I Forged the Myth of the Ancient Overlords
Chapter 101 - 101 100. Calamitous Shrine Maiden_1

Chapter 101: 100. Calamitous Shrine Maiden_1 Chapter 101: 100. Calamitous Shrine Maiden_1 Lu Ban was very familiar with the text on it.

It was the babbling he heard when he extracted the “Madman’s Knowledge.”

The babble he heard at that time was manic and disordered, and now it seemed that it might have been the lost painter’s speech.

There were also words like Calamitous Shrine Maiden on the note, and piecing it together, it suggested that the painter named Wan Ye had encountered the Calamitous Shrine Maiden and became obsessed with her, so he couldn’t help but go looking for her, and eventually disappeared.

“So the Calamitous Shrine Maiden really exists?”

Lu Ban wasn’t a local, or rather, even the common locals didn’t understand the Calamitous Shrine Maiden, so he was a little curious.

“She does not.”

Red Leaf answered immediately.

“Shrine maidens who lose in the competition for the position of the Shrine Maiden continue to work at the Great Shrine of Harmony Island. They are also candidates, and if any problem arises with the acting Shrine Maiden, these maidens are eligible to succeed the position.”

“You seem to know a lot about this.”

Lu Ban glanced at the clothes, which seemed to have stains of blood on them, as if they had seeped from the inside to the outside, yet the clothes didn’t show any obvious damage.

“…Because I am one of them.”

Red Leaf hesitated for a moment before speaking.

“You’re a Shrine Maiden?”

Lu Ban looked her up and down again. In his impression, Shrine Maidens were those with a pure and transcendent appearance, wearing red and white witch costumes, holding a yumi bow, and at most accompanied by a dog on the side.

“Try saying ‘sit’ for me?”

He couldn’t resist asking.

“What?”

Red Leaf was startled, raised her eyebrows, and then said uncertainly.

“Sit.”

Lu Ban remained unmoving.

“Great, I’m not a dog.”

He clapped his hands happily.

“…We suspect that He Island Shrine has been contaminated. The reports from the official personnel sent before could have been tampered with. Something terrible is happening on this island, which is why I’m here.”

Red Leaf, who had her doubts about choosing Lu Ban, approached the painting frame covered by a black cloth, her hand resting on it, seemingly hesitant to lift it.

“You mean, the contamination of Song Island hasn’t been purified but has instead directly corroded the Shrine Maidens? Isn’t Song Island very dangerous then?”

Lu Ban looked at the painting and continued.

“Why are you telling me all this? What if I were one of them too, specifically coming here to lure you out?”

“Intuition.”

Red Leaf lifted the black cloth.

An astonishing painting appeared before Lu Ban.

Most of the painting was filled with chaotic colors, without a trace of aesthetic sense, rather making one think of corpses, ruins, flesh, and the like. When viewed up close, the uneven application of paint and bulges could easily be mistaken for real flesh.

In the central part of the picture, although one could make out shapes, most people would probably prefer they had never seen it.

It was an arrangement of a live human being spread out as if to completely overturn the concept of “person” on a physiological level, placing different parts of bodies in different positions, completely deconstructing every inch of human flesh. Only the most anti-social and anti-human individuals could create such artwork.

Lu Ban raised his eyebrows; he knew very well that if an ordinary person saw this painting, just one glance could torture their nerves. Those with even slightly weaker endurance might immediately vomit or faint.

Red Leaf also turned her gaze away to look elsewhere.

“This is the last painting Wan Ye left in the room. I think his mind was no longer normal. After being contaminated and eroded, different degrees of mental disturbance will occur. Some can be calmed down with the shrine’s methods; others are beyond saving.”

Only after Red Leaf covered the painting with the black cloth did Lu Ban react a bit slowly.

“So you want me to help with the investigation?”

“You don’t look like you’re here just for the poetry festival. You seem to have ulterior motives, but it’s okay. At least for now, our goals are aligned.”

Red Leaf nodded.

“That’s true.”

Lu Ban didn’t mind having an extra friend; it could come in handy at critical moments.

Moreover, Red Leaf knew much more, and for Lu Ban, the more information he had, the higher the mission exploration rate and the greater the benefits.

“What do you need me to help with? What are your demands? Do you have any more clues?”

Lu Ban asked.

“Even though I came here with a hidden identity, the Madman’s Knowledge I asked for, and my own actions, might be known by the people of Song Island. Yet as an outsider, they have no reason to suspect that a Shrine Maiden from the Great Shrine of Harmony Island would collaborate with a foreigner, which allows you to openly contact more people.”

Red Leaf answered simply.

“So, you want me to get in touch with the people of Song Island and collect clues?”

“Exactly. According to the intelligence I gathered, Wan Ye visited restaurants where guests at Anxin Court dine, the tea room, and the Fuyagai before he disappeared. You can go there to investigate. Tonight at midnight, we can sneak into the He Island Shrine.”

Red Leaf provided several locations that might have clues.

Lu Ban and she agreed on the time and place to meet later that night, then split up and left the room.

“While it’s nice to have help from the beginning, I’ve always had this weird feeling that Red Leaf might not be completely trustworthy.”

Lu Ban muttered to himself. It was getting late, so he headed to the restaurant.

Anxin Court’s restaurant wasn’t very busy, with many tables empty. The poets and painters in attendance whispered among themselves, eyeing every new patron with suspicion.

Lu Ban found a table and sat down, ordering some food at random.

Normally, he would have dinner with Tachibana Masamune and Ginpei, but they were probably going to a pub on The Island. For the sake of his investigation, Lu Ban had to endure eating at the official restaurant.

However…

“Cough cough.” “Cough cough cough.” “Cough cough.”

The restaurant was filled with coughing, making it seem like a room spread with disease, causing him to cover his nose and mouth instinctively.

Lu Ban looked around and noticed that the diners who were eating normally were all coughing. On the other hand, two men at the next table, who appeared to be eating from their own lunchboxes, seemed quite normal.

They hesitated as Lu Ban ordered, opening and closing their mouths as if wanting to say something but stopping themselves. When the food was served to Lu Ban and he picked up his chopsticks, they finally spoke up.

“We advise you against eating the food here.”

“What’s wrong?”

Lu Ban’s chopsticks paused midway.

“It’s just, not very good, not very good.”

The two men were indecisive and took awhile to make a clear point.

“Are you suggesting that the food here might be contaminated?”

Lu Ban questioned the two of them in a low voice.

“We dare not say, dare not say.”

They avoided answering the question.

“Do you know that someone disappeared after eating here before?”

Lu Ban continued to ask.

“Do you know him?”

One of them expressed surprise, then quickly covered his mouth.

“It’s okay, I won’t tell anyone else that you told me. Or, um, do you have any enemies? If someone finds out, I’ll say they told me.”

Lu Ban leaned closer to their table and even took a few bites of their food with his chopsticks.

It tasted good.

“…”

The two men looked at each other, feeling something off about this man in front of them.

However, since he mentioned “that” matter, they decided not to hide it anymore.

“…The missing person’s name is Wan Ye. Actually, many people are aware of his disappearance, but they told us not to talk about it. There were others who disappeared too. There’s something wrong with this island.”

One of them said.

“Who are ‘they’?”

Lu Ban pressed for an answer.

“The Calamitous Shrine Maiden.”

The moment the term was spoken, the face of the one who replied clouded over with a dark expression.