Cognition

Translator: Cinder Translations

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"Although the curse has already spread, the existence of the building seems to be able to somewhat restrain the curse. The strange things in the forest cannot invade our town,"

"Of course, when we can land, we will never approach the forest."

"In other words, apart from some restrictions, your life here is not much different from life on the shore," Jiang Cheng said slowly, "For example, the normal cycle of life and death, can I understand it this way?"

"If things like the day and night ceasing, being trapped at sea by perpetual fog, or food shortages are nothing in your eyes, then yes," the blonde man said frankly.

"The way to break the curse is to light the lighthouse and keep it burning?"

"That's right."

"How long will it take?"

The blonde man thought for a moment, then shook his head, "The priest didn't say. She only told us the method to break the curse, but it's certain it won't take long."

Chen Ran placed one hand on the table and looked at the blonde man, saying, "Since the priest found the way to break the curse, then she must have also recognized the origin of this ritual, which is the source of the curse."

"Who is it?" Chen Ran asked.

Hearing this, the Fatty's expression grew more serious. He had already heard the strange whale song, curious about whatever could make such a sound.

No, the Fatty instinctively dismissed that word.

It was too weak and fragile, completely unworthy of matching the entity that made the whale song, along with that deep, resonating heartbeat, like a mountain shaking from the depths of the ocean.

That had to be something beyond their understanding.

It was like something that only existed in the drunken hallucinations of wandering bards, or in another completely unknown dimension.

To be honest, the Fatty wasn't too sure about the idea of lighting the lighthouse to break the curse, but still, it had to be done. He felt uneasy doing nothing, and feared it would make his heart race even more.

But fortunately, he still had the doctor. The Fatty stole a hopeful glance at the doctor, only to realize that the doctor seemed to be listening carefully to the blonde man's words, deep in thought.

However, the Fatty noticed the doctor's hand inadvertently rolling his throat, and saw the doctor stealthily moving the large claw of a crab he had broken off from the stone table to the edge and slowly slipping it into his pocket.

Then, he took another one, like a squirrel storing food for the winter.

"We don't know its name, but according to the priest, no one can glimpse its true form. Its massive body is covered with hard scales the size of small mountains, and its sharp teeth are like the steepest mountain peaks. Standing at its head and tail, one can see both the sunrise and sunset. It is beyond human comprehension, and mortals can only crawl before it," the blonde man continued.

"With the slightest tremor of its body, it will flatten the cliffs beneath the sea. Every breath it takes will create terrifying waves, capsizing all ships in its path."

"It doesn't care about joy or sorrow because, in its eyes, all living beings are mere ants."

These words, which seemed like medieval nonsense, actually pierced a few ears at that moment, as if, upon hearing them, they had already lived through a dark, scientifically unfounded time.

Witches were bound to stakes and burned alive, crows circling overhead, and young girls in white dresses praying and weeping on the streets, everything whispered in the darkness.

The darkness held no light.

Just as the Fatty was gradually sinking into these dark delusions, the sound appeared again—empty, loud, and crushing all the grandeur in its path.

The next second, by the time he realized it, he was already on his way back.

Chen Ran walked at the front, holding a torch.

The doctor was by his side.

Looking back, the brightly lit Blackstone Town gradually blurred.

He didn't know when they had left.

A road made of black mist lay beneath their feet. Unlike when they came, the people of Blackstone Town were no longer seen around them.

The Fatty thought for a moment and figured that perhaps they were worried that when the black fog disappeared, they wouldn't make it back to Blackstone Town in time.

"Doctor," the Fatty whispered, "Do you think what they said is true? Could there really be such a thing?"

Jiang Cheng also held a torch, but it was held low, and the Fatty could only see the lower half of his face, not his eyes, which made the Fatty feel a little uncomfortable.

"Doctor?" The Fatty waited for a while, then asked again.

Jiang Cheng suddenly stopped, causing the Fatty beside him to stop as well. The doctor raised his head, seemingly looking ahead, and the Fatty blinked, following his gaze.

The torch ahead had somehow gone out. Apart from the distant light from the towering lighthouse, everything ahead was dark.

In the darkness, Chen Ran's voice was heard, and he seemed to sigh, making the voice unclear.

"Mr. Hao must have thought of it, too," Chen Ran's voice continued, "The church, the female priest... Heh," he laughed lightly, "Only baptized men can effectively receive the holy orders. Although many of the faithful do not follow the Bible, the church must follow church law, especially in those dark times."

"It seems that we have truly encountered something serious this time," Chen Ran's gaze actually became clearer in the darkness, "Mr. Hao."

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"Sizzle, sizzle."

The fire ahead was burning.

In the firelight stood a strong figure, but at this moment, the figure was huddled tightly, unusually helpless.

Liang Long squatted alone in the spacious hall on the first floor of the building, and the surrounding area was strangely quiet.

After parting ways with Jiang Cheng and the others, she hadn't returned to the lighthouse but chose to stay behind.

Although it was dark and silent here, far from her companions, just the thought of that twisted-faced old woman made her feel uneasy.

She was not right.

Liang Long was sure of that.

And if she were to return, she would have to go alone through the dark stairs, and something happening there seemed completely normal.

Thinking of this, she threw a few more logs into the fire. Fortunately, in this hall, besides various stone pillars and carvings, there were also some scattered dry branches.

Otherwise, she would have to hold a torch and wait for the others to return.

Her thoughts were suddenly filled with a face. Liang Long shuddered instinctively. It was that man named Chen Ran. She had heard about him before.

At first, it was from one of her previous teammates.

Although her teammate had survived the nightmare, he went mad after returning to the real world, repeatedly mumbling Chen Ran's name.

Any external stimulus would cause her extreme fear, and she would seal herself off completely, even curling up in a small space.

(End of the Chapter)

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Translated 4 Series, 1.65K+ Chapters and 2.01M+ Words.