"Did you see it this time?"

Lu Ban glanced at his companions.

This is a strange incident happening right in front of me, so I can't just remain indifferent.

But Tachibana Masamune and Ginpei were somewhat confused.

"What did you see?"

Tachibana Masamune glanced at the somewhat crazy passerby, and then began to explain as if he understood something.

"Brother Lu Ban, are you talking about this kind of madman? In some areas of Hedao, there are indeed such people. They go crazy because of something they saw, and they speak in a way that others can't understand."

"Yes, what is this disaster-causing miko? The miko is holy and flawless, how could she bring disaster? This man actually dared to blaspheme the miko, the island magistrates should arrest him!"

Ginpei was quite indignant, as he seemed to have great admiration for the miko, or Lady Kamiko.

Hongye said nothing. It seemed as if she was observing Lu Ban rather than that madman.

"No, didn't you see that all his bones were broken? He actually stood up like that. Isn't there anything wrong?"

Just as Lu Ban finished speaking, he suddenly felt that in this world where even he had to be the one making comments, there seemed to be a big problem.

"Really? He just fell down. Minor injury, minor injury."

Ju Zhengzong looked very serious. If he told Lu Ban later that this was a prank game, Lu Ban would probably give him a little golden man.

"Master Lu Ban, don't make a fuss. We have to trust the miko of the shrine on Utajima!"

Yin Ping, another winner of the Golden Statue, also gave advice.

After Tachibana Masamune called the island magistrate, the person who maintained law and order on the island, to take away the madman who was still muttering about the disaster priestess, the few of them set out again and arrived at Anshinin.

This magnificent house was once used as a private school and examination hall. The living conditions were fine except that the bedding was a little damp due to long-term exposure to the sea breeze.

After the rooms were assigned, the group planned to reunite in the evening and go to the tavern on the island for dinner, while Lu Ban prepared to stroll around the yard.

"There's no mention of disappearances until now. Could it be that it hasn't happened yet? Will Ginpei, Tachibana Masamune, or Momiji disappear in the future?"

Lu Ban let his thoughts wander and walked to a villa guarded by an island magistrate wearing a blue hunting robe.

"The area ahead is off-limits, please go back."

Najima Bugyo said.

"I heard before that someone went missing during this poetry festival?"

Lu Ban went straight to the point.

As he spoke, he watched carefully and saw the island's face change, then quickly become serious.

"Where did you hear that? No one is missing. Guests are free to come and go. Maybe someone left early."

"So you mean someone is missing?"

Lu Ban caught the hint in the other party's words.

"I didn't say that."

The island minister seemed a little embarrassed.

"But the poetry festival hasn't even started yet, why are they leaving?"

Lu Ban pursued relentlessly.

“This…I’m sorry!”

The island magistrate was forced into a state of embarrassment by Lu Kan, but unexpectedly he suddenly bent down and bowed to apologize.

"?"

Lu Ban thought that it was useless to apologize to me, so you might as well just tell me the truth, and continued speaking.

"Just look up and tell me the information about the missing person. I know that person and I'm very worried about him."

Using the rhetoric he learned from Drizzt, Lu Ban spoke nonsense against his conscience.

It really takes courage to lie without changing one's expression. It is difficult for someone like Lu Ban to do so. His biggest shortcoming in life is that he is too honest.

"……sorry!"

Brother Shima Bugyo couldn't utter a word for a long time, and then bent down and bowed again.

"I don't need you to apologize, can you just answer my question?"

Lu Ban helped up the island magistrate's brother and asked another question.

"……sorry!"

Shima Bugyo bowed and apologized again, as if he had turned into a ruthless parrot.

"Am I the repeater or are you the repeater..."

Lu Ban muttered something and suddenly felt like there was someone behind him.

He turned his head and saw a bright red spot and a foot walking quickly in the corner of the yard. He could only vaguely see a red skirt, white socks and wooden clogs.

Lu Ban walked out of the yard and saw Hongye looking at him.

"It's useless to ask him. The words have already taken effect. He won't answer your questions."

The woman was wearing a red and white kimono with an arrow-feather pattern, a navy hem, long boots, and a bow in her hair. Her attire alone made her look lively and vivid, but her face lacked a pretty expression and looked a little gloomy.

"Word spirit?"

Lu Ban heard a new word again.

"On Hedao, language is power, but also a bondage. The island magistrates will swear an oath of allegiance to the lord. Any words or actions that are harmful to the lord are fundamentally unacceptable."

Hongye gently lifted her long hair behind her ears and explained.

"I heard from Ginpei that you are very quiet. Doesn't that seem like you?"

Lu Ban looked Hongye up and down. From his perspective, she was indeed a beauty, but compared to those delicate flowers, she was more heroic.

Moreover, there were calluses on Hongye's fingers and knuckles from wear and tear, which clearly showed that she was a woman with certain martial arts skills.

"There's nothing to talk about with people who only care about flowers, birds, romance and the moon."

Hongye glanced at Lu Ban and then turned around.

"You want to know the news about the missing person, come with me."

Lu Ban followed obediently. It was great to have a local leading the way.

"Are you here for the missing person as well?"

They passed through a courtyard that should have been filled with the singing of birds and the fragrance of flowers, but the grass and trees here seemed a little withered, and the flowers were in bud, unwilling to show themselves, giving the courtyard a sense of decay.

"Not exactly. The missing people are just phenomena. I'm here for the essence."

Hongye strode forward, as if he knew Anxinyuan very well.

"Uta Island was shrouded in an uncertain fog a month ago, and the local Kazushima Shrine immediately started purification work. As the poetry festival was approaching, many people were worried whether the festival could be held as scheduled, and some artists even announced that they would not participate in this festival. But a week ago, Kazushima Shrine on Uta Island announced that the pollution had been completely controlled."

She said as she walked.

"Two days ago, a painter named Wan Ye disappeared on Uta Island. He only left a note in his room. The content was messy, but it roughly meant that he had gone to find the Miko of Misfortune."

"Misfortune witch? What does this word mean?"

Lu Ban saw Hongye walk into a secluded hut. He hesitated for a moment and used the ultrasound of [Last Words] to check, but there was no one else inside.

"You know Miko-sama, right? She is the chief priestess of the Wajima Taisha Shrine. She is the shrine maiden who commands all the shrine maidens and is the representative of the Wajima Great God walking on earth."

"That's right."

Lu Ban followed him in. On the table in the room there were some clothes, a picture frame covered with black cloth, and a note.

"But the Son of God was not chosen at the beginning. Instead, he was chosen after many candidate priestesses went through numerous tests, screening, and elimination."

Hongye picked up the note and handed it to Lu Ban.

"And it is said that the eliminated priestesses, those who were once favored by the gods but ultimately missed out on the favor, are likely to become disaster priestesses."

"In some places on the island, the witch has become a belief."

Upon hearing this, Lu Ban looked at the note. The handwriting on it was messy, and he could vaguely make out some scribbled words.

"...I see it, I see it...Light of my life, fire of my desire, my soul, my sins, forgive me..."