Chapter 321

It had been some time since Wu Chang left the Serene Village instance, and before entering the realm, he and Ailin had absorbed faith through the Miracle Tree, giving them a general understanding of what had happened in the instance after his departure.

When he defeated Count Jermain, who sought to become an artificial god, at the end of the Serene Village instance, and merged the Great Mother with Ailin into the Saint's Remnant Mask, the islanders were freed from the bonds of the Seven Sins.

Including the fish addiction brought by Jermain's Golden Flying Fish, the curse-like transformation into fishmen, and their rigid, lifeless way of living.

The islanders regarded the Great Mother who appeared at the final battle as Ailin reborn under divine favor, and saw their liberation as Ailin's achievement; their guilt and gratitude turned them into Ailin's believers.

It was precisely through the islanders' faith that the Miracle Tree could connect to the Serene Village realm.

In Wu Chang's memory, Briver Island was nearly isolated from the outside world, especially after the islanders began consuming Golden Flying Fish and transforming into fishmen who went raiding—fewer and fewer ships dared approach.

Even mail delivery to the island involved tossing the mail crate far from the dock and leaving immediately.

In such an environment, believers should have purified each other quickly, filling the island with crystalline believers.

But upon arriving at Briver Village, the reality differed greatly from his expectations.

Wu Chang stood atop Seabird Mountain, where the Count's manor lay, gazing down at Briver Village.

He could sense a wave of fear permeating the town; the faith in Ailin had dwindled to barely discernible traces.

The faith was so weak it could not even stabilize the roots of the Miracle Tree.

If he waited a few more days, the Serene Village instance might already have severed its connection to the larger divine realm entirely.

Such obvious faith loss had an obvious cause: someone—or rather, some fish—was poaching his followers.

Poaching from him? Looks like they want a punch in the elbow.

Circumstances had changed; revealing himself prematurely might scare the snake away. He planned to hide his and Ailin's identities, pose as outsiders, and find out why the evil god's remains were targeting Briver Island.

Something unusual happening always has a reason. The evil god's remains never acted against the islanders before, yet chose this exact moment to strike—there must be a cause.

Could it really be fear of Count Jermain?

First, Jermain never became an artificial god; even if he had, he'd be no more than an Archangel-tier entity, at most equal to a Sea General.

Before the evil god's remains, he'd be nothing but a background prop hiding far away.

If the deep-sea evil god's remains truly feared Jermain, Wu Chang would be relieved instead of worried.

Wu Chang used Nian Xu Wei Shi to create a small steamboat, had Ailin wear a disguise mask, swallowed a transformation pill himself, and then they rowed around the island to reach Briver Port.

Although the Briver Islanders had broken free from Jermain's control, they remained wary of outsiders.

The old sailor guarding the port glanced at them and asked harshly, "Who are you?"

Wu Chang said, "We are travelers on a journey around the world. We discovered this island on a map and came to take a look."

The old sailor frowned, studying them: a young man with no signs of sun or wind exposure, and a mysterious figure in a hooded robe—this pair, traveling the world, would become fish food after one storm.

"Leave. We don't welcome outsiders here."

Wu Chang said, "We've drifted at sea for four days. Our food and fresh water are gone. For the sake of the Great Mother and the Holy Maiden, let us come ashore to resupply."

"We promise not to cause trouble—we'll leave in two or three days at most."

Hearing the term "Holy Maiden," the old sailor's eyelid twitched. He still kept a cold face, but his tone softened slightly, waving them toward shore:

"For the sake of the Holy Maiden, you may stay one night."

Wu Chang docked the boat and said, "Thank you."

After they stepped ashore, the old sailor led them toward a nearby inn and introduced himself:

"I'm the dock administrator—you can call me Taren. Where are you from?"

Wu Chang spoke in flawless, authentic Old Ograi Wang Cheng dialect:

"We're both students at Ograi First University, on our graduation trip."

Taren's eyes brightened at the mention of Wang Cheng. He asked quietly,

"How is the Holy Maiden doing now?"

Wu Chang glanced at Ailin, then grabbed her hand and said,

"I saw the Holy Maiden not long ago. She's doing well—better than ever."

Taren exhaled in relief, a look of ease crossing his face.

To repay Wu Chang for the good news, Taren led them to the cleanest room in the inn. Before leaving, he said:

"Briver Island rarely interacts with outsiders. We don't welcome them—especially not now. If no one will sell you supplies in town, just mention the Holy Maiden's name, like you just did."

"For the Holy Maiden's sake, everyone will provide you with the barest necessities."

"And…"

Taren lowered his voice and told them:

"If you don't want trouble, remember two things: lock your doors and windows at night, don't go out, don't look outside, and if you hear anything, pull the blanket over your head."

Wu Chang blinked and asked, "What if I need to use the toilet?"

Taren pulled a metal bucket from behind the door. "Hold it, or solve it inside. It'll save your life."

Wu Chang widened his mouth dramatically. "You make it sound so dangerous—it's scaring me."

Taren said coolly, "You'll get used to it. The sea is full of taboos."

Taren seemed unwilling to engage further. After giving his warnings and a brief overview of Briver Village, he hurried away.

Leaving the inn, the two walked toward the village.

Wu Chang asked, "How does it feel returning here?"

Ailin fell silent for a moment, then said, "Taren's condition is poor. I sense the fishman curse within him is loosening—if this continues, he'll soon relapse into fish addiction."

Wu Chang sighed helplessly. "I asked about your feelings, not your medical assessment of that guy."

Ailin said, "The atmosphere on the island is oppressive. I'm worried."

Wu Chang slapped his own forehead. The past of the Holy Maiden had too great an impact on Ailin—she always instinctively prioritized others, ignoring her own feelings.

At times like this, he had to speak up.

"Young Lady, the islanders once betrayed you, causing your death and turning your body into a monster."

"You've now regained your emotions; you're no longer the flawless saintess devoid of negative feelings. When facing these murderers again, don't you feel even a trace of resentment, disgust, or hatred?"

Elin stopped walking, and Wu Chang stopped with her.

He wasn't trying to deliberately provoke Elin's negative emotions to incite her to retaliate against the islanders of Briver.

He merely pointed out the issue, forcing Elin to reflect and confront her relationship with the islanders—she couldn't let mental inertia cause her to unconsciously ignore the problem and forgive them.

After thoughtful consideration, Elin replied: "Now that I think about it carefully, I do feel a little sadness."

Wu Chang, seeing his guidance had taken effect, was about to comfort Elin, when she continued:

"But then I realize they were merely Jemaine's pawns, and because of them, I met you, traveled with you to different worlds, saw different landscapes, and met different people—suddenly, the sadness fades."

Wu Chang: …

Damned it. He'd intended to let Elin discover the ugliness of human nature, to teach her not to be blindly kind when facing problems—but after hearing her answer, he suddenly felt none of it mattered anymore.

As long as he stayed by her side to guard her, he needn't worry she'd be taken advantage of for caring too much about others.

He rubbed his face, suppressing the grin tugging at his lips, and said with a stern expression:

"Since your awareness of danger is so weak, I'll have to keep following you around to supervise you from now on."

Entering the town district, the tense atmosphere grew even more palpable.

It was ten in the morning, the town's busiest hour, yet the number of residents outdoors was far fewer than Wu Chang remembered.

Wu Chang located the restaurant server he remembered as a gossip who couldn't keep secrets and tried to extract information.

By praising the Saintess, he successfully learned that everyone in town was currently praying.

But when he asked why they were praying, the server refused to say anything.

They arrived at the cathedral's entrance and saw the once faceless statue of the Great Mother now covered with a layer of Bai Bu.

Wu Chang lifted the Bai Bu and discovered the faceless statue of the Great Mother had been replaced with Elin's face.

The face had been added, yet covered again with Bai Bu—the townspeople's actions puzzled him.

"Who are you? What are you doing?!" A shout rang out behind them. Wu Chang turned and saw Red-haired Chief Mo Leina approaching.

Wu Chang reused his old tactic, repeating the same story he'd told Taren.

Facing two travelers from Wang Cheng, Mo Leina holstered her sidearm and temporarily softened her hostility.

When Wu Chang asked why the townspeople were praying, Mo Leina merely hinted vaguely that today was Mayor Harrison's funeral, and outsiders weren't permitted inside; if they wished to pray, they could return tomorrow before leaving.

Wu Chang sensed something odd in Mo Leina's tone when mentioning the mayor's death—there seemed to be hidden details—so he casually asked:

"I'm sorry to hear this news, but before I came, I heard the town's mayor was in his prime. Did Mr. Harrison die of illness?"

Mo Leina shook her head. "He drowned."

Mo Leina had no desire to dwell on the topic; after her brief reply, she shifted the subject.

Like Taren, she asked whether the Saintess had returned to Wang Cheng and what the current situation was.

After obtaining the information, she performed the same action as Taren, warning them not to go out under any circumstances that night.

Wu Chang waved goodbye to Mo Leina, then activated his social anxiety and elite stealth, walking straight into the cathedral.

Inside the cathedral, it was unnaturally quiet; the air was damp, beads of moisture clinging to the walls like the southern return humidity.

The townspeople sat silently on the pews, neither praying nor speaking—only staring with wide, bulging eyes ahead.

Directly before them, a coffin lay, holding the body of Mayor Harrison.

As he drew near, he saw Harrison's corpse was sixty percent transformed into a fishman: his height stretched to two point two meters, gill-like organs protruded from his neck, and his skin was covered in nearly transparent scales.

This appearance was surely why Mo Leina had barred them from attending the funeral.

On Harrison's corpse, Wu Chang smelled the same briny stench as the Baron's manor ruins, and the same divine essence.

Harrison's death wasn't merely the result of the fishman curse—it was tied to the remains of an evil god.

To understand what had happened, returning tonight should clarify everything.

The daylight passed swiftly; as the sun neared setting, Taren found them and urged them back to their room.

No sooner had they entered than they heard the sound of a lock turning. They pulled the door—it was locked from outside. They turned to the window and saw that while they'd been in town, Taren had boarded it shut from the outside.

To prevent them from acting recklessly, Taren had physically barred their exit.

Taren's caution only deepened Wu Chang's curiosity—what exactly had happened in town?

Time crept slowly forward, and soon it was deep night.

Splash~

Splash~

The distant crash of waves grew clearer; the dry walls of the room began to sweat beads of water, which trickled down and pooled on the floor.

The air became unbearably humid; every breath felt like water being poured directly into the lungs, yet without suffocation—as if they'd suddenly gained the ability to breathe underwater.

Midnight on Briver Island had sunk beneath the sea, becoming an underwater world.

Wu Chang and Elin exchanged a glance—it was time.

A teleportation array materialized inside the room; the next instant, they appeared in a corner of the cathedral hall.

The townspeople sat inside the cathedral, their gazes fixed on Harrison's coffin.

Inside the coffin, Harrison slowly sat up—he was now fully transformed into a fishman, even more severely than during the Quiet Town instance.

His entire body was covered in scales, all his hair had fallen out, and his head had grown pointed.

Wu Chang sensed in Fishman Harrison a divine essence rivaling that of a Sea God General—Harrison's corpse had fused with a divine-level entity.

Fishman Harrison walked to the Daozhu Sect, took from the trembling hands of the Daozhu Sect his long robe and mitre, and slipped them directly onto himself.

The loose robe stretched taut over him like a bodysuit; the white mitre barely covered his pointed head—his fishman form looked absurd, yet he felt nothing of the absurdity.

He spoke in a solemn, weighty voice:

"The tide has come. The stars will fade. When my Lord fully opens His eyes, the land will be swallowed by the sea, all things will return to nothingness. Abandon your useless old faiths. Convert to my Lord. Let flesh and blood become scales. Journey to the Deep Sea City—that is the only path."

"My patience is exhausted. Tell me now—your final answer."

Hearing the voice of the fish-man Harrison, the townsfolk's faces twisted with a mixture of fear, hatred, and awe; they avoided Harrison's gaze and dared not answer.

The fish-man Harrison let out a cold snort, stepped forward to stand before Mo Leina, and said with cruel eyes:

"Acting mayor, tell me your answer: will you convert to my lord…?"

The fish-man Harrison bared her sharp fingers, dragged them across her face, leaving five bloody streaks, then tore off Harrison's skin, and asked in a chilling tone:

"Or will you, like him, remain obstinate, your soul forever wandering in the depths of darkness?"

Mo Leina seemed startled by the fish-man's face; she rose and took a half-step back.

The townsfolk's eyes fixed on Mo Leina, as if waiting for her decision.

The fish-man Harrison relished Mo Leina's fear; he tore open Harrison's chest and pulled out two objects.

A hammer made of coral, and a black-purple pearl.

"Here, use this hammer to shatter the statue outside—you'll claim this pearl and earn the right to enter the Deep Sea City."

The fish-man Harrison pressed half his mangled face close to Mo Leina's. "Such a beautiful face—you wouldn't want it to become like mine, would you?"

Mo Leina whispered: "I don't want…"

The fish-man Harrison smiled triumphantly, lifted his head toward the seated townsfolk, and shouted: "Louder! What don't you want?"

Mo Leina's fear vanished instantly; her eyes filled with murderous intent as she kicked the fish-man Harrison between the legs.

While the fish-man Harrison bent over, she drew her sidearm and emptied the magazine into his skull; when the trigger clicked uselessly, she dropped the gun, seized the coral hammer from the table, and began smashing his head with wild, relentless blows.

"I said—I don't want to see you again! You disgusting monster!"

"You and your disgusting lord, get out of Briver! How dare you defile the statue of the Holy Maiden!"

Mo Leina struck blow after blow, reducing the fish-man's head to pulp.

Only when she could no longer raise the hammer did she drop it, gripping the table as she gasped for breath.

She turned to the townsfolk and said: "If you wish to worship that monster, I won't stop you—but if you lay a hand on the statue, wait until I'm dead."

A thick, dark voice echoed behind Mo Leina: "Is that how much you want to die?"

Mo Leina turned—and saw the fish-man Harrison's flesh dissolve into blood, mixing with vapor, then reforming into a towering four-meter-tall fish-man.

Facing a being of divinity, Mo Leina's attack had merely shattered Harrison's flesh—it had not harmed the fish-man's essence.

The fish-man's appearance was now more grotesque than before: a deep-sea predator's head, its mouth lined with needle-like fangs.

"You dare insult my lord—how shall I tear you apart, piece by piece?"

Mo Leina drew her baton and countered with fatal resolve: "Do you rage when your faith is insulted? Then you understand the emotion I feel now."

Just as Mo Leina was about to be slain, a figure darted between them, spreading both arms wide:

"Messenger, don't act rashly! This woman is ungrateful. If she won't do it, others will. Isn't it just smashing a statue? I'll do it!"

Mo Leina looked at the newcomer—it was the outsider who had loitered outside the cathedral that day, the one she'd briefly met.

She never expected this broad-featured noble from Wang Cheng would be the first to betray humanity!

Damn it—she'd actually believed he'd seen the Holy Maiden, even worried for his safety.

Mo Leina immediately raised her baton to strike him—but before she could swing, the hooded figure beside the traitor seized her wrist.

The hooded figure was immensely strong; his grip pinned her wrist, leaving her utterly unable to struggle.

The fish-man stared at the sudden arrival, Wu Chang, momentarily stunned. "You? You look strong—you could do it too. But even if you smash the statue, this woman still dies."

Wu Chang picked up the coral hammer from the ground and took the black-purple pearl from the table, asking:

"Her fate can wait. First, I must confirm something with you, Messenger: if I hold this pearl, I can truly enter the Deep Sea City and see my lord?"

The fish-man sensed something wrong—but still answered instinctively:

"Of course. This pearl contains the route to the Deep Sea City. Enter it, and you'll behold my lord's form and pay homage."

Wu Chang tucked the black-purple pearl into his personal space and smiled: "So it's real? Then I'm relieved."

"Give back the pearl! And what are you relieved about?" the fish-man snapped—how could he take the reward before doing the work?

He was about to teach this greedy human a lesson—when the hooded figure floated into the air, and a pair of enormous wings, large enough to fill the cathedral, unfolded from beneath his robe, radiating divine power far surpassing the fish-man's.

The wind from the wings' spread lifted the hood, revealing the face of a human woman.

The fish-man recognized that face—he'd seen it somewhere before.

Oh—he remembered! He'd seen it on the statue he'd intended to smash outside the Grand Hall!

The instant he recalled it, the coral hammer loomed before his eyes, crushing his face inward.

Wu Chang stood atop the fish-man, pulled the coral hammer from his ruined face, and said:

"Since the pearl is genuine, I can now kill you without hesitation."

(End of Chapter)