The grotesque hues stained the sky, and ashen whirlwinds gently descended, curling and echoing with hushed whispers.

It was as if Old Belfast had returned to its fallen state—even worse than before.

Lu Li stood under the Annie Tree, gazing at the defensive line erected at the camp's edge, the Banyan Tree Guardians standing at ten-meter intervals like a true Immortal Wall.

They surrounded the camp, with the direction of Old Belfast being the key to their defense.

The Mother of the Marsh transformed into Lu Li's eyes, narrating the arrival of the first peculiarities attracted by the Divine Fire.

The distant response of the Banyan Tree Guardians was to wave a few branches, emitting an air-tearing sound that was obliterated in the prayers.

The first batch of peculiarities was the most mindless and weak, complementing each other—they were weak due to lack of intelligence, and lacking intelligence due to weakness.

"Will Evil Spirits be drawn in?"

"Evil Spirits aren't interested in the Divine Fire... but be wary of Evil Spirits and Evil Gods, the former covet the Divine Fire, while the latter covet Believers."

Old Belfast seemed to lack Evil Gods, but no one knew if they lurked in a forbidden area, such as the Land of Vortex, Ashes District, or Shipwreck District.

The occasional movement of the Banyan Tree Guardians' roots indicated the continuous approach of thieves near the camp.

Lu Li occasionally glanced at the growing Annie, whose trunk markings had already surpassed the height of his head.

While sheltering Lu Li, Annie's growth also prevented her humanity from being coveted by peculiarities—even if peculiarities could infiltrate Agate Lake,

unlike plants prematurely matured by humanity, Anna's growth powered by humanity did not exhaust her potential, allowing her continued growth rather than wilting like an ephemeral flower.

Furthermore, the purified land ensured Annie could flourish under the sunlight of the Land of Light, even if she exhausted her humanity.

"Do we need to harvest them..." Mother of the Marsh whispered.

Currently, the peculiarity assault was not strong, allowing the Mother of the Marsh leisure to leave the peculiarities for Lu Li to deal with.

Lu Li nodded, stepping out from under the Annie Tree.

The dizzying sound of prayers became clear again; Lu Li stepped onto the ripple-stirring wooden bridge, leaving Agate Lake.

The closer he got to the Wall of Sighs, the fainter the prayers became, turning into whisper-like murmurs, and then falling ash replaced the murmurs,

ash stains imprinted on shoulders and forehead in swirling patterns, Lu Li had no doubt about its contaminating nature, yet he wouldn't discard his trust in the Mother of the Marsh.

His gaze swept over the dismembered remains piled behind the Banyan Tree Guardians, the first batch of peculiarities were like scattered soldiers—having nothing in common with each other, their strength often hard to describe.

At least when prepared, ten Apprentice Exorcists could resolve them.

Lu Li had Merchant Anthony bring silver-plated bullets, sequentially releasing the ailing peculiarities along the wall from their suffering.

The rhythmic sound of gunshots resonated in the air, occasionally pausing as Lu Li slipped into Death Retrace.

Click—

The shell casing fell into the soil.

These peculiarities had thin humanity, but fortunately, there were many of them.

"Sir, would you like an umbrella?"

Suddenly, a crisp, unfamiliar girl's voice, penetrating and resonant, not belonging to the Mother of the Marsh, echoed out.

Lu Li paused, and the Crown of Thorns stopped subsequently.

"I'm on my way..."

A murky atmosphere suddenly erupted in the distance.

"Wait."

Lu Li stopped the approaching Mother of the Marsh, looking towards the voice's origin: "I remember it."

Beneath an extremely lowered gray umbrella was a girl's chin and bright red lips.

"Remember? It's like an Evil Spirit but not an Evil Spirit..."

"Evil Spirit," Lu Li replied.

In the Old Era, he had encountered her, the girl with the umbrella.

Evil Spirits were special compared to other peculiarities. They were akin to Evil Spirits but couldn't be confined by rituals, such as Sara and Adam.

They seemed like ghosts detached from the Inner World's control.

"Can we defeat it?"

"I am not certain..."

"Then let's set it aside."

The Mother of the Marsh was nearby; the Evil Spirit's lack of departure might suggest something.

Lu Li responded to the umbrella girl's inquiry: "It isn't raining."

"But it can stain your clothes like rain; let me escort you."

Uncertain of what rejection might bring, yet having experienced and knowing how to proceed via ritual, Lu Li responded, "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

The girl slightly lifted the umbrella, allowing Lu Li to step beneath. Strangely, her face wasn't revealed as she raised it, still showing only red lips and her chin: "Remember, under no circumstances, never look up."

The edges of the gray umbrella were faintly visible; just a slight upward glance would reveal the inside. But Lu Li, mindful of the rules, stood under the umbrella, heading towards Agate Lake.

Compared to their last meeting, Lu Li was more cautious, for back then, he wasn't even an investigator, merely linking all encountered peculiarities and ghosts together, but soon, Lu Li proactively spoke: "I remember you."

"Is this how you usually talk to girls?"

In his peripheral sight, the girl raised her hand to cover her mouth as she chuckled softly.

"Many years ago, Star Street No. 36."

Lu Li typically wouldn't remember addresses and times, but that was exactly when he was headed to the Detective Agency in Hades.

"I seem to recall...you were a memorable guest."

"How will you deal with it..." the Mother of the Marsh asked in his mind.

"The ritual relates to "destination," once under a place without 'snow,' the ritual concludes."

"I shall follow closely behind you..."

Lu Li and the umbrella girl walked along the road with falling "snowflakes," the Mother of the Marsh kept a distance, following.

They made it uneventfully to the shoreline of Agate Lake, the "snowflakes" separated by whispering prayers outside.

As Lu Li was about to step out from under the umbrella, dark green mucus "pah" dripped onto Lu Li's shoulder.

The girl's gaze towards him seemed to harbor anticipation.

"The snow has ceased."

Lu Li didn't look up for the mucus source; bidding farewell, he departed from beneath the gray umbrella, walking towards the lakeside without turning back.

"Looking forward to meeting you again."

The girl with the umbrella didn't cling to Lu Li. She lifted her skirt slightly, bowing slightly towards Lu Li's retreating figure beneath the umbrella.

"She has disappeared."

The Mother of the Marsh's whisper resounded.

Lu Li halted, looking back at where only the true form of the Mother of the Marsh followed him now.

"Where did she go?"

"The Inner World, or out of this space."

"Did she come because of the Divine Fire?"

"I don't know, perhaps attracted by peculiarities drawn to the Divine Fire..."

The eerie interlude thus concluded.

This incident led Lu Li to cancel continuing the humanity harvest, taking risks for thin humanity was unworthy, especially with the genuine assault of the peculiarities impending—if valuable peculiarities appeared, They would have the Banyan Tree Guardians entangle and deliver them to Agate Lake's edge.

This reminded Lu Li of something: "Does the Godhood Ritual require sacrifice?"

"Yes, but it isn't essential...miscellaneous offerings would taint the purity of the Divine Fire,"

Lu Li stepped onto the wooden bridge, returning to Lake Heart Island, sitting beneath the Annie Tree,

the far-off Banyan Tree Guardians waving branches more frequently, the good news being it never required the Mother of the Marsh's intervention.

The forbidden areas entrenched in Old Belfast remained silent, their existence forming a natural barrier, warding off some peculiarities from the Agate Lake camp.

Approaching noon, the Mother of the Marsh informed Lu Li of the higher potential threat of the Twisted Shadow.

"Only ten minutes left, Philomena's time will surpass mine..."

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