Chapter 387: Problems in the village

Washizu, the chief of **Higi Village**, was a burly middle-aged man. His muscular arms, clad in a linen shirt, bore calluses on the palms—a sign of someone who had wielded a sword for a long time.

"I didn't come to **Yashiori Island** intentionally. I arrived here by chance from another island. When I entered the village, I noticed everyone seemed very busy. Has something happened?"

Li Mo recalled his initial observations upon entering the village.

The adults were all bustling about, and many of them bore injuries. Otherwise, they wouldn't have sent a child to guide him.

Washizu explained, "Sir, you might not know this. A while ago, there was a sudden flash of intense light at **Tatarasuna**, followed by a massive explosion. It was louder than the thunder from the storm above. After that incident, Tatarasuna was shut down. As a result, many people lost their jobs and had no choice but to return to the village.

Then, because of the ongoing conflict between the **Watatsumi Resistance** and the **Shogunate Army**, Yashiori Island has also been affected. The roads from Tatarasuna to **Narukami Island** have been blocked, forcing the miners to come to our village. That's why things are so hectic here."

Washizu's explanation was a bit scattered, but Li Mo managed to extract the key points.

There had been an explosion at Tatarasuna, which led to injuries and even deaths among the miners working there. More importantly, the explosion caused the mines to shut down, leaving the miners unemployed. With the **Tenryou Commission** blocking the roads to Narukami Island due to the war, the miners had no choice but to gather in Higi Village.

After a moment of thought, Li Mo asked, "If the Tenryou Commission isn't allowing people to move freely, then merchants can't travel either, right? Are your food and medicinal supplies sufficient?"

As a hoarder, Li Mo's primary concern was always resources.

Thinking about it, Higi Village's current situation was one of increased population but restricted movement. With merchants unable to bring in supplies, the village was forced to rely on its existing reserves, which would eventually run out.

"Through some channels, we're still managing to get by," Washizu stammered.

Li Mo assumed these "channels" were likely less than legal.

He didn't press the issue. As a member of **Narukami Shrine**, it wasn't his place to interfere with matters that fell under the Tenryou Commission's jurisdiction.

"Yashiori Island's geographical location is unique. Have you considered evacuating to Narukami Island?" Li Mo asked.

Washizu shook his head, his expression troubled. "Unless it's absolutely necessary, we can't just up and leave. In fact, many of the miners in Higi Village are from Narukami Island. Ever since the **Sakoku Decree**, people haven't been able to make much money, so many have come here to scrape by."

"I understand," Li Mo nodded, then said, "Thank you for your time today. Where are the injured being treated? I'd like to take a look."

"Sir, do you know medicine?"

"I know a little."

Li Mo had two girlfriends who were doctors, and the other was a nurse. He had picked up some medical knowledge, and with the help of magic, he could heal almost anything as long as the person wasn't already dead.

In reality, there were many injured miners, many of whom had burns. While they had received some treatment, their conditions hadn't improved much.

Washizu led Li Mo to where the patients were being kept. The place was orderly, a testament to the competence of those managing it.

Li Mo stood at the doorway, observing the patients. He quickly realized why they weren't healing.

The miners' bodies were connected to the **Tatarigami** energy in the ground. The corrupting influence of the Tatarigami was continuously eroding their bodies. If not for something suppressing the Tatarigami energy, they would have already died.

"Priest, do you have a solution?"

"Are you Dr. **Hakumoto**? You've done well, but some things are beyond the reach of medicine."

Before leaving, Washizu had introduced the two. Hakumoto was Higi Village's doctor, and while his medical skills were limited, he was doing his best with the resources available—primarily a concoction made from **Mist Flowers** and sugar.

Upon closer inspection, Li Mo saw that the patients had received the best possible care given the circumstances.

"Priest, is it… some kind of evil spirit?" Hakumoto asked.

"Yes, you've done well. Placebos are better than doing nothing. Leave the rest to me."

Li Mo had no experience purging impurities from human bodies. During his time at Narukami Shrine, the impurities he dealt with were physical entities like warriors. Defeating them was enough to resolve the issue. But dealing with corruption within a human body…

As an experienced mage, lacking experience wasn't a problem. By shifting his approach, Li Mo was able to extract the Tatarigami corruption from the patients' bodies and absorb it as if it were a snack.

—The Tatarigami energy wasn't particularly "evil." To Li Mo, it was just a light snack.

"I'll leave the rest to you. It seems the disaster was caused by an explosion at the **Mikage Furnace**. Do you know anything about that, Hakumoto?" Li Mo asked.

Hakumoto crouched beside the nearest patient, checking his condition. After a brief exchange, he smiled with relief before responding respectfully, "I'm sorry, Priest. I don't know anything about that."

"I'll leave the patients in your care. I won't disturb you further."

Hakumoto seemed eager to check on all the patients, and Li Mo felt that his presence was making the atmosphere tense.

*It's like when a teacher walks into a classroom and the students suddenly go quiet.*

Leaving the clinic, Li Mo spotted the child who had guided him to the chief's house.

"Sir, why did you come out of Dr. Hakumoto's place?"

"I went to check on the patients."

"Do you know medicine too?"

"Yes, little one…"

The child, who didn't quite understand boundaries, was straightforward and spoke his mind. His father was a miner who had gone missing after the explosion.

During their conversation, Li Mo learned the child's name—**Chouji**.

"Everyone says my father is dead, but Mom says he's just missing and will come back. I think so too."

"Yes, he will," Li Mo said gently.

"Priest, do you think things will go back to how they were before? Lately, everyone's been acting strange, like they're really nervous."

"Things will return to how they were, Chouji," Li Mo patted the child's head and spent some time playing with him before leaving.

From Chouji, Li Mo learned about the intricacies of life in Higi Village. For example, the chief was busy inspecting the shrines he had built to worship the Tatarigami.

However, some villagers believed the focus shouldn't be on the shrines but on other matters, leading to some tension.

Additionally, food was indeed scarce in Higi Village. Chouji mentioned that everyone's meals had become smaller recently.

With enough information, Li Mo went to see Chief Washizu again.