Celes continued searching for fishermen along the beach.
Today, she was even bolder than yesterday, handing out whole bags of Pearl Oysters to everyone she met.
Money makes the world go round.
Under the powerful assault of her generosity, a few people actually opened up.
“The Priest is someone from their Shrine. They never show themselves before ordinary people. As for the Shrine itself, I haven’t heard of it.”
“I have. The Shrine is the most mysterious place of the Sea Demon Tribe, hidden beneath the dark depths of the sea.”
The moment she heard it was under the deep sea, Celes couldn’t help feeling discouraged, because she was certain she’d never be able to go there.
But suddenly, a thought struck her.
Wait, this is the Shallow Sea Sirens’ Activity Zone.
They don’t go to the deep sea either—so how do they reach the Shrine?
At that moment, a scruffy old fisherman walked by and said, “What nonsense! The bottom of the sea, really? Why not say it’s up in the sky?”
“Hey, Old Drunkard, don’t insult people,” the previous speaker grumbled.
“I don’t know, but do you?”
“I actually do.”
The man called Old Drunkard looked at the girl.
“But…”
Celes wasn’t stingy.
She took out her last bag of Pearl Oysters and tossed it over.
Old Drunkard reached out, caught it, and shook it next to his ear, his face beaming when he heard the jingling sound inside.
“Thanks, boss. The Shrine of the Sea Demon Tribe isn’t in the real world.”
That one sentence left Celes stunned.
The fishermen nearby burst out laughing.
“And you said I was talking nonsense! Listen to yourself—does that even make sense? You shouldn’t be called Old Drunkard, you should be called Old Liar!”
Old Drunkard stashed away the Pearl Oysters, untied his wine pouch, and took a swig. “Believe it or not, I’m telling the truth.”
“Oh, so you’ve got a clear conscience, huh?”
Celes ignored the others’ doubts and stepped forward.
“Could you be a bit more specific?”
“I’ve already been specific. The Shrine isn’t in the real world. That’s all I know.”
Old Drunkard, wine pouch in hand, walked farther and farther away.
“Boss, you’d best not try to find it. It’s real spooky… hic.”
“I think you’re just drunk and talking nonsense. Boss, don’t believe him—the Shrine is definitely under the sea.”
“Yeah! Not in the real world—what kind of nonsense is that?”
“He’s just a drunk.”
True, compared to that bizarre answer, the idea of the Shrine being under the sea didn’t seem so far-fetched.
But Celes felt, deep down, that he might actually be telling the truth.
At the very least, this would mean the Shallow Sea Sirens could reach it, instead of it being an unreachable place at the bottom of the sea.
So, what kind of place was the Sea Demon Tribe’s Shrine, really?
***
Somewhere unknown, in a place of darkness, dead seaweed drifted all around.
The tide flowed backward, carving strange symbols into the stone walls.
It looked like a reef somewhere, but every part of it exuded an odd sense of disharmony.
A few slender Naga gathered around a round table, whispering softly.
After a while, one of them opened its eyes, and several pairs of pupils flashed across its gaze.
At the same moment, three daggers made of Black Coral appeared on the stone table.
“He has delivered the Oracle,” said the Naga Priest.
“Within Harbor City, there are three individuals of exceptional strength and danger: a Swordswoman, a Magician, and an Assassin. Pay special attention to the Assassin.”
It picked up one of the Black Coral Daggers from the stone table and solemnly handed it to the other three Priests.
“To prevent the ritual from being disrupted, before He descends, use this Power Bestowed by Him to eliminate the danger while it’s still in the cradle.”
The first Priest took the dagger, raised it high without hesitation:
“I offer my life, my soul, my everything, in devotion to Him!”
Pfft—a dagger stabbed down through the crown of its head.
Its body began to tremble violently and rapidly mutate, black mist enveloping its lower half, while its hair transformed into countless floating sea serpents.
Pfft, pfft—the other two Priests did the same.
Their bodies also underwent varying degrees of mutation.
One had most of its body mass surge into its head, while tentacles formed from stinging cells grew from below.
Another’s limbs and the fins on its back became enormous, its muscles bulging, making it look three times its original size.
More importantly, outside their powerful bodies, a ring of eerie black mist always shrouded them.
From now on, they had only a few days left to live, in exchange for the great power He had granted.
***
Zero followed Miss Sister inside, anxiety gnawing at her.
It wasn’t that she was being rude—it was just, Miss Sister was in her twenties, but Granny had to be at least a hundred, no matter how you counted it.
The room’s furnishings were intricate and complicated.
A mirror faced the window, using an optical illusion to make the interior space look smaller, which explained why it looked so different from outside.
After passing through several rooms, Miss Sister led her into a courtyard.
“Granny, I’ve brought her.”
Zero sneaked a peek and discovered the other woman was about sixty, and looked quite healthy.
Her hair was gray, her face slightly wrinkled, but the lines weren’t deep.
She had a gentle face, like the kindly old lady next door who always sat outside in the sun.
Though that was no small age, she was still of the Granny generation.
“Child, don’t be surprised.”
The woman smiled kindly.
“My appearance is just an illusion. I should have reached my end long ago, but there’s something I can’t let go of, so I’ve forced myself to linger in this world for decades. But your arrival makes me feel I’ve finally waited long enough.”
Zero nervously fiddled with her tight-fitting clothes.
“I… I don’t know how to address you.”
Since Miss Sister called her Granny, she couldn’t possibly…
“My name is Kagasha. Just call me Senior.”
“Senior?”
That word seemed to carry a special meaning.
Kagasha asked her great-granddaughter to wheel her over, stopping right in front of Zero. She spoke slowly:
“A hundred years ago, the Highborn Alliance began to fracture, and there was friction between the races. One day, my companions and I came to Harbor City to investigate whether the Sea Demon Tribe was conducting espionage.”
Hearing this familiar story, Zero’s breathing quickened.
“You’re…”
“Yes,” Kagasha nodded kindly, “we were the Silent Sanctuary.”
Back when it was an anti-espionage organization—the very first Silent Sanctuary.
***
“Come and see, come and see! The Church of Light from the Royal City is open for business! Until sunset today, if you recite the prayer correctly at all three meals, you’ll receive a Pearl Oyster for each meal! First come, first served~!”
At today’s marketplace, the soft, pleasant voice drew many eyes.
Whether it was the girl’s beautiful face, her stunning figure, or the huge bag of Pearl Oysters on the table, countless passersby stopped in their tracks, unable to move on.
Next to her stood another equally beautiful, large-chested, blonde-haired girl, though she wasn’t shouting along.
She just wore a businesslike, saintly smile on her lovely face.
Leah had tried her best, but she really couldn’t say those words. No matter how hard she clenched her fists or how red her face got, she just couldn’t do it.
She quietly moved closer and bumped Ella’s arm with a playful complaint.
“Idiot, can’t you make it sound a little more refined?”