"What a troublesome bunch. Still, I suppose it's not too bad..." Setting down her phone, Chu Lian glanced at Chu Chu beside her. Seeing the strange expression on her face, she asked in puzzlement, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing. It's just the first time I've seen you worry so much about outsiders, Big Sis. Before, you only ever went to these lengths for us. Now that other people who aren't part of our group are receiving the same treatment, I feel a little unhappy." Chu Lian understood exactly what Chu Chu meant. The little girl was jealous and feeling rather sulky.
"Oh, you. Don't overthink it. You have to understand that those women aren't people you can afford to provoke. How should I put this? To defeat their entire group, you'd need at least two people working together from among my mom, Ayase, Lilith, and my good-for-nothing dad.
"Of course, I'm only talking about the people I know. Maybe you wouldn't need anyone quite that powerful. Hmm, but at the very least, you'd need two of those four, plus another two reasonably strong people, to have a chance of winning. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
Rather than explaining her relationship with those women in detail, Chu Lian focused on their strength. After all, that was the easiest way to make Chu Chu understand the situation.
"They're that powerful? I thought Sister Yukari was the only one who had surpassed Heaven-rank and that the others were all just Heaven-rank." Chu Chu smacked her lips in surprise. If Chu Lian was telling the truth, then this was undoubtedly an extraordinarily formidable group, one that could act virtually unchecked throughout most of the world.
"Of course not. That older woman in the kimono is a thousand-year-old ghost. Don't let her constant smiles and gentle, easygoing manner fool you. Once she really unleashes her power, even an ordinary expert at the Half-Step Transcendence Realm would have to think twice before trying to defeat her.
"As for the woman wearing the shrine maiden outfit, she's an existence that defies the normal rules of power in her world. If she truly goes all out, even Yukari Yakumo might not be able to beat her.
"Then there's the one in the maid outfit. She's the perfectly elegant head maid of the Scarlet Devil Mansion. Her raw strength isn't particularly overwhelming, but she has mastered the power of time and can stop time within a certain area... Their abilities are all ridiculously unfair, but they're also incredibly powerful. A serious battle involving them could very well turn the world upside down."
Chu Lian considered the matter carefully. Reimu was practically invincible in Gensokyo, while here she was at the peak of Heaven-rank. Even so, there was no telling whether she had some strange abilities she hadn't revealed yet.
As for Yuyuko and Sakuya, their abilities were powerful and outrageously unfair, but that was essentially where their advantages lay. Their respective cultivation levels were peak Heaven-rank and advanced Heaven-rank.
Although Yukari Yakumo was really the only one who required special attention, there was no telling how things might turn out in an actual battle.
"I see... Then how powerful are they considered in their own world?" Chu Lian's explanation had awakened Chu Chu's curiosity about Gensokyo. She wanted to know what kind of place it was.
"There are no fewer than ten individuals who have reached the Transcendence Realm, and probably six or seven who have mastered Laws. There are around ten more ranging from Half-Step Heaven-rank to peak Heaven-rank. The remaining powerful individuals are all below advanced Heaven-rank.
"Anyone who reaches Heaven-rank is considered either a Great Youkai or an exceptionally powerful human. As for the other youkai, their strength is fairly ordinary. Most are Earth-rank or below." Chu Lian didn't have a completely accurate understanding of Gensokyo's power distribution, so she could only provide a rough breakdown.
Of course, even that was terrifying. With strength like that, Gensokyo could sweep through the overwhelming majority of worlds without encountering serious resistance. Unless a world's consciousness personally intervened, there would almost certainly be no unexpected complications.
Naturally, if they came to the present world, they would still face considerable threats. If those ancient monsters hidden deep within the mountains ever emerged, even Gensokyo's inhabitants would probably be finished. After all, old monsters who had attained tremendous strength and hadn't visited another world in countless years were truly terrifying.
"I see. That's not too bad, then. If we threw them into the Otherside, they'd certainly rank among its strongest factions, but they'd still have a difficult time if all the forces there united against them. How about... we try getting Gensokyo and the Otherside to fight each other?" Chu Chu harbored neither affection nor hostility toward Gensokyo. Her suggestion was motivated purely by the interests of her own group.
"You're overthinking it. Gensokyo has no shortage of capable people. Unless they've all been infected with Cirno's idiocy, there's no way they'd casually start a war with another world. Doing so would be tantamount to destroying their own foundations and throwing away years of hard work."
Chu Lian didn't criticize Chu Chu for thinking that way. On the contrary, she felt it was only natural. When dealing with a faction that wasn't on their side, the best approach was to make the fullest possible use of it.
However, neither the Otherside nor Gensokyo could be manipulated so easily. Such a conflict would only become possible if an irreconcilable clash of interests arose or if an important figure from one side was secretly attacked by the other.
Admittedly, a third party could engineer such an incident from the shadows and frame both sides against each other. But if the deception were discovered, the instigator would face a joint assault from two superpowers that even the combined forces of the present world and the Cultivation World might not be able to withstand. That would be an exceptionally unpleasant outcome.
By contrast, Chu Lian's relationship with Yukari Yakumo was still friendly, and she was establishing increasingly substantial shared interests with Gensokyo. Rather than doing something that might turn them into enemies, it would be far better to continue along their current path, eventually forming an alliance in which both sides could benefit.
After all, setting aside how desperately she wanted the conditions Yukari had offered, merely establishing an alliance with Gensokyo would effectively mean that the present world had allied itself with Gensokyo.
At that point, the Otherside would naturally regard Gensokyo as one of its enemies. No, the Otherside might even covet Gensokyo's peculiar world and launch an invasion of its own accord. If that happened, it would find itself fighting three worlds at once. The Otherside would be the only one to suffer.
Chu Lian carefully explained these considerations to Chu Chu, analyzing the advantages and disadvantages one by one. The girl nodded repeatedly, thoroughly impressed by her big sister's foresight and strategic thinking.
As expected, Big Sis really is the most suitable person to lead us all toward a glorious future. Just from one little suggestion of mine, she managed to think through so many possibilities.
And looking at it this way, Big Sis must have already come up with a plan to deal with everything, right? Ally with Gensokyo, oppose the Otherside, and use overwhelming strength to suppress that superpower that's been fighting against us all this time. I have to admit, her approach is far more comprehensive and safer than mine. As expected of Big Sis.
Chu Lian didn't object when Chu Chu described the Otherside as a "superpower." She knew that although the Otherside was a collection of numerous races and factions, with all manner of disputes, wars, and bloodshed constantly occurring within it, that was only one side of its nature.
On certain fundamental issues, such as how to treat the present world or how to deal with factions and worlds that didn't belong to them, its inhabitants invariably stood on the same side.
It was precisely this relationship of simultaneous competition and cooperation that had produced so many powerful individuals and preserved the Otherside's undying glory for thousands of years.
If not for the occasional rebellion of peerless geniuses who appeared only once every thousand years, repeatedly throwing the Otherside into chaos, it probably would have conquered the present world long ago.
If, for some reason, the ultimate gateway connecting the Otherside to the present world were ever opened in the future, allowing its inhabitants to invade freely, they would truly become a superpower that no world could afford to ignore.
After suppressing their ambitions for so long, once they unleashed their enthusiasm for war and their hunger for new lands and new worlds, the threat they posed would be immeasurable.
I need a great many allies. Only then can I prepare for danger before it arrives and prevent myself from being caught completely off guard in the future.
I don't want to have regrets. I don't want to do things I'll regret, and I certainly don't want to lose control over my own future.
That's why Dungeon Worlds are one of my options, and the best option at that.
After all, the relationships between the various worlds and factions currently connected to the present world had already become more or less fixed. Changing those relationships would require an enormous investment of time and effort, and accomplishing it was practically impossible.
Rather than wasting time here, it would be better to seek out other worlds. Whether she conquered them or formed alliances with them, either approach would provide a means of strengthening her own position.
Once those worlds became connected to the present world, they would inevitably have to send their own forces to help if turmoil broke out here. Their interests would be closely intertwined. If the present world fell, they too would find themselves in danger.
Yes, Chu Lian was calculating how to make use of other worlds whose inhabitants had no idea what she was thinking. But this was something she had to do.
Compared to the people and things I truly care about, why shouldn't I make use of those I don't particularly care about whenever I can?
Perhaps this was a rather cruel way of looking at the present world, but it was also extremely well suited to surviving in it. No one had any right to condemn her for it.
After all, Chu Lian wasn't planning to send those people to their deaths, nor did she intend to exploit them without giving anything in return.
In an age when Judgement could descend at any moment, the union of numerous worlds was an inevitable trend. They would help protect her world, and when their own worlds faced danger, she would help them in return.
Listening as Chu Lian carefully explained her plans, Chu Chu stared at her with wide eyes, her gaze filled with unfamiliarity. "Is this really my Big Sis? Since when did you become so clever and capable of thinking so far ahead? Aren't you supposed to be an idiot?"
"Never underestimate an idiot, because the moment you underestimate her, you become an idiot yourself." Under normal circumstances, Chu Lian would have immediately rewarded Chu Chu with a sharp knock on the head. But there was no need for that now. After all, hadn't she explained so much precisely because she wanted Chu Chu to learn how to think things through?
"AAAAAAAH!" Hearing Chu Lian's reply, Chu Chu covered her cheeks with both hands and rolled back and forth across the bed, protesting stubbornly. "I'm not listening! I'm not listening! I'm not listening! Give me back my Big Sis! A Big Sis this clever is way too scary! Give me back my idiot big sister!!"
"Oh, you..." Watching her behave so shamelessly, Chu Lian could only smile helplessly. Admittedly, she had been too impatient today. She had poured so much information into Chu Chu's head all at once. Whether the girl could absorb everything was one question, but more importantly, would she even accept it?
"All right, I won't say any more. Stop throwing a tantrum." Taking Chu Chu by the arm, Chu Lian drew her into her embrace and let her rest her head on her lap. Gently stroking her cheek, she spoke in a soft, tender voice.
"Chu Chu, your Big Sis might change in many ways, but no matter what happens, I'll always be your Big Sis. So don't worry. Whatever happens, remember that your Big Sis will always be with you. Forever and ever..."
She whispered those final words right beside Chu Chu's ear, her voice as gentle as the breeze at dawn and as hazy as the moonlight at night.
Chu Chu's senses immediately grew dreamy and unfocused. Her eyelids fluttered a few times before she murmured softly and drifted off to sleep. "Big Sis belongs to Chu Chu. She'll always be Chu Chu's Big Sis..."