The Secret Cult Chronicles of the Decaying Lake Manor

George went up to the second floor of the main house, to the guest room where Lieutenant Bates was.

He pushed open the door and saw Bates wiping his hunting knife by the window in the light.

Elliott sat in another chair, holding a cup of hot tea, and looked much calmer.

"William, how are you feeling?" George asked.

"Much better, sir. Mr. Bates gave me some hot tea, and it really makes me feel much better," Elliott replied, looking at Bates with gratitude.

Bates put down his hunting knife and looked at George: "I heard there's been a lot of trouble by the lake?"

George closed the door and sat down in another chair. "Indeed. Father handled it himself, but he's exhausted and unconscious now. The strange things by the lake are all dead now, but it still needs to be cleaned up."

He looked at Elliott: "You said you just had a dream?"

Eliot nodded and explained:

"Actually, I wasn't really asleep just now. I was lying in bed, but my consciousness seemed to have floated to the bottom of the water. It was very dark there, but five different kinds of darkness surrounded me, dancing wildly like anchor chains underwater, oh God..."

Elliott's voice trembled.

"I tried desperately to escape, but there was no way out. The darkness was like the stomach of a living creature, endless. Then... then one of the darknesses suddenly disappeared, revealing an opening, and I ran towards it as fast as I could."

"Finally, I came to the bottom of the water. I could vaguely feel many people holding me down, but I just couldn't surface."

He paused for a moment, a hint of confusion flashing in his eyes.

"Then I saw a warm white light guiding me. I followed the light until I felt my body return to the bed and heard your flute."

George had a sudden thought: that light might very well be referring to the sound of his flute.

Bates listened intently, nodding occasionally, and finally he pondered, "Five kinds of darkness. It sounds like five different things surrounded you. And you were only able to escape when one of them disappeared?"

"Yes, sir. Then I saw the light," Elliott added.

George had a clearer understanding of the situation. Elliott's "gift" seemed to enable him to perceive the spirit world, and even unconsciously enter it.

This time, the pollution of the Abyss deepened, and the real events that occurred at the bottom of the lake allowed him to witness part of the truth in what seemed like a dream but was actually in the spirit world.

The five forms of darkness likely correspond to five different affected creatures or sources of power at the bottom of the lake.

One of the enormous non-human creatures at the bottom of the lake—no, it should be said that multiple creatures—was destroyed, which is why the darkness that Elliott sensed had a gap.

As for that light...

"You said the light guided you?" George asked Elliot. "Was that light warm, white?"

"Yes, it's like being in the sun in spring," Elliott tried to describe. "And it was right ahead, and I followed it and found my way back."

George looked at Bates and said meaningfully, "I think this might be related to what we were dealing with at the bottom of the lake today."

A flash of understanding crossed Bates' eyes.

He turned to Elliott: "William, have you ever had this experience before? Underwater, seeing darkness, and being guided by light?"

Elliott thought for a moment, then shook his head and said, "I've seen the sea, ships, tentacles, and things like that in my dreams before, but I've never had this... half-dreaming, half-awake feeling. And today's experience felt more real than any of my previous ones."

George knew he couldn't wait any longer.

Elliott's contamination was worsening, but fortunately, his secrecy measures were quite effective.

However, if this is not dealt with in time, once he understands the existence beneath the surface of the world, he will inevitably be drawn onto the path of the [Abyss] principle, and may even become completely lost.

George looked at Elliott and solemnly instructed him:

"William, there are some things I need to tell you. You're having some problems right now, related to your experiences at sea and recent events."

"But don't worry, I'm starting to learn some... special techniques that should be able to help you."

He deliberately used vague language, not wanting to reveal too many extraordinary secrets to Elliott: "But it will take some time. You get some rest first, and I will handle it as soon as possible."

A flicker of surprise crossed Elliot's eyes, but more so, trust: "I understand, young master. I trust you."

After offering some words of encouragement, George let Elliott go back to his room to rest.

He then took out the "Summary of Provisional Regulations and Common Knowledge for the Management of Extraordinary Affairs of the Kingdom" that he had casually slipped into his pocket when he picked up the flute, and handed the booklet to Bates.

"Here you go. This is the official regulation; you'd better take a look. There's some information you need to know in it."

Bates took it and flipped through it: "That makes sense. I knew the kingdom couldn't just leave such a power unattended."

George nodded and then described the sudden frog plague to Bates, focusing on parts that didn't involve certain sensitive or secretive information.

Finally, he added, "In the next few days, inspectors from the Anti-Smuggling Bureau, lawyers, and representatives from the High Court will be coming to the estate to complete some of the inheritance procedures, as my father mentioned before."

A thoughtful glint flashed in Bates' eyes: "The Highgarden? It's not surprising that the Viscount has connections with the kingdom's upper echelons, and there's also the official superhuman management department... We laymen need to be careful."

George gave a wry smile. "Exactly. By the way, are you free this afternoon? I'd like to invite you to the lake; you might have a different perspective on some things."

"Of course, I'd love to see what happened too," Bates agreed immediately.

He added, "I think there's another thing that needs to be done, and that's to figure out the situation regarding the five sources of darkness that Elliott mentioned."

He explained his idea: "Based on your description, the darkness in Elliott's dream could be the darkness at the bottom of the lake."

"If Your Excellency is going to great lengths to deal with just one of them, we novices are likely to meet a grim fate when we confront them."

Bates shook his head and asked, "If things get too serious, could we move the people off the island? It's fox hunting season anyway, so we have a ready excuse—we can send everyone to the hunting grounds for a few months."

"That's probably the last resort, but if the officer from the Anti-Corruption Bureau is reliable, he might be able to give us some advice," George replied.

"Before that, we'd better find the source of that darkness."

After agreeing with George's words, Bates brought up another matter.

"I think we can start with those Paradise Island survey maps that your uncle, Mr. Albert de la Porte, showed us."

George nodded.

"I thought of that too. Since a total of five sources of darkness appeared in Elliott's dream, and Father said that things are not over yet, it is necessary to investigate the specific situation at the bottom of the lake."

George expressed his approval, then added, "These drawings are with my uncle; I'll try to get them when I have the chance."

After discussing it further, the two agreed to go to the lakeside after lunch and then come back to continue their discussion over afternoon tea.