360. Above the Attic
The shrine maiden on duty naturally did not notice that Lu Ban had turned into Gray Fog.
The murmurs lingered in Lu Ban's ears, but he ignored them and continued forward.
The temple was very empty; there seemed to be no one else there at all.
Jinghuoyuan is among them.
Lu Ban glanced at the villa.
Quietly.
Although it was late at night, Lu Ban did not detect any trace of anyone's presence.
He decided to go and take a look at the Jinghuo Temple first.
The smoke continued to drift as Lu Ban slipped into the Jinghuo Courtyard.
When he entered the house, he found that there was nothing there.
There were none of those retired Divine Child.
"Could it be that they haven't moved in yet?"
Thinking about it carefully, this current Divine Child has served for thirty-seven years, and her predecessors served for many more years; they may have already passed away.
She has just stepped down from her post and may be undergoing inspections elsewhere.
Lu Ban entered the house and saw that the furniture was all neatly arranged, but there was no sign that anyone had used it.
The tables and chairs were covered with a thick layer of dust, which was clearly not something that could be achieved in just one or two years.
After making his way around, Lu Ban arrived at the main hall.
Although according to the shrine, the main hall is the dwelling place of the gods, if there are gods in this world, they must be that cherry blossom tree, so the main hall should be very empty.
Lu Ban's [True Sight] also told him that there was nothing special in this hall.
Curiosity led Lu Ban into the main hall.
He saw that the empty hall was completely bare, with only the dim moonlight shining in, creating a desolate atmosphere.
No, it's not that there's nothing at all.
On one side of the main hall, there is a shelf.
On that shelf were countless jars.
Upon seeing this scene, Lu Ban quickly realized what it was.
He moved closer.
Each jar has a name written on it.
Chomei, Daisy, Iriya, Yayoi
The jars appear to be in different states of age depending on the time they have been stored.
Without a doubt, these were the Divine Child of the past.
The ashes of the Divine Child of past generations are placed here.
In the deep darkness where even moonlight cannot reach, the remains of these people who once protected this world are neatly laid out, without being enshrined by eternal lamps or worshipped by anyone, more like some kind of sealed object that cannot see the light of day.
One day, Amber may become part of it.
Lu Ban sighed.
After leaving the main hall, Lu Ban glanced at the Divine Child Pavilion again.
He hesitated for a moment, but ultimately decided to go and see the Amber.
At least one last time to see her.
As it turned into smoke and dust and drifted up, Lu Ban noticed something as soon as it approached the tall pavilion.
The door to that attic was locked.
Not just one lock, but several.
These locks were covered in burn marks, but they held the door firmly and securely.
This is the only entrance and exit to the Divine Child Pavilion.
Lu Ban then noticed that the Divine Child Pavilion had no windows.
The entire building is like a sealed jar.
When Lu Ban realized this, his heart skipped a beat.
"Could it be that the process of becoming Divine Child is a process of alienation?"
Lu Ban thought to himself.
In the Silent Land, only pollution can resist pollution.
Is it possible that purification of fire is just another level of pollution?
The Corrupted Ones is eliminated by the purifying fire, but the purifying fire itself is pollution. In the end, the entire Harmony Island will become a land dominated by the purifying fire. If humans cannot adapt to the purifying fire, civilization will disappear.
All of this requires a vehicle.
This vessel is the Divine Child.
This Wa Island Grand Shrine, this Divine Cherry Tree, is a constraint.
To allow the process of self-contamination to proceed peacefully through restraint.
"Amber"
Lu Ban had a bad feeling.
The lock secures Amber, who is sitting inside.
After the previous Divine Child, Pure Flame, was passed on to Amber, this lock was set up to prevent Amber from escaping.
"Wait a minute, after all, can the Divine Child really leave the Divine Child Pavilion?"
Lu Ban realized what was happening.
He had been at the Wa Island Grand Shrine for so many days, but he had never seen the Divine Child.
In fact, apart from the elderly priestesses who were in charge of the handover of the Divine Child, no one had ever seen the Divine Child.
After the Divine Child Pavilion is locked, can the Divine Child really leave this place and only ascend the Divine Child Pavilion to shoot the Purifying Fire Arrow when there is Corrupted Ones?
If the Divine Child has never left the Divine Child Pavilion all these years, then how has she managed to survive as a human?
Lu Ban's heart began to race.
He felt he had touched the very edge of the Harmony Island's deepest taboos.
If we continue down this path, something bad might happen.
There are things he doesn't want to see or understand right in front of him.
It's right above the Divine Child Pavilion.
He hesitated for a moment.
But a last glimmer of hope made Lu Ban decide to continue upwards.
Like a wisp of smoke, he rose under the moonlight and arrived outside the door of the Divine Child Pavilion.
He smelled something.
There's a smell that shouldn't be here.
It smells burnt.
That's the pungent smell left after the fat of some kind of animal has burned.
Buzz—
Lu Ban felt a buzzing in his ears.
The good news is that his previous guess may not have been correct.
The bad news is that reality may be even worse than that speculation.
Lu Ban stood frozen in mid-air before finally deciding to go inside.
Turning into wisps of smoke, Lu Ban slipped into the locked door.
The first floor of the Divine Child Pavilion was very empty. Apart from the charred marks on the walls, there was no trace of human existence.
The acrid smell grew stronger and stronger, and Lu Ban also felt a slight burning sensation.
"Amber?"
Lu Ban tentatively called out.
He went up to the second floor.
The Divine Child Pavilion has three floors, with the second floor being a bit smaller.
But there were more items.
Lu Ban noticed that, in addition to the same charred marks as the first floor, there were also long drag marks on the second floor floor.
Yes.
That is, the tracks left by humans crawling on the ground using their hands after losing the ability to move.
The trail pointed towards the first floor, but failed to reach the stairs.
There are even more finger marks on the stair railing leading to the third floor.
Blood flowed from the tips of his fingers as he scratched the wood, leaving behind a series of five-finger marks.
The scorching heat grew stronger.
Amber, are you there?
Lu Ban asked a question.
There was no response.
He climbed the stairs to the third floor.
The third floor is no longer empty.
The ground was covered with ashes from unburnt firewood and straw, and the acrid smell of the flames reached its peak.
Lu Ban quickly found the source of the burning smell.
She was standing right in the middle of the room.
Chains bound her body, securing her firmly to the central pillar.
The countless fingerprints on the pillar speak volumes about her fear and despair at the time, a truly shocking sight.
The charred, withered, and mottled body had only a few remnants of its magnificent clothes remaining. The golden crown, which could no longer support the burnt hair, had turned black and lay at the feet of the withered wood.
That face still held an expression of terror, fear, and despair, but those beautiful Amber eyes were no longer visible; only deep, dark eye sockets, withered, sunken cheeks, and an expression stemming from the most primal fear.
She still held the bow in her hand, the Pale flames forming a bow, burning quietly in her hand, illuminating the area and bringing with them a scorching heat.
This is the current Head Miko of the Wa Island Grand Shrine.
This is Amber.
*
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