"The mask... this shape, is it red leaf's?"

Lu Ban recognized this mask.

He leaned over and picked it up. The mask was real.

"She dropped it here, to guide me?"

Lu Ban pondered, he thought for a moment, and opened his mouth.

"Good luck to you, I wish you good luck, good luck brings joy and love..."

In this silent world, Lu Ban sang "Good Luck Comes".

The joyous singing echoed between the torii gates, resounding throughout this quiet land.

While singing, Lu Ban looked around and felt as if the stars around him were shining.

As he was singing, Lu Ban suddenly saw a face approaching him on the dark road.

He stopped singing.

"…What are you singing?"

Hongye was holding a lantern, with a slightly awkward expression on her face, as if she was considering whether to leave Lu Ban alone and go to the shrine.

"This is a song from my hometown that brings good luck. Do you want to learn it?"

Lu Ban asked enthusiastically.

"No……"

Hongye raised the lantern to illuminate Lu Ban's body, and only after confirming it did she feel relieved.

"I told you not to fall into the shadows. The torii gate on this road is not just for decoration, it is also a barrier, a barrier used to imprison monsters."

"I just saw a witch on the road."

Lu Ban said immediately.

"Miko?"

Hongye seemed to be thinking about something, and motioned Lu Ban to follow. Seeing that he was walking behind her, she pulled him up and stood shoulder to shoulder with her, their arms tightly pressed together.

"Each shrine is actually a cage. We use torii, rituals, and barriers to collect the filth near the island. Every New Year, the Son of God will take action to purify all the evil."

Hongye explained. Her clothes stuck to the arms exposed by Lu Ban's short sleeves. The texture of the silk was very subtle. Their arms touched from time to time through the clothes, confirming each other's existence.

"So, those dirty things have to be suppressed in the shrine for a whole year?"

Lu Ban couldn't help but ask.

"What if something goes wrong and we run away?"

"The Son of God's purifying fire cannot be extinguished, so each purification will cause a certain area to be permanently abandoned and cannot be used for a long time. As for the leakage problem, aren't we investigating it now?"

Hongye raised an eyebrow.

"Since the side effects of the purifying fire are so serious, why do we still use it to exorcise evil spirits? Aren't there other ways?"

Lu Ban had no time to feel Hongye's arm, which was softer than expected, and just asked curiously.

"...At least, the Pure Fire can delay the destruction of humanity."

There was a hint of helplessness in Hongye's tone.

"The Son of God is amazing. She has taken on a burden that ordinary people cannot bear. The reason why I want to become the Son of God is not for fame and power. When I was young, the village was attacked by filth, and it was the Son of God's pure fire that saved me. From then on, I have made it my mission to become that kind of person."

"But you didn't become the Son of God."

Lu Ban said subconsciously.

"…That's because I don't have enough ability. The current Son of God, she used to be my good friend. I know her very well. She is gentle, strong, and has the power to overcome all difficulties. She is indeed the best candidate to become the Son of God."

Hongye sighed, climbed up the stairs, and grabbed Lu Ban's wrist.

The calluses on her knuckles and fingertips rubbed against Lu Ban's skin, which was a different feeling from that of ordinary girls.

"Maybe you just lack luck. Why don't I teach you to sing that song? It can really bring good luck."

Lu Ban said this persistently.

“…No need for that.”

Hongye walked across the last step and passed through the long tunnel formed by torii gates. In front of her was the dark Wajima Shrine.

"By the way, I saw some people on the island recovering from fatal injuries. Is this also a form of pollution?"

Lu Ban looked at the magnificent building and asked casually.

"Is this how you see it?"

Hongye let go of Lu Ban's hand.

The fog on the mountain seemed to be thinner, and more stars could be seen, and it was brighter.

"In my eyes?"

Lu Ban didn't understand.

“The form of pollution is not just the loss of sanity and madness, but more of a change in cognition, or even alienation of oneself.”

Hongye explained briefly.

"Those polluted things are no longer in human form, just like the man you saw being knocked down by a rickshaw during the day. He is essentially just a mass of dirty flesh and blood."

"...So, in my eyes he is a human, but in reality he is not?"

Lu Ban took a slight breath.

"That's right. We call this kind of thing an obstacle. It's the same as invisibility and change. The more you understand this world, the less likely you are to be hindered by obstacles. It seems that you know more than you let on."

Momiji walks towards the shrine.

"We're just going to walk in like this?"

Lu Ban followed behind her.

"What did I just tell you?"

Hongye stopped for a moment and asked, turning her head.

"Good luck?"

Lu Ban answered immediately.

"barrier."

Hongye was helpless.

"I am using a barrier technique now. Normal miko can't see us, as long as you are close enough, like we did just now."

"I see!"

Lu Ban felt that this ability seemed very convenient.

If I could master this ability, wouldn’t I be able to ride the roller coaster as many times as I want without having to queue?

He couldn't help but feel excited.

Lu Ban and Hongye held hands and walked towards the worship hall.

There was indeed no one at the shrine at night, and the lonely coin box was empty. Hongye came to the front of the temple and looked around.

"Strange, even at night, there should be people guarding the shrine."

The tall and imposing building now looked like a monster, with its fangs and claws bared, and the shadow it cast was frightening.

Behind the pillar, under the shimenawa, and behind the ema, it seemed as if there was something spying on the two of them, waiting for an opportunity to strike.

“It seems like no one has been here for a long time.”

Lu Ban stretched out his hand and gently touched the cash box. He had just taken a look and there was indeed no money in it.

There was thick dust on my fingertips, and it didn't look like anyone had cleaned it.

"You just said, how long ago was Utajima invaded by the fog?"

"A month ago..."

Hongye seemed to have thought of something and pulled Lu Ban towards the main hall quickly.

Then, Hongye and Lu Ban saw the desperate scene.

The priestesses in white robes and scarlet hakama were sitting by the road, lined up and facing each other.

They all wore masks of social order and remained motionless.

Behind the witch stood a man in white hunting clothes, with the same mask covering his face, and standing still.

These people seemed to be holding some grand and important ceremony; there was a solemn and dignified feeling.

At the end of the road, on a platform, sat a witch.

The witch was not wearing a mask, revealing her face.

It was a face mixed with paleness and dark blue, and looked lifeless.

She remained in a sitting position and died on it.

Lu Ban was also very clear at this moment that everyone present was dead.

They had been dead for a month.

From the very beginning, when the uncertain fog invaded, all the people in Utajima Shrine were wiped out.

No one even came to move or deal with their bodies; they were just displayed there.

"So……"

Lu Ban thought.

"Who was the community official who checked on us when we landed on the island?"