Following the shrine maiden to the small wooden hut behind the shrine, Shido examined the surrounding environment. It was a very fresh and simple environment, which was very suitable for calming down and chatting.
This was not a place where tourists could come. Shido and Yoshino came in only because they were brought in by the shrine maiden. Usually this was the place where the shrine maidens rested.
Thinking about it this way, isn't it a forbidden garden?
Shido shook his head, and then asked the shrine maiden:
"Shrine Maiden, do you know about the Tree?"
"The Tree? It should be the sacred tree of the shrine..."
The shrine maiden was not too sure, because there was no clear record in this regard, but she herself guessed so.
"Where is the sacred tree?"
Shido asked anxiously.
"So that's the case... The important guests came to look for the sacred tree!"
The shrine maiden nodded thoughtfully.
"Could you tell me?"
Shido asked intently. Although this shrine maiden looked mysterious, she didn't feel like a bad person.
"Of course there is no problem, after all, the meaning of tarot cards is like this..."
The shrine maiden chuckled, then she took out a complete set of tarot cards.
Her expression suddenly became serious, and she said in a deep voice:
"But at this time, I want to perform a divination!"
"OK."
Shido nodded politely. It was estimated that the other party was worried about his intention, so she decided to make a prediction about the result of this trip first!
Looking at the tarot cards on the table, he didn't quite understand this aspect, but since the shrine maiden found him because of these tarot cards, they should be quite accurate!
When the shrine maiden was ready, she smiled and said:
"Choose one!"
Shido nodded, and then pointed to a card.
The shrine maiden revealed it gently, only to see a pair of lovers hugging each other affectionately, with the sun, moon, and stars in the background.
"Lovers Reunion?"
The shrine maiden murmured, after all, it was the matter of Shido, and she didn't quite know what it meant, but it seemed that there was no danger, and there would be no disaster!
The shrine maiden smiled relaxedly, and then stood up. Since it was an important guest who wanted to see the sacred tree, and her fortune-telling gave her a safe result, there was no need to worry too much. She would just take him there, like what the sacred tree meant.
"Come with me! Yoshino-chan, please wait here for a while, we'll be back soon..."
The shrine maiden said softly, her meaning was obvious: She couldn't take Yoshino with her.
Shido frowned, somewhat dissatisfied, but he realized that this was someone else's place after all, and they had their rules, which he should abide by as a guest.
Moreover, although her spiritual power was sealed, Yoshino could still summon spiritual power when necessary, so there was no need to worry too much about her safety.
"Yoshino, wait here for a while, and I'll date with you!"
Shido smiled softly.
Yoshino nodded obediently, she was willing to accept any decision made by Shido.
"Shido-kun, come back soon! Don't get lost in the shrine maiden's Gensokyo!"
(Gensokyo: literally Land of Illusions or Land of Fantasy)
Yoshinon laughed and said.
"Don't worry, I won't."
Shido patted Yoshinon's ear, then he turned around and left the cabin with the shrine maiden.
Just now, the shrine maiden had been indifferently watching the behaviors of Shido and Yoshino. Whether it was Shido going on a date with a little girl like Yoshino, or a toy puppet like Yoshinon could talk, or the rude remark made by Yoshinon just now, none of them made her surprised or bothered.
This also made Shido feel even more that this shrine maiden was not simple at all.
But she shouldn't be an enemy, so Shido didn't think too much, but followed the other party and walked all the way to the back of the shrine, and came to a very strange open space.
The reason why it felt strange was because there were no stone bricks here, and the ground was dry soil. It was spring, and within the climate of this area, there should not be such a dry soil.
Of course, what made Shido more concerned was that in the middle of the dry mud, there was a big tree that looked like a ginkgo, but it seemed to be taller and wider than the ginkgo.
It was just that, it looked like a half withered plant.
"Is this the divine tree?"
Shido frowned, there must be a big problem with the appearance of the divine tree.
"Correct. "
The shrine maiden nodded affirmatively.
"Has it always been like this, or did it just become like this last week?"
Shido asked again.
"It is said that it started to slowly become strange decades ago, and it lost its former vitality, but it was not so serious. Just last week, it suddenly became like this, and I don't know why."
The shrine maiden explained in detail that she didn't know what this represented, but she also knew that it was a very serious matter. It might be the same as her divination, and it was the key to the safety of the world, so naturally she knew everything and said everything.
"Can I go over and take a closer look?"
Shido asked softly.
"Please do."
The shrine maiden nodded, and then stepped aside. She couldn't walk over herself, only Shido could.
Because of this, she made Yoshino wait in the hut.
Shido let out a light breath and stepped on the dry soil. The soil felt firmer than expected, and it didn't stick to the shoes.
Shido slowly came to the front of the divine tree and sensed the energy inside. It was a bit familiar. Although it was rare, it seemed to be somewhat similar to the spiritual power of Spirits. It was estimated that it was really the Tree of Life in this world.
He gently stroked the sturdy stem, and suddenly felt a sense of sadness, for some reason.
"Woo!"
The shrine maiden suddenly screamed, and when Shido looked back, he could no longer see the shrine maiden...
Not to mention the shrine maiden, even the shrine, the high-rise buildings nearby, and even the fierce sunlight were gone.
Shido frowned. He looked around and saw that he was in a strange garden with two young girls chatting happily.
Shido couldn't help but be surprised.
Am I summoned to another world again?
Author's Note:
Mystery is about to reveal itself, but what will it be? Who are these two girls? And do they have the powers that Shido needed?
Anyway, thank you for your support, and get ready for Monday!