“Let’s go.” Shen Lin regained his normal expression and walked towards Yanxiu.
Yanxiu asked, “How was it?”
“Let’s talk about it together when we get back.”
Later, the two strolled around the entire town, covering only about one-third of the area. When they reached the large church on the town’s central axis, Shen Lin stopped and looked up at the top.
Instead of the familiar cross, there was an eye half-closed, embraced by two arms that curved at the elbows and connected at the head and tail. Radiating irregular tentacles from the eyes, it appeared eerie and sinister.
Shen Lin felt the surroundings turn gray-white, occasionally flashing blue, yellow, and red lights, intertwining and hitting his nerves. His body seemed to become weightless, and an indescribable sense of separation between spirit and flesh seized his movements. Before his consciousness collapsed, he averted his gaze, no longer looking at that eerie symbol.
“What did you see?” Yanxiu asked with a cold voice.
Shen Lin remained silent for a moment, converting those bizarre scenes into words, “Some, um, strange images. I saw tides, chaotic black mud, massive stone pillars leading to an endless horizon, and lurking eyes in the deep night, blinking with a ghostly green light.”
“Good,” KP said, “You witnessed a miracle. Now, perform a sanity check. Subtract 1 for success, and roll 1d3 for failure.”
Shen Lin’s sanity check failed this time, losing 2 sanity points.
At the same time, a message appeared in his mind—the grand church was very different, worshiping a deity beyond their comprehension.
“It’s getting bright.” Yanxiu looked to the eastern sky turning pale. Lights had already come on in the nearby houses. He told Shen Lin, “According to the agreement, we need to meet at the rendezvous point before sunrise.”
Shen Lin took out the leather notebook that Kane used as a diary, recorded the last entry, closed it, and said, “Let’s go back.”
As they walked to the edge of the town, the fog unconsciously gathered. In the blink of an eye, the entire town was swallowed by thick fog.
“Moon Sink Town, only appearing at night…” Shen Lin muttered, “So, that’s what it means. The thick fog only disperses at night.”
The agreed-upon location was no longer visible, shrouded in thick fog. Distinguishing directions became difficult, and Shen Lin and Yanxiu spun in place for a while before giving up. They tried to find the markings along the way to return to Kane’s cabin.
On the way back, Shen Lin, with sharp eyes, spotted Bai’er waiting for them at the intersection where they returned, playing with mud.
Seeing the two figures emerging from the thick fog, Bai’er stood up excitedly. “You finally came back! The fog over there is too thick! We can’t see anything at all! We came back first; Freud said if you guys come out safely from there, you’ll definitely come here to find us.” He glanced at his pocket watch and said, “If it’s past nine in the morning and you still haven’t returned, we’ll come looking for you. The timing is just right.”
Shen Lin responded with a grunt and asked, “Has Xiu Wen not returned yet?”
“No, don’t know where he went.” Bai’er rubbed the roots of his ears and said, “He’s quite annoying, but we don’t want to see him get into real trouble. Now when I think back to the crimson seawater and those skeletons, I still shiver all over.”
Bai’er rubbed his goosebumps, saying, “Are those really players’ skeletons? These days, I feel like KP is quite friendly, like we’re just playing a game. Why go to the extent of killing each other? It’s unnecessary. World peace would be much better.”
Shen Lin couldn’t help but pour cold water on him, “This matter itself is illogical, so it shouldn’t be deduced further with common sense.”
Bai’er: “…Forget it, I don’t want to think about it. Overthinking isn’t suitable for me.”
The group quickly arrived at the wooden house, and a fragrance wafted out. Bai’er sniffed forcefully, and his eyes, like a rat’s, instantly brightened.
Freud was ladling a thick soup made of potatoes, carrots, and beef into several plates. On the other side, a basket woven from bamboo contained several black rye bread loaves that had been steamed soft by the hot steam. Nana was helping them set the tableware. Seeing them return safely, she smiled happily, “It’s so good that you’re back! Nana made a delicious breakfast for you. She said you must be hungry when you come back.” said Freud.
“Thank you.” Shen Lin did want to have a good meal. The previous sanity loss had left him somewhat mentally sluggish, and strange images of that peculiar deity often flashed in his mind.
Shaking his head gently, Shen Lin shook off those bizarre scenes. He took the plates and iron bowls that barely served as tableware from Nana, whispering, “Your ankle sprain is quite serious; you should treat it promptly.”
Nana was taken aback, and a thin mist appeared in her eyes. “I’m sorry; I’ve been dragging you down. I’m not good at playing games. I don’t know what to do. You all have your own understanding of the game, but I don’t know what I should do. I don’t want to be a burden to you.”
The group fell into silence.
Shen Lin didn’t look at her. He placed the last two plates on the empty spots on the table. He then picked up the bread, steamed soft enough to eat, took a bite, and then another. Slowly chewing, he said, “Coming back to life, it’s delicious. I was almost starving to death.”
At this moment, Yanxiu’s stomach growled twice. His face darkened as he picked up one of the iron bowls, which contained slightly less than the others. He leaned against the window and silently ate.
In the silence, Shen Lin looked up and smiled at Nana, “Is there anything happier than having a hot meal when you’re hungry?”
Nana was stunned, tears welled up in her eyes. “Thank you.”
Bai’er thought seriously about the philosophy in this, nodding solemnly in a ‘thinker’ pose, “Indeed.”
… Indeed, my foot.
Shen Lin cast a sideways glance at him, silently eating his meal. He instinctively reached for a second piece of bread, only realizing when it was in his hand that the bread had been divided into five equal portions—one for each of them.
His hand stiffened, and he looked up to see Nana’s smiling face.
Nana put the bread in Shen Lin’s bowl and said with a smile, “Is it delicious? Steamed with the steam from the stew, the aroma of potatoes and beef has infused into the bread. This is my masterpiece.” Nana perked up, “But you’re right; my ankle can’t hold up well. I need to find some medicine.”
“Maybe there’s some in the basement,” Freud said, “When we came back this morning, we did a reconnaissance and found an underground storage room here. It’s stocked with a lot of supplies. Olok wasn’t around, so I didn’t dare move things randomly. I only took some ingredients. Don’t worry; I passed a botany check. It’s all edible natural materials. The supplies in the underground storage room exceeded our expectations. Where did Kane get so many supplies?”
Shen Lin leisurely ate his bread, saying, “Because he’s the middleman, the intermediary between Haino and Moon Sink Town.”
He relayed what he had found in the town to everyone, concluding, “To obtain some unknown extraordinary power, the Haino family, where Dorena is, comes to Moon Sink Town for a certain ceremony every ten years at this time. Kane was sent by the Haino family to prepare for the ceremony on this island. The person he liaised with, responsible for Moon Sink Town, is someone named Benson. He might be the priest of the Moon Sink Town church—I don’t know what to call the clergy in this religion, so I’ll use a concept you all understand for now.”
“Before the ceremony begins, the Haino family transports a batch of supplies here, first through Kane’s hands, then through Benson’s, and finally distributed to the townspeople. These supplies are things the townspeople need—things that can’t be grown here, such as specific minerals, silk fabrics, and kerosene. The Haino family and Moon Sink Town are linked by interests, each taking what they need.”
Shen Lin explained it in a simple and understandable way, and even Bai’er understood, “But all of this doesn’t explain Dorena’s whereabouts and why we suddenly appeared here.”
“To find out, we need to know what the ceremony is.” Freud rested his chin, contemplating, “What is their religion, after all?”
“It’s a—a hard-to-describe deity. But I can feel with certainty that there is a deity in this world. When I looked up at the sacred totem on top of the church, I felt an indescribable fear.”
Everyone fell silent for a moment. Nana asked, “What happened next?”
“Then, I lost sanity,” Shen Lin reminded them. “My previous experience tells us not to look directly at strange totems or texts when exploring the town.”
“A qualified leader,” KP’s voice rang in his mind.
Shen Lin ignored his self-performance, took out a sheepskin notebook about the size of his palm from his pocket, opened it, and said to everyone, “The town has defense personnel today, but it doesn’t seem too strict. Tonight, we sneak into the town to investigate. Here’s a partial map I drew of the town, and we’ll split into teams.”
“My injury is okay; I can go with you guys,” Nana said.
Freud said, “You can stay here.”
“No, it will be dangerous for her if Dorena comes here. At the moment, it seems that Dorena is likely to be in an opposing position to us,” Shen Lin thought carefully and said, “Nana will go with us. Don’t worry about here for now. I don’t know if we can stay overnight in the town. If we can, we don’t have to come back here temporarily. Regarding the teams…” He looked at Yanxiu, his eyes flickering. After a moment of silence, he said, “Bai’er and I will go to the church. His high sneak skill might discover something. Nana, Freud, and Felton, the three of you will go together to the town to gather information. But be careful, only go to the area I marked on the map. I marked some safe points on it. If something unexpected happens, hide in those safe points.”
They rested thoroughly during the day and waited for nightfall.
The thick fog dispersed, revealing a mysterious path leading to Moon Sink Town through the dense forest.
Freud looked up at the moon, muttering, “I don’t know if it’s my imagination, but tonight’s moon seems a bit red.”
Everyone looked up.
The moon overhead was full, every curve stretched to the extreme. From the center, a gradually fading crimson spread to the surrounding halo, casting a faint red light.
Bai’er: “It’s not worth calling it an otherworld without a red moon. Having two moons is not that uncommon.”
Everyone chuckled.
They cautiously moved to the edge of the town.
The dim lights, in the absence of kerosene, lit up every two street lamps. Buildings slept quietly in the night, and occasionally, patrol personnel lazily walked on the roads.
Shen Lin’s voice was calm and clean as he reminded them, “Don’t be eager to thoroughly investigate the contents of the ceremony tonight. Our main goal is to familiarize ourselves with the town and find a way to stay here safely in the short term. The top priority is not to be exposed by the people in the town. Regardless of the result, meet at the town gate arch at five in the morning.”
He slowly revealed a smile, his clear blue pupils radiating a fascinating brilliance, “Let’s go. Wish us good luck.”
