Tokyo: Starting with the Shrine Maiden

Haruhiko flipped through a couple of pages and already understood the reason.

It's safe to say that being a survivor is truly difficult.

Those who manage to leave are mostly those who have meticulously planned their escape and have powerful connections to help them.

"Master, a ruin has been set up on the fourth floor."

Takahashi Kisaragi crossed her arms and said, "It's a trap specifically prepared for the Utsunomiya clan."

Upon hearing this, Haruhiko closed his book, looked at her, and waited for her to continue.

He was naturally aware of those two sentences.

After all, he was involved in it.

"After conducting investigations, Mina Utsunomiya has confirmed the location and authenticity of the ruins."

Takahashi Kisaragi chuckled and said, "It's a genuine ruin, so naturally we're not afraid of being investigated."

"Is the Utsunomiya clan about to make a move?"

Haruhiko's eyes lit up, and he couldn't help but ask.

"No one can resist this kind of temptation about the gods."

Takahashi Kisaragi opened a drawer, took out a map, and said, "Just in case, the head of the family has asked me to lead the Ninth Team to investigate a nearby ruin. At that time, we will drag the Edo Archaeological Bureau into the mess and catch Utsunomiya Mina red-handed."

Haruhiko got up, opened the map, and started looking at it.

The label above is very clear.

The red dot represents the location of the ruins arranged by the Tsuchimikado clan on the fourth layer.

The blue dot is a newly discovered site nearby.

The latter is a typical example among the ruins of Takamagahara.

In other words, there are countless relics from the Age of Gods.

In short, the Takamagahara ruins are a super large tomb, containing numerous sub-tombs, false tombs, secondary tombs, and so on.

The main burial chamber was where the Yamata no Orochi's corpse was located; the rest were all burial goods, yet they still contained an astonishing amount of wealth.

As for what Takahashi Kisaragi said, it's even simpler.

The right to develop the Takamagahara ruins belongs to the Edo Archaeological Bureau.

The Edo Archaeological Bureau was also under the jurisdiction of the Imperial Palace.

The Imperial Palace is managed by the Council of Spiritual Powers.

In other words, the development rights of the Takamagahara ruins are in the hands of sixteen major powers.

Mina Utsunomiya's actions constitute a serious violation of the rules.

It doesn't matter if we weren't discovered.

After all, everyone is secretly doing the same thing.

However, if the Edo Archaeological Bureau caught them red-handed, it would undoubtedly mean offending sixteen major powers at the same time.

Even the Utsunomiya and Yagyu clans combined were not weak.

However, rules are rules, and they can't be made public.

“The Edo Archaeological Bureau had people from the Utsunomiya and Yagyu clans planted there, so I didn’t report this small site.”

Takahashi Kisaragi continued, "I will lead my men there after Utsunomiya Mina takes action. This way, we can avoid her finding out as much as possible and make her more cautious."

"Ah."

Haruhiko could only nod.

Everything has been arranged perfectly, and there's nothing for him to do.

No, that's not right.

As Takahashi Kisaragi suggested, she planned to take him along to join in the fun.

After all, they are personnel outside the battlefield.

Moreover, it was the Edo Archaeological Bureau.

Even if Mina Utsunomiya discovered them, she wouldn't be able to silence them.

In that case, the crime would be compounded.

Once someone dies, it's very difficult to settle things.

If it's just illegal digging that gets discovered, there's still room for maneuver.

"There are still a few days left."

Takahashi Kisaragi stood up, put away the map, and said, "I'll take you to where you live."

"Ok."

Haruhiko followed her, took the elevator, and arrived at the room on the seventh floor.

Aside from being a little dark, it's really not much different from a hotel.

The conditions are even better.

"You've just joined the Edo Archaeological Bureau, so there's a lot you don't know yet."

After giving him the access card, Takahashi Kisaragi said, "There's a library on the eighth floor. You can take a good look around these next few days."

"I'll go and see."

Haruhiko took it and nodded.

This wasn't just polite talk; he was genuinely interested.

A thousand years ago was the time period of his first cycle.

But back then, he was just playing games, not participating in them personally like he does now.

When playing games, he always skips the storyline and only knows who his enemies are and who he wants to kill.

However, now that we've traveled through time, we can't be so hasty.

"There is no cell phone signal in the Takamagahara ruins."

Kisaragi Takahashi cautioned, "If you want to contact the outside world, you have to go to a special phone booth, but the conversation will be monitored."

"I see."

Haruhiko was somewhat surprised to hear this, but upon further reflection, it made sense.

Despite the numerous rules and regulations surrounding the Takamagahara ruins, so many people still flock to it.

The reason is simple: the pay is high.

As far as he knew, members of the Exploration Department could obtain a considerable number of magical tools or materials on their next trip to the ruins, depending on their performance.

After Takahashi Kisaragi left, Haruhiko quickly flipped through the rules book of the Takamagahara Ruins.

how to say?

That's ridiculously high.

But as long as you behave yourself, it doesn't really matter whether you look at it or not.

Most of the rules are designed to prevent you from stealing things and becoming a survivor.

At noon, Haruhiko went to a restaurant for lunch and encountered many psychics.

But he didn't recognize any of them, so he didn't say hello.

After finishing his meal, he went upstairs to the library.

Haruhiko was allowed to enter after showing his credentials from the Edo Archaeological Bureau.

He walked along both sides of the bookshelf, scanning the titles of the books on it.

It is roughly divided into three categories.

One type is the ruins that have already been explored, which mainly introduces the guardian spirits or traps encountered.

One type is the monsters that exist in the ruins of Takamagahara, mostly spirits, such as vengeful spirits or earthbound spirits.

One type is psionic materials that have been produced in the past, such as which type of herbs live in which places.

Speaking of this, Haruhiko thought of the bamboo leaves of Amaterasu no Mikoto.

Mari Tsuchimikado investigated, but found no leads.

She speculated that the place was most likely discovered and hidden by some powerful force.

For example, the snake spirit.

But that doesn't mean it's impossible.

It is difficult to hide in the ruins of Takamagahara for a long time.

Moreover, the Tsuchimikado clan hadn't paid attention to it before, so for the time being, there was no result.

Now that Haruhiko has brought it up, things will be easier to discuss later.