahiro, according to the Tibetan Buddhist scripture Kalachakra Tantra, the legendary utopia 'Shambhala' is located 'on the northern bank of the Siddha River, which originates from Lake Manasarovar at the foot of Mount Kailash.' If we correspond this to reality, this location should be in Uzbekistan, on the northern bank of the Amu Darya River, in a place called Bukhara."
"So now we have two possible routes of action. The first is to directly follow the guidance of the stone tablet and head straight to Bukhara, but the probability of relying on the stone tablet to find 'Shambhala' is very low."
"The second route is the legend that there is an underground passage in the Potala Palace in Lhasa that leads to Shambhala. If we can find this underground passage, we can directly reach 'Shambhala.'"
"Based on the intelligence brought back by Lord Zeta, I personally believe the first route is safer."
On the plane, Mahiro listened to Nu's investigative report with a pained expression.
Beside him, Mayumi, Miyuki, and Alpha were all quietly snickering.
After all, there weren't many things that could give Mahiro a headache.
In the end, Mahiro rubbed his temples and waved his hand dismissively again.
"Alright, alright, Nu, you should take a rest too. The main purpose of this trip is to relax and travel. Finding 'Shambhala' is secondary..."
"So, what do you mean, Lord Mahiro?"
"Take the second route. Let's go directly to Lhasa."
He had never been to Lhasa before, neither in his previous life nor in this one.
This could also be considered making up for a regret from his past life.
Lhasa, also known as Loxa or the City of Sunshine, is a city with a very ancient history. It rose during the Western Han Dynasty, born from the alliance of various clans and tribes.
However, these were merely facts stored in his memory.
When Mahiro actually set foot on the ground, he found it slightly—just a tiny bit—different from what he had imagined.
Even before leaving the airport, they were locked in by countless gazes, both overt and covert, as if under surveillance or scrutiny.
But the main reason was that their group was simply too eye-catching.
Even Nu, the least remarkable among the five, was enough to attract countless stares at this moment.
After spending a night at the hotel and truly stepping into the city, they discovered that it seemed to have preserved many authentic ancient structures.
They stood like ivory towers.
Even for those who were not Mages, a single glance at these buildings was enough to grasp their mystique.
And the largest preserved ancient structure was the majestic palace in the distance.
Even Mahiro couldn't help but exclaim in awe.
"Truly magnificent…"
The kind that left one breathless.
That palace was the Potala Palace, though its history differed slightly from what he knew.
In his knowledge, the Potala Palace was built in 631 AD under the direction of Songtsen Gampo, the 33rd Tibetan king of the Tubo Kingdom. Later, as the Tubo Kingdom disintegrated, it suffered severe damage due to natural and man-made disasters.
In 1645, the Fifth Dalai Lama rebuilt the Potala Palace to consolidate the theocratic governance of the Ganden Phodrang regime.
But in the Mahouka world, the Potala Palace was constructed in the 17th century, during a period when Europe lay in ruins due to the Thirty Years' War.
However, one thing remained the same: in both worlds, the Potala Palace was built covering the slopes of Marpo Ri Hill.
It was just a pity…
"Mahiro-sama, the stone tablet shows no reaction. Should we continue?"
Nu, dressed in her black stockings secretary outfit, dutifully held the White Stone Tablet, attempting to use it to locate the position of Shambhala.
"Let's continue. Since we're already here, we might as well take a look inside."
"Understood. I will prepare the itinerary for the next part of your journey."
With those words, Nu suddenly vanished from the spot.
At that moment, Mayumi and Miyuki approached.
"Mahiro-kouhai, be careful. I've been sensing many unsettling gazes along the way."
"Yes, just as Mayumi-senpai said, Mahiro-niisan, it seems we've already been targeted."
Compared to the two of them, who were on high alert, Mahiro simply raised his hand and lightly tapped both their heads, smiling.
"Alright, no need to be so cautious. After all, this is still Great Asia's territory. It's only natural that we'd be watched since I came without giving prior notice… Alpha, go and have a chat with them. Remember to tell them in a friendly manner that I'm just here for tourism."
"Understood."
Alpha was the type to act decisively with few words.
After she disappeared, the gazes directed their way noticeably decreased, and those who had been following them vanished outright.
It seemed the friendly conversation had been quite effective.
"Han Daren, my sincerest apologies…"
In a dim corner, a man wearing a Taoist robe but bearing the rank of lieutenant was kneeling on one knee.
"Lieutenant, this isn't your fault. I didn't expect it to be that man either."
The Taoist known as Han Daren spoke in a low, steady voice, his gaze fixed on the blonde woman in the distance who had been watching them closely, following her with his eyes until she left.
"Should we continue tracking them?"
"Well... For now, just block all roads and use drones for patrol and observation. If they show no hostility, there's no need to stop them."
After a moment of thought, Han Daren gave a reasonable order.
However, such a command was actually against regulations.
Due to the special nature of Mages, leaving the country usually requires complex procedures and negotiations between both nations.
It was rare for someone like Mahiro to stride in so boldly, bringing family members into territory they shouldn't have entered.
But the Yotsuba Family was no longer Japan's Yotsuba Family—it had become an independent entity.
Moreover, they had arrived under the guise of tourism, making it difficult to stop them.
Still, Mahiro was too dangerous a presence, and they had to maintain surveillance no matter what.
In comparison, the visit from the new USNA was somewhat abrupt.
It seemed as though they were pursuing something. Led by the twenty-two-year-old young woman Evelyn Taylor, a group hurriedly set foot on this land.
Han Daren had a feeling that if the two sides met, it might trigger a fierce conflict.
Unfortunately, this was beyond his jurisdiction.
"Han Daren, do you think they're also after 'Shambhala'?"
"Not entirely sure, but the possibility is as high as ninety percent... Hah, but these people are truly hard to judge."
The new USNA had even dispatched the captain of the new Stars, showing a determined attitude.
Han Daren looked up at the sky at a 45-degree angle and whispered:
"After all, 'Shambhala' is just a legend. So many people have come searching for it in the past, only to return empty-handed. Why do they think they can find it?"
Greedily coveting the Holy Relic.
But the Holy Relic was not so easily discovered.
Unbeknownst to them, Mahiro had no intention of excavating it. He simply wanted to see what the legendary ruins looked like.
Because of this, Mahiro wasn't as motivated as one might expect. Instead, he casually wandered around the Potala Palace.
Using his special eyes to observe everything, that was all.
When they returned to the hotel, they happened to run into a group of uninvited guests.
Seven people in total.
But three of them stood out more.
One man and two women.
The man was Black, around thirty years old.
The remaining two women were both white—one about twenty-two years old, the other seemingly under twenty-five.
Most importantly, the Psion within these three individuals was very strong; they were excellent Mages.
"Mahiro-nii, their aura feels a lot like Lina's..."
"Yeah, they're most likely members of the newly formed Stars."
While waiting for the elevator, Mahiro casually chatted with Miyuki in a low voice.
Ever since Lina had been forcibly taken away by him, and with other members being absorbed as well, the USNA's Stars had been on the verge of dissolution at that time.
Later, when the new USNA was established, the former elite unit, Stars, was also reorganized alongside it.
However, when the three of them caught sight of their group, their pupils instantly contracted.
They never expected to encounter this demon here!
After all, the incident of the apostle being abducted back then was still fresh in their memories!
Especially since Mahiro and his group were holding the White Stone Tablet that had once belonged to them!
"As expected, this man is behind it..."
The woman at the forefront murmured softly.
But what was even more coincidental was that they were staying on the same floor!
After sharing the same elevator and enduring the prolonged torment, the woman at the forefront could no longer hold back and called out to Mahiro.
"You must be Mr. Yotsuba, right? I am Evelyn Taylor. I wonder if I might have the honor of speaking with you?"