I'll Help Them

In springtime, pale pink petals can be seen falling everywhere on Harmony Island.

Lu Ban had never seen such a dense and chaotic shower of cherry blossoms.

The petals of those flowers that had been dormant for a year, blooming for only a few days under such sunlight and temperature, drifted down slowly at a speed of five centimeters per second, reminding Lu Ban of the cherry blossom rain in "April Story" that was enough to obscure the view.

What's even more remarkable is that all of these petals fell from a single tree.

Even before you get close to the port, you can see that giant tree that can no longer be described as towering.

Based on the entire island, the towering trees grew on a mountain. No, Lu Ban thought at this moment, perhaps this giant tree came first, and then all these things came into being.

Cherry blossoms bloomed in the huge canopy of trees that could cover the entire island. The petals fell like snow, and even the surface of the near sea was covered with a layer of petals. The closer you got to the Harmony Island, the denser the petals became.

Lu Ban saw that some people standing on the dock were holding umbrellas, as if to avoid the rain and shield themselves from the falling petals. These people did not feel any surprise or astonishment at the cherry blossom rain, as if it were normal wind and rain, and they seemed to be used to it.

"The Divine Cherry Tree on the Harmony Island bloom all year round and never wither. In spring, the flowers bloom even more intensely, which is why they create this kind of cherry blossom rain."

When Natsushima saw Lu Ban staring at the cherry blossoms, she assumed he was a country bumpkin visiting the city and offered an explanation.

Through the falling petals, Lu Ban could see that the mountain, which occupied one-third of the Harmony Island, was covered with various trees. A long road wound its way up from the foot of the mountain. The road was red and made up of countless torii Torii Gate. There were shrines along the way, all the way to the top of the mountain. At the spot where the tree trunks broke through the ground, there stood a solemn shrine.

This is the Wa Island Grand Shrine, the center of world politics, economics, and extraordinary power.

In front of the tree trunk, Lu Ban saw a pavilion with delicate eaves. Unlike the heavy buildings, this pavilion was like an island suspended in the sky, creating a strong sense of alienation from its surroundings.

"That is the Divine Child Pavilion. The Divine Child usually resides in that pavilion, where he bestows purifying fire upon areas that have been tainted by Corrupted Ones."

Natsushima added another explanation.

Suddenly, Lu Ban heard a bell ring.

It's like the song of a nightingale, or the chimes of a wind chime at dusk, clear and melodious, like the soft whispers of a young girl.

Immediately afterwards, a Pale flame suddenly ignited in the Divine Child Pavilion.

Lu Ban never expected that the Pure Fire would appear before him in this form. The blazing Divine Child Son Pavilion was like a bright lamp in the dark night. In an instant, the cherry blossoms falling like rain, the towering trees, and even the sunlight paled in comparison.

It got dark all around.

Everything lost its color as the fire burned. The next moment, as the bells rang out like a church Holy Song, reaching their climax, an arrow was released from the bow.

The arrow shot out from the Divine Child Pavilion and flew towards the direction behind Lu Ban. The arrow was like a shooting star in broad daylight, more intense than the sun in the sky, and as it went away, everyone felt a trace of sorrow in their hearts.

Once the Divine Child's purifying arrow is fired, it signifies that another place has been invaded by Corrupted Ones, and humanity will forever lose another piece of land.

When the light disappeared above the sea, everything finally returned to normal.

That faint melancholy was merely like a gloomy cloud, fleeting through people's hearts for a moment, before everyone returned to their normal work and lives.

This is Harmony Island, the center of the world. Even if other places are attacked and fall by Corrupted Ones, they are still thousands of miles away from here. Instead of worrying about the end of the world a hundred or a thousand years from now, it is better to work on tomorrow's harvest and accounts.

There are many fishing boats in the nearshore waters. Near the dock, the boats are connected to each other, forming a swaying continent. They are linked end to end, forming a continuous stretch of fishing boat dwellings.

These boats carry elderly people, children, and women. The men in their families have all gone out to sea to fish and don't return until sunset. The boats have sleeping mats and tables, and every evening, in the golden shimmering light of the setting sun, wisps of smoke rise from the chimneys, creating a scene full of life.

"The boat people are people who don't own a house on the Harmony Island, so they have to live on their boats. Whenever there is a storm, their boats are filled with a damp, stinky smell. In fact, they only go as far as the streets near the docks and never enter the residential areas."

Natsushima added that his attitude toward these fishermen was very clear.

"Of course, they sometimes catch some pretty good fresh seafood, and you can get it at any restaurant on Harbour Street if you want to try it."

The ship continued to circle around Harmony Island. Naturally, it was not going to dock in this area full of fishing boats, but at the port on the other side of Harmony Island. There, huge, pure white Stone formed the main body of the port, and countless merchant ships and passenger ships of all sizes came and went in an endless stream, as bustling as a city.

It may be a bit rude to say, but this is the first time Lu Ban has ever seen so many people on Harmony Island.

Lu Ban heard the sound of a copper bell ringing from the mainmast of his ship, alerting other ships ahead and behind. Meanwhile, sailors on the lookout tower were waving flags vigorously.

"It seems that at sea, being loud enough isn't enough."

Lu Ban joked.

The signal flag roughly meant that the other ships should make way, as this was a procession escorting a priestess. Upon seeing the signal, most of the ships wisely moved aside, except for one ship, which remained blocking the way without any intention of moving.

The ship was flying a black, triple-stripe family crest banner, and a man stood on the gunwale, looking at the ship Lu Ban was on.

"This is the banner of the Sanada Family. Their eldest daughter, the current head of the family's older sister, is the current Head Miko. As a result, the Sanada Family rose to prominence and became the number one family on the Harmony Island. They are also the family that fears the priestess the most."

Natsushima covered his mouth with his folding fan and whispered to Lu Ban.

"There's a problem with the boat, please wait patiently."

Lu Ban saw the people on the ship with the flags speaking in flag signals.

Although the tone was respectful, the meaning was still the same—"Just wait and see."

That's roughly the state of people from Harmony Island: they appear respectful and friendly on the surface, but may actually be arrogant and rude. They only care about putting on Kung Fu.

Should we wait?

Lu Ban asked a question, after all, he was an outsider and did not know the etiquette of the Harmony Island.

"We can wait, but I think Lord Sanada wants to give the priestess a hard time. If we wait, it might be dark by the time we get there. We might as well find another place to dock."

As Natsushima spoke, he was about to wave his hand to signal the captain to turn the helm.

"That's all."

Lu Ban said.

"I'll help them."