novelraw Chapter 931: The Arrival
Chapter 931: The Arrival
The sea held the Deep God, the Deep God bore the Andrea, and the Andrea carried Lu Li and his companions.
The pact with the devil's daughter had been sealed. When the time came, she would find Lu Li.
"So the Inquisition... they aren't bad people, are they?"
Having pieced together the events from Lu Li's retelling, Prusius asked softly.
"That depends... on whether... what Ussa said... was true."
In the Age of Anomalies, the words of the mad often held a sliver of questionable truth. Still, it was difficult to comprehend how Bishop Ussa had believed so readily, even if the source was the once-famous adventurer, Captain Lefrancia Werth.
Perhaps Captain Lefrancia Werth had offered some proof before she lost her mind?
Unfortunately, it had all ended with Bishop Ussa's suicide, and with Hell sealed off, Lu Li had no way to retrieve his scattered soul from the devil's daughter.
They could only wait and pray. Wait for Captain Lefrancia Werth to regain her sanity, and pray that her words were untrue—or at least, that the event she foretold would not come to pass so soon.
No one expected Captain Lefrancia Werth to recover so much sooner than anticipated. Lu Li and the doctors from Midnight were still en route when Merchant Anthony delivered the welcome news from Mayor Matteus.Captain Lefrancia Werth, however, insisted on seeing Lu Li personally.
"How long can she remain lucid?"
Upon learning that Captain Lefrancia Werth's condition had temporarily stabilized, Lu Li, who had not traveled far, turned back to Vinnelag.
The shadow of the Deep God fell over Vinnelag once more, but this time, the people felt no fear. It was not so long ago that He and Lu Li had saved their city.
Even if, not long before that, He had intended to sacrifice them all.
After disembarking at the port, Lu Li climbed into a steam-powered automobile sent by Mayor Matteus and headed for Weinstein Hospital.
In a private room on the fifth floor, he found Captain Lefrancia Werth leaning against the patterned wallpaper. A serene expression graced her aged features, a stark contrast to her previous madness.
"Ussa is dead, isn't he?"
"Ussa is dead, isn't he?" Captain Lefrancia Werth asked, her voice raspy. She looked at Mayor Matteus, who averted his gaze.
"The mayor here was reluctant to tell me, but I already guessed."
"He took his own life after telling me about you," Lu Li stated.
"Don't blame yourself. It was the price he paid for his failure." Captain Lefrancia Werth inclined her head, her gaze drifting to the window. The gently falling snow veiled Vinnelag in a soft haze, while the shadows over the bay flickered in and out of sight.
"And do not grieve for him. I imagine he felt a great sense of relief in death... because he was stopped by you, someone more powerful."
"You know of his plan?"
"Yes... a plan both mad and grand. And he nearly succeeded," Captain Lefrancia Werth murmured wistfully.
Captain Lefrancia Werth spoke the truth; Bishop Ussa's plan had indeed been both mad and grand.
To force the faithless city of Vinnelag into true belief, to birth a new deity resurrected by the pure, untainted faith of hundreds of thousands... such a being might have rivaled even Midnight of the Wastelands.
Unfortunately for him, it all fell apart because of Lu Li.
"My apologies... moments of clarity are rare, and I find I cannot help but ramble. Now then... exorcist of the Old Era, what is it you wish to know?"
"About the unknown crisis in the north."
Captain Lefrancia Werth wasn't surprised, as if she had known all along that this was what Lu Li had come for.
"If you were to learn of the sights I saw there, you would go mad... I have no wish to destroy a great hero of mankind."
"Bishop Ussa didn't go mad," Lu Li replied.
Captain Lefrancia Werth waved a dismissive hand.
"That's because I didn't tell him everything, and his will was strong enough to bear what he knew... But I suspect yours is just as strong, am I right?"
Lu Li remained silent, waiting for her to reveal the truth, whatever the cost.
A small smile touched Captain Lefrancia Werth's lips. "You are in luck, because I have found a way to tell the truth. Would you like to hear a story?"
As Lu Li, Prusius, Ophelia, Matteus, and his aide waited, Captain Lefrancia Werth began her tale in a frail, aged voice.
There was once a beautiful and peaceful kingdom, situated on an equally quiet and serene plain. The water there was clear and sweet, the food pure and delicious, and the people lived in happiness and contentment.
A thick fog shrouded the plain, and so the people who lived in the kingdom knew nothing of the world outside.
One day, a young adventuress from the kingdom decided to explore the world beyond the plain. More fortunate than the adventurers who came before her, she managed to pass through the layers of fog and reach the world beyond.
But the world outside was not as beautiful as they had imagined.
There, the earth was charred and the plants had rotted away. Skeletons were piled up like mountains, and monsters dwelled in the darkness. They were ruled by a wicked and corrupt witch, they thrived on destruction and fed on decay. The world had been conquered by them, and the land beyond the fog was the only pure place left.
Ahead, in a dark forest, countless malicious lights ignited, lying in wait, full of hunger. The young adventuress fought desperately and, covered in wounds, fled back into the fog.
The things she had seen terrified her, and the conclusions she drew shattered her mind. From that day forward, the young adventuress was lost to madness.
"And then?"
While the others were still contemplating the story's deeper meaning, Lu Li asked.
He had long suspected the truth about the world beyond the fog; he knew the Deep God's words about "decay and death" by heart.
"There is no more to the tale. Perhaps it will be up to our descendants, if any survive, to write the ending."
"When will the outside world attack?"
Captain Lefrancia Werth's reply was heavy with meaning. "That depends on when the witch finds us..."
Which meant it could be at any moment.
Perhaps in a few minutes, perhaps in a few centuries.
Captain Lefrancia Werth needed to rest. Not wishing to linger in Vinnelag, Lu Li and his companions left the hospital, returned to the Andrea, and set sail for the Allen Peninsula.
"Deep God, will you settle with us on the Allen Peninsula?"
Standing on the windswept deck, Prusius looked up into the vast emptiness above the boundless sea and asked.
When the Deep God's affirmative reply echoed in his mind, he exclaimed with delight.
"Our luck is finally turning! Everything's starting to look up!"
With the Deep God protecting them, no one would dare set foot on the Allen Peninsula. They could even establish their own base there!
Ophelia, too, lost herself in the hopeful future Prusius described.
Just then, Merchant Anthony opened his pack and handed Lu Li an anonymous letter.
Lu Li opened it. Scrawled inside was a single, frantic line.
[Captain Lefrancia Werth has gone mad. She said... They're here!]
At that very instant, the Deep God, who had been carrying the Andrea, suddenly lurched and sank.
Lu Li rushed to the rail and peered over the side. Deep in the churning water, a colossal, scaled hand had clamped onto the Deep God, dragging Him down into the abyss.
"Into the cabin, now!"
Lu Li grabbed Prusius and tumbled with Ophelia into the passage leading to the cabin.
The Deep God's furious roar shook the very void. He flung the Andrea aside, freeing Himself to unleash His full power, and began to battle the colossal hands and tentacles coiling around Him.