A Maid Who Won't Betray Isn't a Good Maid

When Lu Li regained consciousness, he realized he was being dragged through the water by a mermaid. This was the very same mermaid who had previously served the Mermaid Princess. Her body was covered in significant wounds—some sustained during the earlier battle against the Deep Ones, others inflicted as punishment by the Merfolk King when she returned to seek help.

Surveying his surroundings, Lu Li saw the Merfolk King leading a large group of merfolk toward a specific destination. Gao Xiaowen and Hu Wenxu were not far off. Earlier, the Merfolk King had unleashed a spell that whipped up an underwater sandstorm, destroying the support point while also catching Lu Li in the wake and knocking him unconscious. Fortunately, the bubble helmet on his head and the items strapped to his waist remained intact. A moment of thought made it clear: the Merfolk King was heading for Black Tide Beach, where the Witch was located.

The merfolk race were those who had forsaken their faith. Like the Deep Ones, they had once received a "calling," leaping into the sea to merge with fish. But when the calling faded, some of those forcibly summoned regained their senses and wished to return to land. However, the mutations had already taken hold, so they were forced to gather and live together; this was the origin of the merfolk race.

Now, the Deep Ones and the Witch sought to awaken a Great Existence. Publicly, once the Great Existence awoke, it would not spare those who had forsaken it, posing a massive crisis for the merfolk. Privately, the Witch and her cohorts had conspired against the Merfolk King's beloved daughter, leading to her death. This was a grudge that had to be settled. Thus, the merfolk were now rushing toward Black Tide Beach.

"Swim yourself if you're awake." The mermaid let go, tossing the pathetic Lu Li aside. She bore heavy responsibility for the Mermaid Princess's death, and she had never held a favorable view of Lu Li and his companions for failing to protect the princess; now, her attitude had only soured further.

Lu Li splashed in the water for a moment before the mermaid left him behind. He drifted until he reached Gao Xiaowen and Hu Wenxu. Hu Wenxu's appearance had changed once more: his entire body was deathly pale with writhing black spots. His right arm remained tentacle-like, and his feet had completely transformed into those of a giant octopus. He had retracted the stray, eyeball-tipped tentacles that once floated outside his body, and now, eyes had finally appeared within his empty sockets.

However, his condition was far from good. Several monstrous factors were constantly clashing within him, and the physical changes were reflecting upon his psyche. Although he had managed to maintain a balance by pitting these factors against one another, preventing his personality from being obliterated, the process had left his body riddled with holes.

Lu Li watched as pus-filled boils appeared on Hu Wenxu's body, only to burst and release disgusting slime and swarms of insects. These festering areas were constantly expanding. After a moment of thought, Lu Li gestured upward to the two of them. The trio surfaced, and Lu Li removed his bubble helmet so they could communicate normally.

"I obtained a secret technique earlier that can recover the body extremely quickly, though it carries a risk of causing further mutation," Lu Li said, referring to the incantation he had acquired from the Gate of Slumber. "But looking at your current state, I doubt you're worried about mutation anymore. If you don't repair your body, I suspect it's going to collapse any second."

"And you as well, Miss Gao. Your body doesn't seem to be in great shape either. Do you need my help?" Lu Li asked sincerely. He watched as Gao Xiaowen shook her head and continued swimming toward Black Tide Beach; the medicinal herbs she had consumed were still in effect, and the water route was faster for her.

"It seems I really am to be your test subject. Come on, cast your spell." Hu Wenxu understood exactly what Lu Li was planning, but as Lu Li had said, there was no longer any need for him to care about the consequences.

Lu Li asked Hu Wenxu for a water container, filled it with seawater, and began to chant. The pronunciation of these incantations was incredibly bizarre; even if one spent years studying them, they might never master the correct articulation. Because they were obtained from the Gate of Slumber, however, Lu Li was able to use them directly.

As he chanted the strange incantations, the water in the container slowly underwent a qualitative change. Lu Li could feel his spirit and soul coming into contact with something indistinct. The effects of the incantation had never mentioned this side effect. That "something" was so vast that it exceeded the limits of Lu Li's soul perception; he could only vaguely sense it, feeling information being transmitted—unclear information, of unknown meaning.

He did not know how much time had passed before Lu Li suddenly snapped back to reality. The sensation of contact faded. The seawater in the container had changed drastically, becoming as viscous as mercury, with faint movements visible within. He assumed this was the "worm" mentioned in the incantation's information.

"Is this it? Just drink it?" After receiving an affirmative reply, Hu Wenxu downed the water in one gulp. The moment it went down, he felt something writhing within the liquid. Then, he watched as all the boils on his body burst, the disgusting pus and parasitic insects being purged entirely. His wounds began to heal at an astonishing speed. Hu Wenxu felt as though he had been restored to perfection, though he knew this was merely treating the symptoms, not the root cause. As long as the conflicting factors of his mutation remained, those wounds would inevitably return.

Watching Hu Wenxu's recovery, Lu Li gained a rough understanding of the incantation. Its essence was to force contact with higher-dimensional existences, borrowing their power to alter the properties of water. If those higher-dimensional beings happened to find you pleasing, they might even bestow further incantations.

Yet, such contact meant one's own soul, personality, and will would be polluted by these higher-dimensional beings. In time, the individual would become a fanatic of that existence, their sanity would collapse, and they would ultimately die by self-destruction.

"Alright, there isn't much time left. I'll take the water route; you should swim to the shore and take the land route!" Hu Wenxu carefully sensed his body. The side effects of that bowl of water were not yet apparent, but at least his body was temporarily repaired. As long as he completed the mission and reached the game shop, he should be able to find a permanent cure.

The two spoke briefly before parting ways. Lu Li swam toward the shore. His swimming speed was not particularly fast—it would be better to travel by land. No one accompanied him along the way. He traveled in silence, taking the opportunity to calculate the time. From the moment the mission was received, today seemed to be the final day. If they didn't destroy the support point now, they would have no choice but to wait for death.

Calculating the time, Lu Li ran toward Black Tide Beach. From afar, he saw the altar standing atop the reef and the scene unfolding upon it. It was hard to imagine that Xu Haoran was still alive; he was fixed in the center of the altar with a dazed expression. The Witch had already transformed into her true form, her foul, tar-like, amorphous body wrapping around most of Xu Haoran as she hissed toward the Witch...