A kabuki puppet walks into a mine holding a candle.
With the help of the puppet's various feelings, Kamiyagawa, who is controlling it outside, can almost feel immersed in the scene.
The inside of the mine is dark and damp. With the help of candlelight, you can see that the surrounding walls and floors are made of yellow or brown rocks, and the surface is covered with thick dust and mud.
If you actually enter such an environment, you will soon feel difficulty breathing.
But the puppet is a dead thing after all. Although it can sense the smell for Kamiya, it has no need to breathe.
Continue walking inside.
The candle light protected by the puppet became a little fainter.
It may be because the environment in the mine is humid, or it may be because the air inside may not be smooth.
The actual area of the mine dug by Kamiya and others tonight seemed to be very large. After walking for a while, a fork in the road appeared in the puppet's sight.
The two mine roads were both pitch black, and the weak candlelight couldn't illuminate what was inside, nor was it clear where the two roads led.
On the damp ground at the fork in the road, the severely aged and decayed iron and wood made it almost impossible to tell what they should have looked like originally.
It is estimated to be the equipment and tools used by some miners.
Veins on the walls indicate where miners have dug previously. Through these veins, you can see the broken rocks accumulated around it.
Kamiyagawa manipulated the puppet and chose a path at will to continue deeper.
The entire mine environment is very quiet.
Only the subtle footsteps of the puppets sounded from time to time. In such a mysterious and quiet environment, the slightest sound would be extremely abrupt.
Snap, snap.
Footsteps again.
But it didn't seem to come from the feet of a kabuki puppet.
"Um?"
Kamiyagawa sensed it slightly and made the puppet stop its movements and stand still.
Snap, snap.
Sure enough, the sound was still ringing.
And it's not just footsteps. There was also a sound like metal hitting solid rock.
“Clang—ding—”
These noises were very weak, suppressed by deeper echoes, so it was impossible to tell where they were coming from.
This kind of environmental situation reminded Kamiyagawa of the experience of exploring the Inunaki Tunnel alone a long time ago.
Depression, tension and silence.
The slightest noise will be infinitely amplified and stimulate people's sensitive nerves in the dark.
"There really is something in this mine."
Because he was exploring with a stand-in prop, Kamiyagawa had no worries and didn't feel nervous. Instead, he became excited.
If there is nothing abnormal in this mine, wouldn't it be in vain?
"It seemed like there was the sound of mining."
Kamiyagawa controlled the Kabuki puppet to move forward.
There was a tinkling sound in the mine, and the noise that could not be distinguished from the specific location seemed to be louder. However, before walking too far, the originally extremely weak candle in the puppet's hand "popped" out.
It can be judged from this that there is probably no oxygen in the deeper parts of the channel.
In the darkness, with the help of the puppet's hearing, Kamiya heard the dense dry voices suddenly coming from the surroundings:
"Keep digging, keep digging...until you dig out more shiny stones..."
…
"It's difficult." Kamiyagawa put down the Kabuki puppet in his hand at the entrance of the cave. "I haven't really seen Shikijiro yet... The condition of this mine doesn't seem to be suitable for in-depth exploration."
However, it is now certain that Shikijiro may actually exist deep in this mine that has been abandoned for who knows how long.
Thought for a moment.
Kamiyagawa took out two more props from the [Mirage Bag].
[The Drowned Girl’s Heart Hair] and a small requiem candle.
He wrapped the [Drown Girl's Heart Hair] around his wrist. In addition to providing the ability to move underwater, this prop also enhanced the ability to hold his breath, which could come in handy in mines lacking oxygen.
Kamiya then walked into the mine, without going too deep, and stopped about ten meters away from the entrance, and lit a small requiem candle.
"If there really are Shikijiro in the depths, I wonder if they will be attracted by the scent of the requiem candle."
Kamiyagawa placed the requiem candle on the ground, took off his coat and fanned himself.
Try to let all the candle flames from the small requiem candle diffuse toward the cave.
After all, the Requiem Candle is an extraordinary prop made from soul crystals. It can be lit for a long time without ghosts inhaling it.
Kamiyagawa just waited for more than half an hour.
Sparse sounds came from the dark passage ahead.
The patter of footsteps and the scraping sound of metal gently hitting the rock wall.
"coming?"
Kamiyagawa's spirit was lifted.
It seems that trapping using the scent of candlelight is really feasible.
He narrowed his pupils and quickly saw clearly what came out of the cave——
The skinny human figure is as emaciated as a walking stick, his body is covered with mud and dust, he only wears a dirty crotch cloth, and he is dragging a mining pick in his hand.
It looks like it’s Shikijiro.
There were many Shikijiro who were attracted by the scent of the Requiem candle from the cave. Each of them had a dull and numb expression, but perhaps they were attracted by the scent of the candle, and they also had a vague look of greed.
The heads of these Shikijiro are shaved and bald, while the hair on the back of the head is tied into a bun.
Their hairstyle is not the Tsukiyo hair of the samurai.
It is different from the Tsukiyo head. The status of ancient Japanese miners was low and they could not wear the same hairstyle as the samurai. Their hair style should be called "Hakudo Kou", "Return" or something like that.
Kamiya has little research in this area.
But judging from the hairstyle alone, these Fujiro should all be transformed by the ancient miners of Bie Tongzi Mountain.
It may be the undead of miners who died in a mining accident. It is more likely that it is not even the undead, but something like the resentment and obsession of miners who have lived for hundreds of years.
"...twenty...twenty-three, twenty-four."
Kamiyagawa counted the Shikijiro who were attracted by the requiem candle, and there were twenty-four in total.
They seemed to have no sanity, and they didn't care about the existence of Kamiyagawa, a living person.
They huddled around the small requiem candle lit on the ground, leaning down to inhale greedily. The white misty candlelight breath invaded their nostrils, and the stimulating feeling caused these Shikijiro to let out dry groans from their withered throats from time to time. Voice.
Kamiya did not stop these Shikijiro from sharing the candlelight, and stood silently for a while before slowly taking out the "Hanged Man's Rope Reins".
Karakala.
The hemp rope stretched out, making a thin sound as it stretched continuously, tying up the twenty-four Fujiro's men one after another.
These weak monsters did not resist, and allowed the rope to pass through their waists.
"Come with me, he who does not work shall not eat. If you eat by candlelight, you must work."
Kamiyagawa picked up the small requiem candle on the ground, and without pulling on the "hanged man's rope reins", the twenty-four Shikijiro strung together took the initiative to follow him out of the mine.
In the mountain forest outside the abandoned mine, Kamiya summoned the Kisaragi Train.
An ordinary, somewhat dilapidated Ruyue platform appeared in the diffuse mist, standing abruptly in the woods.
The rails extend in front of the platform.
The Kisaragi train roared from the end of the track, tearing through the trees and its bright lights dazzling the eyes.
Bang——
The train pulled into the station and the doors opened.
Kamiyagawa led all the twenty-four Shikijiro into the car, leaving the still-burning requiem candle in the car.
He himself got out before the door closed.
Living people who enter the other world on the Kisaragi train will be hidden, even the owner of the train.
"Hasumi" who originally created Kisaragi Station Urban Ghost Story is, in a sense, the previous owner of the ghost train.
The train keys Kamiya currently holds were all obtained from her.
After "Hasumi" entered the other world, all traces of her existence in reality were also erased, and even her own name was forgotten by herself.
Clang-clang-clang-clang-
Kamiyagawa jumped off the platform and watched the train disappear into the dark space deep in the jungle.
The Kisaragi platform beside him also disappeared.
This train is bound for Aokigahara.
Kamiyagawa had already changed the Kisaragi Station on the Aokigahara map to the entrance of the Aokigahara Mine.
In addition, seven people were arranged to support him there.
The Seven Gozens themselves are nirvana and cannot leave the other world. However, after becoming Kamiya's slave, they can travel out through the Kisaragi Station built by their master in each map that has been conquered.
After leaving the Live Fish Hotel, the seven of them together also had C-level upper reaches strength.
Similar to the current Prajna and Dream-eating Tapir, it is more than enough to handle a car-load of new employees.
Moreover, for the imperial concubines who could not even leave the live fish hotel before, going out to work was simply a reward for their relaxation.
They're happy to do it.
“It went smoother than expected.”
Kamiyakawa patted the dust on his body. He was originally satisfied, but at a certain moment, some thoughts suddenly arose in his heart.
how to say--
Betsukoko Mountain, the copper mountain with the largest output during the Edo period, made the Sumitomo family rich in the world and emerged as a chaebol in the Shikoku region.
But for the bloody wealth accumulation of these rich people, those who mined copper underground without seeing the light of day for hundreds of years, and countless people died due to collapse.
There are countless people who are nourished by earth and gold and cannot live or die. They are trapped in the mines without seeing the light of day and become wandering zombies.
When the feudal nobles were drinking and singing, they could not hear the muffled screams of the miners in the mines under the silk and bamboo.
From this, the strange story of Shikijiro came into being.
"Ghost stories like Shikijiro's are the result of miners' souls or resentments. He mined for feudal nobles during his lifetime, and after he became a ghost story, I dragged him to Aokigahara to mine..."
Is it too much to do this yourself?
"Ah, what are you thinking about? I'm not a good person to begin with."
Shikijiro himself has no sanity and is trapped in this abandoned mine, banging on the wall with a pickaxe all day long.
Knocking is not knocking anywhere, and it would be the same in Aokigahara.
"And the exact number of Shikijiro in this mine is unknown. The twenty-four people I took away will be attracted by the scent of candles, which shows that they have a desire for requiem candles. From now on, they will collect a section each time Time is mine, so I will go to the Aokigahara mine regularly to light a candle and share food with them."
They asked for something, and God Valley gave it to them.
If wages are paid regularly, then this is considered labor employment.
So, go to work, Shikijiro guys!
Use your labor in exchange for the requiem candle in my hand!
Everything made sense.
"If Shikijiro absorbs enough candlelight breath in the future and can be promoted to F level, I won't mind providing them with Weeping Blood Candles in the form of salary. Anyway, the F level monsters on hand have too much blood to use. After all, after Shikijiro is promoted, there is a high probability that the efficiency of mining will also become higher, a win-win situation."
"If they can use this to gain some sanity...it doesn't matter. Once they have some brains, they will be able to realize how precious the requiem candle in my hand is to them."
"Then they have to thank me."
"I am different from those feudal aristocrats. Providing such a generous salary is purely a conscientious boss who provides jobs for Shikijiro and a smooth promotion path so that they can realize their self-worth."
"Furthermore, can the surplus value of exploiting ghost stories be considered a capitalist? I unilaterally think it is not."
Kamiyagawa is indeed the kind of person who is not prone to guilt.
If you feel that what you do is worthy of your conscience, you will not have any psychological burden, and you will not create any psychological burden on yourself. The main goal is to have a flexible moral bottom line and a clear mind.
After hiring a group of Shikijiro, Kamiya did not leave immediately.
In fact, he had just felt that something was wrong with this mine, so he had been on guard for this.
"By the way, the aura of the batch of Shikijiro I recruited is different from the aura emanating from the cave."
The kaidan aura on Shikijiro's body was too weak.
Moreover, it was different from the aura that Kamiyagawa felt while standing outside before the hole was dug.
"Little old man?"
Kamiya looked at the scout at his feet.
"Whew, whine."
The little old man shook his head and gestured to tell something.
After a brief communication, Kamiyagawa roughly understood that the strange smell that attracted the little old man to the cave entrance in the first place did not seem to belong to Shikijiro. Even a little old man can't feel the energy on Shikijiro's body from a distance.
There is something else in this hole.
What really attracted the little old man from a distance was something stronger than Shikijiro.
Kamiyakawa narrowed his eyes and glanced at the dark hole again.
At the location where the candle was lit just now, there is still a small amount of candlelight smell, permeating the top of the cave.
And in the next moment.
call out--
A strong wind mixed with dust blew out of the hole.
Wrapping up and dragging away every bit of the requiem candle's scent.
"Whew!"
The little old man sensed something was wrong and immediately turned into a ghost and got into the bronze bird hanging on the master's waist.
"This rumor...I knew tonight's affairs were not over yet."
Kamiyakawa stood still, bowing slightly, his black pupils shining.
His left hand had been pressed on the Ichimonji scabbard at his waist, and his thumb was pointing towards the handle of the knife.
Clang.
There was a subtle buzzing sound, and the bright indigo-colored sword was unsheathed.
Kamiya heard it clearly just now.
The strange wind of dust whistling out of the cave was mixed with a sharp sound like a whip whipping in the air.
It seems that Shikijiro and the others were not the only ones attracted by the Requiem Candle in the mine.
(End of chapter)
