...
Shin was wearing a deep frown as he walked out of the Shrine Temple alongside Leonard. From what the latter had said, the so-called Rite of Returning was something that a returning local of the city had to do. It seemed to be one of their traditions that were passed down from generation to generation.
He was quite curious about it. But when they arrived at the temple, one of the maidens there told them that the head priestess was not around. They asked them to come back again on another day to do their Rite of Returning.
Shin found it somewhat strange. Based on what Leonard had said, this rite was one of the most important traditions that the city had. The head priestess had to be in the Temple all the time since the longer they delayed it, the more misfortune they would encounter during their stay in the city.
The guests of the city would still be fine and would not care about it since they only found it a superstitious belief. But for the locals of the city, it was something that had to be done.
Shin could not help but knit his brows after hearing that. It was also the same for Leonard, who was more familiar with these traditions, especially when he heard it from his senior martial brother.
Due to that, Shin could not help but ask where and when the head priestess would be coming back.
The shrine maiden did not find it strange when Shin asked her that question since they knew about their customs better than anyone else. They only smiled at Shin and said that he did not have to worry since the head priestess was only performing the spiritual ceremony in the mountains alongside some of the shrine maidens.
The maiden also reassured Shin and Leonard that it would not take that long since the head priestess understood the consequences of her prolonged absence in the temple better than anyone.
Shin wanted to inquire more about it as it would make it sound suspicious, so he let it be. Left without a choice, he and Leonard just left the shrine temple after bidding their farewell. They just said that they would come back again tomorrow.
While they were walking out of the temple, Shin suppressed his voice with his mental energy and whispered to Leonard. "Is it normal for the head priestess to leave the shrine? Is there really a ritual that needed her to head over the mountains just to perform it?"
Leonard shrugged his shoulders, indicating that he also did not know. He then whispered that he would ask his martial senior brother about it once they went back in the car.
The two could only pay respect to the temple before leaving. And once they left, they proceeded to go around the city like a regular tourist or returning locals, visiting a place one after another.
Of course, they also did not forget to install the spy cameras that John had asked them to do. They naturally did it sneakily, dodging the eyes of the guys that were tailing them since they left the place where they stayed temporarily.
Hours later, the sun had finally set, and it was night. After touring around the historical places of the city, Shin and Leonard could not head over to the place that they originally had targeted, the pubs.
After chatting with old people and other locals that they had encountered during their tour, the two were able to figure out which pub was the most visited by everyone in the city.
It was a pub that was situated in the center of the city. Its name was rather strange for the ears of the two. It was called 'Guidance'.
Shin thought that it might be because of the tradition and superstitious beliefs of the locals. He also heard from the people that it was named as such because the owner of the pub wanted the lost spirits within the city to come to his pub instead of roaming around aimlessly and disturbing the other people.
The moment Shin and Leonard entered the pub, they were immediately greeted by the loud and lively atmosphere. There was a mix of old men, middle-aged men, and young people in their twenties inside – chatting and drinking.
They were also a couple of women around, but the majority were still men.
The person who seemed to be guarding the entrance just took a quick glance at the two and let them in. He seemed to be unbothered by the newcomers and even found it a regular occurrence.
As long as these little kids respected their customs and did not cause any trouble, then it would be fine.
Shin and Leonard found a secluded corner to sit in and ordered some food and beverages. Despite their slightly older appearances, their actual age was still too young, so they could not drink any alcohol but would make them quite suspicious if they did that.
Fortunately, Shin was a skilled mentalist. He could just cast an illusion that they were drinking the alcoholic drinks that they had ordered when they were actually not touching them.
While they were eating, Shin stealthily spread his Spiritual Sense to listen to everyone one. On the other hand, Leonard relied on his heightened senses to listen.
"I heard that your old man's flower shop is having it rough these days."
"Ah~! You don't tell! It is because of the increasing number of competitors these days. And because of recent incidents a lot of us are offering flowers to the guardian spirit."
"This is because of those disrespectful foreigners. If they are not going to respect our beliefs, then they better get out of our city and scram somewhere else."
"Fortunately, the mayor is kicking out those guys and sending them back to where they come from."
…
"Hey, Old Roger! Is it true that you are closing your business? It will be a pity."
"What are you talking about? I am not closing it for no reason. I am going to another career. I will not have the time to oversee the fields because I will be focusing on my new job."
"Transitioning to another job? How many times have you done it? You are just wasting your money. How about the business that I offered before? Just fund me and I will make sure that you will enjoy a good life."
"Che! As if a gambling addict like you will achieve anything? You never have won anything big! You have lost more than you have won. Only a fool will believe your words."
"Tsk! Tsk! So, heartless. Anyway, what kind of job are you going to do this time?"
"I will be a coach this time. After my fighter won twice during the last brawls, I discovered that I have talent in coaching. Hah! Just wait, I will be the next coach that will produce an undefeated champion!"
"Meh~! I pity the guy that will be your fighter."
…
"Have you heard? Some of the gangs from the slums are getting active recently. Say, do you think they will cause some trouble?"
"What are you thinking? There are marshals guarding the streets all day. They are just asking to be thrown in prison if cause trouble."
"Well, if you ask me, it is better to live inside the prison rather than continue living in the slums. At least in there, you can eat three times a day. The food may be terrible, but it is still better than dying in hunger."
"You have the point there."
…
"I heard the old chief's son has gone missing."
"Chief Oliver's son? I also heard about that. But according to the who last saw his son, the kid seems to be chasing a woman while calling her mom."
"Eh? Another of those incidents? I heard that the same happens to one of the fighters of last month's brawls."
"You mean that fighter named Jerome? I heard he is an orphan who lost his parents during the fire incident last year. Did he also see the spirits of his parents?"
(Shoulder shrugging) "That is what I've heard. But I don't know the details."
…
"I've just finished the training session from the Heavenly Dao Dojo! I will be the next champion this month. Watch me become the next champion!"
"Heh! If that is the case, then pay for everything right now!"
"Bro, I haven't made any money yet. I am broke, yet you want me to pay for everything. Old Lui will not only ban us here. He will also beat us and become his dishwasher for the entire month. I will never be able to compete if that happens."
…
Shin and Leonard listened to everything as they ate at a normal pace. Most of the topics were random chatting of the residents, but there were also a few that might concern their mission, especially the ones about the missing people.
And while they were eating, they noticed that someone was walking toward them. They did not turn their heads toward the direction of that person, but their senses locked on instantly.
Shin relaxed his muscles a little when he realized that it was someone with decent training. The pace of that guy's movements was similar to a properly trained martial artist.
"Are they already making their move?" thought Shin as he prepared for action.
...…
This 𝓬ontent is taken from f(r)eeweb(n)ovel.𝒄𝒐𝙢