CHAPTER 978: CHAPTER 171: RETURN TO INSMOUTH TOWN

Even the Evil God is His servant.

The only consolation is that rescuing Katerina doesn’t require facing the Lord of the Deep, who has ruled the world since the ancient Old Era, directly.

"He awakens with the stars returning to their place, still not having recovered his strength, sleeping deep under the sea. His followers and servants wander the coast, capturing and corrupting new servants..."

Katerina is most likely at a camp occupied by the Lord of the Deep’s followers, servants, and believers.

And Andrea already has an answer regarding her whereabouts, although not so clearly.

Andrea, carrying an unconscious Katerina, sailed towards Vena Ice-Free Port, passing a certain bay. Some presences that made her uncomfortable quietly followed, but nothing happened until she reached the Ice-Free Port, they stopped following before getting close.

The City Hall took Katerina for treatment, while Andrea was enthusiastically taken to the shipyard for repairs.

On the third day in port, when eternal night enveloped the land, Andrea once again felt those uncomfortable presences approaching from the deep sea, among them a familiar aura—Katerina.

Andrea left the harbor to track them, but was discovered, leading to a battle.

In the end, Andrea couldn’t bring Katerina back, returning to Rodest Port before sinking.

Comparing the subsequent information sent from Vena Ice-Free Port, they successfully pieced together the truth: Katerina, whose sanity was polluted, was sent to Vena Ice-Free Port, noticed and followed by the Lord of the Deep’s believers, who infiltrated the Ice-Free Port and took the beguiled Katerina away.

Katerina wasn’t forcibly taken away... at least her consciousness wasn’t resisting at the time, as investigators found her footprints on the mud-and-seaweed-mixed floor.

Andrea still remembers the way, Lu Li found that piece of sea on the map, northern Ailen Peninsula, the railway runs through there.

The map shows nothing special about that piece of sea, what caught Lu Li’s attention was the adjacent bay.

A small town named Insmouth is situated there.

Lu Li once passed there by steam train, the demeanor of the local residents felt unsettling and eerie.

They also entrusted Vena Ice-Free Port to search for information about Insmouth Town.

The results show that, from the Old Era, the last star of the Ailen Peninsula, Himfast, disappeared, and this tentacle extending southeast from the Main Affinity Continent went silent.

The information about Insmouth Town is outdated and old.

The City Hall can search for Himfast survivors who fled to Vena Ice-Free Port to ask about Insmouth Town, but it requires some time.

Meanwhile, upon learning that Lu Li is going to Insmouth Town to find Katerina, they are eager to stop him.

However, Lu Li doesn’t intend to wait any longer.

Even though the Tentacle Cultist said Katerina is not in danger—she won’t become food nor be sacrificed, she’ll only become part of the Lord of the Deep’s believers infused with twisted consciousness.

But that’s no different from being dead.

Moreover, Lu Li must find her before his sanity value continues to plummet.

Besides Lu Li and his team, the Tentacle Cultist and its companions will also go, the distorted figures can only allow them to leave.

The Prophet remains trapped in a seemingly eternal slumber.

On the patched-up Andrea, Lu Li and his party sailed into the eerie mist, heading towards the northern Ailen Peninsula.

...

Andrea quietly sailed on the cold sea surface.

In the Captain’s Cabin, Lu Li opened yet another letter handed by Merchant Anthony.

Except for Bishop Jone, the other believers and tentacle believers were all in the cabin next to the refurbished shipyard.

"Is it... still them?"

Ophelia watched as Lu Li opened the envelope.

"Yes."

This was the third letter sent from Vena Ice-Free Port.

The first two were all about stopping Lu Li from going to Insmouth Town.

They don’t know what’s there, but they know why Lu Li is heading there.

Humans are as fragile as bubbles in winter before heretics, and exorcists are no exception.

The third letter had a change, signed by Mayor Matteus.

"What did it say...?"

This time it took longer to read the letter than before.

Lu Li didn’t answer immediately, only after finishing the content did he put away the letter paper and said, "Mayor Matteus found two shadow church believers, they are being privately detained and questioned by the tribunal, possibly extracting some unfavorable information about me."

Bishop Jone’s voice trembled with his head bowed low: "They are traitors... only blood and souls can cleanse."

"It’s not important."

The Shadow Church worships the Shadow of the Maiden, Lu Li is searching for the Shadow of the Maiden.

This fundamental connection makes Lu Li’s relationship with the Shadow Church unable to be hidden for long.

And Vena Ice-Free Port is the most hostile to anomalies among human cities—even Andrea has lots of citizens speaking critically.

Lu Li could vaguely sense Mayor Matteus’s exasperation from the letter content, yet there was no clear boundary or disclaimer—this mayor decided to solve the trouble Lu Li was about to face, even if it involved conspiracy.

After a brief consideration, Lu Li wrote a reply letter. He wrote about his relationship with the Shadow Church and mentioned abandoning his reputation, if necessary, to protect him, and handed it to Merchant Anthony.

Lu Li needed Vena Ice-Free Port’s power, but he wasn’t dependent.

Moreover, Vena Ice-Free Port couldn’t represent all human towns.

After the letter was sent out, Mayor Matteus didn’t reply again.

There were still three hours before reaching Insmouth Town, Lu Li lay down for a short rest.

The flickering light of the stove, the sway, the indescribable murmurs blended into a mottled, nauseating color.

It felt more like consuming energy than resting, the nightmare continued until he was awakened by Puxiu’s shake and call.

The clock on the table pointed to four in the afternoon, they still had an hour before reaching the destination.

Wiping away the fine sweat from his forehead, Lu Li looked at Puxiu’s face, which was brimming with joy: "What happened."

"The eternal night has passed!"

Lu Li, consciousness hazy, gazed out the window—only to see the gray shroud of Mist of Strangeness enveloping the deck.

The Light Thief retreated to the surface, returning the light.

Though the fog tide full of menace stood before them, the light brought an inherent sense of security.

Lu Li rolled up his shirt sleeves, washed his face with cold water, flushing away the nightmare’s fatigue and weariness.

Looking out the window again, only the sound of waves passed the Captain’s Cabin under the cold wind, obscuring the view of the sea, they seemed to be navigating within the mist.

The Mist of Strangeness showed no sign of receding.

But as they neared the sea area outside Insmouth Town, the mist gradually thinned.

Upon inquiring Vena Ice-Free Port, they got the news that the Mist of Strangeness still enshrouded there, as with other towns. It wasn’t that the shroud of mist over the land dissipated, but this sea area dispelled... the Mist of Strangeness.

The water fog on the window soon obstructed vision more than the mist, Ophelia picked up a towel to wipe the window, as the hazy water fog was erased, they saw the outline of land in the dim evening distance.

Along with a gray, damp, old, sprawling town along the bay and hills.