Chapter 164: The Safe Island

Chapter 164: The Safe Island

As the sound of ship grinding against the hard stone came, Silas finally took a heavy breath and looked ahead at the safe island.

While for Murphy, the three minutes were rapidly ticking away. The cosmic whispers in Mo Fei’s mind had become foreign concepts trying to forcibly unpack themselves inside his consciousness. He could see flashes of cyclopean cities built from green, slime-covered stone, and felt the crushing pressure of miles of black seawater pressing down on his brain.

Finally, as the ship stopped near the island, he heaved a sigh of relief and stumbled backward, pressing his back against the wooden wall behind.

A few seconds may have remained as his cold, analytical mind calculated through the blinding haze of pain. Giving the murmur no time to get a glimpse of his sanity, he pulled off the artifact.

Using the absolute last drop of his physical strength, Murphy ripped the corroded iron clapper away from his bare palm.

A chunk of his bruised skin that had been blackened and frozen from the cold spiritual presence tore away with it. The moment the contact broke, the silence shattered as the natural sounds of the world rushed back in a violent wave.

The deafening shrieks of the millions of drowned voices were gone. The colossal kraken and the glowing, sea-green light of the deity’s dream had been left behind, trapped within the borders of the crimson fog that now became a curtain to hide the sea behind.

Murphy staggered for a second as his hand trembled. The small, barnacle-like bumps on his skin had traveled past his wrist, threatening to creep up his forearm.

He immediately used his remaining internal spirituality to form a tight, constricting barrier around his elbow, successfully sealing the Flesh Authority’s corruption to his lower arm for now.

With that, he opened the door of the cabin and found Silas wiping his forehead.

"I... I’m alive..." Dante’s trembling voice broke the silence from the cabin door as he took a long breath and turned toward Murphy, his eyes glinting with a mix of respect and terror.

As Dante stepped out onto the deck, his legs buckled, falling into the floor. The silvery scale beneath his left eye had completely faded for now, leaving behind only a faint, reddish scar. He looked around wildly, his eyes finally landing on the dark, looming landmass the ship had crashed into.

Silas stumbled behind him, his clothes soaked in sweat and his hands still covered in the transparent slime from his brief insanity. He looked at the cracked hull and the broken steering column, then down at the shore. "Mr. Law, the ship won’t survive another voyage without extensive repairs. For now, we must find some necessary things to repair it."

Murphy slowly walked forward, adjusting his fedora with his left hand while keeping his corrupted right arm tucked inside his long coat. He walked to the bow and looked down through the lens of his fractured Apprentice’s Eyes before deactivating them.

The island they had stranded upon was completely devoid of life. Looking at the ash-grey-colored sand that seemed to absorb what little light remained in the violet sky, they finally exited through the main entrance of the ship.

Strange trees that resembled a strangler fig tree lined up the island. All of their tendrils were curled just above the roots, creating an illusion of the hollow face of a human being.

Murphy swept his gaze over the whole island. ’It is at least free from the active malice of the first stage, but the structural fabric of reality here is still incredibly thin. Is this some type of spatial anchor point for the sea?’

"Mr. Murphy." Silas called out from behind, stepping forward while holding his breath to keep his composure. "My spiritual hearing is picking up... remnants. There are ruins further inland."

The Detective glanced at the island as his own mind raced with thoughts. ’What was the time? I have already told my followers for the meeting at midnight, especially since Silas is already here.’

Murphy turned his cold gaze toward the dark forest ahead. His fractured mind had already temporarily suppressed his abilities, and his right arm was a ticking time bomb of foreign corruption. To complete his ritual and fix his spirituality, he needed stability — something this island promised but would undoubtedly make them pay for.

"We establish a camp on the shore first and leave for the second stage at dawn." Murphy ordered calmly, his voice returning to that unnervingly polite cadence that immediately made Dante shiver with familiarity. "Mr. Silas, salvage whatever tools and wood are left from the lower deck. Dante, gather dry wood from the edge of the tree line. Do not go deeper than ten meters into the forest. Stay in the radius where we can see each other so we can repair the ship faster."

Dante nodded quickly, grabbing his spare mop — now using it as a walking stick and hurried off the ship’s ramp onto the ash-grey sand, eager to be away from the creaking, haunted vessel.

Murphy watched him leave, then looked down at his sealed right arm. The skin beneath the fabric was beginning to itch with a wet, invasive sensation.

’I have managed the corruption of the hand somehow, but if I don’t do the main ritual to heal my authority, then it may backfire.’ Murphy pondered as he remained alert, watching both Silas and Dante as they gathered the wood.

Silas, however, thought in his mind as he remembered today’s time. ’It’s already midnight. Mr. Mysteries may call out to me anytime; I have to gather it soon and make an excuse.’

Around the island, both gathered necessary items like wood.

Murphy gave them a quick low nod before preparing to get back inside the ship as both Dante and Silas followed him in.

Finally, as they entered and brought the items, Murphy spoke. "Good work, now you all need to rest first. I’ll guide the place." He turned toward Dante and said to him. "You have been here on this ship for a long time, right?"

Dante nodded quickly and waited for him to speak again.

Murphy turned toward Silas. "Me and Mr. Silas will take turns to guide the ship, and you first find all the eldritch slime around the ship and burn them to reduce corruptive residue, and also take help from Silas, or you may mess up. Remember, don’t touch the barnacles directly with naked hands. Next thing, you have to get the repairing instruments since you know the inventory."

Dante didn’t try to avoid any words, as he heard them attentively before giving a firm salute and moving away from them to grab items.

Silas bowed slightly and turned toward the nearby room. "I appreciate that effort, Mr. Law."

As Silas walked inside the room, Murphy finally took the opportunity to move away to a silent place.

He had to return to the spirit world to keep his words of the second gathering.

Same as Murphy, Silas also thought that it was the perfect opportunity as he tried to project himself via the prayers of the Mysteries he had chanted a while ago, although he didn’t know if it was the right thing to do yet, so he only used it to experiment.

As Murphy’s body went limp near a hidden narrow path, his consciousness shifted back into his Astral form as the Divine Serpent glanced at him and spoke in its ancient tone.

"Welcome back, Great Master."