The rain began to subside.
Lu Yuan descended from the watchtower, the places where his fingers had been scorched by the runes still throbbing with a dull pain.
The battlefield was thick with the stench of charred remains and rot; the blood swamp was slowly dissipating, and the corpses of half-mermen lay scattered among the ruins.
The High Priest was dead.
At least here, the battle was over.
Lu Yuan’s gaze swept across the battlefield, landing on the high platform not far away.
The silver halo was slowly receding, and Mary looked as if her last ounce of strength had been drained.
She slumped forward, and if not for a nearby member of the Nightwatchers catching her, she would have fallen flat on her face.
"Quick, get her back to rest."
Hans’s voice came from the other side. His left arm was wrapped in a temporary bandage as he directed several scouts to tally the casualties.
Two Nightwatchers supported Mary as they walked toward the base; her face was as pale as paper, her eyes were tightly shut, and her footsteps were so unsteady she was practically being dragged along.
Lu Yuan watched for a moment but did not immediately follow.
Sivating was walking toward him.
His golden armor was stained with blue blood, and the remnants of the Holy Armor Condensation had completely vanished. However, the commander of the Holy Armored Army still walked with a steady stride, his mental state far better than expected.
In his hand, he carried a box wrapped in black cloth.
"I’m leaving this to you."
Sivating handed the box over, his tone brief.
"Something the Deep Sea Church went to such great lengths to escort is likely very dangerous. I suggest sealing it away and waiting until the situation in the inner city is resolved before deciding whether to open it."
Lu Yuan took the box.
The moment it entered his hands, a sense of heaviness spread up his arm.
It wasn't just the physical weight of the object; Lu Yuan felt something jumping inside, like a captive heart slowly pulsing within the box.
【High concentration of pollution source detected... Suggest moving away immediately】
The grey-white prompt flickered at the edge of his vision.
Lu Yuan looked down at the box.
He could vaguely make out its silhouette beneath the black cloth; it was carved with complex sealing runes very similar to those he had seen on the island in his Strange Dreams.
The thing inside likely had something to do with that "Mother."
"I understand." Lu Yuan stowed the box away and looked up at Sivating. "How is the inner city?"
"Unclear. Communications have been down for a while." Sivating turned toward the inner city, where the massive black shadow, though much blurrier than before, still hadn't completely vanished. "I’ll head over to support them as soon as I finish reorganizing my unit."
He had no intention of resting.
Before he even had time to wipe the blood from his armor, he was already calling for his soldiers to assemble.
"I’m going too."
Alice’s voice came from nearby.
She walked over, carrying her warhammer stained with blue blood. She was covered in abrasions, but her gaze remained firm.
"Old Morgan is in the inner city. I’m worried."
Sivating did not object; he simply nodded.
Alice looked at Lu Yuan: "What about you?"
Lu Yuan was silent for a moment before shaking his head.
"I wouldn't be much help there." He shook the box in his hand. "They still need someone here."
Alice nodded, and before leaving, she looked back to give one last instruction:
"Take care of Mary. And ensure the Nightwatchers don't experience any fluctuations in their Sanity."
She paused, then added: "If anyone’s state seems off, there are specialized sedatives in the warehouse. Have them take it and rest in isolation. Problems are most likely to occur after large-scale battles like this. Don't be careless."
"I know."
Alice nodded, then turned to follow Sivating’s unit.
The golden armor grew distant in the rain, the rhythmic footsteps of the Holy Armored Army eventually vanishing at the end of the street leading to the inner city.
Lu Yuan stood where he was, watching them depart.
After a moment, he withdrew his gaze and looked down at the box in his hands.
The throbbing sensation continued, but the specialized sealing box seemed to contain it well.
Without overthinking it, he turned and headed toward the base.
Lu Yuan intended to drop the thing off in the safest place in the base: the Deep Warehouse.
Walking quickly into the base, he followed the familiar spiral stone staircase all the way down.
The air grew cold and damp, and that oppressive heaviness once again weighed on his heart. The dark red moss on the rock walls emitted a faint, eerie glow in the darkness.
【Environmental anomaly, high concentration of spirituality residue detected...】
Lu Yuan quickened his pace until he reached the ancient door.
Inserting the brass key given by Old Morgan, he turned it, the heavy sound of gears echoing through the dead silence of the underground.
The door slowly opened.
The warehouse was as bright as day, illuminated by countless alchemical lamps that left no room for shadows. On several rows of low, black metal shelves, various sealed containers were scattered about.
Lu Yuan placed the black box on a shelf, right next to the bottle of ██ of blood.
The moment the box settled, the faint, palpable thumping suddenly vanished.
It was as if the warehouse’s sealing power had completely suppressed it.
Lu Yuan stared at the box for a few seconds to ensure the sealing runes were stable before turning to leave.
But just as he reached the door, an inexplicable sense of unease surged in his heart.
Unable to put his finger on it, Lu Yuan stopped, frowned, and looked back at the box. It remained motionless. After a thought, he moved the box to a different position.
Only then did he turn to leave. Lu Yuan planned to check the infirmary, as Mary’s complexion had looked terrible.
Entering the medical room, he was met with the smell of holy water and herbs.
Mary lay on a bed, her face pale and her brow furrowed as if she were having a nightmare. A Nightwatchers doctor stood by her bedside, looking anxious, holding an empty medicine bottle.
"How is she?" Lu Yuan walked in, his gaze falling on Mary.
The doctor shook his head, his voice tinged with helplessness: "I’ve already given her holy water and sedatives, but the effect doesn't seem very good... Her condition is worse than expected."
"What was the formula for the sedative in the warehouse?"
"Standard guangyin grass sedative," the doctor replied. "It should have been enough, but she..."
Lu Yuan walked to the bedside and leaned down to examine her.
Mary’s breathing was rapid and erratic. Fine beads of sweat broke out on her forehead, and her lips trembled occasionally as if she were whispering unintelligible words.
Grey-white text slowly emerged in his vision:
【Object of Observation: Mary】
【Status: Sanity severely damaged, trace amounts of deep sea pollution remaining around the sanity barrier...】
Lu Yuan’s frown deepened.
It wasn't just Sanity depletion.
When Mary used her silver halo to buff everyone, she likely collided with the High Priest’s domain.
With Mary’s transcendent rank, she was no match for the High Priest, and thus, she had been lightly contaminated.
Though the deep sea aura seeping into the edges of Mary’s sanity barrier was faint, it was not something she could withstand in her current state.
"Standard sedatives won't suppress this thing." Lu Yuan recalled the records in his books. "She needs a purification formula."
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