327. Invader
Just as the maid spoke and led the people behind her into the side hall, Lu Ban also saw that the characters on the paintings and calligraphy hanging in the room were distorted and crooked, forming a system of indifferent and cold characters.
[Harmony Island]
[In the thirty-second year of the Divine Martial Era, everything was in ruins and needed to be rebuilt.]
The Head Miko is about to step down, Harmony Island's political circles are in turmoil. Sometimes, political enemies are more terrifying than the Corrupted Ones that devours life.
[A long journey, all for the sake of escorting a priestess. History will not remember your existence, people will not know your name, only the purifying fire will embrace everything and illuminate the dark sea.]
Spring No War, but sorrow for those parting.
[Mission Requirements: Escort the shrine maiden to Wa Island Grand Shrine]
[Mission Requirement: Witness the birth of a new Head Miko]
[Difficulty: Alienation]
Upon seeing these words, Lu Ban felt a subtle sense of dizziness.
This has never happened before.
At the same time, Lu Ban noticed changes beneath the text in these systems.
[Intrusion detected by the Chosen of the Gods; mission changed]
[Mission Requirements: Escort the shrine maiden to Wa Island Grand Shrine]
[Mission Requirement: Witness the birth of a new Head Miko]
[Mission Objective: Locate and kill the invading hostile Chosen of the Gods]
[Difficulty: Alienation]
"The Chosen of the Gods have invaded?"
Lu Ban immediately recalled the three people from another realm he had seen on Pohnpei Island. Their goal was to awaken the evil god in Lu Ban's world. So, what these hostile Chosen of the Gods were doing on the Harmony Island was perhaps to obstruct Lu Ban's escort mission.
He thought of many things.
For example, according to previous speculation, the Silent Land can control the time when the Chosen of the Gods arrive in other realms. So, perhaps Lu Ban is currently in the future Harmony Island. If the genius shrine maiden he is escorting does not successfully reach the Wa Island Grand Shrine and become the Head Miko, then Harmony Island will be attacked by Corrupted Ones due to the power struggles at the top and will eventually be destroyed.
Then the Chosen of the Gods of the other gods would naturally come to kill the witch.
Of course, as a good young man of the new era who has studied materialism and has a people-centered view of history, Lu Ban believes that this mission may not necessarily be that crucial.
After all, this is a "scene" constructed by the gods.
Perhaps Lu Ban successfully saved the shrine maiden, or perhaps he didn't, but that doesn't mean that the Harmony Island was completely destroyed just because the shrine maiden died.
Perhaps with the Wa Island Grand Shrine's ability to cleanse itself of Corrupted Ones weakened considerably, leading to its premature destruction. Or perhaps the shrine maiden was too powerful, causing the Harmony Island to be burned to ashes prematurely.
This is roughly the extent of its impact on history.
The destruction of a world is not only due to the influence of one or two heroic figures, but also largely due to the course of history. It is not heroes who create the times, but the times that create heroes.
Just like what Lu Ban did during the Demon Tide in the Night Country, even without him, the Night Country would still exist at least several hundred years later. Perhaps with his presence, fewer people would die in the Night Country over the next few hundred years, and some history would be changed, but the overall trend would remain unchanged.
If Harmony Island continues to rely on those powerful families to decide the candidates for Head Miko, as Ayame suggested, then destruction is almost inevitable.
Whether the priestess survives or not is merely a matter of whether this event will happen sooner or later.
"Be polite, don't stare at others."
It was only when the Ayame beside him reminded Lu Ban that he came back to his senses.
When Lu Ban saw the system notification, he focused his attention on the girl sitting opposite him.
He focused his gaze and found that the other person was also staring at him, as if silently condemning Lu Ban's rudeness.
This is a young girl wearing a red and white dress, the style of a shrine maiden, which Lu Ban had seen on Song Island before.
She was beautiful, possessing both the innocence of a young girl and a touch of maturity. She had thick, jet-black hair and Amber eyes, and sat upright with impeccable posture.
"Feel sorry."
Lu Ban looked away, but the girl continued to stare at him.
"I am Ayame, the mercenary in charge of navigation this time, and this is my subordinate Lu Ban."
Ayame spoke, trying to ease the tension.
"Amber."
That's all the girl said.
After a moment, Lu Ban realized that this was her name.
Is it called Amber because its eyes are Amber?
"Lord Amber, we will do everything we can to ensure your safety on this journey. We only hope that we can be honest with each other and trust each other."
"Ayame continued."
Regarding the route for this trip
As Ayame spoke, the girl Amber listened intently, as if she wanted to memorize everything so that she could reach the Wa Island Grand Shrine the escort.
After saying that, she glanced at Lu Ban again.
Is there something on my face?
Lu Ban was curious.
Amber hesitated, then placed her hand in front of her and tugged at her collar.
"Your clothes, the collar."
Lu Ban looked down and saw that it was the collar that had come loose earlier because the warm air outside was too stuffy.
He straightened his collar and saw Amber finally relax.
Is this guy a perfectionist?
Lu Ban immediately sat up straighter.
After watching the girl in red and white leave, the two did not get up immediately.
"Is this the strongest priestess of our time? If she could become the Head Miko, perhaps the sea would truly be a little calmer."
"Ayame said with some emotion."
"Go back and pack your things, we're leaving first thing tomorrow morning."
Lu Ban followed Ayame back to the mercenaries' residence.
That was a villa provided by Amber's family. There were also several mercenaries inside. Lu Ban learned from the conversation that these mercenaries were of a very different background. There were former soldiers, martial artists who had practiced martial arts, and even priests who had been expelled from the shrine. If you changed their perspective, these people would be pirates. However, mercenaries are paid to do things and usually have a good status with the government. Because they are willing to take risks, they are more familiar with many complex waters than the magistrates.
That night, Lu Ban was deeply moved to finally have a normal meal on the Harmony Island and ate three large bowls of food.
While his companions were all drinking and reveling, Lu Ban decided to go out for some fresh air.
The villa is large and lush with vegetation. Under the cool, bright moonlight, you can see cherry blossoms falling in the wind. The fallen cherry blossoms at night take on a faint purple hue, making them even more enchanting.
Lu Ban looked at the flowers for a while, did some stretching exercises, and then heard some strange noises.
Swoosh—
Ding—
He followed the sound and saw a spacious courtyard.
It was less of a courtyard and more of a training ground or archery range.
Several targets were hanging on one side, and a girl stood on the wooden floor at a distance.
Amber stood there, wearing a dress that bound her chest, white socks, and holding a longbow.
She stared intently into the void ahead, her gaze not on the target, but as if she were gazing at something far more distant.
After a long pause that seemed like a still image, Amber slowly raised the arrow in her hand and, with a graceful, dance-like movement, drew back the bowstring.
If you shoot arrows like that, you're guaranteed to hit the target.
Upon seeing this posture, Lu Ban was filled with such emotion.
Another long wait ensued. Just as Lu Ban was wondering if he should leave, Amber released the taut bowstring.
Without any suspense, and in a dull and tedious manner, the arrow buzzed and struck the very center of the target, precisely splitting the previous arrow in two.
Amber held the arrow-releasing posture for a while longer before finally relaxing.
"Sorry to keep you waiting."
She looked at Lu Ban to one side.
*
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