21st Century Necromancer-Chapter 884 - 878: The Deities’ Reply

Chapter 884 -878: The Deities’ Reply

For most people, asking for guidance from the gods might just mean visiting a temple to draw a fortune stick, but for someone like Minami, who has truly seen deities, consulting the gods is far from a simple matter.

As the most common type of shrine in Japan, Tokyo naturally houses a large number of Inari Shrines. However, most of these shrines are quite small and lack ancient history. After all, Tokyo, formerly Edo, was only established after Tokugawa Ieyasu unified the country, giving it a history of just over four hundred years—nothing compared to the longstanding legacy of Kyoto.

Even so, a shrine is still a shrine. Even if it’s newly built, as long as it’s dedicated to the deities and receives their acknowledgment, it becomes a legitimate place of worship where followers can pray and transmit their wishes to the gods.

Of course, while prayers can be sent to the gods, whether the gods choose to listen is another matter entirely.

After all, for a great deity like the Inari God, with over thirty thousand Inari Shrines spread across all Japan, there are countless prayers being offered at every moment. If the Inari God were to listen to each and every prayer, there would be no time left for anything else—merely listening to prayers would occupy all of the deity’s time.

That’s why a large number of Divine Servants serve under the Inari God, handling the prayers of followers. Trivial or insignificant requests are resolved by these servants and never reach the Inari God directly.

In fact, most Inari Shrines are staffed with Divine Servants or subordinate deities appointed by the Inari God. They act as the first line of response, ensuring that the main Inari Taisha does not need to manage the overwhelming number of prayers from the thirty thousand-plus shrines.

Only the most sincere and significant prayers are filtered through and presented to the Inari God.

Yet even for these prayers, whether or not the Inari God chooses to respond depends entirely on the deity’s mood.

For deities, especially at the level of the Inari God, responding to one or two followers’ prayers for the sake of faith is excessively slow, inefficient, and often unnecessary.

After all, the Inari God is one of the most exalted beings in the Japanese Deity system, second only to the Three Precious Children. What could possibly demand the deity’s personal attention?

But Minami held a special privilege to directly relay her prayers to the Inari God, all because of the Koban given to her by the deity.

This was no ordinary Koban or mere coin. In some sense, it represented the Inari God’s divine authority as the patron deity of commerce.

If one were to enshrine this Koban, they would gain the Inari God’s protection, achieving wealth and prosperity, with every business venture flourishing and every endeavor succeeding.

Clearly, Minami was unaware of these facts, and no one, not even her father, had explained them to her.

To the Inari God, this Koban was merely a form of payment and a means of granting Minami some divine protection—ensuring she wouldn’t encounter certain “accidents.”

Even so, Minami, having deduced the identity of the Inari God, instinctively understood that this item was something given by a deity. Although she didn’t know its precise purpose, and Chen Yu only instructed her to carry it with her, she knew it was deeply connected to the divine.

So when Minami decided to seek answers from the Inari God, she brought along the Koban. Though she didn’t know what use it might serve, she felt a strong intuition that it could prove helpful.

As it turned out, Minami’s instincts were correct. When she prayed to the Inari God with the Koban in her possession, the deity noticed her.

“Interesting. So you came to pray to me,” the Inari God remarked with a faint smile, sensing Minami’s prayer even while savoring a delicious dish alongside the Matchmaking God. “Falling deeper into it, I see? Lord Chen Yu’s plan is going rather smoothly.”

The Inari God sighed softly, releasing a strand of divine thought to handle the matter while continuing unhurriedly to enjoy the tender, perfectly seared fish before them.

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“So this is your trouble, is it?” A majestic, authoritative female voice resonated through Minami’s ears, instantly making her realize that a divine entity was addressing her. freewёbnoνel.com

Overwhelmed with gratitude for having her prayer acknowledged, Minami immediately became even more focused and reverent, pouring out her worries to the Inari God: “Lord Inari, I am truly troubled. I know I shouldn’t have fallen in love with Mr. Naoki, but I just can’t suppress my feelings. Please, what should I do?”

The Inari God, of course, understood Minami’s prayer and the source of her distress all too well. This was, after all, the result of deliberate guidance from both her and Chen Yu. Yet the Inari God couldn’t outright encourage Minami to fall in love with Inomata Naoki.

Thus, the deity replied, “Love is the most beautiful emotion in the Human World. A person should not—does not need to—repress their feelings. However, your situation is unique. You are merely a reincarnated deceased person. If you fall in love with a living soul, it will inevitably bring chaos and calamity to the Human World. You must not love him.”

“Yes, Lord Inari, I know I shouldn’t love him, and I know my feelings could lead to terrible consequences, but I just can’t control myself. What am I supposed to do?” Minami’s sorrow was palpable. If not for her reluctance to leave her father behind, she might have begged Chen Yu to let her truly pass on and escape the pain entirely.

Minami’s desire to move on startled the Inari God. The entire plan revolved around the forbidden romance between Minami and Inomata Naoki. If she suddenly chose to depart, wouldn’t it all be for naught?

Considering this, the Inari God could not allow Minami to choose reincarnation. Although Chen Yu had safeguards in place to prevent this, the deity still sought to comfort her: “Do not despair, nor suppress your emotions. If you love him but he does not reciprocate, there will be no problems.”

The Inari God soothed Minami, steering her thoughts: “Your distress stems from having fallen in love with someone you shouldn’t. But love is mutual, requiring two hearts to align. If you are the only one developing feelings while he remains unaffected, there will be no disastrous consequences. You need not trouble yourself so much.”

In speaking with Minami, the Inari God set aside the grandeur of divine authority, choosing instead to adopt the tone of a kind and gentle elder. This approach made Minami feel a sense of warmth and familiarity, allowing her to take the deity’s words to heart. Though her troubles remained unsolved, she felt significantly lighter. “Thank you for your guidance, Lord Inari. I understand now.”