Chapter 84: Deep Sea Confinement 09

Chapter 84: Deep Sea Confinement 09

Pei Yi said, "This place is less like a labyrinth and more like railway tracks. Continuous tracks, with the train forever moving forward, unable to go forward or back. It can go on endlessly. Let's try making it stop."

Lu Zai Chuan frowned, "You mean, as long as we keep walking, this hole will keep going, until we die."

"What happens when people are in despair? Doesn’t this bottomless pit resemble the sunk cost fallacy we often talk about? Because we've come so far, we can't give up now, so we just keep going. All the time and effort spent, knowing it's irretrievable, yet still persisting. —It's like an investment, being too precise isn't good. Better to just stop on the spot."

After listening, Lu Zai Chuan realized, yes, the reason this bottomless pit felt so daunting was that he was a person who calculated everything precisely. He couldn’t bear to give up, so he kept going down, but the result was increasing panic.

Better to stop and see, after all, sometimes, breaking leads to establishment, and establishment leads to breaking.

But then the question arose: how to stop?

Pei Yi looked at the rock wall. "You mentioned oxygen on the wall." After saying this, he looked at Lu Zai Chuan, who returned the gaze. Bubbles signified oxygen, and oxygen signified life.

"This mysterious track, what do you think sustains its existence?"

By now, Lu Zai Chuan also understood Pei Yi's point. This path evolved as they continued descending. From the beginning, they were the creators of this track.

They were the ones to either perpetuate or end this bottomless pit.

"Since it was my idea, I'll try breaking it first," said Pei Yi. "You follow."

If the tunnel was their creation, it would cease to exist as soon as they were harmed.

Pei Yi took a few steps back, took a deep breath, and charged forward. Due to the immense pressure underwater, his impact was not strong, nor did he feel any pain. After several attempts, something miraculous happened. Pei Yi passed right through the rock wall, with Lu Zai Chuan following close behind.

What appeared before them was a vast temple. They had made it out.

[Resolved 4 out of 5 supernatural events in the palace.]

They exchanged smiles, realizing that sometimes people can get stuck in a dead-end, falling into an abyss of despair. The bottomless pit they just escaped was such a dead-end, and right next to it was paradise.

Lu Zai Chuan said, "Thanks."

Pei Yi responded, "Remember to buy me a meal."

Lu Zai Chuan was taken aback, then smiled, "Sure. Brother Pei."

Pei Yi glanced back at him, finally acknowledging his sensibility.

Swimming forward for a while, they saw countless towering columns, the water flowing quietly between them.

Coiled around these massive columns was a gigantic snake. Its scales were probably the size of a person. Pei Yi and Lu Zai Chuan, in its presence, seemed as tiny and insignificant as ants.

When they entered, the snake was already moving, but due to its enormous size, there was a delay before its head turned down to speak to them.

They watched as the colossal snake lowered itself, its eyes red, and it spoke in a low voice:

"Answer one question correctly, and you may leave; answer incorrectly, and one of your lives will be forfeited."

Pei Yi & Lu Zai Chuan: "..." Both couldn't help thinking: How cliché. Can't it come up with something more original? Does its intimidating size justify such a mundane challenge? This is beyond human comprehension.

Lu Zai Chuan said, "Please, ask."

"Where do you come from? Where are you going, and what do you seek to accomplish?"

That question seemed too simple. They came from reality, aimed for the exit, sought to save someone, and complete the game level.

But was that the right answer?

Its thick tail swung like a pillar. Just moments ago, they had mistaken it for a colossal supporting column.

Lu Zai Chuan replied, "We come from Sok City, seeking the Sleeping Lord, intending to fulfill His will and open the stone doors guarding Krusu."

Pei Yi: "..." What on earth is he talking about?

The giant snake said, "You sly boy, too opportunistic! But you've passed the test. Now, I want to hear your answer," turning its head towards Pei Yi.

Pei Yi, startled, thought: What's with the gods in this game always asking questions? Since we've already passed, I'll just say anything.

"I come from rebirth, my destination is death, and before I die, I wish to experience love. Better to die than live without love."

"Hahaha..." The giant snake, flicking its tongue, laughed, "You truly are an interesting fellow, Pei Yi. Do you believe in the God Krusu?"

"If I say no, will you still let me pass?"

"Yes."

"Then no, I don't believe."

"Why?" The giant snake moved slowly, like a dragon swinging its tail, resembling a huge dragon. "We are so powerful."

"God loves mankind, yet does not save mankind. I only believe in myself, especially since God does not love mankind."

"Hahaha..." As soon as Pei Yi finished speaking, the colossal body slowly moved and coiled itself back around its pillar, revealing a tiny stone door at its base.

The two entered through the stone door and arrived at a sanctuary.

Pei Yi asked, "What did you mean just now? What's this Krusu?"

"Krusu is an ancient god, the God of Slumber, introduced by an American writer born in Sok City. Followers of Krusu yearn to awaken the colossal being sleeping in the deep sea, to open the stone doors that confine it, and that day would mark its return to the world of men."

Pei Yi: "…So, have we opened the stone door, and it's about to return to the world?"

Lu Zai Chuan said, "You could say that, or maybe not, because look—" he pointed ahead.

Before them lay an abandoned underground mausoleum, surrounded by animal-shaped stone statues and ceiling murals, with a golden coffin at the forefront.

Viewing the murals wasn't too strenuous underwater; a slight kick of their feet brought them closer. They decided to examine the murals first before opening the coffin.

But upon closer inspection, each painting was very strange.

One painting depicted numerous hands extending from the darkness.

The second showed many small figures, densely packed, some with raised hands and splayed feet as if dancing.

The third featured four people; two carried palace lanterns, followed by two children with suonas in their mouths, and one carried a large flag.

The last one was the most terrifying, depicting a dark creature with three horns on its head, eyes represented by two circles, and a mouth drawn high up, blood-red, as if smiling. Most importantly, it was flying in the sky.

Lu Zai Chuan said, "The first and second paintings, I somewhat understand. They correspond to the events on the ghost ship. To survive, they chose sacrifice, which brought something evil. After the ritual, everyone was buried at sea. The third painting seems to depict a wedding, look at the children as drummers, the flags, gongs, umbrellas, lanterns. Although not all elements are there, you can still make it out.

As for the fourth painting…"

"It's that demonic fish," said Pei Yi. "But why a wedding? We're collecting eight Hearts of the Ocean for the Deep Sea Queen's wedding, to present them to the queen."

Lu Zai Chuan shook his head, indicating he was also at a loss.

The two set their gaze on the coffin, hesitant to open it. Previously, Pei Yi had tried and nearly got carried away. Who knew what would happen this time?

"Shall we open it?" Pei Yi asked.

Lu Zai Chuan said, "I have some ideas, not many, but let's open it first."

After a brief discussion, they positioned themselves on either side of the coffin and together pushed the lid open. Inside lay a female corpse dressed in a bright red gown,

Precisely speaking, a bride. Her skin was pale, terrifyingly white—accentuated by the red dress. She wore an elaborate bridal headpiece covering her face, revealing only a hint of her lips.

The most terrifying part was her nails, extremely long and painted a vivid red, contrasting starkly with her deathly pale hands.

Her eyes were closed, her expression stern. The headpiece revealed only a small part of her face, but even this glimpse was menacing. Her frightening visage left no room for jest, only a chilling fear.

Hidden in such deep seas, a bride in red, unaffected by the water.

Lu Zai Chuan looked at the corpse, then at the murals on the wall, and swam back, slowly saying, "I know why they had to wed. Frequent accidents in this sea led the locals to sacrifice many innocents. But I think that wasn’t enough. As accidents continued, they resorted to the most foolish and sinister solution."

"Marry the River God," Pei Yi said.

Lu Zai Chuan chuckled lightly, "Countless girls dressed as brides were thrown into the sea. But before they could be sacrificed, that black monster came and snatched the brides away while flying in the sky. Do you think Sally was also one of the victims?"

"That's possible," Pei Yi sneered coldly. "So-called gods are nothing but man-eating monsters. —So why is the Krusu serpent guarding this place? To protect?"

Lu Zai Chuan frowned, speaking seriously, "Maybe not to protect, but to prevent. Like the cursed snowy mountain, this is a cursed sea. —We might have unleashed something terrible."

Pei Yi's expression turned grave as they turned back to look at the female corpse,

Not sure if it was their imagination, but her nails seemed longer, and the color was even more vividly red. Her face, too, with its red and white hues, became more lifelike, as if she would come to life at any moment.