Chapter 251 249. Secret Matter and the Man of Destiny

When Hoshimi Haruka was just beginning to understand things and learn to read, she was personally taught by Hidaka Mari, who was less than fifteen years old but had already become the sixth-generation priest of the Hidaka Shrine.

As the only blood of the Hoshimi family left by her elder sister Hidaka Mari and her niece, Hidaka Mari has been accompanying Hoshimi Haruka as a mother in place of her sister since her sister passed away.

Mari Hidaka cares about every aspect of Hoshimi Haruka's daily life, including recognizing words and people, and the most important thing... practice.

Only when Hoshimi Haruka officially started her training, when she became the seventh-generation shrine maiden and was positioned as the next generation of the god, did Hoshimi Haruka finally have her own freedom.

After learning to read, when Hoshimi Haruka began her formal training, it was Mari Hidaka who personally taught her.

Even though Mari Hidaka's aptitude was extremely poor, even though she did not have the blood of the Hidaka family, even though she had not gained anything from her practice.

However, the legacy left by the first four lords of the Hidaka family was considerable, and Hidaka Mari followed their example and had some theoretical skills.

The first thing that Haruka Hoshimi learned during her training was the origins of Amenaka Town and Hidaka Shrine from her aunt, Mari Hidaka.

In the past, nearly two hundred years ago, there was no island called "Amenaka Town".

It is the promised land bestowed by the "God" to the "Hidaka family" and the "Shimizu family" and to those who identify with the two families, that is, the two major shrines, waiting for the arrival of the man of destiny.

[Amomi-naka Town] is a land given by God, a promised land.

The Hidaka family and the Shimizu family are followers of the "god" and are his servants who exercise authority on his behalf in [Amenaka Town] and worship him.

However, Hoshimi Haruka, who had just embarked on the path of spiritual practice, was now kneeling on a futon in the main hall which was not open to the public and rarely visited. When he looked up, he could see the written regulations that had been put aside and hung on the mural in the middle of the main hall. He then lowered his head and flipped through the historical records about [Amamine Town], remaining silent.

The ancient book in my hand is old and yellowed, but the paper is unusually soft, with a faint woody scent and very few wrinkles, indicating that it has been well preserved. The handwriting on it is clear, with no signs of erasure.

In order to prevent it from being damaged, it was usually placed in a safe place for preservation. Fearing that the contents recorded on it would be leaked and spread, this book, which could barely be considered a history book, was not allowed to be copied.

It has only this one and only original copy.

So when Xing Jianyao was flipping through it, she always wore disposable gloves to prevent the sweat on her hands from sticking to it and dirtying it.

Through these writings, Xing Jianyao was able to get a glimpse of the history that actually happened and was recorded two hundred years ago.

The words above were so shocking that they made her lose her mind and unable to speak for a long time.

【God is real.】

[He came to this devastated world, gave us food and land, cured our diseases, and allowed us to stand up again and live as human beings...]

[He said, I have cut a piece of land from the Kingdom of God as your habitat, you and your descendants can live here from generation to generation. But you must abide by justice, equality, unity, and friendship... No more oppression and exploitation are allowed on this land. As long as people from other worlds come here and abide by the rules I set, they can live here forever.]

[He said, don’t worry about not having enough land, the more people there are, the bigger the land will be. ]

[He said, after I leave, forty-eight years... no, fifty years, or maybe a hundred years, or even two hundred years... but there will always be a "man of destiny" who will appear.

[He said, you must follow the man of destiny, but if the man of destiny betrays the rules I have set, then you must resist, fight, overthrow, and...]

【He said, wait, learn, become, and transcend. 】

【………】

[He said, "Come forward, daughter of the clear water and daughter of the sun. You will all wait for the man of destiny from generation to generation."]

【He then gave them some divine power as compensation for sacrificing their freedom.】

[So the daughter of Shimizu and the daughter of Hidaka were held high, and the "Shimizu family" and the "Hidaka family" were governed across the river, and the "Shimizu Shrine" and the "Hidaka Shrine" were established on the high mountains under Takama-ga-hara. ]

[The legal principles of the two major shrines are granted by God and cannot be resisted. Questioning the shrines is to question the choice of the "God" on Takamagahara. 】

【Gradually, people became familiar with the rule of the two major shrines, and from generation to generation, this land was called "Amenaka-cho." 】

【………】

Therefore, [Teminaka Town] has become a paradise in the eyes of the world.

It is not only because of its imaginary legends, but also because of the governance of the two major shrines. The existence of the two major shrines has made the people of "Amenaka Town" live a happy life and work in peace and contentment. Everyone praises it, and almost no one has said anything bad about it...

But... the land area under the jurisdiction of [Amenaka Town] has never increased.

Just reading part of the preface was enough to shock the young Haruka Hoshimi beyond words. The little girl's pink lips subconsciously puffed up slightly, and pouted tenderly.

She heard her aunt Hidaka Mari ask: "Xiaoyao, how much truth and falsehood do you think the history written in it is?"

"To reply to the Lord God, I think it is half true and half false." The cute little loli saluted in a very formal manner, with very considerate etiquette.

"This is a private meeting, and it's about the cultivation inheritance within the family. Just call me Aunt."

"Yes, my aunt."

"........."

Hidaka Mari pursed her lips and smiled. Although she was a virgin, she still had the charm of a mature and plump woman, bright and beautiful. Looking at the little Lolita in front of her with doting and helplessness, she seemed to see herself and her sister Hidaka Mao 20 years ago.

It was also here that they heard and were told a series of detailed historical secrets that they had already known roughly before...

Now it's her turn to start telling the next generation.

Without lamenting the passing of time, Mari Hidaka raised her hand and touched the little girl's tender face, the baby fat was smooth and soft and fit her touch.

"So which part do you think is the most fake, Xiaoyao?" "Something about the land of [Amenaka Town] growing and shrinking... and that 'God' sama..."

Hidaka Mari just shook her head in denial and affirmed: “It’s all true.

“Most of the content recorded above is true, only a small part is described in the style of the Spring and Autumn Period.

"Things like Takama-ga-hara, the man of destiny, and the area of ​​[Amenaka-cho] will continue to expand... have not been confirmed yet, so there is no way to verify it.

“And divine power and ‘God’-sama…are real.

"I, your aunt, have witnessed it with my own eyes..."

More than 20 years ago, Mari Hidaka, who was younger than the little loli Haruka Hoshimi, would never forget the scene in which the fourth-generation shrine master of the neighboring Shimizu Shrine showed his divine power. It left a deep impression on her young heart.

She wants to learn that, she wants to become that kind of person.

The little girl believed her aunt's words, so she stopped questioning. There was no stupidity in her clear eyes, and they turned around smartly: "So, my aunt brought Xiaoyao to the main hall... What does she want Xiaoyao to do?"

Looking at the clever little girl, Mari Hidaka reached out and tapped Hoshimi Haruka's head. After making the little loli sit up straight, she solemnly announced that today was the day she would officially start her training.

"If you have any questions, please feel free to ask. Your training days in the future will be very difficult," Hidaka Mari reminded.

At this time, Watanabe had not yet gone up the mountain to enter the shrine.

"Have……"

"What."

"It's just as written in the book... Because of the shrine, the people living in [Amenaka Town] are happy... Haruka, um... I don't know how to put it."

Mari Hidaka looked at the little girl in front of her, her eyes clear and pure. Because the girl was well protected in her hands and had not been polluted by the world, she seemed to see another possible future for herself.

However, the little girl whom she protected was no longer pure in her hands, and she was also her own niece... When Mari Hidaka thought about it carefully, it gave her a different kind of interest and fun.

"What Xiaoyao means is that... the residents of [Amenaka Town] under the jurisdiction of the shrine are not happy?"

"Aunt, I...!"

Mari Hidaka shook her head, signaling her to stop talking. She had no intention of deliberately scaring the little loli, but just told her the truth calmly in order to completely break Hoshimi Haruka's fantasy and shape the worldview that she had just developed and built.

"What does their life, whether good or bad, have to do with us?

“They are all insignificant things.

"God will not blame us. He has never blamed us before, and he has never punished us in the past one hundred years.

"Xiaoyao, you have to understand that we are different.

"Remember what I said - except for [Kiyomizu Shrine] and a few special cases in the world, we are different from the other people in [Amenaka Town] and everyone in the world."

Having said that, Hidaka Mari stood up, took the little Lolita's hand in her dark eyes that looked like she understood but not really, and walked slowly with her out of the main hall.

The door of the main hall of the shrine was pushed open, and the sun that slowly rose from the east in the morning shone obliquely in from the left, making the light and dark division in the magnificent yet cramped main hall particularly obvious.

Outside the palace, under the steps, on both sides of the corridor, and in the open space between the palace loft and the stage, there were densely packed female priestesses wearing hakama, the same style but different colors, light green, purple, with or without patterns, arranged from inside to outside according to their rank. When they saw the Lord of the Gods and the Lady of the Miko walking out hand in hand, they all bowed down and knelt respectfully.

This was a scene specially arranged by Hidaka Mari, or it should be said that it was the long-standing tradition of the Hidaka Shrine.

Ignoring all the priestesses who were bowing, Mari Hidaka, holding the hand of the little loli who was inexplicably shocked, walked slowly through the straight passage reserved in the middle amid silent compliments, and came to the top of the mountain where the shrine was located. With her back against the vast and towering Takama-ga-hara, she faced the [Shimizu Shrine] opposite in the distance.

They could see the entire Ameno-naka Town by looking down. Hidaka Mari held Hoshimi Haruka's hand and said to her:
"Xiaoyao, you have to understand.

"The shrine is the bond and bridge between the gods and the common people below. You have the blood of the Hidaka family in your veins. You are not only the servant and dependent of the gods, but also the agent of the gods in the eyes of believers and ignorant people.

"No one dares to say anything about you or the shrine. Besides, they were born in [Amenaka Town], which is a kind of happiness that outsiders envy.

“You don’t have to sacrifice yourself to do anything, someone will naturally follow your wishes and let you get everything you want.

"As the shrine maiden and future god, Xiaoyao only needs to look up and practice to connect with the gods. When Xiaoyao succeeds, look down and no one will go against your wishes..."

Mari Hidaka's words had a huge impact on the young loli Haruka Hoshimi.

As for whether to make people respect and love him willingly, or to oppress people with fear and terror in their hearts and force them to kneel before him, Xing Jianyao was at a loss and confused...

It's a pity that practicing is as difficult as ascending to heaven. In Xing Jianyao's eyes, her intelligent and powerful aunt Hidaka Mari has been unable to make any progress for decades. It is normal that she herself practices like a half-baked person, right?

Until she was told the secret of the past, it turned out that her aunt was indeed her biological aunt, but neither she nor her mother were actually from the Hidaka family, and her father whom she had never met was the only male left in the Hidaka family...

Under the manipulation of Mari Hidaka, Haruka Hoshimi was able to connect with the "God" as she wished, temporarily resolving the current crisis of the shrine and consolidating their status and rule.

Hoshimi Haruka felt mixed emotions, especially when she saw the look in Toru's eyes when he looked at her. It was so cold and painful. To her, it was actually not much different from the Asahina sisters who had lost their bodies and whose souls were trapped in her body!
Hoshimi Haruka had suspected more than once that the "destined man" who had been recorded and warned in history might be her brother Watanabe?
With a mysterious origin, handsome and outstanding appearance and temperament, any woman who gets close to him will quickly and hopelessly fall for him after a short time together; he has extraordinary physical fitness and recovery ability, but there has been no breakthrough in the research and experiments on his body's cells and tissues, and no one understands the reason, so they can only assume that he was born this way...

If Hoshimi Haruka had not used her divine power to wash Watanabe from head to toe, inside and out several times, but received no response, Hoshimi Haruka would have really believed that her brother Toru was the "destined man" mentioned in the records.

But five years later in Tokyo, in the courtyard where Hoshimi Haruka was temporarily staying, after forcibly demanding the power from Watanabe Toru, Hoshimi Haruka discovered that the divine power that was about to dry up was recovering rapidly at a speed she could not believe, filling her body.

Hoshimi Haruka opened her eyes and looked at Watanabe Tetsuya in front of her in disbelief. She smiled with relief again. She hooked her legs around the man's waist and asked him:
"Brother Che, you should know your origins, right? Can you tell Xiaoyao?"

(End of this chapter)