It's still a cold and quaint Shion town, and it's still a quiet and empty stone town, but the figure of Merlin strolling in it looks even more desolate because of his heavy heart.

"Money, money, money......" Merlin, who was trying to warm himself up with his arms around his arms and his waist to try to warm himself up, was still muttering the biggest problem that was currently bothering him, as if a large bundle of banknotes would fall from the sky after a few more babbles in his mouth, "It's really uncomfortable if this thing is gone......

While Merlin was babbling a lot of nonsense without nutrition, the door of the small house on the street not far in front of him slowly opened from the inside out, and from inside, a young man wearing a high crown and a white dress with large sleeves stepped out. After walking out of the doorway, the young man turned around and whispered goodbye to the owner of the house, who was still standing in the door, and then bowed and took his leave. Merlin, on the other hand, stopped and stared at the young man in white in a daze, turning around and walking straight towards him, slowly but calmly.

[Hehe...... How can this be said? Although the figure was stunned, Merlin's mind was running fast, [...... But it's right to think about it, it's also a proper thing to meet them in Shion, after all, after the Restoration, the Yin and Yang Liao moved from Kyoto to Shion to assist Shinto and have always guarded this place......]

The young man in white who walked towards Merlin was fluttering with long sleeves, and his upper body was unmovable when he walked calmly and gracefully and slowly. This young man has a face that is somewhat deficient in terms of beauty, and his delicate facial features are as if they have been carefully crafted as if they are works of art, and there is no trace of affection on his face as white as Fu Fan, and his clear and translucent eyes seem to penetrate the mortal dust.

[A political monk who has always been active in troubled times, a Shinto god who assists the emperor and his ancestors in ruling the earthly world, and an onmyoji who divins and views the heavens...... The relationship between the temple family and the royal family and the Chinese family has been very close since ancient times, and the children of nobles who become monks, gods and onmyoji can also be promoted to the high family...... However, this long-standing tacit understanding fell apart in a magical moment when the alliance rose, and the temple family would fall into the new alliance so quickly and completely, and simply abandon the Guancheng government that had fallen into the last madness......] Merlin habitually recalled those anecdotes of the old times, [But those things are meaningless, how many people still remember that history not long ago? He shook his head and smiled bitterly, and after his eyes swept over the young man, he began to think about his question about this young man again: [Is this guy's dress completely the standard clothing of the old Onmyoji, I just don't know if he is an onmyoji who acts as a technician or a doctor of the four paths who is an instructor, but no matter which one it is, he is already an official with seven official qualities...... The Yin-Yang family in charge of the four realms of yin and yang, astronomy, calendar, and missing carving, could it be said that it is because you have foreseen the end that you ......]

Just when Merlin was thinking nonsense, the young onmyoji who gave and did it also walked directly in front of Merlin. He stopped neatly, and his white right hand stretched out from his big sleeve and shook off a wooden folding fan with a "suddenly" sound, and then raised his arm to cover the lower part of his face with the folding fan in his hand, "Onmyoji Hidezuka greets Your Excellency." Speaking softly, the onmyoji, who called himself Hidezuka, bowed slightly to Merlin.

Merlin was stunned for a moment, then quickly returned the salute, "Hello." He didn't report himself, but simply responded with an almost perfunctory answer, not because he was pretending to be arrogant or trying to make things difficult, but simply because he instinctively felt that something was not right.

Onmyoji Hidezuka obviously didn't care about Merlin's reply that was almost rude in the strict sense, but continued to politely say to Merlin: "I wonder if Your Excellency needs a talisman to ward off evil spirits and avoid disasters, or a talisman with various special effects?" I'm ...... here" Then the young man who claimed to be Onmyoji Hidezuka began to sell all kinds of talismans or charms in his hands in an endless stream, and the set of fanciful rhetoric made Merlin feel dizzy for a while, and those words even reminded Merlin of the self-selling boast of the vendors who set up stalls on the streets.

[Is this guy dressed up so weirdly to sell amulets and charms?!] These peddlers ...... Merlin, whose faces were somewhat distorted, tried to adjust his emotions as much as possible.

[But speaking of amulets......] While suppressing his anger, Merlin also remembered a thing that had long been forgotten by himself, [Shion's Shinto shrine maiden zuò's 'Pure Body Talisman' is particularly effective, that thing can not only ward off evil spirits, but also resist ghosts in a certain way...... I almost forgot about going to ask for a talisman and let this liar remind me......] The sales pitch of the liar Onmyoji was automatically filtered out in his ears, and Merlin concentrated on his new appearance, [Yes, I deliberately went to Aster Valley to ask for a talisman, even if it doesn't work, at least I can ask for peace of mind. Well, that's it......]

After re-establishing his goal, Merlin was in no mood to continue to entangle with the sales scammer dressed as an onmyoji, and after interrupting his ramblings bluntly, Merlin ran away very rudely, and soon disappeared around the corner of the street.

And the young onmyoji Hidezuka looked at the back of Merlin leaving, and whispered with his mouth hiding behind the folding fan: "I'm hooked." Then he put away the folding fan in a chic manner, and continued his journey with Shi Shiran's steps......

※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※

Aster Valley is a large valley surrounded by mountains on three sides, surrounded by rolling iron hills on the north and south, and only a naturally formed and artificially carved flat road in the east can lead to the valley. Standing in the valley, there are hundreds of different old and new bone towers, but similar to the same, wrapped in smoke all day long, immersed in obscene rain and mist all day long, cold all day long, and no sunlight can be seen several times a year, even if it is sunny and white outside, but in the aster valley in the mist and drizzle, a few ghost fires are still lit from time to time, and gusts of wind are hanging.

In the hills to the north of the valley sits the huge shrine of the Shinto family in the past - Shion Shrine, once magnificent and magnificent huge complex is now abandoned because of few people to take care of it, and the Tai half is overflowing with obvious decadence, even the few palace rooms that are still in use are also revealing a difficult to hide the decline, the shrine flutters from time to time with bursts of inaudible bells and flutes and melodious and slender chanting tunes, but this shrine seems to be extremely decadent.

On the top of the hills in the south, there are a large number of solemn ancient temples and temples, which have always been the temple of Buddhism that once had the peak of incense and was known as "endless fireworks all year round", but now the temple has long lost the pilgrims and prosperous incense of the past, and even the only solemn loss of color is much - the decadent and abandoned Buddhist halls and pagodas abound, and the weeds, rotten trees, dead branches and rotten leaves occupy most of the temple community. In the desolate ancient temples, there are occasional bursts of sonorous but almost undetectable bells and chimes, accompanied by the continuous sound of chanting, but only more desolate.

On the western side, among the hills, there is a large area of elaborate but now dilapidated mansions, which are the new residence of the Onyo-ryo that was relocated from Kyoto, and the resting place where they are waiting to decay and slowly pass away. It was very quiet in the Yin and Yang Liao, except for the occasional indescribable whistling sound.

Three ancient hills, three ancient beliefs, condescendingly watched the smoky Aster Valley, a valley that had been a place of bones since some time.

And on the only road to the valley on the east side of the Aster Valley, there was a figure with his arms hunched and curled up in the valley, and that person was naturally Merlin, who was bent on obtaining the amulet.

At this time, Merlin got closer to this ancient valley, and the more hesitant he became, and he almost stopped several times, but whenever he wanted to do that, there was always another force that supported him to take the next step more firmly, and this force was probably courage or simple stubbornness, in short, Merlin didn't like it very much, so even though he was still moving forward, his pace was getting slower and smaller.

"Go deep into the ghost's stronghold for a 'possible' amulet......" Merlin looked up and glanced at the smoky Aster Valley with a suspicious gaze, "Is it worth it?" He asked himself.

[If you want to go, go quickly, and then move quickly to get it.] If you don't go, just turn around and go back. Don't ramble on any more!! Wizil had been annoyed enough by Merlin along the way, so after saying the above words viciously, he took the initiative to cut off contact with Merlin, leaving Merlin alone to face the next multiple choice question.

"I guess I'm a bit of a 'choice disorder' or something like that......" Merlin laughed to himself, and continued on his way.

Ever since he entered the Aster, Merlin has always had a sometimes strong and sometimes faint sense of uneasiness and a sense of being peeped at all times, and he always subconsciously feels as if he has stepped into some kind of trap - his timid instincts have been clamoring for him to hurry up and get away with the oil on the soles of his feet, while his increasingly powerful adventure** is waving his flag and encouraging him to explore what ulterior secrets are hidden behind this.

If it was the Merlin in the past, the Merlin who had not been trained by Mr. Zang for more than half a year, he would have run away altogether, and even if he didn't escape, he would only hide in a safe place and watch the play from afar - just like when he was in the Nibi Museum, Hualan Donghe District, and the Withered Leaf Harbor Area - cowering and hiding in the distance, or sneaking in the crowd to assert his claims.

And now Merlin, although he is still a little wavering and timid, but at this moment he has dared to face danger, dare to challenge traps, and dare to deal with threats. Perhaps this is the biggest result that Mr. Merlin Zizang has obtained, not some trainer experience, tactical strategy, several prescriptions, some ancient cultivation methods...... Rather, it is the uplift of the trainer's own heart, the inner transformation. Now Merlin has finally built up his own self-confidence and courage outside of academics, although the source of this self-confidence is somewhat weak.

※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※

It's actually normal for Merlin to feel spied on, because he has been targeted since he stepped into the Aster from the first step, not only humans are paying attention to him, but also human-trained Pokémon, human-driven spirits have been watching him, watching him come to Aster Valley step by step, watching him complete the path that others have planned for him step by step.

On a commanding height on the North Ridge of the Aster Valley, a large group of strange people in strange costumes were gathering, and they were watching Merlin's figure gradually being swallowed up by the mist in the Aster Valley, and they exchanged opinions with each other in low voices, including psychics in tattered clothes or wide cloaks, Shinto Youyi and shrine maidens in formal clothes, monks in robes with ring scars on their heads, several onmyoji in white clothes, and a few ordinary guys in civilian clothes— But it shouldn't be any ordinary guy who can mix in with this bunch of people.

In the midst of everyone stood an old woman with a somewhat crickety figure, and she finally glanced at Merlin's vanishing figure, and muttered in a low voice: "It's really troublesome to let this little ghost enter the urn...... This woman with a cane in her hand is no one else, but Lady Juzi, one of the four heavenly kings of Guandu. It's just that she still seems to be tormented by the pain, and she has a little bit of confidence in her words, so her voice sounds a lot softer, not like usual, "If it wasn't for the time when I was hurt, why bother so much, how could I make him ......" At the end, Kikuko gritted her teeth.

"Mrs. Kikuko doesn't have to be angry anymore." Miss Dong, the leader of the white ghost hand who is a collection of messy heads and rags, holding a thick book in one hand and a crystal ball in the other, she looks particularly energetic on the mountain, and the cloth strips on her head and body are flying everywhere under the cold wind, "I think he should be flattered to be able to make so many of us and such a huge force spend so much energy to arrange and integrate......" Dong's tone was a little hateful.

"Indeed." This time it was Merlin who met the young onmyoji Hidezuka who he thought was a salesman, and he was still looking dusty when he was standing a little away from everyone with a few colleagues, and Hidezuka, who was obviously wearing a loose long-sleeved formal suit, was covered in clothes under the cold wind on the top of the mountain, but his clothes were not moving, and he was holding a folding fan to cover the lower half of his face, and he said: "Although it is inevitable to act in such a situation that it is suspected of bullying the small, but it is necessary to do so in a hurry." ”

"Ignorance." At this time, it was a little old lady with goosebumps and crumpled cranes, wearing a pure white witch costume, she had a blue sash tied on her forehead, and an extra blue smock was added to her body, she was holding a large string of wooden beads in one hand, and the other hand was holding a large lit white candle, standing at the front of a small group of witches, she seemed to be of no lower status. Her words were full of emotion, but the eyes that she had been opening wide were a little weird—they were pure white, as if the original ordinary eyeballs had been covered with a thick layer of white pulp, which looked a little terrifying and terrifying.

"This operation must be hit with one blow and completely eradicate the aftermath with the power of thunder and thunder!" She spoke angrily, surrounded by clusters of colorful flashes, "The enemy we have to face cannot tolerate the slightest sloppiness and carelessness!" To be honest, even with so many of us, I don't think I'm completely sure we'll be able to make it all......" she looked around with what seemed to be blind, "and we're going to sacrifice if necessary." ”

"Nan Wu Ah ......," a middle-aged monk standing beside the little old lady led his companions behind him to fold his hands and whisper a Buddha name.

But the little old lady who had just opened his mouth and wrinkled immediately interrupted him in a loud voice, "Come less! She turned her face and gave the monk a fierce look, "You bald people do the easiest work, so you don't talk coldly!" ”

The monks who were treated like this hung their heads as if they were being taught, and did not dare to fight back. Since the rise of the "Abolition of Buddhism and the Destruction of Buddhism Movement" during the Restoration, many Buddhist studies such as Sekijo have been suppressed and almost withered, and they have long lost the style of the troubled times and the wealth of the samurai world, especially in the face of the Shinto priests who once became the "national Shinto", they can only clamp their tails and be people.

"......The monks in the temple are not as many as the Buddha statues," the old witch didn't intend to simply let go, and the monk still didn't give up, "I really don't know what the use of calling you guys is......

"Township ......" Juzi came out to make a round, and said to the old witch Wen Yan: "Because of the situation, most of the monks rushed to the city capital, so there will be a shortage of manpower, let alone ......"

But the old witch didn't even give the face of the king, and after hearing Juzi's words, the old witch who called the township actually raised her thin palm, stretched out her little finger, and began to pluck out her ears and eyes, and after taking out something, she raised it to her mouth and blew it loudly.

Seeing this scene, Juzi had no choice but to keep her mouth shut, shook her head slightly, and then narrowed her eyes slightly.

"Now the key to our plan ......" Kikuko finished plucking her ears when she stopped talking, and she spoke again: "...... It's just on the little ghost you recommended...... "She "looked" at the misty Aster Valley under her feet and said slowly, "Success or failure depends on him......"

※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※

Deep in the valley, in an old-fashioned ancient bone tower, a hunchbacked, skinny figure jumped quickly between the tombstones on the floor, and he let out bursts of extremely strange laughter while muttering even more strange words, "Ahem, ahem, ahem...... Wake up~Wake up~~!! Remember the pain of seppuku suicide~~~ Remember the unwillingness of the Kingdom of God when it sank for 6 years~~~ Remember the humiliation of bowing to the victorious country~~~ Wake up!! Wake up!!! It's time to seek justice from the past and the sordid present!! Cough cough, cough ......"

The hunchbacked guy was jumping back and forth between the tombstones, smiling and still muttering, "Cough, cough...... I'm hungry~~~I'm thirsty~~~ I want to be warm~~~ It's time to wake up!! It's time for the dead to take revenge on the living!!! ”

And with the strange words of jumping up and down on the hunchback, there was gradually a burst of whistling in the tower, among which there were the hoarse screams and screams of men, the sorrowful weeping of women, the helpless cries of children, the muttering of madness, and the cries of madness...... These whistling sounds came from nowhere, and slowly became clear, loud, and unified, until finally all the whistling sounds became full of anger and unwilling roars......

The white candles that provided light to the tower were extinguished one after another with a whistling sound, and the entire tower was suddenly plunged into darkness darker than darkness.

"Ahem, ahem, ahem...... It's almost done, it's almost done! The time for revenge is almost here...... Cough, cough, ......cough,

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