Lu Ban looked carefully and saw that it was a puppet.

The joints are hidden under the kimono, the face is as white as porcelain, and the blush and lipstick easily remind Lu Ban of a paper doll, but this doll has a strange feeling that is different from traditional paper dolls.

If we say that the paper figure with eyes painted on it gives the characteristics of a living thing to a dead object, it will lead to the uncanny valley effect.

So this doll has a similar appearance to humans but is too large in size, causing a foreign body sensation.

Lu Ban saw that the huge puppet was still waving in his direction, and the dull smile on the puppet's face made his scalp tingle.

"Is this the welcome mascot for this year? It really has the style of Uta Island. You know, Brother Lu Ban, this is a specialty of Uta Island, called Joruri Doll, and it is a masterpiece created by the master of Bunraku."

Tachibana Masamune seemed to be quite fond of the doll that looked like it came from the underworld. He even raised his hand to take the picture frame, as if he was thinking about how to draw it.

"I heard that there seemed to be some accidents on Uta Island recently, and there was a strange fog?"

Lu Ban took the opportunity to ask casually while shifting his gaze away from the creepy doll's face.

"Are you talking about the Uncertain Mist? It's okay. Although Uta Island was previously troubled by the Uncertain Mist, it is now completely free of problems. At least that's what the organizer said. And look, the island is so peaceful now."

Tachibana Masamune didn't care and continued to admire the huge puppet hanging high in the clouds.

"Uncertain fog is very common at sea. Sometimes it will drift near inhabited islands and cause pollution. This is the case this time, but the shrine in Uta Island has sent out shrine maidens to purify it, so it's not a big problem."

Yinping didn't care either.

Lu Ban nodded.

But he noticed that when Tachibana Masamune and Ginpei were talking, the woman next to them, Momiji, showed a slightly disdainful expression.

"If there is still pollution on Uta Island, how can he dare to let all the artists from He Island come here? Can he bear the responsibility for accidents like us? So just think about it and you will understand that this place should be safe."

Seeing that Lu Ban didn't quite believe it, Tachibana Masamune comforted him again.

Lu Ban was no longer entangled.

Because he felt that there was still 100% pollution on Uta Island.

Otherwise, there would be no incidents of artists disappearing.

The sailboat sailed into the harbor, which was indeed a large harbor, just as the unfortunate boatman had said.

However, there were almost no ships at the port of Ge Island, it was sparse and extremely lonely.

"Why does it seem like there's no one here?"

Lu Ban took a glance and saw that the huge puppet was only tied to a building in the port by a rope and looked very light. Under the puppet stood several people dressed similarly to the ones around him, discussing something.

"It may be the influence of the uncertain fog. That kind of fog will make people confused and mentally disordered at sea. Even if it is purified, it is still frightening. Didn't Master Lu Ban dare to approach the ship that sent you here?"

Ginpei explained and walked off the boat.

Several men in pure white hunting clothes were waiting under the boat. They had expressionless masks on their faces and looked all the same, like puppets.

"These are the shrine magistrates of Utajima. They are in charge of handling filth and assist the miko in purification. They probably came to check because filth appeared just now."

Tachibana Masamune said casually.

Lu Ban looked at the society officials doubtfully as they held a stick with a white paper strip tied to the end and waved it past Ginpei, who was the first to get off the boat, as if trying to disperse something.

He looked back and saw that none of the crew members on the sailboat they were on had come down, nor did they go to the dock for normal supplies. They just stared at the four guests who had been on board. The expressions in their eyes were difficult to describe, but Lu Ban knew what they were similar to.

It's like watching pigs hung upside down being sent to the slaughterhouse one by one.

It's Lu Ban's turn.

The society official in front of him said nothing, but just brushed the stick with white paper wrapped around it around him. Amid the rustling sound of the paper, Lu Ban seemed to hear some kind of soft whisper, floating down from the mountains of Uta Island.

"Look, nothing's wrong, ahem."

Ginpei smiled and fanned himself with the fan in his hand. He cleared his throat and seemed to be coughing.

"The poetry festival will begin tomorrow morning. We can go to the arranged accommodation first and then gather together in the evening."

Tachibana Masamune said that there were some rickshaws parked at the pier, and strong drivers were gathered in twos and threes. When they saw Tachibana Masamune and his friends, they came over to greet them.

Passing by the artists who were still working on the giant puppet, Lu Ban and the others meandered along the road and soon saw a huge building on the east side of the island.

The building was like an attic and covered a large area. Compared with it, the other houses looked like dwarfs.

"That is the main venue of the poetry festival, Anshin-in. The first performance will be held here tomorrow."

Ginpei pointed there with his fan.

"First game?"

Lu Ban felt that he had already acted sufficiently ignorant before, so he might as well not pretend anymore and just acted like he didn't know anything and was waiting for you to explain.

"Yes, the Poetry Festival itself is a combination of several exhibitions, including art exhibitions, poetry exhibitions, puppet exhibitions, etc. Everyone communicates with each other and explains art. Tomorrow is the first art exhibition. In the next three days, there will be many such exhibitions. In addition, there will be poetry gatherings, music gatherings, etc. For example, the Haichao Poetry Gathering on the second day will be hosted by me."

Ginpei explained rather complacently.

Four rickshaws staggered towards Anxinyuan.

Lu Ban carefully observed the passers-by.

These passers-by should be local residents. They also wear similar kimonos on the upper body, pants and boots on the lower body, but the age distribution is more extensive, ranging from children to elderly people.

However, Lu Ban felt that these people's movements were a bit stiff and lacked agility. Although there were dialogues, exchanges, and interactions between them, they all seemed to give people an indescribable sense of weirdness, as if actors without acting skills were forcing themselves to act.

At this time, Lu Ban caught a glimpse of a child running on the street with a ball. The child accidentally fell and fell forward. Perhaps because he was running too fast and lost his balance too early, the child's head hit the ground. Then, his neck bent backwards due to the inertia of his body. With a crisp "click", the child's head was bent 180 degrees.

His thin body twisted and fell down irregularly like a puppet without its strings, and rolled twice.

"!"

What surprised Lu Ban was not the accident.

Instead, just a few seconds later, the child whose bones between his head and body were broken actually sat up, slowly raised his head, stood up, patted the mud and dust on his body, and chased the ball away again, as if he had just fallen lightly.

“…Did you see it?”

Lu Ban asked tentatively.

"What did you see?"

Tachibana Masamune seemed to be admiring the beauty of the seaside street and did not notice the strange and terrifying scene.

Ginpei also shook his head.

"No, nothing."

Lu Ban couldn't help but look back at the child again, only to find that the child holding the ball was staring at him straight, as if he had also noticed Lu Ban.

Suddenly, a figure rushed out from the dark alley on the side of the street and blocked the carriage.

"I saw her, I saw her, she's real, she's real!!!"

While shouting, the man was hit by the driver who was unable to dodge in time. He flew forward and rolled several times on the ground. Lu Ban clearly saw that his neck should be broken and his legs were bent in an unnatural direction.

However, a moment later, the man stood up, unharmed.

"She is real, you know, she is real, the Witch of Misfortune is real!"