Following the psychic traces of Toshiya Sakai, Onizuka Kirihotari entered a low-rise house that didn't look like anything special.
"This seems to have been a warehouse."
The little witch observed the environment. The former warehouse now only contained some rotten and smelly straw that turned into gray-black straw.
Then, she saw Eri Sakai getting lower step by step towards the ground until he disappeared.
Onizuka moved to the location where the traces of Sakai Toshiya's psychic presence disappeared.
Behind the rotting pile of straw, there seems to be an entrance to the ground blocked by debris.
The smell of dampness and decay came from below.
When this warehouse was still intact, the entrance to the passage was probably covered by wooden boards or the like, but now that it is abandoned, the entrance to the underground is exposed.
After quickly clearing away the debris accumulated at the underground entrance, Onizuka clicked on the talisman and threw it into the dark passage.
Under the light of Yanling, you can see the slippery steps winding downwards.
After feeling for a while and confirming that there was no undead aura below that could threaten her, Onizuka walked down.
Walk through the stone steps and enter the underground space.
The surrounding stone walls were moist and cold, with a thin layer of greasy moss attached to them.
Occasionally, water drops would drip from the cracks in the rocks and smash on the ground, making a small, dull sound.
The air was filled with the smell of musty and rust, and the faint light emitted by the talisman clung precariously to the surrounding stone walls. The light seemed thick and heavy in the humid air, barely illuminating the place.
Farther away, there are several iron fences looming in the shadows.
"This seems to be the dungeon of Tsuchimikado Village."
He took a few more steps forward.
The little miko found traces of Sakai Toshiya's psychic, a blurry white figure standing behind a cell.
And on the pile of rotten straw in that cell, a familiar faint light could still be seen.
"It seems that another fragment of the Tianhu bronze mirror has been found."
Onizuka stepped forward.
Probably because the environment in the dungeon is too humid, the iron railings here are rusty, and the iron lock hanging on the cell door has also rusted with the railings, and it is obvious that it can no longer be opened with a key.
But now that it's like this, there's no need to use the key anymore.
Onizuka Kiriho tugged at the leg of his Hakama pants and kicked his leg directly towards the iron lock hanging on the cell door.
There was a loud "clang" sound.
The white footbag on the little witch's right foot was already covered in mud, and new red rust stains were added to the sole of the foot.
The rotten railings and iron doors smashed into the cell and broke into two pieces.
"Um."
Onizuka hummed in satisfaction and stepped into the cell.
The fragment of the Tianhu bronze mirror was lying quietly in the corner of the prison. It was similar to the one found before, and it was probably in the shape of a fan with an angle of 60 degrees.
Carefully putting away the fragments of the bronze mirror, Onitsuka Kiriho watched around.
There are still a lot of books piled up inside the cell, but they have rotted into a pile and can no longer be consulted.
The manuscript of Toshiya Sakai is not visible here. There may have been some manuscript paper left here, but it is as bad as those books and cannot be identified.
"This dungeon was probably the last place where Sakai Eriya stayed for a long time. I wonder if he was made into a adult pillar by Tsuchimikado's people..."
Onizuka held the black-and-white photo and the previously collected manuscripts in his hands, and once again channeled Sakai Etoshiya.
Here, you should still be able to see some of the folklorists’ lifetime experiences...
…
In a dark dungeon.
The light of the kerosene lamp faintly illuminated a corner of the cell.
Etoshi Sakai was sitting cross-legged in the cell, flipping through books and writing down something seriously with a pen.
Looking at him, he didn't look like he was about to die, even though he was being sacrificed as a "human pillar".
Anyway, he looks like a scholar who is passionate about learning.
No, I shouldn’t say “like”, Sakai Eri is a serious scholar.
He was just doing what a scholar should do.
However, to be able to concentrate on research in such an environment, Mr. Sakai is definitely not an ordinary person in a sense.
After writing for a while, the folklorist slowly put down his pen and sighed: "It's a pity that after my death, no one can take these manuscripts out of Tsuchimikado Village."
After being transferred from the Kawai family, Sakai Eri has been imprisoned in the dungeon.
And he was strictly guarded by people from the Tsuchimikado family.
I have been here for I don’t know how many days.
As Tsuchimikado Yasifuku said before, the Tsuchimikado family brought the Amado bronze mirror into the dungeon, and it has been hanging outside the cell for the past few days.
Sakai Etoshi was also fascinated by the bronze mirror that was said to be an artifact of the gods. Before that, he would often sit behind the iron fence and stare at the bronze mirror in a daze.
Gradually, he was able to get some strange feelings from that mirror.
The breath of the gods? The power of the gods? The call of the gods?
have no idea.
Can't tell.
Anyway, it's amazing.
In addition to placing the Amado Bronze Mirror in the dungeon, the Tsuchimikado family also responded to Sakai E Toshiya's request and put a large number of ancient books and materials into the cell for the folklorist to browse at will.
The paper and pen required to record the summary are also provided.
About two days after Sakai Etoni was imprisoned in the dungeon, his original fear was completely replaced by his thirst for knowledge, and he fell into those ancient books and materials.
So much so that he is a little confused now——
It was the people of the Tsuchimikado family who used some method to amplify their desire for knowledge.
Or is it that he himself is a madman who is so crazy that he can forget about his own life for the sake of folklore research?
Don't know, don't know.
"At the very least, Shizuji is gone." Sakai Eri also thought this way.
His student Shizuji Kanemaru left Tsuchimikado Village yesterday.
During the time when Etoshi Sakai was under house arrest at the Kawai family, Kanemaru Shizuji's movements in the village were also restricted.
However, the people from Tsuchimikado arranged a meeting for the master and apprentice yesterday morning.
The master and apprentice were alone for a long time.
Then at noon, Toshiya Sakai and the Tsuchimikado family watched Shizuji leave the village.
Sakai Eri didn't know what would happen to his students after they left the village.
We can only hope that the Tsuchimikado family will truly keep their word, not harm Shizuji, and really let him go.
"Tsuchimikado Yasifuku said that if Shizuji cannot leave safely, I will not be willing to become a human pillar."
Sakai Eri didn't know whether the words of the head of the Tsuchimikado family were really credible.
But now that he is in jail, he can no longer do anything for his students.
Neither he nor Shizuji were ordinary people, and there was no way they could compete with such a powerful behemoth as Tsuchimikado.
I hope the student is really safe, and I hope he won't do anything stupid in vain after he leaves.
With a heavy sigh, Sakai Etoshiya picked up the pen again and wrote on the manuscript paper:
[human pillar]
[If Tsuchimikado’s Tendo Shaman Festival fails, there is still a remedy. At the same time in the second year, the Shaman Festival must be performed again with a substitute shrine maiden. This time, an additional human pillar must be sacrificed.]
[If the Shaman Festival in the second year is still not completed successfully, the night will probably really come from behind the Amado Shimon.]
[The person selected as a ninja must not have the blood of Tsuchimikado, and must not have lived in the Kansai area near the Amado Shimon for a long time. And when the ninja sacrifice ceremony is carried out, he must be willing to die for the ceremony to a certain extent.
]
[Human Pillar Sacrifice]
[The human pillar will be sealed into a wooden coffin in front of the Tianhu Shimen, and a large amount of maggots raised in a secret method will be poured into it. The worms will be used to devour the flesh and blood of living people, and in conjunction with the ceremony, the human pillar will be sacrificed to the gods...]
Sakai Etoshiya's hand holding the pen trembled.
The "human pillar sacrifice" recorded now is what he will encounter later.
[Tsuchimikado Yaifuku promised me that he would use magic as much as possible to save me from the pain caused by maggots. He promised me that during the ceremony, I would see and feel
Come, God.]
But the question remains, are Tsuchimikado Yasifuku’s words credible?
"Maybe...it's true."
There should be no one who hopes more for the successful completion of the Tendo Shaman Festival than Tsuchimikado Yasifuku.
If he is false about his promise, then the point that "the human pillar is willing to die for the ceremony to a certain extent" cannot be achieved.
Some time passed.
Sakai Toshiya, who was getting more and more forgetful in the cell and clutching the manuscript with a somewhat crazy expression, suddenly heard a noise coming from outside.
Thinking about it, it seems like it's about time.
For ordinary people, it is difficult for the Tsuchimikado family to compete, so their own death is a foregone conclusion.
In addition, student Shizuji Kanemaru might have left safely.
When Sakai Toshiya realized that his end was coming, instead of fear, he felt some relief and strange excitement in his heart.
If the gods here at Tsuchimikado really exist, then I will definitely be able to see it with my own eyes. Although the price is to be sacrificed alive, I can at least get a glimpse of the existence that conservative folklorists can only dream of seeing.
Inside the dungeon, there was the sound of footsteps.
It was the head of the Kawai family who walked to the edge of the cell. He had already put on a dress and a somewhat gloomy mask.
But Eri Sakai still recognized him.
"Mr. Sakai," Kawai said while standing outside the iron fence.
"Wait, wait and kill me again, I will finish writing it right away."
"Okay, you still have some time to prepare."
Hehe cooperated very well. After saying this, he stood aside without saying a word.
Sakai Etoshi also looked at his manuscripts in silence.
Although this information is destined not to be taken out of Tsuchimikado Village, it is really precious. It is my hard work during this period. It is not an exaggeration to say that it is the most outstanding research in my life.
Mr. Sakai felt that it was time to write a conclusion to the manuscript data.
He suddenly thought of what Tsuchimikado Yasifuku had said to him before -
"Actually, Tsuchimikado has noticed you a long time ago. You are one of the chosen ones. Tsuchimikado knows you better than you think."
"Hear the Tao in the morning and die in the evening."
"Mr. Sakai, you are a sincere and pure scholar. From this point of view, I admire you very much."
Thinking of this, the always gentle folklorist smiled sadly: "So, this is what he thinks and views on me."
Although they are very reluctant, the people of Tsuchimikado may have really seen through their true nature a long time ago.
You can see and feel the presence of the gods at the human pillar sacrifice.
It's a crazy, sick, yet alluring condition.
"Although I really don't want to admit it, if this can be realized, somewhere in my heart, I will probably be a little moved and willing to participate in this bloody ritual. Is it okay to die at night if I hear the Tao in the morning...?"
Is this why the Tsuchimikado people chose me?
Sakai Etoshi suddenly felt very pathetic.
"Why am I trapped here, and why am I destined to die?"
Is it because of the Tsuchimikado clan, the Amado Shaman Festival, or something else?
The folklorist in prison finally picked up his pen. He wrote without hesitation at the end of the manuscript -
[The so-called sincere and pure scholars are nothing but prisoners of knowledge.]
This is the conclusion.
Whether it's the manuscript or the folklorist Toshiya Sakai himself.
…
In the dank dungeon of Tsuchimikado Village, the light of the talismans was much dimmer than before.
Onizuka Kirihota received the last psychic message from Toshiya Sakai.
"So, Mr. Sakai was finally willing to die for the Tendo Shaman Festival to a certain extent. He did not escape the arrangements of the Tsuchimikado clan, and he really meets the conditions for becoming a human pillar."
In other words, the human pillar sacrifice was probably a success.
"But I always feel that Tsuchimikado Village probably became what it is now due to the encounter with Yakoku and for some unknown reason."
Onizuka suspected that something huge might have happened at the Tendo Shaman Festival held to remedy the death of E Toshiya Sakai.
She thought of the special miko whom Teto Toshima had seen through her channel.
The witch was dressed in gorgeous clothes and had a golden crown on her head.
Teito Toshima tried to find the Amado Bronze Mirror, but was killed by him in front of the Wanxu Pond.
"Takehara?"
According to the available information, after Sakai Etoni was sacrificed as a human pillar, the shrine maiden who participated in the Tendo Shaman Festival as a substitute was the daughter of the former Takehara family.
Could she be the miko?
"Anyway, now we have found another fragment. We are only a little bit away from putting together the Amado Bronze Mirror and meeting Agawa."
Thinking this, Onizuka pulled the red rope at his wrist.
But this time, there was no response from the other end of the red rope.
"Achuan, he got into some kind of trouble again?" the little witch said worriedly.
It seems that since entering Amado Rock, a difficult battle has been going on on the Kamiya side.
She thought about going back to the cave where the Tiando Stone Gate was located, and first filling the grooves with the newly obtained bronze mirror fragments.
Agawa mentioned that he could not summon the shikigami on the Amado Rock side.
However, as the Amado Bronze Mirror was slowly completed, his strongest shikigami, Miss Mary, was able to affect the space of Amado Rock to a certain extent.
"The newly obtained fragments should be filled in and used to help Achuan."