The agreement was signed, and by all rights, Linto could have headed back that day.
But on his way back to the courtyard, he saw survivors kneeling by the roadside, sobbing quietly, and saw lamps lit to pray for the deceased. Linto hesitated.
After thinking for a moment, Linto made a decision.
He called over a samurai on duty:
"Please help me spread the word that I will be staying in Warsaw City for three more days.
During this time, if anyone has been overlooked, has not yet been freed from petrification, or if after petrification, they develop serious symptoms that doctors or medical ninja cannot resolve, you can bring them here, and I will try to heal them."
The samurai Linto called over was the captain who had kicked his subordinate last night, stopping him from slaughtering the petrified.
After listening to Linto's words, the samurai captain was silent for a long while. Suddenly, he took off his helmet and his sword, placed them to his sides, knelt on the ground, and bowed deeply to Linto.
"Get up. I don't like it when people kneel to me," Linto said.
The samurai captain pressed his forehead to the ground and said solemnly:
"Sir, I am not kneeling to your status, but to your noble will."
He had seen how respectful Tokugawa Shingen was to Linto. To be treated with such respect by that lord, Linto's status and position were self-evident.
How could he not be moved by such a noble person willing to waste time saving commoners?
The samurai captain looked up, sweat and dirt mixed on his forehead, his clean face smudged. He didn't care, his clear eyes filled with respect.
"Thank you immensely for your help to Warsaw City."
Rasa, standing nearby, raised an eyebrow, recognized the samurai, and whispered to Linto:
"His name is Hattori Hanzo, a renowned great swordsman from the Land of Wind."
As if afraid Linto wouldn't understand, Rasa added, "He's on the same level as Miyamoto, whom you know."
Linto realized and looked into Hattori Hanzo's clear eyes, understanding that the man genuinely cared about the lives of the common people. He thought for a moment and asked:
"Are you planning to switch jobs?"
Hattori Hanzo's mouth fell open. He hadn't expected Linto, the legendary figure who struck fear into the world, to invite him to join him.
Linto indeed needed people.
Koling City was a mess, and now it had gained Wangmi City. Linto wanted to manage and reform it, needing not just strength but also enough personnel.
The Land of Water would provide a continuous supply, but it was far from enough.
After all, the Land of Water had just gone through "Chaotic April," sweeping away the previous bureaucratic system and urgently needing a large number of government staff to fill the gaps.
Following Linto's advice, Oda Ieyasu planned to hold a government staff selection exam next spring, aiming to find as many talented individuals from among the commoners as possible.
However, it was still late autumn, and it would take about half a year for this batch of civil servants to take their positions.
Linto wanted to recruit local personnel familiar with the situation in the Land of Wind.
Hattori Hanzo pondered for a full minute before bowing his head again:
"I'm sorry, Lord Linto, I have sworn an oath to become Tokugawa-sama's retainer and to protect that lord with my life."
"I truly wish to follow you and embark on the path to the 'New World' with you, but I cannot break this oath."
After these brief words, Hattori Hanzo's clothes were soaked with sweat.
He had long heard of Linto's fearsome reputation and knew of Akatsuki's unyielding character.
Would refusing Linto's invitation anger this lord and lead to his death? But even so, he could not betray his oath out of fear.
This was the honor of being a samurai.
One's body may perish, but the name of a samurai cannot be abandoned.
Hattori Hanzo lowered his head, awaiting Linto's "judgment."
A tissue was handed to him.
"Wipe yourself."
Linto smiled and said, "If you change your mind someday, you can find me anytime."
Hattori Hanzo stared blankly at Linto, pressing his lips together tightly.
"Yes."
Hattori Hanzo bowed again and turned to leave.
Linto, who had been busy since last night, finally got a brief respite.
With the enhancement of Ripple and Natural Energy, his body was always at its peak, but his mind inevitably felt tired.
Over the next two days, more petrified individuals who had been overlooked were brought over by the samurai. Linto freed them one by one. Occasionally, there were also those with serious injuries after petrification who were afraid to release them casually, but Linto handled them all.
This life was busy but peaceful enough.
Everyone's physique was different, and the symptoms of petrification by Natural Energy also varied.
Over the course of a few days, Linto summarized much of his experience and applied it to himself, finally managing to undo the petrification of his legs caused by the overuse of Dragon Vein power.
"If everything settles down, maybe it wouldn't be bad to find a city and be a doctor?"
Time quietly passed until the evening of the third day. They would depart for Koling City the next morning.
Linto was reading an ancient book documenting the history of the Land of Wind.
Because of the hot weather and being in his own room, he had simply taken off his shirt and was leaning against the bed.
On the bedside table was a cup of sleep-inducing desert milk tea. Linto took sips from time to time, enjoying his last moments of leisure.
Knock, knock, knock.
A knock sounded at the door.
Linto glanced at the wall clock. It was already late at night, and he didn't know who would come at this hour.
"Could it be an emergency patient?"
Thinking of this, Linto quickly closed his book, threw on a robe, and strode to open the door.
A person he hadn't expected stood at the door.
Tokugawa Yukino.
She stood outside, her long, wavy brown hair falling down. She wore a camel-colored sheer robe over a black bandeau top, revealing her flat stomach and attractive navel. Below that was a long skirt reaching her ankles, adorned with exquisite golden jewelry at her waist, wrists, and ankles.
Tokugawa Yukino was a typical desert girl. Her sun-kissed skin, slender yet shapely figure, and sharp features, especially in the dim light and veiled by the sheer fabric, gave her a hazy and alluring aura.
However…
Tokugawa Yukino saw the pectoral muscles under Linto's robe and her involuntary swallow ruined that delicate charm completely.
"Is something wrong?" Linto asked.
Tokugawa Yukino held up the small basket in her hand. "Do you mind if I come in and tell you?"
"It's too late today, Miss Tokugawa. We can talk tomorrow."
Linto closed the door.
The moment he turned around, he heard a rustling sound next to him. He turned to see Tokugawa Yukino climbing through the window, one foot already inside.
Seeing Linto reach out to push her head and make her leave, Tokugawa Yukino quickly took out a delicate box from her small basket.
"A gift! I prepared a parting gift for you!"
"I'll just say two words and then I'll leave, really, if I lie, I'm a puppy."
"Please, don't make me leave."
With things having reached this point, Linto sighed and let go of the hand he had placed on Tokugawa Yukino's forehead. He pulled over a chair and gestured for her to come in.
Tokugawa Yukino didn't sit down. She wandered around the room, looking left and right.
"Wow, this is a man's room. I've never been in one before. It's really different from a girl's room."
As she spoke, she casually sat on the bed and bounced a little, as if testing the mattress's springiness.
Linto: "…"
"Actually, I lacked fatherly love since I was little. The first time I saw you, I saw the authority and gentleness of a father in you. So, Linto, when it's just the two of us, can I call you—"
Bang!
The door was firmly shut.
Tokugawa Yukino stood frozen.
She looked around.
Just a moment ago, she was charming her way in, about to succeed, and now she was standing outside the door?
She knocked frantically. Seeing no reaction, she went to the window again, intending to repeat her previous trick, but found the window was now locked.
Tokugawa Yukino pressed her face against the window. "You've misunderstood. I'm not after your body… cough, cough, I really have important business to discuss with you. If you don't believe me, open the gift box I prepared earlier."
Linto saw that she spoke earnestly. He walked over, picked up the gift box, and opened it. Inside was just a piece of paper.
Written on the paper were the names of six people.