This is a continuation of my Shōgun clan post, check it here to have more context!

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Business introduction

The principal and public source of income for the Shōgun family household is the arranged marriages between female members and men from other sorcerer families or regular civilians. Differences are set when a male or female child is born: both are taught to perform a different role, but their values are complemented and reach the same purpose: being part of a production cycle.

There are other kinds of jobs that this sorcerer family executes, yet they are not as important as the one they are well known for.

Girls are taught directly about the importance of their birth to the family and society in general. They are aware from a young age that they hold a power that no one else has, the passive subtechnique: Heritage. They are convinced that they were chosen by ancient Gods to collaborate in bringing wealth to the people they share blood with and to make happy the man who graciously chooses to share his life with them, that their own happiness and value depend on how much they can provide to their husband. They are taught nothing else apart from what they have to do; the sense behind this is that they are bombed with the idea that their power and condition forbid them from choosing a different path, that they will find death if they go against the family's wishes, against the reason why they are alive. This is why they are taught about the activities that traditional women used to perform, plus the capability to master the usage of RCT, since, after all, they are born in a sorcerer family. Activating their cursed technique would not be questioned as long as it was used to facilitate their daily routines.

They must be so happy knowing a man has chosen them to help them fulfill the divine reason why they were born, this is how they would provide wealth to their family and meaning to their existence.

On the other side, boys are taught, apart from basic essential knowledge, about the sorcery world and about the importance of the place their family holds. Afterward, they will be introduced at a young age to the world of business and its tricks, since social and interaction skills are the most crucial weapon to reach the power they look for and so, the power that should be yearned for by the next generations. The same priority —if not more— is given to developing and mastering their sorcery abilities, since their main focus will be on the part of the world they happen to live in, but not their limit. Fathers and brothers are in charge of finding a suitable man for their daughters and sisters, respectively, and also in charge of dealing with the exchange of valuable goods that match the value of the woman.

"You poor little thing, you are quite wrong if you think you are special just because you were born as a woman [...]. We, men, are simply part of a different market. You're running late at learning your place, [...]."

—Kojira Shōgun

How is the process carried on?

Girls and boys are taught in different rooms in the estate. The boys' teaching room looks like a very traditional zone made for children who are homeschooled and is closer to a training area. The girls' room is way bigger than theirs and it's placed in front of a beautiful traditional Japanese garden in which they could see their older female relatives performing their daily routines. The room of the girls is also provided with small and basic items a traditional wife is used to using.

The male members are obliged to seek those suitors for their sisters, choosing carefully the person they're interested in and what they want in exchange. However, this is not the most common way of action, since the demand is high enough to simply let the interested men request an arranged marriage by themselves.

Treated as they deserve, these men (or their families) are allowed to visit the girls' training room and choose the one they'd like to marry, but under three conditions.

The age gap between the girl and the person she's going to marry couldn't exceed 10 years.

The girl couldn't leave the Shōgun estate until she was at least 16 years old, unless a very big extra quantity was paid. However, she can't be under 13, no matter how much it's paid, since their studies must be fulfilled.

The marriage will not happen officially until both are at least 18 years old, but the payment is needed before she even is requested by the suitor or his family to leave her home.

These men are invited to come as much as they desire to choose the woman they find more suitable for their needs, as well as they are invited to stay in the household to get to know them more as long as they don't interrupt their hours of studying.

When both the chosen girl and the suitor are at least 18 years old, if he offers more quantity than the one agreed upon, he will be allowed to spend one night alone with her to confirm she is the one he'd like to marry. He'd have to pay beforehand though.

Shōgun's accept no refunds, no exceptions.

Once the arranged marriage is set, she doesn't need to come back if it's not needed; her family knows that she is happily fulfilling her role as a Shōgun woman, so if anything, they are feeling plethoric about this. If clear signs of violence towards the girl are discovered by chance, he will be banned from marrying another Shōgun woman. She will return home to be re-educated and become part of the people teaching the new generation of girls, the same fate that women who are not chosen and are past 21 will face. Obviously, he isn't getting his money back.

The interests that will catalyze an arranged marriage are money, properties, weapons, social status, political power, loyalty, being in charge of other businesses, votes to become a major sorcerer family, respect, renown, special permissions... Anything valuable enough to be of importance.

It's an honor to be the main head of the clan, but to have chances to become that, men need to make the most providing deal. The daughters of the head of the clan are the most expensive, and the reason behind this is that in this way, it helps the current head keep the head title for their male direct offspring. The daughters of the head of the clan are supposed to be more quality by the title, they are quite more expensive, and therefore they have it easier to arrange a big deal that would benefit the family.

"I hate this [...], it makes my blood boil, how genuinely happy these women look [...]. Isn't there anyone who has questioned the way they live?"

—???

Quick summary of the facilities of the Shōgun estate

Since this family is the oldest in sorcery's history, their household is quite enormous. It looks like the amplified version of a traditional Japanese house for the main building, and it's surrounded by what looks like a very small Japanese village. All these buildings are enclosed by a wall that practically covers the height of the small buildings.

The main Shōgun building is made to serve as the home of the head of the clan and his family. It will also hold rooms for the administration and other dealings that concern the whole family, as well as it will contain training rooms for the children.

Moreover, inside the main building, there is an old and heavy gate that leads to an underground temple with various sculptures of deities and ancient decorations —the gate can only be opened by pronouncing the words for a certain ritual—. Further inside, you will reach the family cemetery, where those bodies that do not present any vestige of Flow are buried. It's a very captivating and immaculate area that is capable of bringing you peace. And so, if you keep walking and reach the very end of the temple, you will find the secret sanctuary whose existence only the head of the family is allowed to know about: The Room of the Eternal Rest.

This sanctuary is dark, quiet, mild, and peaceful, yet it has a small gloomy aura that fits with the view. The walls are adorned with many talismans, while others are just floating around the center. These floating talismans are different from the ones on the walls and have the names of the current living Shōgun members in a fresh washi paper.

And then, surrounding the central area there are the bodies of past Shōgun members levitating and surrounded by cursed energy. Their faces are covered with an ofuda talisman with their names written on it, and a cursed energy appendage is grown from their heads towards the upper zone of the room in the center. All of the appendages of each member are tied up in the same place, which congregates a nucleus of cursed energy that seems to spread like a barrier.

The Mother Barrier.

The Mother Barrier is the result of the unity of the dying Shōgun members that are closest to their death. The user enters a state similar to cryogenics in which they will be voluntarily giving their cursed energy to maintain a barrier that goes unnoticed by the eye. The Mother Barrier is situated above any other barrier technique and covers the whole Earth, having the epicenter in Saitama, Japan, and it potentiates the inherited cursed technique of the Shōgun family, Flow. The closer a Flow user is to the Shōgun estate, the more powerful their cursed technique becomes, outside the concept of ranks.

For example, a second grade Shōgun in the state could take a special grade. The cursed energy reserves become optimized, the flowing of the particles of cursed energy move faster and the control itself is much easier, so it can be considered an enhancer and protection. However, apart from the head of the family, Shōgun members are unaware of this, because it's a practically unnoticeable sensation unless a war happens next to the estate. If the existence of this sanctuary were commonly known, as a fight for power and to exploit it would be the end of the family and a danger to the world. The barrier holds immense cursed energy in its core and the sudden release of it could be closer to the effects of a nuclear bomb.

The Room of the Eternal Rest was created after the fall of the empire; how the injured and close to dying Shōgun's were capable of concluding that they could create a barrier with their remaining power that would protect their family after the horrible incident between Gotoba and Tsubasa is still unknown, but one could guess that it was thanks to Flow's numerous properties, their resentment and desperation in combination with their vast knowledge about sorcery. It was a matter of time before they would come up with something that would help them prosper, it's been always part of their forte.

They sacrificed the little bit of their life to serve as a drive to help their family recover what belonged to them. Thanks to their connection to the nucleus of cursed energy, the last moments of their life could turn into centuries as long as they are transferring their cursed energy to maintain the Mother Barrier.

Shōgun's ancestors are alive and protecting their future relatives with the barrier they've created specifically for them. One wouldn't go against the family's wishes when so many people are sacrificing their lives under the foundations of the estate they call home.

"Flow to us is like water to humans."

—???

However, not all Shōgun members can enjoy this protection and power; the traitors who betrayed the family and their descendants don't have their names written in the floating talismans under the cursed energy core. Those possess the same abilities as their affiliated relatives, such as Heritage in women, although they're not considered part of the family anymore and so, they're outside their protection. These Shōgun furtive relatives (mostly women) are hunted by intelligent curses, curse users, and rogues; they can be found as a product in the dark market.

Their price there is cheaper, they say.

"Hoho, look at this, man! Aren't you like, the principal or the teacher of a Jujutsu High or something like that? Seeing is believing, [...]! Listen man, I'm just joking! I don't care, I know all of you are rotten like us hoho [...]. But you can trust me, this one is Uncaged, they won't go after you, I promise. Not even the spiky haired blonde guy."

—???