I Forged the Myth of the Ancient Overlords
Chapter 104 - 104 103. This is a song that can bring good luck_1

Chapter 104: 103. This is a song that can bring good luck_1 Chapter 104: 103. This is a song that can bring good luck_1 “The mask… this shape, is it Red Leaf’s?”

Lu Ban recognized this mask.

He bent down to pick it up—the mask was real.

“Did she leave it here to guide me?”

Lu Ban pondered, then opened his mouth to sing.

“Good Fortune Comes, I wish you good fortune, good fortune brings joy and love…”

In this silent world, Lu Ban began singing “Good Fortune Comes.”

The cheerful song echoed among the torii gates, resounding through this quiet land.

As he sang, Lu Ban looked around, feeling as if the stars beside him had brightened.

While singing, Lu Ban suddenly saw a face approaching him on the shadowy path.

He stopped singing.

“… What are you singing?”

Holding her lantern, Red Leaf’s expression showed slight embarrassment, as if she were considering whether to leave Lu Ban behind and go to the shrine on her own.

“It’s a song from my hometown that is said to bring good luck. Do you want to learn it?”

Lu Ban asked enthusiastically.

“No need…”

Red Leaf lifted her lantern, illuminating Lu Ban’s body to check him over before she felt relieved.

“I told you not to linger in the shadows. The torii gates along this road are not merely for show; they also form a barrier meant to imprison monsters.”

“I just saw a shrine maiden on the road,”

Lu Ban immediately said.

“A shrine maiden?”

With a contemplative look, Red Leaf signaled for Lu Ban to follow, and when she saw he was walking behind her, she pulled him up beside her, arm pressing tightly against arm.

“Each shrine is actually a prison. Using torii gates, techniques, and barriers, we collect the pollutants near the island and confine them within. On New Year’s, the Shrine Maiden Lord takes action to purify all these evil impurities.”

Red Leaf explained, her clothing pressing against the bare skin of Lu Ban’s arms. The silk’s subtle texture allowed intermittent contact through their clothes, affirming each other’s presence.

“So, you mean those filth have to be suppressed within the shrine for an entire year?”

Lu Ban couldn’t help but ask.

“What if there’s a problem midway and they escape?”

“The Pure Fire of the Shrine Maiden cannot be extinguished, so each purification results in some areas being permanently abandoned and unusable in the long term. Regarding leakage, isn’t that what we’re investigating now?”

Red Leaf arched an eyebrow.

“Considering the severe side effects of Pure Fire, why use it to expel evil? Are there no other methods?”

Lu Ban asked curiously, unable to feel the softness of Red Leaf’s arm which was far more gentle than he expected.

“… At least, Pure Fire allows humanity to destroy itself a little later.”

Red Leaf’s tone conveyed a hint of resignation.

“The Shrine Maiden Lord is remarkable; she has taken on a burden that ordinary people cannot bear. I wanted to become a shrine maiden not for fame or power. When I was young, our village was attacked by pollutants, and I was saved by the Shrine Maiden’s Pure Fire. Since then, I have considered it my duty to become a person like that.”

“But you didn’t become a Shrine Maiden.”

Lu Ban said, almost without thinking.

“… That’s because I lacked the ability. The current Shrine Maiden used to be my friend. I know her well—she’s kind, strong, and has the power to overcome any difficulty. She truly is the best choice to be the Shrine Maiden.”

Red Leaf remarked wistfully, climbing the steps and grabbing Lu Ban’s wrist.

The calluses of her thumb and fingertips rubbed against Lu Ban’s skin, a sensation distinct from that of ordinary girls.

“Maybe you just lack some luck. How about I teach you the song I was just singing? It really can bring good fortune.”

Lu Ban persisted.

“… There’s no need.”

Red Leaf passed the last step and emerged from the long tunnel formed by the torii gates. Ahead was the somber He Island Shrine.

“By the way, when I was on the island, I saw that some people could recover even from fatal injuries. Is that also a type of pollution?”

Lu Ban asked casually, looking at the imposing structure.

“So that’s how it appears in your eyes?”

Red Leaf let go of Lu Ban’s hand.

The fog on the mountain seemed to have thinned, revealing more stars and creating a brighter atmosphere.

“In my eyes?”

Lu Ban was perplexed.

“Pollution isn’t just about losing one’s sanity. It’s more about cognitive changes or, let’s say, a mutation of oneself,” Red Leaf explained briefly.

“Those affected by pollution aren’t in human form anymore, like the person hit by the rickshaw you saw during the day. He was essentially just a lump of filthy flesh.”

“…So you’re saying that, although he looked human to me, he wasn’t actually human?”

Lu Ban took a slight breath.

“Exactly. We call this a ‘Technique’ of concealment, akin to invisibility or transformation. The more you understand about this world, the harder it is for such concealment to impede you. It seems you know more than what you let on.”

Red Leaf walked toward the Shrine.

“Are we just going to walk in there so openly?”

Lu Ban followed behind her.

“What did I just tell you about?”

Red Leaf paused slightly and looked back to ask.

“Good Fortune Comes?”

Lu Ban responded promptly.

“Technique.”

Red Leaf sighed in resignation.

“I’m currently using a Technique of concealment. Normal Shrine Maidens can’t see us, as long as you stay close enough, just like earlier.”

“I see!”

Lu Ban thought this ability seemed quite convenient.

If he could master such a skill, wouldn’t he be able to ride roller coasters without ever having to queue!

He couldn’t help but look forward to it.

Lu Ban and Red Leaf walked hand in hand toward the Worship Hall.

The Shrine at night was indeed deserted; the lonely offertory box was empty. Red Leaf arrived in front of the hall and looked around.

“Strange, even at night, there should be a Shrine Executive Officer on duty at the Shrine.”

The tall and imposing structure now seemed like a monster with bared fangs and dancing claws. The shadows it cast were heart-palpitating.

Behind those pillars, beneath those Plumbline, and behind the votive tablets, it felt like something was lurking, spying on the two, ready to pounce.

“It looks like no one has been here in a long time.”

Lu Ban reached out and gently touched the surface of the offertory box. He had just glanced at it, and there was indeed no money to take.

Dust clung to his fingertips, thick, not like it had been cleaned by anyone.

“When did you say Song Island was attacked by the Undefined Fog?”

“A month ago…” Red Leaf seemed to realize something and quickly pulled Lu Ban toward the main hall.

Then, Red Leaf and Lu Ban saw that despair-inducing scene.

Shrine Maidens in white robes and crimson hakama were sitting by the path, lined up in a row, facing each other.

They all wore masks of a Shrine Executive Officer, Unmoving.

Behind the Shrine Maidens stood people in white hunting attire, their faces covered by the same masks, similarly Unmoving.

These people seemed to be conducting some grand, important ritual, emanating a solemn and reverent atmosphere.

At the end of the path, atop a platform, sat a Shrine Maiden.

She wasn’t wearing a mask, revealing her face.

It was a mix of pale and blacks and blues, displaying no signs of life.

In a proper sitting position, she had died right there.

At this moment, Lu Ban also understood that everyone present was already dead.

They had been dead for a month.

From the very beginning, the moment the Undefined Fog assailed the island, everyone at the Song Island Shrine had perished.

Their bodies had not been moved or dealt with by anyone; they were left on display right here.

“So then…”

Lu Ban pondered.

“Who was the Shrine Executive Officer who checked us when we came to the island?”