Chapter 14 Shrine Maiden and God-Veil

· Push from Qiluo App ·
(*′?`*) Today's true reality of Zerojima brought to you as well.
Zerojima is known as the realm of the gods, with over 70% of the general population holding faith in the eight million deities.
Although most of them only casually mutter "May the gods bless us" on occasion, one must still respect their customs~
·
The Wandering Forest earned its name because people frequently get lost within it. Geographers explain that the elevation changes in the mountain forest create a peculiar visual sense of displacement, making it easy for people to walk in circles, while local elders firmly believe that mischievous gods use leaves and branches to hide the paths, smiling down from the trees at the lost travelers.
Young tourists who come to visit usually do not believe in feudal superstitions, and thus they are the ones who frequently get lost due to visual displacement. On the other hand, the born-and-bred locals believe the stories told by their grandparents, often bringing a small snack or a tiny gift to offer before the stone statue of the Wandering God. Perhaps it is psychological suggestion that dispels the sense of displacement, but they usually pass in and out of the forest without trouble.
"An offering to the Wandering God, please bless us and our guests so we do not lose our way in the forest."
Clap, clap. Placing a lollipop in front of the child's stone statue, she clapped twice to pay respects.
The Wandering God of the Wandering Forest is nothing more than a child washing azuki beans, and as a living god herself, she should naturally have no need for bows or offerings. Still, one must always show respect to the deities.
Treating people kindly always turns misfortune into fortune; this was the principle taught by her grandmother.
Those who commit countless evils may enjoy a moment of triumph, but disaster will eventually befall them; the honest and prudent may occasionally suffer minor setbacks, but good fortune will surely look after them. The transformation between the deities of misfortune and direct connection gives birth to elusive fates, yet what is contained within them is merely a simple and rustic truth, commonly referred to by people as "karmic retribution."
People living on the corpse of a calamity god probably find it hard to hold any true awe for the gods. Hopefully, the people arriving this time won't all act like Uncle Yan; that would be quite troublesome.
"One minute left."
She bit down on the candy in her mouth, the sweetness spreading with a crisp click. While feeling worried, she was also somewhat expectant: what kind of people would Uncle Yan's acquaintances be? Since they were said to come from the Canopy Metropolis, would they be fellows who modified their bodies into the shapes of monsters? Surely they wouldn't be stranger than ninjas...
She looked up at the starry sky, where two black dots in her field of vision were enlarging at a visible speed, accompanied by a roaring sound as the wind was torn apart, along with two increasingly loud voices of argument—
"I'm going to land using psychokinesis, so stop thrashing around unless you want your neck snapped!" "Your psychokinesis just made me swallow a huge mouthful of wind!" "Shall I withdraw the psycho-kinetic shield and watch you free-fall instead?" "Shut up and leave the landing safely to my Shadow Orchid!" "I am certainly not going to give you the chance to run around freely at night." "You guy—" "Quiet down first—"
………………Hey, you two are still less than five meters away from the ground.
Landing like this is going to make a huge "boom" and smash a massive crater into the earth, and the Wandering God will undoubtedly be angered to tears. And what about stealth? She could already vividly imagine the news headline: *Meteorite Impact Occurs in Southern Tsukishima*.
Just as she prepared to step in and help, the momentum of the two oddballs holding suitcases suddenly slowed down, and defying all common sense, they landed silently on both feet. The very first thing they did upon landing was to point at each other and shout in strained, childish whispers: "Don't you know anything about secret missions?!" x2
From what she could see, neither of you knows a thing.
Oh no, oh no. Should she say they are truly Uncle Yan's acquaintances? It feels like these next few days are going to be exhausting.
The two weirdos over there were looking over; now was the time to greet them. Alright, in one breath, let's show them the poise of the Seven Luminaries Shinto!
She struck a bright smile and gave the two of them a thumbs-up.
"I thought you'd be weirdos even worse than ninjas, but turns out you're just idiots!"
Oh no.
She accidentally spoke her mind—!
·
Gongsun Ce (disguised as a programmer) frowned and sighed, "Look, you made us get treated like idiots."
Shigure Rei (disguised as a marriage-fraudster) glared angrily, "I am returning those exact words right back to you."
The person who let out the "idiot" exclamation was standing indistinctly in the forest, sounding like a woman from her voice. Gongsun Ce took out his mobile phone, confirmed the rendezvous code via Qiluo, and asked, "Good evening, madam. Might you tell us the rendezvous code?"
"Let me check... 6t7h8fdre999cfe." Accompanied by the rustling sound of an unfolded piece of paper, the contact person replied. The code was verified as correct, but Gongsun Ce decided to add an extra layer of insurance. He winked at his "lover," and Shigure Rei asked with a smile, "Thanks a lot~ By the way, do you happen to know my name?"
"The only intel I received was your disguised identities," the contact person said, sounding puzzled. "The programmer couple from Xilang Electronics, Goro Nakamoto and Suzumiya Yuki. Aside from knowing you are Uncle Yan's acquaintances, I have no idea about your real names or identities."
By "Uncle Yan," she surely couldn't mean Yan Qi. You finally had a day where a girl called you uncle, hilarious.
Everything matched up so far. If a band of eight hundred swordsmen suddenly jumped out halfway through, they would just have to handle it by improvising.
"Thanks for your cooperation, madam. As you can see, I am Goro Nakamoto of Xilang Electronics. Just call me Goro!" When he reached the second half of the sentence, he adjusted his tone to be much more lively.
"Calling me 'madam' is a bit embarrassing." The contact person's voice sounded quite shy. She stepped out from the forest, revealing her appearance to the two of them.
Standing before Gongsun Ce was a black-haired girl with a medium-length ponytail, whose body curves reminded him of the Young Miss when she first arrived at the Canopy Metropolis. She wore a white hoodie and shorts, with a lollipop still in her mouth, making her look precisely like a dashing high school girl who had just finished classes.
The girl tucked one hand into her pocket, pointed her thumb at herself with the other, and said cheerfully, "I'm Izuna Rina of the Seven Luminaries Shinto. As you can see, I'm a miko!"
Gongsun Ce's gaze lingered primarily on the hoodie and the lollipop. He remained silent for two seconds, then said with difficulty, "...I'm sorry, I really couldn't tell."
"Are you kidding?!"
Shigure Rei shook her head and commented, "You have absolutely nothing in common with a miko."
"Don't judge a book by its cover, you two!" Rina said indignantly.
·
The investigators from the Canopy Metropolis followed behind the girl claiming to be a miko, strolling through the silent forest—at least, that is how normal progression dictates it should go. However, a certain esper slightly delayed their movement for his own selfish reasons.
"Please wait a moment, 10 seconds will do."
Gongsun Ce lay flat on the grass in a sprawling posture, looking up at the brilliant night sky.
The stars seen on the ground were not as bright as those in the sky. The gravity that allowed him to lie upon the grass was also no different from what he felt on the back of the giant dragon. The air among the forest carried the scent of grass and soil, which was identical to what could be smelled on the mountains of the Canopy District.
Yet, was it just psychological suggestion at play? Somewhere in his heart, he still felt a difference. The vivid reality of having left the Canopy Metropolis rushed over him the moment he collapsed onto the earth.
"Are you airsick?" the hooded miko asked. The hunter by his side answered in his stead. "Heh, it's just that he hasn't been down to the ground for too long, so he's developed a strange homesick sentiment."
"What are you talking about, I'm just appreciating the natural scenery different from the mega-city."
"You are free to continue," Shigure Rei smiled malevolently. "Hearing your transparent lies only brings me greater amusement."
"Tch."
Why did it have to be this terrible woman paired up with me?
Gongsun Ce climbed up from the ground, brushing the blades of grass off his body. "Sorry to keep you waiting, let's get moving."
Rina stuffed her hands into her pockets and smiled, saying, "No worries, no worries! You two get along really well."
Who gets along well with him/her! The two investigators once again issued similar shouts. Miss Miko dug into her ears, thinking that the rest of this journey was going to be quite noisy.
·
Everything around them was pitch black.
There were no street lamps in the forest, and no artificial light could be seen. Their sneakers crunched against the twigs, making crisp sounds. A wombat out foraging for food at night was startled by the commotion and hurriedly hid back in its burrow.
The miko leading the way used her phone app as a flashlight for illumination and asked casually, "You two are heading to Yamato Island, right?"
Gongsun Ce thought Izuna Rina was a rather sociable girl. She didn't look like those high school girls in the Canopy Metropolis who tried their best to avoid talking to strangers; she seemed like the type who would gladly chat a few words with an uncle she randomly met on the street.
"Our destination is the capital of Zerojima, Mihara, but we didn't expect to land in Tsukishima first."
"That's a sensible arrangement. If you flew directly to Yamato Island, the ninja army would definitely divine your specific movements. Besides, before starting your operations, you ought to pay your respects to the deity first."
Adding a trailing "na" to the end of her sentences gave her voice a somewhat lazy flavor. Though her back was turned to him and he couldn't see her face, he always had the impression that she was speaking with her eyes narrowed.
A bit cute. But he couldn't say that out loud to someone he was meeting for the first time.
"By deity, you mean—?"
"Didn't you read the files? She's talking about the calamity god, which is the Dragon Disaster." The one taking over the conversation was Shigure Rei, not Izuna Rina.
Miss Miko crunched and chewed on her candy: "Miss Yukimi, it's better not to use terms like that."
Shigure Rei seemed as if she wanted to say something more. This wasn't like her usual self; could she have been provoked by Shigure Ggenya's intel on the plane? Remembering the advice he received before parting, the esper decided to respect local customs.
This place called Zerojima exuded an eerie vibe, so it was better to be cautious.
"Leaving that aside. Are Zerojima's calamity divinations really this accurate?" Gongsun Ce chimed in to smooth things over. "I heard from a friend before that our arrival would definitely be predicted."
"True, very true! Zerojima enjoys the protection of the Deity of Misfortune. The stronger the 'connection,' the more accurate the divination," Rina said with a smile. "It would have been much easier if Shigure Reiichi were here; I originally thought he'd be the one coming."
Did the word "connection" refer to the "information perturbation" Shigure Rei had mentioned? He noticed that the miko's phrasing was quite different from ordinary people, forcing him to translate it in his head one by one. Fortunately, he had learned Zerojima's language through watching anime for a long time, otherwise he would have been completely clueless. And he was quite certain that the name he heard belonged to his friend; judging by this tone, this miko...
"Oh my, are you talking about Number 1 of the Shigure Research Institute?" Alice said with feigned surprise.
Rina had finished her candy and was now licking the stick.
"That guy is a terribly troublesome person, but his Non-Law is truly formidable," Rina said briskly. "We'll reach the shrine in another three minutes. You must be tired too, so you can rest after chatting with Grandma."
Rina led the two of them around a bend and came to a small stream. Stepping on slippery stones, she indicated that the so-called shrine was further downriver.
Rustle, rustle, the running water washed over the stones, making soft sounds. Gongsun Ce pondered the miko's identity. Her tone suggested she had met Shigure-kun, and she also seemed to know Yan Qi. Could this be the reason she was chosen as the contact person? Even though it was a top-secret mission, Rina intended to let them rest, which seemed inconsistent with the initial urgency of their journey.
There were too many things that couldn't be sorted out, and perhaps he would only obtain the intel once they met "Grandma." He shook the distracting thoughts from his mind and decided to rest for a moment. Rustle, rustle, the sound appeared once more...
He and Shigure Rei stopped walking at the same time. Something was wrong; the sound of the stream shouldn't have such a rhythmic pattern.
Using the flashlight's beam, Gongsun Ce saw a figure as small as a child squatting not far away. The person held a small basket in their hands, seemingly washing something in the stream.
"Miss Rina, did you hear a strange noise?"
Rina waved her hand and took two steps forward on her own.
"Do you have something to say, Wandering God?"
The bizarre movement stopped, and the dwarf raised its head from the side of the stream, revealing its appearance to all three of them.
"Washing azuki beans, swish-swash~ Dragging you underwater, glub-glub~"
This small dwarf wore coarse cloth garments and sang a bizarre nursery rhyme, its basket completely filled with red beans. Yet no one would mistake it for a mischievous child from a nearby village, because the bean-washing child's eyes were as large as copper bells, taking up nearly a third of its face, and two sharp fangs jutted out from beneath its lips, adding a beast-like ferocity to its visage.
The "Wandering God" faced the three of them and grinned broadly. Gongsun Ce narrowed his eyes; what this freakish thing was staring at was precisely his disguised self!
"You, you! Today, bad luck!"
It giggled and reached out, revealing two beans as red as blood.
"Will you eat beans, you? Will you eat rice cakes, you?"