Miyamizu Shrine is located on a small hill, with lush banyan trees and sycamores growing there. You can overlook the lake in the distance, and the scenery is very pleasant.

In the vestibule, an old lady with white hair and stooped back was sweeping fallen leaves with a bamboo broom.

"Oh, Priest Yimu and all the mages are really rare guests."

"Excuse me, Lord Gongshui. That's great. You are here. I thought you had gone to seek refuge."

The old woman - Master Miyamizu Kazuha leaned against the wall and put down the broom.

"My shrine is several hills away, not in the evacuation zone, and I'm quite old. I can do whatever I want. Birth, old age, sickness and death, whether it's natural disasters, diseases or super beasts, it's all the same to me.

, there is nothing to avoid. What, are you here to discuss the Autumn Festival in two months? Ah, it seems not." Granny Miyamizu saw the TAC team members following behind. "Could it be related to the super beast? Explain in advance

"Although we worship the great god Ultraman here, we don't have the ability to deal with super beasts."

This was obviously a joke, and no one picked it up. Everyone looked around the courtyard.

"Ultraman is really worshiped here." Konno said as he looked around at the prayer flags with the words Sever, Ace, Gaia and the Ultra Brothers written on them.

Looking inside, there are some stone statues of Ultraman standing in the main hall.

Because it was the first generation who saved this town back then, it was natural for the first generation to stand in the center of the hall, with all the Ultra brothers present.

"The word 'Ultraman' you just mentioned, Lord God, sounds quite weird."

But when put together with the surrounding environment, it seems to fit well.

"I also think it sounds strange." Granny Miyamizu unexpectedly agreed, "Our Miyamizu Shrine has been enshrining the Japanese god (god of braiding and weaving) for generations. It is my incompetent son-in-law who has given up the priesthood long ago and ran away.

I became the mayor of the town, but I came over and said that I wanted to enshrine Ultraman. I am also getting older, and my granddaughter Mitsuha went to Tokyo. Her sister Yotsuba didn't want to follow Shinto. After I went, this shrine was still beautiful.

Shulai arranged it, I can’t control what he wants to do.”

"However, thanks to Priest Junshu, Lord Gongshui, your incense is much stronger than before." Priest Zhijimu had to admit that he was also a little jealous.

"It would be a lie to say that as a shrine master, you don't care about the incense of your own shrine. But in my opinion, it's better to be more sincere in worshiping the gods. Why, if you are not here for the autumn festival, why are you doing it?

Coming?"

"Ah, that's it." When he got down to business, the Yimu Priest cleared his throat, "You should know about the 'Black Bag Monk' who lived more than a thousand years ago, right? We all thought it was a myth, but he broke the seal.

He ran away, so we are going to arrange an exorcism ceremony, a real witch's exorcism ceremony, to see if we can seal him again."

If it weren't for the serious look of Priest Ichigi and the TAC members around him, Granny Miyamizu would definitely take this as a joke.

"Black Budai Monk? You... I'm an old lady, I'm probably too old and confused to understand. You mean to use a witch dance to deal with 'Black Budai Monk'?"

Seeing the other party nodding affirmatively, Granny Miyazui became even more surprised.

"I think you should know, Priest Ichigi, that the Black Budai monk has been worshiped as a god for hundreds of years. During the shogunate's reign, the evil temple was destroyed and the incense was gone. Not to mention such ghosts and gods, we no longer have shrine maidens in Miyamizu Shrine.

Well, even if I was an old woman when I was young, did you think we were at the Ise Jingu Shrine with the Yata Mirror? Or could we borrow the Kusanagi Sword?"

Miyamizu Kazuyo was indeed a well-known shrine maiden when she was young. She was proficient in slaying demons, pulling out evil spirits, praying for blessings, and all kinds of rituals. Therefore, Miyamizu Shrine is one of the top shrines even in this small town with many religious shrines, but

That’s just within the confines of this small town.

"Of course I understand, Lord Miyamizu, but we have the Kami-mae miko, the 'Kami-mae' miko that everyone has seen with their own eyes."

"What nonsense are you talking about? All shrine maidens are pre-divine shrine maidens."

A shrine maiden originally serves the gods and is a waiter of the gods. They communicate with yin and yang and humans and gods, and dedicate their faith to the gods wholeheartedly. Lord Miyamizu said this, but she also understood what the Ichigi wood priest meant.

"So, is this the little girl?"

"Good afternoon, sorry to bother you, Granny Miyamizu."

"Good afternoon, what a lovely little girl." Facing Lingya, Lord Miyamizu showed no seriousness at all, and smiled very kindly. "What's your name?"

"Reiya, Oshima Reiya. Actually, I'm not a miko, and I don't know what a miko is going to do."

"That's right, Lingya, but it doesn't matter. Sometimes the gods choose us when we don't know it, even if we don't know the reason. This kind of thing happens occasionally, but the gods always have deep meanings."

Lord Miyamizu walked up to Lingya. Because she was too old and stooped, her height was about the same as Lingya's.

She looked straight at Lingya and continued: "The devil is a very terrifying thing, whether it is feudal superstition or not, it doesn't matter whether it exists or in what form it exists. It is the weirdness of thousands of years of sacrifice and the accumulated resentment of thousands of years. It will stain people's hearts.

, cut off the important things between people."

A burning incense burner was burning in the corner of the main hall, and green smoke was rising. A group of people were in front of the main hall. When pilgrims saw them, they all bowed from a distance, and no one came forward to disturb them. However, the priest Gong Shui still introduced the people into the inner court, and went there

The tea room in the backyard.

On the way, a middle-aged man came to see him as a gift, but Granny Miyomizu dismissed him casually.

"Everyone is laughing. That's my useless son-in-law. He took off his priest's robe and now he's back."

When she said this, Ichigi and some other mages did not dare to be rude, and they all greeted them one after another. That person was the mayor here, the highest official in the entire town. If he was in a bad mood, he would use the incense from Ichimu Shrine.

Maybe it will be 50% less.

The "unworthy son-in-law" in the mouth of Granny Miyamizu was named Toshiki Miyamizu. Because he was married into the family, he took the surname of the shrine. Not long after he left, he brought a teapot over. Granny Miyamizu didn't say anything this time and acquiesced to him.

Tea was served to all the guests.

Everyone knelt down on the tatami, and Granny Miyamizu specially pulled Lingya to sit next to her.

However, Ling is not used to the posture of kneeling and sitting, and she has never practiced any of them.

"It doesn't matter if you're not used to sitting on your knees. Little girls don't have to be like old antiques like us. You can sit however you feel comfortable."

Since Granny Miyamizu said so, Ling didn't force herself and just bent her legs to find a comfortable position.

Seeing this, Konno and Yoshimura also wanted to relax their thighs, but under Captain Long's gaze, they had to return to sitting upright.

"I believe that the Jimu Priest will not lie. He must have seen something in you. But even so, the Demon God is not something that can be easily contaminated. Its curse will rot people's hearts. Can you understand? This is very dangerous.

It’s very, very dangerous, both to the body and the mind.”

Apparently Granny Miyamizu doesn't quite agree with Priest Ichiki's proposal, and she hopes Ling can seriously consider it.

"That black bag monk... Demon God, if we leave him alone, will anyone get hurt?"

"Injured? Maybe. The demon will not hurt humans with fists, knives, or swords, but it will arouse evil thoughts in human hearts. Not only people, but also the evil thoughts of all living creatures around them, causing suspicion, betrayal, and hatred.

Until this land is corrupted."

The devil is not a super beast. It will not destroy tangible things in person, but it will play with people's hearts unscrupulously and destroy all ethical orders. It cannot interfere with reality on a large scale, and it will not be eliminated by weapons of reality.

"If this is the case, let me give it a try. At least I can help others and be needed by everyone."

"Being needed by everyone?" Granny Miyamizu repeated strangely, not quite understanding, "Everyone will be needed by others, by parents, brothers and sisters, Lingya, and when you grow up, there will be a husband and children. No.

Humans can respond to everyone's needs and listen to everyone's prayers. That is a responsibility that only gods can shoulder."

"But I don't have any of these."

Mom, dad, brothers and sisters, there is no blood relative left in this world. Her parents are here, but she still knows where she came from. When her parents go, there is only a way back.

Gong Shui stopped, and she realized that she seemed to have said the wrong thing. After a long time, she regained her words.

"However, even though you are still young now, you will find someone who truly loves you in the future."

"It is the right of every girl to find someone who truly loves her and is needed by only one person. This is how the world continues. For a girl, this is the only responsibility she has to bear.

You have to bear more if necessary."

After saying this, Granny Miyamizu looked at the little girl. She was only about ten years old, much younger than her granddaughter Yotsuba, who was already in high school. No matter how she tried to persuade her, she never spoke and was stubborn.

The appearance is somewhat similar to his late daughter Erye.

The shrine maiden before the gods...

"Okay, if you really insist, I can teach you some things about witches." In the end, Granny Miyamizu gave in. There was nothing she could do about such a stubborn little girl.

Because they really know what they want to do, and maybe what they do is indeed right, but it’s just not fair to themselves. Erye is like this, and so is this little girl named Lingya.

"Next, I will teach Lingya as you wish. That's all you want to say, right? I won't give it away."

Granny Miyamizu was not in a good mood and ordered her to be kicked out. She had no intention of saying goodbye, but after thinking about it she still asked: "Master Miyamizu, how long does it take for the Oshima witch to study? You know, the evil spirit of the black cloth monk can happen at any time.

will appear."

"How about half a day? I have a witch manual here. Just read it. Is that okay?"

Seeing that her mother-in-law was obviously talking angrily, Yi Yimu quickly smiled and said, "You know that's not what I meant. We just, yes, just want to prepare items for the exorcism ceremony, so we need to know the time."

"We have everything in the shrine, so I won't bother you. Back then, I spent ten years practicing before I participated in the exorcism ceremony for the first time. Erye also practiced for eight years. How long do you think it will take?"

As for my granddaughter Mitsuba, she was just a trainee shrine maiden until she got married last year. She has not even completed the most basic practices of 'concentration', 'determination' and 'centering', and she knows nothing about it.

"Ten years, eight years? That's not possible..."

"It's not you who have the final say whether it's okay or not, and it's not me who has the final say. Well, it's time for you to leave."

Granny Miyazui said so, and Ichigi had no choice but to leave. He knew that Lord Miyazui, even now, did not really intend to let the girl exorcise the demon.

Is it dangerous to exorcise the devil? That is obvious, but Hideya is still willing to believe that the scene he saw not long ago and the moment he felt was real. He felt the eyes of the gods. It was not just serving the gods.

God is indeed with her.

"Master Miyamizu, it's time for our TAC team to say goodbye after we have been chatting for so long." Captain Long said, "Just considering that there may still be a so-called 'Black Bag Monk' and whether super beasts will appear again, we need to stay for a while.

The team members are here, please allow me."

"It doesn't matter, this is a shrine, anyone can come if they want." Granny Miyamizu has no ill feelings towards the TAC team. They are warriors who protect humans in the face of super beasts.

"Beidou, you stay." Captain Long ordered. He thought for a moment and then added: "Nan also stays and cooperates with Beidou to do the security work. I will leave this place to you two. The others will return to the headquarters with me."
Chapter completed!