I created the myth of the Great Old Ones.

"By the way, when I was catching crabs with those kids earlier, I heard something."

"How can we catch crabs more effectively?"

Trist asked tentatively, having given up all expectations of Lu Ban's way of thinking.

"How could that be? What are you talking about? We're not here to eat, drink, and have fun."

Lu Ban said righteously.

"..."

Trist was speechless.

"So what exactly did you hear about?"

"They saw a walking fish dead on the beach and can take us to see its carcass."

Lu Ban said mysteriously.

Chapter 072 exploded

There are many rocky caves along the coast. These caves are mostly formed by the sea erosion over the years and are very well hidden. They may attract a large number of fish. However, if you go deep into them at low tide, you may be submerged by the subsequent high tide, which is quite dangerous.

"Thank you, this is for you."

Lu Ban stuffed two dried fish into the hands of the reluctant child from the dry water town, and after seeing him off, he looked at the rocky cave.

The cave wasn't very deep, but the sun had already risen, making the entrance quite dark.

Trist pulled out a revolver, while Lu Ban immediately took out a flashlight, ready to illuminate the inside.

"Wait a moment."

Trist immediately stopped Lu Ban.

"I'll stand guard outside; you go check the situation first."

He had just lost his senses because of A Yu's matter, and now he was obviously going to see the corpse of a non-human being. If he didn't handle it well, he would probably have another wave of mental confusion. Therefore, Trist decided to let Lu Ban test the waters first. If Lu Ban didn't react, then he would follow up.

In the Silent Land, this method of exploration is very useful when the team is investigating. After all, when you see monsters or encounter extremely bizarre scenes, it is better to take turns rather than everyone losing their sanity at the same time.

Moreover, when rationality is reduced to a certain level, people can experience various temporary madness phenomena, such as fainting, hysteria, confusion, cognitive dissonance, and depression. Just now, Drizzt almost shot himself to end his life, which was extremely dangerous.

If only one person is in this situation, at least the other companions can help suppress it.

If everyone goes crazy together, we might all be wiped out immediately.

"no problem."

Lu Ban was unaware of Trist's considerations and simply walked into the cave with a flashlight.

Soon, Lu Ban saw the corpse.

hum-

Lu Ban felt his heart beating faster.

The corpse's body resembled that of an ordinary human, except that its limbs were longer and thinner, and there seemed to be some kind of mucous membrane-like structure between its fingers. It was almost naked, and the body had swelled slightly due to decomposition, suggesting that internal decay had already begun.

The corpse's head was the most striking feature.

The head had no human-like appearance at all. Instead, it had large fish eyes, thick lips, and gills on both sides of the head. The connection between the fish head and the human body was somewhat stiff, as if it had been forcibly sewn together.

If Lu Ban were a person with a firm religious belief, he might have blurted out a blasphemous comment at this moment. But as an ordinary modern person and a movie enthusiast who has watched many thriller, horror and monster movies, Lu Ban only bent down slightly and used his flashlight to illuminate its head.

The fish's eyes were very cloudy, and the scales on its head had fallen off. In the dark cave, only the light from the flashlight illuminated this hideous and terrifying corpse.

Lu Ban moved closer, trying to find more clues on the corpse.

He examined the few remaining clothes on the body. The fabric felt delicate, unlike ordinary coarse cloth clothing. It seemed to be something that only an upper-class person with exquisite craftsmanship could wear. There were marks on the body from the rocks, but they were not fatal wounds.

"How exactly did they die?"

Lu Ban shone his flashlight downwards, his gaze fixed on the corpse's hands.

He noticed two things.

First of all, apart from the scratches caused by the rocks, there were almost no other signs of labor on this hand. Obviously, as a fisherman, one would have calluses on their hands from years of fishing, but this person did not, indicating that he did not usually do regular labor.

Secondly, between this person's fingers are translucent structures like fish fins, similar to the webbed feet of a frog, which is clearly a structure that only aquatic creatures would have.

Considering its appearance on the beach and the mission information Lu Ban obtained, this means...

"Is this the kind of creature that can walk?"

Lu Ban muttered to himself as he prepared to read on.

At that moment, a clear sneer came from behind Lu Ban.

"whee."

The clear female voice made Lu Ban turn around immediately, shining his flashlight, but he didn't see anyone.

After scanning the cave without finding anything further, Lu Ban continued to examine the corpse. But when his gaze returned to the corpse, he noticed that it seemed to twitch slightly.

Shining the flashlight upwards, Lu Ban saw that the fish head seemed to have moved, yet it also seemed not to have moved.

He stared at the spot and saw only a strange light reflecting off the fish's eyes.

This is proof of mobility!

Lu Ban took a step back and saw that the half-fish, half-human creature seemed to straighten up.

No, that's not the case; its abdomen began to swell.

Realizing what was about to happen, Lu Ban hurriedly turned and ran away.

bang——

Explosions erupted from the corpses, and rotting, festering, filthy, and bloody things splashed through the cave, making the seawater murky.

When a living organism dies, the microorganisms inside the body begin to decompose, releasing a large amount of gas. This gas cannot escape and accumulates inside the organism, causing the body to swell. When it reaches a critical value, or when the body is disturbed by external factors, it is very likely to break the balance and explode.

In the real world, the death of enormous creatures like whales and elephants can cause massive explosions, which are quite dangerous.

The corpse from earlier probably exploded because Lu Ban was checking it, creating the illusion of it moving.

"what happened?"

Drizzt heard a loud noise coming from the cave and hurriedly called out to ask what was going on.

"The body exploded."

Lu Ban replied simply. The air was filled with a stench. He shone his flashlight back to where the corpse had originally been. Only gruesome remains remained, so grotesque that they needed to be blurred out to be seen.

"However... these internal organs are similar to those of humans, and the lungs... have been found."

Lu Ban managed to find something that resembled a lung among the pile of bloody, mangled flesh.

He then discovered that the organ was full of silt.

The silt emitted a stench unlike the smell of decay; it smelled more like some kind of metal.

"These creatures are likely mutations of humans, but it's unclear whether the silt is the cause or the result of the mutation."

Unfortunately, Lu Ban didn't have a suitable container on hand, so he couldn't collect any samples.

After checking everything again, Lu Ban left the cave.

After exchanging information with Drizzt and searching the beach, the two returned to town in the evening.

As Lu Ban entered the inn, he saw the servant who had looked ashen-faced as the night before waiting for him.

"My master would like to invite you both to the mansion tonight for a chat."

His face was adorned with a smile, like a paper effigy used in a memorial service.

Chapter 073 Have you prepared dinner?

The Hai Family Mansion.

Lu Ban found it hard to describe how a building could give off such a gloomy feeling.

The two eternally burning red lanterns at the gate emitted a faint glow, giving the gate a slightly bloody hue. Lu Ban and Cui Shi followed behind the servant, who walked very lightly and silently, which was why he had been able to appear silently behind them earlier.

Under the lantern's light, Lu Ban could only see the other person's thin shadow, like the afterimage left by light passing through a piece of paper.

Such residences typically have a small door on one side of the main gate.

They entered the Hai family mansion through the small door.

"The master has instructed that you two are important guests and he would like to invite you to rest at his home tonight."

The servant's voice was also somewhat ethereal, as if it were coming from a jar.

Upon entering the mansion, the first thing that catches the eye is a group of decorative trees.

However, these trees did not resemble welcoming pines or auspicious trees; instead, they were crooked and sparsely leafed, as if no one had taken care of them for a long time.

There are still traces of rope wrapped around the branches, which have injured the bark, as if someone had hanged themselves there.

The road was a bit damp, and it felt like soft sand underfoot. Lu Ban lifted his foot to look at it. It hadn't rained, but the ground was wet and covered with watermarks.

Did you clean the house today?

Lu Ban then asked.

"The wedding is just around the corner, and the whole family is very busy."

The servant replied with a single sentence, without offering any explanation.

Contrary to his account, Lu Ban and Drizzt did not see any other servants.

As dusk fell, only scattered red lanterns illuminated the road within the mansion; otherwise, it was deserted and did not appear to be inhabited.

Lu Ban looked towards the roadside, searching for traces of the seal that the Black Queen Mother had mentioned.

Soon, almost effortlessly, Lu Ban saw the thing.

It's so conspicuous.

In the center of the mansion, in the center of a pond, stands a tower.

It was a tower whose architectural style Lu Ban couldn't quite describe. It had six stories from bottom to top, each no more than a meter high. It was entirely black, with some characters carved on its surface. Chains wrapped around the tower, connecting it to the surrounding trees. It looked very ominous.