Chapter 964: Chapter 157: He Wore a Faded Black Trench Coat from the Past
Humans cannot survive in the Harsh Winter Season, Mist Tide, and Eternal Night.
Even with the protection of spirits.
A distorted figure, knowing this, passed down an oracle, seeking members willing to escort them from the gathering place.
Having once interacted with Lu Li and others, the Tentacle Cultist-led believers bitterly refused.
They could not betray their faith to escort the "Heretics" of their opposing camp.
At this moment, a Believer of Vine Church arrived, claiming they would safely escort them out of Belfast.
"Did the Prophet send you?"
Lu Li asked but received no response from the wooden believer.
But silence is also an answer.
Because of the accurate prophecy of the Eternal Dreamer, who once knew Lu Li, they did not doubt the Vine Church Believer’s ability to achieve this.
Following the believer back to Vine Church, they entered a room.
A gray-brown slime surged in the pool, and the Vine Church believer signaled Lu Li to enter the pool.
"Do, not, re, sist..."
Ophelia tried first, immersing her hand in the pool, the gray-brown slime adhering to form a waxy layer, emitting a strange aura.
High temperatures would melt the wax.
Confirming that it could help conceal the aura, Lu Li stepped into the slime, letting it cover his entire body.
The Sanity Value Counter submerged by the slime clattered, a price that must be borne.
After a brief soak, Lu Li emerged from the slime, his body covered with a layer of gray-brown wax, reflecting an oily sheen under the oil lamp’s light.
Being encased in waxy slime was uncomfortable, greasy, leaving the body inflexible, but its advantages were undeniable.
"We should be leaving now."
Lu Li’s dark eyes swept over Puxiu’s anxious face.
The gates of the gathering place slowly opened, the flames of the bonfires casting a red sheen on the ethereal darkness beyond.
The Vine Church believer woodenly walked out of the gates.
With the oil lamp in hand, Lu Li and the others followed, observed by other believers, walking into the depths of the dark mist.
...
White snow fell through the gray mist into the black world.
The waxy layer concealed Lu Li’s human scent.
But this did not mean safety. Within the Mist Tide, the strange entities are both prey and predator...
Ophelia restrained her aura. Within the Mist of Strangeness, spirits are far from the top of the food chain; recklessly exposing one’s aura would only attract predators.
The accompanying Vine Church believer gave them a slight sense of security—the Prophet knew they would leave the church, knew they were forced to travel through the Mist Tide and Eternal Night.
In the misty darkness, they were not alone.
Footsteps accompanied them, movements brushed past.
They once encountered dense light spots like oil lamps passing by the corner ahead.
What it was remained unknown, only that it was definitely not like them.
The path to leave Belfast was not straightforward. The wooden believer followed the Prophet’s oracle, navigating through the Ruins of Belfast, avoiding dangers on the surface and hidden.
This made the Prophet’s prophecy appear more direct.
Nearing noon in Eternal Night, they approached the summit of Sugard Mountain, Agate Lake lay ahead.
The Vine Church believer stopped, no longer escorting them on the road ahead.
"They...they are still behind us."
Puxiu curled into a ball at the feet.
Puxiu could sense the pulse of the bloodline within, the closeness that terrified him.
They could too.
"Did the Prophet say anything else?"
"No."
From now on, they would no longer be protected by the Prophet. Or rather, the Prophet believed they could handle the journey ahead?
"Lu...Mr. Lu Li, Miss Ophelia..."
Hair clumps falling off, slime exuding a fishy smell, the dirty and scruffy Puxiu lifted his human face: "Let me stay here. They know where I am, following you will only bring trouble..."
Ophelia remained silent, waiting for Lu Li to decide Puxiu’s fate.
"Lure them to Agate Lake."
Puxiu suddenly lifted his human face as Lu Li spoke.
The Breath Worms and Vampire Monster occupying Agate Lake should be able to stall the pursuing Heretics.
"Then come back; we’ll wait for you behind the mountain."
"Mr. Lu Li..."
"Make haste."
Lu Li interrupted its gratitude.
Relieved not to be abandoned, Puxiu barked excitedly, grabbing the Fluorite tossed by Ophelia, and rushed into the dark depths.
Lu Li and Ophelia continued heading northward over the mountain.
Yet, before the Vine Church believer disappeared at the edge of the oil lamp’s light, Puxiu viciously snarled and dashed back.
"Don’t even think about leaving!"
Ophelia easily knocked him unconscious, holding his neck, looking at Lu Li.
"Go to Watch Town." Lu Li said.
Perhaps there’s still a place to help them hide.
The edges of the oil lamp’s light no longer showed the outlines of buildings, the broken bluestone road replaced by snow.
The path to Watch Town seemed calm; apart from the eerie sounds in the depths of the mist, they did not have any close encounters with the presence within the mist.
This usually meant two things.
Either the presence in the mist was uninterested in this place, or—
A gust of air dispersed the snowstorm, a foul stench swept across.
At the edge of the oil lamp’s light, a chasm-like giant mouth opened, swallowing the unprepared pair, then dehydrating them into shriveled husks, shredded by the incoming snowstorm.
They held their breath, staying in place for a few minutes before resuming their journey.
Thanks to the unknown presence in the mist, they didn’t encounter other presences within the mist, successfully rushing into Watch Town.
Within Watch Town, neither the Teyegolai Family occupying the place was seen, nor the Pavlov Shapechanger that had launched an attack recently, all traces of their battle buried in the snow.
"Do you want...the Teye...family...to help you?"
"No."
Puxiu hadn’t woken yet, unable to reveal the Heretics’ position. But it wasn’t entirely bad, at least Puxiu couldn’t act as their eyes.
Lu Li leaned toward the street’s edge, searching through the calf-deep snow for the building from his memory.
The houses were covered with parasitic frozen bulges, hard to discern outlines, but Lu Li still remembered the location.
The Teyegolai family members nor the Pavlov Shapechanger were seen anywhere.
They seemed to have left this place.
Repulsive, grotesque bulges covered the building, making it hard to identify, but Lu Li found it.
Crawling through the nest’s entrance into the building, the Mycelium covering every corner of the floor, walls, and ceiling froze into crystalline flowers.
Nearing an iron door’s outline, Lu Li pulled out a dagger, cutting through the frozen Mycelium, pulling open the iron door.
A dark entrance leading to a basement appeared.
Anna, carrying an oil lamp, entered first, Lu Li silently watching her back, following down the stairs.
"Where is...this place."
Descending the last step Stair, Ophelia raised the oil lamp.
The collapsed basement ruins emerged.
"An Exorcist’s house."
Lu Li bent down to reach for the rubble, then remembered something and glanced at his bandaged left hand.
"Is he...still here?"
"He’s in hell. Help me move these stones."
"Sorry..."
Ophelia handed the oil lamp to Lu Li, touching the rubble, unleashing power to heat the stones red, gradually melting them into thick molten rock.
"So...what are you here for?"
Beside the scalding molten rock, the underground room turned dark red, revealing an engraved black door on the wall.
"To find him in hell."