VAP - Chapter 178

Chapter 178: The Ruler in the Endless Deep Darkness (11)

The fifth day on the cruise ship, 7:00 PM sharp.

The Pilgrim had been stopped above the Selenfor Abyss for five minutes, as still as if it were docked at a pier.

Normally, this situation would be impossible. Even if the engines were shut off, the ship would drift with the ocean currents, slowly carrying everyone away from this nightmarish sea—but it didn't.

The lower deck was occupied by blackish-purple, jellyfish-like creatures. Some of these monsters were no bigger than ping-pong balls, while others dwarfed a ping-pong table. Their bodies, which secreted a highly toxic mucus, crawled—or rather, slid—across the deck, leaving behind terrifying corrosive marks.

Some of the survivors hid in sealed rooms, watching them in terror through the windows, their quiet sobs and low prayers filling the air. Others, however, had fallen into a strange state of confusion. Some stood in place, muttering to themselves, while others ecstatically threw open their doors, rushed out to cradle the monsters' tentacles, and promptly collapsed, convulsing as they died.

The scene was like purgatory, enough to drive anyone to despair. The only saving grace was that these jellyfish-like creatures didn't actively attack humans on sight like the aliens in horror movies. They seemed to have no interest in the people peeking out from their rooms, simply swarming up the stairs with slow, clear purpose.

Searching, searching.

The contaminated Blade of Imureta was as conspicuous as a lighthouse, and the human beneath that lighthouse was destined to become the target of Moroses's wrath.

After reading the message notification, Kong Wenbin and Bi Yan, the two remaining members of the three-person team, reacted quickly and got up to run. Bi Yan took two steps, then turned back. “Hurry up!”

Yue Du said, “You go first.”

Kong Wenbin had already run out. It seemed the Moroses hadn't reached this floor yet. Bi Yan gritted her teeth and quickly followed.

Time was short. Yue Du turned to Aiona and said quickly, “Sister is giving you a mission. Wake up these little ones now, take them upstairs, go back to your rooms, and lock the doors and windows. Can you do that?”

Aiona looked blank. “Sister?”

“Can you or not?”

“I can!”

Yue Du nodded lightly, gave the little girl's hair a final ruffle, and picked up the black dagger from the side before heading out.

Gao Yin had been standing by the side, unmoving.

Yue Du asked, “Aren't you leaving?”

Gao Yin tried her best to remain calm, but her voice still trembled noticeably. “There are swarms of Moroses out there. My Rationality definitely won't hold up. Going out is just suicide.”

For players with high Spirituality, this was the worst-case scenario. Forcing them to face a dense crowd of a deity's kin was worse than suicide.

Yue Du said quickly, “Let's go first. I have a plan.”

With that, she broke into a run. Gao Yin hesitated for a moment, then followed, half-believing.

At first, Gao Yin didn't notice what Yue Du was holding. It wasn't until she was halfway up the stairs that she suddenly realized it was the contaminated Blade of Imureta. A cold sweat broke out on her back. “Why are you still holding that thing? The notification said it's what's attracting the Moroses!”

Yue Du replied, “If the Blade of Imureta disappears along with the player, the Moroses should lose interest in the cruise ship.”

“I'm starting to doubt if your Rationality is really that high,” Gao Yin muttered.

Yue Du understood what her teammate meant. To players, what happened on the cruise ship after they left was completely irrelevant. Once the instance was over, who cared if the NPCs died or the scene collapsed?

But Aiona was still upstairs, following her instructions to wake the other children and try to escape, even though she probably had no idea what was happening and might still be caught up in the script about fighting a shark monster.

Yue Du couldn't bring herself to see Aiona and everyone else here as mere fake NPCs.

If she left the Blade of Imureta on the cruise ship, the wrathful kin of the Deep Darkness would inevitably continue to swarm the vessel, and none of the passengers would survive—except for Einser. The chances of this mysterious “person” kindly helping the humans escape were too low.

However, now was clearly not the time for psychological analysis. The theater doors were not far from the top of the stairs, shut tight. And on both sides of the doors, the jellyfish-like creatures were slowly swarming toward them.

Gao Yin was following behind Yue Du. Before she could even see the overwhelming swarm of Moroses, a knife-hand chop to the back of her neck knocked her unconscious.

Any perception of an Evil God and its kin could cause a drain on Rationality, but since Gao Yin was already unconscious, what could the jellyfish outside do to her?

Yue Du silently hoisted her teammate onto her shoulder. It didn't feel strenuous, thanks to her inexplicably enhanced physical stats.

The Moroses weren't fast. It seemed this creature's skill points hadn't been allocated to agility, but individual differences still existed.

In the sea of blackish-purple, one soccer-ball-sized jellyfish seemed particularly swift. It slid over, raising its gelatinous tentacles. Yue Du, expressionless, stomped on it. The feeling of stepping on a soft, sticky, slightly springy mollusk came almost simultaneously with the faint sound of her shoe sole corroding.

Ahead, the theater door suddenly cracked open. Bi Yan stood behind it, waving anxiously and mouthing “Hurry up.” Just before the Moroses reached them, Yue Du, carrying Gao Yin, slipped through the theater door. It slammed shut behind them with a boom.

“Why are you two still here?” Yue Du asked. In her mind, Kong Wenbin and Bi Yan had left before her and should have already escaped through the stage screen.

With that thought, she finally had a moment to survey the situation in the theater and her mouth twitched. “Never mind, you don't have to answer. I see why.”

The seats below the stage were completely full. The audience stared at the stage, their faces as wooden as wax figures, even the angle of their tilted heads identical.

The focus of their gazes was the lead actress in the black fishtail dress, who was slumped on the floor, clutching the dagger, laughing and crying as she muttered to herself. The lead actor playing the young man was hiding at the edge of the stage, carefully clutching his bleeding arm and staring intently at the actress, as if terrified she would come over and stab him again.

But the most unsettling presence was Einser Naiyin.

She was floating in mid-air in front of the large stage screen, positioned right in the center of the projected summoning circle, her posture as light and natural as if she were lounging on a divine throne.

When Yue Du saw her, Einser turned her gaze over as well. Resting her chin on her hand, she smiled and said, “You're here.”

Yue Du was silent for two seconds, then said in surprise, “Einser, how are you…”

Einser looked as if she'd seen something amusing, her smile widening. “No need to play dumb. You figured it out long ago. That's why you stayed by Aiona's side, never leaving—afraid I would hurt her?”

Her gaze lingered for a moment on Gao Yin, who was on Yue Du's back, and her smile gradually faded. “Come here.”

The tone was flat and left no room for argument.

Yue Du's expression didn't change. She placed Gao Yin down next to Bi Yan and walked forward as instructed.

As she passed the lead actress, the half-mad cultist staggered to her feet. Seemingly realizing that Yue Du was one of the culprits behind the failed sacrificial ritual, she shrieked and tried to lunge, but was instantly reduced to ash.

A thin black thread slowly retracted to Einser's fingertip. It was what had just pierced the actress's body, turning a living person into dust in an instant.

“A little closer,” Einser said softly, her tone bewitching.

If Einser wanted to kill her, this distance was more than enough. Why ask her to come closer? Yue Du knew this, so she complied without hesitation.

A pale, slender hand landed on the side of her face and kneaded it twice, like petting a cat. Perhaps sensing Yue Du's stiffness, the hand patted her gently. “Relax. I like you very much. I won't kill you.”

Yue Du lowered her eyes, appearing quite docile, and allowed Einser to touch and pinch her face while she asked nonchalantly.

“Have you seen me before entering this instance?”

Yue Du thought, Isn't that obvious? “No.”

“And you haven't seen any other strange things?”

“No.” The System was certainly strange, but she had discovered it after entering the instance, so she wasn't technically lying.

“It seems you're telling the truth. How obedient.” Einser pinched Yue Du's earlobe, then murmured as if troubled, “You haven't seen me, and I don't remember meeting you, yet you carry my scent…”

Einser didn't remember ever branding anyone with her scent. In the eyes of the Deep Darkness Ruler, all things in the universe were essentially the same. Even the six other Evil Gods who were her peers in human legends had to live and grow under Her control, awaiting their destined destruction.

There were no exceptions. Or so it should have been.

But right now, an exception was standing before her.

Black threads silently crept up Yue Du's back, attempting to invade her spiritual world, but they couldn't succeed. This feeling of being unable to control something left Einser a little displeased.

Kill her, and she could be completely controlled. Or lock her up, and she could be completely possessed. Like a child wanting a unique and special toy, the nature of Greed bared its fangs.

Yue Du sensed the danger and instinctively tensed up.

However, the premonition of danger came and went just as quickly. Einser withdrew her hand and added with a teasing smile, “You get nervous so easily. I won't scare you anymore.”

Yue Du said expressionlessly, “Well, thank you so much for that.”

At the same time, she asked the System in her mind, “She knows about the instance, and she knows I'm a player. Would an ordinary instance monster know this much?”

Or rather, in a god's playground, what mysterious creature could be so aware of the game's reality, other than the god itself?

Ah Jiu couldn't directly reveal Einser's identity, so she answered vaguely, “A favored high-ranking believer, a descendant of a deity, or a deity's avatar are all possibilities.”

Oh, someone with connections. Yue Du thought for a moment, and her gaze toward Einser became a little strange.

Could this be the Deep Darkness Ruler's own daughter?

In Yue Du's eyes, Einser had become the pampered young lady of an Evil God, let loose by her parents to wreak havoc in the game, completely unaware of her own perception. She glanced at the black jade dagger Yue Du was clutching tightly and said with a faint smile, “There isn't much time left. We'll meet again.”

With that, her figure gradually faded away. A thin black thread landed on Yue Du's left wrist, wrapped around it once, and transformed into a mark.

Not much time left… Yue Du didn't have time to ponder it. She turned and sprinted back to Bi Yan, hoisted Gao Yin onto her back again, and the other two, understanding, followed her closely as she ran toward the stage.

These players, desperate to escape, would never know that while they were in the theater, a massive shadow was slowly rising from beneath the cruise ship. The word “slowly” only described its posture, not its speed. In fact, the shadow was likely moving faster than the cruise ship's previous top speed.

The shadow in the sea took shape. It was an incomparably huge Moroses from the depths of the dark abyss.

It broke through the water, its tentacles contracting and expanding like breaths, propelling its body upward. The thousands of transparent eyes embedded in its bell blinked in sync with the rhythm of its tentacles. Its slow ascent made it look like a black cloud trailing long, dark ribbons, enveloping the entire cruise ship in its shadow as if it would be devoured in the next second.

Just as it was less than two hundred meters from the surface, Yue Du, carrying the Blade of Imureta, passed through the screen and exited the instance. The contaminated aura vanished completely.

The leader of the Moroses lost its target. It paused where it was, its tentacles expanding and contracting, its eyes blinking a little faster, looking somewhat bewildered.

But soon, as if sensing something, it suddenly turned and swam downward. The process of its massive body turning churned the water, causing the cruise ship on the surface to lurch violently a few times.

The people were filled with anxiety, fearing that an even more terrifying monster would appear. But the Moroses that had occupied the decks retreated like a tide, scrambling to get back into the water and closely following their leader.

“What's happening?”

“Thank God, they're gone!”

“Where's the doctor? Save my child, she's still alive!”

Having survived the disaster, the cruise ship was instantly drowned in a cacophony of noise. In the cockpit, the crew managed to suppress their panic. Noticing the engines had restarted, they immediately accelerated away from the nightmarish waters.

Deep in the Selenfor Abyss, Einser lay back in the water with a leisurely posture, a faint smile playing on her lips, no different from when she was on land.

She watched the Moroses of all sizes return from the surface, watched them want to approach but not dare to. Naturally, she also saw the joy, reverence, and faith these deep-sea kin expressed with all their might, yet she remained completely unmoved.

“Releasing your aura worked well. Not a single Moroses is left; they all went to find you.” Aiona leaned against the railing on the top deck of the cruise ship, resting her chin on one hand, conversing with her other self deep in the sea.

Einser sighed. “I had no choice. The little cutie didn't want the cruise ship to sink, so I could only grant her wish.”

Aiona said cheerfully, “She did it for me, you know.”

“That's only one of the reasons,” Einser said bluntly. “It's obvious she's fond of humans. By appearing as a human child, you've gained a huge advantage.”

“Her earnest look as a protector is truly captivating…”

“And that expression of hers, trying to endure her fear, is also delicious…”

After a brief moment of savoring the memory, the pair of “sisters” chuckled softly and said in unison, “She's adorable no matter what. I can't wait to see more of her. I'm so looking forward to it.”

On a distant continent, a woman in a black qipao with a dark cloud pattern walked alone through a scorched ruin, her pace unhurried.

“This is the place.” She suddenly stopped, murmured to herself, and repeated with a smile, “I'm so looking forward to it.”

Yue Du looked at the app message on her phone.

“Congratulations, player, for completing the instance mission ‘The Pilgrim's Route’ and successfully exiting the instance. You have obtained the spell ‘Deep Darkness Gaze,’ the status ‘Beloved,’ and the item ‘Contaminated Blade of Imureta.’ Item name updated to ‘Deep Darkness Judgment.’”

“Analysis complete. Your Rationality and Spirituality have been restored to their initial values. You will be transported to the second instance in twenty-four hours. Please make good use of your rest time.”

She exited the message page and tapped on ‘My Rewards.’

Deep Darkness Gaze: When you recite the incantation, it is as if the supreme Deep Darkness stands behind you.

Beloved: No matter the time, place, or situation, any spell from the Deep Darkness Pantheon you use will be guaranteed to succeed. This is the deity's favor.

Deep Darkness Judgment: Can inflict damage on spiritual bodies.

Yue Du set her phone aside, face down. After a moment of silence, she said with genuine feeling, “I've never been this lucky.” Then she mused, “She really is the young lady of the Deep Darkness family, isn't she?”

Ah Jiu: “Young lady?”

“The Deep Darkness Ruler's daughter or something. ‘Beloved’—an Evil God wouldn't favor me just for stopping Its advent, right? It must be because she saw me making her kid happy that I got this status.”

“…”

“If not a daughter, then a granddaughter. It's mythology, right? They're always giving birth and making a big family. The Evil God itself wouldn't be bored enough to come sketch on a cruise ship.”

Ah Jiu was silent for a full five seconds before sighing. “That makes a lot of sense.”

So, now there was a very important question…

Should she tell Yue Du that most deities in the Deep Darkness Pantheon possessed a varying number of avatars, and that Greed itself could split off a theoretically infinite number of alt accounts that all shared the same consciousness?

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