Exploring the Heavenly Realm, Kai and the Sacred Staff

6 Summer:

Kai told me in a visitation about a week ago that we needed to drag 'Sunshine' out of hiding and gave me her Sacred Staff he found in Ura's Storeroom.  I basically ignored it until now, but I think I need to bite the proverbial bullet here now.

My reason for delay is to keep the gods here a little longer.  A significant battle is in the near future.  They will be forced into their shrines to recover.

One must explore new areas defeating new bosses.  It is an exhausting business, but I have a little record from the past and somehow I managed to do it fairly quickly!  Love is a powerful motivation.

I duscovered how important Kai really is to Azuma and to every one else.  The goddess Ulalaka whom Fubuki calls 'Sister Spring' is much loved by all, but it is that 'loose cannon' Kai who really is the glue that holds it all together.  He appears in so many events.  If you leave him stranded somewhere, you will find the wheel of time on pause for nany other characters in terms of Bonding Events.

Being impatient, my instinct is to push forward as quickly as possible.  Fortunately I always keep one save file at the poimt before I engage.  The problem with this in Azuma is that it generates false memories.  All the actions I took in the later file I discarded were lost... later, I mainly discovered Frogs I had not blessed because I had done so in a discarded life!

I have learned from this to disregard mu own memory in favour of the Map.  The Map is an amazing resource.  It shows everything you have NOT done in any area.

There are so many factors that come together to complete the tapestry that is Azuma.  Nome really are trivial except perhaps the Aubergine Quests.  Even they, however, point the way to Frogs or paths difficult to access.

All four Villages now are at Level 8.  A recent update opened a new Summer dev zone on an Island next to the Summer Village.

A little caution here about a Village Mission: Harvest a Golden Crop

This is a Mission in all four villages I believe.  It will not count if you harvest the Crop wirh the Sacred Sword.  You must pull it from the earth wirh your bare hands!

When the barrier is broken and lowered, there will be more islands in the sky that are accessible.  For now, why not complete explorations of the area outside the four Villages?

I did not pay much attention to the Skill Nodes in a previous life.  I had a discussion with a friend about that and in particular the Sacred Parasol.  It is significant after all. She claimed I simply had improved with experience in using the controls but not so! One can make feeble attempts to jump and glide and even succeed but better stats do increase power.  There are places ahead that like the Underworld have tricky blight areas.  I would like to be stronger when I go there.  I would not be defeated now, but why not try to kerb my impatience? 

 

What is on the calendar now that might be affected are the Fireworks Festival and a Fishing Contest in the Winter Village.

My timeline now is to try to have the party for Kanata immediately after the Fireworks Festival.  My birthday is 4 Autumn.  I would like every one to be here for that.

I can make 'I love you' confessions to Kai, Kurama, Ikaruga, Matsuri and Ulalaka now.  I still need to experiwnce events with Cuilang and Pilika but that is possible irrespective if I go to the Heavenly Realm or not.

It is Murasame, Mauro and Fubuki who require me to push ahead with Azuma goals if I wish to confess my love for any of them.  It feels wrong not to give them all an equal opportunity level playing field.  So back to the Heavenly Realm I go.  I flew there as the sun was setting last night.  Foolish really.  Did not reach the inner Save Point.

I have been neglecting Iroha I fear.  When I bought a dango from her and gave it to her, she reached Level 5.  

She then gave me a Battle Broom Recipe.

Characters give you a special Recipe for an item when each reaches a specific heart level.

I ran out of cherry blosdoms making too many special alcoholic Spring drinks for Kai. So I take a moment to try ro knock one or two out of Spring Cherry trees.

Back to the Heavenly Nightmare.  Sorry but some people enjoy mazes and others find them stressful.  I like banter, flirtation, proof of devotion and love, earning spectacular combat skills through repetitious training (and here is where I am similar to Murasame), forging new weapons and armour and obtaing new Recipes for sacred buildings and decorations.  One day I will build a sacred pilgrimage site in Azuma probably in the new Summer Zone.  It has a fabulous vista of the sea and in the distance, you can see Mauro's airship and the light of the High Street of the Summer Village.  I began today by making a Shogi Hut and placing it on a little grassy platform there.

For now though, thrilled that the Save Point to the Entrance was saved.  I still do not know why some are and some are not saved.  I think it has something to do with the main narrative.

I enter, find a Wayside Shrine that offers 

Holy Terra Talismans Recipe

Moonlight & Shadow Recipe

Oni Pauldron Recipe

I climb a table with a red cloth to find a chest containing Light Crystal.

In the water, achest with STR Maga II

Small Building north of little island triggers wall of flame with a host of Mushsprite enemies.

Wayside Shrine on a little island gives: 

Suigetsu Recipe

Falcon Bow Recipe

Beast Splicer Recipe

Spring Hairpin Recipe

Onigiri Hole here

A hot one with bright burning sear.

She wants the Greatest Grilled Onigiri I made with Matsuri.

Large Basket:

Matcha Flan Recipe

Diamond

Chest contains Int Maga II

Jizo Shrine here

Finally made it to the Heavenly Office Save Point.  One Frog on left gives Wooden Gate Recipe. One on right gives Tempura Bowl.

At 9. I went to Yachiyo's for a Bonding Event with Cuilang.  Kai helps Yachiyo by dealing with an obnoxious customer.  Evidently Cuilang was hurt earlier

Kai asks you to see how Cuilang is.  Go to his house.  His voice declares he is not home.  You discover be is an automaton.  You tell him he should accept help as well as give it.  Being human is having feelings and he has those.

He asks for 10 Tama Fragments.  Walk into the Gold Pin in front of his house to give them.

You tell him he is not a machine.  You tell him he must ask for help when he needs it.  Finally he calls you his friend, understanding he cannot push you away and longing to be part of humanity himself.

7 Summer:  Gift giving all morning... Cuilang is in the little rest house at the end of the long path in Autumn at half past twelve.  After a gift, he almost has reached Level 7.

Back to Heavenly place.  If I walked up into the Heavenly Office and walked into the marker, I would experiwnce a significant event.  I am delaying that.  

There is a room with two chests on high tables.  Invisible platforms above floor level.  The chest on the left contains Sapphire.  The one on the right contains Rune Crystal.

Side corridor has STR maga II.

There is a large room with three red sakura switches at one end.

Activate the middle and right, jump across the little square platforms, then walk along the narrow platform until you reach a switch.  Press that one and the other, then go out of that closed area to the other side of the room.  Now leap the platforms until you reach an invisible pane facing a yellow fan.

After activating the Fan with the Fan Dance from a distance, I was able to leap up to get a Love Crystal from a chest.

Go back, deactivate the left switch and activate the middle and right.  Hop up the square platforms, then walk along the narrow platform again.  Go to the right and press the switch while standing on the little platform to raise it to the level of the Frog containing Storehouse Recipe.

There is a room with a little zen garden.  Go right and leap out the window.  Leap across invisible paths to find a chest at the end of one containing Lion Scroll.  Go to the othet end of this platform and turn towards the closed Lotus Flower.  Use the Drum to make it open.  Hop onto the flower and equip the Staff to see the next narrow platform.  Walk to the end and use the Drum again to open a flower.  Leap onto the flower with the Staff equipped to see a narrow platform next to the window.  Leap onto that,  then leap through the window into the room with the zen garden.  While I was leaping, Kai and the rest of my Party annotingly were waiting IN the room for me to sort it out!

Go to the Frog for a Shogi Hut Recipe well worth the trouble.  I will place one in the new Summer dev island.

The last Frog here is on a little island.  Basically equip the Staff and leap and leap, taking care not to stop so your leaps go a little further.  This Frog gives Proof of Valour Recipe.

New Ema Plaque:

Buildings make the Village 3

Construct and place Storehouse

Reward: 4500 Gold

8 Summer:

Yachiyo's Birthday

I will celevrate and give her Preserved Bonito.

I now have a Fishing Contest scheduled for the 23th in the Winter Village The Fireworks Festival is on the 20th.  I do not want to lose the celebrations.  I feel that more combat and better equipment do not hurt.

With the birthday celebration, Yachiyo goes to Level 6

Using Azuma Sake, she can make:

Silvervine Wine

She says: My grandma passed this recipe down to.me along with the shop.

This is a little different from her profile story but it must be her adopted human grandmother.

The other basic Recipe for her is Fried Rice.

Paw Print Fried Rice

I decided to go to the Isolated Islet.

Activared Save Point .

Circle of Fire with Colossal Obi and other Onis.

Three huge Frogs up stone steps give 

Poison Remedy Recipe, 

Curse Remedy Recipe, Paralysis Remedy Recipe, Weakness Remedy Recipe

Sleep Remedy Recipe

At higher elevation a Jizo Shrine.

Use Sword Dance to melt ice rock.  Inside cave there, four plots of pink Turnips and Mining rock with Ice Crystal.

Down a hill from fishing waterfall a Sparrow Tengi and two oni.  Carry on down the hill for Frog with Spring Lantern Recipe.

Restore an Apple tree then go right past fishing area outside rocks for a frog that

gives Marinated Octopus.

Down further near a cart a Frog outside a lattice fence that gives Veggieblade Recipe.

Turn and jump up a grassy rock for a Frog that gives Soldier's Proof Recipe.

Finally a Secret Spring of Healing

Makes HP recover automatically.

Cross the little bridge to find a pot and a Frog that gives Meat 'n Potatoes Recipe

Autumn Fields

Frog in Mechanical Maze Coirtyard gives Cannon Recipe.  Green blight high on the wall but midnight so going home 

Kurama went to Level 8 simply by speaking to him.

It is here that he shows something of his real self, his voice soft and devoid of that arrogant affectation:

'Playing games with those I hold dear, sharing stories and laughter... I can only hope these happy days last for all eternity.'

It struck me then again that all these gods have been deeply wounded.  To hide from the world is a sign of torment and trauma.  

By coming to Azuma, you really have saved them and restored their hope and lives little by little.

When they have Meeting of the Gods, they speak of how long it had been since they met together.  Again, each was in a sense imprisoned within his or her lonely sel-imposed 'exile', hiding in their own realms from their people.

9 Summer:

I am going to the Winter Wilds today.  I need spider drops and I need to clear more blight to imcrease the Winter Village level.

For the purple blight on the bridge:

Stand to the rigvt if the bridge on the side where the Ubdergroubd Wayside Shrine is.  Shoit a flaming arroe at tge blughtbloon under the bridge

The other side of the bridge is devoid of anything but if you go to the end of the little lsbd mass, you can use your Parasol to glide to a secret Spring and a Frog that gives Recipes for:

Apple Tea Recipe

Ginger Tea

Hot Milk

Hot Chocolate

This Spring features in a Bonding Event with Fubuki later.  It is the Secret Spring of Blessings and its effect is to reduce damage received.

Back to the Undergroubf Wayside Shrine Save apoint, then go northwest to find the huge purple blightbloom high on the mounrain in front of you.  Defeat aBuffamoo, Kappas and snowmudhsprites along the way, then use the flaming arrow to destroy the blightbloom

I swear Kurama can be so annoying.  He is 2nd in the line up but he stands right in my range of sight in a situation like this and I have to shoot blind, my vision obscured by his long robe.  Kai is 1st, but never gets in the way!

I Warp to the Broken Bridge save point.  Now to the northeast of the Broken Bridge to find a flame throwing red blightbloom.  I use the Parasol to wipe it out.

Halfway between the Broken Bridge is a Red blightbloom on am isolated rock. I use inclines to go higher, then the Parsol to reach the rock anf agaon to destroy the blightbloom.

There is a green blightbloom still in this general area but it is half past ten so time to quit.

Yet there is still one new victory to claim.  By defeating Winter enemies, I reached Village goals.  When I placed a General Store in the dev zone, I was ready to meet Fubuki.  I tapped on the tablet, andvhe emerged to raise the Village Level to 8.

I seriously need high level  thread now.  Doing a little late night cooking, I notice Ratatouille:

Heals 1300 HP, STR 10, Rare Drop Boost.

Will give it a try tomorrow.

10 Summer:

I warped to Forgotten Groce Entrance to bless a couple of items I had missed:

On a little island beneath a Torii Arch:  A Frog with

Grand Torii Arch Recipe

Went to Sunrise Island

Found three Frogs on the map still

One gave

Grilled Snapper Recipe

Spider, Onis and Archers here

A chest contains Smelling Salts

Frog nearby gives

Marinated Squid Recipe

The last frog inder a tree gives Seafood Curry Recipe.

11 Summer:

Went to Gales Pass.  Frog on high area guarded by a Tengu  gives Shrimp Pikaf Recipe.

Huge frog nearby but higher gives Cyclobe Blade recipe.

Next to that a chest that gives Smelling Salts.

12 Summer:  I report to Croakie that I foind 131 Frogs.

He gives me:

Macjerel Curry Recipe

Curry Pilaf Recipe

Curry Udon Recipe

Anmitsu Fruit Jelly Recipe

Wants 150 now

Time I think to go to the Heavenly Office.

Went into the marker.  Sunshine is missing and Rin has been impersonating her... but Kai tells us he has a plan..

I go to the Underworld to mine and fight.  Kai seems a little homesick of late.  He told me basically he had to call Yachiyo's home.  

Found a chest I had missed containing Earth Crystal and Tiger Scrolls.

I still had the Staff equipped so decided to try it as a weapon.  The oni enemies simply melted away.  I thought it might be interesting to fight Ura again.  As Kai would say, it proved to be a 'Piece of cake'.  I used the Staff.  I barely lost any energy but I did have to use the Drum on my comrades.  Murasame would have died had I not.  It seems we are resdy for stronger foes but I still think it would be best to wait until the 21st.  I suspect there would be enough time between the 14th and 20th to bring all the gods back but better to have more time just in case. Conventrate on exploring the four Village Wilds and raise every one to Level 10 now. 

It is 8 at night and I am going to the Mechanical Maze.  I now find the Frog to the left of the maze and cannot believe I missed it before.  It gives the Mechanical Lantern Recipe.

I wanted to tame the Neko but caught a Tanuki instead.  Gave it a Tamahagane Fragment and sent it to the barn.

Kai goes to level 64 suddenly 

'Even stronger now.  Feel free to bask in my glory.'

I took my merry band to fight the Big Boss Tanuki and somehow tamed him by mistake.  Gave him a Doom Pumpkin and sent him home to the Barn.  He can play with Kotaro, his alter ego.

I had constructed a few buildings and decorations earlier in the day.  It was 11 at nighr now but I nipped round to the various dev zones to do what I could.  I managed, by placing an Izakaya in Spring to become eligible to raIse that Village to Level 9.  Knocked up Ulalaka despite the late hour and received her blessing.

Time to give myself a stern lecture as to Kai.  I find myself more attracted to him than any one else once more and that is pointless.  I have another life with him!

13 Summer:  Allowing the event in the Heavenly Office to occur was the wirst timing ever.

First a visitation in the night from Kanata, furious that I had persued the search.  All the gods then entered the dream to berate her and beg her for her aid.  Now today there is a fat gold pin over Kai.  I know what that will be about.  I will be required to make rhe infamous Orochi Killer drink for the alcoholic cum laude Kanata who reputedly can drink every other god under the table.  I get it, I really do.  Sake is the traditional offering to a god.

In any case, I have a contest this morning in the Winter Village and I must go through with THAT.

After thhat I will make the drink but not go to the Party venue in my main file.  I suppose I could go through it all in a secondary file to see how quickly ordeelr can be restored and all the gods returned to their shrines.  I did it before.  What a curious concept it is, working and striving and then, if it does not prove satisfactory, erasing all of it...

Back in the day, when my life was getting guides done for a new Harvest Moon, I remember dropping and breaking a mug.  My first thought was insanely:  I will just reload this without saving!

Unfortunately life is not like that although I know a couple of sociopaths who reroute their memories and history to conceal their evil deeds.

On to the Freshwater Fishing Contest..   we need more space in the Winter Village but they do not give that even at maximum level.  I guess I must keep shuffling the villagers to the other three where there are acres of empty land now.

How foolish I can be.  Here I am going to all four Carpenters this morning at the crack of dawn to buy 20 Lumber from each when I have two outstanding requests from Takumi, one for a Tuna Roll and the other for Tempura Bowl that will give me 15 Lumber for each!

Well this is an annoying situation.  I did not have the Tuna Roll so ran to the Izakaya in the Summer Villsge to make one.  No one manning the helm...  I had to wait and shout again and again for service before she finally materialised.  Trying to get this done before 8.

I race back to Takumi and of courae he is nowhere to be seen.  His sign likewise missing so I cannot even summon him.  As with him many times before, I have to hang about a bit and he finally appears.

With the Tuna Roll and speaking ro him again, he went to Level 4.

'How long's it been since something other than carpentry has touched my heart?  Almost wanna build something to commemorate the occasion.'

Poor lonely Takumi!

I guess that, in Azuma, merchants are like priests, taking vows of celibacy so that their focus is directed solely to the business of business.

Tsubame, Kusatsu and Takumi all have shops or stalls.  They are all of marriagable age although there really is no reason why Hisui and Sakaki could not have a go at matrimonial bliss in the twilight of their lives.  If you can marry some one of the same gender and plant a fruit that blossoms into a child within days, why not a marriage with what insultingly were once called 'wrinklies'? and get the child in the same way? It reminds me of a Newar girl's 'first marriage' with a fruit to prevent her ever becoming a widow.)  

My friend actually declared she would marry Sakaki were he available.  I do see how his personality makes him attractive, but I yearn for a little excitement and passion.  Interestingly, that little thrill comes when Kai says something compassionate, sensitive and caring.   In fact, I like those moments with all of them.  In any case, I wish the merchants of Azuma did not have to go home forever to an empty house and no one to send them off to work in the morning with a packed lunch.

I go to the Winter Village.

Despite misgivings, I use ny precious Ecquisite Fur to makr a Kappa Doll and place it under the Snoeman's watchful eyes.  I doubt the Fishing bonus it gives will help MY Fishing.

Zaza's Voice: Alright!  The Freshwater Fishing Frenzy is about to start.  If you wanna join in, head on over to the event venue.

All the Azuma Cobtesrs are tricky.  From the announcement, one would think to go to Wasarase's Fishery but I seem to recall the registration occurs at the God Shrine.  Precious time always wasted with this sort of thing!

It is not even 8 yet but the Map shows people collecting at the God Shrine and no one at all at the fishery... so off I go.

You do not have to talk to any one, just be there when Zaza makes the announcement.

She said it was a good day for fishing.  I caught 24 before all four spots were fished out.  It is annoying to stand here for hours facing empty warers.   I should have tested to see if I could leave and go off to do work somewhere else and just return by 7 but I did not risk it.  If I left, I could be punushed by some one else catching more amazingly or simply the Contest being cancelled.  I will hold another when it does not matter.   Somehow I am the only one here but Ikaruga slyly caught 16 and Murasame caught 12.

I won a Lobster Sashimi Dish and a Valuable Medal.  Knowing me, the Medal will take up space in my rucksack until the day I die.  I never sell things like this.  It will join the Exotic Medals I earned from Tsubame.

When the Contest ends, you find yourself in front of the Winter Shrine automatically and the results are announced.

I spoke to Zaza afterwards and that increased her Level to 3.  At Level 3, they can give you birthday gifts and have dinner with you.  It is the birthday gifts that matter to me.