Shrouded Seascape

Anna was definitely in a disadvantageous position. The prowess that she had painstakingly accumulated over many months had been wiped out in one fell swoop.

She no longer had anyone else except for the soon-to-be nine-year-old Gao Zhiming. She managed to escape by faking her death and removing herself from the IMF's hit list, but the IMF had shadows everywhere.

Anna knew that it was only a matter of time until they learned that she had somehow come back to life.

She had to become strong enough before then, or she would be pushed into a dead-end once again. At this point, both sides had long rushed past the point of no return, so there would no longer be any compromises.

There was no way Anna would resort to seeking outside help again. If even someone like the Shattered God—the IMF's nemesis—could stab her in the back, then she could trust no one in this world.

Anna's fingers danced rapidly across the keyboard as she opened a map of the world. Her gaze landed on the waters of the Indian Ocean. If she wanted to bring others under Fhtagn's influence, then she had to return to these waters.

Anna's eyes narrowed, and many things went through her head as she stared at the vast expanse of blue. The only ones she could trust on the surface were the Fhtagnists. They were the most honest individuals in her eyes, and they would always obey her.

Having learned about the IMF's existence, Anna wouldn't repeat the same mistake of sailing over to the Indian Ocean in a grandiose manner to hold the conversion ritual.

Anna believed that this was probably her one and only chance to turn the tables.

Upon recruiting some people, Anna planned on sorting them out over and over again, and she couldn't recruit as many people as before; the more people on her side, the greater the risk of getting discovered by the IMF.

***

A beam of white light was shuttling across the lightless the Subterranean Sea. The streak of white light was none other than Lily, and her goal was to return to that plane.

Lily had been flying for a very long time, and she was utterly exhausted.

Upon deciding that she would return to that plane, Lily immediately set off from Hope Island. However, she belatedly realized that the island where the V12 Containment Site was located had somehow disappeared.

Lily instantly deduced that it was most likely the handiwork of this plane's Mr. Charles. She had to seek this plane's Mr. Charles to return to that plane. Thus, Lily had been scouring the Subterranean Sea for any news about a "living" island.

Unfortunately, the task was easier said than done. Lily had been searching for quite a while now without any luck. Clearly, Charles didn't want others to know his location.

The long search left Lily physically and mentally exhausted. She was powerful, but she wasn't completely safe. In fact, no one could claim to be completely safe from the dangers of the vast seascape.

Yesterday, a brief encounter with a Divinity gave Lily a grim reminder of the fact that she could be in danger despite her power.

The Divinity was in the form of a volcano—a colossal volcano hanging upside-down from the rock layer overhead. Despite being a massive landform, it was wriggling like a giant spider.

The volcano's crater spat green flames that fell like rain onto the sea. The green flames were so hot that they boiled the seawater upon impact, killing all marine life nearby.

As far as Lily was concerned, she was extremely far away from the Divinity, but she was absolutely certain that those green flames were staring at her.

Soon, Lily spotted an island that resembled an egg, and the sight of it made Lily relax instantly. She suppressed the light coming from her figure and descended slowly onto the island.

Lily swept her gaze across the Gothic-style buildings as well as the bats flying overhead as if they were flocks of birds.

Lily soon realized that she had been here with Mr. Charles nearly ten years ago.

This was the island of those vampires—Dark Crystal Island. Back then, Mr. Charles had discovered clues about the surface world on this island.

The current Lily was worlds apart from the former Lily. She shrugged off the unfriendly gazes and walked away. At the moment, she wanted nothing more than to have a good meal and get a good night's sleep.

The restaurants on Dark Crystal Island served human food.

Lily sat in front of a table and ate with relish. Her meal for today consisted of the island's specialty dishes—grilled blood sausage and black waffles.

While eating, Lily discovered that she wasn't the only human in the restaurant. A group of people emanating the scent of the sea were eating and chatting among themselves.

"Go back to the ship immediately after buying a few bottles of booze. We're going to drink those booze on the ship, so you fuckers better not wander around this island," a captain with half of his face covered in tattoos said to his subordinates.

"Are you kidding me, Captain? We've been at sea for over a month; can't you let us have a bit of fun now that we've docked?"

"You guys want to die here? Do you not have any idea what kind of place this is? Have you forgotten what I said before we docked here? Those aren't just empty words."

"I know, but didn't they say that we've reconciled with these vampires after they helped us explore the surface world?"

"Fuck! You actually believe the official announcement of the big shots? Anyway, don't forget that we're on their turf. We're also food in their eyes. I mean, just think about it—would you coexist peacefully with a delicious piece of toasted bread?

"There are so many of those bastards even in the harbor district occupied by humans, and do you really think that those vampires will strictly abide by the agreement like good people? If you dare stay out for the night, then don't bother coming back.

"And don't expect me to look for you, either!"

The grave words of their captain made the crew members go silent. Eventually, they all nodded, expressing that they understood and would obey the captain's instructions.

Lily couldn't help but feel a sense of camaraderie toward them. Back then, she and Charles were like them, and they were on a ship full of crew members whom she treated like family.

However, Lily soon realized that they were different from her former self. These people were human traffickers, and they specialized in selling people to Dark Crystal Island. Of course, there was no need to mention why Dark Crystal Island was purchasing human beings from these traffickers.

Lily was stupefied to learn that the governor of the island had authorized the deal, making it a legitimate business transaction.

The Subterranean Sea had a myriad of islands. Due to the unique personalities of their governors, the laws of each island varied, and each had its own share of bizarre laws. Naturally, there were islands where slavery was legal.

As the group left, Lily quietly memorized their route. If possible, she would make a move and save the poor people they had captured.

First things first, she needed a good rest. She was so exhausted from the frantic flying over the past few days that she felt like she would collapse at any moment now.

While Lily was observing those around her, she had no idea that she was being observed as well. A tall man was gazing greedily at Lily's fair neck through a blood-red goblet.

Lily used some of the gold and jewelry that her mother had given to her to get a room at an inn. After making sure that the door and the windows were locked, Lily sprawled out on the bed and began pondering about how she would explain her decision to Mr. Charles.

Eventually, she unknowingly drifted to dreamland. A few minutes later, the supposedly locked door was quietly opened, and the tall man from earlier in the restaurant walked in with elegant steps and a goblet in hand.

A wicked smile tugged at the tall man's lips upon seeing the sleeping young woman on the bed. He placed down the goblet on the bedside table and reached out to embrace the young woman.

The next second, an agonized scream tore through the air, rousing Lily from her sleep.

The half-asleep Lily looked around and found that the room was covered in a thin layer of gray dust for some reason. "Huh? How come it's suddenly dirty in here?"

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