I created the myth of the Great Old Ones.

Lu Ban saw that, like a signal flare, the flame sank into the seabed, and all around, countless strangely shaped fish circled the cluster of flames and fell onto the monster's towering body.

The next moment, the seawater began to surge and churn as if boiling.

The enormous monster, like paper soaked in water, suddenly twisted and tore apart.

Countless black shadows resembled ink spreading in the sea, but quickly became fuel for flames. The flames spread deep into the ocean, and following those ink-like shadows, scorching waves erupted from the seabed. Even Lu Ban felt a warm current wash over his face.

Three gashes appeared on each side of his neck, and he was greedily absorbing oxygen from the water. However, Lu Ban felt that the water tasted strange, as if it contained some impurities that did not belong to nature.

Lu Ban looked down into the seabed, where flames still burned fiercely between the complex underwater trenches, incinerating the monster, or rather, its remains. Only then did he realize that it was not a physical monster, but rather an illusion created by the aggregation of certain microorganisms.

Upon surfacing, Lu Ban saw a small sloop watching the fire from the opposite bank in the distance.

He shouted.

There was a brief flash on the port side of the sailboat, then it slightly turned and moved closer to the land.

About ten minutes later, Lu Ban finally returned to the ship.

"You are very lucky to have witnessed the divine child cleansing away evil."

Besides the busy crew, there were three passengers on board.

Their clothing was quite Japanese in style, with a left-fastening silk kimono on the upper body and long trousers and boots on the lower body. According to Lu Ban's descriptions learned from watching movies, it was close to the style of the Taisho period.

However, they did not look like traditional Asians; they looked more like mixed-race people. One of the young women even had short, dark gray hair, which was particularly eye-catching.

Am I lucky?

Lu Ban didn't quite understand. He was just rowing the boat and enjoying the scenery when he was suddenly overturned and fell into the sea. The poor boatman probably only had a few pieces left. Was this considered lucky?

"Those are filth, the resentment of the dead from the sea, which will form the shape of a huge monster. Only pure fire can destroy it."

The first man who spoke to Lu Ban said that he was wearing a painter's hat. Looking at Lu Ban, he took off the hat and bowed.

"My name is Tachibana Masamune, and I consider myself a painter. May I ask your honorable name?"

"Lu Ban, um, I am a director."

Lu Ban spoke the truth.

"Is it for directing plays? That's really impressive."

Beside Tachibana Masamune, a young man holding a folding fan clapped his hands and bowed. Although his hair was black, it had a few strands of crimson highlights, making him quite trendy.

"My name is Yinping, just a poet."

The man who called himself Yinping leaned closer and whispered to Lu Ban.

"That young lady's name is Hongye. She's not easy to approach; she's very cold."

"Oh."

Lu Ban responded with a nod, not particularly interested.

His target was the missing artist, so the people appearing before him now were definitely not his target, and they seemed to have just arrived, so they were not very suspicious.

"However, even I have never seen the Divine Child subdue the filth except for the annual New Year's festival at the Shima Taisha Shrine. Seeing it now is truly shocking. It can be said that the purifying fire surges and the Namba beach is full of filth. We meet for only a moment, and I can only sigh that my life is about to end."

Looking at the pure fire that illuminated the seabed, Yinping was inspired to compose a poem.

The pronunciation of "shrine maiden" in the language of Wajima is the same as that of "miko," suggesting it is a title exclusively for the Saiō of Wajima Taisha Shrine.

How long will these purifying fires last before they go out?

Lu Ban asked curiously, because the shape and condition of the flame reminded him of the Glazed Fire in his bag. According to the description, the Glazed Fire could also only be used by the chief priestess of the island shrine, namely the Saiō. Understanding the power of the purifying fire would be quite helpful to him later.

However, when Lu Ban asked the question, both Yinping and Tachibana Masamune looked at him with rather strange eyes. Even the woman, Momiji, who was gazing at the sea view in the distance, turned her head and glanced at Lu Ban, this outsider.

“The fire of purity will never go out, Brother Lu Ban. After these flames burn away the filth, they will use the seabed as fuel to burn eternally. This was true in the past, it is true now, and it will be true in the future.”

Tachibana Masamune began to explain.

"If it keeps burning like this, one day the entire ocean will be engulfed in flames, won't it?"

Lu Ban said something casually.

"Exactly."

Yinping nodded slightly.

"?"

Lu Ban was slightly puzzled. Why did these people not seem worried at all about the impending apocalypse?

"Life and death are like puppets on a stage. When the string breaks, they fall apart. Since you are studying art, what does life and death matter? Death is not the end, but another form of life. Young Master Lu, since you are on Song Island, you should enjoy yourself to the fullest. It's such a waste to be attached to those mundane things."

Yinping snapped open the fan painted with flowers, birds, and the moon, seemingly unconcerned about his safety, and pointed ahead.

In the gradually thinning fog, there stands an island, which must be the island where the poetry festival is held.

However, Lu Ban vaguely saw a huge figure lurking in the mist on the island, walking high in the sky.

Chapter 098 Can they take responsibility?

Lu Ban looked closely and realized that it was a doll.

The joints were hidden beneath the kimono, and the face was porcelain white. The blush and lipstick easily reminded Lu Ban of a paper doll, but this doll also had a strange feeling that was different from traditional paper dolls.

If drawing eyes on a paper figure is to give inanimate objects the characteristics of living beings, thus causing the uncanny valley effect.

So this doll has a human-like appearance, but its excessively large size causes it to feel like an alien object.

Lu Ban saw that the giant puppet was still waving in his direction, and the wooden smile on the puppet's face made his scalp tingle.

"Is this the welcome mascot for this year? It really has the style of Kagoshima. Do you know, Brother Lu Ban, this is a specialty of Kagoshima called a Jōrūriki doll. It is a masterpiece by the master Bunraku."

Tachibana Masamune seemed quite fond of the doll that looked like it came from the underworld, and even reached out to pick up the picture frame, as if he was thinking about how to paint it.

"I heard that something unexpected happened on Song Island recently, and there's been a strange fog?"

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Lu Ban shifted his gaze away from the eerie doll's face and casually asked a question as if it were a casual conversation.

"Are you referring to the Uncertain Fog? It's alright. Although Song Island was previously affected by the Uncertain Fog, it's completely fine now, at least that's what the organizers say. And look how peaceful the island is."

Tachibana Masamune paid no attention and continued to admire the enormous doll that hung high in the clouds.

“Unpredictable fog is common at sea, and sometimes it drifts to the vicinity of inhabited islands, causing pollution. This is the case this time, but the shrine on Uta Island has already sent shrine maidens to purify it, so it's not a big problem.”

Yinping didn't take it to heart.

Lu Ban nodded.

However, he noticed that when Tachibana Masamune and Ginpei were saying these things, the woman next to them, Momiji, showed a slightly disdainful expression.

"If the island of Ge is still polluted, how can he dare to let all the artists from the island come here? Can he bear the responsibility for any accidents that happen to us? So just think about it and you'll understand that this place should be safe."

Seeing that Riku didn't quite believe him, Tachibana Masamune added another reassuring remark.

Lu Ban stopped worrying about it.

He felt that the island of Goji was still 100% polluted.

Otherwise, there wouldn't be any cases of artists disappearing.

The sailboat entered the harbor, which was indeed a large port, just as the unfortunate boatman had said.

However, the port of Goto Island was almost deserted, with few boats around, making it exceptionally desolate.

Why does it look like there's hardly anyone around?

Lu Ban glanced at it. The huge puppet was only tied to a building in the port by a rope. It looked very light. Under the puppet, there were several people dressed similarly to the people next to him, talking about something.

"It might be due to the influence of the previous Uncertain Fog. That kind of fog can cause people to lose their senses and become mentally confused at sea. Even if it is purified, it is still something to be wary of. Even the ship that Young Master Lu sent for you didn't dare to get close."

Yinping offered an explanation and then disembarked.

Several men dressed in pure white hunting robes waited below the ship. Their faces were covered with expressionless masks, and they were so uniform that they looked like dolls.

"These are the shrine attendants of Utajima, in charge of handling unclean things and assisting the shrine maidens in purification. They probably came to check because unclean things appeared earlier."

Tachibana Masamune said it casually.

Lu Ban watched with suspicion as the magistrates held sticks with white paper strips tied to the ends, brushing them past Yinping, who was the first to disembark, as if trying to ward off something.

He looked back and saw that none of the crew members on the sailboat they were on had disembarked or made any normal dockside resupply. They were just staring at the four passengers who had just boarded the ship. Their eyes were hard to describe, but Lu Ban knew what they resembled.

It's like watching pigs being hung upside down and sent to the slaughterhouse one by one.

It was Lu Ban's turn.

The magistrate in front of him remained silent, only brushing the stick wrapped with white paper strips past him. Amid the rustling sound of the paper, Lu Ban seemed to hear some soft murmur drifting down from the mountains of Song Island.

"See, there's nothing wrong, cough cough."

Yinping smiled, fanning himself with his fan, and cleared his throat, seemingly coughing a little.

"The poetry festival starts tomorrow morning. We can go to our accommodations first and then have a gathering together in the evening."

Tachibana Masamune said that there were some rickshaws parked at the dock, and the sturdy drivers were gathered in twos and threes. When they saw Tachibana Masamune and his group, they came up to greet them.

Passing by the artists who were still studying the giant dolls, Lu Ban and the others followed the winding road and soon saw a huge building located on the east side of the island.

The building resembled an attic and occupied a large area; compared to it, the other houses looked like dwarfs.

"That's the main venue for the Poetry Festival, Anxin Courtyard. The first event will be held here tomorrow."

Yinping pointed there with his fan.

"The first match?"

Lu Ban felt that he had already acted like he didn't know enough, so he decided not to pretend anymore and just acted like he didn't know anything and was waiting for their explanation.

"Yes, the Poetry Festival itself is a combination of several exhibitions, including painting exhibitions, poetry exhibitions, doll exhibitions, etc. Everyone exchanges ideas and interprets art. Tomorrow is the first painting exhibition. In the next three days, there will be many more such exhibitions. In addition, there will be poetry gatherings, music gatherings, etc. For example, I will be hosting the Tide Poetry Gathering on the second day."

Yinping explained with considerable pride.

Four rickshaws swayed and wobbled as they moved toward Anxin Courtyard.

Lu Ban carefully observed the passersby.

These passersby were likely local residents, dressed similarly in kimonos, trousers, and boots, but their ages were more diverse, ranging from children to elderly people.

However, Lu Ban felt that these people's movements were somewhat stiff and lacked agility. Although they had conversations, exchanges, and interactions, it all gave people an indescribable sense of strangeness, as if actors with no acting skills were forcibly playing a role.

At that moment, Lu Ban caught a glimpse of a child running along the street with a ball. He tripped and fell forward, probably because he was going too fast and lost his balance too early. The child's head hit the ground, and his neck bent backward due to the momentum of his body. With a crisp "crack", the child's head was bent at a 180-degree angle.