Curse this wonderful world

09:【Nine Curse】

However, Dazhu's candidate...

After sending the girl out of the office and "locking it up" like a declaration, Mori Ogai returned to his desk and sat back on the red high-back chair.

The spacious room where I was left alone was very quiet, and Alice was not released, so there was not even the sweet voice and breathing that was always by my side.

The darkened room was dark, Mori Ogai leaned back slightly, raised his head, and put his whole body weight on the back of the chair.His dark red eyes reflected the gorgeously decorated zenith, and the scene of that day a few years ago appeared in his mind.

Just as people with supernatural powers are urban legends to ordinary people, and curse spirits are urban legends to people who cannot see the magic power, in most people's cognition, the so-called eternal world, the other side, the country of roots, and the underworld are also It is just a fictional description in "Kojiki" or "Nihon Shoki", a myth that does not exist.But just like people with supernatural powers not only exist but are also active in various countries, and can even provoke and become the main force of wars; not only the existence of curse spirits is also one of the important reasons why the number of missing people in Japan remains high every year, and in order to fight against curse spirits, People called sorcerers have been fighting with their lives since ancient times.The so-called Yellow Spring not only exists, but also has a direct connection with the present world. It is impossible to close the blocked "gap" with manpower and technology, and these "gaps" are like active volcanoes. Once they erupt, they will immediately cause huge disasters.

"Pillar of Man", "Miko" and "Ritual" are based on Shintoism, created by people who also use the same mantra, in order to prevent or prevent this "natural disaster".

The gate of the underworld under the ice house, the eternal sea guarded by the Kushi family, the virtual pit suppressed by Minakamura, the zero domain near Oborotsuki Island, and the night spring connected by the Higami Mountain Kuroze.

Tear the witch with a rope, and seal the gate of the underworld with the shimenawa rope soaked in the maiden's blood and the imperial mirror.Carve a tattoo on the witch, bear the pain of the living, and then nail it to the prison of thorns and flow to the other side to dredge the sea of ​​the ordinary world.Choose the twins, the older one strangles the younger one, and throws them into the virtual pit to prevent the eruption of the underworld.The ceremony is held on the night of the lunar eclipse, and the masked maiden is empty, becoming the carrier to send the dead souls back to the zero realm.And, put the witch into a box full of night springs, sink into the black pool, and become the pillar of the enchantment that guards the day's uphill.

The maiden of the rope needs to be sober and voluntary to be entangled with five hemp ropes, her limbs, her head, her neck, and her body torn apart.The tattooed witch will repeatedly experience the pain of the tattoos she bears in her dreams in the Thorn Prison.The one who survived the twins almost had a mental breakdown, and there were not a few suicides.A shrine maiden who becomes empty will be emptied of memory and personality in an instant, and lose herself. Many people will even die in the stage of practice.

And the witch who voluntarily chose to become Dazhu came into contact with Yequan in the box called the coffin cage, and fell into a deep sleep.This is not death, but eternal sleep.Under the surface of the water, in the dark and narrow coffin, the priestess embraced all the sorrow and pain she saw, and turned into an existence between the realms of life and death. *

"During the period of deep sleep, the witch will not grow old. It can maintain its original appearance. That's why it is called permanent flower."*

"The slumber caused by the night spring is the repetition of death. The stronger the emotion that the witch sees, the stronger the human pillar can be. And the human pillar with strong emotions must endure more intense pain. Eternal sleep is Eternal pain. Until the maiden's heart is exhausted, her body melts into the night spring, and her mission as a human pillar ends."*

"Pillars of people who can't bear the pain. They will open the lid of the box and dissolve into the Night Spring. Therefore, only the perpetual flowers that have become spiritually strong witches can continue to survive in the Night Spring."*

Therefore, only shrine maidens with sufficient awareness, aptitude and determination can become Dazhu.Over the years, all the witches who became Dazhu will try to "live" longer, because it is their mission to suppress Yequan, because the moment they melt, is the time to choose a new Dazhu.

In the eyes of today's people, the above methods are undoubtedly extremely cruel behaviors.

"So, we're also trying to avoid that."

Kurosawa Hiroki, the old man from the main hall of the shrine looked directly at the girl.His face with white beard and hair was solemn and respectful—however, at this moment, no one would think his attitude was too solemn.

"Now, the gate of the underworld of the Hishiro Mansion has been re-sealed. The ruins of the Kushi family and the surrounding area of ​​Oborotsuki Island have been set up as no-man's land, and a barrier for concealment has been established. The relevant records accessible to the public and the records on the map They were also erased. The location of Minakami Village was rebuilt into a dam, and the corresponding special-grade magic objects were sunk in it. The last Hongzhi Festival held by accident 11 years ago was very successful, and now it is very quiet. Of course, we have also done a good job If the spell fails and an earthquake occurs, the preparations for the twin priests will be restarted."

"Only the sun goes up the mountain."

The old man paused and continued: "Since the night spring flooded again in the early days of the Showa era, Rishang Mountain has become a haunted place of death in the underworld. The inheritance of this style is almost completely cut off. Although we have the information about the ceremony, we have not found a qualified one so far. Alternate Dazhu. Now, the five-pillar barrier that maintains the entire Rishangshan area and separates the real world from the secluded world is all supported by the original Renzhu masters. However, Master Baiju has been a Zhongzhu for nearly a hundred years, and the last master on record It has been nearly 80 years since Lord Kurosawa Fengshi became a large pillar. The other three pillars... Because the entire Rishang Mountain has been eroded by the night spring, we cannot obtain accurate records, but there are dozens of people stationed around Mountain singing has been detected twice in this year."

"Shan Ming?" Zhong Tian asked.

"'When the human pillar collapses and the enchantment weakens, there will be Kurosawa's cry, which will turn into a mountain call'." The little girl answered, "'The mountain call is the cry of a witch. If you don't put in a new The human pillar will cause disaster'."

""Book of Mountain Singing"..." The old man - Kurosawa Hiroki's eyes became deeper and deeper, "Have you read it?"

"No," Shen Yu shook his head, "I've seen it."

"As expected of the future Ozhu-sama." Kurosawa Koki bowed his head deeply, and saluted respectfully.It wasn't until he straightened up again that he explained to the participants, "The Miko-sama of the Kushi family can use dreams as a medium to contact the living and the dead, and the Miko-samas of the Rishang Mountain use water to connect each other's hearts and things [seeing] With Hinasaki-sama’s aptitude, it’s not inconceivable to meet Renzhu-sama thousands of miles away.”

As he said that, he turned back to the topic, "The lack of alignment of the five pillars has already blurred the boundary between Rishang Mountain and the present world. The number of people who were lured into the mountain by Huo Jinyang and died increased year by year. Once the big pillars melted, Rishang Mountain's enchantment would be instantly blurred." It will collapse, and the night spring that was originally blocked by the barrier will immediately overflow the mountain."

"What will happen?" Taneda frowned, asking a question that Mori Ogai hadn't said.

"The present world is eroded by the Yellow Spring, and the Night Spring is reduced to a dead place. The living cannot escape, and the dead cannot be reborn. The best result is that the erosion has its limit, and it will stop automatically after it expands to the limit. In this way, we may divide the eroded area. For no-man's land, block it with more and more powerful human pillars to form a new barrier. Otherwise, it cannot be stopped."

In addition, it is different from Ozutsuki Island or Minakami Village, which are located in a remote location, and the surrounding residents can be relocated to reduce damage, and it is also different from the more peaceful Kushi Family Chose Sea.Rishangshan is located in Kanagawa Prefecture. Once the night spring overflows, Kamakura, Yokohama, and Tokyo will bear the brunt.

"Is there no way to get rid of it?"

"The area eroded by the night spring will become a hidden world that is infinitely close to the ordinary world—you can understand that it is no longer the same world as the real world we are in." Kurosawa Hiroki shook his head slowly, "Even the most Even a powerful conjurer cannot wipe out a world."

Just as human technology and other capabilities so far cannot make volcanic eruptions, typhoons, and earthquakes suddenly stop and disappear out of thin air.

Therefore, we equate it with "natural disaster".

The old man said so.

"It's like, now, we all know that Rishang Mountain has been polluted by the night spring, and there is very little we can do." The purification act in the name of development ended in failure.Posting no-entry signs will not deter curious citizens.Due to the pollution of the night spring, the mountain that fell into seclusion after dusk was completely shrouded in the dense miasma of the underworld. The exorcised curse spirits and wraiths could re-condense and reappear at any time, so it was meaningless to send conjurers.

Now, even the surrounding police stations have begun to treat the reported cases of disappearance into the mountains negatively.This is of course dereliction of duty, but as long as we do a little research on the disappearance of police officers in the local area every year—or the number of deaths in the line of duty—no one can say anything about it.Police officers without spiritual power, or spell power, are just ordinary people in such a demon realm.

Therefore, for Rishangshan, the Human Pillar is an indispensable existence.There is no other way.Even if the five pillars cannot be filled, as long as a replacement can be found for Dazhu, at least the precarious barrier can be maintained for a period of time.

"But it's not that easy either."

Strong qualifications, a tough heart and sufficient awareness and willingness.Even if the scope of the search has been expanded to cover the whole of Japan—in places unknown to Mori Ogai, this seems to have been listed as a priority of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for a long time—in the past few decades, meeting all the above conditions can become a large Zhu, even if it was just an alternate, there was still none.

People's efforts made no progress, only time passed mercilessly.

"I'm ashamed to say that the old man's granddaughter was also one of Dazhu's candidates. Although for some reason, that child didn't know my existence, nor did she know that she was once a candidate." The old man said.

"Seeing is the power of the hidden world." "Those who are close to death can also increase their strength and see everything." ——In the past, Rishangshan would take in lone women who survived disasters as witches and train them. They have been in close contact with death, And alone, so you will have better qualifications, and it is relatively easier to accept the fate of sacrificing for others.

"The child is in a similar situation. She had a car accident with her fiancé, and the other party died on the spot, but she survived, so she felt a strong sense of guilt for her survival. Although it is not as far as Hinasaki-sama, the child also has The gift of being a witch."

But this is no longer the Meiji-Taisho era when young women could not live alone.These priests are no longer qualified to persuade people to die.

"After a certain incident, her thoughts changed and she chose to continue living in the world, so she lost her qualifications as a candidate for Dazhu. After confirming this incident, the main office of the shrine suspended contact with her."

"But even so, if you still can't find a suitable person, the old man plans to come forward to persuade her in person." The old man continued, and, considering the worst situation, the main hall of the shrine was preparing decades ago to be referred to as It is a bottom-up solution for "the quality is not enough to make up the quantity".

"After all, we are an organization that governs 7 clubs and nearly 2 priests. Even if there are not many of them who really have spiritual power, there is absolutely no reason to watch the barrier collapse."

Spiritual power is the name of Shintoism, and it is called mantra in the magic world.Although there are actually some differences in details, but you think it is the same power.said the old man.Therefore, in this matter, the attitude of the magic world is the same.Even, this plan was once ready to be implemented.

"Until seven years ago..." Kurosawa Koki turned his attention to the black-haired girl, "The stationed personnel discovered that the barrier had been strengthened, and then with the assistance of local Kagemi, it was confirmed that at that time, there was a person with very powerful spiritual power. Ma'am, enter Rishang Hill."

"Yes. It's the same as you think." The girl with dark eyes nodded, "Mother has entered the coffin cage and has become a new human pillar."

The old man once again bowed deeply and very respectfully.

It was also at this time that Mori Ogai knew Fukaba's mother's name, Hinasaki Crimson, which was very similar to her, and sounded more like a sister's name than a mother and daughter.

"It was through Hinasaki Crimson-sama that we found the news of Hinasaki Fukaba-sama." The old man explained.However, after that, it was an accident that Mori Ogai also knew.Shen Yu was abducted and sold, and the information was cut off.It's been like this for seven years, until now.

"We will always remember the sacrifices made by the Hina Saki family." The third time.The old man saluted.After a long time, I raised my head, "I've always wanted to thank you in person."

He used extremely solemn honorifics to the girl who could be his great-grandson.

Under the increasingly shocked gazes of the people around, Fukaha raised his head and explained to Mori Ogai: "Mother is not only Rishangshan Xin's pillar, but she and her father also helped to seal the gate to the underworld of Hishiro Mansion."

My father, Hinasaki Mafuyu, stayed there—when the little girl said this, there was no look of grief in her expression.Mori Ogai narrowed his eyes, and didn't ask what kind of form "stay" refers to.

"So, you don't have to worry about it." Without looking at Mori Ogai's complicated expression, the little girl jumped out of his arms and walked straight to Kurosawa Hongki.

"The granddaughter you mentioned just now is Ms. Kurosawa Rei, right? Then you also know my life experience? 'Seeing is the power of the hidden world' - as Ye Quanzi, I have the best and become a big Zhu’s talent.” Shen Yu looked up at the old man, “And I know what you just said. I made this choice on the basis of a clear understanding of everything. It’s not for others. It’s not for anything. Weird self-sacrifice. So no fear of me going back on my word, or of me changing my mind growing up."

The little girl blinked very slowly, then laughed.

"I will be the Dazhu who succeeds Master Fengshi. This is what I want to do myself."

Mori Ogai still clearly remembers Fukaha's expression when he said these words.

It was exactly the same as when she said the reason for leaking the secret just now.

Similarly, he clearly remembered what the old man had said to all the participants—him, Natsume-sensei and Taneda Santou—before he left.

"I believe that everyone has understood just now that whether you can become a big pillar, the wishes of the miko are the most important. I have proposed to ask the Ministry of Internal Affairs to apply for some special exemptions for Master Hinasaki Fukaha. I also hope that everyone will guarantee Hinasaki When the adult is in danger, I can satisfy her wishes and requirements as much as possible, so that she can become the pillar of the rising sun without regret. After all—"

The old man paused, and turned his gaze to Mori Ogai, with deep black eyes, as if he wanted to see his eyes all the time.

"——According to the information sent back by our personnel who entered Rishangshan before his death, the current Ozuru Kurosawa Meisei-sama may not be able to survive another ten years."

And this year, 2004.Half of the ten years that the old man - Kurosawa Koki said at the time had passed.

The mafia leader, who always looked at ease on weekdays, with a soft smile that made it impossible to see his true intentions, blinked and sighed very lightly.

"...'No Regrets'?"