Lei Dianzhen nodded slightly, his fingertips unconsciously twisting the lightning pattern embroidered on his sleeves:

"According to the islanders, the festival will last for four days and nights. As for the main event... I don't know much."

She paused briefly, her violet eyes gazing at the distant center of the island, shrouded in thick fog. "This is also my first time personally participating in a Heguan ceremony. I heard that the core of the final ceremony is to go to the main altar in the center of the island and offer the most devout worship and prayers to the legendary thunderbird Kapachiri... For the rest, perhaps you could ask the local residents?"

I see, Kapachiri the Thunderbird is the deity enshrined here.

Muramasa knew nothing about this name and simply thought, "I see." However, Kamiko had a stronger reaction to it:

"So it's that Thunderbird?"

Hmm? Do you know him?

"Yes, the giant bird that the general shot down. We were originally worried about what to do with the remains of the demon god, but then the body disappeared without a trace..."

"Now that I think about it, maybe I didn't die completely and finally returned here."

Is that so...hmm...

Muramasa had no knowledge of history, but the other party's words always made him feel that something was wrong.

According to Shen Zi, both the island and the thunderbirds seemed to have concentrated on the area five hundred years ago...

Huh? Five hundred years ago...

Is this your first time attending a festival since five hundred years ago?

the first time?

"...Really, how long have you lived here?"

Muramasa seemed to feel that he had grasped something of vital importance.

The voice of Yae Shinko in her head also instantly fell silent, and she obviously realized the key point of Muramasa's question.

She looked out at the rolling fog in the distance, then at the peaceful village before her: "I haven't kept track of the dates... The boundaries between the four seasons on the island are also blurry..."

Her voice gradually lowered, as if she was trying to recall a specific number. In the end, she could only shake her head slightly, "It should be... some time..."

"What were you doing three days ago?"

Muramasa casually mentioned a number of days, at least it would be the days before he went to the island.

Raidenjin tilted his head slightly, a ripple of memory in his purple eyes, "Three days ago? Chatting with Chiyo in the square. It was very similar to last night?"

She paused, as if confirming the outline of her memory.

"Will there also be bonfires, the smell of meat, and children playing?"

Muramasa asked, and just looked at him and nodded again.

"Yes, it's very similar. The halo of the bonfire dances, the aroma of barbecue wafts far away, and the laughter of children chasing and playing around the woodpile..."

She remembers every day as filled with bonfires, barbecues, friends chatting, and children playing. There were also shadows of other people in between, but those shadows would disappear in just a few days and nights.

Can we have a bonfire every day? Can we have a barbecue every day?

Is this some kind of fantasy land, with an endless supply of barbecue and wood to squander?

"I understand. I'll leave first."

After collecting the information he needed and bidding farewell to Raiden Shin, whose brows were still filled with sorrow, Muramasa turned around and walked towards the depths of the island.

"Where are you going?"

The Son of God did not ask the reason, but only inquired about his next destination.

“The altar.”

Muramasa replied directly:

"If I'm not mistaken, there must be something there."

Unsurprisingly, the path leading to the altar was not shrouded in the thick fog that lingered all day, and it was also part of the clear and peaceful part of the island.

As he continued to go deeper, the terrain began to rise slightly. At the end of the road, a wide circular platform suddenly appeared.

On the platform, the circular altar made of rough boulders exudes a desolate and primitive atmosphere, and is engraved with ancient patterns of unknown meaning.

However, what Muramasa couldn't take his eyes off was not the altar itself.

Behind the altar, or rather, surrounding the altar and the island's core area, is...

A huge storm wall reaching the sky!

The huge storm wall is like a gray-white curtain, with the core of the island as the eye, rotating slowly and unstoppably, completely isolating the most central part of the island from the outside world.

The grayish-white fog gradually thinned out at the edge of the storm wall and was drawn into and assimilated into the behemoth.

Occasionally, a black shadow flashing with ominous purple lightning would quickly pass by on the giant screen, accompanied by the wailing cries of birds, and barely squeeze out from the cracks in the storm wall.

"The guests are really anxious. The festival hasn't even reached this stage yet."

Aru's voice came from behind.

Muramasa turned around suddenly and saw that Aru had been standing just a few steps away from him, looking up at him quietly with her little face.

The Swordsmith from Another World: Chapter 110: Within the Thick Fog

"Just strolling around," Muramasa looked at the kid, not letting his rather deceptive appearance put him off. "Or is it that? Is this a place you can't come to before the appointed time?"

"How could that be? You are a 'guest' and are free to go wherever you want."

He wore a polite smile, not blaming the other party for coming here:

"It's just that this place won't be activated until the fourth day, so nothing will happen here now."

"So what are you doing here?"

Aru stared at Muramasa, still smiling. "Come here and play the flute." He raised his hand, and an ancient wooden flute was already in his small palm. "Because Kapachiri likes it."

"It seems like you have a good relationship with it?"

"It's not it, it's her." Aru corrected softly, then replied: "Yes, Aru and her have a good relationship."

He used the third person, as if he was talking about something that had nothing to do with him.

Before Muramasa could react to this contradictory answer, Aru immediately brought the flute to her lips.

The melodious sound of a flute suddenly rang out, penetrating the low sobs of the storm wall.

The melody is indeed beautiful, with a hint of ancient charm.

"Hmm... the song is alright."

Shenzi briefly commented, but Muramasa shook his head, but his comment was not about the tune itself:

The music is indeed nice...but is that really the level of accuracy a child should have?

Every key change, every pause and connection of breath, is as perfect as mechanical recording, without any changes caused by the length and shortness of breath.

Even though Muramasa didn't understand music, he could still tell the degree of perfection.

While he was thinking, the shadow of a bird was becoming clearer and clearer on the storm wall in the distance. Even with the dim light, he could see that the demon was flapping its wings and hovering there.

But there was no communication between the two, just a blowing and a pause, carrying out some kind of customary ritual.

"Ok?"

The Eye of Karma that had been opened earlier was not closed, and therefore, Muramasa did not miss the subtle changes in this seemingly peaceful scene.

The thread of fate on "Aru" that was originally as empty as a shadow suddenly "wove" into a new thread.

……

Muramasa didn't wait for the music to end, as he was just killing time by sitting there and waiting.

So he jumped out of the safe area and went deep into Heguan, which was shrouded in thick fog.

"Just leave like that?"

The Son of God took the initiative to ask. In her opinion, the child must know a lot, so why not ask a few more questions.

"Time is running out. We don't have time to leisurely wait for that guy to play music."

According to what the other party had just said, this was probably a common practice that occurred every time during the four-day festival. There wasn't much to delve into.

"And," he paused, his mind racing with the other person's deliberate use of the third person pronoun. "It's already confirmed that he's also an outsider, probably replacing the original 'Aru' in some way."

Since it has been replaced, we still have to use this method to remind ourselves indirectly, probably because there are some limitations to its "replacement".

"Even if he tells us everything he knows, we won't be able to learn much. This is my judgment."

The Son of God, far away and safe, did not respond to his analysis. After all, she was only observing remotely through special means, and it was difficult to use the usual methods to determine the truth. After a moment of silence, her voice came again:

"Well, I trust your judgment."

"So, what are your plans next?"

"Since the situation here is complicated, the umbrella is just mist and can be dispelled..."

Muramasa continued his pace. A flash of blue light suddenly appeared in his right palm, and he drew a blade from thin air. With a flick of his wrist, the long blade slashed in an arc of light, and the thick, almost tangible gray mist in front of him dissipated like the tide.

On both sides of the passage, the fog that had been cut open surged violently, but was unable to close again for the time being.

Muramasa stared at the briefly clear path ahead and replied succinctly:

"Let's first find out the true situation of this island."

Size, topography, remaining traces, and what "things" might be lurking beneath this dead silence. It's better to find out now than to be caught off guard by something unexpected at the last minute.

Muramasa's figure sped through the briefly clear passage. Whenever the fog approached, he would draw out his sword again to disperse the fog, trying to make out as much as possible in the thick fog.

"This fog is clearly not a natural product. I'm afraid it's related to the ley lines here." The Son of God's voice echoed in his mind. "It can be dispelled so easily. Your strength attribute is indeed incompatible with it."

"Understood." Muramasa said briefly. His current goal was simple, which was to run around the entire island.

In this way, no matter whether it is danger or something else, it will be attracted by your recklessness, and you can then deal with it in a targeted manner.

Just as he passed by a relatively open area of ​​strange rocks, the scene he caught his eye suddenly changed.

The fog ahead twisted and flowed unnaturally, creating extremely tiny spatial ripples at several points, like fish swimming rapidly beneath the water, creating almost invisible waves.

The cold, greedy malice tore through space and stabbed at his perception from all directions without any warning!

"—!"

Without any hesitation, he tapped the ground with his toes, immediately stopping his forward momentum.

Less than half a meter in front of where he was standing, the space was torn apart like fragile cloth by three intersecting purple-black claws!

Accompanied by low and suppressed animal roars, three hideous creatures leaped out from the torn space and hovered in the air above the ground.

Its head was long and narrow, its mouth filled with fangs, and black saliva flowed between its teeth. Its body, as if composed of a blend of shadow and amethyst, creaked and crackled, and its dark purple eyes stared intently at the creature before it.

What caught Muramasa's attention the most was their forelimbs. Although the fact that they could float in the air was already amazing, their claws were separated from their torsos and became independent.

"...Beast Realm Hound!"

The Son of God obviously recognized the creature before him, and his voice became solemn:

"That's no wonder. This island itself is related to the beast tide five hundred years ago. I'd be surprised if they didn't show up."

One of the hounds apparently couldn't suppress its bloodthirsty impulse. It let out a sharp neigh, raised its head to the sky, and then turned into a purple-black afterimage. Its figure disappeared and reappeared in front of the village!

Its forelimbs were separated from its body and its sharp energy claws were raised high, tearing through the air with a sharp scream.

"Humph!"

Muramasa had already turned his wrist before it disappeared and reappeared, and slashed the long sword from bottom to top, beheading the monster that had just appeared from nothingness.

These things did not pose much threat to him, but his eyes had already caught sight of the truly ominous thing - a piece that was clearly protruding from the surrounding fog that was about to gather.

There was anything there, at least to the naked eye. The thick fog continued to roll, and only a faint sense of the intense animality within it could be felt, much more intense than the several tangible beasts nearby.

Even though he couldn't see its appearance clearly, it aroused Muramasa's primate bloodline and his sense of hunger, which was similar to that of a wolf pack.

The Swordsmith of Another World: Chapter 111 Hound

Something is coming.

It was naturally difficult for the Son of God to notice what was hidden in the protruding piece of fog. Her attention was all focused on the hounds that had condensed into substance.

Because she only had vision and hearing but lacked on-site perception, she could only catch that Muramasa's gaze was focused on the fog rather than the enemy.

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