This mountain is really high; it looks high, but it gets even higher once you climb it.
It was already dawn when Su Deng climbed for two hours but still couldn't reach the top of the mountain. When he looked up, all he could see was misty forest.
Watching the little fox dart past the cliff edge, she sat down by the roadside to rest for half an hour, panting, before setting off again.
Boom——
They hadn't gone far uphill when suddenly a loud bang came from afar.
She looked back and saw the distant horizon a blood-red expanse.
Another volcano erupted, and it seems there was an earthquake as well. The Wushui Garden and Sakurajima that you can see from here are cracking open, and even the mountain where Wushan Shrine is located at our feet shook.
Su Deng steadied herself against the tree, gazing at the distant, crimson-tinged sky, her eyes deep and unfathomable.
Was it because of Riki Ninomiya's escape?
But Miyako Riki had so many opportunities to escape, but she never did. The only time she was forced to escape, she ran back on her own.
Given her personality, her heart is filled with responsibility and mission, her family and people. She has already become a shaman, and today is the Shaman God Festival. Knowing the consequences of running away now, how could she possibly run away now?
Even if the snowflakes on the ground haven't melted yet, the snow stopping means that the Snow Child has left.
Could it be that...
Did Yuki-dō break into the shrine and take away Tsunomiya Riki?
Su Deng frowned, feeling that she still needed to go to the shrine first to find out everything.
Ignoring the cataclysmic chaos below, she continued climbing.
The higher they went, the steeper the stairs became, and the more tired they got. Su Deng had to stop and rest every now and then, and she was sweating profusely.
"I give in."
She sat down to rest by the roadside again, speechless at the sight of the shrine.
It's so high, not to mention the exhaustion of climbing the stairs, it would take a whole day to go up and down and back.
No wonder the priests at the shrine rarely come down from the mountain.
Su Deng looked down the mountain. It was already very high up, and the ground was almost invisible. But the sky was already bright, and the red on the distant horizon was even more obvious, giving people a sense of oppression and unease.
After walking for about another hour, Su Deng finally looked up and could see the buildings above.
She climbed the mountain from 3:30 a.m. to 8:00 a.m.
Grass!
After pausing for a while, Su Deng walked to the top in one go this time.
It wasn't as big as I imagined, but the shrine itself wasn't small either. It had three courtyards, but there were no walls, only wooden fences, so you could clearly see inside the courtyards.
There is a huge tree, winding corridors, and bells hanging on the magnificent, almost divine buildings, jingling softly in the wind.
No one was guarding the gate, and no one was guarding the rest of the place.
Su Deng was looking through the railing along the outer cliff to see what was happening inside.
The shrine had been preparing for today's Shrine Maiden Festival for a long time, carefully selecting a shrine maiden. They chose someone who seemed to be born to be a shrine maiden, but just a few hours before the festival began, the shrine maiden ran away!
With Riki Tsunomiya missing, the shrine was in chaos, and all the priests who could be seen looked somber.
Su Deng arrived at the third courtyard, where there was a shrine in front of the huge sacred tree. The palace master stood in front of the tree with a gloomy expression.
Quan Gongsi and the others looked grim.
"The supreme god has been angered and has unleashed punishment. If we do not take immediate action to remedy the situation, the human world will be destroyed! The Witch God Ritual cannot afford any mishaps!"
"...Naisu Haruko seems to still be down the mountain, why not make her a shrine maiden!"
Quan Gongsi proposed.
Su Deng raised an eyebrow. So, even a priestess can be a substitute?
"But she left yesterday, and we don't know where she went!"
"It's too late to look for them now..."
It takes more than four hours to go up the mountain.
Even if you go fast down the mountain, it would still take at least two or three hours, right?
The round trip took seven or eight hours, and it was already dark by then.
Where can we find her?
Listening to their discussion, Su Deng inwardly grumbled.
So, she worked herself to the bone to climb up here just to deliver a substitute for them?
However, the main mission of the game is to become a priestess and complete the ritual of the witch god.
Sure enough, until the very end, no one knows who the winner will be.
Tsk.
Let's give it to them then.
Su Deng narrowed her eyes, straightened her clothes, and climbed over the railing. She said calmly, "Don't look for me, I'm here."
"Chunzi..." Quan Gongsi and others were all stunned.
What are you doing here?
Su Deng remained unfazed: "Didn't Quan Gongsi say that if I wanted, I could come to the shrine and become a little shrine maiden? I'll be a little shrine maiden."
The witch god ritual was just around the corner, with only three hours left before it officially began. They didn't have time to search for other witches.
Two candidates for the shrine maiden position have fled this year, which is a great disgrace to the Wushan Shrine.
When the gods are angered, the world suffers.
There's no time left; there's no time to discuss it further.
"Haruko." The priest's deep gaze fell on Su Deng: "The escape of Tsunomiya Riki has angered the gods. We must appease their wrath as soon as possible, or the entire world will be destroyed. Since you are here, you are now the priestess of Wushan Shrine!"
Su Deng: "Oh."
The palace chief urged the chief of staff, "Go quickly and teach her the rules and rehearse!"
Although the shrine maiden's attire was still a white robe, kimono, and crimson hakama, it was much more elaborate than when she was a candidate, and she wore many delicate accessories.
Quan Gongsi quickly explained the process of the witch god festival to her, the tasks the priestess had to perform, and the dance practice.
"Regardless of whether you intentionally lost to Riki Tsunomiya before, the official Kagura Festival cannot have any accidents or mishaps. You must do your best to perform the Kagura dance to the best of your ability, to pray for the people and appease the gods' anger..."
The disasters in the human world below the mountain are getting bigger and bigger. The palace chief is in charge of the ritual of the shaman god outside. The chief priest is in charge of Su Deng, who has temporarily become a shaman.
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