"Who is this 'Longevity Granny' she's talking about?" Uncle Mori asked curiously.
The owner replied, "It's the main character of tonight's celebration, and also the symbol of our island, the old lady of the island. Some say she's over a hundred years old, others say she's over two hundred. If you're interested, you can go to the shrine where the celebration is being held to see her."
"Furthermore, Shimabukuro's great-granddaughter, Kimie, grew up with Saori. You might be able to find out what you're looking for somewhere."
Guangyou scratched his head: "Why does this feel so familiar? Isn't this the style of the relevant departments?"
Heiji also sensed something was wrong: "Are they treating us like a football?"
However, there was nothing else they could do. Ran and Kazuha were interested in the legend of the mermaid, so the group went to the shrine they had mentioned and met Shimabukuro Kimie, whom the shopkeeper had told them about.
As soon as they met, Uncle Mori asked about her real age. When Junhui heard the rumor that she was two hundred years old, she chuckled and quickly waved her hand, saying, "It's not that exaggerated. My great-grandmother turned one hundred and thirty this year. You can just check her household registration. She just lived a little longer than the average person."
Hearing her nonchalant tone, the others couldn't help but chuckle. Guangyou was the same; with the technology of the 1990s, to live to be 130 years old truly meant he had witnessed a century of change in the world.
Perhaps only Junhui herself didn't realize the subtle air of pretentiousness in her tone.
Heiji looked around but couldn't see the long-lived woman, so he asked, "Where is your great-grandmother now?"
"She's in her room, devoutly praying for the arrows that will be sent out tonight," Junhui replied, making a prayer-like gesture with her hands.
Uncle Mori was more concerned about another question at this point: whether the long-lived old woman had actually eaten mermaid flesh.
But when Junhui heard this question, her bright eyes widened like light bulbs, and she looked at me with a "you're kidding me" expression. After a moment of stunned silence, she laughed and explained, "There doesn't seem to be any animal like the mermaids in fairy tales in this world!"
"What is that dugong arrow?"
Uncle Mori's question was also what everyone wanted to ask: if the hosts of the festival didn't believe in the existence of mermaids, then what exactly was the arrow?
Junhui explained, "Actually, the so-called Dugong Arrow should have been an arrow cursed by Zhou Yu to exorcise demons and ward off evil spirits. Later, as the story was passed down, it became the Dugong Arrow. This is what my long-deceased mother told me."
"So your mother is already..."
Xiao Lan didn't finish her sentence, but Jun Hui smiled and said, "It's alright. My mother and father have already perished at sea, and even my grandparents disappeared during a voyage before I was born."
One is a tragedy, and this series of tragedies has led to the coffee table, as if it were cursed. Even Guangyou felt that it was a bit strange. However, he was just a handsome guy passing by, at most a handsome guy eating seafood with a pretty girl.
Everyone had come to believe that the islanders would be summoned to death if they went out to sea. Junhui also noticed this and waved her hand, saying, "Actually, there's no reason. When I went out on a boat with Saori before, nothing happened!"
After chatting for a while, the name that was casually mentioned immediately caught everyone's attention, and Uncle Mori quickly asked, "When?"
Then everyone learned that four days ago, Kimie had asked Saori to accompany her to the city to see a dentist. Although there was an emergency shelter on the island, there were no qualified dentists.
In Junhui's memory, Saori seemed to be somewhat agitated because she had lost the Dugong Arrow, and more so because she was worried that the mermaid would seek revenge on her.
Suddenly, a woman walked over and said to Junhui, "That's because you don't know your great-grandmother's power. Your great-grandmother did eat mermaid flesh before, and didn't a mermaid's corpse appear three years ago?"
Although their conversation seemed interesting and successfully piqued everyone's interest, Kousuke and Ai were not interested in it at all. After saying goodbye to Uncle Mori, he took Ai to take a stroll around the town.
Shrines are usually located in quiet areas surrounded by dense forests. Walking back along the path gives you an instant feeling of returning to the civilized world.
Perhaps because the town is small, the island is densely populated. A quick glance reveals tourists, young men and women, and older people, with older men and women making up the majority of the population.
Even though Kwang-yu doesn't eat X-Force seaweed, he can clearly smell a hint of the sea in the air on the island.
This place is undoubtedly a retirement paradise, far from the hustle and bustle of the city, without stressful work or the grueling 996 work schedule, only peace and tranquility. Every day you can do things you like, and in the evening you can call up a few old friends to play mahjong and have a few drinks.
Kōyū and Ai weaved through the crowd. Everyone had a calm smile on their face, as if they were all making preparations for a celebration tonight.
The small restaurants on the street were also closed, which inevitably made Guangyou feel a little disappointed. Fresh ingredients caught from the seaside and seafood that had gone through many twists and turns to reach the city just didn't taste the same.
The price will be cheaper. Besides these common features found in coastal areas, the lack of electricity in this town is probably what's known as mermaids.
Besides the mermaid souvenirs, notices about tonight's celebration can be seen everywhere. Of course, these are not promotional activities, but just reminders for visitors not to miss it.
After all, these events are one of the reasons why their town attracts so many spectators, and their income increases several times over with each celebration.
As Guangyou and Xiaoai looked at the similar-style buildings on the street, they eventually got a bit tired of them, no matter how unique they were. Just when they both wanted to go back...
A beautifully designed pool appeared before the two, with a strong Western style that seemed out of place with the surrounding buildings. A meticulously sculpted mermaid statue adorned the pool.
The scales on the mermaid's lower body were carved in a distinct pattern, shimmering in the sunlight. Upon closer inspection, Ai noticed that some glass seemed to be inlaid on them to deliberately create the luster of a fish tail.
The mermaid statue held a jar in its hand, from which water flowed into the pool. The pool was filled with a thick layer of coins, and the two realized that the pool seemed to be a wishing well.
Ai and Mitsuyoshi, as if on cue, each took out a coin, put the coin in their palms, lowered their heads, closed their eyes, and silently recited the wish they wanted to fulfill.
A few seconds later, the two opened their eyes almost simultaneously, tossed the coins into the pool, and the two coins drew two arcs in the air. With two consecutive "plop" sounds, the coins gradually sank to the bottom of the water and merged with the coins in the pool.
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