Luckily, although Hu Wenxu was a research fanatic, he wasn't stupid. The mermaid was on their side now. If they dissected her, the mission would be all but ruined. They couldn't give up an entire forest for the sake of one tree. When it came to research, they couldn't fixate on just one subject.
After cooling down from his research fervor, Hu Wenxu returned to the cold, cultivation-obsessed persona he'd had at the start. He only occasionally spoke with Lu Li, explaining basic experimental principles and the like. It seemed he genuinely wanted to train Lu Li to become his assistant.
With the mermaid's help, the little boat moved at incredible speed. By early evening, they could already see land ahead. But then the mermaid suddenly let go of the boat, surfaced, and said, "That isn't our territory. Getting too close could cause a conflict. You'll have to make the rest of the journey on your own..."
After speaking, the mermaid slipped underwater. A few swishes of her tail, and she had vanished. She really didn't show them the slightest courtesy—or perhaps that was simply how merfolk treated humans. In Lu Li's view, if the Mermaid Princess hadn't ordered her to help, the mermaid probably wouldn't have spared them a second glance.
"There's no choice. We'll have to do it ourselves. We'd better reach shore before it gets completely dark," Xu Haoran said gravely. He picked up one of the oars built into the boat and began rowing. Lu Li and the others didn't want to stay aboard any longer, either, so they started rowing as well.
As the saying went, a mountain that looked close could still wear out a horse. The shore seemed nearby, but it was actually quite a distance away. On top of that, Lu Li and the others had never really rowed before. Their physical abilities were far beyond those of ordinary people, but their rowing speed was still worlds apart from the speed the mermaid had given them. They'd expected to arrive before dark, but by the time they reached the shore, night had already fallen long ago. The little fishing village there was pitch-black, without a single light.
The solid ground beneath their feet brought a collective sigh of relief. Floating on the sea had been unpleasant, after all, and the thought of some incomprehensible existence lurking beneath the water cast a shadow over the sea's deceptively calm surface.
The little fishing village wasn't large, with only about twenty households. Fishing nets hung out to dry on racks nearby. The place was utterly silent—not even a snore could be heard—which left them wondering if it was entirely deserted.
Nightfall meant danger. Xu Haoran and Gao Xiaowen discussed the situation for a while. Out of respect for the scientist, they asked Hu Wenxu what he thought, then, with Lu Li following along, settled on staying in the village for the night.
Gazing at the dark, unlit village, they gathered all the supplies the Mermaid Princess had prepared on the boat and began knocking on doors, one by one. Some of the houses were empty, while others were occupied. But even when they could clearly hear movement inside, no one would open the door. Lu Li and the others couldn't very well break in. They tried calling out politely, but got no response.
"We're travelers who were shipwrecked. Could you please let us stay for one night? We can pay for lodging..." Xu Haoran knocked on another door. Hearing a rustling sound inside, he finally saw it open. An old woman stood there.
"Travelers? Shipwrecked? I've lived by the sea for years. I can tell from the weather that there won't be any storms in these waters anytime soon. If you're going to lie, at least come up with a better excuse." Perhaps because she'd spent her whole life by the sea, the old woman was hunched over, with dark skin and a harsh voice. She spoke rudely, but at least she let Lu Li and the others inside. The house had a front room and an inner room, with some old furniture.
"I'm an old woman. I could die any day now. It's not as if I have anything worth coveting," the old woman said with a strange smile. "This village doesn't welcome outsiders. You'd better leave first thing tomorrow morning, or something might happen."
"Granny, do you live here alone? What about your family?" Gao Xiaowen asked curiously. The old woman replied strangely, "This village is very hostile to outsiders. The people born here are all under a curse. Once they reach a certain age, they either die in some disaster at sea or disappear without a trace. I've been married into this village for decades, and I've hardly ever seen anyone born here live past fifty."
"My husband and son both disappeared when they were thirty. This is an ill-omened place, so you'd best leave as soon as you can, whatever your reasons for coming..." After speaking in that eerie tone, the old woman turned and went into the inner room, leaving the front room to Lu Li and the others.
"There's something strange about this village. We might be able to trigger a side quest." After the old woman went into the inner room, Xu Haoran found a little wooden stool and sat down. In the darkness, it was impossible to make out his expression. "Should we look into it...?"
"No need. Side quests take too much time. There's also an incomprehensible existence in this instance. If something strange leaks out from it at any moment, it could cause the situation to change." Gao Xiaowen rejected Xu Haoran's suggestion this time. She was clearly still wary of that incomprehensible existence.
"Fine, then we'll leave first thing tomorrow morning and head for the target on the map to find the Witch." Xu Haoran nodded. He leaned back against the wall, and a faint glint of cold light flashed in his eyes as if something had crossed his mind.
Lu Li officially began asking Hu Wenxu how to conduct experiments. Hu Wenxu produced a mouse from who knew where, along with a knife and a small flashlight, and began explaining the basics: how to skin it, how to separate the muscles, how to avoid the arteries, how to remove the organs intact, and a whole series of other things.
At last, Hu Wenxu had completely dissected the mouse. The night had grown late. He switched off the flashlight, plunging the house into darkness. Everyone fell silent and settled down to rest. Lu Li closed his eyes and sank into the darkness, sensing the considerable amount of Shadow Magic inside his body.
After one or two instances, most players acquired some kind of unusual energy. But players generally couldn't control it. They could only absorb it through modules and activate skills, much like the people who practiced internal cultivation in martial-arts novels. Who could get by without training for ten years or more? Otherwise, they'd be like Duan Yu, whose abilities only worked intermittently—and that was with Duan Yu already having a certain degree of cultural knowledge.
Players suddenly gained these strange energies, but because of barriers in their understanding, they often found it difficult even to sense them, much less control them. So they could only rely on skill modules. Lu Li was different. He had exceptional control over his own body, which was why he could begin trying to manipulate the Shadow Magic within him after such a short time...
I've signed the contract! Thank you all for your support, and thanks for the tips from Hentian Youque, reader 20170514220900267, and Hundun Qinglian Sheng Pangu, Silver Chariot Requiem. Feel free to tip as much or as little as you like. Because of work, Xu Ming can hardly manage extra chapters. Also, please recommend and bookmark the story—I feel like there have been fewer recommendations these past couple of days... Those familiar with Cthulhu should know what's going on with this village, right?
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