Shrouded Seascape

Chapter 520. Ritual

Charles had to tell them what had happened to stabilize their mood. After all, he had come here to save his crew, not to have a decisive battle with the Fhtagn Covenant. He still had to give them carrots as well.

The twelve octopus heads hovering in mid-air seemed to have frozen in time, and they offered no response to Charles' recount.

A few seconds later, they abruptly cast their octopus at Anna.

Anna playfully stuck out her tongue and retreated behind Charles.

"What did you do?" Charles asked doubtfully.

"This bunch of seafood is communicating with each other telepathically. I wanted to eavesdrop on them, but I didn't expect them to notice me."

Octett and the others retracted their gazes. Then, they froze once more.

"Actually, I don't have to eavesdrop to know what they're talking about. They're probably discussing the fate of their old rival. I'm sure they're so happy that they feel like going mad right now. After all, the Light God has perished," Anna muttered as she wrapped her arms around Charles.

"Don't get sidetracked. We'll leave immediately once the deal is done. The longer we stay here, the more dangerous things are going to become for us."

A few minutes later, Octett glanced at Anna before staring at Charles, saying, "She's changed herself greatly, but I can still tell that she's from the Diois Tribe.

"In exchange for the intelligence that you've provided us, let me tell you something, Governor Charles: she has altered your memories many times, and there are traces of modification in all of your memories. You've completely become her puppet."

Furious, Anna was about to say something but was stopped by Charles' outstretched hand. "Don't try to drive a wedge between us. When exactly will the deal take place?"

"You don't trust me? I'm kind enough to tell you that your memories have truly been modified many times before. It can even be said that at least half of your memories are fake."

"You don't have to tell me anything. It seems that you're not pious enough toward your Great One. Otherwise, how come you have the luxury of time to chat with me so casually? Is His location not more important to you than whether my memories are false or not?"

Charles' words had yet to finish echoing in the air, but he had already felt a trace of anger from Octett's deformed eyes. "Very well. Please wait a moment, Governor Charles. It's a troublesome ritual that demands an extremely high price, but we'll go ahead and get it ready."

Filthy bubbles manifested, engulfing the twelve octopus heads. The next moment, they vanished from Charles' sight.

Anna grinned and pounced into Charles' arms before planting a deep, loving kiss on him. "Love you."

The people nearby hurriedly looked in other directions, pretending that they didn't see anything.

Charles gently pushed Anna away, saying, "Now's not the time for this."

"How come you didn't believe in what he told you? Do you trust me that much?"

"Of course, I trust you. You're my wife, after all. All right, save the mushy talk for later. Stay alert. I fear that they'll stir up trouble at the critical juncture," Charles urged.

"Don't worry. They can't beat us," Anna said with a radiant grin.

Time ticked by, and the air was so tense between the two parties that it was palpable. Soon, everyone's gazes turned toward the direction of the Divinity's Land. The twelve octopus heads appeared and approached Charles' airship while carrying many things.

As the octopus heads approached, Charles finally made out the appearance of what the octopus heads were carrying in their arms. They were carrying twelve different golden objects, one of which was very familiar—a statue of God Fhtagn.

Charles' eyes widened slightly. He could still remember that statue, as it was the statue he had retrieved from the island where he had first encountered Anna five years ago!

"Those items originally belonged to the Diois tribe. How are you guys supposed to use those things?" Charles asked.

Anna's expression was a bit solemn as she replied, "I didn't expect them to go to such lengths—to actually hold such a ritual. I think I've heard of it before. Apparently, you can have any of your wishes fulfilled by summoning the Old Sign through a ritual."

"Really?" Charles was inwardly delighted. "So my crew should finally be cured, right? Wait, can that ritual transform a mouse into a human being?"

Before Anna could answer, the octopus heads moved, getting into a circle formation the size of a football field on the sea surface. Then, their voices echoed at once as they chanted an incantation.

They chanted an incantation, not in a strange language but in the common language of the Subterranean Sea. The only issue was that their chanting sounded technical and was difficult to understand.

"All praise belongs to the 'One Who Rules All'! In the name of the 'Thulhu Sign,' and all those who heed the Sign! Praise the progenitor of the Sign!!"

"In the name of the 'Door to Yhe,' and all those who come through it; those who have come through it, and those who will come through it. Praise the 'One' beyond the door. In the name of the 'One Who Is to Come..."

Just then, the deformed sea monsters made their move. They swam from beneath the fleet of Hope Island and converged just below the octopus heads, creating a grotesque mountain of deformed flesh.

The next moment, they bit and tore each other apart. The sea surface was instantly tainted by blood of a variety of colors. Charles wasn't exactly knowledgeable about rituals, but he could sense that these lunatics from the Fhtagn Covenant were using these sea monsters as sacrifices.

Anna saw through Charles' thoughts and said, "No, they're just using the things inside these creatures as the foundation of the ritual. The ritual hasn't even started yet."

"Inside these sea monsters? What's inside them? Their blood and flesh?"

Anna merely shook her head in response.

A cacophonous din of cries and wails pervaded the air. Charles looked up into the distance and saw that the Fhtagnists were forcing people onto the decks of their steamships.

The sacrifices were mostly elderly. As they could no longer reproduce, the Fhtagn Covenant saw no merit in keeping them alive.

Charles already knew what was about to happen, so he took Lily off his shoulder and pushed her gently into his pocket. However, Lily's trembling figure told Charles that Lily had an inkling of what was about to happen.

"Mr. Charles, why are they doing this?"

"It's okay. Take a nap. It'll all be over once you wake up," Charles said, using his thumb to block Lily's ears.

The ritual was bloody and cruel. An eerie air pervaded the air above the fleet as the sacrifices were slaughtered and dismembered. The whitish bones of the corpses mixed with the viscous blood of the sea monsters converged at one point before sinking rapidly into the sea. The clump of bones, flesh, and blood sank all the way to the seafloor, where even Charles' keen vision couldn't penetrate.

Splashing noises echoed just then as the twelve octopus heads tossed the golden objects in their arms into the water.

A pair of jet-black eyes abruptly appeared in the depths, and the pair of eyes soon multiplied to two, four, and eight... Everyone felt a shiver down their spine as they broke out into goosebumps at the terrifying sight.

Soon, the jet-black eyes covered the entire seafloor; there were just too many of them that the turbid deep-brown seawater had taken on a jet-black color—the same color as them.

A Divinity? No, it's not a Divinity. It doesn't give off that oppressive feeling. Charles thought, calming down slightly at the realization.

"Why do I feel like something's a bit off..." Anna muttered, sounding anxious. "The chances are low, but are they going to make a move against you at this critical juncture? It doesn't make sense, and they won't be able to obtain God Fhtagn's location once you're dead."

Regardless, Charles waved his hand behind him, and the crew members of the Narwhale were pushed forward.

"Sharpen up, everyone! Pay attention to their next move! Either they continue their deal with us, or we go to war!" Charles roared, and his voice was broadcast throughout the entire fleet.