Chapter 91: Organisation

For himself, when was the last time he ate? It seems... it has been a long time.

Hana Saruri looked at the young man in front of her and shook her head, saying, "No need, I've already eaten."

"Really..." Li Mo then thought of something. "Then I'll eat it. We can't waste food."

He ate the rice ball in his hand. But in his heart, there were a thousand thoughts. Hana Saruri's existence was special now. After the Sacred Sakura Cleansing Ritual was completed, she would disappear.

While eating the rice ball, Li Mo looked at the shrine maiden before him. Even though he couldn't see her face, just from her graceful figure, he could tell she was a beauty.

A beauty who had already passed...

"What's wrong, sir?"

"Nothing. I haven't introduced myself yet, have I? My name is Li Mo. I'm a wanderer."

"Good afternoon, Sir Li Mo."

"Good afternoon."

The greetings ended, just at the right moment. At least Li Mo had many things hidden in his heart. Memories of the past surfaced, and he felt as if his body weighed a thousand pounds.

Carrying these thoughts, he silently took out a talisman. The talisman left by the divine had been passed down to the hands of the sea bandits, and it had shaped the current Li Mo.

A flash of lightning, and suddenly, something resembling a whisk appeared at the base of the Heavenly Fox statue.

Li Mo asked, "Is this what you were looking for, Hana Saruri?"

"Exactly," Hana Saruri replied.

"What should I do next?"

Li Mo only vaguely remembered that he needed to go to three places to solve puzzles and kill monsters. But what was the specific process? He couldn't remember.

"In Konda Village, there's a barrier that must be broken. As for the location of the barrier... the entrance is inside the well in Konda Village. As for how to get down, you'll have to figure that out yourself."

"I understand."

Li Mo certainly remembered that well. Wasn't it the well behind the village chief's house? He had a deep impression of it during the mission. After all, the reference point was close. Just walk over from the anchor point and then jump down. Simple and straightforward.

Li Mo then set off, heading straight for Konda Village. If it had been yesterday, he would have found this situation troublesome. As a wanderer, he would have been too embarrassed to make such a request. But today, after following Uncle Teshima around, asking for help seemed natural.

Even now, if Li Mo wanted to disguise himself as a villager from Konda Village and enter Inazuma City, it would probably work. These wanderers didn't seem to worry about being betrayed—or perhaps, they just didn't think of it.

Maybe his own heart was too dirty.

The village chief of Konda Village was named Konda Densuke. He was also an elderly man with white hair. In Konda Village, those of a certain age all looked like this. From what he had heard from Kamaiichiro, the older generation had suffered a lot. By their later years, everyone's hair had turned white early.

The biggest advantage of the Konda family compared to other families was that they already had a third generation. The children of the Imatani family were currently focused on their careers and had no plans to start a family yet. As for the Kamai brothers... just being alive was good enough. As for the descendants of other families, many of them were idle.

"Actually, it's not entirely their fault. If it were a few years ago, before the Sakoku Decree was implemented, the violetgrass business in the village was still thriving, and they would have been very busy. Now, there's nothing to do..."

"What about Inazuma City?"

"Jobs there aren't easy to find either, and the standard of living isn't much better than staying in the village. At least it's more relaxed here. Besides, Ichiro has returned now. That's good."

Li Mo was conversing with Konda Densuke. The elderly man seemed very pleased with his arrival. According to him... Li Mo and Kamaiichiro's return had given the young people in the village something to do.

"Is it okay for Kamaiichiro to train them?"

"What's the problem? Isn't it good to learn some skills? If it weren't for Teshima-sama's old age, I would have asked him to come out and teach the children. Children... you didn't come to me just to chat, did you? Do you need my help with something?"

Perhaps sensing Li Mo's hesitation, Konda Densuke asked.

"Well, Village Chief, do you know about the 'barrier' in Konda Village?" Li Mo inquired.

After thinking for a while, Li Mo decided to ask this question. He couldn't just go to the village chief and say, "Hey, Village Chief, the well in your backyard leads to an underground space, and I need to go there." That would be too direct, right?

He thought that since it was the barrier in Konda Village, as the village chief, Konda Densuke should know something about it. After all, that well was still his.

"'Barrier'? That's an ancient term. Hmm... let me think. Legend has it that beneath Konda Village lies the root of the Thunder Sakura, one of the five roots protecting Narukami Island. Guarding the 'barrier' was a duty entrusted to the Konda clan by Lady Saiguu, but it's been so long that I can't remember."

"Then... is there any secret about the well in your backyard, Village Chief?" Li Mo asked.

"The well? Why the sudden change of topic... Oh. I remember now. There's a mechanism at the bottom of my well. The words passed down from our ancestors say that if necessary, it can be opened. The method to open it... I think I still remember. Wait a moment."

Konda Densuke stood up and went back to his room, seemingly to look for something. Not long after, he came out with a key in his hand.

"There should be a keyhole at the bottom of the well. If you want to go, then go ahead." Konda Densuke handed the key to Li Mo.

"Aren't you worried I might do something bad?" Li Mo asked.

He didn't expect the village chief to so easily tell him the method. Did he really trust him that much?

"Earlier, the Kamai child saw you talking to a shrine maiden in front of the Heavenly Fox statue. Old people tend to forget things. Lady Saiguu once said that perhaps a long time later, someone would come to open the barrier. I think you're that person."

"The Village Chief trusts that shrine maiden, right?"

"Yes. Lady Saiguu was once the head priestess of the Grand Narukami Shrine. Since a shrine maiden from the Grand Narukami Shrine has vouched for you, along with your character, I think it's okay to entrust this to you."

Li Mo said, "Thank you."

He left the house and headed to the backyard. On the way, he met Futaba, a young girl adopted by Konda Densuke. She was only four or five years old and looked very cute. After greeting her, he arrived at the well.

The well had water in it, and it looked ordinary.

The water was clear, allowing Li Mo to see the bottom. But there was no keyhole on the stone slab at the bottom. Upon closer inspection, he found a keyhole on the edge of the well's wall.

It wasn't as small as a regular keyhole but just the right size for the key. Li Mo lowered the rope used to draw water and grabbed it, thinking he might need it to climb back up later.

Descending into the well, the water wasn't deep enough to submerge him completely. After inserting the key, the stone slab at the bottom opened, and the water inside began to drain.

A hollow space was revealed before Li Mo, who was hanging in mid-air by the rope.