Beneath the endless drizzle of Yashiori Island, a bright light tore through the rain curtain and the gloomy dark clouds.
A bright flame hovered in the air, and beneath it were a group of ragged people.
"How much longer? I'm so tired!" Enjou complained, looking at the lifeless, unchanging withered yellow scenery around him.
"Sir, shall we rest for a bit?" As soon as Enjou's complaining voice fell, everyone suggested taking a break.
"Uh… never mind. I was just complaining. Let's hurry up, or do you want to spend another night in the wilderness?"
Enjou waved his hand; he really was just complaining. It had been a day since they landed, and they still hadn't reached Higi Village. This was the longest journey he had ever walked.
As for why they were walking so slowly, on one hand, the roads on Yashiori Island were muddy due to the heavy rain, and on the other hand, this group of people was simply too weak. They couldn't walk for long before needing a rest.
If it weren't for Enjou's care, many of them would probably have died on the way, and another group would have frozen to death at night. Very few would have actually made it to Higi Village on their own.
Only now did Enjou realize how convenient The Order's Abyss Passage was. Gritting his teeth and closing his eyes, he could reach his destination. Was there any better way to travel in the world?
"Everyone, push harder, we're almost there!" The leader stopped. He observed the surrounding environment, then shouted loudly.
Upon hearing this, everyone's faces lit up with joy. Hadn't they walked so long just for this moment?
"What are we waiting for? Let's go!"
Enjou waved his hand and rushed forward impetuously.
Enyu and the others, due to their appearance, had run into a cave, saying they would rendezvous after Enjou had finished his business.
Therefore, the factor of Enjou's eagerness to get this group of people into Higi Village was undeniably important.
Higi Village was indeed not far from them. After crossing the current hills, the muddy dirt road stretched all the way to a village.
A village that was almost extinct on Yashiori Island today.
The situation in Higi Village was unexpectedly good. Enjou looked from afar and was surprised to find that Higi Village seemed to be brighter than the gloomy surroundings.
Zooming out his vision, Enjou saw that some glowing object seemed to be enveloping the entire Higi Village.
Faint golden specks replaced the drizzle, bringing light and also filling the withered yellow land with vitality.
Wherever the light passed, a hint of green beneath the gold was clearly visible, forming a stark contrast with the withered yellow land not far away.
"???!!!"
Enjou looked closely. In the center of Higi Village, a twisted, spiraling Golden Tree was flickering with faint light.
The tree seemed to be breathing, inhaling the pervasive tatarigami and exhaling golden specks.
Isn't this the Golden Tree that ransacked The Order's camp a while ago? How did it end up in Inazuma?
He was "exiled" to Inazuma by His Highness because of the Golden Tree, and now he saw a Golden Tree in Inazuma again.
Suddenly, a chill ran from Enjou's backside all the way up to his crown. He felt a thread called "fate" entangling him—in reality, he had just run out of the fire ball's range and was drenched by the rain.
But Enjou quickly discarded the thoughts in his mind, mainly because he himself didn't know what "fate" was, and he couldn't think any further.
He carefully observed the Golden Tree in the distance and noticed many differences.
The tree that attacked The Order was full of life, its branches, though woody, were as flexible as flesh, but this tree… Enjou felt that the Golden Tree with overly "slender" branches was truly just a dyed tree, and even its flickering light seemed to be an instinct.
Not only that, the Golden Tree that attacked The Order was purely golden yellow, while this tree, in addition to golden yellow, also had a hint of crimson.
"Different species?" Enjou breathed a sigh of relief. The lingering power of the Golden Tree still made him feel apprehensive.
While Enjou was observing the Golden Tree in Higi Village, Higi Village clearly noticed the group of people outside the village.
The reason was simple: the large fireball Enjou conjured was too conspicuous; anyone who wasn't blind could see it.
Patients infected with tatarigami descended from the hillside, and villagers of Higi Village walked out of the village.
The two groups stopped, separated by a distance of more than ten meters.
Enjou looked at the villagers opposite. For some reason, Enjou always felt that their clothes seemed overly… conservative? That's how he would describe it. The villagers of Higi Village were dressed very conservatively, almost covering all of their exposed skin.
"The village chief is here!" Someone shouted, and Enjou could clearly feel the villagers opposite suddenly relax, as if they had found their backbone.
The crowd parted, and a burly man, completely covered in armor, walked out from among them.
This startled Enjou quite a bit. If the armor this man wore wasn't Inazuma samurai armor and he wasn't wrapped in bandages, Enjou would have almost thought Yu Jin had run over.
Because in his impression, he was the only one completely encased in a metal can.
"Luzi, Higi Village Chief." The samurai's steady voice came from beneath the Hannya mask, bringing Enjou back to his senses.
"Enjou… a traveling light novel author." Enjou struggled for a moment; his identity still needed to be concealed. As for whether it would be seen through, that was someone else's business.
"Is that so? Then you truly are a special light novel author. I'll definitely read your works if I get the chance." Luzi's face beneath the mask chuckled slightly, then he extended his broad hand, wrapped in bandages.
"Uh… we'll talk about that later." Enjou scratched his head. Writing a book? He couldn't even recognize all the words in the abyss chapter right now. Writing a book could wait.
Shaking hands with Luzi, Enjou pointed to the people behind him and said:
"I heard you take in homeless people. Is that true?"
"Naturally, it's true. If I'm not mistaken, they should all be patients infected with tatarigami."
Luzi looked at the sickly group of people in front of him. He was all too familiar with the black aura entanglementing around them.
When the tatarigami erupted, Higi Village was the first to be affected—Higi Village was located next to the remains of the God Orochi.
However, what was magical was that after the tatarigami erupted, the half-dead sapling left by that Adventurer before grew wildly as if it had been injected with chicken blood.
What surprised Luzi even more was that the golden specks emitted by that Golden Tree could actually eliminate the effects of the tatarigami!
Although this came at a cost… "If you don't take in people infected with tatarigami, we'll leave now." Enjou heard Luzi's words and immediately became alert. He eyed Luzi suspiciously.
This man's armor… why does it look so similar to the Shogunate's? Are they not working together?
"You've misunderstood." Luzi looked at the wary group opposite him, waved his hand, and explained, "I just wanted to say that if there are people infected with tatarigami, we can treat them here."
Luzi's words caused a thousand ripples, and the previously quiet crowd immediately became agitated.
"Really… really?"
"I think so, look at the ground, there's still grass growing!"
"I don't quite believe it, don't forget what happened before…"
...The sounds were chaotic. Some were ecstatic, some were suspicious, and some were uneasy and wary.
Luzi quietly watched the crowd. When the noise subsided a little, he extended his arm.
"Whether it's true or false, you'll know once you try. However, before that, there's one thing I need to explain…"
Luzi first removed the armor plate from his arm, then peeled back the bandages beneath it. What was revealed was a non-human arm with bird feathers and animal fur.
"The tatarigami will be gone, but you will have other things on your bodies."
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