I Forged the Myth of the Ancient Overlords
Chapter 99 - 99 098. Can they take responsibility _1

Chapter 99: 098. Can they take responsibility? _1 Chapter 99: 098. Can they take responsibility? _1 Lu Ban carefully observed, and only then did he notice that it was a doll.

The joints were hidden under the kimono, the face was as white as porcelain, and the rouge and lipstick easily reminded Lu Ban of paper dolls, but this doll had a creepy feel that was different from traditional paper dolls.

If the horror valley effect was caused by attributing living characteristics to a lifeless paper doll with painted eyes,

then this doll’s semblance to human appearance paired with its oversized body induced a sense of the uncanny.

Lu Ban saw that the huge doll was still waving in his direction, the doll-like, wooden smile on its face was hair-raising.

“Is this the welcome mascot for this year? It really has the style of Song Island. You know, Brother Lu Ban, this is a specialty of Song Island called Pure Glass Doll, a masterpiece created by Master Wen Le.”

Tachibana Masamune seemed to be quite fond of the doll that appeared to come from the Netherworld, even lifting his hand to the frame as if contemplating how to capture it in a painting.

“I heard that some incidents happened on Song Island recently, involving some strange fog?”

Lu Ban found an opening and asked casually, shifting his gaze from the spine-chilling doll.

“Are you talking about the Undefined Fog? No worries, Song Island was indeed affected by the Undefined Fog before, but now it’s completely fine, at least that’s what the organizers said. Besides, look how peaceful the island is.”

Tachibana Masamune was nonchalant, still admiring the huge doll hanging amidst the clouds.

“The Undefined Fog is common at sea, and sometimes it drifts near inhabited islands, causing pollution. It’s the same case this time, but the shrine on Song Island has already sent shrine maidens to purify it, so it’s not a big problem.”

Ginpei wasn’t worried either.

Lu Ban nodded.

However, he noticed that while Tachibana Masamune and Ginpei made their remarks, Female Red Leaf by their side showed a hint of disdain.

“If there still were pollution on Song Island, how could he dare to have all artists from He Dao come here? Could he afford the responsibility for any accidents that might befall us? So, if you think about it, it should be clear that this place is safe.”

Seeing that Lu Ban was not entirely convinced, Tachibana Masamune reassured him once more.

Lu Ban did not dwell on it any longer.

Because he felt that there was undoubtedly still pollution on Song Island.

Otherwise, there wouldn’t have been incidents of artists disappearing.

The sailboat entered the harbor, indeed a grand harbor just as the ill-fated boatman had said.

Only, there were hardly any ships in the harbor of Song Island, it was sparsely populated and exceptionally desolate.

“Why does it seem so deserted?”

Lu Ban took a look and saw that the huge doll was merely tethered by a single rope to a building in the harbor, appearing remarkably lightweight. Under the doll, a few people dressed similarly to the ones by his side stood discussing something.

“It’s probably due to the effects of the Undefined Fog earlier. That kind of fog at sea can cause confusion and mental disturbance. Even after purification, it still makes people wary, the ship that brought you didn’t dare to come close either.”

Ginpei explained and then stepped off the ship.

A few men dressed in pure white hunting attire and wearing emotionless masks were waiting down from the ship, lined up uniformly, like dolls.

“These are the Shrine Executive Officers of Song Island, in charge of handling filth and aiding shrine maidens in purification. They must have come to check because filth was detected just now.”

Tachibana Masamune said offhandedly.

Lu Ban looked on with skepticism as the Shrine Executive Officers used sticks with white paper strips tied to the ends to sweep by Ginpei, who had disembarked first, as if they were driving something away.

Looking back, he noticed none of the crew from their sailboat had come down, nor were there normal dockside supplies being carried out. They just stared at the four passengers they had transported; their gaze was hard to describe, but Lu Ban knew what it resembled.

It was like watching hogs hang upside down, one by one, being sent into the slaughterhouse.

It was Lu Ban’s turn.

The Shrine Executive Officer in front of him did not speak a word, only sweeping the stick wrapped with white paper strips by him, and amidst the rustling paper sound, Lu Ban thought he heard a faint murmur drifting from the mountains of Song Island.

“Look, there’s no problem, cough cough.”

Ginpei smiled and fanned himself with his fan. He cleared his throat, appearing to cough a bit.

“The Poetry Festival begins tomorrow morning; we can go to our arranged lodging first, and gather together in the evening.”

Tachibana Masamune said, spotting some rickshaws at the dock, with sturdy rickshaw drivers clustered together; they approached Tachibana Masamune and his group when they saw them.

Passing by the artists still focused on studying the giant dolls, Lu Ban and the others wound their way along the road and soon saw a huge building located on the eastern side of The Island.

This building was like a loft, occupying a vast area—by its comparison, other houses seemed like dwarfs.

“That is the main venue for the Poetry Festival, Anxin Court. Tomorrow the first event will take place here.”

Ginpei indicated the place with his fan.

“The first event?”

Lu Ban felt that since he had already shown enough ignorance before, he might as well not pretend anymore; he simply adopted an ‘I don’t know, waiting for you to explain’ look.

“Yes, the Poetry Festival itself is a combination of several exhibitions: an art exhibit, a poetry exhibit, a doll exhibit, etc. People exchange ideas and interpret art. Tomorrow will be the first art exhibit. Over the next three days, there will be many such exhibits. In addition, there are poetry readings, music festivals, etc. For example, the Sea Tide Poetry Meeting the day after tomorrow will be hosted by me.”

Ginpei explained with a fair bit of self-satisfaction.

The four rickshaws rattled toward Anxin Court.

Lu Ban carefully observed the passersby.

These passersby should be the local residents; they were also dressed in similar attire with a kimono top, pants, and boots. However, the age distribution was broader, ranging from children to elderly seniors.

But, Lu Ban felt that the movements of these people were somewhat stiff, lacking fluidity. Although there was dialogue, communication, and interaction between them, it all seemed strangely off to him, like actors without acting skills being forced to perform.

At that moment, Lu Ban caught a glimpse of a child running on the sidewalk with a ball. The child accidentally tripped and fell forward, and perhaps because of the speed and too early loss of balance, the child’s head hit the ground. Subsequently, due to the inertia of the body, the neck bent backward, and with a “crack” sound, the child’s head actually twisted 180 degrees.

His thin body, like a puppet with its strings cut, twisted and fell down without any rhythm, rolling a couple of times.

“!”

What surprised Lu Ban was not the accident itself.

But rather, within a few short seconds, the child, whose neck bones had been broken along with his head, actually sat up. Slowly lifting his head, he stood, dusted off the mud and dirt from himself, and then chased after the rolling ball as if nothing more than a light fall had just occurred.

“… Did you see that?”

Lu Ban asked tentatively.

“See what?”

Tachibana Masamune seemed engrossed in the beauty of the streetscape, not noticing that eerie, horrifying scene.

Ginpei also shook his head.

“No, it’s nothing.”

Lu Ban couldn’t help but look back at the child once more, only to find the child with the ball, staring directly at him, as if equally aware of Lu Ban.

Suddenly, from an alley off the street, a figure rushed out, blocking the path of the rickshaw.

“I saw her, I saw her; she is real, she is real!!!”

The person shouted as he was hit by a rickshaw driver who couldn’t dodge in time. He was thrown forward, tumbling over several times on the ground. Lu Ban distinctly saw that his neck must have been broken, and his legs bent in an unnatural direction.

However, moments later, the person stood up, unharmed.

“She is real, do you know, she is real, the Calamitous Shrine Maiden is real!”