Page 92

Page 92

Well, I get up early in the morning and have to brush my teeth, wash my face, and eat breakfast before rushing over here.

Wait, so it seems like you don’t have any other plans today?

In the midst of doubting life, the priest Tsurugi took the two of them on a bus. Yes, it was a tourist bus, a special bus for tourists from the airport to Izumo Taisha Shrine.

It was the first time that Ling had encountered someone who came to pick up someone at the airport without a car and had to take a tour bus. But she didn't mind it and found it quite interesting.

The scenery of Izumo is completely different from that of Tokyo, with mountains and forests everywhere. It is also a coastal city, with a waterfront right outside the airport.

“This sea looks very clean.”

"No, this is Lake Shinji, an inland lake between the cities of Izumo and Matsue. The sea is to the west. We are right next to the sea at Izumo Taisha Shrine."

Ah, I was wrong. But the lake view is also very beautiful, the endless lake is no different from the sea.

The road conditions in Shimane Prefecture were not very good at that time, and we often had to take the country roads. The bus kept stopping and starting, which made Ling, who was not sleepy at first, gradually feel sleepy. I didn't know how long it took for the bus to arrive at the terminal.

We have arrived at Izumo Taisha Shrine, a shrine that is located by the sea and beside the mountains.

Japanese shrines have a torii gate in front of the main hall, which is the boundary between humans and the realm of gods. Crossing the torii gate means entering the pure abode of the gods.

Most torii gates are made of vermilion logs, but the torii gate at Izumo Taisha Shrine is a little special, it is blue-black in color.

But it's not surprising, as torii have different colors. There are blue torii for worshiping the sea god, golden torii for worshiping the god of wealth (Okinami), and there are also sayings of Azure Dragon in the East, White Tiger in the West, Vermillion Bird in the South, and Black Tortoise in the North. It is also common to paint colors according to the directions.

The black torii gate means that this is the oldest shrine.

Today is Monday, not a holiday, but there are still many tourists. Throughout the entire Kanazawa month, there is an endless stream of tourists coming to Izumo Taisha.

"Okuninushi is also known as the God of Matchmaking. It is said that he controls the relationships among people. Most of these pilgrims who come to worship him also want to seek a 'match'."

"edge?"

"Official luck, financial luck, and love luck are actually all fate between people. Being appreciated, promoted, favored, and loved by others. Love, hate, sorrow, and joy are all intertwined. These are all fate."

As they were talking, Zhemu had already led the two of them through the Wumu Torii Gate. From here, they had entered the abode of the gods in a religious sense.

However, Ling didn't have any special feeling, and Gaia didn't give her any special reminders.

This place is no different from other places. There are no three noble sons, no Okuninushi, and no so-called eight million gods.

The gods of Takama-ga-hara do not exist, or it is also possible that they have fallen in some unknown era in the distant past, and even Takama-ga-hara itself has collapsed and been left on an inconspicuous riverbank in the long river of time.

After walking a few steps in the Jianmu forest, Ling could vaguely hear the melodious sound of a flute and the occasional drum beat. She had good hearing, and after walking more than a hundred meters, the Zhemu priest also heard it.

"It's the Kagura dance. It should be the fasting ceremony going on."

In the square in front of the temple, a group of shrine maidens were performing the Kagura dance. Among them was Kuze Aion, who, as the hostess, was the lead dancer in the Kagura dance.

There were many spectators outside the square, but they all sat quietly, no one made a sound. In the silence, only the melodious sounds of flutes and drums could be heard.

Ling could even sense a certain aura, somewhat similar to the Light of Gaia, but also significantly different. It was probably the faith of all living beings, but that faith was like a tree without roots, floating away to who knows where. The divine world collapsed, and the heavens ceased to exist.

The Kagura dance lasted about half an hour, and was almost over when Reiya and the others arrived. A few minutes later, the miko left the stage, the music stopped, and the audience dispersed in groups of three or two, and the square returned to its bustle.

Because the fasting ceremony had not yet ended, the temple was not open to tourists. Lingye followed Tsurugi as an insider and entered the main hall with a wooden structure. Various ritual items were placed in an orderly manner. But for some reason, what attracted Lingye the most was the offering box in the shrine, which seemed a bit out of place.

"Hey, you're back, Tsubaki."

Before Lingye could take a closer look, she heard someone greet her. It was a middle-aged man with a clean complexion and a somewhat plump figure, wearing the clothes of a clergyman. With Lingye's limited knowledge, she had no idea what position the clothes represented.

"Lord Boli, best wishes."

Only then did Lingye realize that the person in front of him was the god that Tsurugi and Hisayo had always mentioned.

The surname Hōri-jinshu is a little unusual. In fact, his official title at Izumo Taisha should be the chief priest, the highest-ranking representative of the shrine. The chief priest is only the person in charge during ceremonies, and Hōri-jinshu is also the chief priest at other times.

Compared to the palace priest, the god chief sounds more intimate. Boli usually likes to be called that, and everyone has gotten used to it over time.

Although he was talking to Tsurugi, Lord Boli immediately noticed Lingye behind him.

"This is Freya, right?"

"Right…wait, Freya?"

Tsurugi thought that the god had made a mistake in pronouncing the word, but the pronunciation of Oshima Reiya and Freya was too different.

Unexpectedly, the next moment, Lord Boli did something that no one expected.

He suddenly raised his wrist, as if he was wearing something (but there was nothing).

"Guardian of the Stars, in the name of the bloodline of the Kuro family, Freya, who has made a contract with you, orders you to lift the seal!"

Ling also had the urge to hold her forehead, Tsurugi just felt confused, and the butler Jianye behind him couldn't help laughing. It was really hard to watch a middle-aged greasy uncle make such a move.

This is undoubtedly the line she said in "Cardcaptor Sakura" when she was the magical girl Freya, who was hostile to the protagonist Sakura (?), unsealed and transformed.

Although she had already realized that she would be recognized outside the TV series sooner or later, Ling did not expect that the first time she was recognized so clearly would be under such circumstances.

"Lord Boli, please pay attention to the occasion."

A familiar voice came, with a low pressure. Still wearing the full set of formal attire from the Kagura dance, Kuze Aion walked over step by step. Perhaps because the formal attire was too heavy, the wooden floor creaked as she stepped on it.

"Yin-chan, you've worked hard today." Lord Boli didn't care about the low pressure at all, his expression remained unchanged, and he was not panicked at all. Perhaps he had long been accustomed to it.

Sure enough, Yan Yin raised her hand in surrender. Lord Boli was like a father to her. What could she do if her old father was unreliable?

"Hello, Oshima Miko, I haven't seen you for a few days. As you can see, after learning that you are Freya from the recently popular TV series "Magical Girl", the Lord of the Gods has been looking forward to meeting you."

Even she didn't know about this in advance. Of course, this was also related to the fact that Kuze didn't watch TV very often. And Lord Boli only looked at the two-inch photo of Lingye applying for godhood that she brought, and recognized the other person as 'Freya' in the TV series at a glance.

Although she is only a supporting role, it must be said that since she appeared on the screen in recent episodes, the popularity of Freya has not been low. She is a descendant of the Clow Reed family, has the ability to release the key to seal the Clow Cards, and has a cute appearance. She is currently in a relationship of both friend and foe with the protagonist Sakura Kinomoto.

Not to mention the protagonist Sakura, at least she has gradually stolen the limelight from the number one male protagonist Syaoran.

"So, this is the reason why you agreed to let me become a citizen of Izumo Taisha in advance?"

"Ha, isn't that enough?" said Lord Boli proudly, "Look at their Ise Shrine, can they have a magical girl to be a miko? He is just an old Saiou, what right do he have to compete with us for incense in the future?"

That's a magical girl! Look at the TV ratings. When the time comes, she can do a Kagura dance and replace the Kagura bell with a magic wand. Who says you can't use a magic wand for Kagura dance?

He could already foresee the scene of the silent ding-dong sound from the offering box. Oh, Ise Jingu? Oh!

It doesn’t matter whether there is money or not. I have earned back the face I lost last year, right?

"Be careful with your words! Lord God, be careful with your words! That's the King of Zhai!"

"Well, seventy or eighty is a bit too much, but he's almost sixty, right?"

Is this the point? Priest Tsukumaki was terrified by the Lord's arbitrary comments on the King.

That’s Prince Sainai, the younger sister of the man sitting on the throne in the imperial palace.

Only girls under the age of 22 can serve as shrine maidens, but there is an exception, and that is the Saiou.

The duty of a shrine maiden is to serve the gods. Among the eight million gods in Takamagahara, Amaterasu is undoubtedly the most powerful. It is said that the royal family is the descendant of Amaterasu, which is the reason for the royal orthodoxy for thousands of years. The unity of politics and religion has long been a tradition believed by everyone in this country.

In this way, a woman with royal blood is naturally a descendant of Amaterasu, and theoretically there is no higher status than this to serve the gods.

Prince Saiuchi, who is a female member of the royal family, is also the supreme leader of all the shrine maidens in shrines across the country.

Saiou originally did not have a fixed shrine where he stayed, but after all, Ise Grand Shrine is in Tokyo.

In prosperous Tokyo, food, clothing, housing and transportation are all convenient. If the royal prince has such a convenient place to live in Tokyo, why would he come to their remote Izumo to suffer?

Oh, Ise Grand Shrine? Oh!

Chapter 119: Bo Li Ling Meng

"The ceremony of granting divine status will be tomorrow. Let Huayin explain the process to you in detail this afternoon. It's very simple. Most of the time you just need to sit still."

Most ceremonies are like this, the host is the one who is busy, and the person being given the ceremony just needs to follow the instructions. The host of the ceremony is of course Kuze Kanon, the chief priest of Izumo Taisha Shrine, who is responsible for all matters related to the shrine maidens.

Speaking of business, Lord Boli finally became serious, but it didn't last long.

"By the way, Lingye-chan, it's a rare opportunity for you to come to Izumo Taisha. Would you like to buy an amulet to take back with you? It's cheap and would be the best to give to your friends as souvenirs."

"How can one ask for amulets from one's own shrine?" Huayin couldn't stand it any more. It's one thing to make money from pilgrims, but even the shrine maiden from one's own shrine is not spared?

Amulets are made by the shrine maidens, so how can you pray for yourself?

"But it's cheap. A man from Tokyo, do you think he needs this little money?" Bo Liyou muttered unwillingly.

It's really cheap. The cheapest amulets for good luck and warding off misfortune are only 108 yen, and the amulets for academics and health are all 288. The most exquisite is the amulet for marriage, which is the main amulet of Izumo Shrine. It blesses love and marriage. It is made of silk and only costs 588 yen.

If it were placed in Tokyo, it wouldn't even be able to cover the costs.

"Small profits but quick turnover. If customers see that it's so cheap, they will buy more. When they go back, their relatives and friends will give more as gifts. Wouldn't our Izumo Taisha's reputation be spread?"

Speaking of this, Lord Bo Li was somewhat proud. Perhaps because his last name was Bo Li, he always believed in the idea of ​​small profits but quick turnover.

He always felt that if there were more pilgrims and more money from incense offerings, the amount of money from incense offerings would naturally not be less. If one only focused on the latter, then one was putting the cart before the horse.

In addition to amulets, there are also painted horses, knotted ropes, bells, etc., which are all sold here. Even if you exclude the religious significance, they are also very good souvenirs, and the prices are not expensive. The Hakulijinshu implements the principle of small profits but quick turnover to the end, and the effect is very good. Almost all tourists who come to Izumo Taisha leave empty-handed.

I heard that Hōri-jin had proposed a photo-taking service with the shrine maidens before. For 500 yen, you could take a photo with the shrine maidens and bring it home for worship. But Hisayo rejected it outright.

God knows how people will worship after they are taken home.

Absolutely not allowed! With such insistence, Lord Bo Li had to regretfully give up this idea that he thought was quite good.

Finally, Lingye and Jianye Butler each bought an ema and hung it on the sacred tree in the courtyard in front of the main hall. Seeing Ling was also "fooled", Jiuze was not very happy, and the chief of the Boli was even more proud.

Small profits but quick turnover, the key is not small profits but quick turnover. One or two more is also a lot.

The day was spent visiting the shrine and getting familiar with the schedule for tomorrow. Lunch was the shrine's vegetarian dishes - the so-called vegetarian dishes refer specifically to the working meals provided by the shrine, not vegetables. The dishes contained fish and meat.

Two hundred years ago, Shintoism also did not allow eating meat, but later it was gradually relaxed. Even marrying and having children was normal. It is said that the chief priest of Bo Li has a daughter who is in junior high school. However, I did not see her during the day because I went to school.

The reason why Jiuze didn't go to school was because there was a festival today. Throughout October, she had to ask for leave from school frequently. Considering her special status, the school didn't blame her.

This may be a little hard to understand in other cities, where high school students put their studies first. But in Izumo, the belief in gods runs through the lives of ordinary people, including in school. Moreover, in the eyes of the school teachers, Kuze has no need to apply for university in the future. The chief priest of Izumo Taisha can still choose to work in the shrine even if he retires after a few years.

This is a pretty good way out.

It is worth mentioning that, I don't know about other shrines, but here, when dining, whether it is the chief priest Borikunu, the chief priest Kuze Kanon, or ordinary priests and shrine maidens, they all dine in the same hall, and there is no distinction between high and low seats, and they sit around two or three tables at random.

"Lord Shinto, don't you always want to compare yourself with Ise Grand Shrine? I heard that the chief priest of Ise Grand Shrine is always sent to a separate room for meals and has someone to serve him." Hisayo said deliberately, not knowing where he heard the news from.

"Where did you hear that? You didn't visit the Ise Shrine when you went to Tokyo this time, did you?" Lord Boli looked at Hisayo with a dangerous look.

Kuze quickly shook his head.

She really didn't go anywhere else. She was shocked by the prices in Tokyo and bought a ticket back to Izumo that night.

Bo Li snorted, "It's good that you didn't go. It doesn't matter if you go to the temple to burn incense to the Buddha, but you are not allowed to add incense to the Ise Shrine. If I find out, the training penalty will be tripled!"

Jiuze shuddered. Triple the training, that would be fatal - of course two hours of meditation would be turned into six hours, it would be boring to death.