Chapter 63

Eda watched as the mayor’s figure disappeared further into the distance, her hand clenching and unclenching.

Today was the legendary day of the sacrificial ritual, and on her way to town, Eda noticed that every person’s face beamed with excitement. Among the crowd, she spotted the silent little girl, Finara, holding her mother’s hand as they made their way toward the plaza along with the other townsfolk.

Finara’s mother, who once had a face burdened with grief over the loss of her son and husband, now wore a look of ease. Her hunched shoulders were straightened, and she held her daughter’s hand comfortably as they walked openly among the crowd.

Everyone looked joyful, their expressions at ease. The once tense and heavy atmosphere of Surina Island seemed lighter than ever, even the wind feeling strangely free.

In the center of the town, a massive bonfire roared, with townsfolk gathered around it, eagerly discussing the ritual. They tossed offerings into the flames, making sacrifices to their god.

The towering flames illuminated a colossal white statue at the heart of the fire. It was the familiar image of the Thousand-Faced Moon, the goddess with a crown of thorns and a veil covering her head, her eyes closed and serene smile soft. Below her neck, the statue’s body was shaped into a pyramid of countless heads stacked upon each other like endless waves.

However, unlike the statues Eda had previously seen in the townsfolk’s homes, this sculpture was enormous, standing about ten meters high, imposing and powerful in the plaza.

The heads that formed the pyramid weren’t just carved replicas; they were real, differing in size and shape. Some were human, while many others were deep-sea creatures and malevolent entities. Each head, though unique, displayed the same open-mouthed expression of agony.

Eda stood before the blazing flames, transfixed by the strange white sculpture. A deep sense of awe overcame her.

When had this statue been created? She had never seen it in the town before.

The townsfolk of Surina must have crafted and hidden it away, awaiting this very moment. It was hard to fathom just how long the mayor and his people had been waiting for this day.

As night fell, the town’s grand clock tolled solemnly, marking the time for the townsfolk’s daily prayers and evening meal.

The indoor cuckoo clocks began to chime as well, and the residents filed out of their homes, each carrying a torch. After stepping outside, they casually tossed their torches onto houses already doused in gasoline.

The buildings behind them burst into flames, quickly turning Surina Island into a fiery inferno.

Despite the raging flames, none of the townsfolk showed any hesitation or fear. They all wore satisfied smiles, heading willingly toward their deaths in joyous celebration.

Eda had expected that the ritual might be intense, but she hadn’t anticipated the people of Surina going to such insane lengths!

All this—for a mere legend, to kill and burn down the entire town!

With the buildings blazing fiercely behind her, smoke billowing, Eda began to regret staying on the island.

“These lunatics,” she muttered, covering her nose with a damp towel as she frantically searched for an escape route.

Meanwhile, the sea swelled rapidly, and countless dark figures began surfacing from the deep, twisted heads of enormous creatures poking out above the waves.

Everyone had gathered. The ritual was about to begin.

The townsfolk encircled the fire, forming a vast ring, each throwing their torch into the flames, making the fire climb ever higher, reaching several meters.

Hand in hand, they started slowly pacing around the flames, then moved to small, rhythmic jumps. In a haunting, low chant, they recited an ancient oath.

“I swear, I shall not hinder the Deep Ones and shall keep their secrets forever.”

“I swear, I will assist the Deep Ones with all means and every effort.”

“I swear, I shall wed a Deep One and nurture our progeny, ensuring the prosperity of our kin and faith.”

“Should I break these three vows, I shall face the hatred of mankind, lose the grace of the Thousand-Faced Moon, and suffer all punishments, even death.”

…

Eda, fleeing from the plaza, aimed to escape to the sea to avoid the rising smoke and flames. However, as she approached the shore, she saw numerous dark figures swimming beneath the black waves—high-level entities lurking just below the surface.

She dared not go any closer, retreating hastily back to the plaza.

As she returned, she saw the mayor and townsfolk, their chants rising in intensity, their expressions of fervor terrifying to behold.

Upon hearing the oaths clearly, Eda muttered, “They’re utterly insane.”

From her research, she knew the Deep Ones were the mythical immortal fish-men. That human beings would mate with such grotesque creatures and even bear offspring was beyond belief.

“Oh, you needn’t worry about that,” came a calm voice beside her. Eda hadn’t noticed Jiang Suliu standing nearby, offering a quiet explanation. “Everyone you see on Surina Island is a descendant of the cult.”

“They look human but possess the traits of the fish-men, including the long lifespan your kind covets so desperately.”

“Though they haven’t yet received the Thousand-Faced Moon’s ultimate blessing and cannot attain true immortality like the fish-men, you outsiders still greedily hunt them, desiring their flesh to gain the longevity you seek.”

Eda gasped. “You’re saying these people are the fish-men we’ve been searching for?”

Legend had it that consuming the flesh of a fish-man could grant immortality, and indeed, a powerful individual had extended their life by eating fish-man flesh. Although Eda had previously suspected as much, Jiang Suliu’s revelation left her stunned.

If the townsfolk of Surina were indeed descendants of fish-men, then when an outsider first captured and consumed a fish-man, it must have been one of Surina’s own townsfolk!

Back then, before Surina Island had been turned into a tourist destination or invaded by outsiders, the townsfolk were likely relaxed and unsuspecting. Maybe that first victim was merely careless, or there were other circumstances—but ultimately, they fell prey to a visiting outsider.

Since then, countless gifted individuals ventured to Surina Island, hoping to find traces of the fish-men, yet they all came back empty-handed.

In hindsight, it’s clear that the townsfolk of Surina had learned their lesson, each carefully hiding their true nature, ensuring that no one could discern their fish-man heritage. Not a single one of the gifted individuals who visited Surina uncovered the truth!

Eda’s mind was racing, waves of disbelief crashing over her.

She wasn’t sure if she was more shocked that the island’s humans were all fish-men or that one had been captured and eaten long ago.

Finally, she understood why the mayor and the townsfolk were so hostile towards the gifted visitors, calling them heretics and trying to drive them away or even kill them.

For the residents hiding their fish-man lineage, humans were natural predators, and they, in turn, viewed humans as prey!

After the mayor and townsfolk finished their dance, a thunderous sound erupted from the coast.

The once-calm sea churned violently as things began crawling out, one by one, onto the shore.

Hundred-meter-long tentacles brushed past the windows, jellyfish with venomous tendrils drifted in the air, and massive shark-headed beings wielding giant whalebone blades sprinted toward the plaza. Their sheer weight made the ground tremble with every step.

“The monsters are here!”

The townsfolk instinctively released their hands, as if opening a floodgate to allow these enormous dark entities to enter the ritual.

But mishaps occurred—a creature would run too fast, not noticing the humans below, accidentally crushing them underfoot…

One after another, strange and powerful malevolent entities scrambled onto shore, eagerly swarming toward the plaza. But as they reached the goddess statue, they stopped, reverently bowing before it.

One by one, they approached the statue of the holy Thousand-Faced Moon, retracting their twisted limbs to avoid defiling it.

The statue of the Thousand-Faced Moon stood about ten meters high, yet it appeared small, almost insignificant next to the towering dark beings from the sea.

And yet, before the statue, these beings prostrated themselves, each humbly offering their tribute.

These entities, capable of slaughtering hundreds without blinking, now bowed so low that their heads nearly touched the ground, carefully placing their offerings in the flames before the statue.

Their eyes sparkled with longing, like children seeking their mother’s affection, their razor-filled mouths murmuring softly, “An offering to our great mother, Hydra.”

The dark sea creatures lined up in a disciplined procession, each by rank, with no pushing, no fighting, no shoving. They were so orderly that Eda, watching from a distance, doubted her own eyes.

Each entity came forward to present an offering it had prepared meticulously.

A shark-headed creature threw its enormous whalebone blade into the fire; a toxic jellyfish swayed its tendrils in a dance above the flames; an octopus with a human-like face dragged out decayed corpses, while a sea turtle, larger than a house, spilled treasure chests from sunken ships.

One by one, countless dark entities hurled themselves into the fire, sacrificing themselves with a fervent desperation to their god.

Meanwhile, the cultists of the Secret Order encircled the statue, holding hands and chanting in rhythm with their dance:

“Come, come to us.

Enter our bodies!

Become one of us!!

Offer up your head to our lord, cast aside your life, boldly sacrifice your pure and sincere soul!”

The chants roared like thunder, every face wild with devotion, eyes reflecting the blazing flames.

Eda watched, her eyes wide and fists clenched, a chill sweeping over her.

“Today, every dark entity in Surina’s waters will gather here to participate in the Sacrificial Day and offer their prayers to the great Thousand-Faced Moon,” Jiang Suliu explained, watching the creatures with a calm intensity. “They’ve waited hundreds of years for this moment, to bring the highest offerings to their mother goddess.”

Turning, Jiang Suliu looked at Eda. “Humans, livestock, hearts of heretics, rare fruits, the most beautiful shells, and even their own limbs and lives.”

Hearing his voice, Eda was stunned.

“You haven’t left?” she asked. Jiang Suliu was just a regular person, yet after everything that had happened, he still dared to stay.

Jiang Suliu didn’t answer, his gaze fixed in rapture upon the towering statue. In that instant, Eda recognized the fervor in his eyes and sensed truths she hadn’t fully grasped before.

Finally, she asked, “Did you kill Andre?”

Jiang Suliu didn’t look back, and Eda lowered her gaze, the question losing importance. Andre was dead, and whether his killer was Jiang Suliu or another zealot of the Thousand-Faced Moon cult made little difference. They were all trapped on this doomed, sinking island; what did it matter who the murderer was?

Accepting this, she no longer cared for the answer.

One malevolent entity after another threw itself into the flames, expressions shifting between agony and ecstasy, consumed by fire.

Deeply shaken, she murmured, “Why?”

These dark entities, each of at least Class A power, could shake the human world. And here they were, hurtling into death with frenzied devotion…

“Is it worth it?” She couldn’t understand.

“Of course,” Jiang Suliu replied confidently. “For the mother goddess, everything is worth it.”