Praise the Sun

Trist saw that the empty chair was completely bare.

But he could sense a presence, as if someone was sitting there.

Swallowing hard, Trist looked at Lu Ban.

Lu Ban sat down next to the empty chair, gazing into the void.

"Are you the Black Mother?"

Lu Ban asked a question.

The woman in the red wedding dress, with a Pale face and bloodshot eyes, only glanced at Lu Ban with a faint look.

Buzz—

Countless pieces of knowledge flowed into Lu Ban's brain.

"I don't want to marry that Sea King, I don't want to die!"

"Only by offering the bride to the Sea King can the storm be calmed and the entire town saved."

"You're very lucky, Ali. You've been chosen to be the bride this year."

"Their dance was strange; it had a kind of mesmerizing power that seemed to draw in even the wind and waves, calming them down."

"Ake, the Hai family has taken a liking to you. You will become their bride. It is an honor for our family."

"Every woman who married into the Hai family has disappeared without a trace. They have never seen their families again. Do you think they have actually been offered as sacrifices to the Sea King?"

"No, it hurts so much, it hurts so much, please help me, someone please help me!"

"If you don't want to become like that, follow my instructions, and I will help you."

"Kill me, kill me, please, just kill me!"

The frantic, incoherent words finally mingled in the brain, impacting the brain marrow and burning in every groove of the cerebral cortex.

Lu Ban felt a burning sensation in his nose, and dark red blood seeped from his nostrils. Soon, his vision blurred, his ears rang with a sharp pain, and his throat felt like it was blocked with phlegm, making it difficult to breathe.

Fresh blood flowed from his eyes, nose, mouth, and ears, staining his clothes and the ground red.

"Hey, are you alright?"

Trist stood up and patted Lu Ban on the shoulder.

"No problem."

Lu Ban waved his hand, and the veins on his arm bulged, the dark blue blood vessels clearly visible under his skin.

Compared to the "Madman's Knowledge," the information he had just received was slightly inferior.

It seemed as if green grass was growing in his nostrils. Lu Ban rubbed his eyes, and his hands were covered in blood and bits of grass.

Pain burned through the Lu Ban's brain.

To distract himself, he began to speak.

"The Sea King, also known as the Oldest One Sea Monster, was the Black Mother. She was one of the incarnations of a certain deity, and was later sealed and suppressed in the black tower of the Hai Family Mansion."

"But the Black Mother Mother's power was not completely sealed. As time passed, her power overflowed, seeking the help of others to break the seal, and subtly influencing the Hai family."

"He bewitched every bride who married into the Hai family, hoping that these outsiders could help Him escape. However, the existence of the Black Mother is itself a kind of pollution. Even her cries for help are enough to drive those who hear them mad."

"The Hai family is on the verge of collapse. They have been most severely corrupted by the Black Mother, or rather, they may have all become servants of the Black Mother. However, because they were already insane when they became servants, they are unable to release her."

As they spoke, Lu Ban's wounds were covered by lush green grass.

Are you really alright?

Trist had never seen anything like this before. If it weren't for Lu Ban, who had seemed a bit off before, he probably would have lost his mind at the sight.

"No problem, just get some sun."

When Lu Ban said these words, the woman in the red wedding dress had already disappeared.

"The woman in the red dress is a symbol of pollution. Being able to see her means that we have been subtly polluted."

Upon hearing this, Trist's heart sank.

If Lu Ban and I were contaminated when we entered the town yesterday, how serious would the contamination be for the residents of Drywater Town, and for the Hai family, who were in such close proximity for such a long time?

Can these people still be called human beings?

"Fortunately, as long as we attend the wedding tomorrow, we can leave unscathed and won't have to get involved in the conflict between the Black Mother and the Hai family."

"Trist said with a worried expression."

"However, the people in this town, as my predecessors who guided me later, have probably said, that the alien land is not an illusion, and the people in the alien land are not lifeless imposters. We should save as many as we can within our power. Now it seems that no matter what, tomorrow will be the end of everything."

He glanced at Lu Ban.

The man covered in grass had fallen asleep sometime earlier, and the flower buds on his head were slowly blooming.

The air was filled with the sounds of gongs and drums, and lanterns and decorations were everywhere.

When Trist woke up, he smelled a strong gunpowder odor.

He heard the sound of firecrackers and festive music.

He sat up and found himself in bed with a blanket covering him.

Stepping out of the house, I saw Lu Ban standing in the yard, facing the sunlight, with his arms outstretched as if to embrace the sun.

"Praise the sun."

Lu Ban sighed, then turned around and flipped the container over to continue drying it.

"What is this doing?"

Trist yawned.

"In photosynthesis."

Lu Ban answered in a serious tone.

"Photosynthesis... What? Never mind, hasn't the wedding already started?"

Trist asked a question.

"More or less, probably patrolling the town."

Lu Ban said casually.

Trist dressed and cautiously crossed the empty yard to the front yard.

He arrived at the Hai family's gate and saw the wedding procession.

This was the first time Trist had ever seen so many living people in this world.

No, that's not right.

Trist saw that the people carrying the sedan chair were dark-skinned locals, while the escorts were maids dressed in red, with Pale faces and bright red lips.

These maids, like Master Hai and Madam Hai yesterday, exuded a deathly aura.

The seemingly bustling crowds on the street, however, seemed even more eerie.

These people were waving at the wedding procession, their movements stiff, repetitive, almost mechanical, utterly lifeless, and their actions were inconsistent, giving off a strange, scattered feeling.

It's like a puppet on a stage, only able to move according to the original setting.

"This town is doomed. From the moment it encountered the Black Mother, it was destined for destruction."

A sudden voice came from behind Trist. He glanced over and saw Lu Ban, who was no longer covered in flowers and plants.

He was holding a compressed biscuit in his hand, eating it with water.

Noticing Trist's gaze, Lu Ban hesitated for a moment, then broke off a small half of the compressed biscuit and handed it to Trist.

"That's all I have left. Once I finish eating, it'll be time to hit the road."

*

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