Survival on the Internet: A Bizarre Start at Sea

The Star Dream Academy floats directly beneath the three stars of the Holy Temple, shaped like a teardrop enveloped in starlight.

The next day, when Su Zhisu stepped through the door, the floor beneath her feet was made up of shattered fragments of a dream.

Walking on it, every piece reflected a death he had never experienced.

Some were swallowed by the white mist, some were parasitized by the Weeping Bone Vine, and some sank into the endless deep sea, the brand on the back of their hands peeling away inch by inch.

"You're here!"

A clear, childlike voice came from above.

Cthulhu sat on a throne woven from solidified nightmares, his green hair cascading down to his waist, his bare feet dangling, tiny silver bells adorning his ankles.

She held a translucent jellyfish in her arms, its tentacles entwined around a miniature Atlantis, where a giant shadow seemed to be turning over.

"Sit." She patted the empty seat next to the throne, a seat pieced together from countless fragments of spacetime, its edges constantly collapsing and reforming, each collapse accompanied by the wails of countless souls.

The burning pain from the gray-blue brand on the back of his hand intensified, as if a deep-sea titan was warning him to stay away from this place.

Su Zhisu did not take any action.

He had a vague feeling that the entire Star Dream Palace was not a building, but a living dream organ that was greedily sucking the rationality of its visitors.

However, no notification came from the integrated network.

"Afraid I'll eat you?" Cthulhu chuckled, the jellyfish in his arms its eyes darting around, staring intently at Su Zhisu.

"But you've already touched the key to the door... The scent of Yog-Sothoth still lingers in your soul, as refreshing as a mint."

She suddenly floated in front of him, hovering in mid-air, her green eyes reflecting a swirling array of stars and a sunken megacity.

"Don't you know? Any Great Old One who has ever touched the Silver Key can sense the traces left on you. ~"

She lightly touched his brow with her fingertip, a chill running down his spine. "After all, that Starry Sky Testing Hall... also has my eyes on it."

Before he could finish speaking, the hall door burst open with a bang.

Hydra's nine braids danced wildly like angry snakes, her scale-like dress shimmered with blood, and her fingertips and whiskers were taut like blades: "Lord Cthulhu! He is my student! A Purifying apprentice from the House of Life's Nest! Do not harm him!"

"Oh?" Cthulhu tilted his head, his smile innocent and naive, yet it caused the temperature in the entire space to plummet.

"But I remember I just cut the Life Nest Institute's budget by 30% last week. What, you want to cut it by another half?"

Hydra froze, his golden eyes contracting sharply.

She let out a suppressed whimper, slowly kneeling on one knee, her voice barely audible: "...My lord."

"Good girl." Cthulhu gently stroked one of her braids and turned to Su Zhisu.

"Your purification ability is unique; it belongs to the entirety of Atlantis."

She handed over an amber crystal, inside which was sealed a wisp of dark red mist shaped like twisted tentacles, within which countless faces seemed to be struggling.

"On the night of the Sea Moon Festival, it was placed on the ground floor of the temple."

Su Zhisu took the crystal, but due to the obstruction of the surface crystal, the integrated network did not display any prompts.

He suppressed the urge to investigate and only asked, "Why do you want me to do this?"

"Because you are special~, your flames~, your mist~, every breath you exude, utterly captivates me~ Heh~ Heh~"

Cthulhu pointed his fingertip at his heart, where it was faintly burning.

"And... the Deep Sea Titan is too nervous. It always thinks I'm going to steal its toys."

She blinked, her silvery eyes tinkling softly. "Don't tell it, okay? Let's keep it a little secret between us~"

Hydra abruptly looked up: "My lord! The lower levels of the temple require the principal's authority, but he—"

"Shut up," Cthulhu said softly.

Hydra let out a painful whimper, its nine braids hanging down to the ground, its golden vertical pupils dimming like extinguished candle flames.

Su Zhisu remained silent for a moment before putting the amber into his pocket.

Cthulhu smiled with satisfaction and waved his hand, summoning a fragment of a dream: "As a reward, take a look at this."

The fragments revealed a scene from 850 years ago: Oberon Serafim stood in the center of the ascension circle, his expression fanatical.

What emerged from the rift in the sky was not a chance projection—a gigantic, deep green tentacle actively tore open the barrier of reality, gently yet cruelly dragging the entire Atlantis into the sea.

In the corner of the screen, Nautilus struggles against the attack, but is bound by a chain of starlight.

"Without me, Atlantis would have long been distorted by strange forces."

Cthulhu's voice suddenly became deep and thunderous, his green hair moved without wind, and the terrifying, twisted city of R'lyeh appeared beneath his throne.

"From then on, the principal was just my vessel, a pretty bottle used to anchor this projection."

The image faded, and she transformed back into an innocent little girl, kicking her ankle with silver bells: "Now, go play! Remember not to die before the Sea Moon Festival~ Otherwise, I'll be really bored!"

When Su Zhisu left Star Dream Academy, the gray-blue brand on the back of his hand was covered with spiderweb-like cracks, oozing a faint light from the tide.

[Network Notice]: Due to the influence of the Silver Key, the great being—Cthulhu, your identification difficulty has increased by 30%. Every time you fail to identify, your faction will lean more towards—the Great Old Ones.

As night deepened, he returned to the experimental chamber of the Life Nest Institute.

Hydra was waiting at the door, his face as pale as dead coral.

"What did she show you?" Her voice was hoarse, and her beard trembled slightly.

Su Zhisu shook her head.

"Listen," Hydra grabbed his wrist, her nails almost digging into his skin.

"The adults have consumed...more than the coral. What she made you do will surely tear open the Echoing Rift, releasing...what shouldn't have been released...R'lyeh!"

"But Atlantis was maintained by you all." Su Zhisu looked directly at her.

"Isn't that right? Aren't you all its servants?"

Hydra was stunned. After a long while, she smiled bitterly and said, "...You're right."

She handed him a bottle of fluorescent potion.

"If the mark of the Deep Sea Titan shatters completely, drink it. It will sustain you for three days—enough time for you to escape Atlantis."

The following day, when Su Zhisu was processing the tenth sample, she discovered a piece of mechanical gear mixed in with the contaminant sample that was to be processed.

The fragment is engraved with the word "Hedland" as its emblem.

[Hidden Hint]: ...traitor, do not trust Green Eyes...

He suddenly remembered Cthulhu's green eyes.

In the evening, Lilia rushed over, her seaweed dress stained with fluorescent algae liquid.

"The Deep Sea Lord sent me to tell you that the Sea Moon Festival has been moved up!"

"Purple cracks have appeared in the sky; the celebration has been rescheduled for five days later!"

She lowered her voice, her eyes filled with fear.

"What's worse... the Titan's presence has completely vanished in the direction of the Deep Sea Forging Institute."

"Some say it sank into the deepest trench of the Echoing Rift and is... dormant."

Su Zhisu looked out the window.

Of the three stars of the Temple, the right star, representing Nautilus, has dimmed.

Meanwhile, the central star—the heart of Principal Oberon—was emanating wisps of green mist, writhing like a living thing.

The amber from his dreamscape in his pocket was slightly warm, as if urging him to make a choice.

Deep within the cracks on the back of the hand, a faint gray-blue light stubbornly flickered, like the last lighthouse in the deep sea.

He knew he was standing in the eye of the storm.

"What incredible luck I have~" Su Zhisu rubbed his temples.

On one side are the sweet words of the "green-haired, green-eyed little loli," and on the other side is the silent warning of the deep-sea titan.

The Haiyue Festival will not be just a celebration, but a trial.