[You know, the daily work of a shrine maiden consists of cleaning and polishing God’s statues and dancing the Kagura Dance.]

[Where do you want to go?]

A flurry of options popped out from the underworld game: Kagura Hall, Worship Hall, Coin Palace, Main Hall and so on.

If ’Moon City Purple Leaf’ successfully joined ’Temple of Daybreak’, she would most likely be in ’Kagura Hall’.

At this time, Lin Xun was possessing the shell of a ’foreign magician’, and as long as he could find the elder sister, he could proceed with the subsequent plot.

[You arrive at the ’Kagura Hall’, where many devotees kneel down, immersed in the sacred dance of the shrine maidens.]

[However, none of the shrine maidens dancing the Kagura Dance are ’Moon City Purple Moon’, so evidently it is not here.]

[Where do you want to go?]

"If it’s not in Kagura Hall, then it should be in the Main Hall."

Lin Xun operates the shell and circles the entire temple to examine.

Like ’Wuzhi Shrine’, The Temple of Daybreak houses the statue of ’Ancient Heavenly Warden’ in its Main Hall, which is surrounded by a ’jade fence’, forming an even more formidable and grand barrier.

The Main Hall is also strictly off-limits to outsiders; only the shrine’s internal clergy are allowed to enter.

"Damn! Do I have to use my magic again to break the barrier and get in?"

Although breaking the barrier last time cost him magic, but he was still discovered by ’Sly Ghost’, so the magic was wasted for nothing.

As a freeloader this time, he did not want to fall into the same trap... but it seemed there was no other way to enter the Main Hall except by breaking the barrier.

After pondering for a while, Lin Xun had a realization.

With a slap on his forehead, he chided himself for being stuck in a rut and not realizing it.

His goal is not to enter the Main Hall, but to find his elder sister. The shrine maidens could not possibly live in the Main Hall, let alone sleep next to the statue. After finishing their work, they have to return to the Shrine Dormitory to rest.

So couldn’t he just wait for the elder sister to get off work at the entrance of the Main Hall? 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

Thinking in this way, he simply used the most primitive method -- Waiting for a hare to pop into the stew pot!

[...]

[Standing outside the Main Hall, you find yourself idle and look around.]

[You notice two oddly shaped temples standing in the distance.]

[The roofs of the temples in the shrine complex are straight, without any curved mansard roofs. Each temple is supported by four massive pillars at the front, with three open entrances in the middle, all following the style of ’Unique God Mikama’.]

[However, the roofs of these two temples are similar to the rest, but their main entrances do not have the four large pillars and only have a single independent space, akin to the common Shinto shrines’ ’Kirizuma’ pent-roofed buildings.]

[You are quite puzzled and pull over a passing servant to ask.]

[The servant gives you a cold glance and warns you not to make noise.]

[Perhaps you disturbed the tranquility of the shrine, which displeased the servant. He informs you in a chilly tone that apart from the Worship Hall, Coin Palace and the Main Hall, the shrine complex also has other shrines for other deities.]

[The two temples of a different style are those shrines, one being the ’Sheshe Temple’, worshipping the three pillars under the Warden God; the other is the ’Temple of the End’, where statues of numerous minor deities under the Warden God are erected...]

[The servant answers your question and leaves directly, completely indifferent throughout.]

Lin Xun’s eyes light up. Even if ’Moon City Purple Leaf’ successfully joined the shrine, as a new shrine maiden, she would not have been given the task of cleaning the main god’s statue.

Since she had previously served under one of the three pillars in ’Wuzhi Shrine’, it was highly likely that she was assigned to work in the ’Sheshe Temple’.

[You leave the area of the Main Hall and stride towards the ’Sheshe Temple’...]

[There are no ’jade fences’ or barriers around the ’Sheshe Temple’, allowing you to enter the temple smoothly...]

[There are no other visitors in the temple, making it seem exceptionally quiet and cold. The light in the vast temple is not enough, giving it a gloomy and eerie feeling.]

[You look around. Except for the different statues worshipped on the altar, there is nothing here that catches the eye.]

[Clearly, ’Moon City Purple Leaf’ is also not here.]

"Damn... could it be that elder sister has to clean the statues of those minor deities in the ’Temple of the End’? This is quite a pitiful job."

Thinking about it, a new shrine maiden would inevitably have a process of promotion.

[The three statues on the altar are brightly colored and lifelike, except for their vague faces. They look just like regular god statues. After observing for a while, you prepare to leave.]

[Suddenly, an invisible hand lands on your shoulder, forcefully pulling you into the dark corner of the temple.]

[You are startled and are about to activate the ’Knowledge Grating’ to protect yourself, but then you see a slender silhouette emerging from the darkness.]

[The silhouette gradually becomes clear, and it turns out to be ’Moon City Purple Leaf’!]

[She is wearing the attire of a shrine maiden, a white kimono and a red hakama. The ’Pillar God’ embroidery on her chest has changed into the unique mark of the ’Temple of Daybreak’ — a pitch-black flame.]

[’Moon City Purple Leaf’ looks very haggard, as if she hasn’t had enough sleep for a long time. She looks anxious and whispers, asking why you came here.]

[She puts her index finger to her lips, signaling you to reply softly.]

[You feel a sense of terror on her face, though you are not sure if it’s your imagination.]

[You can only reply in a soft voice, claiming that you happen to be in the capital and heard from her master that she was serving the Warden God in the ’Temple of Daybreak’. Thus, you came specially to check on her.]

[’Moon City Purple Leaf’ shakes her head and says, you are the one who saved her life. You, together with her master, risked your lives to rescue her, allowing her to escape from the clutches of ’Sly Ghost’...]