After taking care of the samurai formed by tainted memories, Yuuko looked at Yae Miko and asked, "Is that all?"
"Mm." Yae Miko nodded. "The cleansing ritual here is complete."
After speaking, Yae Miko showed a meaningful expression again:
"In that case, Mr. Yellow Fox, I'll entrust the next few locations to you as well."
"Is it really okay for me to handle the subsequent cleansing alone?" Yuuko hesitated.
Even Yuuko, who wasn't staff at the Shrine, knew.
The Sacred Sakura Cleansing Ritual was an extremely important ceremony for all of Inazuma.
Asking him to perform such a ritual alone now inevitably made him wonder if Yae Miko was being too trusting of him.
Yae Miko chuckled:
"Of course, there's no problem. In fact, having Mr. Yellow Fox perform the cleansing ritual is the most suitable arrangement."
After saying this, she added, "Of course, I won't let Mr. Yellow Fox work for nothing. Once it's done, I will provide the corresponding Reward."
Yuuko thought for a moment and countered, "What kind of Reward can you give?"
This question stunned Yae Miko.
She cleared her throat and sighed:
"I miscalculated. I thought someone like Mr. Yellow Fox wouldn't ask for a Reward, and then if I deliberately didn't mention it, I could get Mr. Yellow Fox to work for free."
"Is it really okay for you to say that right to my face?" Yuuko complained.
Yae Miko spread her hands:
"Well, what else? It wouldn't be right to secretly use so many small tricks in front of Mr. Yellow Fox. It's better to just say it outright. So, what kind of Reward does Mr. Yellow Fox want?"
"Let me say this upfront: my heart already belongs to someone. Physical compensation is absolutely out of the question."
"What kind of person do you take me for..." Yuuko let out a soft breath and said:
"After the matter is concluded, 500,000 Mora will suffice."
To be honest, 500,000 Mora, while not insignificant, wasn't actually that much.
However, Yuuko wasn't acting for the sake of a mere bit of Mora; he simply wanted to protect the beautiful Inazuma of today.
Moreover, Yuuko wasn't short on Mora himself.
Just a token amount would do.
"500,000 Mora, huh..." Yae Miko fell into contemplation, murmuring softly:
"Although it's not overly much, it's not a small sum either."
After a while, she laughed again, "Never mind. Anyway, by scraping together funds from the Shrine and Yae Publishing House, it should be easy enough to gather."
It seems this scum woman often abuses her authority... Yuuko complained internally.
"All in all, there are six more locations that need cleansing. I'll entrust three of them to you, Mr. Yellow Fox," Yae Miko said with a mischievous smile.
"There are as many as six locations?" Yuuko raised an eyebrow slightly, feeling that something was off.
"Yes. Next, I will inform Mr. Yellow Fox of the three cleansing locations and the procedures."
After speaking, Yae Miko slowly began to explain the cleansing procedures for the remaining three locations to Yuuko.
After she finished, Yae Miko handed Yuuko a round mirror:
"Here, and this Commemorative Mirror. It will be used in the subsequent cleansing rituals, so I'll entrust it to you, Mr. Yellow Fox."
Yuuko took the mirror, filtered the cleansing ritual procedures he had just heard through his mind, and confirmed one last time:
"Are you sure? Handing such an important ritual over to an outsider like me?"
Yae Miko smiled, "No, Mr. Yellow Fox is the most suitable candidate, and besides..."
When she reached this point, her expression inexplicably became somewhat melancholic:
"If you encounter any difficulties along the way, she... should appear to assist Mr. Yellow Fox."
"She?" Yuuko frowned.
"No, it's nothing." Yae Miko shook her head, seemingly unwilling to elaborate.
Afterward, Yae Miko bowed slightly toward Yuuko: "Then, I entrust everything to you."
Having said that, Yae Miko leisurely walked away from the area.
After leaving this place and returning to the surface, Yae Miko looked at the soft sunlight spilling from the sky and let out a soft breath:
"Since the matters of the Sacred Sakura Cleansing Ritual have been handed over to Yellow Fox, I will now go deal with the monsters appearing around Inazuma."
...On the other side, shortly after Yae Miko left the underground area.
After Yuuko confirmed that there were no other hidden Abyssal Monsters in the area, he also prepared to leave.
He was ready to head to the next cleansing location.
However, just as Yuuko was about to leave this place, he suddenly felt a very unusual aura coming from behind him.
He turned around to look.
Only then did he realize that a Shrine Maiden, dressed in a miko outfit and wearing a white fox mask, had appeared behind him without him noticing.
Seeing this suddenly appearing Shrine Maiden, Yuuko frowned.
After all, it was absolutely abnormal for a Shrine Maiden to appear in such a hidden underground location.
Yuuko briefly observed the Shrine Maiden's appearance and realized that the miko outfit she was wearing was the same as those worn at the Grand Narukami Shrine.
But Yuuko could sense that this Shrine Maiden was not a living being in the true sense.
Instead, she was somewhat similar to the samurai he had just cleansed... Because of this, Yuuko hesitantly asked, "Are you a Shrine Maiden from the Grand Narukami Shrine?"
The Shrine Maiden wearing the white fox mask nodded: "Yes. Next, I will also help you continue completing the subsequent cleansing ritual."
Hearing this, Yuuko contemplated again, recalling what Yae Miko had just told him.
Yae Miko had said that someone might appear later to help him complete the remaining cleansing rituals.
Now it seemed that the person Yae Miko spoke of was probably the Shrine Maiden wearing the white fox mask standing before him.
However, Yuuko truly didn't understand why the Shrine Maiden hadn't appeared when Yae Miko was present.
Instead, she only appeared after Yae Miko left... "Why didn't you appear when Yae Miko was here, but only came out after she left?"
The Shrine Maiden remained silent, never answering the question.
Although her expression was hidden, a faint sense of sadness could still be felt emanating from her.
Seeing this, Yuuko stopped pressing the issue and asked from a different angle:
"Are you planning to help me complete the remaining cleansing rituals?"
The Shrine Maiden nodded and politely performed a bow:
"Excuse me for the delay. My name is Hanachirusato, a Shrine Maiden of the Shrine."
Hearing this, Yuuko thought for a moment, then nodded and said:
"Just call me Yellow Fox. Time waits for no one, let's hurry to the next location."
In any case, Yuuko didn't sense any malice from this Shrine Maiden, and Yae Miko had just mentioned her.
Therefore, she should be trustworthy.
Considering that Inazuma was currently still under threat from Abyssal Monsters, Yuuko did not want to waste time here.
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