Survival on the Internet: A Bizarre Start at Sea

The green-haired little girl's lips curled into a cryptic smile. Without pressing further, she turned and walked away gracefully.

"Keep up. Preparing the altar is a complicated process that requires your power as a 'Contractor.' Oh, by the way~"

She suddenly stopped and turned to look at Su Zhisu with a bright smile.

"I really like Lilia. Her talent is very special, and she's perfect for participating in the 'Rite of the Sea Moon'."

These words were like an ice pick, instantly piercing Su Zhisu's heart.

Sure enough, Cthulhu also included Lilia in his list of targets!

What exactly is the "Sea Moon Ritual"?

Cthulhu is definitely harboring evil intentions.

"Really? I'll pass that on to her."

Su Zhisu responded in the most indifferent tone possible, but her nails almost dug into her palms.

Following the green-haired little girl, Su Zhisu's brain raced as they traversed the increasingly eerie and oppressive city streets.

Her probing has begun.

This trip to the Tide Altar is bound to be a perilous trap.

Lilia has also been drawn into the center of the vortex.

The Hydeland delegation will arrive this afternoon.

The man named Elias is also mixed in with this delegation. How should we deal with an enemy disguised as an ally?

All the clues and crises point to the same destination—the Moon Festival.

We must find the key to breaking the deadlock before the storm fully arrives.

As you walk down the winding corridors at the bottom of the temple, the air becomes damp and heavy.

The luster of the glass on the walls was gradually replaced by a dark blue moss, which flickered like breathing, emitting a faint light with a salty smell.

Her steps were light and graceful, and her green hair glowed like flowing phosphorescence in the dim light.

At the end of the road, an archway constructed of huge coral reef rocks suddenly appears.

Inside the door lies an astonishingly vast underground space. This is the core of Atlantis's energy network and the foundation of the city.

The location of the Tide Altar is not a platform in the traditional sense, but a huge, naturally formed underwater cave.

The bottomless seawater, with its dark depths, slowly swirls, forming a huge whirlpool that envelops the entire cave.

The center of the vortex cave is not a vacuum, but rather a huge obsidian disc covered with runes suspended in the air—that is the altar itself.

Countless shimmering energy veins, like blood vessels, extended from the surrounding rock walls, eventually converging on the obsidian disc. The entire space resonated with the deep sound of ocean currents, like the heartbeat of a colossal beast.

"Isn't it spectacular?"

The green-haired little girl stood at the edge of the cave, arms outstretched, her green eyes gleaming with an almost obsessive light.

"This is the heart of Atlantis, the energy source that keeps it from being completely swallowed by the strange sea."

"Unfortunately, it's too old and needs some...external stimulation."

Su Zhisu immediately caught the key phrase in her words: "External stimulus?"

"That's right."

The green-haired little girl turned around and lightly touched Su Zhisu's chest with her fingertips.

"Atlantis's energy system is self-contained, like a perfect closed loop, too stable, but it is always weakening. This requires an external entity to break this closed loop. At that time, the energy will be replenished through the Ritual of the Sea and Moon."

"And you, as a 'player' from outside the world, especially a special 'contractor' like yourself, are the best catalyst to break this closed loop."

"Especially since you've had experience with the Silver Key, it couldn't be more perfect!"

She pointed to the obsidian disc at the center of the vortex.

"At midnight on the Sea Moon Festival, all you need to do is stand in the center of the altar. When the moonlight is at its brightest and the tidal power reaches its peak, you will be the core of the ritual. Just become a 'bridge'."

"This is a little perk I specifically fought for for my future 'colleagues'!"

"When the time comes, remember to always carry the amber crystal I gave you, so you can 'calibrate' it properly, hehehehe~."

"Now, try standing on it!"

The words sounded grand and dignified, but Su Zhisu instantly understood the sinister intentions behind this "preparation work".

He is a human lightning rod, or more precisely, an energy guide and stabilizer pushed to the forefront.

Once the ritual begins, he will bear all the uncontrollable risks and energy clashes.

More importantly, Cthulhu emphasizes "calibration".

This means that she needs to use Su Zhisu as an "external variable" to ensure that the ritual energy ultimately flows in a direction that is beneficial to her—for example, guiding it to bring R'lyeh down.

"What do I need to do?" Su Zhisu asked calmly.

"It's very simple."

Cthulhu smiled, but his smile was chilling and piercing.

"Get familiar with the energy flow of the entire altar, feel the energy channels of Atlantis, and let your soul frequency resonate with it initially."

"After all, tomorrow at midnight, you will be at the 'core' of the most important ritual."

She emphasized the word "core".

The so-called "preparation work" is to experience the powerful and chaotic energy flow of the altar up close under Cthulhu's "guidance".

Su Zhisu walked onto a narrow natural stone bridge leading to the obsidian disc at the center of the vortex.

The closer you get to the disc, the stronger the feeling of oppression.

In his ears, there was not only the roar of the ocean currents, but also countless chaotic howls and whispers, as if countless indescribable beings were watching him from the depths of the abyss.

He had to concentrate fully in order to barely perceive the workings of this chaotic energy without being corrupted by it.

At the same time, he also had to spare some of his attention to suppress the amber crystal in his arms—it was getting hotter and hotter, and it was resonating strongly with the altar.

Her slender, graceful figure leaned against Su Zhixu, her fingertips lightly touching his chest, and she whispered in his ear, "Don't worry, little guy, I won't let anything happen to you. After all, you're my future colleague."

"Yog, she really thinks highly of you, so don't let us down!"

Just then, a faint, almost imperceptible thought came through the contract mark with Nautilus.

It's Lilia!

The thoughts were intermittent, but the message conveyed was clear:

[The purifying elixir has been delivered... Uncle Kyle... is doing well, Cthulhu... is unaware.]

[Father... said that the bottom of the altar... is the real... key... seal!]

【My lord... please be careful, do not trust... private messages. Cthulhu... wishes to use my body, to bear her will... to steal... the 'player' qualification...】

Finally, the delegation has entered the city. Be careful... Elias, he is the leader... and also a puppet...

The message was short, but it contained crucial intelligence!

Not only is Kyle Crane recovering well, but somehow Cthulhu is unaware of his condition.

And Cthulhu's plot against Lilia was indeed extremely vicious!

What she actually valued was Lilia's unique identity; she wanted to use her body as a springboard to try and become a "player."

Finally, Hydeland's delegation has arrived, Elias, be careful of him.