Survival on the Internet: A Bizarre Start at Sea

Su Zhisu and Lilia were both taken aback.

Nautilus continued to convey his message, carrying a sense of resignation and decisiveness born from a clear understanding of the situation:

[After the falling out... Cthulhu will show you no mercy... Forcibly stopping him will only lead you to certain death...]

I will use my last strength to... imprint a restraint on her... to ensure she cannot directly attack Lilia... or you, Su Zhisu... This is the last guarantee I can provide for you...

As for the arrival of R'lyeh...

Nautilus's thoughts flickered, as if he were sneering:

[Strange and mysterious powers... are the "natural enemies" and "poisons" of all things in the world... including them...]

[They...covet the strange power...attempt to use R'lyeh as a base...to delve deeper...and even control the strange power...what an arrogant ambition...]

【Then let them have their way...】

Nautilus's thoughts carried a chilling suicidal intent.

Faced with the catastrophic rules of bizarre power... their madness, delirium, and indescribable nature... will be of no use whatsoever...

That will be a long war... long enough... to tie up most of their energy... so that it will buy you... precious time to grow...

Finally, his thoughts turned to Su Zhisu, with a sense of entrustment:

All my alchemical knowledge... its essence... is contained within... the Alchemy Pen... Su Zhisu... you've entered the door... just follow the steps... my notes... will... be of help to you...

Finally... please... take good care of my daughter... Lilia...

"I assure you, Nautilus, I will take good care of Lilia."

Su Zhisu nodded emphatically, accepting Nautilus's entrustment.

"But we still want to give it our best shot."

"Even if there's only the slightest chance, is there any way to stop R'lyeh's arrival?"

Nautilus's thoughts seemed to be converging, wanting to say more.

The soul fire in its eye sockets flickered a few times, looking at Su Zhisu as if it were mobilizing its last strength to convey some crucial information.

[Strange power...you...the Silver Key...]

However, its injuries were far too severe.

Before he could finish speaking, the two faint lights in his eyes flickered violently, dimmed, and finally...

Extinguished.

The massive Titan body completely lost its vitality, like an ancient reef, no longer emitting any sound or thought.

Only the green scar on his chest still slowly gleamed with an ominous light.

"Father!"

Lilia gasped in surprise and rushed forward.

Su Zhisu pressed down on Lilia's shoulder and shook his head at her, stopping her futile calls.

"Lilia, Nautilus... let your father rest well... we cannot let Nautilus' sacrifices be in vain."

"Yes, I understand." Lilia covered her face with her hands, her shoulders trembling.

"The last 'strange power' might be the way. We can't delay any longer. Let's go find Kyle Crane."

With heavy hearts, the two quickly left the depths of the trench and, under the cover of night, headed towards the ruins of the eastern district.

In a more secluded underground chamber of a collapsed alchemy workshop, they met Kyle Crane.

The former chief alchemist is in much better condition than before.

Although the conch shell badge on his chest was still covered with cracks, it was now steadily emitting a faint glow.

His festering sores were covered by a pale blue gel-like substance, and no longer emitted a putrid odor.

The most obvious change was in his eyes; although they still carried the weariness of someone who had experienced many hardships, they had regained their clarity and sharpness.

"Lord Su Zhisu, Miss Lilia."

Kyle Crane bowed slightly, his voice hoarse yet full of power.

"Thank you for the medicine!"

"Although I'm still far from my prime, my condition has stabilized."

"However... my strength has only recovered to the second tier level, and the hope of returning to the third tier before the Sea Moon Festival is slim."

Su Zhisu got straight to the point: "That's enough, Mr. Kyle."

"We just saw the Deep Sea Titan. My lord, it... is in bad shape."

"But it still reminded us... if things are beyond our control, we shouldn't forcefully prevent R'lyeh from descending... and... it also mentioned 'strange power'."

Kyle Crane was silent for a moment, a complex expression flashing in his eyes—sadness, understanding, and deep helplessness.

"As expected... that's what Lord Titan was planning."

He sighed: "I understand. What he means is that once the process of R'lyeh's descent begins, the high-ranking beings on the side of the Strange Forces—those truly terrifying and mutated 'Strange Things'—will not stand idly by."

He looked at Su Zhisu and Lilia, his tone grave: "Cthulhu must have foreseen this as well."

"Dagon...that person's retinue was sent to the depths of the Strange Sea in advance, probably to block or delay any possible interference at a crucial moment."

"With our current strength, it is almost impossible for us to disrupt the descent ritual personally presided over by that person, which centers on the Tide Altar and the amber crystal anchor point."

"That's why Lord Titan said, if something is impossible, don't force it."

Kyle Crane's gaze hardened: "But 'not having to forcefully stop it' doesn't mean doing nothing!"

"What the Titans secured for us is the guarantee that he cannot directly attack you, and the situation that he might be restrained by strange forces after R'lyeh's arrival."

"So what we need to do is take advantage of this opportunity to build up our strength and prepare a way out."

He walked to a corner of the secret chamber, lifted a stone slab, revealing an inconspicuous metal disc covered with intricate runes.

"This is a portable teleportation base that I barely managed to repair. It has limited energy, can only be used once, and its location is also vague, but it's enough to randomly teleport you out of Atlantis..."

"This is one of the 'backup plans' I've prepared for you. I will activate it if the situation completely spirals out of control on the day of the Sea Moon Festival."

Su Zhisu looked at the array plate that was shimmering with a faint light, then at the weak Lilia, and finally at Kyle Crane.

"Mr. Kyle, and what about you?"

Kyle Crane smiled, a smile carrying the characteristic resolve and determination of the Hydelanders: "I still have some old scores to settle with Elias. Besides, someone needs to stay behind to activate and maintain this array."

"You are hope, and you are also a 'variable.' You must survive and deliver the intelligence from here to Hydeland."

"Take this conch shell badge; Hydeland will welcome you."

A faint sliver of pale light peeked through the dark purple sky above the echoing cracks, signaling the end of the night.

The Haiyue Festival is today.

The secret chamber fell silent for a moment, with only the runes on the array plate flickering faintly and regularly.

I placed my hand on the amber crystal in my pocket; it felt icy cold.

Su Zhisu knew that all the preparations that could be made had been completed.

What remains is to face the upcoming Ritual of the Sea and Moon.