[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-notes-on-kraft-anomalous-studies":3,"chapter-notes-on-kraft-anomalous-studies-notes-on-kraft-anomalous-studies-chapter-312":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Notes on Kraft Anomalous Studies",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2283790,4467,"Chapter 312","notes-on-kraft-anomalous-studies-chapter-312",312,"\u003Cp>In the end, the cultivators never received the priest’s signal to act.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone exhaled in relief; though they lacked no courage to confront the Father directly, simply dying in an unnecessary internal feud would make their final report look terrible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, this place—neither heaven nor earth—made it hard to say where one’s soul would end up after death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All present had walked through the sewer systems and royal tombs; the various signs they’d seen along the way were nearly explicit, and they had their suspicions—voicing them merely brought the matter into the open.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And this suggested that the unstoppable force had once been harnessed and maintained with relative stability for a period of time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most importantly, Kraft’s condition indirectly confirmed this. After a brief exchange, it was easy to judge: compared to those mad heretics, he showed no obvious change in personality or values, nor any aggressive tendencies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not for now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon realizing this, they worried instead that Greene would stubbornly cling to dogma and confront every use of unnatural power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, the priest proved more rational and flexible than expected. He did not do so; he was the first to lower his taut, water-swollen crossbow, stepped forward, extended his hand, and pulled the man from the water, lifting him to sit on the high stern.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How did you do it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Like inspiration?” Kraft pulled his soaked sleeve back over his wrist. “It’s like, for one moment, you and your sword master became one—you understood how he made that movement.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I haven’t seen him in years, but I’m certain I didn’t learn it that way back then.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s just an analogy, meant to aid understanding. You can’t make a man born blind comprehend light, nor can I make someone truly grasp an experience beyond conventional perception.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Greene searched for the specific sensation described, but found nothing but lingering, heart-shaking pain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He pressed his knuckles against both sides of his skull, feeling water seep through his ear canals, swelling and throbbing. “You sound mentally clear—that’s good. Please keep it that way.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The cultivators resumed their unfinished tasks. The recent attack had made them cautious with noise, but they weren’t overly tense—slightly more relaxed now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The peaceful resolution of suspicion meant the group now possessed a new kind of strength; one had to admit it brought genuine reassurance. Until the professor suddenly developed some mental issue, they needn’t worry about dealing with the lake’s scattered peculiar aquatic life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They did the best they could with their physical limits: re-pumping the boat’s hull, emptying and reusing the waterlogged barrels, inventorying remaining supplies—and arrived at a hopeful conclusion: though most things were wet, there was still plenty left.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With flint, fuel, and a few scraps of cloth and dried padding preserved by tight wrapping, a small flame ignited in a makeshift metal shield basin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Light and heat returned here—though meager.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Slowly warming, thawing minds began to consider their current situation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They could temporarily set aside the lake’s native or invasive aquatic life and face the more pressing question: which way should they go?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without any reliable reference points, the boat had no way to determine return direction—worse than a ship cast off course by a storm. A sea vessel could still navigate by stars; above them lay only utter blackness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only two choices seemed left: either pick a direction at random and leave fate to the Father’s invisible hand, or seek a central island to anchor and await rescue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If forced to choose, most favored the former.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Logically, expecting rescue to find them in this lake was unrealistic; emotionally, no one liked the “Theodore” priest of the other group—even Greene, who spoke of unity, harbored resentment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kraft resolved to stay far away from that “Theodore.” Anyone who could make Greene barely contain himself must have serious moral or behavioral flaws—likely both.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So it was no longer a choice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They decided direction by randomly throwing arrows and began aimless rowing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The boat was flung too far; a moment of dizziness in the giant waves equaled minutes of rowing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their exact position couldn’t be determined, but based on impressions before losing consciousness, they likely entered deeper waters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Changing observation angles only confirmed once again that none of the previous reference points remained.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With only distant colossal pillars as references, they rowed for a long while before realizing their direction consistently deviated from expectation. The lake wasn’t as calm as its surface suggested; beneath lay restless, unquiet currents that constantly dragged the boat off course, making any attempt to correct it demand double the effort.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This discovery led the group to abandon futile efforts, conserving energy and surrendering control to the lake itself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once they accepted their efforts were meaningless, their mindset grew calm. Members gathered around the flame in the round shield, drying and sharing food.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These solid wheat flour cakes were apparently the best waterproof material here; after drying the surface and breaking them open, the insides remained dry. Paired with salted, air-dried meats preserved by oil film, they were the pinnacle of current food safety.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The taste wasn’t ideal, but their satiety and energy replenishment earned perfect scores.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Don’t dwell on nitrite issues—it’s far better than mold spots forming inside the food.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Food supplies were still adequate; under rationing, they could last days. A palm-sized cake stuffed into the stomach wouldn’t guarantee sufficient calories, but the digestive tract wouldn’t want anything else for hours. Some things are unpleasant for a reason.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The current had taken control. Perhaps it wasn’t the Father’s hand deciding their fate, but the lake’s will.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though imprecise, their speed now matched active rowing—the boat wasn’t spinning in place but was carried along, as if hidden preset paths existed beneath the water.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Time underground couldn’t be measured, but during their meal and rest, Kraft sensed his speed had increased slightly again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Direction remained unclear, path curved unpredictably; frequent minor jolts implied uneven motion. The underwater sensation was chaotic and complex—rapid surges and heavy drags interwoven, colliding into countless swirling eddies, yet still guided.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They passed another colossal pillar supporting the underground world. Beneath this grand spectacle lay scattered remnants of the same structures they’d seen before—larger, denser, like a wheat field cut by a scythe, abruptly terminating midair, the break forming a smooth, even cut.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The cut extended along the pillar’s curve, leaving a scar that took half a circle to fully trace. Rock strata had released stress here, fracturing and compressing into fang-like shapes. The grotesque misalignment made the entire structure visually unstable, giving the impression it might collapse at any moment, taking the ceiling above with it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Compared to the lakebed activity they’d recently experienced, that had been nothing more than a sleeper’s breath. When fully awakened, the pain released could inflict irreversible damage on structures that seemed solid but were in fact precariously fragile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before such power, it was impossible to imagine what a few humans could accomplish—even if some had stolen scraps of that greatness, it meant nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They merely drifted, watching the pillar fade again into mist behind them, becoming a vague outline. The fear radiating from that terrifying scar still made their bodies tremble faintly after it vanished from view.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was no return journey—it was being swept inward by the vortex.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clusters of prismatic reef formations confirmed it: the dark current dropped the boat here, dumping it into treacherous shallows ahead, where water conditions were unknown.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The water’s surface shimmered faintly—but didn’t flow with the current, pinned between rising waves. Instinct drove Kraft to look up: countless starlike points embedded in the distant ceiling reflected into the deep lake and his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>",1268,"2026-06-20T02:15:56.940Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","54d6c0b0981ab3aa354fe255ec0bef411104351ee52f3cce427c22a9bc482ba1","notes-on-kraft-anomalous-studies-chapter-313","notes-on-kraft-anomalous-studies-chapter-311",406,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fnotes-on-kraft-anomalous-studies-cover.jpg"]