novelraw Chapter 223-3: Daughter of the Master Instructor, Bloodstained Incense (3)
Chapter 223-3: Daughter of the Master Instructor, Bloodstained Incense (3)
[The Gon-negi strides up, wearing what he clearly believes to be a suave smile, and greets you…]
“Tsk… Everyone else does their dirty dealings in secret, this is just blatantly out in the open.”
Lin Xun had originally wanted to lament the decline of morals in this world, but remembering that he was the beneficiary here, he let it go.
[The Gon-negi led you deeper into the shrine, explaining as he walked while stealing sidelong glances at you…]
[Though you were now the only candidate for shrine maiden, the basic procedures and rites still had to be carried out…]
[As the daughter of a Master Instructor, you already fulfilled the first of the two major requirements.]
[As for the second, he would take you to verify it shortly. You needn’t worry, he assured you that the verification process was private, and only the two of you would be present. No one else would ever know the details…]
???
Lin Xun wore an expression of total confusion.
“Good grief, you little pervert, he must be talking about you.”This Shell was that of a courtesan. This kind of business was the Shell’s original profession.
But since Lin Xun was the one possessing it now, he would never allow such a thing to happen.
Besides, wouldn’t verifying purity immediately expose him?
[Your willow brows arched sharply. You drew the tachi at your waist and demanded to know the meaning of this!]
[The Gon-negi’s eyes widened. He slapped his forehead as realization dawned, hastily explaining that it was all a misunderstanding!]
[The ceremony to verify the second requirement involved going to the first worship hall and using incense stained with your fresh blood to worship the youthful statue of Amateru Sakiina. If you met the requirement, the smoke would rise red. If not, it would be pale gray.]
[Seeing that you were still displeased, he further explained that such a ritual was not a matter of distrusting you but was simply a necessary procedure to become a shrine maiden. He was only a humble Gon-negi, he begged you not to make things difficult for him…]
[You were left speechless for a long time. In the end, you could only follow the Gon-negi into the first worship hall…]
[The hall was now empty of pilgrims. Every furnishing had been meticulously cleaned. Upon the altar, the youthful statue of Amateru Sakiina gleamed brilliantly.]
[The Gon-negi handed you a stick of incense and a small knife, indicating that you should cut your fingertip and stain the incense with your blood before lighting it.]
[The procedure was extremely simple. Would you proceed with the ritual or look for an excuse to avoid it?]
Naturally, Lin Xun chose the latter.
If he really went through with it, given the courtesan Shell’s purity, he would probably be kicked down the mountain on the spot…
“If I’d known, I’d have gone to the Idyllic Pleasure Quarter to find a ‘fresh’ Shell.”
[You quietly took out five thousand Spirit Essence and slipped it to the Gon-negi…]
[He looked utterly stunned, then accepted the Spirit Essence and studied you thoughtfully.]
[The Gon-negi gave a faint smile, rose, and turned to leave the worship hall. As he went, he said, “Lady, I must apologize. I’m suddenly taken with an urgent need. I’ll leave you here alone for a while, please wait about a cup of tea’s time.”]
[He strolled away, gently closing the door behind him, leaving only a narrow gap.]
[You understood, this was the Gon-negi granting you leeway. You had one cup of tea’s time (ten minutes) to make the incense smoke turn red…]
Lin Xun’s first impulse was to hurry down the mountain.
He could catch up to the women who hadn’t gone far and use their blood to stain the incense.
But he immediately dismissed that idea. From the hellish game’s text, he knew that almost all the women who came to Ishiyama Shrine to compete for shrine maiden were rustic girls from mountain villages.
With the popularity of the Yoruza custom, aside from noble young ladies, there were scarcely any women who had retained their purity before marriage.
Hunting down those women would be even less effective than stuffing more Spirit Essence into the Gon-negi’s hand.
He pondered for a long time but still couldn’t think of a solution.
“Or should I just kill the Gon-negi and break into the third worship hall by force?”
After considering it, he decided things hadn’t quite reached that desperate point. Even if he killed the Gon-negi, there were still higher-ranking clergy like the High Priest and Chief Priest.
Starting a fight in their stronghold, where they’d have the divine domain’s buffs, would put him at a serious disadvantage.
Better to use cunning than brute force…
Suddenly, Lin Xun’s eyes lit up.
He still had the Shell of the Deep-Sea Siren. If he used that Shell’s blood, wouldn’t it solve the problem perfectly?
[You possessed the Shell of the Deep-Sea Siren!]
[You bit your fingertip hard. Scarlet blood welled out. You picked up the incense and smeared it thoroughly…]
[…]
[The purplish-red incense, now soaked in blood, turned deep crimson.]
[Footsteps sounded outside the worship hall. From the sound of it, the Gon-negi had returned!]
Lin Xun hurriedly switched Shells again.
[You possessed the Shell of the Fire-Worshipping Failed Shrine Maiden!]
[The Gon-negi pushed the door open. Seeing the incense in your hand drenched in blood, he smiled with satisfaction and stepped forward to take it.]
[He recited an arcane incantation. At once, the incense ignited without a flame, sending wisps of smoke curling through the hall…]
[Both you and the Gon-negi widened your eyes, because the smoke rising from the incense wasn’t red but a deep gray, so blackened that it was nearly unrecognizable as gray at all.]
[…]
[The Gon-negi pressed a hand to his forehead. After a long silence, he sighed, “Lady, please leave.”]
Lin Xun’s face darkened, veins bulging at his temples.
“Damn it… Just what kind of life did this mermaid lead?”
“Secretly throwing underwater orgies, is that it?!”
He was so furious he nearly had a stroke right then and there.