Chapter 1 Discovering the Passage

The discovery that the passage was located in this city greatly boosted everyone's confidence.

The swarm cleared the way ahead, scouting as the escort vehicles advanced towards the city center along the main road.

The cityscape along the way was distinctly Japanese in style.

There were roadside shops with Japanese billboards, neon lights shining with brilliant colors, cherry blossom trees planted along the river streets, residential area roads with steep inclines, and narrow, low alleys.

The city was deserted, with only the sound of wind breaking the silence.

Fortunately, no news was good news.

The group didn't dare to wander around the city, and Wanli Fengdao drove the vehicle slowly to their destination.

This was a residential area hidden on the edge of the bustling city. Most of the buildings were two or three-story brick and wood structures, ordinary family villas that looked quite old.

Each small house had a brick fence around its yard, with signs inlaid with black characters on a white background along the edge of the fence, with the names of the families written on them.

It was a bit like Nobita's house in the anime "Doraemon," but more remote, quieter, and more dilapidated.

The vehicle carrying the four players circled the periphery of the residential area a few times before finally narrowing down the target location to three connected residential buildings.

Since the alley where the three residential buildings were located was too narrow for vehicles to pass through, the players simply parked their car at the end of the alley and entered on foot.

"Here we are,"

Xing Hechou gripped the pocket watch, looked up at a three-story residential building painted yellow with red tiles, and took a deep breath. "The passage to the next level should be in this house."

Standing next to him, Wanli Fengdao subconsciously licked his lips.

The Japanese-style villa in front of him could almost be described as "dilapidated,"

Most of the flowers in the flower pots along the edge of the fence were dead. A pile of old wires leading to different rooms hung on the peeling walls. There was also an outdoor air conditioning unit covered in thick dust outside the room on the left side of the second floor.

It looked unremarkable,

Yet it gave him an extremely strong sense of foreboding.

"Fukugami's house..."

Liu Wudai looked at the sign hanging on the side of the fence and said softly, "The family living in this house is named Fukugami?"

Wanli Fengdao asked, "What's wrong? Is there a problem with this surname?"

Liu Wudai shook his head. "In ancient times, most Japanese commoners had given names but no family names. It wasn't until the Meiji Restoration that the Meiji government issued the 'Commoner Surname Permitting Edict,' allowing all Japanese people, including commoners, to have surnames.

However, people were worried that having surnames would lead to tax problems, so they weren't enthusiastic about it, which led to Meiji later issuing the 'Surname Obligation Edict,' ordering people to take surnames.

At that time, the Japanese people had a backward cultural literacy, and most of the names taken were based on local materials, so they seemed strange and diverse.

Residents at the foot of the mountain took the name Yamashita (Under the Mountain), those by the rice fields took the name Tanabe (Beside the Rice Field), fishermen took the name Ebina (Shrimp Name), cultural figures took the name Monbu (Ministry of Education), or they used customs, festivals, businesses, events, or auspicious signs as surnames.

The surname Fukugami is associated with shrines and Shinto."

"Shinto?"

Wanli Fengdao raised an eyebrow. Before becoming a player, his knowledge of Japanese Shinto culture was limited to beautiful shrine maidens in exaggerated costumes.

After becoming a player, he crammed a lot of obscure knowledge, and learned that Shinto is a traditional Japanese religion, a polytheistic belief in animism.

The deities referred to here are not truly high and mighty gods.

The Japanese word for god, *kami*, can refer to traditional gods and Buddhas, as well as the spirits of the dead, the souls of plants and trees, and even fierce gods and evil spirits from terrifying legends.

Shinto regards all kinds of animals and plants in nature as deities, and sees Japan as a place where gods dwell, with spirits in all things, and gods everywhere, hence the saying "eight million gods."

"I remember there seems to be an ancient shrine on the east side of the city, right?"

Wanli Fengdao frowned and said, "Should we go there to investigate first?

Or go to the city's police station to inquire about information related to Fukugami?"

"Hmm..."

Xing Hechou took out the city map he had taken from a convenience store on the street earlier (the map showed that the city was called 'Kagayama City', a subordinate city of Kagayama Prefecture, which does not exist in the real world. The prefecture in Japan is larger than the city),

Spread it out in front of him,

And took out a Chinese-English-Japanese booklet titled "Kagayama City Travel Guide" to compare, and said, "The shrine on the east side of the city is Yihime Shrine. According to the introduction, it enshrines the local guardian deity, the celestial maiden Yihime.

The lake behind the shrine is known as the place of origin, and there is a local legend that 'coming to the lake before death can lead to reincarnation and a chance to relive a regretted life.'

In the past few years, there have been incidents of tourists accidentally falling into the lake and nearly drowning, so it is temporarily closed to the public."

Liu Wudai asked, "What is the name of the shrine manager?"

"It doesn't say."

Xing Hechou shook his head. "But to dare to write about tourists falling into the lake and nearly drowning on a travel booklet...

The thought process of the Japanese people is really unique."

"After all, that kind of legend about reincarnation, combined with a real event, is a good marketing gimmick."

Wanli Fengdao shrugged and said indifferently, "In the real world, Japan has been producing a lot of anime with the theme of reincarnation in another world recently, and they're almost worn out.

It can only be said that literary works reflect the social reality. Young people exploited by a high-pressure society can't find relief in this life, so they can only hope for reincarnation in another world to become superior people."

Li Ang squinted and complained, "Sounds like you feel strongly about it, bro."

"I just can't stand the moe style."

Wanli Fengdao shook his head and said, "So, should we go to the shrine to collect information first?"