I created the myth of the Great Old Ones.

Chapter 100 The Witch of Calamity

Lu Ban was very familiar with the text on it.

This is the rambling I heard when I was extracting the "Madman's Knowledge".

The ramblings I heard back then were incoherent and chaotic, but now it seems they might have been the words of the missing painter.

The note also contained words like "cursed witch," which, when pieced together, tells the story of a painter named Manyo who met a cursed witch, became infatuated with her, and couldn't help but search for her, eventually disappearing.

"So the Witch of Calamity really exists?"

Lu Ban wasn't a local, or rather, ordinary locals wouldn't know anything about the Witch of Calamity, so he was a little curious.

"Does not exist."

Hongye immediately replied.

“The shrine maidens who lose in the competition for the position of shrine maiden will remain at the Kazushima Shrine to continue working. They are also candidates themselves, and if the incumbent shrine maiden encounters problems, these shrine maidens are also qualified to succeed her as the shrine maiden.”

"You seem to know a lot about these things."

Lu Ban glanced at the clothes, which seemed to be stained with blood, as if the blood had seeped from the inside to the outside, but the clothes were not obviously damaged.

"...because I am one of them."

Hongye hesitated for a moment before speaking.

"Are you a witch?"

Lu Ban looked her up and down again. In his mind, shrine maidens were all aloof and otherworldly, wearing red and white shrine maiden clothes, holding a bow and arrow, and at most accompanied by a dog.

"Try saying 'sit down'?"

He couldn't help but speak up.

"what?"

Hongye was taken aback, raised her eyebrows, and then said uncertainly.

"sit down."

Lu Ban remained motionless.

"Great, I'm not a dog."

He clapped his hands in relief.

"...We suspect that the island shrine has been contaminated, and the reports from the officials sent earlier may have been tampered with. Something terrible is happening on this island, which is why I came here."

Having some doubts about her choice of Lu Ban, Hongye came to the picture frame covered by the black cloth, placed her hand on the cloth, and seemed to hesitate whether to lift it.

"You mean, the pollution on Saka Island hasn't been purified, but instead directly corrupted the shrine maiden? Doesn't that mean Saka Island is in great danger now?"

Lu Ban looked at the painting and continued speaking.

"Why are you telling me all this? What if I'm one of them, and I'm here to lure you out?"

"intuition."

The red leaves lifted the black cloth.

A surprising painting appeared before Lu Ban's eyes.

The painting was mostly filled with chaotic colors, lacking any aesthetic appeal. Instead, it evoked images of corpses, remains, and flesh and blood. Upon closer inspection, one might even mistake the unevenly applied paint bumps for real flesh and blood.

While the shape of the part in the very center of the image is recognizable, most people would probably prefer to say they've never seen it before.

It was a living, breathing human being laid out and rearranged, as if to completely subvert the concept of "human" physiologically, placing different bodies in different positions, completely deconstructing every inch of human flesh and blood. Only the most antisocial and antihuman beings could create such a picture.

Lu Ban raised an eyebrow. He knew very well that if an ordinary person saw this painting, it would probably torment their nerves with just one glance. Those with slightly weaker tolerance would probably vomit or faint on the spot.

The red leaves also slightly averted their gaze, looking elsewhere.

"This is the last painting Wan Ye left in the room. I think his mind is no longer normal. After being polluted and eroded, he will suffer from varying degrees of mental disorder. Some can be calmed down by the shrine's methods, while others are beyond redemption."

Lu Ban only realized what was happening after seeing Hongye cover herself with the black cloth.

"So you want me to assist with the investigation?"

“You don’t seem to be here just for the poetry festival; you seem to have ulterior motives. But that’s okay, at least for now, we have the same goal.”

Hongye nodded.

"That's true."

Lu Ban doesn't mind having another friend who can help him in crucial moments.

Moreover, Hongye clearly knows more. For Lu Ban, the more information there is, the higher the progress of the mission exploration, and the more benefits he will reap.

"What can I do to help you with? What are your needs? Do you have any more clues?"

Lu Ban asked.

“Although I came here incognito, the fact that I asked an informant to get these things, as well as my own actions, may have already been known to the people of Uta Island. But you are an outsider, and they have no reason to suspect that a shrine maiden of Uta Island would cooperate with an outsider. You can contact more people openly.”

Hongye gave a simple answer.

"So you're sending me to contact the people on Song Island and gather clues?"

“That’s right. According to the intelligence I’ve gathered, before Wan Ye disappeared, he visited the restaurant, tea room, and elegant room where Anxin’an’s guests ate. You can go and investigate these places. Tonight at midnight, we can infiltrate the Kazushima Shrine.”

Hongye provided several locations that might offer clues.

Lu Ban and she agreed on a time and place to meet that evening, and then they left the house separately.

"Although it's great that there was help from the beginning, there's always a subtle feeling that I might not be able to trust this Hongye."

Lu Ban muttered to himself, it was getting late, and he arrived at the restaurant.

The restaurant at Anxin Courtyard wasn't crowded; several tables were empty, and where there were people, the poets and painters whispered among themselves, looking at everyone who entered the restaurant with suspicion.

Lu Ban found a table, sat down, and casually ordered some food.

He was supposed to have dinner with Tachibana Masamune and Ginpei that night, but they might go to a tavern on the island, so Lu Ban had to reluctantly eat at the official restaurant in order to conduct his investigation.

only……

"Cough cough." "Cough cough cough." "Cough cough."

The restaurant was filled with coughing sounds, making one wonder if some disease was spreading, and one couldn't help but cover their mouth and nose.

Lu Ban looked around and found that most of the people eating normally seemed to be coughing, while the two men at the next table were eating what appeared to be food from their own lunchboxes and seemed to be behaving quite normally.

They watched Lu Ban order, hesitant to speak, but when Lu Ban's dishes were served and he picked up his chopsticks, they finally spoke.

We advise you not to eat the food here.

"what happened?"

Lu Ban stopped halfway through eating.

"Well, not good, not good."

The two of them dawdled and couldn't come to a conclusion for a long time.

"You mean the food here might be contaminated?"

Lu Ban asked the two of them in a low voice.

"I dare not say, I dare not say."

They avoided answering.

"Do you know of any people who ate here and then disappeared?"

Lu Ban asked again.

"You know him?"

One of them was immediately amazed, then quickly covered his mouth.

“It’s okay, I won’t tell anyone else that you told me, or, well, if you have any enemies, I’ll just say he told me.”

Lu Ban moved closer to their table and even took a couple of bites of their food with his chopsticks.

tasty.

"..."

The two looked at each other, feeling that something about the man in front of them was off.

However, now that the matter has been brought up, they are no longer going to hide it.

"...The missing person's name is Wan Ye. In fact, many people know that he is missing, but they don't let us say it. There are also some other people who have disappeared. There is something wrong with this island."

One of them said.

"who are they?"

Lu Ban pressed for an answer.

"The Witch Who Brings Calamity".

The moment the word was uttered, the respondent's expression turned gloomy.

Chapter 101 Controlled Variable Method

"You also know about the Witch of Calamity?"

Lu Ban slowly added another piece of smoked fish from their lunchbox with his chopsticks. It had a slightly sweet taste and tasted very good.

"The Witch of Calamity is the ruler of this island. As long as you believe in the Witch of Calamity, you can obtain eternal life."

The two men's previously gloomy expressions vanished, and their tone suddenly became somewhat fervent.

"Then why don't you eat the food on the island?"

Lu Ban asked a question, then picked up another piece of seaweed rice roll and chewed it with a crunching sound.

"……sorry."

The two hesitated for a moment, then suddenly bent down and apologized, slamming their heads on the table—a heartbreaking sight.

"I'm sorry!" "I'm sorry!"

The two kept apologizing and banging their heads on the table, even hitting their foreheads until they bled, but they still didn't stop.