Voyage

As the newcomer approached, Marcus's mechanical eye darted around, surveying the Night Watcher ranks.

"Fellow Night Watcher, Lord Griffith has instructed me to convey that this operation is primarily for investigation purposes. In the event of unforeseen circumstances, we must retreat immediately."

Alice gave him a cold look. "I don't need your Ascension Society teach me how to do things."

Marcus shrugged, completely unconcerned about Alice's attitude, and simply added:

"During the journey to the destination, we hope everyone will follow the instructions of the Ascension Society."

After saying that, Marcus turned and left.

"Heh." Alice sneered upon hearing this, but did not directly refute it.

After all, now is not the time to start a conflict.

After a while, the church members finally arrived.

Three Priest dressed in white robes walked onto the deck. The one in the lead was a middle-aged man whose white robes were decorated with gold patterns and who wore a silver Holy Emblem on his chest.

His expression was serious, and when his gaze swept over the steel giant, a fleeting, almost imperceptible look of disgust flashed in his eyes, but he quickly concealed it.

"On the church's side, I'm the leader; just call me Philip." He gave a brief self-introduction, then looked at Marcus, "Archbishop Samuel asked me to convey that the church will fully cooperate with this operation, but if it involves... those entities, we have the right to decide whether to continue."

Marcus nodded without any surprise. "Understood."

He sneered inwardly.

"When that time really comes, will you still have the power to decide whether to move forward or retreat?"

The three groups were thus assembled.

The Night Watcher: Alice leads a team of three elite members— Gray, Ed, and Leonard— along with Lu Yuan.

The Ascension Society: led by Marcus, consisting of three Born, plus the silent "Judge".

Church: Philip led the team, with two Priest.

The number of people is small, but they are all elites from various fields.

As for Old Morgan and the others, they are the true core figures of Grim Port and the pillars of their respective forces, so it is impossible for them to personally take risks.

Old Morgan stood on the dock, watching the people on the ship leave.

"Be careful, everyone." His voice wasn't loud, but it was loud enough for everyone on deck to hear.

Alice waved at him. "Understood, Old Morgan."

The anchor slowly rose, and the roar of the steam engine grew louder and louder.

The Abyssal Hunter started up and slowly sailed away from the dock.

Lu Yuan stood on the ship's side, gazing at the port that was gradually disappearing into the distance.

Old Morgan's figure grew smaller and smaller until it finally disappeared into the morning mist.

After some time, Lu Yuan stood on the deck, looking at the boundless sea, with the nautical chart provided by the Ascension Society spread out in his hand, feeling somewhat incredulous.

Unfortunately, there was nothing to use as a reference point, which made it impossible for Lu Yuan to determine the authenticity of the nautical chart in his hand.

Looking up, the sea was calm, with only occasional ripples appearing in the distance before quickly returning to stillness.

[Environmental Perception: A continuous increase in the concentration of Mutation in the sea area has been detected; it is recommended to stay away.]

The grayish-white indicator at the edge of his field of vision made Lu Yuan frown slightly.

The concentration of Mutation is still rising, meaning they are approaching a Source of Pollution, which is not good news, considering that the island in the Strange Dream is at least 400 nautical miles away from Grim Port.

I just hope we don't run into each other directly.

Just then, footsteps sounded from behind.

Alice walked over, looked at the blueprints in Lu Yuan's hand, and asked in a low voice, "Is there a problem with the flight path?"

Lu Yuan pointed to the markings on the nautical chart. "The routes provided by the Ascension Society are incredibly precise."

"What do you mean?" Alice frowned.

"Normally, when tracking signals in an unknown sea area, the course should be constantly revised," Lu Yuan said, folding a corner of the nautical chart. "But this course... it's like the destination was known from the very beginning."

Alice paused for a moment, then said, "You mean, the Ascension Society already knew the location of that island?"

Lu Yuan didn't answer directly, but simply put away the nautical chart. "Perhaps, but they probably know far more than we do."

At the speed of the Abyssal Hunter, it will take at least another day and a half to reach the island.

A day and a half is enough time for a lot to happen.

In the morning, a Born knocked on the door of Lu Yuan and the others' room, indicating that Marcus wanted to hold a meeting in the ship's conference room.

When Lu Yuan and Alice arrived, the conference room was already full of people. The conference room wasn't very big, so it felt a bit crowded.

Lu Yuan noticed the Born standing in the corner, periodically taking out injections from their waists, a faint metallic gleam flashing beneath their skin.

The Judge's massive figure stood outside the door, a flash of red light occasionally appearing through the gaps in his helmet.

After everyone had arrived, Marcus unfolded the nautical chart and spoke first:

"Upon landing, the Ascension Society be responsible for frontal exploration and investigation of the Core District, the Night Watcher will be responsible for perimeter security, and the Church will be responsible for rear support and Purification."

His tone was polite, but his attitude was forceful. The Gear on his half-mechanical face slowly turned as he surveyed the reactions of the people around him.

"Of course, we can share any intelligence we discover."

Philip showed no emotion upon hearing this arrangement.

"The church's mission this time is Purification and healing," Philip said calmly, "But we will not fight alongside... that thing."

He didn't say "Judge" directly, but the meaning was clear.

Marcus nodded, seemingly unsurprised, and casually added:

"Speaking of which, the Church has sent quite a few people this time, and it's even you, Priest Philip, leading the team personally, along with three high Deacon... It seems the Church is also very interested in this island?"

Philip didn't reply, only saying calmly, "Perhaps."

After hearing the arrangements, Alice tapped her fingers on the table, leaving several obvious marks, clearly showing her dissatisfaction, but she did not express it on the spot.

Lu Yuan stood aside and watched all of this.

Each of the three parties has its own agenda: the Ascension Society to take the lead, the Church is drawing a line but is unwilling to leave, Night Watcher is marginalized.

An operation intended to save lives has already turned into a scene of intrigue and backstabbing before it even begins.

What would happen if this kind of team actually encountered the things they saw in their Strange Dream?

We still need to prepare as soon as possible.

Lu Yuan pondered silently, while Marcus in the conference room, seeing that no one was speaking, didn't seem to mind.

"If no one cares, then it's decided. I'll send someone to let you know if anything happens."

After speaking, Marcus left the conference room with several of the Born.

Only Lu Yuan, Alice, and Philip remained in the conference room.

After seeing Marcus leave, Philip spoke:

"Alice, didn't Old Morgan give you any instructions when you boarded the ship?"

Alice remained calm and coldly uttered a few words: "No."

Philip was silent for a moment, then finally turned and left, but just as he reached the door:

"It seems Marcus's arrangement was quite appropriate..."