Page 96

Page 96

Whether it was Hua Yin who was the host or Lingye who was the recipient, they all knew that the high throne was just a clay sculpture. The Three Nobles, Okuninushi, and Eight Million Gods, not only was the Izumo Taisha Shrine as the palace of the gods a false legend, but even Takama-ga-hara did not exist in the world.

The object of worship does not even exist, and the so-called rituals seem meaningless. But in Huayin's view, what is meaningful is not the behavior of worshipping the gods, but the rituals themselves.

Even though this temple was not blessed by God in the past, it became a true temple after Lingye became a citizen.

"finished?"

"Well, it's over."

Huayin put the Chihaya on Lingye herself. The moon-white Chihaya was patterned with pine and crane and the sun, and the texture was indescribably luxurious. But unlike the miko costume delivered yesterday, this Chihaya didn't look new. There were no stains or wrinkles. The Chihaya was clean and tidy, but it had a unique smell of age.

Chihaya is a symbol of the identity of a shrine maiden, and the patterns of Chihaya vary from shrine to shrine. But Ling also discovered that her Chihaya seemed different from those of other shrine maidens in the shrine.

Hanane's Chihaya is unique because it belongs to the headmaster of Izumo Taisha. But what about his own?

"This is Chihaya, the Sunday Miko."

"what?"

The people around had already dispersed, and there was no one else in the main hall. Huayin knelt down facing Lingye.

"Shinto shrine maidens are divided into court shrine maidens and folk shrine maidens. For example, the Ise Shrine belongs to the court shrine maidens. For thousands of years, the priests and shrine maidens in the shrine have served the royal family. In ancient times, they were closely connected with the royal family and helped them to ward off disasters and difficulties. Just like Abe Haruaki in the story, he served as a sacrifice to the royal family and even stood at the center of national power for a time."

Taking Abe Haruaki as an example, everyone knows it and there is no need for further explanation.

"Although the Izumo Taisha Shrine is equally ancient, it has nothing to do with the royal family. It has been a civilian shrine since ancient times. The priests and shrine maidens do not need to be responsible for the royal family, but only pray for the people nearby. About four hundred years ago, it is said that there was a shrine maiden at the shrine who had magical powers and suppressed the great demon of Izumo. She was worshipped as the Sunday Shrine Maiden. This Chihaya is the symbol of the identity of the Sunday Shrine Maiden."

Of course, legends are just legends. The gods are no longer visible now, and Hua Yin cannot imagine whether the shrine maidens from the Warring States Period four hundred years ago in the shrine records really have the so-called "magic power". Or are they just a means to fool believers, just like the shrine maidens today?

In Huayin's opinion, the latter is more likely.

But the legend of the Sunday Priestess has indeed been passed down.

Of course, the Chihaya that Lingye is wearing is definitely not the Chihaya of the ancients four hundred years ago. Unless it is isolated from the air and hidden in a place without sunlight, no clothes can withstand the erosion of four hundred years. They would have been turned into mud by insects and rats.

The Chihaya of the Sunday Miko is only offered as a symbol to the gods. As far as Huayin knows, one of them rotted a few years ago and was replaced with a new one. This Chihaya has been offered in the past two years.

The incense of candles and the faith of believers were offered on the altar before the god for two years.

In the past four hundred years, the title of Sunday Miko has been given to several Miko in the shrine's records. They are all said to have magical powers and have eliminated demons that have caused trouble in the village. However, Huayin believes that only Lingye is truly qualified to wear this Chihaya Miko.

Even if it was the first generation of the Sun Priestess, could the demons she suppressed according to legend be more ferocious than the super beast?

So Huayin tried her best to grant Ling the identity of the Sunday priestess.

"Oh, and this!" Huayin thought of something and asked Ling to wait. She went to the back hall and came back a moment later with a long black bow in her hand. Perhaps because it was a ritual bow for a witch, it was originally designed for women to use. The size of the ebony bow was smaller than that of an ordinary hunting bow, but it was not light in weight.

"This is the magic-breaking bow used by successive generations of sun priestesses."

"Demon-breaking Bow?"

"Yes, I heard it can destroy demons. How about this bow? Is there anything special about it?"

Since Ling could truly summon the sight of the gods, Huayin thought that Ling must be able to see something that she could not see.

This bow has indeed been preserved at Izumo Taisha for a long time. It is not clear how long it has been preserved. According to written records, it existed during the Warring States Period, but it is likely far-fetched. It was changed several times during this period, but the same name was used. Otherwise, the wood should have rotted long ago.

Even so, this is still an ancient bow from a very long time ago.

Ling also took the wooden longbow and felt it, but didn't notice any difference.

She shook her head.

Huayin was a little disappointed, but that was all. She hadn't had much hope for these 'ancient' things, so she was also disappointed.

"Although I didn't feel anything, I think this bow is very beautiful."

There are no carvings or decorations, and the ebony has a natural wood grain texture, but its simple appearance is very beautiful.

"That's great. Please keep it safe."

"Are you really giving it to me? This should be considered an antique, right?" And it is an antique with a long history recorded in the shrine.

"Of course, this is the magic-breaking bow that has been used by successive generations of Sun Priestess to purify evil spirits. You are now the Sun Priestess."

There was no objection to Lingye's appointment of the chief priest Bo Li. First, the affairs of the priestesses were originally decided by the chief priest, and even the chief priest would not interfere. Secondly, for the chief priest Bo Li, the "Sunday priestess" was probably just a means to attract pilgrims.

He didn't believe that there really was a "Sunday priestess" in the world. Even if there really was a demon, the TAC team was needed, and everyone had to believe in science.

In the final analysis, the people who believe in God the least are those who make a living from shrines. Ordinary people would rather believe in something than not believe in it, but since they make a living from shrines, it has become a means of profit, so naturally they have no reverence for God.

[Magical girl Freya from Tokyo has settled in Izumo Taisha Shrine] - Lord Hōri originally wanted to put up this slogan at the main entrance of Izumo Taisha Shrine to attract tourists.

Then I ordered some amulets with Reiya's signature, instead of "Oshima Reiya", I wrote "Freya". Each one is not expensive, and I sell it at the highest price for amulets for a bond.

But apart from the active efforts of the father and daughter, they were naturally stopped by the "diehards" (the words of the gods) headed by Huayin.

Of course, what really made Lord Boli give up this idea was Lingye’s reminder.

The label "Magical Girl Freya" is copyrighted. Even if she doesn't care, Izumo Taisha uses it without permission, and if the TV series' investors find out, they will have to pay compensation.

When Robinson Crusoe was stranded on a desert island, he forgot to draw Mickey Mouse on the beach. Otherwise, he would have been visited by Disney’s legal department and taken to the nearest court.

After Ling gave him some popular science about the classic case of Disney, Lord Bo Li Shen, who realized that the word "copyright" was associated with losing money, immediately threw this idea out of his mind.

If he keeps losing money in this small business with small profits but quick turnover, wouldn't that be the end of him?

Three thousand kilometers away from Izumo, time goes back to yesterday. Hachiken, carrying a few luggage, got off the plane with Aki and set foot on the land of Hokkaido.

Although he could also take a taxi or take a long-distance bus, Hachiken chose to rent a car from a car rental company not far from the airport. Perhaps because of the different national conditions, Japanese people prefer to rent cars rather than buy them, even decades later.

In Japan at that time, although there was no convenient service like in later generations where one could rent a car by just making a phone call or registering on a website or APP, the car rental industry had begun to rise as private cars gradually appeared.

Even in Hokkaido, many car rental companies have sprung up in some big cities such as Sapporo.

Even though there were only two of them and they didn't bring any luggage, Hachiken still rented a pickup truck as usual, after all, he was used to driving it.

The solid body is strong and durable. This is the romance of men.

However, this trip had nothing to do with romance. As the pickup truck drove towards Shimizu Town, the closer we got to our destination, the more disaster-stricken areas on the road appeared.

Uprooted trees and fallen rocks could be seen everywhere. Thanks to the emergency repair work of the Ministry of Disaster Prevention, most of the rocks and broken wood had been cleared to the roadside. The repair personnel were trying their best to restore traffic, but Hachiken's car was still parked by a river.

The bridge collapsed.

Workers organized by the Ministry of Disaster Prevention are building a temporary bridge. Such emergency repair technology would have been unimaginable six years ago, but after six years of frequent attacks by monsters and aliens, humans have learned a lot about emergency repair technology.

For a structural bridge, each structure is manufactured in advance and can be directly installed according to different sizes. It can be used temporarily for a few months or even one or two years without any problems.

The temporary bridge was still being installed, and after asking the workers, it would take about half an hour before it could be used. Hachixuan got out of the car, lit a cigarette, and leaned against the car door to take a few puffs.

I just gave a cigarette to the worker in charge of the scene and chatted with him for a while. This is not the central disaster area, but only affected by the attack of the Ultra Beast Hurricane. The other side of the river is the place that was really severely damaged, and it was also the central battlefield of the battle between Ace, Gaia and Ultra Beast.

And Aki's house is just on the other side of the river.

He wanted to say something to comfort Aki, but he couldn't find any words to use. So he could only take another long puff of the cigarette. His lung capacity was a bit strong, and half of the cigarette was gone in one puff.

Half an hour later, the project was completed. Several test trucks lined up and drove back and forth six or seven times. After making sure there were no problems with the assembly, the obstacles at both ends of the bridge were removed and traffic was restored.

There are still many roads and bridges that need to be repaired. Every time a super beast is eliminated, it is the time for the Ministry of Disaster Prevention to fight. There is no time to waste. Compared with the large-scale repair work in Tokyo after Baraba and Ace Killer were eliminated a few months ago, this is just a small scene.

When the car drove to the other side of the river, Aki looked at the surrounding scenery, which gradually became familiar yet unfamiliar.

She felt familiar because it was not far from her home, and she had just passed by the only grocery store in town where she could make phone calls. As for the unfamiliarity, because of the destruction caused by the super beasts, a large number of houses collapsed around it, and it had completely changed.

No matter whether the journey was short or long, the pickup truck eventually stopped in front of Aki's house.

Hachiken had been here about ten years ago when he was still in school. During the summer vacation, because he didn't want to go home, he was invited by Aki to work at her house.

Fortunately, Aki's home was still there. It even made Hachiken feel familiar after not seeing it for ten years. But unfortunately, the farm and the horse farm were almost completely destroyed. There were only ruins as far as the eye could see.

It was Hachiken who knocked on the door, although he was also a little timid.

The door opened, and the person who answered it was the person Hachiken least wanted to see - the man whose eyes had once scared him for weeks - Aki's father.

The moment he saw Aki, Father Mikawa was a little dazed. If the expression in a person's eyes could be represented by a pian chart, all kinds of emotions would probably account for a certain percentage, making the colors of the chart messy.

But as we all know, too many colors mixed together only become black. Too many emotions mixed together, and finally there is no emotion.

So the old man just said it to Aki calmly.

"You still know about coming back?"

As for Hachiken, he has been ignored.

But strangely, these words made Aki's tension and anxiety, which had been brewing for a long time, disappear.

"I'm home. I'm sorry, Dad."

It turns out that it is actually very easy to say an apology, and the previous entanglement was just unnecessary affectation.

"Is everything okay at home?"

"It's all right. We all took shelter before the super beast came, and no one was injured. But the farm is gone. Now there is no farm for you even if you want to inherit it. Is that what you want?"

Aki couldn't respond. Although she really didn't want to inherit the farm, it wasn't in this way. Her parents and grandparents had put so much effort into it.

"But, Dad, what's next?"

"What's next? The insurance company will provide compensation. It's a bit of a stretch to rebuild the farm, but it will be enough to support our living expenses for a long time."

In today's world, no insurance company dares to take on the risk of super beast destruction. Any insurance project clearly lists the destruction caused by super beasts, monsters, and aliens as natural disasters, which are exempt from compensation.

Otherwise it is not an insurance company but a charity that is eager to pay compensation.

The insurance that Father Mikawa mentioned is actually the compensation borne by the government, which is also part of the budget expenditure of the Ministry of Disaster Prevention and Control. It is used to resettle disaster victims and rebuild their homes.

Hachiken stayed at Aki's house.

He originally wanted to say hello and leave, but Father Yuchuan did not give him a chance to speak. In fact, the two of them did not talk from beginning to end.

Ten years ago, a look from his father made him quiet for a week, but he didn't expect that it would still be the same ten years later. He was controlled by the aura of Yuchuan's father the whole time, just like a rabbit encountering its natural enemy.

"Can you drink?" This was the first sentence that Father Yuchuan said to Hachiken after entering the room.

Baxuan nodded, "A little bit."

"If you can, then you can. If you can't, then you can't. Don't be a woman and talk like that. I don't care what you do elsewhere, but men in farm families have to drink. Do you know how to drink?"

"meeting!"

No doubt about it, his liver is made of iron today!

Chapter 124 Thief

The ceremony of granting divine status was over, and Ling also had her own Chihaya, and even had the title of "Sunday Miko".

According to Huayin, well, now we have to call her the master. According to the records of the Grand Shrine, in the hundreds of years of history, there are only a few shrine maidens who have inherited the title of "Sunday". Each of them is said to be a true shrine maiden who can exorcise demons.