Chapter 173 Casefile 5: Nether Festival (2)
This practice sounds somewhat familiar. However, as the saying goes, the dead are like the living, and the culture of the dead is not much different in any world or country. Basically, it includes the process of offering sacrifices to ancestors, entertaining good spirits, and avoiding or exorcising evil spirits. The only differences are in the details.
As for sacrificial offerings, some places offer flowers to the dead, some burn incense, some give money, and some provide food... No matter what kind, as long as the intention is conveyed.
Their attitudes also vary: some are sad and solemn, some are singing and dancing, laughing and talking, and some are terrifying and thrilling...
The biggest difference between the two worlds is probably that in Takumi's world, ghosts and spirits are something you'd rather believe than not. Some consider ancestor worship a traditional filial piety, while others consider it feudal superstition. But this magical world is different. The underworld here is a real world, where skeletons like Takumi can roam the streets freely, and the idea of ghosts returning to the human world on specific days is not unacceptable.
but……
"During the Netherworld Festival, will the souls of all the dead return to the human world?" Jiang You asked curiously.
"Of course not. Otherwise, solving the case would be so easy." Andre sighed. "Imagine if there was an unsolved case, and all we had to do was wait and ask the dead on the day of the Netherworld Festival to get the truth... No, of course it wouldn't be that simple."
Everyone chatted about the Ghost Festival as they sat down at the table, passing large glass bowls of salad and plates of tacos around, placing their own portions on the plates in front of them.
Holly, who was farming outside, was the last person to enter the house. Fortunately, Aunt Wolf had left him a portion, so he could start eating it as soon as he washed his paws and sat down.
Andre picked up a large shrimp and cheese flatbread and continued explaining, "The Netherworld, or the Nether Plane, overlaps with the mortal plane in the same world, but the two are usually isolated from each other. Only on the night of the Nether Festival every year does the red moon turn a gloomy blood-red color, and the barrier separating the Nether Plane from the mortal plane becomes riddled with holes."
He took a bite of the scone, and the warm cheese instantly stretched out long strings. "Hmm, what is this thing? It's delicious."
"This is mozzarella cheese made with milk and white vinegar. It becomes soft and stringy when heated. It's super delicious, right?" Takumi responded, then brought the topic back to "So, those ghosts will emerge from the broken barrier, right?"
"Yes. It's just that the barrier separating the world is of varying thickness..." Andre thought for a moment, broke the pancake in his hand, and stretched the thick cheese in the middle of the pancake into a 'net'. Some places were thick, some places were thin, some places had huge holes, and some places retained intact cheese: "Just like this cheese. Ghosts will briefly appear in the world through the holes, stay for a while, and then leave automatically.
"Each time the hole appeared in the barrier, it was in a different place, and so all sorts of terrifying incidents occurred: one person would find a transparent figure in their pot while eating dinner, while another would suddenly find a cold spirit lying beside them while half asleep... Because these falling incidents were so random and terrifying, people began to set up barriers in their homes.
"This way, even if a hole appears in the barrier, ghosts cannot enter the world protected by the barrier. However, those who miss their deceased loved ones will choose to light these specially made sacrificial candles at their doorsteps. The candles are infused with herbs that attract ghosts, which can establish a connection with the ghosts and lead them to a specific place of worship... Oh!"
Andre deftly caught the prawns that had slipped off the cheese on his pancake and hurriedly stuffed them into his mouth. He crunched the crispy pancake and slurped the stringy cheese, unable to find a chance to speak.
Buster, perceptive, took over his boss's explanation. "In fact, the vast majority of ghosts who enter the Netherworld no longer possess the memories and rationality of their human lives. They become chaotic, acting on instinct, becoming fragmented and then remixed with other souls, eventually becoming inseparable and becoming completely different beings... Therefore, some compare the Netherworld to a furnace or a 'crucible' of souls. Once the 'cooking' is complete, these reconstituted souls will leave the Netherworld and be reborn as humans again."
Jiang You nodded. She had heard this from Polina before.
"Only the souls of those who die naturally, strong enough, can truly resemble their lifelong appearance. Generally speaking, such powerful souls often come from immortals or high-level magicians, and ordinary people would find it difficult to achieve this. If someone dies unexpectedly, their soul will often shatter at the moment of violent death, and by the time they enter the Netherworld, they will already be tattered and riddled with holes, and may not be able to condense into a human form."
"So, the offerings during the Ghost Festival are more like a form of psychological comfort for the living," Aunt Wolf said. "Some say that every time you use sacrificial candles to establish a connection with the dead, it reminds that soul of its past life, and when it reincarnates next, it may still retain some characteristics of its previous life. However, I worship my deceased husband every year, but only the first three years of offerings disappear. I think his soul may have disappeared, or he may have successfully reincarnated."
"Then, are there any particular requirements for the offerings?" asked Jiang You.
"It's not a special thing. Most people offer the deceased something they loved during their lifetime, or a cake unique to the Netherworld Festival. This cake is made with special fruits that the living can't eat, but it's a delicacy for the dead." Aunt Wolf said, "Xiaoyou, if you're interested, I can bring the ingredients over tomorrow and teach you how to make it."
"Okay!" Jianyou agreed immediately. Although she didn't know whether Mi You's soul would enter the underworld after being "sacrificed", nor did she know whether her ghost would return during the Underworld Festival, but Jianyou always felt that she should pay tribute to her.
——After all, when it comes to worship, sometimes the ones who benefit may not be the deceased, but the living people who receive psychological comfort.
"Then again, what do the undead look like? Are they scary?"
"That's... hard to say," Bast said. "Most of those who died of natural causes look like a blurry, silvery shadow, but those threatening evil spirits are all bloody and terrifying in their own way. On the night of the Nether Festival, the kingdom's knights usually patrol all night, and many bandits dress up as monsters and take advantage of the opportunity to cause trouble."
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