Chapter 53.1

The atmosphere on the boat was tense.

A girl quietly approached Yue Yin and whispered, “Are you really going to Surina Island? You can still back out.”

She had introduced herself on the plane as Luo Anna, a Chinese girl raised abroad but fluent in Mandarin.

“You really shouldn’t go. Your group’s companion is just trying to provoke you,” Luo Anna said, casting a cautious glance at Zhou Zicheng by the edge of the boat. “Surina Island is really dangerous. You should go back.”

Yue Yin, holding a handful of sunflower seeds, asked curiously, “Then why are you going?”

If Luo Anna knew it was so dangerous, she could’ve backed out, even if her organization had sent her.

Without hesitation, Luo Anna replied, “I can’t leave—I’m here on a divine mission.”

Yue Yin looked as though she’d just had an epiphany. “You’ve been brainwashed,” she commented.

No wonder people were practically racing to their deaths—this explained everything.

Luo Anna, with her rainbow-dyed hair and purple eyeshadow, had the look of a punk rocker, yet she wore a butterfly hairpin, a white dress, and small shoes, almost giving off the impression of an innocent girl.

“I’m not brainwashed,” Luo Anna protested. “Surina is under attack by dark forces from the deep sea. As a believer of Nyx, the Goddess of Night, I have a duty to bring her light to the depths.”

Yue Yin scoffed, spitting out a seed shell. “What does Nyx have to do with the deep sea?” she retorted incredulously.

If she remembered correctly, Nyx was the Goddess of Night, whereas the deep sea was her own domain, shared with Cthulhu.

Well, well. Encroaching on her territory now?

Luo Anna jumped up, indignant. “Don’t disrespect Nyx! The last person who cursed the Goddess of Night met a mysterious end.”

Yue Yin scoffed at the childish warning, unfazed. “If she’s that powerful, let her come fight me.”

Luo Anna was stumped, unable to respond, and sat down, pouting.

After a moment of silence, she murmured, “Besides, I have my own reasons for going to Surina Island.”

Yue Yin tossed the last chip into her mouth, dusted off her hands, and said bluntly, “You’re going to die.”

Whether Luo Anna would regret it or not, she was almost certain of her fate.

“All those who trespass on the Old Ones’ domain and slaughter their followers are doomed. Even if the gods are willing to forgive, the zealots within that domain won’t.”

For once, Yue Yin’s tone was solemn, but it was lost on Luo Anna, who didn’t fully grasp her words.

Nonetheless, she seemed awestruck by Yue Yin. “Which true god do you worship?” she asked, reverently.

Beliefs among ability users varied widely, often clashing. But when they shared the same faith, bonds could be strengthened.

Yue Yin thought for a moment before replying, “Hydra.”

Luo Anna blinked, confused. “Hydra? Never heard of it.”

Yue Yin clenched her fist, stunned. “You don’t know about the Great Many-Faced Moon?” She wasn’t popular in her own country, sure, but abroad too?

With a sorrowful expression, Yue Yin resolved to spread her faith.

Otherwise, these foolish mortals wouldn’t know her name wherever she went. It was simply undignified!

Luo Anna was curious. “What does the Many-Faced Moon oversee? The moon?”

This was not the first time Yue Yin had encountered this question. Most people seemed to picture a gentle, serene moonlight when they heard “Many-Faced Moon.”

She leaned against the boat, a playful smile on her lips, and replied, “No.”

There was no denying her beauty.

Her smile was as bright as sunlight, with almond-shaped eyes that gleamed and reflected her audience, sparking an irresistible urge to reach out.

She continued, with a serene smile, “The Many-Faced Moon isn’t a moon. She’s a mass of gray sludge made up of thousands of human heads.”

Luo Anna’s smile froze as Yue Yin added, “She doesn’t govern the moon; she rules over pain and despair.”

“When she passes by, you hear the lamentations and confessions of countless souls.”

The girl, stunningly perfect, leaned closer as she spoke, and ripples spread across the calm ocean as if something was stirring below.

In the distance, the faint echo of waves crashing hinted at creatures moving below, and for a split second, Luo Anna thought she could hear the wails of human heads in agony.

In a trance, she murmured, “Then this god must be very powerful.”

Yue Yin straightened up, grinning with pride. “Of course! The Great Many-Faced Moon is all-powerful.”

She immediately shed her mysterious air, once again becoming the lively girl Luo Anna had grown used to.

Next to her, Andre, overhearing for the first time about this obscure deity, looked skeptical. “Powerful?”

Yue Yin nodded, eager to embellish her own abilities. “Yes, very powerful.”

Andre watched her closely. “What level of ability user are you?”

Hearing this, Zhou Zicheng, who had been silently observing, lifted his head.

According to the personal data submitted to the international organization, all eight members of this investigation team were ranked A or B. The only exception was Yue Yin, whose true level was known only to Zhou Zicheng.

Since the initial plan was for Zhou Zicheng and Zhou Zixing to handle the investigation, their profiles had been submitted.

Luo Anna, with genuine concern, added, “What’s your level, Yue Yin? If you’re B-level, let’s stick close to the others…”

Yue Yin considered this, then responded with a serious expression, “I’d say I’m S-level.”

By human standards, she’d likely be classified as S-level for now, but she expected to advance beyond that—perhaps even to the so-called ‘Super S.’

Eda’s lips twitched at her words, and Andre outright scoffed.

“Isn’t she just bragging?”

Seeing that no one believed her, Yue Yin sighed and cracked a sunflower seed. “Geniuses are always lonely.”

…

The small boat glided through dense fog, eventually arriving at Surina Island a few hours later. As the boat docked, the thick fog dissipated, and the calm waters returned to normal. They encountered no reefs, no floating bodies, and no attacks from sinister forces; the compass stayed true, and they didn’t lose their way… nothing unexpected happened. Everything was proceeding so smoothly it seemed too good to be true.

Even as they stepped onto the island, everyone was still somewhat in disbelief.

Andre, staring at the town before him, murmured, “This is too smooth. It’s almost like they wanted us to come in.”

It really had been far too easy.

Nothing happened—it was all far too smooth, as if this mysterious sea had a mind and life of its own, deliberately guiding this group of food straight to a deadly island where they couldn’t escape, delivering them right into the jaws of the monsters.

With that thought, a chill ran through the group.

They scanned their surroundings. The seawater was a clear, tranquil blue, the surface undisturbed, sparkling under the sunlight.

In the distance, a small fishing boat floated, an islander on board facing away from them, tossing things into the water.

With a splashing sound, Luo Anna asked curiously, “What are they throwing into the sea?”

Zhou Zicheng glanced over and replied solemnly, “It should be a fishing net. The people of Surina used to make their living by fishing.”

Luo Anna frowned. “Is that right?”

Something seemed off. She thought she could faintly smell a rotting stench, but on closer inspection, she saw the islanders were indeed tossing fishing nets.

Maybe it was just fish bait. She had heard fishermen sometimes used decomposing meat to lure crabs and fish in coastal traps.

While Luo Anna pondered, a girl named Eda, with short hair and a sharp look in her tailored vest, stepped forward. She said sternly, “Stop staring; let’s get onto the island first.”

Surina’s waters were more dangerous at night. They’d left the cruise ship early in the morning, and it was already afternoon upon arrival. They needed to find shelter by evening.

The team walked into the city, surprised to find that Surina Town, in the heart of the fog, wasn’t full of monsters or strewn with blood and dismembered limbs.

On the contrary, it was peaceful. Shops lining the streets were still open, twinkling with Christmas lights on the doors. People were even haggling over fish at a nearby stall, as if in a small market.

The scene was so peaceful it was hard to believe, as if the place had no need for their help at all.

When the islanders saw the investigative team, they quickly realized new faces had arrived. Their movements slowed, and their expressions shifted.

But the team was too focused on heading to the Metaphysical Society’s residence to pay attention to the townsfolk’s attitudes. They wanted to find fellow adepts who could explain what had happened on the island over the past month.

Yue Yin strolled with the group, hands in her pockets, seemingly unaffected, while examining the island’s structures.

On either side of the street, scattered islanders watched them with expressionless faces and a touch of hostility. Yue Yin even overheard someone mutter, “Another group… those people who go mad and kill…”

The island seemed fraught with lurking malevolent spirits, the scene of a recent spate of mysterious disappearances. Yet life for the locals seemed unaffected. They appeared to detest the presence of these adept intruders far more than the disappearances themselves.

The investigative team also began to notice something was off. Many of the residents regarded them with clear disdain. Someone shouted from a distance, “Leave! Get out of here. We don’t need you.”

Andre muttered a curse under his breath, saying, “What’s their problem?”

Luo Anna chimed in, “Why are they like this?”

If not for the humanitarian effort arranged by the international organization, they wouldn’t have come here. Yet despite risking their lives to save the townsfolk, these people were anything but grateful.

Zhou Zicheng, scanning the expressions on the street, commented grimly, “We’re here to help, but it seems the people of Surina see us as intruders.”

Used to the heroes’ welcome in other crises, the rest of the team felt discomforted by the cold reception.

Among them, only Yue Yin looked unbothered. She continued observing the architecture and surroundings of the little town with her hands casually in her pockets.

Underneath eaves decorated with shells, scattered wind chimes tinkled in the breeze.

A small boy peered out from behind his parents, clutching his sister’s hand as he stared at them.

Yue Yin suddenly turned her gaze to the boy. Startled, he gripped his sister’s hand even tighter. He had sun-darkened skin, thin cheeks, muscular calves, and curly hair.

When he noticed Yue Yin watching him, he wrinkled his nose and glared, attempting to scare off these intruders from his home.