I created the myth of the Great Old Ones.

"Not at all, our shrine's mission is to welcome you, Shrine Maiden. Rest assured, we will provide the most thorough protection. From Akiyama Island to Wajima Island, you will absolutely not encounter anything you do not wish to see."

The man said with a smile.

"I am Natsushima, a priest sent by the Kazushima Grand Shrine to welcome the shrine maiden. I will now arrange the shrine maiden's itinerary. As for this mercenary, thank you for escorting the shrine maiden. We will give you three times the agreed reward as a token of our gratitude."

He wanted to get rid of Lu Ban.

Although I don't know who this mercenary is, he and the priestess were alone together the whole way. Even if nothing happened, if others found out, they would gossip. To avoid trouble, it's best to get rid of him.

"My commission is to escort Amber to the Kazushima Taisha Shrine."

Lu Ban replied.

"This, sir mercenary, you must understand your position. Some people might use your journey as an excuse to cause trouble, which is very important for the Kazushima Taisha..."

Xia Dao wanted to persuade her further, but Amber had already spoken.

He walked with me.

Since that's the case, Xia Dao had no choice but to comply.

Anyway, if there really is something between them, it will be found out during the election of the island taisha.

As she watched Xia Dao leave the room, Amber's previously upright and tense posture suddenly relaxed.

"I don't know when it started, but I'm no longer used to this kind of life."

Her tone was somewhat helpless.

What will happen to Changfeng Island?

Lu Ban asked.

Qiushan Island, where they were, was closest to Changfeng Island. At night, they could see flickering firelight in the distance. This firelight might become the story of how the mothers on Qiushan Island would scare their sleepless children. Eventually, everyone who came here moved away.

According to the experience of the Wajima Taisha Shrine, the purification fire of Nagafujima Island will burn for about ten years before completely burning the island. After that, it will spread into the sea. Fifty years later, Akiyama Island will face the danger of being purified and burned. Before that, everyone on the island will be relocated.

The Akiyama Channel will therefore be renamed, the route will be extended, and it will bypass Nagafue Island and Akiyama Island.

Until one day in the future, the filth will once again attack some of the islands in the middle. In the long tug-of-war between people and the filth, this sea route will be completely cut off, and the people of Sakurajima will have to take a much longer route to reach Kazuma.

Lu Ban also heard that some islands were even more tragic. They themselves were not eroded or attacked by the filth, but the islands around them were all polluted. The pure fire gradually turned the surrounding sea into a sea of ​​fire, and the island was completely isolated from the outside world.

If the people on the island fail to evacuate in time, they will experience a true slow death, watching as the pale, multicolored flames that were meant to save them gradually devour their land, eventually burning everything to ashes.

“The residents of Changfeng Island and its surrounding areas will be evacuated and relocated. The area will be taken over by the magistrate, who will warn passing ships.”

Amber said with a hint of melancholy.

"Oh, right."

When Lu Ban saw the shrine maiden like this, he remembered something.

"The mother and daughter from before, the mother was swallowed by the filth, the daughter survived, and her father was killed by the filth that fled to the sea."

The little girl is now with Leica, being looked after by the company's staff.

"How about we take her to Hejima? The shrine there should take her in."

Lu Ban suggested.

As an orphan, the little girl's life would only become more miserable if she stayed here. Her current situation was largely caused by Lu Ban and Amber, so he should help her out of both compassion and reason.

"Yes, I will plead with the shrine. The shrine is already short-staffed, so it's normal for them to recruit some shrine maidens to see if they can train."

Amber nodded.

She suddenly laughed self-deprecatingly.

"I never thought I would still choose this path."

Lu Ban looked at the girl who was lost in melancholy, but couldn't think of any words to comfort her.

"It's alright. When I saw those filth killing humans and devouring the land, I knew very well that I was born for this purpose. If I have this ability, I should use it. Everything is predestined."

Amber, in turn, comforted Lu Ban.

"Besides, even if I become the high priestess, we can still meet, right? At that time, I will be the most supreme and noble person, and no one can disobey my will. It shouldn't be difficult for you to get a sinecure at the shrine. Then you won't have to wander around anymore, and you can settle down and start a family."

"That's really nice."

Although Lu Ban was not fortunate enough to enjoy it, upon further reflection, at least Amber's life would be spent comfortably in the safest place on the island, which could be considered a final consolation.

The next morning, Amber and Lu Ban, along with Lyca and the little girl, boarded a ship bound for He Island.

Lu Ban was originally worried that those powerful and wealthy people might ambush Amber halfway, just like they did on the shipping lane before.

But he soon discovered that Amber's actions on Changfeng Island were not only not resented by the islanders, but were instead worshipped as a god by them. The image of him freely entering and exiting the pure fire and controlling the pale flames spread.

People regard Amber as a divine child, believing her to be the earthly representative of the gods. Whenever Amber's ship enters the port, countless islanders will greet her. Everyone believes that Amber is the strongest shrine maiden in history and is capable of inheriting the Wajima Grand Shrine.

In this situation, all eyes turned to Amber.

The power struggle surrounding her is also unfolding rapidly.

Moreover, after the previous assassination attempt, these powerful figures were also surprised that Amber had survived unscathed even in that situation. So, was it really fate that she was destined to sit in that position?

Some wanted to curry favor with Amber's family in advance, some still felt they were a contender, and others were undecided.

Under such checks and balances, Amber safely arrived at the island, the center of this world.

The legendary shrine was right there.

Chapter 352 I'll Help Them

In springtime, pale pink petals can be seen falling everywhere on He Island.

Lu Ban had never seen such a dense and chaotic shower of cherry blossoms.

The petals of those flowers that had been dormant for a year, blooming for only a few days under such sunlight and temperature, drifted down slowly at a speed of five centimeters per second, reminding Lu Ban of the cherry blossom rain in "April Story" that was enough to obscure the view.

What's even more remarkable is that all of these petals fell from a single tree.

Even before you get close to the port, you can see that giant tree that can no longer be described as towering.

Based on the entire island, the towering trees grew on a mountain. No, Lu Ban thought at this moment, perhaps this giant tree came first, and then all these things came into being.

Cherry blossoms bloomed in the huge canopy of trees that could cover the entire island. The petals fell like snow, and even the surface of the near sea was covered with a layer of petals. The closer you got to the island, the denser the petals became.

Lu Ban saw that some people standing on the dock were holding umbrellas, as if to avoid the rain and shield themselves from the falling petals. These people did not feel any surprise or astonishment at the cherry blossom rain, as if it were normal wind and rain, and they seemed to be used to it.

"The sacred cherry blossoms on the island bloom all year round and never wither. In spring, the flowers bloom even more intensely, which is why they create this kind of cherry blossom rain."

When Xia Dao saw Lu Ban staring at the cherry blossoms, she assumed he was a country bumpkin visiting the city and offered an explanation.

Through the falling petals, Lu Ban could see that the mountain, which occupied one-third of the island, was covered with various trees. A long road wound its way up from the foot of the mountain. The road was red and made up of countless torii gates. There were shrines along the way, all the way to the top of the mountain. At the spot where the tree trunks broke through the ground, there stood a solemn shrine.

This is the Wajima Taisha Shrine, the center of world politics, economics, and extraordinary power.

In front of the tree trunk, Lu Ban saw a pavilion with delicate eaves. Unlike the heavy buildings, this pavilion was like an island suspended in the sky, creating a strong sense of alienation from its surroundings.

"That is the Divine Child Pavilion. The Divine Child usually resides in that pavilion, where he bestows purifying fire upon areas that have been tainted by impurities."

Xia Dao added another explanation.

Suddenly, Lu Ban heard a bell ring.

It's like the song of a nightingale, or the chimes of a wind chime at dusk, clear and melodious, like the soft whispers of a young girl.

Immediately afterwards, a pale flame suddenly ignited in the Divine Son Pavilion.

Lu Ban never expected that the Pure Fire would appear before him in this form. The blazing Divine Son Pavilion was like a bright lamp in the dark night. In an instant, the cherry blossoms falling like rain, the towering trees, and even the sunlight paled in comparison.

It got dark all around.

Everything lost its color as the fire burned. The next moment, as the bells rang out like a church hymn, reaching their climax, an arrow was released from the bow.

The arrow shot out from the Divine Child Pavilion and flew towards the direction behind Lu Ban. The arrow was like a shooting star in broad daylight, more intense than the sun in the sky, and as it went away, everyone felt a trace of sorrow in their hearts.

Once the divine child's purifying arrow is fired, it signifies that another place has been invaded by impurities, and humanity will forever lose another piece of land.

When the light disappeared above the sea, everything finally returned to normal.

That faint melancholy was merely like a gloomy cloud, fleeting through people's hearts for a moment, before everyone returned to their normal work and lives.

This is He Island, the center of the world. Even if other places are attacked and fall by filth, they are still thousands of miles away from here. Instead of worrying about the end of the world a hundred or a thousand years from now, it is better to work on tomorrow's harvest and accounts.

There are many fishing boats in the nearshore waters. Near the dock, the boats are connected to each other, forming a swaying continent. They are linked end to end, forming a continuous stretch of fishing boat dwellings.

These boats carry elderly people, children, and women. The men in their families have all gone out to sea to fish and don't return until sunset. The boats have sleeping mats and tables, and every evening, in the golden shimmering light of the setting sun, wisps of smoke rise from the chimneys, creating a scene full of life.

"The boat people are people who don't own a house on the island, so they have to live on their boats. Whenever there is a storm, their boats are filled with a damp, stinky smell. In fact, they only go as far as the streets near the docks and never enter the residential areas."

Xia Dao added that his attitude toward these fishermen was very clear.

"Of course, they sometimes catch some pretty good fresh seafood, and you can get it at any restaurant on Harbour Street if you want to try it."

The ship continued to circle around He Island. Naturally, it was not going to dock in this area full of fishing boats, but at the port on the other side of He Island. There, huge, pure white stones formed the main body of the port, and countless merchant ships and passenger ships of all sizes came and went in an endless stream, as bustling as a city.

It may be a bit rude to say, but this is the first time Lu Ban has ever seen so many people on He Island.

Lu Ban heard the sound of a copper bell ringing from the mainmast of his ship, alerting other ships ahead and behind. Meanwhile, sailors on the lookout tower were waving flags vigorously.

"It seems that at sea, being loud enough isn't enough."

Lu Ban joked.

The signal flag roughly meant that the other ships should make way, as this was a procession escorting a priestess. Upon seeing the signal, most of the ships wisely moved aside, except for one ship, which remained blocking the way without any intention of moving.

The ship was flying a black, triple-stripe family crest banner, and a man stood on the gunwale, looking at the ship Lu Ban was on.

"This is the banner of the Sanada family. Their eldest daughter, the current head of the family's older sister, is the current high priestess. As a result, the Sanada family rose to prominence and became the number one family on the island. They are also the family that fears the priestess the most."

Xia Dao covered his mouth with his folding fan and whispered to Lu Ban.

"There's a problem with the boat, please wait patiently."

Lu Ban saw the people on the ship with the flags speaking in flag signals.

Although the tone was respectful, the meaning was still the same—"Just wait and see."

That's roughly the state of people from Hedao Island: they appear respectful and friendly on the surface, but may actually be arrogant and rude. They only care about putting on a good show.

Should we wait?

Lu Ban asked a question, after all, he was an outsider and did not know the etiquette of the island.