Survival on the Internet: A Bizarre Start at Sea

"I'm not too surprised that you know I come from outside."

Su Zhisu said calmly, looking directly into Nautilus's deep eyes.

"Just as I know you don't belong to this world either."

He raised his arm, revealing a gray-blue mark.

"Before such a great being as you, lies are meaningless; this mark constantly reminds us of our connection."

Nautilus' massive body leaned slightly forward, and the water around him formed tiny eddies.

"Go on."

"I came into this world for no other purpose than to do so," Su Zhisu said frankly.

"Just to survive, and at the same time, to become as strong as possible."

"I came to Atlantis because I encountered the giant tortoise Agasa. As for Hydeland..."

He paused for a moment, then said, "My journey wasn't urgent, so I just stopped by."

"On the way?"

Nautilus's voice echoed with the deep sea, and the giant anchor gently tapped the ground, causing the water in the entire space to ripple.

"Yes, it's on the way." Su Zhisu did not avoid the scrutinizing gaze.

"Then, may I ask if I can learn alchemy in Atlantis?"

"If possible, I would also like to learn more about Hedland."

Nautilus was silent for a moment, and the whole room fell into an eerie stillness.

Finally, he nodded slowly.

"Hydeland's delegation will arrive in Atlantis in two weeks for the Sea Moon Festival. After the festival, you can travel with them to Hydeland."

The giant anchor rose, pointing towards the corner of the room.

"As for alchemy, Atlantis welcomes all sincere seekers of knowledge, regardless of where they come from."

It swung its massive anchor, its deep voice echoing through the room: "Lilia, come in."

Lilia stepped into the room respectfully, her long seaweed dress swaying gently in the water.

"Dean."

"Take this contractor to the temple to complete the enrollment procedures."

Nautilus's voice began to fade into the distance, and his figure gradually became transparent on the throne.

"As my contractor, he is qualified to study in Atlantis."

As Lilia left the Deepsea Forging Institute, she explained softly.

"As Lord Nautilus's contractor, you will be granted the status of 'exchange student'."

"This means you are free to choose which academy to study at and can leave Atlantis at any time without restrictions."

She opened the brass book at her waist to show Su Zhisu the introduction of exchange students.

"This is a very rare privilege."

The temple gradually enlarged before our eyes, and the three stars, like three giant eyeballs, floated silently atop the temple.

The temple's ground floor is a magnificent arched hall with walls made of flowing alchemical runes.

Lilia led Su Zhisu to a water curtain, on which the vortex symbol of the Deep Sea Forging Institute appeared.

"My lord, please place your hand on the water curtain to verify your identity as a great being—a contractor of the Deep Sea Titan."

Su Zhisu did as instructed. The moment the gray-blue brand on the back of his hand came into contact with the water screen, the water screen lit up, revealing his identity information:

[Identity Verification]

Name: Su Zhisu

Identity: Messenger of the Great Being - Deep Sea Titan

Access: Exchange and study

Validity period: Unlimited

Note: Students are free to choose their college.

After the formalities were completed, Lilia led Su Zhisu to the testing hall on the first floor of the temple.

The moment the hall door opened, Su Zhisu felt as if he had stepped into the depths of the universe.

Above me was an endless starry sky, and beneath my feet was a transparent void, with starlight twinkling all around.

"This is the Starry Sky Testing Hall," Lilia explained.

"Established jointly by the Principal and the great beings."

"This starry sky can purify unnecessary pollution and also reflect the alchemical path that is most suitable for each person."

She pointed to the center: "My lord, please go to the center of the starry sky, close your eyes, and sense it. There is no need to search deliberately; let your instincts guide you."

Su Zhisu followed the instructions and went to the center, closing her eyes.

At first there was only darkness, then starlight appeared in his consciousness.

Gradually, a silver star became exceptionally bright, shaped like a delicate key.

The instant he sensed it, a notification appeared on the network:

[Network Notification]: The Silver Key has been detected. Do you wish to connect to the Great Being - Yog Sothoth?

Su Zhisu did not make a decision immediately.

He checked his personal panel for his talents: [Yearning for True Freedom] and [My Heart Will Go On]

[Yearning for True Freedom]: Your soul yearns for true freedom.

[Free Will]: Your resistance to negative effects gains a fixed bonus of 30 points. Your resistance to negative effects is now calculated as 1d100. Each time you successfully resist a negative effect, you receive a random reward based on the resistance's effectiveness.

[A Soul That Is Good at Discovering]: You can notice some hidden information.

【My Heart Will Never Change】: Changes in your rationality attribute will not affect your consciousness. Your consciousness is like a reef in the deep sea, unmoved by any storm.

His desire for true freedom and his unwavering resolve gave him the confidence to face the bubbles; otherwise, he didn't want to be turned into an idiot by the shock.

I wonder if that headmaster knows that the Silver Key is here?

Standing under the starry sky, this thought inexplicably came to Su Zhixu's mind.

The Silver Key, also known as the Key to the Gate, is the gate to the Great One Who Unifies All Things—Yog Sothoth.

Yog Sothoth is regarded as the ruler of spacetime and the unifier of all things, and his true form is located outside all multidimensional universes.

Possessing infinite wisdom, all great wizards, artists, and thinkers are projections of him in different dimensions.

Sometimes, those who pass through the ultimate gate to meet him receive his knowledge.

But these people are often overwhelmed by knowledge from all times and spaces, turning them into idiots.

Thinking about his talent, Su Zhisu felt a little more confident.

"Connection approved," Su Zhixu responded in his mind.

The silver key spun in his mind, and an indescribable torrent of knowledge surged into his brain.

There was no shock, no madness, no collapse, only pure information—about the door, about the key, about the mystery of infinite space and time.

This connection lasted for an unknown period of time, until Su Zhisu felt the gray-blue brand on the back of his hand suddenly become hot, as if it were warning him of something.

The connection was lost.

Su Zhisu opened her eyes and found herself still standing in the center of the starry sky, but the starlight around her seemed brighter than before.

Lilia stood not far away, looking somewhat surprised: "You... sensed something? Usually, newcomers only see the stars representing their school of thought; very few people can elicit such a reaction from the cosmos."

Su Zhisu shook his head, not mentioning the Silver Key: "It was just some blurry images. I seemed to have experienced something, yet I also seemed to have experienced nothing."

Lilia nodded without asking any further questions.

"This is normal. Atlantis respects your privacy, and we would appreciate it if you could inform us of the test results later."

"Now, I will take you to arrange your accommodations. As the contractor of the Deep Sea Titan, you will enjoy a single dormitory room in the academy."

As Su Zhixu left the testing hall, she took one last look back at the starry sky.

The image of the silver key still flickered in his mind, and the warmth of the brand on the back of his hand had not yet faded.

The secrets of Atlantis seemed to be more profound than he had imagined.