Marcus saw the group approaching and stepped forward, his mechanical prosthetic eye whirring as he sized up the Nightwatchers team.
"Everyone from the Nightwatchers, Master Grishis asked me to convey that this operation is primarily an investigation. Should you encounter insurmountable odds, retreat immediately."
Alice gave him a cold look. "I don't need the Ascension Society to tell me how to do things."
Marcus shrugged, completely indifferent to Alice's attitude, and merely added another point.
"During the journey to the target location, I hope you all will follow the arrangements of the Ascension Society."
With that, Marcus turned and walked away.
"Hmph," Alice sneered, but she did not directly argue with him.
After all, now was not the time for conflict.
After a while, the people from the Church finally arrived late.
Three priests dressed in white robes walked onto the deck. Their leader was a middle-aged man whose white robes were embroidered with golden patterns, and a silver holy emblem hung from his chest.
His expression was solemn. When his gaze swept over the steel giant, a flicker of nearly imperceptible disgust flashed in his eyes, but it was quickly suppressed.
"I am the leader for the Church's side; you may call me Philip." He gave a brief self-introduction and then looked toward Marcus. "Archbishop Samuel asked me to relay that the Church will fully cooperate in this operation, but if it involves... those entities, we reserve the right to decide whether to continue."
Marcus nodded without the slightest surprise. "Understood."
Internally, however, he sneered.
'When that time actually comes, will the decision to advance or retreat still be in your hands?'
The forces from the three parties were now gathered.
The Nightwatchers: led by Alice, featuring three elites—Gray, Ed, and Leonard—plus Lu Yuan.
The Ascension Society: led by Marcus, featuring three Descendants plus that silent Arbiter.
The Church: led by Philip, featuring two priests.
Though their numbers were small, they were all elites from their respective factions.
As for Old Morgan and the others, they were the true core figures of Gelimu Port and the pillars of their respective powers; they could not personally risk themselves.
Old Morgan stood on the dock, watching everyone on the ship.
"Everyone, be careful." His voice wasn't loud, but it was enough for those on the deck to hear.
Alice waved at him. "We know, Old Morgan."
The anchor was slowly raised, and the roar of the steam engine grew louder.
The Abyssal Hunter began to move, slowly pulling away from the dock.
Lu Yuan stood by the ship's railing, watching the port gradually recede.
Old Morgan's figure grew smaller and smaller, finally vanishing into the morning mist.
A period of time later, Lu Yuan stood on the deck looking out at the boundless sea, the navigation chart provided by the Ascension Society spread out in his hands, feeling a sense of disbelief.
Unfortunately, there were currently no landmarks to use as reference coordinates, making it impossible for Lu Yuan to determine the authenticity of the navigation chart in his hand.
Looking up, the sea was very calm, with only occasional ripples in the distance that quickly subsided into silence.
【Environmental Perception: Detected a continuous rise in sea area mutation concentration. Recommendation: Stay away.】
The pale grey prompt at the edge of his vision made Lu Yuan frown slightly.
The fact that the mutation concentration was still rising meant they were approaching a source of pollution. This was not good news, considering the island in the Strange Dreams was at least four hundred nautical miles away from Gelimu Port.
He only hoped they wouldn't collide with it directly.
At that moment, the sound of footsteps came from behind him.
Alice walked over, looking at the chart in Lu Yuan's hand and asking in a lowered voice, "Is there a problem with the route?"
Lu Yuan pointed to a marking on the sea chart. "The route provided by the Ascension Society is too precise."
"What do you mean?" Alice frowned.
"Under normal circumstances, when tracking an unknown maritime signal, the route should be constantly corrected." Lu Yuan folded a corner of the chart. "But this route... from the very beginning, it looks like they knew exactly where the destination was."
Alice was silent for a moment. "Are you saying the Ascension Society knew the location of that island long ago?"
Lu Yuan did not answer directly, merely putting the sea chart away. "Perhaps, but they likely know much more than we do."
According to the Abyssal Hunter's speed, it would take at least a day and a half to reach the island.
A day and a half was enough time for many things to happen.
In the morning, a Descendant knocked on the door to Lu Yuan and the others' room, stating that Marcus wanted to hold a meeting in the ship's conference room.
By the time Lu Yuan and Alice arrived, the conference room was already full. The room was not particularly large, making it feel somewhat crowded.
Lu Yuan noticed the Descendants standing in the corners. They were periodically taking vials from their waists and injecting themselves, their skin faintly shimmering with a metallic luster.
The Arbiter's massive figure stopped outside the door, a red light occasionally flashing through the gaps in its helmet.
Once Marcus saw that everyone was present, he spread out the sea chart and spoke up first.
"After landing on the island, the Ascension Society will be responsible for frontal exploration and core area investigation. The Nightwatchers will be responsible for the perimeter, and the Church will handle rear support and purification."
His tone was polite, but his attitude was forceful. The gears on the mechanical half of his face turned slowly as he looked around at everyone's reactions.
"Of course, if any intelligence is discovered, we can also share it."
Upon hearing this arrangement, Philip's face showed no emotion.
"The Church's mission this time is to handle purification and healing," Philip said, his voice calm. "But we will not fight side-by-side with... that thing."
He didn't explicitly say the Arbiter, but his meaning was clear.
Marcus nodded, appearing unsurprised, and casually added a remark.
"Speaking of which, the Church has sent quite a few people this time, and surprisingly, Priest Philip is leading the team personally, along with three great deacons... It seems the Church is also quite interested in this island?"
Philip did not respond, merely saying indifferently, "Perhaps."
After hearing the arrangements, Alice tapped her fingers on the table, leaving several distinct marks. She was clearly dissatisfied, but she did not lash out on the spot.
Lu Yuan stood to the side, taking all of this in.
The three parties each had their own hidden agendas. The Ascension Society wanted to lead, the Church was drawing a line while refusing to leave, and the Nightwatchers were being marginalized.
An operation aimed at saving lives had become a scene of intrigue before it had even begun.
If a team like this truly encountered the things seen in the Strange Dreams, what would happen?
'I still need to make preparations as early as possible,' Lu Yuan thought silently.
Seeing that no one else was speaking, Marcus didn't seem to care.
"If no one has any objections, then it is decided. I will send someone to notify you if there are further matters."
After saying that, Marcus left the conference room with several Descendants.
Only Lu Yuan, Alice, and Philip remained in the room.
After watching Marcus leave, Philip spoke up.
"Alice, did Old Morgan not give you any instructions when you boarded the ship?"
Alice's expression remained indifferent as she coldly spat out two words: "He didn't."
Philip was silent for a moment before finally turning to leave. However, as he reached the door, he said:
"Then it seems Marcus's arrangement is quite appropriate..."
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