Chapter 11: The Book of the Black Sea

Li Nanke, drawing upon the extraordinary knowledge from William’s memories, attempted a deeper interpretation of the Breath of the Lake. It was only when Reinhold reminded him that he returned to his senses. “Enough. Weren’t you the one who said you could read the heretical script in this forbidden tome?”

Raising his brows, he picked up the book, left the secret chamber, and settled himself on a bench in the main hall, silently translating line by line.

William’s strength did not lie in physical skills, firearms, or weapon combat, but in academic pursuits. In order to earn more credits and successfully graduate from the seminary into the Church, he had studied a wide range of cultural subjects, among them this ancient cuneiform cryptography.

However, precisely because of this, his mastery of the ancient script barely sufficed for passing exams. Translating the Book of the Black Sea proved especially arduous; complex vocabulary could only be roughly interpreted through conjecture and inference.

Reinhold did not rush him. He leaned in the corner on a bench, took out a lady’s brooch carved with crimson roses, and absentmindedly caressed it, his gaze unfocused, lost in thought.

As Li Nanke translated, his expression grew increasingly grim, though he concealed his emotions well. According to the Book of the Black Sea, it was highly likely that this small town harbored... a true deity of the abyss.

Centuries ago, a merchant vessel had been struck by a catastrophic storm at sea. The ship, battered by colossal waves, was on the verge of being swallowed by the merciless ocean. Facing the mounting tempest, neither merchants, sailors, nor the accompanying priest could do anything but pray helplessly in the face of such terror.

Inevitably, a monstrous wave overturned the ship and the sea devoured every soul.

The sea above was ink-black, the waves turbulent, and beneath the surface, the currents must have been equally dark and dreadful—no one who fell overboard could possibly survive.

Yet those who sank beneath the waves saw not suffocating darkness, but a kaleidoscopic, dreamlike spectacle of shifting lights.

It was the dazzling glow reflected from fish scales—there, graceful and enchanting mermaids appeared.

They were the Sea’s Chosen, and at their heart, they bore the mighty Orphanas.

Orphanas ruled the seas, commanded the abyss. In wrath, storms and tsunamis ravaged the surface; in delight, the sea lay calm, and countless fish would leap and dance in joy.

Obeying Orphanas’ divine commands, the Sea’s Chosen embraced the drowning and carried them to shore.

Those who survived such calamity were filled with gratitude.

In the end, the merchants led the survivors to establish a settlement along the shore. The priest taught them to build a church for Orphanas, and to worship the deity for eternity...

By this point, Li Nanke had already deduced the likely direction of the subsequent and final revelations.

Clenching his fists, he closed his eyes and drew several deep breaths. When he opened them again, the darkness in his gaze had vanished.

He called out, rousing the man lost in thought in the corner. “Sir, I understand now. Those native heretics are called the Sea’s Chosen.”

He concealed the existence of Orphanas, merely stating that the survivors of the shipwreck believed themselves favored by the sea, thus forming a primitive oceanic faith. The Seven-Pronged Trident was their totem.

“...”

“A long history of worship may have granted their totem supernatural power. The townsfolk’s transformation is due to absorbing this power in the wrong way.”

“According to the scripture, the Sea’s Chosen each absorb the supernatural power to varying degrees, leading to different levels of deformation—some are ordinary, others are higher-ranked, the latter being far stronger but much rarer.”

“I believe that if we seize the right opportunity, we can escape this town.”

Reinhold responded, “Opportunity... what opportunity?”

“Our one chance to escape lies in the central square.”

“Sir, I will do everything in my power to help you retrieve Lady Liliana’s body. She was your beloved, and my teacher as well.”

The brim of the man’s winged hat shadowed his face, making his expression unreadable. His hoarse reply came: “I don’t trust you. Don’t think of playing any tricks.”

“I saw clearly how you shot Beatrice in the knee—she too was Liliana’s student. Someone like you wouldn’t risk yourself to bury your teacher’s remains.”

Are we really going to argue this? If you were so virtuous, why didn’t you step in to save anyone earlier?

Li Nanke understood these were merely Reinhold’s excuses. In truth, he simply didn’t want to go. If Liliana were still alive, merely trapped in the square, this so-called Bear of Dawn would likely brave the risk to save her. But with only a charred corpse left, he grieved, but not enough to risk his life—unless there was enough to gain.

Li Nanke let out a mocking laugh. “Indeed, in your eyes, I’m a traitor to my companions. But if you were me, would you sacrifice yourself, let the monsters catch you, just so Beatrice could survive?”

“I only want to live. Is that so wrong?”

For a moment, Reinhold found himself unable to refute Li Nanke’s sophistry.

“Sir, please do not doubt Lady Liliana’s judgment. She chose me as her student for a reason.”

Li Nanke tapped his forehead. “I remember with perfect clarity how many monsters lurk in the central square, their positions, the weapons they carry...”

He recounted every piece of intelligence about the square, even revealing the presence of a high-ranked Sea’s Chosen there, and the existence of an intact thermite rifle and a concussion rifle.

“Part of the reason for our teacher’s sacrifice was to help the acolytes escape. I’ll never forget her kindness.”

“Now, I’ve told you everything I know. Though it can never truly repay my debt to her, it eases my conscience a little.”

With that, Li Nanke sat down heavily on the bench, looking for all the world as if he left the choice to Reinhold.

Hearing there was a high-ranked Sea’s Chosen in the square, Reinhold’s eyes flickered. But upon learning of the powerful firearms Liliana had left behind, he struggled to contain his excitement, his breath quickening.

Now, with only one leg, those two formidable guns might be his only hope of escaping the town.

Reinhold cast Li Nanke a complicated look and said in a low voice, “You’re coming with me.”

Feigning surprise, Li Nanke retorted, “Sir, you don’t mind that I betrayed my companions? Aren’t you afraid I’ll stab you in the back?”

Joking aside, Reinhold thought, he’d hardly be at ease leaving Li Nanke here.

You claim those high-ranked Sea’s Chosen are indistinguishable from regular monsters when hiding, though you described their features in detail—who’s to say you didn’t fabricate the information? Even if you’re honest, the monsters look so alike that a single mistake could cost him his life.

“I’ve seen you shoot,” Reinhold said, his gaze drifting to the revolver holstered under the acolyte’s arm. He tossed over several moon-shaped clips.

Each held six rounds of .455 pistol ammunition—three clips, eighteen bullets in all. These clips allowed for rapid reloads during battle.

Propping himself up with his cane, his expression grim, Reinhold declared, “That’s why you’re coming with me!”

Li Nanke accepted the ammunition, gripping his gun with his left hand and lifting his bloodstained serrated blade with his right. “At your service.”

“Stay close. Don’t slow me down. If you fall behind, don’t expect me to come back for you!”

Reinhold stomped on the ruined arc-thrower, hefted his chainsaw-axe, propped himself on his cane, and with brute force, wrenched open the iron doors of the church.

Outside lay the endless, chilling rain—and the countless heretical monsters wandering the night.