After the people from the Church left, Alice sneered coldly.
"That arrangement of Marcus's is indeed interesting... Frontal exploration is the most dangerous, yet the Ascension Society is scrambling for it. Either that Arbiter is stronger than we imagined, or they know something we don't."
"The Church is the same," Lu Yuan said in a lowered voice. "That remark Philip made just now seemed like he was testing you?"
"Who knows?" A cold smirk played across Alice's lips. "No matter what they're plotting in the shadows, if they dare to reach out where they shouldn't, I'll cut their hands off."
She gripped the warhammer at her waist, her gaze darkening slightly.
"But it doesn't matter. Once the fighting actually starts, Marcus won't be the one calling the shots."
Lu Yuan did not respond, as he realized that Alice indeed knew something.
However, Old Morgan hadn't mentioned it to him, so Lu Yuan didn't plan on asking further.
After the meeting ended, everyone dispersed.
Lu Yuan stayed on the deck to check his equipment and, while he was at it, to confirm just how precise the sea chart provided by the Ascension Society really was.
Just as Lu Yuan was cross-referencing the chart, Gray walked over and handed him a water flask.
The two didn't say much, but Gray had left a good impression on Lu Yuan; he was a firepower expert who made people feel at ease.
Lu Yuan took a sip from the flask, his gaze sweeping across the deck.
The sea remained calm, but the salty, fishy smell in the air was heavier than it had been in the morning.
【Environmental Perception: Detected high sea area mutation concentration. Recommendation: Avoid.】
Lu Yuan glanced at his Sanity again.
【Sanity: 50/71】
It hadn't dropped.
Lu Yuan breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed there was no need to worry too much; that source of pollution deep under the sea didn't appear to be on their navigation route.
As the sky grew dark, the Abyssal Hunter began to slow down.
The vibration of the ship's hull shifted from a roar to a low hum, and the cruising speed dropped bit by bit until they were almost stationary on the sea, with only a slight rise and fall.
Marcus's voice drifted from the cabin, carrying a metallic quality. "Activate Night Protection Mode."
As soon as he finished speaking, the sound of mechanical operation came from beneath the deck.
Lu Yuan felt a slight vibration under his feet. The metal plates on both sides of the hull began to slowly unfold, revealing alchemical runes embedded within.
Those runes lit up in the darkness, initially just faint points of light, but then they grew brighter and brighter, connecting into a complex array.
Buzz—
A low vibration spread through the air.
A pale golden light poured from the runes, spreading along the hull like water, finally converging at the top of the ship to form a semi-transparent dome that enveloped the entire Abyssal Hunter.
【Detected activation of large-scale alchemical creation】
【Analyzing...】
【Abyssal Hunter Protection Array: A mid-tier alchemical creation manufactured by the Ascension Society, integrating inscription and sealing techniques. It can isolate mutation pollution and low-level mental erosion within a certain range. Effect is limited against high-level pollution sources.】
【Current Status: Operating at full power.】
【Weakness: Alchemy energy supply system.】
Lu Yuan silently noted this information.
With the golden light screen shielding them, night fell completely.
The Abyssal Hunter began to sail toward its destination at an extremely slow speed.
The Descendants began their shift rotations, their mechanical eyes flashing with cold light in the darkness like a row of silent sentinels.
On the Nightwatchers' side, Gray took the initiative to take the first half of the night watch, while Leonard was responsible for the second half.
The Church's deacons gathered in a corner of the cabin, chanting prayers in low voices; their voices were monotonous and dull.
Lu Yuan lay in his cabin but found it difficult to fall asleep.
The sea outside the window was pitch black, with only the edge of the light dome emitting a faint golden glow.
Occasionally, ghostly blue points of light rose from the depths and quickly sank back down, as if something on the seabed was looking up at the target on the surface.
【Environmental Perception: Detected seabed biological activity... Distance is far, no immediate threat.】
Lu Yuan stared at those ghostly blue points of light, knowing full well they belonged to things lurking at the bottom of the sea.
They were watching the ship, but the presence of the protection made them choose to give up.
Lu Yuan rolled over and closed his eyes, forcing himself to sleep.
The real danger was still ahead; he needed to conserve his energy.
A period of time passed. The sea rose and fell silently, and Lu Yuan entered that dream once again. But this time, nothing happened; he could only watch the tide rise and fall on the sea before him...
【Sanity III: +3, 5/70】
'Has the experience gained from the Strange Dreams indeed decreased?' Lu Yuan muttered to himself as he looked at his Sanity, which had another point deducted from its maximum limit.
The next morning, the Abyssal Hunter restarted.
The light dome slowly retracted, the light from the rune array gradually dimmed, and the ship's hull emitted a low roar once more as it began to head toward the target sea area.
During this period, Marcus didn't do anything else, and the people from the Church just gathered together, appearing to be discussing something.
At noon, the sea conditions began to undergo a drastic change.
The originally calm sea had surged at some unknown point. The waves gradually intensified, striking the hull with dull thuds.
The surrounding temperature plummeted.
When Lu Yuan exhaled, it actually condensed into a white mist.
The humid air carried a scent of decay, weighing heavily on his chest and making breathing difficult.
【Warning: Mutation concentration is rising sharply.】
【Warning: High-level pollution source ahead.】
【Environmental Perception: Detected signs of large-scale biological activity...】
The warnings jumping out at the edge of his vision made Lu Yuan's expression turn serious.
He looked up toward the distant horizon.
A black silhouette was vaguely visible.
That was their destination—that nameless little island.
A thick mass of dark clouds swirled above the island. Occasional flashes of eerie blue light appeared within the cloud layer, identical to the points of light that had risen from the seabed last night.
The Abyssal Hunter's alchemical rune array began to automatically activate, emitting a humming vibration.
The ship's hull was enveloped in a faint layer of light, as if resisting some invisible erosion.
The atmosphere on the deck suddenly grew tense.
Marcus walked onto the deck, looking at the distant island with an expression on his mechanical half that was hard to read.
Alice gripped her warhammer, Gray silently checked his weapons, and the Church's deacons stopped their prayers and began drawing holy emblems on their chests.
Lu Yuan felt a wave of familiar dizziness.
It was the same aura he had felt in the Strange Dreams.
That sensation of being watched by the deep sea, that suffocating feeling of being wrapped in darkness, was now spreading toward him bit by bit from the direction of that island.
At noon, the Abyssal Hunter finally entered the sea area surrounding the island.
The sea conditions also began to rapidly deteriorate at this time.
The waves, which were originally only slight swells, became violent upon approaching the island. Great waves struck the hull, emitting dull roars.
The ship shook violently, and Lu Yuan had to grab the railing to steady himself.
Some waves were so high they were almost level with the ship's railing, spraying seawater onto the deck with a bone-chilling coldness.
【Warning: Detected activity of a large number of mutated creatures.】
Lu Yuan narrowed his eyes, looking at the churning sea.
In that ink-black seawater, massive shadows could occasionally be seen gliding past—something was swimming beneath the surface.
They did not attack; they merely lingered beneath the ship as if... watching, waiting for an opportunity.
Rate on N.U.
