The mastermind behind this started by creating a strange story

"Pfft~"

A wave hit the fishing boat and swayed. Akito Sakai, who was standing on the boat, grabbed the handle on the wall tightly to avoid falling to the ground.

"what!!!"

With a roar, Akito Sakai held the rudder tightly, controlling the direction of the fishing boat and fighting against the surging waves.

The waves hit the hull one after another, and every time the boat was about to capsize, Akito Sakai would use his skillful and rich experience to control the hull.

After dodging the attacks of waves again and again, the rain mercilessly hit the glass windows and the sea surface outside turned dark.

Corresponding to the dark clouds in the sky, occasional lightning illuminates the dark blue sea.

In this situation, Akito Sakai was extremely calm. He knew that panic would only bring fear, which would do more harm than good at the moment.

With his nerves tense, Akito Sakai drove in the direction he came from, with the unsteady black-blue waves swaying around him.

If an inexperienced newcomer is involved, he will get lost in this sea, lose his direction, and eventually lose his life or death.

After a long time, Akito Sakai finally saw the vague coastline, which was the port where he set out.

Once again, he triumphed over the storm.

After locking his fishing boat, Akito Sakai came to the shore in the heavy rain. He had already dumped the fish on the boat into the sea to reduce the weight of the boat so that it could go faster.

A large number of villagers gathered on the coast, eagerly awaiting the return of fishermen who went out to sea, praying that they would return safely from the storm.

Looking at the crowd, Akito Sakai casually glanced around and suddenly discovered that his wife was also holding an umbrella in the wind and rain.

"Kazuko! Why did you come out too!"

Kazuko, who was originally nervous, turned around in surprise when she heard the voice and ran towards Sakai Akito who was running towards her.

"Luckily you're okay!"

Kazuko hugged Sakai Akito tightly and even threw her umbrella aside.

"Don't throw away the umbrella! You still have a wound on your head and you can't touch the water!"

Akito Sakai hurriedly used his palm to cover the wound on Kazuko's head, then leaned over to pick up the umbrella on the ground and held it up. The rain hit the umbrella with a crackling sound, and then flowed down the umbrella.

In the crowd, a small umbrella blocked the wind and rain outside, and two people who had settled down hugged each other.

"Akito."

"Ok?"

"As long as you are safe..."

"Yeah, I'm fine, let's go home."

Chapter 119 Funeral Ceremony

Yesterday's heavy rain continued all night, and the crackling sound of raindrops hit the windows and roof.

Even on the second day, the rainfall had not decreased, and the strong wind was accompanied by the sound of rain.

“I don’t know if the rain will stop tomorrow.”

Akito Sakai stood in front of the window, looking at the ground outside where rain was beating down on it and muttered to himself.

"What are you looking at?"

Kazuko walked over slowly and stood side by side with Akito Sakai.

"Nothing, it's just that with this kind of heavy rain, we'll have to wait a few days before we can go out to sea again."

"Haha." Hezi smiled softly, narrowing her eyes slightly, "The sea also needs a rest after the storm."

"It's the same with you. If you keep working, you'll get exhausted. Then it won't be worth it."

"So, take a good rest with the sea these days."

Holding her husband's hand, Kazuko pulled Akito Sakai into the house.

"Let's go, the meal is ready."

Akito Sakai, who was being pulled away, took another look at the violent storm outside, then without looking back, he followed his wife away from the window.

………………

The autumn rainstorms were not as severe as those in summer. After only two days, the rainfall began to gradually decrease.

The village is not built under a high mountain, so they are not vulnerable to disasters such as landslides.

And because of the high terrain, the waves and tides have no impact on this place.

Three days after the heavy rain, the rain finally began to disappear and the long-lost sun appeared in the bright sky.

The puddles on the ground reflected the sun in the sky like a mirror, as well as the low houses around. Everything seemed so peaceful and comfortable.

"Snapped!"

A slight sound broke the silence. A shoe covered in mud stepped into a puddle, turning the transparent water into a muddy yellow color.

"Clap~"

A few more footsteps were heard, like the whistle of a leader. The footsteps gradually became more frequent, making the nearby puddles make popping sounds.

Mud and water splashed onto trouser legs and wet shoes, but no one cared about this little thing.

A group of people wearing black mourning clothes and white scarves were wandering the street, some of them holding photo frames with black and white photos in them.

There were dozens of people in the team holding photo frames, and most of them were elderly people with white hair.

An atmosphere of grief surrounded the team, and everyone had a look of sorrow on their face. They were a funeral procession.

In memory of those who went out to sea in the storm three days ago and have not returned yet.

If they still haven't returned after the storm has subsided, it can only mean one thing: those who didn't return... they stayed at sea.

As fishermen who make their living from the sea, they have long been mentally prepared for the possibility of dying at sea. After all, they may not necessarily die by going out to sea, but they will definitely starve to death if they don't.

Death at sea can only be said to be God's will or fate.

This funeral procession was mainly composed of the surviving family members of those fishermen, whether they were parents, wives, or children. Having lost the pillars of their families, the fate of this group of people was already clear.

The fishermen who returned safely couldn't help but feel sad after seeing this scene. After all, this group of people's today might be their tomorrow.

So, the returning fishermen spontaneously joined the funeral procession, helping this group of people to handle funeral affairs and bury the dead.

Although what was buried were only the clothes one wore during life, if one died at sea, even the body could not be brought home.

In the back mountain of the village, there are more cenotaphs than natural burial graves, and the rows of tombstones look a bit desolate.

The absence of a corpse means there is no need for cremation. Digging a deep pit and placing the body's clothes can serve as a grave.

They live in a remote rural area, and although this type of burial is not in line with the mainstream in their country, it is also a helpless move.

They didn't even have enough money to hire monks to chant sutras, let alone a cemetery for burial.

In the past, the head of a village would usually represent the crowd and recite the epitaph, thus ending the funeral ceremony.

But today was a little different. Half a month ago, a priest came to their village. It was said that he was a priest who believed in the sea god Watatsumi.

In just a dozen days, the priest had won over most of the villagers.

Only a small number of villagers are still wavering.

At this funeral ceremony, the priest will take over the role of the village chief and preside over the final resting place of the deceased and the mourning of the living.

At this moment, the prestige of the priest has far exceeded that of the village chief, and he has received strong support from the villagers.

"Everyone, the dead will go to reincarnation and go to the next life, but the living must continue to live in this world in place of the dead."

“The living will take over the will of the dead, live well in the world for the dead, and experience this colorful world for the dead.”

"The dead are gone, but the living are like this."

"Please don't be too sad."

The priest had already reached the age of knowing the destiny, and a kind smile now appeared on his slightly wrinkled face.

The tone was kind and seemed to have a calming effect, and after hearing the priest's words, the originally sad crowd seemed to no longer be so sad.

The crowd stared at the priest with burning eyes.

Seeing this, the priest also struck while the iron was hot and said: "Everyone, I have a request that I hope you can agree to. Tonight, I will hold a ceremony to worship the sea god and calm the anger of the sea."

"The previous storm was a natural disaster, but the god Watatsumi-sama can protect mortals like us, so that the storm can no longer harm us. As someone who can talk to gods, I can naturally communicate with them through my soul."

"After receiving the protection of His Majesty Watatsumi, mortals like us will gain the kindness of the sea and will never have to face death. Of course, this is not free. As a bridge between humans and gods, we also need a material foundation."

“No matter how strong a bridge is, it is still built of ordinary stones. Although I don’t care about material things, money is like the cornerstone of building a bridge to me.”

"Only in this way can I communicate with His Majesty Watatsumi. I hope everyone will not be too stingy. After all, communicating with gods will also cause me some harm."

"Besides, there has been a saying since ancient times that spending money can ward off disasters, and everyone can understand that, right?"

Listening to the priest's bewitching words, the bereaved family, who were already disturbed by excessive grief, directly responded to the priest's words.

The priest led the funeral ceremony this time. Compared with the village chief who could only read epitaphs, the priest was obviously more professional. Moreover, the priest comforted them and told them to live well. Such a kind-hearted priest would definitely not deceive them.

Whether out of gratitude to the priest or out of true belief in the god of the sea, many people agreed to the priest's request.

The remaining villagers who had not yet responded, although they heard something wrong, watched the people around them begin to respond.

They also followed the crowd and agreed to the priest's request. If they were the only ones who kept silent, they would be isolated and bullied, just like Sakai Akito.

"Okay, then I would like to thank you all here."

"Of course, I also hope that everyone can spread this news and let more people participate in the sacrificial ceremony of the Sea God."

"After all, the more people there are, the higher the success rate of the ceremony will be."

Chapter 120 Sacrifice Ceremony

"Akito, what kind of sacrificial ceremony is that priest performing tonight?"

"Are we going?"

The priest's words spread throughout the entire village in a short period of time.

Even Akito Sakai, who was hated by everyone, accidentally heard other people talking about it and learned about it.

After returning home and telling his wife, Akito Sakai sat at the table, seemingly thinking about something, and this scene was also seen by his wife.

"No, if we go, we will only be met with their disgust and cold eyes."

"As for what the priest said about being protected by the sea god and being friendly to the sea, I don't think I need him to communicate with the gods to bestow upon me."

At this point, Akito Sakai couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"Hahaha, I seem to have long been attracted to the sea. After all, I have been living well alone at sea for so many years."

After laughing a few times, the smile on Sakai Akito's face faded, and his voice became a little tired again.

"It is precisely because of this that we are ostracized and looked down upon by the villagers."

"I'm sorry, I got you into trouble, Kazuko."

"What nonsense are you talking about."

Hearing her husband say this, Kazuko raised her hand and tapped Sakai Akito on the head.

"What are you thinking about, you idiot, you really should get your head knocked to make it smarter."

"Why are you saying sorry? If you had left me alone in this world, then you would have been the one to say sorry!"

"It is because you are alive and well that the rest of my life has meaning. If you dare to leave me alone, I will catch you back even if it is hell!"

"Hmph, don't underestimate me, I'm not as weak as you think!"

As she spoke, Kazuko raised her arms and showed her biceps to Akito Sakai.

Looking at his wife's limp arms, Akito Sakai couldn't help laughing.

"Okay, okay, I was wrong. I shouldn't have said sorry." Reaching out and touching his wife's head, Akito Sakai said again in a doting tone.

"Instead of attending the so-called Sea God Sacrifice, I might as well take this opportunity to spend some time with you. Meeting you is my greatest luck."

Hearing this, He Zi's face turned slightly red: "What are you talking about? You are already an old married couple, aren't you ashamed?"

"Of course I'm not ashamed. After all, you are my..."