novelraw Chapter 832: Church of Twisted Vines
Chapter 832: Church of Twisted Vines
Closing the notebook left behind by the night watchman, Lu Li pushed open the carved wooden door of the secret passage.
The damp, swollen wooden door groaned, a sound like sawing wood, revealing the deep, secret passage leading to the True Library.
The night watchman, Matthew, had guarded this place. Lu Li and the others proceeded down the cold, damp, but safe secret passage.
“What are we going to do when we get up there?” Prusius asked, walking beside his leg.
“What?”
Katerina lowered her head.
“What should we do when we find the Church of Twisted Vines? Will they even talk to us?”
“I don’t know...” Katerina’s gaze fell on Lu Li’s back.
Recklessly approaching an unknown church was not the best idea.
But there was no better way.The only consolation was that Lu Li, having lost his 'humanity' and become an ordinary man, shouldn't arouse the church's greed.
The secret passage from the investigators' base was longer than the one in Winnelag; it was unclear why they would maintain such a long passage leading only to the library.
Stone steps leading upward appeared at the edge of the kerosene lamp’s light.
Ascending the steps to the upper level, they saw an ancient wooden door, one that seemed steeped in history.
Because it was far from the coastline, its condition was much better, and it was still as exquisite as a work of art.
Lu Li moved closer to the wooden door to listen; complete silence reigned on the other side.
The ancient wooden door slowly creaked open, scraping against the frame, and the faint smell of burning wood drifted out.
The use of fire is one of the hallmarks of humanity.
Perhaps the Church of Twisted Vines wasn't as bad as they thought.
Or even better...
Neat, towering bookshelves were packed with books, everything just as it had been twenty-four years ago. The dampness receded the moment they stepped into the True Library, and the smoke rising from fires outside the high windows kept the library consistently dry.
The Church of Twisted Vines was protecting the books here.
“So many books...”
A sound escaped Prusius’s throat involuntarily.
Someone was always cleaning this place. The floor was faded but dust-free, and the tall windows clearly showed the overcast sky.
Besides the main door, the True Library had several secret passages.
But, thinking that the Church of Twisted Vines might be open to communication, Lu Li decided against using a secret passage and pushed open the library's main door.
Beyond the door lay a settlement enclosed by layers of wooden planks, like a stockade.
A figure shrouded in a black cloak stood by the door and bowed slowly.
“The Almighty Father told me to await your arrival here. Please, follow me.”
The cultist, already aware of Lu Li’s arrival, led the way.
“Who is that, and where are you taking us?”
Although the situation was strange and full of oddities, Lu Li followed him nonetheless.
The settlement of the Church of Twisted Vines was filled with survivors. They wore clothes of burlap, busy with construction or farming. And not just humans: there were inhumans with extra organs, others with mutated bodies, and even ferocious anomalies—all living harmoniously in this settlement.
Prusius liked this scene; it reminded him of the Old Sewer.
“Our leader; the beacon that guides our path; the flame that protects us. He knows of your arrival. He wants to see you.”
The cultist led them out of the True Library. The settlement was very large, combining several nearby blocks. The houses had been demolished and turned into fertilizer, from which walls were erected around the settlement. Ugly, slum-like shacks were scattered throughout.
He was in a building that resembled a giant, withered tree. Braziers burned fiercely, dispelling the darkness and cold. An ancient silhouette sat in a throne carved from a tree stump, his body as wrinkled as tree bark.
An invisible influence pressed down on them; looking at the silhouette in the throne, it was as if they were gazing upon an ancient banyan tree.
The cultist exited the building.
He sat in the stump-throne, silently watching Lu Li.
Lu Li met his gaze, as if remembering something.
“You... you knew we were coming?”
Katerina broke the silence that had lasted for several minutes.
“That is one of the things that concerns me in my eternal life,” a low voice spoke, slow and heavy, making his image seem even closer to that of an ancient tree.
“I remained in these ruins not only because I was born here.”
He gave Lu Li a slight nod, as if they were acquainted.
“It has been a long time, Mr. Lu Li.”
“Twenty-four years, or twenty-four trillion years?”
Lu Li recognized him then.
The man who had sought his help for his exponentially lengthening dreams, back when the detective agency still existed. The Everlasting Dreamer.
The Everlasting Dreamer seemed to be smiling.
“I have seen civilizations rise and fall like anthills, watched as life endowed the earth with civilization. Dragons and rockets soaring into the sky; planets being born and dying; gods whose tentacles are as vast as galaxies; beings more immense and magnificent than the universe itself, unfurling their bodies...”
“Counting time only makes it longer, so a very long time ago, I stopped paying attention to its flow...”
“...Hasn’t it gotten better yet?” Lu Li asked after a brief silence.
“It has gotten better, or rather... I’ve gotten used to it.”
The Everlasting Dreamer, as if guessing Lu Li’s thoughts, spoke slowly.
“It’s not so bad... A near-eternal life is indeed a torturous trial, but after I learned to forget, I am only tormented by the pain of the experience itself.”
“I don’t understand...”
Katerina frowned. She guessed that the old man on the stump had lived for a very long time, but she didn’t understand his words.
“Mr. Lu Li will tell you the answer,” the Everlasting Dreamer said simply.
Lu Li answered Katerina on behalf of the Everlasting Dreamer:
“You live through a hundred million years; that long stretch of time is a form of pain. But when that experience is over, by forgetting what transpired, you forget the pain of it as well.”
This is the reason the Everlasting Dreamer has not yet gone mad. Or rather... he did go mad once, but then recovered thanks to the long passage of time.
“Eternal life is a curse. Everything must have an end,” the Everlasting Dreamer whispered.
“You knew we would come?” Lu Li continued to ask.
“Of course. Peeking into the future is just one of the small things a long life brings.”
“Peeking into the future...”
Katerina repeated with a frown.
“For example, the Church of Twisted Vines consists of two churches, located on either side of the library. You would come to us first, not the other side.”
That was why the cultist was waiting for them at the main door of the True Library.
Katerina felt strangely honored by the Everlasting Dreamer’s answer:
“You said two churches?”
“The Church of Distortion and the Church of the Vine. We are the Vine.”
“Then... you also know our purpose, right?” Katerina continued to ask.
“Where is Anna?” Lu Li’s question was more direct.
But the Everlasting Dreamer was not going to give a direct answer. He only said:
“Let the other members of the church tell you. Go to the Church of Distortion at the other end of the library. They know the answer you seek... There are also people you know there.”
“You may come and read these books anytime,” the Everlasting Dreamer said good-naturedly, looking at Prusius. Then, with the cunning smile of an old man, he looked at Katerina. “I will keep your secret.”
“You can’t tell me?” Lu Li asked.
“The future will change if the answer is known in advance. I can only say this.”
The deep and wise eyes of the Everlasting Dreamer turned back to Lu Li, and he spoke softly.
“It is not a bad ending.”