Chapter 176 Casefile 5: Nether Festival (5)
At three o'clock in the afternoon, customers entering and leaving the store and pedestrians on the street were all dressed up for the festival.
They wore all kinds of ghost-like clothes and expressionless silver masks, dressing themselves up as ghosts. They did not talk or greet each other, and the noise on the streets was much less.
Only after entering the store would the customers lift their masks slightly and greet Jiang You enthusiastically: "Hello, Boss You! Happy holidays!"
Jiang You didn't change her clothes. After all, she was just a skeleton that could eat offerings. She looked like someone from the underworld. It was enough for her to play her true self and she didn't need any other disguise.
Today, the shops were particularly empty, with most opting for takeout. By five in the afternoon, the shops and the streets were deserted, as the neighbors had all returned to their homes and were placing offerings at their doorsteps.
After seeing off the last customer at the brewery, Takumiu closed up shop. She set up a barrier around the shop and placed candles, Miuu's letters, and drawings at the entrance. Using the magic Auntie Wolf had taught her, she established a connection and lit the candles at exactly six o'clock.
More candles lit up in front of the doors along the street, illuminating the unusually quiet avenue. Dusk had already arrived, and night had fallen, but for some reason the streetlights remained unlit. The dim yellow light of the candles became the only source of light on the street.
The clouds dispersed, and a moon so red that it seemed to be dripping with blood appeared in the sky. Xiao Nian Gao stomped his paws restlessly on Jiang You's shoulders, and Jiang You also felt a cold breath spreading on the street.
She could sense with keen awareness that the barrier separating the netherworld from the present world was slowly dissolving, like doors and windows swirling open. Countless guests from the other side were arriving.
Black or gray human-shaped shadows wandered on the street, avoiding the illumination of candlelight; silvery-white balls of light swayed and floated on the street, sniffing the smell to find the door that belonged to them, and then fell on the offerings in front of the candles, devouring them with relish.
The purple-black scone with red spots quickly turned into black dregs, falling to the ground in a small heap of ash. The satiated silver ball of light gradually grew larger and elongated, condensing into a humanoid shape.
At this time, the door of the house will open, and the people in the house will stand at the door, lowering their voices and chattering to their deceased relatives about what happened in the past year and expressing their longing for them.
Some of the dead souls wore smiles on their faces, listening carefully to the words of their loved ones; some were in a daze, as if they had lost much of their sanity... After a brief reunion, they would take the gifts given by their loved ones, walk step by step towards the street, cross the barrier of nothingness again, and return to their own world.
Jiang You withdrew her gaze and looked down at the candle by the door.
The strange thing is that although she sent out invitations, no one came to visit.
Neither Mi You nor Mi Funa's ghost appeared from beginning to end.
There was the sound of horse hooves on the street. Jiang You looked up and saw Diego stopped in front of the door. Andre led the horse into the yard. "What's going on? Is there any movement?"
Jiang You shook his head, looking disappointed: "Not at all."
"Let's wait a little longer." Andrei led the horse into the stable, returned to the door, and stared at the half-burned candle with Jiangyou. "Some souls are still arriving."
"What if they don't show up?" Jiang You asked anxiously, "Does this mean that their souls have already..."
"Not necessarily," Andrei said. "Every year, there are souls who don't attend the festival, but reappear the following year, or the following year... After all, no one can truly predict what's going on in the underworld. Sometimes the barrier's openings aren't in the right place, or perhaps the souls simply don't want to return...
"Of course, it's also possible that those deceased souls have already been reincarnated, or that their souls have been shattered to the point where they can no longer be restored to human form... The worst case scenario is that their souls have completely ceased to exist."
Jiang You sighed, "I don't know if there's a bank in the Netherworld here, or if it accepts paper money... But, gold and silver should be hard currency, right?"
She brought out a brazier from the house and took out a stack of shiny round coins that looked like they were made of gold or silver foil.
Andre watched her skillfully use magic to re-establish the connection, then she lit the small coins and threw them into the brazier. A puff of golden smoke rose up and drifted into the depths of the underworld with the wind.
"Although I don't know why Mi You pulled me into this world, I'm quite grateful to her for giving me a second chance at life." Jiang You said to Andre while burning paper. "I've occupied her house for nothing, and I always feel a little uneasy. I originally wanted to ask her opinion during the Nether Festival, but now that she hasn't shown up, I'll have to force the sale and burn the money for the house to her."
...Of course, this is based on the paper money exchange rate estimated by Takuya.
"By the way, Mi You, here's the latest volume of the novel you're following, as well as the latest best-selling picture book. I hope you enjoy reading it down there. We'll do our best to track down the murderer who murdered you. If you know about this in your afterlife, it would be even better if you could send us a message."
Jiang You muttered to herself over the brazier, burning all the shiny gold and silver coins she had prepared. She then stuffed a few best-selling novels and picture books she had mail-ordered from Mrs. Amanda into the brazier. When the last flame died out, she breathed a sigh of relief, feeling much more at ease.
Regardless of whether Mi You could receive it or not, she had already done everything she could. Then again, wasn't that what worshipping the dead was all about? After death, all worries were gone, and only the living remained in the world, remembering everything.
The act of sacrifice itself is more about giving spiritual comfort to the living than comforting the deceased.
After Jiangyou finished everything, he lit another candle, let it burn on its own, and then went into the house with Andre.
After closing the dragon crystal door, she asked, "Did you catch the Ghost-Faced Man?"
"Not yet." Andre shook his head. "But we found signs of someone living in that abandoned house. The person was obviously injured and bandaged his wounds in the house, leaving behind a lot of dirty bandages. But those things have dried and blackened, and they must be garbage left behind at least ten days ago. We suspect that after the Ghost Face Man caused the explosion and escaped in the chaos, he hid in the abandoned house to heal his wounds and recuperate. Once he regained his strength, he escaped through the tunnel to the East City of Eston."
"Eastern City of Eston...isn't that already a ruin?"
"It's a ruin, but since it's a deserted city, it could be quietly occupied by the Evil Eye Moon's people, or even used as their base camp. Anyway, tomorrow I have to lead my men through the tunnel to East Eston City to investigate."
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