They rested for an entire day.
It wasn’t until the next evening that they set out for the shrine again.
The shrine was still the same one, but upon entering, the stench of blood had grown even stronger.
This time, they carefully observed the offerings placed at the shrine.
The object was wrapped in layers of black material and was as hard as stone when prodded with a stick.
Miyamoto Satoshi crossed his arms and stood to the side, saying, "So, who’s brave enough to touch this thing? Maybe we’ll discover something new."
Nakano Asaka retorted, "Why don’t you touch it yourself?"
Miyamoto Satoshi just smiled and stood aside, clearly unwilling to touch it.
Nakano Asaka gritted his teeth. "Fine, I’ll do it!"
Among the three of them, Miyamoto Satoshi and Gu Zhan were both clever, always coming up with plans, while he was mostly clueless.
If he didn’t step up and do things like this, he feared he’d end up like Takagawa Ayaka, kicked out of the group.
Nakano Asaka stepped forward and tentatively touched the black object.
"Huh," he said, "It feels like wood?"
"Didn’t Masaki Taro say that the Sea God they worshiped was a scale? This doesn’t seem like a scale at all."
He tried to dig into it, but it wouldn’t budge. Then Nakano Asaka frowned and said, "Wait, there’s a crack here."
Everyone gathered around, and sure enough, there was an inconspicuous seam.
Nakano Asaka scratched at the crack, causing some debris to fall away.
He examined it closely. "Is this... really wood?"
He continued prying at the seam, and with a strong tug, there was a loud "crack" as the wood split open!
An object fell out from inside.
In the dark cave, the object emitted a faint glow, standing out immediately.
As soon as it hit the ground, it began rolling toward the cave entrance.
Miyamoto Satoshi was startled and instinctively stepped aside.
Gu Zhan, however, was right behind him and quickly bent down to pick it up.
No, wait—this thing was alive!
The moment he grabbed it, Gu Zhan could feel it pulsating rhythmically, like a human heart... but the beat was so faint that it could only be felt when tightly grasped.
It was a scale, about the size of half of Gu Zhan’s palm, predominantly white, but with a layer of iridescent, pearlescent sheen.
No, it wasn’t just a coating. The scale itself was glowing.
Moreover, the scale seemed to want to escape from Gu Zhan’s grasp.
Instinctively, he tightened his grip, and Miyamoto Satoshi, who had initially wanted a look, was taken aback by his reaction. "Relax, we’re not going to take it from you..."
"It’s not that..." Gu Zhan tried to explain but didn’t know where to start.
Just then, there was another noise from outside, and suddenly, the scale vanished from Gu Zhan’s hand.
"As I thought," Miyamoto Satoshi, who hadn’t really been focused on the scale, looked up toward the cave entrance. "Every time we visit this shrine, it seems to bring us back to Haizhu Village, many years ago… They’re coming over. Let’s go somewhere else to talk."
If their timeline in Haizhu Village remained consistent, they had arrived just before the ritual began. Soon, the village chief would send people to block off the coastline to prevent any accidents.
The commotion they had heard during their previous visit was likely caused by Masaki Taro and Akiko’s escape.
This time, with experience under their belts, they easily avoided the watchmen and slipped into the village.
Despite the ominous ritual, Haizhu Village was bustling with men, women, children, and adults, making it look quite lively.
After wandering around for a while, they found a secluded corner.
Miyamoto Satoshi said, "Last time, we fled before the ritual could begin, but the black fog and the monster that followed were likely summoned by the ceremony. This time, let’s change tactics and try to prevent the ritual from happening. Then we’ll see if the monster still appears."
Nakano Asaka said, "The problem is, how are we supposed to stop the ritual? The village has so many people. Even if we escape or help Masaki Taro and Akiko get away, the chief could just choose another sacrifice."
Miyamoto Satoshi suggested tentatively, "Maybe we could sabotage the ritual site?"
"That’s too difficult," Gu Zhan offered a more practical suggestion. "We could kidnap the village chief."
"What?" Miyamoto Satoshi was visibly shocked by this new direction. "But..."
【Haha, I know what Miyamoto Satoshi wants to say: But isn’t the village chief an NPC? He might even be the boss! Is kidnapping him really an option?】
【LOL, finally, some other victims.】
【Things are getting interesting now.】
Gu Zhan, thinking Miyamoto Satoshi hadn’t understood him, explained further, "The village chief is the one conducting the ritual. According to Masaki Taro, he’s the main beneficiary, and the ritual likely depends entirely on him. So far, no one else seems capable of performing the ceremony in his place."
"It’s not that..." The more Gu Zhan explained, the more exasperated Miyamoto Satoshi became. His shock wasn’t about whether kidnapping the chief could stop the ritual—it was more about the fact that... the village chief could be kidnapped in the first place?!
Unexpectedly, after hearing Gu Zhan's explanation, Nakano Asaka surprisingly nodded and said, “What you said makes sense. Let’s go kidnap the village chief!”
【I didn’t expect there would be two reckless ones in the same quest.】
【Miyamoto Satoshi never thought he would become part of the minority in the plan to kidnap an NPC.】
Miyamoto Satoshi wasn’t naturally impulsive; he was just momentarily taken aback. However, when he realized Nakano Asaka also agreed, his shock gradually faded.
This was a big idea.
But maybe it could really work?
He wasn’t afraid of getting into trouble or causing a stir... After a moment of thought, Miyamoto Satoshi compromised, “Alright, let’s go kidnap the village chief. But you all need to come up with a solid plan; this isn’t simple.”
Gu Zhan didn’t think it was too complicated.
After all, compared to the time he led the previous quest’s director into the central space, this was both simpler and safer, plus it was more efficient and required little thought.
However, his teammates seemed quite cautious.
Gu Zhan didn’t feel his idea was problematic; he thought Miyamoto Satoshi was just being overly careful in the quest. Look... Nakano Asaka was in full support of his idea.
Still, it was necessary to address his teammates' concerns.
As they said, one must be considerate of those around them; otherwise, they could be ostracized by the group.
While their actions might not be ideal, Gu Zhan had to admit that some of their advice was quite useful.
He thought for a moment and said, “Let’s just go to his house. We’re already familiar with the route; we just need to find an empty spot and take him away.”
He suggested this because they had previously escaped from the village chief's house.
Though the village chief was wary of them and wanted to lock them up, he was still an ordinary person. His methods were typical, and they easily escaped.
Miyamoto Satoshi hadn’t expected Gu Zhan to come up with such a risky suggestion.
Directly sneaking into the village chief’s house... He was both amused and helpless. “Why don’t we just walk in boldly?”
“Right, right...” Nakano Asaka chimed in, “We could just let them catch us.”
Miyamoto Satoshi: “...”
---
Ten minutes later, Miyamoto Satoshi, looking reluctant, found himself at the entrance of Haizhu Village with Gu Zhan and Nakano Asaka.
Haizhu Village was bustling with people, and as soon as they appeared, the villagers noticed them.
Soon, a crowd gathered around them.
“What are you doing?”
“Where did you come from?”
Miyamoto Satoshi felt conflicted but had to play along with the NPCs. “We got lost. Could you tell us where this place is?”
“Yeah, we’re lost,” Nakano Asaka added, “We heard there’s a sea here. Which direction is it?”
When the villagers heard they were lost, their expressions changed.
They exchanged glances, and one of them said, “The roads here are complicated. Since you’re lost, follow us.”
Nakano Asaka asked, “Where are you taking us?”
The villagers replied, “We’ll find someone to guide you out.”
While they said this, their path was still leading to the village chief’s house.
As they were escorted toward the village chief's house, Nakano Asaka kept signaling Miyamoto Satoshi with his eyes.
Miyamoto Satoshi didn’t want to say anything.
He hadn’t expected Gu Zhan’s idea would be so reckless.
He never thought such a reckless plan would actually succeed!
He had been convinced by Gu Zhan and Nakano Asaka!
What’s happening? Was his IQ now on the same level as Nakano Asaka’s?
Miyamoto Satoshi was led to the village chief’s house with a face full of despair. Just like last time, upon arrival, the village chief pretended to be friendly and asked where they came from and where they were going.
Upon learning they were lost, he informed them that a storm was coming that night and suggested they stay in the village for the night.
Gu Zhan knew very well that if they stayed, they wouldn’t be able to leave.
However, that was exactly what they wanted.
They followed the village chief into the room and indicated they wanted to rest. The villagers, recognizing the situation, left.
Gu Zhan approached the window and looked outside. As expected, someone was already watching.
Nakano Asaka appeared quite excited. “So, what now? Are we going to kidnap him?”
Miyamoto Satoshi leaned against the window, still looking despondent, clearly having given up on the discussion.
After thinking for a moment, Gu Zhan replied, “Let’s wait until after the ritual.”
If they didn’t escape, the village chief’s ritual should proceed as planned... If both the sacrificial offerings and the village chief went missing before the ritual, it would surely disrupt the ceremony.
The chances of it being sabotaged would be higher.
Suddenly, Miyamoto Satoshi spoke up, “But Masaki Taro said the ritual should take place three days from now. Plus, if we don’t escape tonight, they might get caught.”
Gu Zhan replied, “We can wait for the ritual... As for them, one person can help them escape tonight.”
“Okay, Akiyama” Miyamoto Satoshi finally showed a hint of a smile. Then he added, “Just don’t know how long we can stay here.”
To Gu Zhan, none of these matters seemed significant. Although he didn’t know how long they could stay, isn’t it true that only by remaining would they know their limits?
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