“The new Sea Demon Priest has returned, gathering in secret at the shattered ruins of the Shrine. They fused the Shrine with the souls of hundreds of Priests who died in Harbor City, using this to send the Shrine to a place that does not exist in reality, the Boundary of Life and Death, the Nether Interstice.”
“If you search for it with a physical body in the real world, you’ll never find it, no matter what you do. There’s only one way: you must enter a state of suspended death, and seek it as an Undead.”
All these years, no one but me has ever succeeded in entering the Death Spirit State.
I’m too old now; even if I become like that, I have no strength left to search, let alone destroy it or kill them.
But you might be able to.
Your mastery over death surpasses all of us—you even managed to sever that gaze all by yourself.
If you’re willing, come find me here when you’re ready.”
These were the words Kagasha said to Zero before leaving yesterday.
After returning to the inn, she sat in the lobby and listened for a long time.
She found that the girls had made some progress in their investigation of this incident, especially the cleverest one—Ella—who had been fixated on the religious issue from the very start.
But they couldn’t find the key, the secret Shrine.
Only she could do it.
“I’m ready, Senior. Let’s begin.”
Zero has to protect everyone!
The preparations weren’t complicated.
All the materials were ready at hand—a tub of boiled and cooled water, into which a large amount of salt was added, making it so buoyant that a person couldn’t sink, only float on the surface.
“That’s right, just lie down like this.”
Zero didn’t bother changing clothes.
After all, her bodysuit was like a tight swimsuit; it didn’t absorb much water.
She took off her shoes, and one foot was already raised above the tub.
“After you enter the state of suspended death, you’ll feel light and weightless. Everything in the world will become vague, and only your memories will replay before your eyes. It’s what people often call the Procession of Memories…”
When Kagasha said this, Zero instantly drew her foot back.
“P-Procession of Memories?!”
She hadn’t mentioned this before!
“Yes, suspended death mimics the sensation of dying, so there will be a Procession of Memories.”
Kagasha asked her, “Child, is there something you’re worried about?”
“It’s… not exactly worry…”
Zero fidgeted with her hands, “It’s just… can I skip that part?”
A life’s Procession of Memories—she really didn’t want to see it, because there were some… or rather, a lot… basically all things she’d rather not recall.
Kagasha gently shook her head.
“That’s the key. You must break free from the Procession of Memories and find the anchor point of life. Only then can you obtain the Death Spirit State as a living being.”
Zero was silent for a while, then quietly asked, “What happens if I fail?”
“You’ll wake up, just like being startled awake from a nightmare.”
The girl felt a little more at ease.
“If that’s the case, I’ll give it a try first.”
Zero stretched out her foot again, testing the cooled saltwater.
“It’s fine even if I fail.”
Ella once said, failure is the mother of success.
“I’m starting.”
The saltwater had been carefully adjusted.
As soon as she lay down, she floated.
The girl closed her eyes and gradually sank into darkness and chaos.
***
On the way to the Workshop, they first passed through the market.
The streets were a bit quiet today, especially the fish market—not a single Siren in sight.
Celes asked someone nearby about the situation.
“Those ugly things aren’t coming today. They say they’re on strike in protest, even claiming we won’t get a single fish to eat.”
A strike?
Ella glanced at Leah and found that Saintess was also looking at her.
The two girls understood each other instantly.
Could it be because we led the group to beat them up yesterday?
“I heard there was a big brawl at the market yesterday,” the passerby continued.
“Someone brought hundreds of people and gave the Sirens a real thrashing.”
So it really was because of that.
“If you ask me, they deserved it. Always pulling long faces, and every year at this time, they put up those creepy idols everywhere. Gives me the chills just looking at them.”
“They’re not just refusing to sell fish—they’re blocking the sea so we can’t fish at all!”
Ella thought to herself, wow, even the primary industry can be strangled like this.
Controlling the means of production really is impressive.
This religious war must be fought. There’s no way around it.
But some people sympathized with the Sirens and blamed those who fought at the market yesterday.
“They’re just born that way. Racial differences are normal.”
“Yeah, it’s only for a short time each year. It’s their tradition; we should respect it.”
“They sold us fish cheaply out of goodwill, and we beat them up. No good deed goes unpunished.”
“They started the trouble!”
“That’s because you don’t respect other people’s traditions!”
As the two sides began to argue, Celes quietly led the girls away from the crowd.
“Let’s get to the Workshop as soon as possible.”
It was still the same street, the same teahouse across from the Workshop, the same seats as last time.
The girls sat in the teahouse first, taking a moment to observe their surroundings.
After the murder, things had quieted down a bit.
There were even fewer people passing by today; you could hardly see anyone at the main entrance.
“Vina, Miss Leah, you two stay here. Keep an eye out and support us if anything happens.”
Celes gave her orders.
“Ella and I will go inside.”
“Vina and I stay outside? But I want to go wi…”
Celes turned to look at her.
“What’s wrong?”
Leah quickly shut her mouth.
“Nothing. I was just going to say I know someone inside, so it’d be better if I went in. But then I remembered Ella knows them too, so this is fine.”
Ella was startled for a second, then suddenly realized.
“Oh right, we have an acquaintance—the apprentice boy from last time, remember? He’s now one of Harbor City’s first Bright Faithful. He can introduce us.”
And so it was settled.
Ella and Celes left the teahouse, while Leah sat upstairs, watching them head off to the Workshop.
The day before yesterday, she was with someone else; today, she was with someone else again.
Only yesterday… hmph, and they were sitting so close together.
“You wanted to say you wanted to go with Little Ella, right?”
Eek!
The sudden voice in her ear startled the Saintess, and she nearly spilled her tea.
“Vina, could you not speak like that? It’s scary!”
Leah snapped.
“And I don’t know what you’re talking about!”
“Is that so? Fine, fine~”
Vina narrowed her peach blossom eyes and smiled, saying nothing.
That sly smile made the Saintess feel uneasy.
“What are you up to?”
“Nothing at all~ I’m just thinking about a few things~”
On the other side of the street, Celes walked toward the Workshop, drawing a bit closer to Ella and speaking softly:
“Actually, I heard something yesterday—about the Priests’ Shrine.”
She relayed the information the old drunk fisherman had given her.
“Ella, do you think this is credible? Is there really a place that doesn’t exist in the real world?”
The pink-haired, thunderous beauty paused slightly.
Of course there is—the Boundary of Life and Death, the Nether Interstice.
I’m all too familiar with it; that’s where the Necromantic Sword is usually kept. Easy access, anytime. Impressive, right?
But then again, necromancy and all that—good girls shouldn’t mess with it.
“I’m not sure~”
Ella replied sweetly.
“Maybe in this vast world, anything’s possible.”
Lala doesn’t know~
That was what she said, but in her heart, she was secretly considering it.
There was a real possibility in Celes’ new information. If the Sirens had truly hidden the Shrine there, things would get complicated.
She was familiar with it, sure, but she was still very much alive.
If she couldn’t see it, she couldn’t find it.
“Ella,” Celes called her softly, “we’re here.”