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This is the Heavenly Palace, but it is empty, with no gods or demons.
Just like open wings, the flying corridor is transformed into wings, with the entrance gate in the middle and luxurious buildings extending towards the sky on both sides.
There is no life here except for the old laurel tree in front of the gate. The eternal laurel exists in the outside world as well as here.
Compared to the outside, the tree in the secret realm is even more magical. The laurel tree that is tens of meters high is rare, but the laurel tree in the secret realm is more than a thousand meters high, with a thick trunk that dozens of people can hardly hug. The white branches emit a bright white light.
Okuninushi (Moon Lord) and Jade Rabbit, as well as the laurel tree, Ling had already guessed where she was. She walked towards the palace step by step, a lonely palace, perhaps no one had set foot in it for hundreds of years, nearly a thousand years.
When she looked up at the palace gate, she saw those four words as expected:
Guanghan Qingxu
The winged corridor bridge extends to two palaces in the sky, one is called Guanghan and the other is called Qingxu, which is the legendary Moon Palace.
No wonder there is no life here, because this is the moon.
It is not the real moon that is the satellite of the earth, but the moon that exists in the imagination of our ancestors whenever they look up at it.
The White Jade Palace in the sky, with twelve towers and five cities, embodies the fantasy and prayers of our ancestors. During the Qiqiao Festival, countless girls on earth pray to the moon, praying that the master of the moon palace will tie the red thread of fate for them.
This is where wishes come together.
Ling also walked into the courtyard. There was no sun in the sky and it was a little cold.
The long corridor has no extra murals or hangings, it is simple and ethereal. In front is a solitary pavilion, located in the center of the palace, as if standing at the end of the sky, looking into the distance into the void. The corridors on both sides lead to the palace complexes of "Guanghan Palace" and "Qingxu Palace".
Ling was also curious whether she could find the composition of lunar soil if she brought the dust back with her.
However, she didn't do such a troublesome thing in the end. If she wanted lunar soil, she could just fly to the moon directly, and the round trip would only take a few minutes.
Compared with this palace, the garden that she had asked Mr. Ueki to arrange before, with its pavilions and towers, was simply like toys.
No, that's a bit of an exaggeration. It was designed carefully by Mr. Ueki and he spent a long time arranging it.
However, no matter what, buildings built with modern human ingenuity and industrial modularity cannot be compared with the palaces that were born from the imagination of our ancestors in myths and legends.
The secret realm is ownerless.
Its former owner had already disappeared into people's minds thousands of years ago. If it weren't for the wishes of the people when it first arrived, this secret place would have been lost to an unknown place, and no one would have been able to find it. But it was discovered by Ling after all.
It would be a pity if it disappeared. Apart from her, probably no one else could borrow it.
Well, she was willing to admit that she was attracted by this place. She was moved and didn't need to explain anything else.
It’s like an ordinary girl sees a beautiful dress in the closet or a cute bag in a magazine and wants it, it’s that simple.
Ling rarely gets attracted by clothes or bags. As long as the clothes are wearable and the bags are practical, it's fine. Whether in her past life or now, she doesn't need to use these monetary substitutes to package and prove herself.
But she couldn't help but be moved by this palace.
Which girl doesn't have a princess dream? She would admit that she is vain if she owns her own palace.
What’s more, this is the legendary Guanghan Palace!
"I'm moving you home. If anyone objects, let them know now."
Ling also waited for a moment, but of course no one spoke. Yue Lao did not speak, and Chang'e did not speak either. So Ling also thought that she could claim ownership of this place.
"Mansion Technique" upgraded to "Fairy Palace Technique"!
The secret realm is the wish of all living beings, and no one can borrow it except Gaia, the source of life. And for Gaia, perhaps she can knead it at will with just a thought.
Of course, Gaia does not need secret realms. The sea of souls is the final destination of life, and secret realms are just bubbles that occasionally splash up on the sea. A myth or a legend is nothing more than an idle thought that is born and dies in an instant in the eyes of Gaia, who lives on billions of years and the birth and death of species.
He also doesn't care about Lingye's collection of secret realms.
Ownerless and useless things are nothing more than children's toys.
Therefore, the location of the stream where the Kappa legend once appeared was transformed into a pavilion garden, with two covered bridges extending upward and two wide palace complexes extending into the sky.
It has no foundation, and just stands in the void, violating the principles of mechanics. However, the secret realm is a self-contained entity, and there are no physical laws to speak of.
The eternal summer afternoon in the secret realm also became a little colder. There was no sun, no moon, and no stars in the sky.
Because of the integration of the two secret realms, the original space has also expanded a lot, and the overall size is no less than that of the Oshima Manor. And the huge laurel tree still stands in front of the palace gate, reaching straight into the sky.
The Moon Palace, which was originally deserted, now has some flowers and plants in front of the gate. White jasmine flowers are dotted with laurels, and the only pure white dream flower is connected together, blooming in the fairyland of dreams.
Ling also walked along the gate to the lonely pavilion in the center of the Moon Palace, on which were written the words "Taiyin". Looking into the distance, the original void became layers of dusk, and there was still nothing.
Her excitement subsided, and she suddenly felt a little lonely. How could the Moon Fairy of the Moon live alone in this cold palace for thousands or tens of thousands of years?
Fortunately, she is not like that. She still has many friends, including Jianye and Maria, who are like family members to her.
Compared to being a god, it is better to be a human being.
No wonder Reimu wanted to come back after just two days in Tokyo, and Shibuya and Ginza couldn't keep her. Ling also found that she was a little homesick.
After the Hatsumode ceremony is over, go home early.
However, the Hatsumode ceremony does not end so early. Hatsumode does not last for one day, but three days. Perhaps to take care of the pilgrims who are sealed by the kotatsu, anyone who has broken free from the seal can come to worship on any day during the first three days of the New Year.
Her job is far more than just shooting an arrow. She is also needed for subsequent prayers and shrine maiden dances as a Sunday shrine maiden.
Tokyo had a heavy snowfall on Christmas, but Izumo was not affected. However, on the third day of the New Year, snowflakes began to fall from the sky in Izumo.
"Great! Auspicious snow indicates a good harvest." Hisayo said, "It looks like this year will be a lucky year."
Chapter 196: Moon People
In the command room of the TAC team, Shan was holding a cup of coffee and looking relaxed.
Being on the front line of a team that is facing off against super beasts and monsters, it is rare to have such a relaxing time.
"Shanzhong, I always feel that you have become different, more energetic, did something good happen to you?" Captain Long joked. He was also happy to see Shanzhong like this.
"Feel energetic? Of course I feel energetic if I get enough sleep. I slept for three full days at home during the New Year holiday."
"Slept for three days? You didn't even go to Hatsumedo, did you?"
"I don't believe in that stuff. If praying to the gods works, what's the point of our TAC team?"
"That is tradition. Those who abandon tradition will be blamed by their ancestors. Amitabha!"
Yamanaka didn't want to talk to Konno, who kept saying Amitabha all the time.
Moreover, he actually went to Hatsumode on the first day of the new year, but this kind of thing did not fit his image, so he deliberately did not say it.
Although the real reason that made him excited was not that, for Yamanaka, witnessing Maya's rebirth was a secret that he kept to himself and was unwilling to share with others.
Maya has started a new journey in life, and he also has to work harder.
Even for Maya and the newborn children like her, we must make this world a safer place, whether it's monsters or aliens, drive them all away from the earth.
"Beidou is the one. He's already sitting here reading books seriously before the New Year has even passed. Why, do you want to take the postgraduate entrance exam?"
There was a stack of books in front of Beidou. Shanzhong put down his coffee cup, picked up a book and flipped through it, and found that it was a book about the moon.
There are popular science articles, research materials, photography albums, and even science fiction novels.
"Why are you suddenly interested in the moon? If you're interested, why don't you just take a spaceship there?"
For modern humans, the moon is no longer out of reach.
That is, the TAC team is responsible for the safety of the earth and does not leave the atmosphere at ordinary times. The expedition of the Space Army has long entered the sea of stars, and the space between the earth and the moon is also the defense line of the Space Army's daily patrol.
"Yanzhong, do you think there is life on the moon?" Beidou asked.
"Of course, humans have already been to the moon, so there must be life on the moon. I heard that the Space Force also has a lunar immigration plan, and there will be a permanent base on the moon in the future."
Yamanaka said disapprovingly, Landing on the moon is not a difficult task for humans.
"No, I mean the native life, the moon people."
Nan Xizi glanced at him and then looked away.
"Ah? Beidou, are you still awake? You don't know what the moon looks like, how can there be any moon people?"
The moon's magma has cooled long ago.
Without the flow of magma, there would be no magnetic field. Without a magnetic field, there would be no way to resist the blowing of solar wind on the atmosphere. Therefore, the planet would no longer have an atmosphere and water resources would dry up. Without geothermal heat, the temperature difference between day and night could reach more than 300 degrees.
Any of these conditions means that life cannot exist. Humans have long proven that the moon is just a huge solid rock.
The activity of magma can cause earthquakes. For island countries located in earthquake zones, earthquakes are indeed troublesome, but it is precisely because of earthquakes and the pulse of the earth that the earth is still alive. That is the heartbeat of the planet.
The heartbeat of the moon stopped long before humans knew it.
"As a member of the TAC team, it's a good thing to love learning, but I think you should learn more valuable knowledge instead of letting your mind wander. Am I right, team member Yuko?" Yamanaka knew that Beidou would not listen to what he said, so he deliberately asked Nan Xiko to wake Beidou up.
"Me? Well, there are probably moon people."
To Yamanaka's surprise, Nan Xizi agreed with Beidou, which should have been nonsense.
"Ah? You don't think there are laurel trees and white rabbits pounding medicine on the moon, do you?"
"Of course there are no laurel trees or white rabbits, but maybe the moon had magma and an atmosphere in the past?"
"Okay, in the mountains, we can't comment on things we don't know. Before we investigate, anything is possible." Captain Long concluded.
Since Beidou and Nan both said there are moon people, then they probably really exist. I just don't know what their attitude towards humans is.
It would be nice if such close neighbors were friends.
"Don't make a fuss on New Year's Day. Come and have some mandarin oranges. Coffee makes you irritable. I'll get you some tea."
Since the captain said so, Shan Zhong could only stop talking.
But at this moment, the alarm suddenly sounded.
"what happened?"
"Captain, a monster has appeared near the Kinu River in Nikko City, Tochigi Prefecture!"
"Kinu River? I remember it's a hot spring resort." Konno said.
Kinu River and Jigokudani are scary names because ancient people saw the steam rising from the geothermal heat and associated it with the hellish scene of angry demons. In fact, they are both hot spring holy places.
"It's a blessing to go to a hot spring in the middle of winter. Do monsters also like to take a hot spring bath? On the other hand, it's not a good sign to have monsters on New Year's Day."
"Stop talking nonsense, Konno, maybe after we kill the monster we can even go to a hot spring."
"Ah, that's a good idea, Yamanaka. It's rare that you can speak decently. I'm motivated now."
Long ignored the teasing of his teammates, but if they could really destroy the monster successfully, he would pay for everyone to take a hot spring bath out of his own pocket.
It’s a rare Chinese New Year.