Chapter 117 Deeper

As they ventured deeper into the interior of "Sanctuary Island," the surroundings grew increasingly quiet. There was no wind, no sound of birds or streams—an unnatural stillness gathered in the mist, hanging over the group.

This extreme silence brought with it a greater unease. With all the sounds of nature gone, the idea that "this island is alive" began to take hold. Shirley felt as though eyes were on her in the mist, as if the island was observing and scrutinizing the intruders. The mist, slowly drifting around the group, seemed to take on a "watcher's" quality.

The group continued to delve deeper, heading towards the "excavation site" that had appeared in Shirley's mind.

After leaving the port area, a narrow path led to the center of the island, seemingly carved out long ago by the island's cultists. It lay between two dark, rocky walls, with no signposts. Here and there along the path, where the walls connected to the ground, strange, crystal-like black stones could be seen.

Duncan's gaze was drawn to the black "stone clusters." They were common on the island. The cliffs on the western side were almost entirely covered in these clusters, some much larger than the ones here. They jutted out of the earth and walls like some bizarre form of "plant," and Duncan was curious about how they had formed.

Even with Maurice's extensive knowledge, there seemed to be no purely geological explanation for the "stone clusters." But considering that the entire island was, as Shirley said, "alive," the presence of strange things was perhaps not so surprising.

Perhaps these oddly shaped stones really did "grow" out of the island, like… some ancient god's secretions.

Under Amber's direction, several marines carefully collected samples of the "stone clusters" and scraped dark, powdery substances from the nearby rocks. They carefully stored these "Sanctuary Island samples" in blessed metal cylinders, which were kept separately by several members of the group.

They had been doing similar things along the way, and were working together smoothly, barely slowing the group's progress. Clearly, it wasn't the first time they'd done this.

"All 'border samples' may be useful. Some have incredible practical properties, and others can help us unlock the secrets of the world and increase our understanding of transcendental powers," Amber explained to Duncan. "Many people think the 'border' is a place where there is nothing, just mist and seawater. But in fact… entities often appear in the mist, and we deal with nearly a dozen 'entity incidents' every year…"

She paused slightly, then added, "Ms. Lucretia should be very aware of this—she often cooperates with the church in the field of border exploration…"

"I've heard her mention it," Duncan said calmly. "She said it's the main source of funding for the *Glorious Star's* activities on the border. The Academy of Truth is the most generous when buying border samples, and the Torchbearers are always the slowest to pay. The Deep Sea Church has a good reputation for transactions in this area, but their 'acceptance' standards are very strict. The review and registration process sometimes takes even longer than the Torchbearers."

Amber looked slightly embarrassed. "...Not every church is as rich as the Academy of Truth. They could buy a dozen city-states with the technology transfer from their steam core reactors alone, but we also have to consider our annual budget."

Duncan: "...That's a very practical reason."

"Do you guys think… it feels colder than before?" Shirley suddenly broke the silence. She hugged herself and muttered, "I feel like there's a wind blowing, and my arms are freezing…"

"Cold?" Vanna frowned. "I don't feel that… but the fog is indeed a bit thicker than before, and it's getting harder to see the road ahead… Hmm?"

Vanna suddenly stopped, staring at Shirley's arm. "Shirley, the chain on your arm…"

Shirley was stunned for a moment, then raised her arm, confused. "Huh? What's wrong with the chain?"

The clatter of iron chains echoed in the mist as the black thorn chain connected her arm to A Gou's (dog) spine, as usual.

Vanna frowned, examining the black iron chain on Shirley's arm carefully. Hesitantly, she shook her head. "...It's back to normal… but just now, I thought I saw the chain on your arm was broken."

"Ah?!" Shirley's eyes widened instantly, her tone a little flustered. "Hey… don't scare me! Did you really see it?!"

As she spoke, she quickly raised her arm, grabbed the chain, and pulled A Gou (dog) in front of her, hugging its big head. "A Gou (dog), did you feel anything?"

"No…" A Gou (dog) was also flustered by Vanna's words. "You must have seen wrong…"

Vanna still frowned. Of course, she knew that what she had glimpsed a moment ago was incredible, but the professional qualities of an Inquisitor still made her quickly become vigilant. "Shirley, A Gou (dog), do you really not feel anything unusual?"

Shirley and A Gou (dog) said in unison, "I don't feel anything."

"Let me check." Duncan strode over, grabbed the black iron chain between Shirley and A Gou (dog), and examined it carefully.

Shirley watched this nervously. After a while, she mustered her courage and asked, "Is… is there anything wrong?"

A wisp of ghostly green flame flowed from Duncan's fingertips, seeping into the gaps in the iron chain like water. After a long time, he gently shook his head. "I can't see anything."

"What would happen if the chain broke?" Even Alice reacted at this moment, asking nervously.

"I don't know… if the chains of those Annihilation cultists and contract demons break, they usually die directly. Both the human and the demon can't survive, but my situation with A Gou (dog) is different…" Shirley said in a panic, obviously a little scared. "And normally, this chain can't break. It's very strong… how could it break…"

Duncan suddenly reached out and patted Shirley on the shoulder.

Shirley trembled and looked up, looking at the captain uneasily.

"Back to the ship," Duncan said to her.

Noticing that she was a little dazed, Duncan continued, "Something's not right. As a precaution, I think you should go back to the *Unsetting Sun*. You can't go any further into this island."

Shirley finally reacted. She nodded hesitantly, but then A Gou (dog) suddenly stood up. Unusually, it did not obey the captain's arrangement. "No, Captain, I think… Shirley and I had better stay with you on the island."

Duncan frowned. "Why?"

A Gou (dog) hesitated, then spoke as if it had made up its mind. "First of all, returning to the *Unsetting Sun* at this time may not be safer than staying by your side."

Duncan didn't speak, but gestured with his eyes for A Gou (dog) to continue.

"Secondly… I'm worried that even if we leave Sanctuary Island now, it won't work," A Gou (dog) organized its words and continued. "I don't think Miss Vanna 'saw wrong,' especially in this environment, even if you really see something wrong, you have to treat it as real… the situation may really be wrong. Shirley was obviously affected by this Sanctuary Island when we were in the square, and saw many things she shouldn't have seen…"

"In my experience, simply choosing to leave the scene after this happens will not solve the problem. Instead, it may uncontrollably erupt into a bigger problem after a while. Pollution is like a shadow, and it will grow in avoidance, and the way to completely solve the problem is often hidden at the source."

Shirley understood what A Gou (dog) meant, and looked nervously at the mist at the end of the road. "You mean… we're still going in?"

"We have to move forward. If we don't figure out what's going on on this island, and if we don't figure out what's wrong with the chain between you and me, I won't feel at ease," A Gou (dog) said in a deep voice. "And… like I said just now, it's probably not safe to return to the *Unsetting Sun* at this time."

Shirley opened her mouth, as if wanting to say something, but she suddenly heard A Gou's (dog) voice directly into her mind through the symbiotic chain—

"Shirley, stay with the captain—trust my judgment, it's safer by his side, even if you have to go to the subspace with him."

Shirley turned her head and saw A Gou (dog) was looking at her quietly, its blood-red light flickering in its hollow bone eye sockets.

A Gou (dog) seemed to have a premonition.

As an abyssal demon, it occasionally has some inexplicable premonitions.

A Gou (dog) is often unable to explain the specific content of this premonition, but Shirley has always unconditionally believed its judgment.

So she slowly nodded. "Okay, then let's continue to go deeper."

"Are you sure?" Duncan looked at Shirley very seriously. "Going deeper, there may be unpredictable situations."

Certain, the danger of the environment is relative, and the safety by the captain's side is absolute.

For some reason, a sentence suddenly flashed in Shirley's mind—not words transmitted by A Gou (dog) through mental connection, but more like a judgment that suddenly appeared in her own mind.

She was in a daze for a moment, then nodded again. "I'm sure, I feel like I'm in good condition."

"...Okay," Duncan confirmed that Shirley's attitude was firm, and withdrew his gaze, but then he reached out and pressed the head of this girl who was too thin and short because of malnutrition in her childhood, and reminded her very seriously, "Stay by my side, stay close."

"Okay!"

(End of this chapter)