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Misty was at the bow of the ship, excitedly pointing ahead.
Delia stood beside her, shading her eyes with a hand as she looked out, her face filled with gentle curiosity.
Roy stood up and walked over.
The sea breeze brushed against his face, carrying the characteristic warmth of summer and a faint scent of the sea.
Ahead, a sizable pier came into view.
Behind the pier was an ancient town built along the mountain, with roofs lined up in rows and many festival lanterns and colorful flags hanging about.
The most eye-catching feature was a giant stone statue standing on a cliff by the sea.
It was a young maiden with her hands pressed together in prayer, gazing out at the sea. Her posture was graceful, yet it carried an indescribable sense of sorrow and obsession.
They had arrived at Maiden Gorge.
Almost simultaneously.
[Ding!]
A crisp system notification sounded in his mind.
[Triggered Regional Time-Limited Quest: Protecting the Peace of the Summer Festival]
[Quest Content: Ensure safety during the Maiden Gorge Summer Festival; maintain a zero-incident rate for missing persons during the festival.]
[Quest Reward: Amulet x1—A single-use consumable. After use, the user is immune to all Psychic, Spiritual, and Magic effects for 24 hours.]
Spell Tag x1—A Pokemon held item. Increases the power of Ghost-type moves by 20%.]
"Heh, the quest is already here?" Roy's eyes lit up.
The rewards were very practical!
The Amulet; he was just thinking that Sabrina's quest would be very dangerous, and now he had a safeguard.
The Spell Tag was an even better reinforcement for Ghost-type damage.
He was already planning to find that thousand-year-old Gastly; now there was an extra reward for it.
A win-win! No, a triple win!
He quickly recalled the details from the original plot regarding the Gastly of Maiden Gorge.
That Gastly had received a kindness long ago from a maiden who was waiting for her lover's return, and it promised to help her pass down her story and her feelings.
As it turned out, this Gastly was a bit stubborn, or rather, the way Ghost-types think is different from humans.
The method of "passing down" it came up with was to come to Maiden Gorge every year during the summer festival.
During the day, it would transform into a kind old grandmother or some other image to tell the scary story of the 'Maiden's Ghost' everywhere, and incidentally sell some self-made 'Ghost-Expelling Talismans' that were actually useless to make some money.
At night, it would use its powerful Hypnosis to create illusions and scare tourists, occasionally dragging one or two unlucky souls to a corner to go 'missing' for a bit, creating a creepy atmosphere that the Maiden's Ghost really existed and came out every year to find a Substitute.
Using horror to make people remember.
Using Astonish to fulfill a promise.
And making some extra money on the side.
From Gastly's perspective, this operation was a total win; it was truly a model for working-class ghosts.
So, to ensure zero accidents during the festival, the key was to find this thousand-year-old Gastly and have a 'chat' with it.
Roy made a plan in his heart.
Either persuade it to take a vacation this year and stop scaring people;
Or... let it cooperate to put on a different kind of 'play'.
"It's so lively! Roy, can we go down and walk around?" Misty turned back, her eyes sparkling with anticipation. She loved lively occasions like festivals the most.
Delia also looked at Roy. Although she didn't speak, her eyes held the same yearning.
"Sure," Roy tucked away his thoughts and smiled. "Since we're already here, it would be a pity not to visit such a lively festival."
"Yay!" Misty cheered... As they landed at Maiden Gorge, the heat of the festival rushed toward them.
The pier and coastal streets were packed with people. Various snack stalls, game stalls, and souvenir stalls were lined up one after another. The air was a mix of the aromas of takoyaki, candy apples, and fried noodles, along with people's laughter and chatter.
Rows of paper lanterns hung over the ancient stone-stepped streets. Although it was still early, some were already lit, creating a thick festival atmosphere.
The stone statue of the maiden on the distant cliff seemed to be gilded with a layer of gold under the evening sun, adding a touch of mystery and sorrow.
"The scenery is indeed nice," Roy looked around. "The festival vibe is quite authentic too."
With the horror legend of the Maiden's Ghost added to it, so many people still flocked to the summer festival every year.
One could only say that human curiosity about mysterious and terrifying things can sometimes even outweigh fear.
Of course, it couldn't be ruled out that some perverts came specifically for the title of 'Maiden's Ghost,' perhaps harboring some weird fantasies about 'A Chinese Ghost Story' or being a 'Ghost Rider' in their hearts.
After all, the world is big, and there are all kinds of people.
"Roy, Sister Delia, look over there!" Misty suddenly pointed to a stall ahead, her voice full of pleasant surprise.
It was a stall that specialized in renting and selling festival clothing.
Several young girls dressed in red and white miko outfits with flower hair ornaments were busy at the stall, helping customers try on clothes.
Soft and elegant white robes, vibrant red Hakama, and gorgeous sashes tied around the waist.
The traditional Shrine Maiden attire, when worn by young girls, held a sense of sacred and ascetic beauty within its purity.
Especially when the sea breeze blew, fluttering the hems of the red Hakama and the sleeves of the white robes, that half-hidden scenery... Roy saw the loving gazes of Misty and Delia.
The corners of his mouth involuntarily curled into a playful arc.
"miko outfits, huh..." he murmured softly.
It seemed that this trip to Maiden Gorge, besides the quest and Gastly, might unlock some extra enjoyment?
Shrine Maiden Misty... Shrine Maiden Delia... just imagining the scene made one feel a bit restless.
"Do you like them?" Roy walked over to the two girls and asked in a natural tone.
"Yes! They're very beautiful!" Delia nodded, her gaze falling on the exquisite clothing, clearly a bit tempted.
She usually dressed simply and gently, but she was a woman after all, and lacked resistance to such beautiful traditional clothing.
Misty was even more direct, her eyes almost glued to them. "I really want to try them on! It must be great to attend the festival wearing this!"
"If you like them, then get a set," Roy said nonchalantly. With his current net worth of two million, a few sets of miko outfits were no problem at all.
"I also want to see what my Misty and Delia look like in miko outfits."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over the two women's slender figures with a hint of deep meaning, and added, "Well... maybe I'll even be lucky enough to have two Shrine Maidens'serving the deity' at the same time."
He spoke subtly, but the implication was all too obvious to Misty and Delia, who had already shared the deepest level of intimacy with him.
Misty was stunned at first, then her fair cheeks turned red at a speed visible to the naked eye, like a ripe apple.
She snapped her head around, glared at Roy in shame and annoyance, and lowered her voice. "You... you pervert! What kind of strange things are you thinking about again!"
"You wouldn't... you wouldn't want us to wear miko outfits and then... then do... that kind of... thing with you, right..."
The last few words were almost swallowed in her throat, thin as a mosquito's hum. After finishing, she was so ashamed that even the tips of her ears were completely red.
Roy had an innocent look on his face. "I just said I wanted to admire them; I wasn't thinking of anything else."
He suddenly leaned close to Misty's bright red ear and said slowly in a breathy voice that only she could hear:
"If a certain mermaid is willing to 'accidentally' lift her skirt when passing by me... I wouldn't mind giving some on-site guidance on how a Shrine Maiden's 'ritual dance' should be performed."
"Ah!" Misty was so teased by these explicit words that her ears turned red, her whole body went soft, and she was both ashamed and anxious. "Big pervert! Who... who's going to dance that kind of dance for you!"
"Hahaha!" Roy laughed as he dodged, while conveniently pulling her into his arms and kissing the top of her head.
The two of them played around as if no one else were there, with the unique intimacy and flirtatiousness of a couple.
Delia watched from the side, her cheeks also slightly red. For a moment, a thought really did cross her mind: the hem of the miko outfit being lifted, Roy behind her... Delia was lost in thought while Roy and Misty were playing around.
Because he was laughing and playing with Misty, his steps weren't very careful, and as Roy turned around—
He crashed firmly into a mass of incredibly soft and surprisingly elastic fullness... A faint scent, like jasmine mixed with some refreshing soap, drifted into his nostrils.