In truth, the presence of wind didn't signify anything specific, especially in a world where mysticism existed. Perhaps the fishmen were using Miracles to create a sea breeze, enhancing the ritual's atmosphere.
Knowing there were likely many fishmen and Ring術士 behind the broken wall, Xia De didn't even dare to peer around. Instead, he cautiously pressed himself against the wall, trying to listen to the sounds from beyond.
However, for a long time, only whispers could be heard. He barely managed to discern that they were prayers to the evil god, the lord of the scarlet spiral. The voices were mixed, with at least ten people praying simultaneously at different speeds.
Unfortunately, the Bordeaux Candle, which allowed for invisibility, had been used up in the previous operation. Not daring to easily peek, Xia De considered using the Miracle, Echoes of the Past, to listen.
The wine cellar was usually deserted, so the only people who would have spoken there within 48 hours were likely members of the Scarlet Cult.
The Miracle was successful. However, the Cultists' conversations Xia De overheard were merely complaints about how despicable the Orthodox Church was for having secretly planted a Ring術士 team at the banquet beforehand, as well as discussions about the wonderful life the fishmen would lead in the underwater Coldwater Port City after the Sea Offering Ritual.
The two people speaking even delved into a detailed discussion about the preparation methods for seaweed-based specialty dishes.
Xia De patiently listened, and finally heard a different voice:
“High Priest, those two humans have arrived.”
The speaker's throat occasionally made gurgling sounds, clearly indicating a fishman.
Then, footsteps approached, and the two parties met at the broken wall, precisely where Xia De was currently standing.
“Good evening, friends of the Scarlet Cult.”
This voice sounded somewhat familiar.
“Human, no need to be so polite. Can our transaction still proceed?”
This person was likely the priest presiding over the ritual for the Scarlet Cult here.
“Of course, the Church's sudden pursuit left us nowhere to hide, so we had to find a way to leave Coldwater Port as quickly as possible.”
This was the companion of the familiar voice:
“Originally, we planned to coerce Ms. Aurora into getting us a ship to the New World, but we didn't expect her to have a Ring術士 from the Orthodox Church by her side. The transaction is still valid. The Blood Spirit School will provide you with the technology to nourish fishman flesh, and you will help us leave Coldwater Port and provide that Poet Grade relic, the fish training ring, which can enable intelligent creatures to master human language.”
The group entered through the broken wall.
Xia De understood then; the somewhat familiar voice belonged to Darkness.
“The Chosen are actually getting involved with the fishmen…”
Usually, trouble was highly probable wherever The Chosen were present. The first Chosen, Iluna, directly caused the descent of an evil god upon Tobesk when she encountered Cultists.
Although the worst outcome for Coldwater Port would be the City being submerged by a tsunami, thinking about The Chosen being here still made Xia De uneasy.
“If I retreat now to find Ms. Aurora, it will delay me by at least twenty minutes. And there isn't much time left until sunrise. There's no need to notify the Witch, otherwise, I won't have time to get the fishman's information. So, I still need to see what they are up to.”
While still pondering how he could safely enter the broken wall, footsteps approached again. But this time, it wasn't a past sound, but a present one; someone was walking out from inside the broken wall.
Xia De quickly hid beside a rack of wine barrels and then saw a man in a gray robe and hood emerge.
He could tell it was a man because he looked left and right, and then surprisingly began to relieve himself by the wall.
Xia De imagined the expression Ms. Aurora would make upon learning that a man was urinating in her wine cellar, then removed the ring from his hand, quietly controlling the silver mist to drift towards the man.
Once the mist completely enveloped him, Xia De furtively glanced around twice, then held his sword with both hands, bent at the waist, and tip-toed inside.
About ten seconds later, Xia De, with a few bloodstains on him, emerged wearing the man's robe, and the surrounding silver mist dissipated.
The corpse at his feet had an incomplete fishman appearance, indicating its low status within the Scarlet Cult.
Suppressing his disgust, Xia De smeared the slimy mucus from its face onto his own. Afterward, still feeling uneasy, he smeared some of the mucus onto his clothes. Only then did he fold the corpse as much as possible, using a canvas from the rack to turn it into a toy and stuff it into his pocket.
Having done all this, he slightly tip-toed to appear as tall as the man he had just replaced, then put on the hood, lowered his head, and walked into the space behind the broken wall.
Although the wine cellar was very dry, as soon as he entered the space behind the broken wall, the humid air changed Xia De's breathing rhythm.
He had never been to such a humid place; the moisture in the air felt as if it would condense into water droplets and fall to the ground the next second. Only true bodies of water could be more humid than this. Xia De couldn't imagine how such humidity could occur naturally.
Hiding his head under the hood, Xia De walked quickly forward with his head down. His destination was clear, as many people dressed like him were sitting in front.
Before him was a space with disgusting moss adhering to the walls, constructed from light gray, damp bricks. The area was not large, roughly two-thirds the size of an entire floor of Xia De's house.
Underfoot was a layer of dark black standing water. The room was illuminated by glowing moss on the walls, candles, and a dense cluster of glowing beads on the high dome. Beneath the standing water was an uneven floor, upon which were placed rows of stone benches. Every so often, a small square hole was carved into the wall, though its purpose was unknown.
The light gray stone walls and the dome above had some blurred patterns, and looking carefully around, Xia De was very sure that this must be a small chapel.
Combined with the professors' conversation he had overheard a few hours earlier, the space behind the broken wall should be a secret religious gathering place established by the fishmen before the Aurora Family purchased the estate.
Understanding this, Xia De stopped looking around aimlessly and instead quickened his pace, joining the dozen or so gray-robed fishmen seated on the benches in the front of the damp chapel. He chose to sit at the back of everyone, not going forward to see more things.
These gray robes were also interesting; they had no patterns on the surface, but their hems looked as if they had been torn. All the robes worn by everyone here were like this, a peculiar style of clothing decoration.
After Xia De sat down, he finally had the opportunity to see the front of the damp chapel. There were no statues of gods, only what appeared to be a bone-like holy emblem. The holy emblem was spiral-shaped, with a fish-headed, human-bodied symbol at its center.
In front of the holy emblem, three equally stout, book-holding old men with severely mutated facial features were quietly whispering prayers to the evil god, the lord of the scarlet spiral.
Xia De had thought there were dozens of people whispering outside, but it turned out there were only three.
The books they held were the same as the one Xia De had seen in Mr. Jude's safe, 'Oceanic Mysteries.' However, the three books present this time were all made of leather, and it was clear from their appearance that they contained the evil Knowledge of the Cult.
Looking to the side…
“Hmm?”
Xia De immediately lowered his head because the person in front of him suddenly turned and looked at his companion behind him with a puzzled expression. Under the hood was a half-fishman face. After its gaze lingered on Xia De for a few seconds, it twitched its nose, sniffed, and then turned away without saying anything.
Aside from the disgusting mucus, the scent of the Drowned Fishman's Scales on Xia De also made the Cultists mistake him for one of their own. It seemed that although this scale had exposed Xia De to the Witch, it had helped him in the damp chapel. Therefore, specially borrowing it from Dorothy was not without use.
Xia De continued to observe carefully. The three stout fishmen holding books stood on a higher platform, so there was no standing water beneath their feet. Concentric semi-circles could be seen radiating outwards from the fishman in the center. Black ink left blasphemous runes resembling seahorses on the ground. Xia De tried to decipher them and found that they were not only praises to the evil god but also praises to the ocean and death.
He could only see a portion of the ritual; presumably, there were more ritualistic traces in this small chapel.
“However, if there's any book that contains the fishmen's Knowledge, it's 'Oceanic Mysteries.' Mr. Jude's might not be the complete version, but the one here certainly is.”
Not taking Mr. Jude's book last time was not Xia De's mistake, because Mr. Jude's book certainly didn't contain complete Sea Return information. Otherwise, after the Church eradicated the fishmen in the old street, they should have immediately found a way to break the ritual.
His eyes continued to survey his surroundings. The only ones standing in the damp chapel were the three fishmen whispering prayers, while those seated on the long benches, besides the dozen or so gray-robed fishmen, included two individuals in black robes whose faces were obscured. These should be Ring術士 from the Church, wearing different colored clothes for distinction.
The only two not wearing robes were seated on the far left of the first row of chapel seats. Xia De recognized Darkness's back at a glance, and the person beside him was presumably a member of the Blood Spirit School.
“Besides me, there are four Ring術士 here. If a fight really breaks out, even with the Witch's ring, I wouldn't win…”
He cautiously retracted his right hand into his robe, feeling for the steam bomb hanging at his waist. Although Leia hadn't mentioned its model, if it exploded in this underground space, the Ring術士 might be fine, but the fishmen, who only had strong regenerative abilities, would definitely be finished.
“If only I knew a curse like Corpse Explosion.”
Thinking of the two corpses in his pocket again, Xia De suddenly had an idea.
