The Aftermath

The rain is gradually subsiding.

Lu Yuan stepped down from the watchtower, the spot on his finger where the runes had burned it still throbbed with pain.

The battlefield reeked of a mixture of burnt and fishy stench. The Blood Marsh was slowly dissipating, and the corpses of the Fishmen lay scattered among the ruins.

The high priest is dead.

At least the battle here is over.

Lu Yuan's gaze swept across the battlefield and landed on a high platform not far away.

The silver halo was slowly receding, and Mary seemed to have lost her last bit of strength.

She leaned forward, and if the Night Watcher hadn't caught her in time, she would have fallen straight down.

"Quickly, take her back to rest."

Hans's voice came from the other side; his left arm was wrapped in a makeshift bandage, and he was directing several Hidden Sentry to count the casualties.

Two Night Watcher carried Mary toward the base. Her face was ashen, her eyes were closed, and she was being dragged along, her steps unsteady.

Lu Yuan glanced at it but didn't follow immediately.

Because Xi Wading was walking towards him.

The golden armor was stained with blue blood, and the Holy Armor Condensation had completely dissipated, but the Holy Armor Army Commander's steps remained steady, and his mental state was much better than expected.

He was carrying a box wrapped in black cloth.

"Here, take this."

Xi Wading handed over the box, his tone brief.

"The items that the Deep Sea Church went to such great lengths to escort might be very dangerous. I suggest sealing them up for now and deciding whether to open them after things are dealt with in the inner city."

Lu Yuan took the box.

The moment I touched it, a heavy feeling spread down my arm.

It wasn't just the excessive weight of the box; Lu Yuan also sensed something throbbing inside, like a imprisoned heart slowly beating within it.

[High concentration of Source of Pollution detected... immediate relocation advised]

A grayish-white notification appeared at the edge of the field of vision.

Lu Yuan looked down at the box.

The outline of the box could be vaguely seen under the black cloth, and it was engraved with intricate sealing runes that were very similar to the runes he had seen on the Strange Dream Island.

The things here are probably related to "mother" again.

"I understand." Lu Yuan put the box away and looked up at Xi Wading. "How's the situation in the inner city?"

"I don't know, communications were down for a while." Xi Wading turned to look towards the inner city. The huge black shadow was much blurrier than before, but it hadn't completely disappeared. "I'll go provide support once the team is assembled."

He has no intention of taking a break.

He didn't even have time to wipe the bloodstains off his armor before he started calling for the soldiers to assemble.

I'll go too.

Alice's voice came from the side.

She walked over carrying the warhammer stained with blue blood, her body covered in scrapes and abrasions, but her eyes were resolute.

"I'm worried about Old Morgan in the inner city."

Xi Wading did not object; he simply nodded.

Alice looked at Lu Yuan: "And you?"

Lu Yuan paused for a moment, then shook his head.

"I wouldn't be of much help even if I went." Then Lu Yuan shook the box in his hand. "We still need people here."

Alice nodded, and before leaving, she turned back and said something:

"Take good care of Mary. And make sure the Night Watcher doesn't lose their composure."

She paused, then added, "If anyone isn't feeling well, there are special sedatives in the warehouse. Have them take them and then Isolation and rest. Problems are most likely to arise after large-scale battles like this, so don't be careless."

"I know."

Alice nodded, then turned and followed Xi Wading's group.

The golden armor faded into the distance in the rain, the Holy Armor Army's footsteps echoing in perfect unison, finally disappearing at the end of the street leading to the inner city.

Lu Yuan stood there, watching the direction they had gone.

After a moment, he looked away and glanced down at the box in his hand.

The throbbing sensation continued, but the specially made sealing box seemed to be able to imprison it well.

Without giving it much thought, he turned and walked towards the base.

Lu Yuan planned to throw this thing directly into the safest place in the base, the Deep Warehouse.

Walking briskly into the base, Lu Yuan descended the familiar spiral stone steps.

The surrounding air gradually became cold and damp, and that oppressive feeling that had been weighing on my heart returned. The dark red moss on the rock wall emitted a faint, eerie glow in the darkness.

[Abnormal environment; high concentration of Spirituality residue detected...]

Lu Yuan quickened his pace and arrived at the ancient gate.

Insert the brass Key given to him by Old Morgan, turn it, and the heavy click of the mechanism echoes in the deathly silence of the underground.

The door slowly opened.

The warehouse remained brightly lit, illuminated by countless Alchemy Lamp, leaving no shadows. On several rows of low, black metal shelves, various sealing containers were sparsely arranged.

Lu Yuan placed the black box on the shelf, next to the bottle of ██ 'Blood of ██.

The moment the box landed, the faint throbbing suddenly disappeared.

It was as if it was completely suppressed by the seal of the warehouse.

Lu Yuan stared at the box for a few seconds, confirming that there was nothing unusual about the sealing runes, then turned to leave.

But as soon as I reached the door, a strange unease suddenly welled up in my heart.

Unable to explain what was wrong, Lu Yuan stopped, frowned, and looked back at the box. Still, there was no movement. After thinking for a moment, he moved the box to a different position.

Only then did Lu Yuan turn and leave, intending to go to the Infirmary to check on Mary, whose face had looked very pale.

Upon entering the medical room, one is greeted by the aroma of Holy Water mixed with herbs.

Mary lay on the bed, her face pale and her brows furrowed, as if she were having a nightmare. A doctor from the Night Watcher stood by her bedside, looking anxious, and holding an empty medicine bottle in his hand.

"How is the situation?" Lu Yuan walked in, his gaze falling on Mary.

The doctor shook his head, a hint of helplessness in his voice. "We've already given her Holy Water and sedatives, but the effects don't seem to be very good... Her condition is worse than we expected."

What is the formula for the medicine in the warehouse?

"Standard Silverlight Grass Sedative," the doctor replied. "It should be enough, but she..."

Lu Yuan walked to the bedside and bent down to examine the patient.

Mary's breathing was rapid and erratic, fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead, and her lips trembled slightly from time to time, as if she were saying something unintelligible.

Grayish-white text slowly appeared in my field of vision:

[Observation subject: Mary]

[Status: Sanity severely damaged; trace amounts of the Deep Sea Contamination remain around the Sanity Barrier...]

Lu Yuan's brows furrowed even more.

It's not just a matter of rationality being depleted.

When Mary was blessing everyone with her silver halo, she may have collided with the high priest's domain.

Given Mary's Transcendence level, she was no match for the high priest, and was therefore slightly Contamination.

Although the Deep Sea aura that seeped into the edge of Mary's Sanity Barrier was faint, it was still something she couldn't resist in her current state.

"Ordinary sedatives can't suppress this stuff," Lu Yuan recalled from the book. "She needs a Purification formula."