Chapter 2104: Ecological Balance
Emerging from the Albatross Retreat, we now had a large trailer following us. The Tide Lord had personally opened a ship’s gate for us to leave and escorted us for a considerable distance before turning back.
We walked ahead, with the trailer trailing behind us on its own. Lorna had possessed the trailer, allowing it to move and follow us. This could be considered a form of haunting.
“How was it? Older Brother Jayad, I got the most crucial intelligence right away~” I happily looked at Older Brother Jayad, as if seeking praise.
“Yes, Parul is amazing. Now we at least know what that Deep Sea Church is,” Older Brother Jayad patted my head, and I comfortably narrowed my eyes and nuzzled him.
“A church that is highly mutated and aims to spread corruption worldwide. Even cults are generally not this extreme,” Illyret remarked with astonishment.
She had been listening nearby and likely understood that we had encountered such a church. For a Priestess who believed in both the Lady of the Lake and the Sea God, and whose doctrines were quite normal, the Deep Sea Church’s depraved practices seemed like something that should be directly purged.
Unfortunately, her standing within the Lady of the Lake Church was not high, and the Lady of the Lake’s followers were not skilled in naval combat. The Albatross Retreat was not a military organization, and to warn other Mannan believers, she would have to travel to a larger, more formal church.
“I apologize for earlier. Thank you for telling us the title. I never imagined that merely uttering the title could cause divine power erosion,” Jayad apologized to Illyret.
“It’s quite alright. I was prepared for this minor issue. We often mention the titles during our prayers, so the titles are closely linked to the gods. It’s hardly the same as directly calling out a god’s name,” Illyret replied.
Indeed, although titles were used to avoid directly naming deities and were usually based on a god’s characteristics or domain, they still indirectly referred to the gods. This was not a divine punishment for Illyret; if it were, she would already be dead, and even we standing beside her wouldn’t have survived.
She had simply received a trace of divine power when invoking the title, possibly a trace from each of three deities, causing a conflict of divine powers within her body and leading to mutation. This was akin to prayer, where by beseeching the gods, divine power was bestowed upon mortals. I suspected that the Deep Sea Church simultaneously worshipped three Evil Gods and, unable to control it, had mutated themselves.
Regardless, if they were all highly mutated, it meant that church was likely filled with individuals devoid of reason. Their goal of spreading corruption worldwide was clear evidence of their madness.
Now I understood: corruption was an excessive influence of magic power on the environment, transforming the surroundings into a state that reflected the characteristics of that magic. While in a small area, the corrupted environment might feel comfortable to believers, if it spread, it would undoubtedly be a disaster, regardless of the type of corruption.
For instance, undead corruption made undead feel comfortable, but an undead-corrupted environment was unsuitable for living beings. Once all living beings disappeared and no life remained, the undead would lose their sustenance. Similarly, the Tree of Life could fill the surroundings with life energy, purifying the environment, ensuring abundant water, fresh air, and lush trees—an environment favored by elves. However, if magic power became excessive, elves could also undergo petrification or even turn into trees.
Therefore, any organization with a heritage and history understood the concept of extremes leading to their opposite. When I proposed reducing the frequency of activities and controlling the degree of corruption at the Church of Gluttony, no one objected because they understood that if gluttony spread unchecked, all food would be consumed, leading only to mutual devouring.
The world’s wonder stemmed from the diversity of its creatures. Various beings collectively formed nature. If the Deep Sea Church succeeded in spreading corruption worldwide, the ecosystem would collapse, and it had to be stopped.
In this regard, the King in Yellow’s divine revelation was surprisingly sensible. I had previously worried that this deity, considered an Evil God by mainstream society, would issue an incredibly wicked revelation, which would have made things difficult for Older Brother Jayad if it involved harming innocent good people. Now, it seemed Older Brother Jayad was merely tasked with killing a group of madmen, which was simple, and there was no psychological burden to act.
As we walked, Illyret suddenly asked, “By the way, have you encountered the Deep Sea Church before? Do you know their whereabouts?”
“Ah, this…” Older Brother Jayad was momentarily stumped. He instinctively felt he should keep this information hidden since it was related to his divine revelation from the King in Yellow. However, Illyret had risked corruption to reveal the title and endured great pain. It felt wrong not to tell her. Moreover, Illyret had more knowledge about the Deep Sea Church than we did, and perhaps communicating with her was the priority.
| and | exchanged a look, deciding that it was okay to tell her as it wasn’t a secret. So Older Brother Jayad spoke, “Near the Madeira Islands, there have been signs of their activity.”
Older Brother Jayad ultimately did not directly mention Atos Island to avoid interfering with the overall mission. As a Priestess of the Sea God, Illyret would be familiar with the locations of surrounding islands. Naming it directly might lead her to investigate, potentially alerting the Deep Sea Church.
“Near the Madeira Islands? That might align with my suspicions,” Illyret said with a grave expression.
“What suspicions?” I asked, realizing there was an unexpected gain.
“I mentioned before that the Red Abyss Giant Demon is a creature that lives in the Atlantic Ocean and prefers the deep sea. Logically, it shouldn’t appear in the Mediterranean Sea,” Illyret stated.
“You mean, you suspect that the Atlantic side has been polluted by the Deep Sea Church, and the Red Abyss Giant Demon, finding its habitat unlivable, relocated?” I immediately understood her implication.
“Exactly. I will report this to the Sea God Church, and they will investigate the situation,” Illyret replied.
By this time, we had reached the cruise ship, and it was time to part ways. Older Brother Jayad bid her farewell, “Thank you for your help today, Illyret. I may need to consult you again in the future regarding the Deep Sea Church.”
“No need for thanks. As long as you are willing to believe in the Lady of the Lake, I will tell you anything you wish to know,” Illyret replied.
Older Brother Jayad stiffened slightly, nearly forgetting her primary objective. He could only respond, “Okay, I will seriously consider it.”
“I look forward to your reply,” Illyret glanced at me before turning and departing.
