The Linzhong Lakefront was damp and lush in the early morning.
Above the green lawn outside a pavilion along the lakeside promenade, a blurry rift suddenly appeared, shimmering with intertwined golden and black light.
"Riiip!"
The sound of tearing cloth, accompanied by muffled thunder, came from the rift and dispersed into the air, vanishing in an instant. The low shrubs and blades of grass scattered across the slope bowed one after another, hanging their heads as though humbly welcoming something.
"Splaaash..."
A mass of foul-smelling green slime tumbled out of the rift and smashed onto the lawn. The weeds immediately grew wild, while the dark green leaves on the shrubs seemed to receive the blessing of a Druid's animation spell, turning into wide mouths singing hymns in unison, warbling out praises no one could understand:
"yt shogg ooboshu..." (The servants of all things invite the Dark Kingdom to descend...)
"l'ebumna syha'h n'ghft" (Within the eternity and darkness of the abyss)
"Y'ai" (I call upon Him)
"Y'hah" (Amen)
The voices were chaotic, yet possessed an extraordinary resonance, like hundreds of poorly tuned radios switched on at once. They also resembled the humming and wailing noises carried by a gale sweeping through a forest—deep, eerie, and nauseating.
"Achoo!"
A little Black Goat sneezed and struggled out of the green slime, climbing to its feet. The motion was exceedingly difficult for it. Not because it had broken a leg when it fell from the rift in midair, but because it now had rather too many legs.
Beyond its original four legs, numerous black goat legs of varying lengths sprouted beneath its belly, along the sides of its ribs, behind its rump, and below its neck, branching in every direction and kicking wildly as they tried to find the ground.
Moreover, the little Black