A Lun wriggled the tendrils under his trousers and left the shed.
He was still himself, with his original consciousness and original mories. But in his mind, there was a new instinct to control his body and water, as if satisfying hunger or resisting cold, along with the supre Twisted Shadow in the depths of his consciousness.
A Lun, like a baby playing with his limbs, curiously wiggled each tendril, including the algal-like hairs on his jaw. He couldn’t describe the feeling, but the flexibility of each tendril seed innate.
"Restrain your emotions, we must be like the believers."
At this mont, he was attracted by the whispers of the other believers around him.
"Like the believers?"
"That ans wearing a cloak, silent and cold..."
They wriggled their tendrils, went to rchant Anthony in the park to receive their robes, draping themselves, then seed like heretics, obscure and evil.
A Lun stopped playing with himself and followed them to get a robe to cover his still unfamiliar body.
There were quite a few who donned robes like A Lun. Because ordinary civilians would lose rationality upon seeing them, even being too close was intolerable, luckily new believers had a common language among each other.
Not long after, the whispers of the Twisted Shadow descended upon the consciousness of the believers, directing them to a rendezvous point.
A Lun followed the oracle of the supre being in his mind, leaving the park with other believers scattered everywhere. He saw half of the believers disperse in the direction of the refuge’s outer ring.
The new believers ford an uneven lineup, amidst the reverence of the residents, as they wriggled along the corridors, accompanied by the sound of tides, arriving at the side of their deity.
Then they saw the exorcist leaning against a thick branch beside the Twisted Shadow as if comatose, seeming like in a deep sleep.
"It’s the Dreamwalker." He addressed the believers around: "I can hear the curiosity in your hearts."
Out of instinct, they prayed devoutly.
Soon after, Lu Li awoke amidst subtle curiosity.
"My believers hold curiosity for you."
Lu Li surveyed the new believers cloaked around him, and said directly: "They haven’t been touched by the contamination of the Evil God, nor do they know of the Evil God’s existence."
Considering Lu Li’s encounter in the dream and these infected residents still wanting to transform into Twisted Followers, they are unaware they have been marked by an Evil God, becoming potential believers.
No longer leaning, Lu Li spoke to the thick branch: "Has this batch of food been checked?"
"There is contaminated at, but without the touch of the Evil God."
Only Lu Li and the Twisted Shadow heard the gentle whisper echoing in the mind.
The answer was thus revealed: An Alien God has quietly touched the Vena Refuge, like the stormy ocean with hidden currents.
"Can you trace the source of the aura?"
"No."
"Unless He touches this place again."
Answered simultaneously by the Twisted Shadow and Mother of the Marsh.
The strategy of the Evil God was silent and concealed. Perhaps He belongs to the Conspiracy Web Deity Sect, or He is insufficiently powerful and injured, regardless...
"Draw Him out, I and Roland will capture Him to replenish your humanity."
Lu Li did not refuse: "First, find other infected residents and potential believers."
Also, make sure not to alarm Him.
The Twisted Shadow is responsible for this task, as He can descend his consciousness upon each believer, sensing heretics or infected ones among the residents, although He could thus be discovered.
Heretics are like mortal enemies to each other, their proximity allows mutual perception.
But there’s no better way to extract the Evil God, unless using Lu Li as bait, but trading Lu Li for the Evil God is evidently unequal — the disparity in cost mirrors the disparity in their powers.
Finding the hidden Evil God requires urgency, yet the evacuation of residents must proceed simultaneously.
Matthias, upon receiving news about the Evil God, sowhat thought that informing residents ahead of the migration was a bad idea: The chaos in the refuge would allow the hidden Evil God to take advantage. But now changing his mind would only panic the residents, he could only continue executing and hope Lu Li’s reputation could suppress the chaos.
The refuge gradually "compressed" inward, increasing the density of inner ring residents, clearing the peripheral area allowing temporary residence for outer ring residents, with knight soldiers and Twisted Followers stationed around the reduced periter, forming that layer of tin wrapping canned goods.
Then waiting for the worm to arrive, waiting for the Evil God to surface.
Seeing the exorcist, A Lun again experienced the novel feeling of guarding residents like a sentry.
Perhaps even better than a sentry—he smugly thought.
They aren’t qualified to go to the Land of Light.
This state of resident ignorance and hopeful waiting for the Evil God to appear persisted until nightfall.
The Twisted Shadow gradually discovered twelve residents carrying the aura of the Evil God, all of whom were unaware of their situation. To avoid alarming the Evil God, Lu Li allowed them to stay with ordinary residents, rely keeping them monitored.
At nine in the evening, as residents gradually entered their dreams, the Twisted Shadow brought back news: He had found a believer.
...
The sound of armor clashing and knocking against the walls approached from afar.
"Curfew ti, all residents do not go out... Migration is imminent, the Mayor does not wish for any accidents. Curfew ti, all residents do not go out..."
A mixed clamor, combined with the urging shouts gradually faded away, the residents in their rooms continued their conversations.
As ti passed, fewer people were talking, the voices lowered, and with the last two speaking softly, nearly everyone fell asleep.
Silent throughout, Sorona lay like them, resting her bundle under her neck, curled in the corner like a woman missing her sense of security.
The drowsiness struck, she slowly blended into the room’s rhythmic breathing.
...
Sorona, waking up, found herself lying in a warm room furnished with a soft blanket.
She instinctively reached for her bundle but only touched the plush velvet pillow. As she sat up, the slipping thin quilt revealed the dirty clothes like mud scattered into clear water.
Sorona gradually relaxed, she didn’t feel this place was a prison, nor did she think so noble had taken a fancy to her.
"Believer..."
The echoing whisper erged deep within her mind.
Sorona shivered gently, her body slowly crawled, lying on the blanket, reciting prayers devoutly, yet she was stopped.
A small mist-like outline gradually condensed in front of Sorona, but just as it was about to solidify, it suddenly dispersed, maintaining a state akin to peering through a fogged window.
"What’s happening..."
Sorona crawled, pressing her forehead to the misty outline’s foot surface: "My Lord, I acted according to your oracle, no one discovered ."
"Progress..."
"Thirty-four people await to hear your revelation."
"There are other believers..."
"Did you find more believers? That’s wonderful!" Sorona felt genuinely happy.
"The exorcist is here..."
Sorona paused briefly on the carpet: "Yes... What do you need to do?"
She did not receive an answer, the foot surface pressed by her forehead gradually faded.
...
Lu Li slowly awoke, answering the wait of Mother of the Marsh and the Twisted Shadow.
"The Evil God still doesn’t know of my existence, nor has any plot targeted at , for now."
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