Chapter 1

In any case, Shirley's thoughtless interruption successfully eased the tense atmosphere in the living room—though it almost took things in a different direction.

Duncan barely managed to control his expression, then ignored Shirley, who had shrunk into the sofa cushions in embarrassment. He cleared his throat twice and said, "In any case, this is all the information we have for now. The mist is still heavy, but it's clear the *Sea Wanderer* is already part of this whirlpool, which is different from the situations in Pland and Frost."

"No matter how things develop, I need to figure out what this so-called Dream of the Nameless is all about, and what those cultists' goals are—especially the second point."

"Annihilation Cultists, Sun Cultists, and the End-Times Evangelists hiding behind them, whichever they are, capture them alive if you can, and if you can't, find a way to gather information during the encounter...The Dream of the Nameless won't just subside; it will definitely reappear, and as long as this whirlpool continues, we're bound to keep dealing with those cultists."

At this point, Duncan suddenly stopped and looked thoughtfully at Shirley, who was sitting on the sofa trying to minimize her presence, and at A'gou beside her.

Shirley immediately felt the gaze on her and looked up in a flash. "I'm sorry, Captain, I shouldn't have said you were human..."

"Did you and A'gou sense the escaping Annihilation Cultist's aura today?" Duncan waved his hand, interrupting her conditioned reflex. "You remember he said that the next time we encountered him in the Dream of the Nameless, Vanna would leave a 'mark' on that cultist."

"No," Vanna immediately shook her head before A'gou could speak. "I've been paying attention to that, but as of now, that cultist doesn't seem to be in Deep Sea Port."

"These heretics are now hiding in dens in various city-states, relying solely on entering the Dream of the Nameless to 'coordinate,' which does make it difficult for us to catch them in the real world," said Iode, "and what's worse is they've obviously mastered some of the 'rules' of the Dream of the Nameless, which allows them to freely exit the 'dream,' making them even harder to deal with."

Duncan's words made Shirley frown. The situation, knowing that cultists were carrying out actions everywhere but being unable to do anything due to insufficient information and the opponent's cunning, was indeed frustrating. But for Shirley, her worries went beyond that at this moment—

Iode Minia looked a little dazed, her eyes swept across the eerie, shadowy living room illuminated by the spirit fire, and then she finally realized what her father had just said. She immediately looked at Shirley, her eyes slightly widened. "Wait, did you just say...the Abyssal Lord has established contact with you, and He suggested...suggested you capture His followers?"

"I want to know how to prevent other Abyssal demons from sensing my power," Shirley didn't care about Vanna's cowardly reaction, but asked seriously, "Sometimes I can successfully leave my mark on Annihilation Cultists, but those Abyssal demons that coexist with them quickly notice my power, which has caused me more than one problem."

A'gou lowered his hand from his ear, "...My head is buzzing."

"Captain often shares profound truths with us," Clessie nodded reservedly. "We have our own standard procedures for discussing these issues."

Morisia Lowe thought for a moment and couldn't figure it out.

The "Sea Witch" had seen a lot—but she had never seen this.

Shirley finally had the chance to share this incredible thing with his leaders—he had wanted to say it for a long time, but the sudden descent of the Dream of the Nameless delayed his plan.

He quickly checked the blessings and protections on his body, and then confirmed more information about the "suggestion" with Shirley, confirming the various details revealed by the Abyssal Lord during the conversation with the captain.

"The second method...has some feasibility, but the operational difficulty is high, mainly requiring advance preparation, but different Abyssal demons have different characteristics, making it difficult to prepare a truly thorough and 'targeted' instant control plan in advance..."

After a long time, Iode finally finished telling his experience in the depths of Alice Manor, and Clessie, sitting opposite him, fell into deep thought.

"I want to establish a connection with the Abyssal Lord—using the power of those Annihilation Cultists."

Clessie suddenly turned to look into A'gou's eyes. The normally refined and gentle old scholar now had a look of awe-inspiring fervor in his eyes—

He had just started to speak when Iode quickly raised his hand to his ear. After a crisp snap, he lowered his arm with a mournful face: "Careless...my head is really buzzing."

Shirley nodded. "I'm also surprised, but that's the truth."

"Try to catch a few Annihilation Cultists, according to the captain," with a scholar's eagerness to peek at the truth, he said with gleaming eyes, "Now this matter is about to be elevated to an academic angle!"

Unknowingly, Iode had already subconsciously regarded these elusive cultists as "made-to-order" prey, as if no matter how well these cultists could hide, they would eventually fall into the captain's hands as long as the captain wanted to catch them.

"You're too relaxed," Shirley glanced at him. "I've taken precautions; you don't have to be so relaxed."

However, there was still someone on the scene thinking about this matter rationally—after the initial surprise, Clessie quickly realized the shocking amount of information behind this "suggestion."

A few seconds later, she belatedly reacted, staring blankly at Duncan and Clessie: "You...look very familiar with this..."

Iode raised an eyebrow. "Unless?"

"Caution is always good," said Clessie calmly from the sofa opposite. "We certainly believe in your power, but we are, after all, weak mortals. Please understand..."

"Because this suggestion was made to me personally by the Abyssal Lord," Shirley said casually. "He established contact with me in the depths of Alice Manor, and this suggestion itself is the power he is transmitting to the real world..."

"...Unbelievable, one of the most dangerous Ancient Gods in this world still retains reason, and has even made such an amazing 'suggestion' to you..." the old man murmured in contemplation. "If a stable and safe connection can really be established with this Ancient God, then perhaps we can really understand some of the biggest mysteries in this world, and even...really understand the birth of the Deep Sea Era..."

"Ah?" A'gou next to him was stunned, "Why?"

Nina's eyes showed a faint solar glow as she looked at her Uncle Shirley expectantly, while Vanna said "Holy shit" and instantly disappeared into the shadows. Iode was half a beat slower, only managing to raise his hand to cover his ears, "Can I not listen later..."

Seeing this situation, Iode hesitated slightly and lightly swiped his hand in the air.

A'gou scratched his head, "So what?"

"Unless we forcibly sever their symbiotic relationship, or control them before those demons react," Vanna said as she pondered. "The first method is almost impossible, because this kind of symbiosis is irreversible. It will gradually transform the physiological structure of those who coexist with demons. After the initial stage, the act of severing the chain itself is enough to kill the symbiont."

Vanna chattered on for a while, then paused, seeming to think of something, and looked up at Shirley again: "But we don't necessarily have to catch Annihilation Cultists. Aren't there other cultists active too? The End-Times Evangelists are hard to catch, but the Sun Cultists are much simpler..."

"Is my power conspicuous in his eyes?" he asked.

Shirley thought for a moment, and said with a serious face: "You are useless."

"That..." Iode's tone suddenly became a little strange. "That's a bit difficult. Abyssal demons' senses are particularly acute, and Abyssal demons other than you lack reason and can only rely on instinct—to seek advantage and avoid disadvantage, which is their greatest instinct. When faced with great danger, abandoning the symbiont and fleeing back to the Abyssal Sea is their inevitable choice, unless..."

Duncan also nodded in agreement with Clessie's words, but then he became a little puzzled and looked at Shirley: "But if that's all, you could have just said it. The reason itself isn't dangerous. For us, often mentioning the words 'Abyssal Lord' isn't a big deal..."

The spirit fire, like water, rippled around him, spreading throughout the living room in the blink of an eye. In the burning flames, a layer of invisible power permeated reality, blurring the boundary between reality and the spirit world, and Iode's body also quickly transformed into a spiritual form.

Iode raised his eyebrows, "Unless?"

"There's always no harm in being cautious," Clessie on the opposite sofa said calmly. "We certainly believe in your power, but we are, after all, weak mortals. Please understand..."

"According to the captain, catch a few Annihilation Cultists and try," with the fervor of a scholar spying on the truth, his eyes gleamed as he said, "Now this matter is about to be elevated to an academic angle!"

Shirley nodded, "I'm also very surprised, but that's the truth."

Seeing this, Iode Ming quickly prayed a sentence without saying a word, and then added a bunch of messy mental defenses to himself.

Duncan also familiarly took out the Storm Amulet and portable rosary from his arms, chanting the name of Gamona while blessing himself.

He was just regretful for a while, then his eyes finally fell on Vanna.

Everyone looked blank.

Shirley's voice was accompanied by the crackling of the flames. He said lightly, then glanced helplessly at the people around him: "Do you have to go that far?"

Shirley looked at her expressionlessly, too lazy to speak.

However, Shirley shook his head: "It would still be best to catch some Annihilation Cultists."

"Chant the name of Raheem—" Seeing this situation, Iode Ming quickly prayed, and then added a small pile of messy mental protection to himself.

Nina's eyes showed a faint solar glow, looking at her Uncle Shirley expectantly, while Vanna said "Holy shit" and disappeared into the depths of the shadows in an instant. Iode reacted half a beat slower, only managing to raise her hand to cover her ears: "Can I not listen later..."

Iode saw the situation, hesitated slightly, and lightly swiped her hand in the air.

A'gou scratched his head: "So?"

Shirley thought for a moment, and said with a serious face: "You are useless."