CHAPTER 462: CHAPTER 359: MERMAID’S TEAR: ANOTHER SOCIAL CLOCK

Byron—hailed as the Father of Immunology, immune to all diseases, and a firm believer in the adage "a boy must protect himself even when away from home"—suddenly realized what was happening as he watched the terrifying scene unfold.

The pathology of this fish flesh was the same as the "coral disease" brought back by the May Wind. It could spread rapidly from individual to individual. Only the pathogenic carrier was different. If that was coral disease, which turned people into coral beings, then this was mermaid disease, which forcibly turned people into merfolk. The raw materials used likely included previous victims. With the oppressive presence of that entity, an entity so extraordinary that the mere mention of its name could drive ordinary people insane, all divination and identification spells were nullified. A mere Second Order Naturalist could never discover the truth. The sacrifices of the crew of the Jackdaw were undoubtedly a part of this. Now, not only could they traverse the heavens and the seas, but they could also end up inside other people’s stomachs—though this was hardly a cause for celebration.

Byron looked up. He was the only one still scrutinizing the fish on his plate. The surrounding "uncles, aunts, and elders" watched him with kindly faces. He quickly steeled himself and took a bite of the fish on his plate.

If everyone else ate and he alone refrained, he would stand out for not fitting in. Besides, as followers of Dagon, the townspeople’s Spirituality and bloodline had long been subtly corrupted. With poison fighting poison, the fish flesh would not lead to their degradation.

"Excellent! Just before tonight’s collective ascension ceremony, a new catch is delivered to our doorstep! Dagon will surely be pleased."

The mayor, who had vanished earlier, now emerged from the crowd, a glittering kitchen knife in his hand. A vicious smile played on his lips as he said, "Togel, I’ll credit this to you and the rendering plant. Pick a First Rank one for yourself."

Then, he stepped on the head of the Second Order Naturalist from the adventurers’ party, plunged the knife in, and expertly skinned and deboned the victim with practiced hands. Soon, he had removed the third to fifth cervical vertebrae from the large fish-creature, carefully extracting the marrow, which shone like crystal.

A strange, refreshing fragrance instantly spread, easily overpowering the stench of the putrid dried fish.

"GULP! GULP!"...

Loud sounds of swallowing saliva rose from the onlookers.

The mayor’s eyes, already beginning to mutate and resembling those of a dead fish, swept across the crowd. Everyone immediately fell silent. He then lowered his head, gazing with rapture at the crystal-like marrow in his hands.

"A Second Order Mermaid’s Tear," he said, his voice full of delight. "This will be enough for me to advance further."

With that, he swallowed it.

A Spiritual Radiance rippled from the back of his head, and his aura grew significantly stronger.

Byron could tell this was a powerful Second Order Transcendent, not far from performing the second bloodline ascension ceremony to reach the Third Order.

Meanwhile, the workshop foreman deftly extracted a much smaller "Mermaid’s Tear" from another large fish-creature, formerly a First Rank Pirate. He swallowed it eagerly, even licking his fingers clean. The next moment, a Spiritual Radiance exploded around him; he had undergone a Spirit Awakening on the spot.

The two men, having reaped great benefits, immediately knelt and prayed devoutly, "Our Lord is merciful! We thank Dagon for bestowing upon us food, technology, and resources, allowing us to prosper!"

Though the others had not partaken, they too joined in the chant, "Our Lord is merciful! We thank Dagon for bestowing upon us food, technology, and resources, allowing us to prosper!"

Byron mimicked their actions while simultaneously searching his host’s memories for information about the Mermaid’s Tear.

Humanity’s position in the world symbolized "change"—this was the most basic, fundamental knowledge in the Supernatural World. To utilize this "change," besides the relatively peaceful Mind Wish Power of the Church, the most direct method was... to eat! The Blood of Metamorphosis under the Authority of the Mother of Creation, Lilith, and the Philosopher’s Stone under the Authority of the Worm of Greed, Mammon, were both forms of knowledge related to this principle. The Slumbering God Kraken evidently also had a method of utilizing humanity. It was this Extraordinary Material called "Mermaid’s Tear." The mermaid disease’s ability to spread was far inferior to the coral disease; it could only be transmitted through the act of "blindly eating fish." However, their bodies could produce the precious "Mermaid’s Tear," which was more effective than the elixirs and Spices of the Old Continent. It could achieve Spirit Awakening and enhancement without any side effects and was also the favorite offering of the Abyssal Horror, Dagon. Ordinary humans transformed into these large fish-creatures had a production ratio of about ten to one, yielding small quantities of low quality. Transcendents, however, had a one hundred percent yield, with the quality increasing with their Class. Moreover, the prosperity of the entire town was actually built upon this Extraordinary Material.

Seizing the moment of heightened emotion among the townspeople, Violet’s Nightmare Lurking also glimpsed the memories rooted deep in their hearts: They hunted natives on the Continent, offering them to Dagon after the "blindly eating fish" ritual, in exchange for treasures from the deep sea—gemstones, Gold, coral, Whale Oil technology, and an inexhaustible supply of fish. Each person worked a maximum of eight hours a day to inherit property in town, ensuring a life free from worries about food and clothing, a respectable existence. They had to marry by eighteen, exclusively to other mixed-bloods with Bayfolk ancestry from different islands, and each couple was required to have at least four children before the age of forty. The more children they bore, the more generous the benefits they received. If they lived safely until forty, they could retire. Gradually, their bodies would "ascend"; after several months of transformation, they would completely shed their human form and enter the sea to become Deep Sea Clan...

Having observed up to this point, Byron and Violet had discovered that Black Tide Town and the nearby settlements clearly operated on their own Social Clock, one radically different from that of the Old Continent.

"They are farming humans!" Violet realized, the flame of Art flickering in her sapphire-like eyes. "This isn’t a normal Social Clock but a deity’s ’Feeding Schedule’! These mixed-bloods connect to the Bayfolk on one end and the indigenous tribes of the New Continent on the other. As believers, they serve two functions: to provide Mind Wish Power and to provide Anchoring. The early stages of their lives are wonderful, but the so-called ’ascension’ at forty is actually about being slowly consumed by the god they worship over their entire lifetime. By forty, they are little more than the dregs of Beastliness, unable even to maintain their human form. And, as a final use, they become cannon fodder for Dagon. The story of becoming part of the Great Clan is just a scam!"

Although these people were no longer her subjects, the idea of treating believers as livestock still grated against her already low moral threshold.

At this moment, Byron casually remarked, "Even if you told them the truth, would they resist?"

The girl was momentarily stunned before she reacted, biting her cherry-colored lips. Though reluctant, she had to admit, "I’m afraid not."

Even without knowing the living conditions on the New Continent, statistical comparisons to the Old Continent’s Dark Millennium Era—where the average commoner lifespan was less than thirty-five, making forty truly old—were telling. Moreover, those on the Old Continent had to toil endlessly from dawn till dusk, with lamentable food, let alone aspiring to "live with dignity." Compared to them, what dissatisfaction could these residents have, living safely until forty before "dying"? More importantly, the townsfolk also had the chance to share a portion of the "Mermaid’s Tear" through more sacrifices. Every head of "livestock" had the opportunity to leap out of the pen and become part of the ruling class among Transcendents and the Kin. Even if they knew the truth, there was no fertile ground for rebellion.

Byron couldn’t help but recall a tale of extraterrestrial visitors preparing to dominate humanity:

"Pathetic people of the Blue Planet, from now on you shall work for me a full eight hours every day! You will receive only three meals plus snacks, with milk available only in the morning, and a mere one-hour lunch break! Bonuses will be paid only thrice a year, and you’ll get just two months of annual leave! Most cruelly, your wages will increase only once every four months! Overtime will be compensated at only triple the rate, and you’ll be forced to exercise for one hour after work! You will perish from exhaustion! Kekeke..."

Who, I ask, could withstand such "slavery"? The Deep Dive Church’s model of rule over these affiliated towns wasn’t much different from that extraterrestrial visitor’s. If the same "slavery" model were replicated across the entire Old Continent, countless commoners would likely roar at their new foreign masters, "My foreign benefactors, I know where those Kings and Nobles are hiding! Follow me, and we’ll crush the resistance together!"

They ultimately chose to abandon their savior complex, respect others’ Fates, protect their own interests, and, in a twisted way, promote the "growth" of others.

Because this model’s effectiveness was predicated on sufficient Material resources; it could be maintained with a small population but was unrealistic with a larger one. And the two of them happened to represent the most advanced productive forces of the Old Continent at that time!

By then, the large fish-creatures on the ground had all been dragged by the townspeople into the central pool in the square.

Suddenly, the clouds in the sky parted, revealing the blood-red Moon characteristic of the New Continent.

Soon, accompanied by the sound of the tide, Byron once again smelled the unique scent of the Sea of Origin Matter.

It was just as the residents of Black Tide Town sang in their poems:

"One day, the Deep Sea Affiliates crawling through the mire will inscribe themselves on stone tablets, receiving the worship of land creatures..."

The Sea of Origin Matter, though vaster than any ocean, resembled a mire or sewer, perpetually filled with a foulness that discomfited normal people. But these Fallen Ones seemed to adore it, kneeling on the ground, their hearts filled with yearning.

The official collective ascension ceremony finally began.

With the pool as its center, the town before them gradually grew hazy, as if veiled in mist. Simultaneously, another Black Tide Town, one seemingly hidden within a Dream Realm, slowly revealed itself.

Through the interplay of light and shadow at the juncture of reality and illusion, Byron finally saw the Jackdaw and the traces of the missing crew members here.