Chapter 963: Chapter 156: Still Prosperous, But No Longer Belonging to Lu Li
The resounding bell echoed over the gathering place.
As the Tentacle Cultist ascended the wall, in the depths of the lead-gray bay’s ocean, fog tides were forming.
Dong—Dong—Dong—
Another bell tower suddenly rang its bell.
They cast their gaze, and the urgent bell sound spread outward.
Each bell tower’s bell corresponds to one calamity, the meaning of two bell towers sounding simultaneously is—
"Light Thief, fog tide."
In the depths of the cloud shedding fragmented snow, the thin outline of a monstrous claw was rising from the horizon.
At the same time, more echoing bell sounds came distantly from outside the gathering place.
Ophelia turned to the Tentacle Cultist: "The bizarre... nest... also... warning?"
"We are hunters, and prey as well."
The bizarre were never allies.
The reason they were fond of humans was merely due to weakness and deliciousness.
The surging fog tide spread across the sea surface, rising ghost claws covering half the sky.
Leaving the wall, the residents of the gathering place lit a huge bonfire to dispel the darkness, to face the impending Mist of Strangeness and eternal night.
Although the arrival of these two major calamities was still untimely, Lu Li and the others were rather fortunate, having not encountered them en route.
As a guest, the twisted figure arranged a room for them, indicating they could go anywhere, including His church.
The silent Lu Li chose the True Library.
At any time, knowledge brings peace of mind.
...
In the tranquil hall of the True Library, Ophelia took a real adventure novel recording the exploration of ruins from the bookshelf, lifted the oil lamp beside it, and returned to sit at the desk.
Puxiu climbed onto the chair, jumped to sit on the desk, waiting for Ophelia to tell the story.
In the slight rustling of page turns, Puxiu tilted his head to look at the bookshelf, where a tall figure holding an oil lamp walked among the fog-shrouded library shelves.
The True Library remained intact. The books were not destroyed on that disastrous night, nor did they become moldy due to Belfast’s humidity.
Walking among them seemed to also make the mind tranquil.
"What book do you need..."
A gentle female voice sounded beside him, and Lu Li glanced sideways, seeing Anna standing at the edge of the oil lamp’s glow, her delicate cheeks tinted with a hazy light.
His dark eyes lingered for a moment before Lu Li looked away.
"I don’t know."
The twisted figure, or say, the Book Sprite continued to speak softly: "Exorcist from the past, you are confused..."
"I haven’t found her."
"The Prophet has never been wrong..." The Book Sprite gently pulled a book from the shelf.
"What do you want to say?" Lu Li asked.
"Exorcist, strengthen your resolve—"
Bang—Crash—
The heavy collapse and crashing noises broke the library’s tranquility, also covering the Book Sprite’s words.
Lu Li looked towards the direction of the sound, then beside him, the Book Sprite’s figure had already vanished.
Perhaps He wasn’t here at all, otherwise, how could Lu Li converse unharmed with Him.
His gaze fell on the book pulled out a few centimeters, Lu Li reached out to take it, temporarily kept it, and turned towards the direction of the noise.
At the library’s edge, Ophelia stood before a collapsed bookshelf, books scattered in piles.
"The puppy... found... it likes... books, accidentally... knocked over... the shelf." It raspily explained.
Puxiu wasn’t nearby, he was buried under the pile of books.
"Lift it up."
Lu Li walked to one side of the shelf, braced his left arm against it, and with Ophelia, lifted it.
Crash—
The remaining books toppled from the shelf. After rearranging the shelf, they went to dig Puxiu out from the book pile.
He seemed alright, just sad with guilt.
"I’m sorry Mr. Lu Li, Miss Ophelia, I was too eager..."
"Did you get the book..." Ophelia softly asked.
"Yes, Miss Ophelia!"
Puxiu stood upright like a guard, ran into the pile to drag out a book with a sketch of a pipe on its cover.
"’The Great Detective Locker’, my favorite book, with the author’s signature!"
Ophelia’s face changed, as if smiling.
After apologizing again, Puxiu returned to the desk with his favorite book to read, while Lu Li and Ophelia stayed behind to restock the shelves.
"I want... to tell you... something..."
Ophelia placed the books back onto the shelf one by one.
"Your... strength... is weaker, your taste... no different from... Carter. Because of... her?"
"It has nothing to do with Anna."
"But your... change... is related, right?"
Lu Li remained silent at Ophelia’s inquiry.
After filling one row of books, Ophelia helped Lu Li arrange the ones he sorted: "You... shouldn’t... be like this. Without... emotions, like... the snow outside."
Katerina and Ophelia had said similar things.
"You... should blend into... the world, have... people you care about, like —"
"Companions..."
Slid a book in, Ophelia’s charred hand quietly reached for Lu Li’s hand.
"Lover..." raising her eyes, Anna slightly tilted her head, gently watching Lu Li.
"And... this... rotten... world..."
Lu Li didn’t say or do anything, he lowered his head to take a new stack of books, putting them onto the shelf.
The brief interaction ended quickly, whether it truly had an effect or not, perhaps only after they found Anna would be revealed.
The fog tide and eternal night covered the land, the burning bonfire of the gathering place sheltered the residents’ safety.
The first fog tide Lu Li experienced passed as every night, peacefully.
The next day, news came from Vena Ice-Free Port that Andrea had arrived at the port, and the unconscious Katerina had been sent for treatment.
There was also intelligence of a Shadow Church believer’s tracks.
The discovery was merely by chance. A knowledgeable person on their way to a tavern after work accidentally heard a drunken shout from an outsider, learning that a young member of their family had joined the Shadow Church and was heading to Sacred Land Ximphast for conversion.
Originally, this Steinvic family middle-aged member would face execution by hanging for betrayal of humanity according to Vena Ice-Free Port’s laws, but because Lu Li was seeking the Shadow Church, fearing it might alarm them, this middle-aged person fortunately escaped death, only under surveillance.
The report at the end mentioned that Ximphast was filled with pollution, and the Shadow Church couldn’t avoid it either, the so-called "Sacred Land" should be somewhere around Ximphast.
"You should leave..."
At this moment, the twisted figure suddenly manifested inside the library, He said.
"Leave?" Puxiu was shocked.
"Leave the church..."
"But outside—"
"Light Thief... and fog tide—"
The twisted figure interrupted their words: "A group of heretics are searching for you for no apparent reason, they already know you’re hiding here..."
"Can’t you handle them?" Puxiu anxiously asked.
"I need to protect my people..."
This implied that even the Twisted Vine Church couldn’t confront that group of heretics.
"Who are they?"
"I don’t know..."
Andrea hadn’t returned yet.
But they needed to leave.