21st Century Necromancer

As a distinguished samurai family, even if the samurai didn't place much emphasis on etiquette, with hundreds of years of tradition and being the household of feudal lords, there were still numerous rules to follow when Maeda Toshitoku formally hosted guests in the name of the head of the Maeda Family.

Although Maeda Toshitoku's intention was to thank Chen Yu and Hiromi Jounouchi for saving his mother, for such a noble family, protocol and face were the things they valued most. This naturally made the meal an uncomfortable experience for Chen Yu and Hiromi Jounouchi.

Having been driven back to the hotel by a Maeda Family car, still holding the gift from Maeda Toshitoku, Chen Yu glanced at the departing Maeda Family car and asked Hiromi, "That was indeed an uncomfortably formal meal. You didn't eat much, did you, Hiromi? Shall we find somewhere else to fill up?"

The banquet that Maeda Toshitoku had arranged was certainly lavish, with all kinds of delicacies served at the table, and with the arrangements made by a master, the taste was naturally indescribable. But no matter how tasty the food, the lack of a comfortable dining atmosphere still could not make the diners feel at ease.

The dining venue was a traditional samurai residence, naturally employing the highly traditional Japanese style. The seating arrangement strictly followed the hierarchy of master and subordinate, and during the meal, Maeda Toshitoku and Okumura Eren maintained the "seiza" posture throughout, which was particularly uncomfortable for Chen Yu, a citizen of the Celestial Empire.

"I am a bit hungry, so shall we go out for a walk?" Hiromi Jounouchi had not eaten well either. Although the food was delicious, dining according to traditional Japanese etiquette in an ancient house with centuries of history was not very comfortable for Hiromi Jounouchi, born at the end of the Showa era.

Seeing that Hiromi Jounouchi felt the same, Chen Yu laughed, linking arms with her as they headed out of the hotel once again.

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Chen Yu and Hiromi Jounouchi didn't go far, just found a ramen shop nearby that looked decent and ordered two bowls of ramen. That's all.

"Mr. Chen Yu, what is the thank-you gift that the head of the Maeda Family gave you?" Hiromi Jounouchi slurped her steaming hot ramen curiously and looked at the box that Chen Yu had been placing on his right side. It was the thank-you gift that Maeda Toshitoku had Okumura Eren give to him earlier.

As a doctor, it went against his professional ethics and integrity to accept thank-you gifts from the relatives of patients. But when Chen Yu firmly refused, the elderly Mr. Okumura Eren insisted that refusing would be an insult to the Maeda Family and a slight against their honor, compelling Chen Yu to reluctantly accept this thank-you gift.

Looking at the thank-you gift he had forgotten to leave at the hotel and brought directly with him, Chen Yu also curiously examined the square box wrapped in purple cloth, scratching his head half-jokingly and said, "It couldn't be a melon, could it? This shape looks quite like one."

Chen Yu's words were not entirely in jest. Fruit in Japan is expensive, and melons like these are almost considered luxury items, usually packaged individually in a box, and the more exquisite ones are even carefully packed in wooden boxes.

The prices are equally touching. The cheaper ones in supermarkets cost a few thousand yen, the more expensive ones tens of thousands of yen each, and the priciest could even reach hundreds of thousands of yen. Even for a noble family like the Maedas, giving a melon as a thank-you gift would not be considered excessive.

Although he made such a joke, Chen Yu still unfolded the cloth wrapping under the curious and expectant eyes of Hiromi Jounouchi, revealing a plain wooden box inside.

"It can't really be a melon, can it?" Chen Yu looked at the plain wooden box and tapped it with his hand, listening to the slightly hollow sound that came from inside. He didn't immediately open it but turned his gaze towards Hiromi Jounouchi beside him.

Seeing Chen Yu look towards her, Hiromi Jounouchi couldn't help but become even more expectant. If it really was a melon, one that was individually packaged in a wooden box like this must be an expensive variety. Although Hiromi Jounouchi could afford it with her income level, she had never really indulged herself to the point of spending tens of thousands of yen on a melon.

Feeling Hiromi Jounouchi's expectant gaze, Chen Yu no longer dallied and stretched out his hand to lift the lid of the wood-made box.

What appeared in front of them was not the anticipated melon but a piece of porcelain with a light yellow-green glaze, looking like a large bowl but with a lid of the same color. Enjoy new stories from empire

"What is this?" Although Chen Yu hailed from a country famous for porcelain, he really didn't have much appreciation for such things. However, he was not unfamiliar with the color because he had once seen a plate of the same color at the national museum in the Imperial Capital of the Celestial Empire. It was a piece of Secret-Colour Porcelain.

Hiromi Jounouchi wanted to reach out and touch it but seemed to hesitate, considering that the object might be a precious antique, and then drew her hand back. She thought for a moment and said, "Could this be a piece of tea ware?"

"Tea ware?" Hearing Hiromi Jounouchi's suggestion, Chen Yu did remember playing strategy games related to Japan's Warring States period, where tea ware could be given as gifts. Indeed, the Secret-Colour Porcelain in front of him did look a bit like tea ware, "What era are we in that someone is still giving away tea ware...

But that Head of the Maeda Family really is generous, this thing could sell for a truckload of melons."

Chen Yu's comment instantly startled Hiromi Jounouchi, and her hand that had intended to touch it quickly retracted as if electrocuted, "Isn't that an exaggeration? Is this thing really that expensive?"

"This type of porcelain is called Secret-Colour Porcelain. In the Celestial Empire during the late Tang Dynasty, that is, the Heian Period, it was produced as a kind of porcelain, extremely rare and treasured even within the Celestial Empire itself.

I've seen a piece with the same color at the national museum in the Imperial Capital of the Celestial Empire; it's a national treasure of the Celestial Empire," Chen Yu explained to Hiromi Jounouchi, cautiously examining the piece of porcelain in front of him.

Of course, this piece of porcelain wasn't as exquisite as the one Chen Yu had seen in the museum. Not only was its color slightly darker, but its texture also felt a bit rougher, not as delicate and translucent, smooth and elegant as the national treasure Chen Yu had encountered.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

This led Chen Yu to speculate that this piece was probably a substandard product from the time, not rigorously considered Secret-Colour Porcelain but rather a Yue Kiln porcelain piece.

Even so, this porcelain still embodied the beauty of "twisting emerald blending with new auspicious green, shaped fine to first offer to my lord. Ingeniously engraving the moon, dyeing in the hues of spring water, lightly swirling thin ice to contain verdant clouds." Even though it couldn't compare with a national treasure, it was still a rare and valuable item.

Chen Yu of course understood that the Maeda Family had sent this piece of porcelain as a gift in hopes of favoring him. But it wasn't to please Chen Yu, the doctor, but rather Chen Yu, the Master Rank Transcendent.

"That Head of the Maeda Family really spent a fortune!" putting the lid back on the box, Chen Yu couldn't help but slightly shake his head.