Tokyo Soft Rice King

"I see……"

To put it bluntly, many gods died in the womb before they even hatched from their eggs.

From this perspective, it is actually man who created God, and there is nothing special about this world. It just has an extra force of idealism.

"So what is Kuroo's godhood?"

Granny Kobayashi pointed to the floor.

Hei Yuming was stunned for a moment. Of course, he was not stupid enough to think that Grandma Kobayashi was talking about the house or the floor.

"Earth...? Land! So Kuroo is the god of the land?!"

"Yes, the land of Shikoku is where Kuroo is a god. Kuroo is actually a very powerful god in the local area."

"Isn't it Inari-no-Kami? I've been to its new shrine and met Mr. Tomita."

"That kid Faquan...his family used to live near us, and he was one of the few students of my old man...I remember his daughter was about the same age as Xiaotong."

"Yeah, I know Haruka too. Isn't their Inari Shrine the one dedicated to Kuroo?"

Although Kuroo really dislikes Tomita Hokken.

Having said that, I can now understand why Tomita Hokum tries to please Kuroo. It’s not because the uncle loves cats, but because he knows Kuroo is a real god.

However, Haruka Tomita seems to be unaware of this. It seems that the existence of gods is still only known to a few people.

Come to think of it, since they both have their own shrines, why did Kuroo choose himself to be the agent instead of choosing the shrine maiden from his family shrine?

"That's because Kuroo is regarded as the Inari God at the Tokyo shrine, but in fact, Kuroo has another very famous name in Shikoku..."

Grandma Kobayashi paused and asked Kuroba Ming.

"Baizi, do you know 'Yoquanjin Great God'?"

Of course, Hei Yuming had heard of the great god Huangquanjin, so he widened his eyes in surprise, with a look of disbelief on his face.

"Huh? Izanami?! Wait, that cat? She's actually the mother goddess from Japanese mythology?! Is this true?!"

"Myths are stories made up by people, but faith makes them real. Kuroo is undoubtedly the God of Yomizu, because Shikoku is actually the ancient Yomizu Hirasaka."

“Why?”

"According to the data we've collected, Shikoku Island held a certain mysterious fascination for the people of Honshu, perhaps because transportation was so inconvenient in ancient times. War corpses, thrown into the sea, were washed ashore by currents, leading to the frequent sighting of bodies on the coast... People began to believe it was a land of ghosts, where souls would descend after death. It was considered the entrance to the underworld, and hence became known as Yomizu-kun, ruled by Yomizu-no-Omizu. It was also known as the Four-Sided Kingdom. The name 'Shikoku' also means 'country of the dead,' both referring to the character 'shi'."

“Is it actually a pun?”

Hei Yuming rolled his eyes when he heard this.

But after complaining, he could understand the origin of this legend.

In fact, in Eastern culture, the "underworld" has a specific "location". For example, Mount Tai, the Eastern Peak, is also called Luofeng Mountain in the underworld, and the surrounding area is the ancient Fengdu, the so-called underworld.

Therefore, the Great Emperor of Dongyue is the god who controls life and death, yin and yang.

Kuroba Akira didn't believe in these things originally, but if the gods of this world were the embodiment of human faith...

"I understand. Because people believe that Shikoku is Yomi Hirasaka, Kuroo, who was born in Shikoku, has corresponding beliefs. Although he is a land god, he has replaced the real Yomizu Great God."

"That's right. That's why Kuroo's shrine in Tokyo is Inari Shrine. Actually, it was because the previous emperor thought it was unlucky to have an 'entrance to the underworld' in the capital, so it was changed to Inari Shrine."

"I was wondering why that greedy cat that eats everywhere is the Inari God...it turns out they forced it to change its name."

"That's not entirely unfounded. After all, in mythology, Izanami ate Yomizu's food and couldn't leave Yomizu Hirasaka. So, in Shikoku, Yomizu-no-Okami is also a deity associated with food."

"I suddenly understand why Kuroo is such a foodie."

After knowing what kind of god Kuroo was, Kuroo Akira suddenly understood something.

Because Granny Kobayashi explained these things in order to tell Kuroba Akira the 'reason why he couldn't go back'.

In other words, the reason why time travelers like Hei Yuming cannot go back is actually very simple.

"I think you should have realized, Baizi, that you, my wife, and everyone else who came to this 'world' all have one thing in common..."

Mr. Lin, Miss Tian, ​​Mr. Fang, and Bai Yuming himself...

Everyone is...

'deceased'.

"My old man died on the battlefield. When he woke up, he found himself behind enemy lines. He then started organizing 'behind-the-enemy-lines work'. Later, he discovered that this world wasn't the original one, but 'another world'."

"Another world...ah! The meanings overlap!"

Generally speaking, when we say that someone has gone to another world, we actually mean that they are dead.

Because there is only one world, all living people live in the same world, and there is no second world at all.

But this world has a special existence called God, who has incredible power, and what God can do is based on faith.

"The great god Yomizu has the power to 'return to the underworld,' but the dead cannot be resurrected. This is common sense, and even gods cannot go against common sense. Therefore, Kuroo cannot resurrect the dead, but he can 'bring the dead back from the other world.' You are actually all 'the dead' who have been 'resurrected' by Kuroo..."

There was one more thing that Grandma Kobayashi hesitated and didn't say.

That is, most of the people brought back by Kuroo are "people with regrets".

These regrets are basically related to "home".

Fang Yong, who established a career but never got married, Tian Hongxiang, who was unable to get married and have children due to blindness, Bai Yuming, who failed to fulfill his filial duties after his father became critically ill, and Lin Dewan, who never got to see the rise of his country.

They are all 'homeless dead'.

It is a great sorrow that people who leave their hometown can never return to it.

It’s also a kind of resentment.

And this resentment is like a signal, allowing Kuroo to find these poor souls and bring them to this world.

"You have the story of 'The Civet Cat Substitutes the Prince' here, right? 'Return from the Underworld' is similar, meaning 'the person who returns from the Underworld becomes different from the person who came before.' This description fits your current situation very well, doesn't it?"

"Ah... I see... No wonder I can't go back... It's because 'there's no place to go back to'..."

Hei Yuming took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly and deeply.

As he exhaled, he felt as if all the regrets had been released from his body.

All the missed opportunities, the words that were never said, and the irretrievable past, at this moment, floated away to another world with this wisp of smoke-like breath.

The real Bai Yuming is dead.

Farewell, father, mother...

Hei Yuming gradually relaxed, and his originally furrowed brows also relaxed slightly.

Although there was still a hint of melancholy on his face, the solemn expression had quietly faded away, replaced by a sense of relief and tranquility.

"I tell you this because I hope you won't blame Kuroo. He's not the evil god who played with your life, but the god who gave you a second life."

"Of course I won't blame it. I can't thank it enough... Anyway, Kuroo 'resurrected' us, was it to select an agent?"

"Yes, my old man didn't plan to look for an heir among his compatriots, because he always wanted to complete everything that needed to be done in his own generation, rather than leaving it to future generations to solve... But Kuroo, in fact, is the one who only chooses agents from among the 'Yellow Spring Returners' like you."

"Oh, no wonder they chose me... Then why didn't they choose Hijikata-san or Miss Kouka? Also, each of our situations is different, right? What about Grandpa Kobayashi?"

"My old man is the same as Mr. Hijikata. His souls from two lives merged together, so he reluctantly accepted the name 'Kobayashi'."

"Then why don't I have any memories or emotions from this body? And Miss Hongxiang's side is still separated, there's no fusion at all?"

"Hmm... I'm not sure about that. Maybe you can wait until Kuroo can speak before asking him about his power."

"So it can talk?"

“Not now, but it used to be possible.”

"Why is he degenerating? Actually, if Kuroo is such a powerful god, how could he be so weak as a cat? Even if the old man hadn't helped gather faith, Kuroo wouldn't have become so destitute, right?"

"Well... the situation is a bit complicated. Anyway, it's all my old man's fault. He has had a very negative impact on Kuroo. It can be regarded as repaying kindness with evil... My old man once said before he died that he was worthy of everyone except Kuroo and me..."

Grandma Kobayashi seemed a little lonely. After briefly explaining the specific reason, she said to Hei Yuming.

"Anyway, my old man asked me to take you in because he hopes the next agent will fulfill his duties as an agent and help Kuroo gather faith so that she can return to her human form."

Restore human form...

Kuroo is a female cat.

That is to say...

I can really turn into a cat girl!

And she is the Cat Girl of God!

Chapter 271 The Ability to Rewrite Destiny

However, I'm not sure if it will be a cat girl.

In the final analysis, cat ears and tails are just extra things added according to human habits. Even if God can really transform into a human form, he may not be a cat girl.

It's also possible that he'll look like Fey the Cat from Tough Guy. Fury or something like that can barely be considered a humanoid...

Of course, there is no need to guess here, just ask the old lady in front of you who has seen it.

"Well, old woman, have you ever seen Kuroo's human form? What does it look like?"

"I haven't seen it either. Kuroo has never transformed into a human form, but she used to be able to speak. Her voice sounded like that of a little girl around ten years old."

"No, you haven't seen the old woman before, so why do you say she can transform into a human form?"

"Powerful gods will eventually transform into human form, because only in this way can they leave behind offspring."

"Hmm?! Hmm? Wait, leaving offspring?! Can gods also have children?"

Hei Yuming was stunned. Could God actually teach and train with humans?

In other words, there are actually second-generation gods in this world!

This is too ridiculous!

"Why else do you think a god would deliberately transform into a human form? If it's just to communicate with humans, there's no need to take on a human form, right?"

This is in line with the nature of mythology.

Think about it, aren't the gods in Greek mythology just scumbags who come down to earth to mess around with decent women?

"But not every god would do this. Generally speaking, only gods whose godhood is gradually decaying would choose to leave offspring with humans."

"The Godhead will decay... Since the Godhead is a concrete object, it will eventually decay."

"Yes, for a god like Kuroo whose divinity is based on the land, unless the entire Shikoku Island were to sink, its divinity would not be affected. Even if it were weakened to the size of an ordinary cat, it would not disappear. However, some gods' divinity is not so magnificent, so they need to 'transfer' their divinity, and some gods choose to 'transfer' it to humans."

"After all, people are objects too..."

Good guy, a Jinchūriki, right?

"That's right. Families that maintain this kind of relationship with the gods and serve them for generations are called 'the Gods'. We've seen some of these large families before. It was shortly after I gave birth, when my family went to Sapporo, Hokkaido, and were entertained by the 'Tianyu' clan..."

"Ah! The Tianyu clan! I just heard about it yesterday! I think it's related to Susanoo's sword?"

"Yes, it is related to Susanoo-kun, but the deity worshipped by the Tianyu clan is not Susanoo-kun, but his wife, Kitaida-hime..."

"Didn't Susanoo slay the Yamata no Orochi in Izumo? I think Izumo is in Shimane Prefecture, right? Why is it in Hokkaido?"

"If you say so, then Ame-no-Habakiri and Futsu-mimyou should be kept at Ishigami Shrine in Nara Prefecture. It's impossible for them to be left in a 'wild place' like Hokkaido, right?"

"makes sense……"

"We haven't delved into the reasons. The shift in faith is complex. It's possible that local people, due to war, famine, or other reasons, moved north to settle down and established new shrines there... Just like Kuroo, because the branch is in Tokyo, he is now active in Tokyo."

"By the way, why doesn't Kuroo go back to Shikoku? He's the land god of Shikoku, but he's hanging around in Tokyo. Isn't that strange?"

"Now that Shikoku Island also belongs to Japan, people's geographical concepts have changed with the times. Now there is no restriction that the gods of Shikoku must stay in Shikoku..."

Having said that, Grandma Kobayashi also showed a puzzled look.

"But I'm not entirely sure why Kuroo stayed in Tokyo. Logically, she could have returned to Shikoku to embrace the local faith... I suppose it's the same reason outsiders come to Tokyo to make a living. Rather than staying in the countryside as a minor deity, it's more promising to come to the capital and seize territory, becoming a major deity that gathers faith from across the nation."

"That's a realistic reason..."

It seems that God’s circle is also very complicated.

"Have you ever heard of Hei Yu, old woman? He is the branch of my family."

At this time, Hei Yuming remembered his own background and asked about it.

"No, there's no one with the last name Hei Yu in their family. I've never seen one anyway."