Well haven't you?
Anyways moving onto the story of NToJ. Remember Maribel got injured back in TGA when she took Renko to Torifune? Apparently she was diagnosed with delirium caused by some virus that did not exist on Earth. She was quarantined deep in the mountains since the society feared anything that was outside its control. Anyway Renko got the news that Mari had fully recovered, so she went to the sanatorium to meet Mari. Mari complains about how they wouldn't let anyone meet her even though she has no relatives in Japan. Renko asks what Mari's illness really was. Mari says that it's apparently high fever, as well as sleep walking and hallucinations of another world. To which Renko replies, "Eh? Isn't that totally normal to you?"
The two of them then went sight-seeing around Shinsyuu (now Nagano Prefecture), where the sanatorium was. The two of them came across the Zenkou temple, which was caught in the terrible Zenkoushi earthquake. Renko says that back then people thought the dislocations between the temple's main pillar and its base were caused by the earthquake. Of course now they found out it was the result of the wood decaying. However, people would rather keep on calling it the "earthquake pillar" to remind future generations the horror of earthquakes. Mari, however, could see an earthquake that can even deform the entire pillar (Tenshi?).
Heartfelt fancy. Lately not only can Mari see the gaps of boundaries, she can seemingly see the scenery of another world. Furthermore, she can actually move into that world. It was exactly the same back then on Torifune. For Renko it was probably just a dream, but that was reality for Mari. It's because of this, Mari was only one who got injured. The reason she went to the sanatorium was because the doctor thought she was insane. The truth of course is that Mari is perfectly sane, it's just the society cannot accept oddballs like her. Therefore her power must be kept a secret. Renko notices Mari doesn't look too well, Mari says she saw a little too much. When Renko asks her what she saw, Mari replies that she saw Hell (among other things).
Renko asks Mari if Hell really exists, Mari says that Hell is supposedly about forty thousand Yojana underground, which is about 280,000 kilometres (I think). Renko says something of that depth would literally go through the Earth, so it can't possibly exist. However Mari says that's not quite correct, because that which lies forty thousand Yojana below the Earth is the bottom of Hell, while the top of Hell lies only one thousand Yojana underneath Earth, which is about 7 thousand kilometres (4400 miles). This would mean that Hell is somewhere near the centre of Earth (about 3000-something miles from the surface to the inner core?). Mari doesn't know the details of the Earth's interior. If she believed in the existence of Hell however, one day she will definitely end up there. Mari feels a little uncomfortable thinking about it.
Agartha wind. The two girls talk about how the paradise is a lot bigger and thus further away from the Earth than Hell. By comparison Hell is a lot closer which makes it feel much more real. Long time ago, Hell even existed on the surface of Earth. Mari didn't tell Renko but she actually experienced the world deep underground.
The horrific cave entrance, covered in the stench of death. It was a sight reminiscent of Yomitsuhirasaka. Mari got some mysterious stone fragments there, and has kept them with her since then. Mari has a feeling that there are some secrets/mysteries buried beneath the Earth. It could even be some big secret that has something to do with the founding of the nation. Mari then asks Renko what has happened in the outside world while she was in the sanatorium.
Renko says recently the Japanese dug up some unknown materials which was rumoured to be fragments of the Izanagi Plate. This caused quite a bit of commotion among the people but Renko thinks it's probably just a fake story, since the shapes of the stone fragments looked very artificial. Mari however, believes otherwise.
Mari reckons the fragments are the real deal, since she has some with her right now. Renko notes that Mari's powers have been getting stronger and stronger lately. In the beginning she was just able to see things, but now she can even bring objects from other worlds to their world. Creatures like youkai often inhabit those worlds. While they are just fantasies to Renko, they are very much real to Mari. Renko can't help but think that Mari is actually on the level as those youkai.
Mari takes out a stone to show Renko. It looks somewhat similar to a fish hook or a key, but at the same time it looks like something else. Nevertheless it's clear that it's artificial. Mari says that this is the Izanagi Object. Renko asks her why she's so confident about it. Mari says that she saw Izanagi creating Japan. Renko thinks Mari is more denpa than usual (you too ZUN). It seems that ever since she came out of the sanatorium, Mari's senses have become sharper. Renko is a bit envious of Mari's visions so she asks Mari to show them to her as well.
The mysterious island.
Since when did humanity begin to reject mysteries? If they saw a will-o'-the-wisp in the ancient times, people would think those were souls of the deceased, or tricks of fox spirits used to deceive humans. That is very creative imagination. Even with the advancement of science and technology, the importance of imagination will never change. A large part of science is based on imagination. The will-o'-the-wisp is just the combustion of phosphorus, or some sort of plasma. Or some sort of hallucination. Those ideas all came from some form of imagination.
However, as the information society grew, humans lost their imagination.
In an age where everyone has easy and quick access to information, there is no room left for imagination.
The truth of the will-o'-the-wisp must be somewhere in the sea of information. If it's not, then just consider it a mistake and disregard it.
Humans find entertainment in mysteries that they know answers to, and deny those mysteries that they cannot answer.
This is the reason why gods have disappeared from this country.
Right now, the entire Japan is the gods' graveyard.
Neo-traditionalism of Japan. Renko says that she knows the place Mari showed her, and that the halberd stuck in the ground is the Ame-no-chika-hoko. The same halberd that was used by Izanagi and Izanami during the creation of Japan. Mari wonders if it really exists, Renko says it's at the top of the Takachiho peak. Renko thinks it's ridiculous that no one bothers to research something so mystical.
Mari no longer feels uncomfortable, because what she witnessed in the underground was not Hell. It was, as real as it could be, the world where gods existed.
The girls get very excited about all this and decide to go to the Takachiho peak to investigate the halberd. They also plan to visit the Togakushi mountain, where the Amano-Iwato is.
There must be Izanagi Objects sleeping all across Japan, it's just no one has noticed yet. Only those who take notice can peek into the scenery of the gods' age.
The gods' graveyard has begun to change.
This is something only the sealing club - those who have wholeheartedly embraced mysteries, could see, the view of another Japan.
I enjoyed the story of TGA but wow, this is something else. Nothing but respect for ZUN here.
On the other hand I should really be working on my project.
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