21st Century Necromancer-Chapter 482 - 478: Imperial Food (Please vote for monthly tickets, please subscribe)

While Yu Chen and Hiromi Jounouchi were planning their wedding, Suzuhime, who had completed her messenger task, also returned to Fushimi Inari Taisha in Kyoto.

Striding with light footsteps through the Thousand Torii Gates formed by more than ten thousand torii gates, Suzuhime did not enter Inari Taisha but stepped into the Divine domain of the Inari God.

Torii gates are the entrance to the Shrine, symbolizing the dwelling place of the deities; naturally, they are also the entrance to the Divine domain of deities. However, ordinary people, without the permission of deities, cannot step into the Divine domain. As for the Shrine, it also counts as a Divine domain, but it is where the deities receive worship from their followers. The true residence of the deities is not here.

The Divine domain of the Inari God is a plain filled with golden rice fields. Being the god of auspicious harvest and wealth, the Divine domain of the Inari God naturally presents a scene of abundance and riches.

Piercing through the fields planted with golden rice, Suzuhime arrived at the core of the Divine domain, the Jingu where the Inari God resided.

"Sister Suzuhime, have you returned?" A large torii gate stood tall at the entrance of the Jingu, and below, a white fox squatting there greeted Suzuhime.

"Yes, I have returned! Is Lord Miketsu awake yet?" Suzuhime asked the white fox, which was the gatekeeper of the Jingu.

As for why she would ask whether Lord Miketsu, as the Inari God, was awake… you need to understand that deities aren't busy when they don't respond to their followers.

"Lord Miketsu is awake. Recently, Lord Miketsu has been rising early, which is quite rare!" Although discussing how a patron deity likes to sleep in isn't something a Divine Servant should do, both the white fox and Suzuhime didn't seem to care about it, evidently used to it.

Hearing the white fox's response, Suzuhime couldn't help feeling a bit surprised. Although their patron deity wasn't the type to sleep for tens or hundreds of years at a stretch, under normal circumstances, she rarely got up early. Moreover, there's no day or night in the Divine domain; it all depends on the mood of the Inari God. Hence, sometimes when their own deity woke up from sleep, the outside world could already have passed a month, which had happened before.

What exactly was making the usually sleepy Inari God become diligent?

With such thoughts, Suzuhime entered the Jingu and walked toward the grand hall.

The grand hall of the Jingu was majestic and appeared even more ancient and elegant than that of Inari Taisha in the outside world, further emphasizing the might of the Inari God.

Many foxes curled up around the grand hall. They were pets raised by the Inari God and also served as her messengers and Divine Servants. Among them, those Divine Servants favored by the Inari God might get a chance to be endowed with Divine Power, becoming the deity in charge of a certain Inari Shrine.

"Lord Miketsu, Suzuhime has returned to report." Kneeling on the corridor outside the grand hall, Suzuhime called out loudly to the deity inside.

"Come in," a melodious voice came from inside the grand hall. Hearing this voice granting permission, Suzuhime stood up and walked through the grand hall doors that were drawn apart by two fox-eared maids.

In the main hall, a colossal Nine-tailed White Fox lay at the center, surrounded by white foxes of various sizes, resembling a small hill made up of foxes. Atop this veritable mound, a lazy woman lay, absentmindedly stroking the head of a cute little fox beside her.

"Reporting to Lord Miketsu, your humble servant has carried out your divine oracle and now comes to report back to you." Upon seeing the woman, Suzuhime knelt before her.

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The woman was none other than the master of this Jingu, Miketsu no Kami. She opened her eyes, which had been slightly closed, and looking at Suzuhime prostrate on the ground, she asked, "Have the invitations been delivered? What took so long?"

"The invitations have been delivered into his hands, my Lord. The delay occurred because he moved house unexpectedly, and for a while, the Little Rice Princess and I could not contact him; hence the delay," Suzuhime replied without raising her head, maintaining her kneeling posture as she reported to Miketsu.

Hearing Suzuhime's explanation, Miketsu was not surprised and nodded slightly before continuing, "So, will he attend the banquet?"

"He said he would come on time." Though she had mischievously omitted telling Chen Yu about the preparations needed to attend the Divine Feast, she did not dare play any tricks regarding the attendance itself.

"Good, that puts my mind at ease. Having owed him such a great favor, it's only proper to thank him accordingly," Miketsu said with a slight upturn of her lips, seemingly very pleased with Chen Yu's agreement to attend the banquet.

Perhaps sensing that Miketsu was in a good mood, and having questions of her own, Suzuhime dared to ask, "If I may be so bold, why would you, my Lord, invite a mere mortal to the banquet?"

"Because he showed me a new possibility." Maybe truly in high spirits, Miketsu did not punish Suzuhime but instead answered her question, "You've met the Little Rice Princess already, haven't you noticed anything different about her?"

"The Little Rice Princess... different?" Suzuhime recalled the Little Rice Princess she had seen before, and her expression momentarily froze. A realization came to her, yet she spoke with some confusion, "The Little Rice Princess possesses an additional Divine Power related to death! But how does this relate to you, my Lord...?"

"The Little Rice Princess received two kinds of Death God Power, one of which she used herself, while the other she offered to me," Miketsu explained, glancing at Suzuhime, then sat up from her recline on the 'fox mountain,' resting her hand on her cheek before continuing, "Although I am the Inari God, the faith brought by harvest and wealth has reached its limit, and even I am facing a decline in worship in this modern age where the mystic fades. At such a time, if I could glimpse into death... I might be able to take a step further and become an existence like the Three Precious Children."

"I see! No wonder you personally extended an invitation to a mere mortal," Suzuhime finally understood, simultaneously regretting the prank she cooked up due to her dissatisfaction with Chen Yu. Fortunately, even without her explanation, if Chen Yu were to ask the Little Rice Princess, she, being a former Divine Servant, should still tell him.

With this thought, Suzuhime finally felt reassured.

"Now that you understand, go and prepare for the banquet. We can't afford any mistakes this time!" Miketsu spoke to Suzuhime still kneeling on the ground, signaling her to leave with a wave of her hand but not without an insinuating tone.

Upon hearing Miketsu's words, Suzuhime shivered, realizing that Miketsu had seen through the little game she played.

But since Miketsu did not punish her, Suzuhime knew that the deity did not mind such a trifling matter; thus, after another bow, she respectfully backed out of the hall.