Outside.
Two Demon Slayer with a child were walking back to their inn on the street.
Nezuko stood between Teiichi and Kanae, Teiichi holding one of Kanae 'Nezuko hands as they walked forward. They really did look like a family.
Kanae turned to look at Teiichi and asked:
"If everyone in this village is colluding with ghosts, then shouldn't the village chief be even more so?"
Teiichi nodded. "Even if the village chief isn't the most important one, he's still one of the main participants!"
"How did you know?" Kanae looked at Teiichi with some confusion.
"Do you remember when Shinsuke stopped on the road earlier and said he saw the village chief and a few other people coming down from the mountain when he delivered the goods last time?" Teiichi asked Kanae.
"I remember!" Kanae nodded, then realized something and quickly looked at Teiichi, "Did you find anything on that mountain?"
Teiichi didn't answer, but instead asked, "Didn't I ask Shinsuke Yuta later what he liked to carry with him?"
"Is it... a bamboo dragonfly?" Kanae thought for a moment.
"Yes, Yuta's remains and the bamboo dragonfly are on it!" Teiichi, acknowledging it.
"So, the village chief must know about ghosts?" Kanae looked at Teiichi.
"Mm!" Teiichi nodded slightly.
"Was it alright to ask them about the Goddess of Harvest just now?" Kanae asked with some concern.
Teiichi replied, "It's alright, just don't ask too abruptly. Besides, we're here to investigate the ghosts here; the investigation can't proceed without asking any questions!"
Kanae nodded, lowered her head to think for a while, and then looked up at Teiichi.
"Oh right, you still haven't told me how you discovered the villagers were colluding with ghosts!"
"Do you still remember what Shinsuke said?" Teiichi asked.
Upon hearing this, Kanae lowered her head, recalling what Shinsuke had said along the way. After a long while, she looked up at Teiichi and asked with some confusion:
"I still don't understand how you figured out that so many people here are colluding with evil!"
Teiichi glanced at Kanae, then gave a hint:
" The Harvest Cult, the Surplus Grain, the Disappearing Children, the Villagers Speaking in Unison!"
Kanae paused slightly upon hearing this, then murmured softly.
" The Harvest Cult, surplus grain, missing children, villagers speaking in unison; the Harvest Cult, surplus grain..."
A moment later, she suddenly turned her head to look at Teiichi, her Wisteria- colored pupils trembling violently.
"You mean to say that the people here are trading children with ghosts for a good harvest?"
Teiichi nodded heavily, "I'm afraid so!"
Upon hearing this, Kanae parted her red lips slightly, momentarily at a loss for words.
She had initially thought that Teiichi's afternoon talk about the whole village colluding with ghosts meant that the villagers were working with ghosts to have them kill outsiders, and then they would divide up the outsiders' money.
Such incidents are rare, but they do happen.
But now...
Are the villagers trading children and ghosts for a bountiful harvest?
Kanae was somewhat reluctant to believe the answer, but it was the answer she had come to herself!
The three of them remained silent and returned to the hotel.
After Teiichi Kanae and Nezuko to stay in the room to rest, Teiichi climbed out the window and onto the roof of the inn.
Although Teiichi estimated that the demons would only eat people during sacrifices in Kuroishi Village, just in case, some things still needed to be done.
A gentle breeze was blowing through Kuroishi Village...
At times like these, Teiichi couldn't help but marvel at the practicality of his Wind Field.
It can almost be described as a combination of offense, defense, and support.
In the past, when carrying out missions, Teiichi would have had to painstakingly run around the village, looking for any unusual activity.
Now, as soon as he sits here, the entire village's situation appears clearly in his mind, like a scene from a movie.
Two days later, in the fields.
Several figures were sitting on the ridges of the field.
"How is it? Are you all enjoying the food?" asked a man dressed in dark blue Jinbe (a type of clothing).
Beside him, Teiichi hand, occasionally taking a small bite.
Other rice balls are fine, but this plum rice ball Teiichi definitely not something I can eat.
Plum rice balls are rice balls with a pickled plum inside. This not only stimulates the appetite but also makes the rice balls easier to preserve.
But... Teiichi really not like sour food.
But given the current situation, Teiichi could only offer a simple compliment via WeChat.
"Mmm, it's delicious!"
The man smiled happily upon hearing this, "That's good! I was worried that the two gentlemen wouldn't be used to our rice balls since they came all the way from Kyoto!"
"No, your rice balls are delicious too!"
Teiichi continued speaking against her will, then turned to look at the rice ball in the man's hand that had already been eaten, and said:
"This rice ball is so big, and you finished it in just three bites!"
The man laughed and said, "Well, there's no way around it. Farm work is physically demanding, especially since I have a big appetite!"
"Too!"
Teiichi, took a bite of the rice ball in his hand, and reached out to lift a stalk of rice in front of him.
"Speaking of which, the rice ears are really long this year; it looks like it'll be another bumper harvest!"
"Yes, if nothing unexpected happens, this year will definitely be a bumper harvest!" The man looked at the long ears of rice with great joy.
Teiichi nodded. "Yes, may the Inari bless us! I wish we could have a bountiful harvest every year! Uh... sorry, you believe in the Goddess of Harvest! It's the Goddess of Harvest who blesses us!"
Teiichi's words caused the man's smile to freeze slightly, and he looked at Teiichi with an unnatural expression.
"Yes... yes!"
Teiichi glanced at the man, but didn't ask any further questions. Instead, she started talking about other things.
A moment later, after glancing at Kanae and Nezuko had also finished eating, Sada Teiichi his bottom and stood up.
He took out some money from his pocket and handed it over.
"This is the money I agreed on with my brother for the rice balls yesterday!"
"Thank you, thank you!"
The man accepted the money with both hands, bowed and thanked them, then looked at Teiichi and Kanae again.
"Are you two coming to eat rice balls again tomorrow? If so, I'll bring some more!"
"No need, it's enough to experience this once in a while, you don't have to eat it every day!" Teiichi smile.
For the past two days, Teiichi has been taking Kanae and Nezuko for a stroll around the village area.
During this time, when he encountered villagers, Teiichi would occasionally chat with them.
Try to subtly inquire about the Harvest Cult.
But just like before, their expressions became somewhat unnatural whenever the topic of the Harvest Cult came up.
If you try to talk to them any further, they'll only say a couple of sentences before changing the subject.
Teiichi couldn't force the topic back, otherwise it would look even stranger.
As Dingyi walked along the village road, Teiichi couldn't help but start thinking about the next steps.
If we can't get the crucial information from the villagers, the investigation can't proceed!