Grim Port

Alice yelled into the communication tube, and her voice echoed throughout the entire ship.

In less than two minutes, everyone who could move had arrived.

Philip was pale and almost exhausted of his Holy Power, but he was still barely able to stand. The two Deacon were in no better condition.

Gray stood silently in the corner, while Ed and Leonard stood side by side.

The Born stood beside the steering wheel, the mechanical joints making rhythmic clicking sounds.

Alice looked around at everyone and began to take stock of their strength:

"More than half of the cannons are destroyed, but the rest are still usable. The Mithril is untouched, and there are still quite a few Alchemy Grenade. The Judge is destroyed, and Marcus is still unconscious; we can't count on either of them."

"Two of the Born remain capable of fighting: Father Philip and two Deacon..."

"I can still recite the prayer," Philip managed to say.

Alice nodded, her gaze sweeping over the Night Watcher:

"I, Gray, Ed, and Leonard can all fight. Lu Yuan is seriously injured; let him recover first."

She turned around, picked up a wooden box from the corner, opened it, and inside were bottles of silvery-white liquid.

These Mithril were completely useless on the previous islands, but precisely because of this, the ship now possesses exceptionally strong firepower.

"Ed, Leonard, go to the artillery compartment and stand by. If the cannons malfunction, adjust them manually. If you can't adjust them, use Mithril as cannonballs!"

Ed took the box, weighed it in his hand, and nodded.

"Gray, keep an eye on Lu Yuan, Marcus, and the Judge. Make sure nothing gets inside."

Gray nodded in agreement.

Alice glanced at everyone one last time, her voice turning somber:

"Grim Port is under attack. Every moment we delay means someone is dying."

"So full speed ahead!"

Inside the cabin, Lu Yuan leaned against the bed board, closing his eyes to calm himself down.

Even though she was here, she still heard Alice's shout.

Grim Port was attacked.

The Deep Sea Church launches a full-scale attack.

These two sentences kept Echo in his mind.

Mina... Mo Shui...

They were all in Grim Port.

However, thinking of Mo Shui's strength, Lu Yuan felt a little more at ease. That Book Spirit, though sharp-tongued, was reliable in crucial moments, and Old Morgan was also there.

At the edge of vision, grayish-white text slowly emerged:

[Rationality: 20 → 21/70]

The speed at which sanity is restored has clearly increased; Philip's Holy Light is indeed quite effective.

Just as Lu Yuan was lost in thought, footsteps came from outside the door.

Gray pushed the door open and came in, holding a small bottle in his hand.

"Philip asked me to give this to you." He handed you the bottle. "The last bottle of Intermediate Holy Water, so you won't be completely immobile when you get ashore."

Lu Yuan accepted the Intermediate Holy Water, but did not drink it immediately.

I have a silver cup in my bag, could you get it for me?

Gray walked to the bedside, rummaged through Lu Yuan's backpack, and quickly pulled out a small cup engraved with Angel Crest.

He glanced at it, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

You actually have something like that?

"I managed to get it from the church by chance; please help me convert three cups of Holy Water."

Gray looked at the Holy Water Cup in his hand, asked no questions, filled a jug with water from the ship's water storage area, and then poured it into the cup.

The next moment, a faint silver light appeared in the cup, and the water became clear and transparent, with tiny specks of light faintly visible moving within it.

Lu Yuan took it and drank it all in one gulp.

[Use Primary Holy Water, Sanity +2]

Gray poured another glass and handed it to him.

[Use Primary Holy Water, Sanity +2]

The third cup.

[Use Primary Holy Water, Sanity +1]

The effects have begun to diminish.

Gray put the Holy Water Cup back in his backpack, and Lu Yuan picked up the bottle of Intermediate Holy Water, uncorked it, and tilted his head back to gulp it down.

The cool liquid slid down my throat, a refreshing sensation spreading from my chest, and my muddled mind gradually cleared.

[Use Intermediate Holy Water, Sanity +5, Recovery Speed Increased]

[Rationality: 21 → 31/70]

The effects of the Intermediate Holy Water were gradually weakening, but fortunately, 31 sanity points were barely enough. At least once back on shore, I wouldn't have to worry about being unable to move.

However, the wound in his abdomen was still throbbing, so fighting was out of the question.

Lu Yuan let out a long breath.

"What arrangements did Alice make?" Lu Yuan asked.

"Ed and Leonard went to the artillery floor, I'll watch you and Marcus." Gray sat down on the chair by the bed. "She told you to rest first, don't push yourself."

Lu Yuan nodded without saying anything more.

About half an hour later, Alice pushed open the door and walked in, then waved to Gray, indicating that he should go out first.

Although Gray found it strange, he still pushed open the door and went out.

Alice's gaze fell on Lu Yuan, and she spoke directly:

What happened in the cave?

Lu Yuan had anticipated that she would ask that question.

"Marcus detonated the heart." Lu Yuan, who was lying down, sat up slightly. "We almost died inside."

"Then what?"

"Then I lost consciousness," Lu Yuan said calmly. "When I regained consciousness, we were already on the ship."

Alice stared into Lu Yuan's eyes. "Are you sure you didn't bring anything out?"

Silence.

Lu Yuan did not answer.

It's not that he can't lie, it's that he doesn't want to.

Silence itself is an attitude—I don't want to talk.

Alice looked at him, her gaze sharpening.

She knew what Lu Yuan was hiding.

But she also knew that there must be a reason why he chose to keep it a secret.

"We'll talk about it when we get back." She turned and walked towards the door.

She stopped at the door without turning her head.

Whatever you brought back, I hope it was worth it.

The door closed.

Lu Yuan subconsciously reached into his clothes.

The cool touch of the glass bottle seeped through my clothes.

[The Blood of ██ ██.]

Is it worth it? Lu Yuan didn't know, but he would definitely regret it if he didn't bring her back.

Time ticked by, second by second.

The sky over the sea gradually brightened, the storm completely dissipated, leaving only gray clouds and surging waves.

The Abyssal Hunter sped forward, leaving a white trail in its wake on the sea.

Finally, the Born on the watchtower sounded the alarm:

"Target spotted ahead - Grim Port."

Alice rushed onto the deck and raised her binoculars.

The sight that came into view made her pupils contract sharply.

Grim Port

The port city where she had lived for more than a decade was now shrouded in thick smoke.

A huge fire broke out in the dock area, with orange-red flames shooting into the sky and thick smoke billowing out, obscuring half the sky.

Scattered fires could also be seen in the Inner City, indicating that the fighting had spread there.

On the sea outside the port...

Alice's face darkened completely.

Five or six ships patrolled the sea, their sails adorned with Deep Blue ribbons—the symbol of the Deep Sea Church.

Some shadows still lingered beneath the surface of the sea.

A massive silhouette swam underwater, clearly a Mutation sea monster tamed by the Deep Sea Church.

"They've blockaded the port." Alice lowered her binoculars, her voice icy. "They're not planning to let anyone out, nor are they planning to let anyone go back!"

Philip also saw the ships and asked, "Should we charge in?"

"Grim Port is under attack," Alice sneered. "Every moment of delay means someone's death."

She turned and shouted into the sound transmission tube:

"All guns, prepare to fire!"

"Unrestricted fire! There's only one objective—charge in!"