I collect attributes in Ultraman World

Ken Sakata: "Why?"

Jiro: "At times like these, women become a burden to others."

Sakata Ken tapped his head with his cane: "Stop trying to be a hero, hurry up and think about how to get there."

Jiro looked around and said, "What...is that?"

At that moment, he noticed a red ball that was flashing with a strange light suddenly rolling past in front of him.

What is that? A ball? How could there be something like that in the deep mountains and forests? Are there children playing ball over there?

If there are people here, then things will be much easier!

Kenjiro Sakata hurriedly chased after the spot where the red ball had rolled, only to find himself in a dilapidated temple, where the red ball had vanished without a trace.

This place looks like it has been abandoned for a long time, with cobwebs everywhere and a black image of a water buffalo on it.

This is the true essence of adventure. Ken Sakata took out his camera to take pictures: "Cow? Indians regard cows as gods, but they are not commonly seen in Japan."

"Are you two lost?" At that moment, an old voice came from behind.

Sakata Ken quickly turned around and saw an elderly man with a hunched back, coughing occasionally, walking towards them. ①

"Yes, yes." Sakata Ken quickly led Jiro to meet them. If the person on the other side was a local who knew the way, then they would be saved.

"It will be difficult to get out of here. It's getting dark soon. If you don't mind, you can stay in my mountain hut. But I don't have much to offer you."

Ken Sakata: "Thank you so much!"

And so, the old man led the Sakata brothers along the misty mountain path to a house.

There were two people squatting in front of the door. Judging from their attire, they were probably geologists, wearing professional hats and mountaineering clothes.

Upon seeing the elderly man, their eyes lit up as well: "Grandpa, are you the owner of this house?"

Old man: What, you two seem to be lost too?

The geologist smiled ingratiatingly: "Yes, yes, can I stay here for the night?"

The old man said, "Sure, there are two of us now, so you can make do and live together."

The old man picked a basketful of mushrooms and cooked them for everyone that evening. Sakata Ken asked with concern, "Grandpa, do you live here alone?"

In the 21st century, are there still elderly people living alone in remote mountains without running water, electricity, or internet? How do they live their lives?

Jiro wanted to find a playmate: "You must have a child, right? I just saw a red ball, is he playing with it?"

The old man tilted his head and thought, "A ball? We don't have a ball at home. But I do see my mistress occasionally."

Ken Sakata: "Your mistress? Is she your daughter or granddaughter?"

The old man shook his head:

"Xiao Mi is the soul of my daughter who died twenty years ago. I raised that child myself."

"I watched that child grow up day by day, and eventually become a lovely girl, haha."

"She should be seven years old this year, no, she should be over ten. But she's grown up really fast recently. I remember she was only this small a while ago, and now she's suddenly grown into a beautiful young lady."

"Soul?" Sakata Ken was horrified; the old man's words were hard for him to understand.

The geologist nudged him on the shoulder and shook his head, meaning that it was normal for the old man's thinking to be unclear due to his age, and he shouldn't take it to heart.

"Perhaps this old man's daughter died a long time ago, so he settled in this desolate place to keep vigil for her. Then he couldn't accept that his daughter was dead, and that's how he ended up like this, alas..." The geologist sighed softly, sympathizing with the old man's plight.

"No...it could be something else. Oh no, I'm starting to hallucinate too." He looked at the mushrooms in his bowl and suddenly his face turned pale with fright.

But Jiro, who was knowledgeable, told him that this kind of fungus was not poisonous and could be eaten without worry.

"Oh no, oh no, I think something's wrong... I can see you're speaking with subtitles now," the geologist exclaimed in alarm.

“Don’t scare yourself, I’m fine,” the geologist’s companion said.

The old man ignored their noise and looked around: "That child rarely stays out this late. Did he go to find the medicine to treat my asthma?"

But his words seemed illogical to everyone, like he was a senile old man or someone living in a dream who didn't want to wake up, so no one took them to heart.

But when Jiro went to sleep that night, he suddenly felt the house shaking.

"It's like an earthquake!" He opened his eyes immediately.

“Yes.” Sakata Ken, a light sleeper, nodded.

The next moment, they were suddenly greeted by a monstrous roar that seemed to come from afar.

"Brother, could it be a monster?" Jiro asked nervously.

"Jiro, you stay here." Kenya Sakata realized this possibility and went out to check.

As soon as I opened the door, I found the old man already standing outside.

Sakata Takenao said, "I think I heard a monster's roar."

The old man said, "It happens once or twice a year, on the night of the full moon."

Ken Sakata: "Where is that sound coming from?"

The old man said, "It's a swamp, a swamp with crystal clear water."

Sakata Ken looked at the old man, a thoughtful expression in his eyes.

Because the old man's explanation was very clear and logical, he didn't seem like someone with dementia at all.

Is he mentally sound? What did he mean by what he said earlier?

Has the soul of my deceased daughter grown up recently?

At this moment, the two geologists, hearing the noise, yawned and sleepily asked, "I'm so tired, what happened?"

Jiro pointed to the full moon in the sky: "Uncle, it looks like there's a monster."

"A monster?" "A monster?" "Haha!" The two geologists immediately burst into laughter.

“Even wolves have disappeared from the Japanese mountains and forests, so how could there be any monsters?” said a geologist wearing glasses, looking like an expert.

Ken Sakata: "But I did hear a roar."

Geologists remained unconvinced:

"In the deep mountains and forests, such illusions can occur at any time. From an academic point of view, this is called auditory hallucination."

"Besides, we ate so many mushrooms tonight, it's normal to feel some things we don't usually experience."

"Alright, alright, go back to sleep. It's freezing!"

And so, the two geologists went back inside, leaving Jiro completely bewildered.

With monsters frequently occurring in Japan these days, it's astonishing how people can be so nonchalant as to ignore such an obvious and bizarre phenomenon.

This unconventional way of thinking... the expert is amazing.

..............................

① This old man overlaps with elements of the old man in episode 30 of Jack's OV and the old man in episode 5 of Seven's OV.

Just so you know, the first side story will probably end around September, and the following part will be a very fast-paced plot.

Chapter 970 The Girl the Red Ball Turned into

At night, the mountain wind blows, and the sound of the pine trees rustling and howling comes through, sounding like the wailing of ghosts and howling of wolves, making it seem particularly gloomy.

The next morning, Jiro woke up still thinking about it: "The sound last night seemed even louder than a cow's bellow."

Ken Sakata: "It was very loud, but it only shouted once. Maybe I was just hallucinating."

The other two geologists nodded repeatedly, affirming their scientific viewpoint: "That's right, it's an auditory hallucination, it's an auditory hallucination."

Jiro insisted, "No, I'm sure I heard it."

The old man looked at the two geologists and said, "This time, I've finally met with scholars, and I have something I'd like to ask you to see."

The geology PhD asked curiously, "Something?"

His assistant said, "The doctor is a folklorist who travels around the world conducting various field investigations. If there's anything you're unsure about, bring it to us for authentication."

The old man said, "The things are in the valley behind the shrine. I don't know what kind of animal it is, there are many, many animal bones, like cow bones."

The geology PhD's eyes widened, and he raised his left hand at a 45-degree angle: "There might be cow remains in the old forest? Okay, let's go take a look!"

After breakfast, the old man led the way, taking the four to a strange place.

This is a valley with a vast expanse of white bones, which appears eerie even in broad daylight.

"With so many bones, there might be will-o'-the-wisps at night," Jiro said, a little scared.

"There's no will-o'-the-wisp, that's phosphorescence," the doctor casually explained, his eyes gleaming as he walked forward.

"Take photos before things get messy," he instructed his assistant, his voice trembling with excitement. "Great! This is wonderful, so precious!"

He told the old man that these must be the remains of a water buffalo, and that a long, long time ago, this area was a body of water where a large herd of water buffalo lived.

However, due to tectonic movements, the water buffalo herds became extinct because of the lack of water and food.

Jiro suddenly remembered something: "Brother, the sacred bull we saw at the shrine over there yesterday might be related to these water buffalo bones."

Ken Sakata nodded, agreeing with this view.

The geology PhD told his assistant to quickly collect the bones in front of him so they could be used as specimens later.

The old man hurriedly stepped forward to stop him: "Wait, please don't take this away."

The geology expert assumed the old man had lived there for a long time and considered these things his private property, so he immediately launched into a long lecture about the significance of taking the buffalo bones.

“We will take it back for testing. If it is indeed the remains of a water buffalo, it will prove that the mountain used to be underwater, which would be a major discovery in geological exploration.”

The old man pointed at Jiro: "This child is right. These bones are the sacred cows that are worshipped at the shrine... I feel scared now, a chilling feeling."

The assistant dismissed it: "Scared? What's there to be afraid of with buffalo bones?"

The doctor shook his head: "You villagers are just superstitious. Don't worry, it'll be fine."

Jiro: "But the roar last night was really terrifying."

The old man lowered his head, looking reluctant and bewildered, but dared not refute these intellectuals.

Sakata Ken couldn't stand it anymore and said, "Doctor, even if these are superstitions, you should still consider the old man's feelings. So please don't take the buffalo bones away, just take more pictures."