Joining (Happy National Day, book friends!)

"Is this... the ability to heal wounds by forming a cocoon?"

Lin had a high aptitude for accepting various mysteries, and she quickly deduced the general situation.

She stepped forward, gazing at the large cocoon, a pleased smile appearing on her face.

"Wonderful, this person is fine, and the Lord's oracle can still be fulfilled..."

She saw that there seemed to be a light source within the cocoon, casting the silhouette of a human figure. It was vaguely discernible as female, curled up like an embryo with her hands wrapped around her drawn-up legs, much like a fetus in a womb.

But as the heartbeat grew stronger, countless black shadows seemed to be writhing behind the dark figure, expanding rapidly... transforming into... a pair of deformed wings?

The human shape also became strange; the mouthparts elongated, and the body alienated, appearing to evolve into some kind of insect...

"Oh no... this is... corruption?"

Lin's expression turned grave. She knew that after suffering such severe injuries, the other party could no longer maintain her sanity and was transforming into a monster.

In reality, Olivia's transformation was also related to her previous overexertion of spirituality while performing the ritual.

If this continued, the thing that broke out of the cocoon would definitely not be her.

"So that's it. The Lord had already foreseen everything. Is this the true meaning of saving a soul?"

Lin suddenly realized: "She has been drawn in by the terrifying entity at the end of her own path, sinking into the abyss. Only the radiance of my Lord can grant her salvation..."

She knew what she had to do.

Lin immediately began to set up a ritual, praying to the Spirit of Unknown Void:

"Spirit of Unknown Void wandering in the unknown, Absolute Neutral Entity, Silent Observer..."

"Please bestow your grace and save this lost soul before me!"

"Can I say that this wasn't my arrangement, and I only almost missed it because I ran too slowly?"

Aaron Sothoth muttered to himself, accepting the ritual.

He gazed at the giant cocoon in front of him, his eyes filled with shock, but he still mobilized the mysterious energy generated by his dream-entry and poured it into the cocoon.

"Thank you, my Lord!"

Lin felt this change and looked into the light cocoon, only to see that the hideous black shadow had gradually faded, returning to a human form.

Rip!

The gray cocoon shell was torn open. A naked Olivia struggled to walk out. Seeing Lin, a trace of shyness appeared on her face, but it was quickly replaced by shock: "That was..."

"Fortunate one, you have received the grace of my Lord and obtained His salvation..."

Lin glanced at Olivia, casually grabbed a piece of clothing from a corpse on the ground, and tossed it over: "Put on some clothes first, and I will tell you slowly."

A moment later, in the department store.

"So... you were summoned by an entity, established the Light of Redemption, and then received an oracle to save me?"

Olivia asked in surprise: "What kind of benevolent existence is that? To actually pity an ant like me... No... would such an entity communicate with mortals? The [Cocoon] never communicates with its believers, not even the highest-ranking 'Cocoon-Men'. There are even rumors that those who truly see the [Cocoon] all die, whether they are believers or not!"

"[Cocoon]? 'Cocoon-Men'?"

Aaron was somewhat puzzled, and then Lin asked directly: "What is the [Cocoon]?"

"He is the master of the element of 'Chrysalis', the symbol of life and change..."

Olivia's expression became incredibly complex: "I come from the forests in the south, where many people worship the [Cocoon]. They call themselves 'Cocoon-Men' and have established a cult called the 'Wasteland of Wild Woods'... After many joined, their temperaments underwent terrifying changes. Even after several cocoon-formations, they have become non-human entities... I did not want to stay any longer, so I traveled far away from home..."

Lin, however, thought of the fanatics of the Black Sun Cult and the High Priest who had turned into a black-flame beast, and suddenly had an epiphany: "The path of mystery is too dangerous; madness and terror are constant companions. No matter what path one walks, one needs the protection of my Lord to maintain one's humanity. Praise my Lord!"

"Might I have the honor of hearing His holy name?"

Olivia said solemnly: "Originally, after leaving the cult, my own hallucinations and symptoms had become very severe, but after receiving the grace of that one, I feel that I have completely recovered. I want to learn about the teachings of that one, and... is He willing to accept a follower of the [Cocoon] like me?"

"Of course, my Lord embraces all."

Lin's eyes lit up, and she immediately began to preach: "He resides at the very peak of the Light Realm; He is the Light of Redemption, the only hope for humanity!"

Hey, hey, I only told you that I am a spirit! Just a spirit! Don't go adding so many strange things on your own!

Aaron stood to the side, feeling incredibly awkward.

Especially since Lin was adding so many authorities to him on her own—salvation, protection... he hadn't even agreed to any of that, had he?

"Forget it, I didn't acknowledge it anyway... Besides... 'Chrysalis', huh?"

Aaron comforted himself. Aside from that, he was actually quite interested in the newly appeared element and path.

"I have to find a way to trick Olivia's secret teachings out of her. No... it's a trade! A trade!"

"However, do life and change overlap with 'Crimson'? No, that's not right either. 'Crimson' is mainly biased toward the fields of reproduction and vitality... Furthermore, the 'Chrysalis' gives me a feeling of stubbornness, conservatism, and a flavor of immutability hidden within..."

He just watched as Olivia was swayed by Lin and became a member of the Light of Redemption.

This was a very normal occurrence.

As long as Olivia wanted to continue on the path of mystery without being influenced by the [Cocoon] and turning into a monster, she had to bow down at his feet.

Aaron could tell that although Olivia was also quite naive, she was at least a bit more mature than Lin; could she really not see that there was something wrong with this 'Light of Redemption'?

It would be more accurate to say that rather than being swindled into joining the cult, she had been captivated by the 'miracles' displayed by the other party.

"Olivia, since we have now become fellow believers, I shall announce the first major task."

Lin surveyed the department store, clearly very satisfied with the place: "I am going to requisition this building to serve as a branch of the cult... Hmm, the headquarters cannot be moved; the altar of Our Lord is there, and unless I receive His permission, it cannot be relocated."

Olivia pursed her lips, watching Lin's feigned, adult-like air of high spirits, and suddenly asked: "Then... Holy Maiden, how many people are in our cult in total?"

Lin's momentum vanished quite a bit, and she replied in a very low voice: "Counting you, five... as for Beyonders, it's just you and me."

Olivia's expression froze instantly; although she had some mental preparation and guesses, she had not expected this cult to be so bizarre!

One had to know that any true secret society had thousands of members, with cult leaders who were powerhouses in their own right.

Her own group was practically inferior to someone else's combat squad.

Was it still too late to quit the cult now?