I created the myth of the Great Old Ones.

"what?"

Before Amber could react, Lu Ban materialized his [Last Words] and fired at the wooden plank beneath him.

The plank immediately began to move at an extremely high speed, riding the waves as if it were equipped with the most advanced engine.

Amber spat out a few mouthfuls of water. She raised her head, her wet hair sticking to her cheek. The icy seawater was taking away her body heat, but what she saw before her was even more shocking.

A huge tower stands on the sea.

The tower seemed to be made of countless tentacles, constantly writhing and twisting. Its black body seemed to be made of shadows, and anything that touched it would be covered by darkness and merge into it.

Countless shipwrecks floated on the sea surrounding the tower, but not a single body was visible.

As she considered a certain possibility, Amber felt her body grow increasingly cold.

"They were all eaten?"

Amber looked at the enormous monster, and never before in her life had she felt such fear of the world.

"It looks like it's full, we're quite lucky."

Lu Ban didn't tell her that he had given that thing ten bullets containing the whispers of a great being to keep it in its current state.

Suddenly, a black object emerged from the sea on one side.

"You wait."

Lu Ban cried out, and the black thing immediately fell back into the water.

Although Amber didn't have time to look closely, she could still vaguely make out that it was something that resembled flesh and blood, eyes, and tentacles.

The next moment, Laika, now a corgi, jumped onto the fast-moving wooden plank.

"...You didn't see anything just now, did you?"

Lu Ban asked.

"...Of course not."

Amber chose to follow her heart.

On this vast ocean, Lu Ban is the only one I can rely on.

When she confirmed this fact, she felt unexpectedly relieved for some reason.

Perhaps deep down, she had always hoped to escape her duties, to escape her role as a priestess, because of this uncontrollable force.

"Now we have good news and bad news. Which do you want to hear first?"

Lu Ban asked.

"Bad news?"

Amber hugged her shoulders; her clothes were soaked through. These silk clothes would stick to her skin when wet and offered no warmth. She curled up in a ball, her lips pale, shivering.

Seeing this, Leica moved closer to Amber.

The water stains on its body had disappeared sometime during the day, leaving only a warm, fluffy feel.

Even though she seemed to have sensed Lycra's secret, Amber still chose to get closer to Lycra for warmth under its warm allure.

"Ow!"

Leica snuggled into Amber's arms as if she were thoroughly enjoying herself.

"The bad news is that the ship is gone, and we don't have any nautical charts. Although we can use these to move around now, I don't know the way."

Lu Ban glanced at the dog and said.

"What about the good news?"

Amber felt her body warm up a little and pressed for an answer.

"The good news is that there is no more bad news for the time being."

Lu Ban smiled.

As for food, Lyca can at least catch fish, and the fish meat can also replenish water, so they don't have to worry about starving to death for the time being.

The most crucial issue is indeed navigation.

Lu Ban was able to use this plank to carry Amber to He Island, but without knowing the route, he didn't know which way to go. It was already lucky that he could turn back to Narcissus Island. The worst thing was that he would rush directly into the Ash Sea. Even if Lu Ban himself was okay, Amber might not survive.

"However, I remember looking at the nautical chart beforehand. There are some uninhabited islands or something like that nearby. If we're lucky, we might be able to find one before dawn."

Lu Ban said.

Why did you save me?

Under the starlight, Amber suddenly asked.

“Under these circumstances, I certainly won’t be able to reach the island shrine in time, nor will I be able to become the chief priestess. Everything you and your companions are pursuing will come to nothing. You have absolutely no need to save me. You might as well use me to collect the bounty on those people.”

She was very curious.

Although Amber rarely left home, she had read many books and knew the principle that everyone was driven by profit. These mercenaries were only protecting themselves for their own benefit, and now, she clearly didn't have that much value anymore.

"I will send you to the Wajima Shrine and make you the chief priestess."

Lu Ban gazed into the distance, searching for any possible uninhabited islands.

"I told you, you can always trust me."

Chapter 340 If you're really cold...

At the junction of the Narcissus Channel and the Akiyama Channel, ocean currents and cold currents converge, creating abundant fish resources and numerous small islands.

Some of these islands are just reefs that are submerged when the tide rises, while others are lush and green, where birds bring seeds that take root and sprout, forming verdant islets.

Some larger islands had become secret hideouts for pirates, with docks built and ships moored there, serving as strongholds for rampant plunder along the shipping lanes.

It is said that some pirates even signed agreements with the island authorities, existing as official privateers, which made them even more emboldened to plunder.

Despite this, Lu Ban still couldn't find any trace of the island.

He even wondered if he had gone the wrong way.

"It should be fine, right..."

Looking at the stars in the sky, Lu Ban murmured to himself.

Sitting at the front of the deck, Lu Ban tried hard to find traces of the island. According to the position of the stars, he should be moving in the direction they originally went. Unless the stars in this world are different every night, he would not be mistaken.

Hearing a noise behind him, Lu Ban turned around and looked back.

Amber is taking off her white socks.

These cotton socks are supposed to be warm and breathable, but now that they're soaked in seawater, they just stick to the skin, making the feet even colder.

Lu Ban carefully examined Amber's feet.

"Can the pollution you've been exposed to be reversed?"

Looking at those fair and jade-like feet, Lu Ban thought of the hideous and terrifying pollution that appeared at the ends of Amber's body when she used her Word of Power. Now, it seemed that the pollution had faded away.

Amber looked up at Lu Ban.

"That's why a shrine maiden is a shrine maiden."

She placed her hand on her toes, trying to wipe away the water stains.

“By accepting the training at the Shima Shrine, the shrine maiden gains the power to control the power of words. Through these words, she can communicate with other people, other beings, and even the world itself, using this as a bond to gain power.”

The cold sea breeze blew against Amber's body, and her clothes, already soaked through, revealed her skin underneath, which was bloodless and looked like a corpse.

There were still some traces of pollution that hadn't faded, twisted on the upper arms, chest, abdomen, and thighs, making anyone who saw them feel sorry for them.

“Normal people, like you, rely on the witness of the priestess when they make vows. Once they break them, they will suffer the backlash of the world. And if you want to use the power of words, you must endure the corruption.”

"This world is sick, very sick. If you want to communicate with it, you will inevitably receive its pain and sorrow. Those indescribable murmurs, along with knowledge, are poured into the witch's mind, turning her into the way you saw her before."

"And a priestess can use spells to reduce the pollution, as long as she is not seriously polluted or injured. However, if she continues to use the power of words when she is seriously injured, she may lose her rationality as a human and collapse into a monster. You don't want to see that happen."

She hugged her arms and bit her lower lip, seemingly quite cold.

Lu Ban shifted himself and fanned Amber.

"Did you know that when water evaporates, it takes away heat? There are three ways to accelerate evaporation: increasing airflow, high temperature, and..."

Hearing Lu Ban's words, Amber was stunned.

"Or there's another way. If you're really cold, you can take off your clothes and hug me. That's what it says in the book."

Lu Ban believed he had demonstrated a fearless spirit.

"???"

Amber found it incomprehensible.

"If you try to defile me, I will bite off my tongue and kill myself right now."

She said it with righteous indignation.

For some reason, shrine maidens, who dedicate their entire lives to the gods, always attract the covetousness of some men. Of course, most men have no way to get close to shrine maidens, while the powerful and wealthy have tried to use their power to coerce women who failed to become high priestesses.

And their fates were all tragic.

Amber is currently unable to use her Words of Power. Her body is extremely weak, and there is no guarantee that there will be serious consequences after she is corrupted. Therefore, she has no choice but to threaten suicide.

"I have no interest in junior high school students."

Lu Ban made a comment, then remembered that she might not understand what a middle school student meant, so he added.

"Aren't you a little too confident in your looks and figure?"

"you!"

Amber didn't know where this person got the energy to joke. Her face flushed slightly, but quickly turned pale again due to the cold.

If this continues, she might freeze to death before daylight.

"Can't you conjure fireballs, or even food?"

Lu Ban asked upon seeing this.

"The food is a problem, but the fire is fine, it's just..."