Hyperdimensional Player

Chapter 216 Crossing East to Fusang
Despite investing in the Legendary status, Duncan did not immediately acquire a new human form.

Bored, he could only turn his attention to World One and World Two. Currently, his human form's avatar had already set foot on Japanese soil with the fleet. This could be considered a clone of a clone, like a nested doll; the deeper the doll was nested, the weaker it became.

This possessed clone only has a combat strength of around three stars.

However, he can serve as a beacon, allowing the first human host to attempt to enter reality at crucial moments, making him a competent tool.

The arrival of blond-haired, blue-eyed Westerners caused a sensation throughout Kyushu, Japan.

They were quickly taken into custody.

The people on the ship tried to communicate with the indigenous people, but with little success. Instead, the missionaries on board attracted their attention and were soon taken away.

—Onmyoji (One-star silver-gray).

Warlock?

This specially marked unit quickly caught Duncan's attention.

As he zoomed in from God's perspective, a middle-aged man dressed like an Eastern sorcerer appeared before him. Onmyōdō (the Way of Yin and Yang) was introduced to Japan during the Asuka period, gradually developed during the Nara period, and finally reached its peak during the Heian period.

Because this was an era when people were still unenlightened, many people firmly believed in the existence of demons and ghosts, which led to the phenomenon of humans and ghosts living together in Japan. They lived together in the shadows of Kyoto, sometimes even under the same roof.

"Her strength seems to be slightly weaker than that of an ordinary witch."

A one-star silver-gray marked unit is lucky to be able to use some simple spells.

They were actually a branch of sorcerers derived from the Eastern Yin-Yang School. The Japanese envoys to Tang China brought back many things, and even today, the mainstream culture in Japan is based on learning Chinese characters. Bai Juyi is especially revered and occupies an absolutely dominant position.

This is the early Heian period in Japan, a time when spirits and deities were quite active. It won't be long before the great Onmyoji Abe no Seimei appears.

"It does indeed still retain some traces of mythology."

Duncan entered his avatar and sensed the surge of spiritual energy. Since he had come to the Eastern Kingdom, he decided to follow local customs and replace the magic tide with the spiritual energy tide.

Night falls.

Perhaps because it was the first time they had seen Westerners, the crowd gathered outside didn't leave until very late, and people in the nearby taverns and inns were still discussing it enthusiastically.

Just then, a tall, thin, sinister-looking man who resembled a ronin pushed open the tavern door.

He sat down and listened carefully for a while, then quickly walked towards the group of people being guarded. After turning into an inconspicuous corner, a talisman appeared in his palm, which instantly turned into flames and burned away.

Dimensional space.

After dark, Duncan gradually sensed an unusual fluctuation of magical power. As he switched to God's-eye view and zoomed in on the strategic map, non-human markers soon appeared.

About three or four hundred meters away from them, a dilapidated lantern suddenly lit up, then automatically went out as the guards patrolled.

——Lantern Ghost (Goblin) (One Star)!

(Ordinary Eastern ghosts, whose souls reside in lanterns, possess only weak strength comparable to that of Western will-o'-the-wisps.)
It's different from the past.

Duncan's God-like perspective seems to possess a more powerful analytical insight, directly marking the discovered targets. Furthermore, several constant states are displayed on the projected page, including Identification, Reading All Things, and Eloquent Speech.

These are all divine magical abilities simulated by the remains of the God of Machines.

"Master Zhu!"

“Those strange-looking foreigners were locked up over there.”

After a while, the lantern ghost floated down and said to a bamboo stalk beside it, "The Yin-Yang Bureau has people guarding them, so I don't dare to get too close."

——Bamboo Demon (Sprite) (Two-star Silver Gray)!
(A hundred-year-old bamboo spirit that has come to life, possessing some strength and knowing a few rudimentary spells.)
That's alright.

They are all stronger than Anya was back then!

This dark green bamboo stalk did not have the ability to transform into a human form, but it pieced together a rough outline of a person and said in a deliberately serious tone, "Understood."

"I will go and report to Lord Yaksha immediately."

After saying that, it darted directly into the bamboo forest of a certain mansion.

"Are there so many ghosts and monsters?"

Duncan was also quite surprised in the dimensional space. He had hardly seen any during the day, but after nightfall, many mountain spirits and monsters appeared in the vicinity.

As expected of the Heian period, a time of a hundred demons parading at night!

"Why don't I see any shikigami?"

Duncan expanded his perspective to God's-eye view, marking the town on a strategic map.

I don’t know how long it took.

A distinctive mark appeared, and a tall figure wearing a long robe and a straw hat emerged from the dark street.

——Yaksha (Goblin) (3-star silver-gray)!
(These are evil spirits that came to Japan along with Buddhism. They are mythical creatures originating from India. They initially arrived secretly with the Japanese envoys to Tang China. To avoid the decline of mythology, they wandered throughout Japan.)
This demon has clearly been living in Japan for a long time.

He has become completely localized.

His clothing and even his aura were similar to those of a Japanese ronin.

"Lord Yasha."

The bamboo spirit was very humble and respectful, saying, "They are foreigners who drifted here after encountering a storm."

"No abnormalities have been found so far."

Although he was also an outsider, having only been in Fusang for a hundred or two hundred years, this Yaksha acted like a local tyrant, arrogantly saying, "Understood."

"Report anything unusual to me immediately!"

These days, it's easier for outsiders to chant sutras.

After Buddhism spread to Japan, it began to develop rapidly, and the Yakshas also rose in status, becoming leaders of local demons.

There aren't many spirits or monsters on Kyushu Island.

They also love bustling and lively places. In fact, there are even more ghosts and monsters near Kyoto, Japan. These ghosts and monsters hide in human kingdoms, somewhat like the early coexistence of humans and gods. Some powerful monster legends even say that they occupy mountains and become kings.

But Fusang is only a small place, and the monsters couldn't be active for long. They were largely exterminated by the end of the Heian period. "Although there are quite a few mountain spirits and wild monsters, they all seem to be of average strength."

"It's unlikely that they're the ones that's propping up the receding myth."

Most of these mountain spirits and monsters are not as strong as the tree spirits and nymphs, let alone the nymphs. Even the spirit fairies of Avalon are much stronger than them.

Midnight falls.

After the mortals in the vicinity fell asleep, the night here gradually became lively.

It suddenly looked like a parade of a hundred ghosts.

—Will-o'-the-wisp (unmarked).

—Paper Umbrella Demon (One Star).

——Rain Girl (two stars).

—Hashihime (one star).

—Yanyanluo (two-star silver-gray).

Numerous mountain spirits and monsters crawled out from all sorts of corners.

Under the corner of a house, a Tang Dynasty-style paper umbrella automatically opened and floated in mid-air, flying into the hand of a glamorous woman who emerged from the smoke. The woman, with half of her breasts exposed, held a dark green pipe and smoked while exhaling clouds of smoke towards the opposite side.

Not far away, beneath a stone bridge, a pale figure emerged, its face obscured by hair, its body soaking wet. After climbing ashore, it began to stare blankly, while simultaneously tidying itself up with the seaweed.

Not far from her, there was another woman holding an umbrella, and a light drizzle seemed to be falling from the night sky.

"Isn't this just an ordinary drowned ghost?"

"Why does he still exude a trace of faith?"

Duncan looked surprised. That Bridge Princess was actually a water ghost, but she seemed to have received some incense offerings, so she was a little different from ordinary water ghosts.

In Japan, the Bridge Princess is a female demon that appears by bridges. She is considered a deified monster or deity, belonging to the category of Japanese water spirits and water gods. Because she is deeply in love with someone but cannot be with her beloved, she jumps off the bridge into the water to commit suicide. If a man crosses the bridge at night, she will appear and lure him into the water to drown. If a woman crosses the bridge, she will forcibly pull her into the water.

Local people sometimes worship and offer sacrifices to them.

"If you calculate it that way, eight million gods really aren't that many!..."

Whether out of fear of being harmed or due to local customs, these mountain spirits and monsters bear traces of rituals to varying degrees.

Basically, it means I'll offer you some incense, and you shouldn't bother me anymore.

"But none of them are up to par."

"They're all too weak!"

No wonder there are legends of samurai in Japan wielding famous swords to slay monsters. If they were to wield a cross-shaped sword blessed with holy water, even the secret monastery of the Hermitage could wreak havoc.

However, Duncan also confirmed one thing: Japan is indeed a bit different.

The mythological era receded later here.

"The local religion is probably Shintoism, right? Is there a place like the afterlife behind the torii gate?"

"With such a small population, can they support the afterlife?"

Duncan felt he couldn't keep up.

Otherwise, so many mountain spirits and monsters wouldn't be living among humans.

Click!

After everyone else had fallen asleep, Duncan manipulated his clone to smash the cell door. Since he was already here, he might as well look for any powerful monsters.

In fact, he already had a pretty good idea of ​​which powerful demon was active in this era.

After all, it was the Heian period.

There are only a few famous monsters, one of which is particularly famous and also particularly wicked.

This "sao" (骚) has an archaic feel, like Liu Bang praising Cao Cao's widow.

—Wood Spirit (Monster) (One-star silver-gray).

Duncan didn't deliberately look for the ghosts and monsters that were wandering around, but as he walked through an alley, a large tree in an abandoned yard suddenly trembled, and even the branches blocking the alley in front of him quietly retracted.

"Very good, very polite."

Duncan nodded in approval and made no attempt to make things difficult for the little monsters.

After leaving the town, the number of active mountain spirits and monsters decreased significantly. There were probably only a little over 10,000 people living there, with only a few dozen monsters.

Just as Duncan was figuring out the direction, a short, bald old man suddenly appeared in the distance.

He appeared to be a well-dressed old man, wearing a black haori and with a katana at his waist for self-defense, giving him a rather dignified appearance.

—Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan (4-star Silver Gray)!
Finally, I've come across something interesting.

The bald old man was only about 1.5 meters tall. He looked very surprised when he saw Duncan's avatar. He wanted to run away, but he stopped and bowed respectfully, saying, "My lord."

"I don't know if there's anything I can do for you!"

Duncan pondered for a moment, then nodded in satisfaction and said, "Take off your clothes, and give me the katana too."

"Leave the money bag too."

"correct."

"Where do you live? I'm thinking of coming over for a visit."

………………

(End of this chapter)