OBS Chapter 77 Pollution
Chapter 77 Pollution
Compared to the pursuit of branches, the pursuit of Green's spirit is more deadly.
The murmurs in his mind grew louder and clearer, as if Mariana were whispering in his ear, her warm breath brushing against his neck.
Countless chaotic images assaulted his mind.
A distorted face of pleasure, pale branches entwined, fruit bursting open and oozing honey and blood, the cries of infants and hoarse, wanton laughter.
His temples throbbed, his vision began to blur and double, and he felt as if his spirit was about to boil and explode.
Out of control... I'm about to lose control...
Just as his rationality was about to snap, he suddenly remembered Lillian and the "Sigh of the Nightingale"!
There is a medicine inside called "Spiritual Soothing Mixture"!
The instinct for survival overcame the chaos.
He stumbled forward, frantically groping for his inside pocket with his trembling, almost uncontrollable hands.
He pulled it out as if it were a lifeline, his mouth trembling as he muttered:
"I, I declare, now, now, you are mine!"
He opened the bag, reached right in, and started throwing things out.
He threw out the underwear, rope, and lock-picking tools until he took out the bottle of medicine.
I hope you won't lie to me this time!
This was the last thing Green could think of. He quickly bit off the cork with his teeth, and without thinking, tilted his head back and poured the entire bottle of cold liquid into his mouth.
In his eagerness and panic, he even had an absurd impulse to swallow everything and seek protection, and almost put the empty bottle into his mouth.
For the first few seconds, nothing happened; the babbling continued, and so did the fear.
But then, a gentle coolness spread from his stomach, quickly flowing through his limbs and bones, and rising into his burning head.
The coolness was like a pair of calm hands, gently yet powerfully soothing his wild and restless spirit, building a thin but crucial barrier for his mental world that was about to be burst by the evil whispers.
The incessant, seductive, and frantic babbling in my mind suddenly subsided, becoming indistinct and distant.
Although it has not completely disappeared, the direct mental erosion and dragging sensation have been greatly reduced.
"Ha...haa..."
The sudden relief from some of the mental pressure resulted in complete physical exhaustion.
The run, sustained entirely by sheer willpower, had exhausted him. Green's legs buckled, and his knees slammed heavily onto the cold stone floor.
He braced himself on the ground, breathing heavily, cold sweat rolling down his forehead and dripping onto the floor, forming a small, dark puddle. His vision blurred, and his ears continued to ring...
But at least, the insane babbling was suppressed to a tolerable level of background noise.
Green collapsed to his knees, briefly losing all ability to move, with only his chest heaving violently.
silence.
It wasn't truly silent; there were still faint, eerie sounds in the distance, but the whistling sound of branches tearing through the air behind them... disappeared.
She...didn't chase after us? Or was she restrained by something?
The thought had barely crossed my mind, and before I could even feel relieved, a new sense of crisis was doused with ice water.
From a corner of the corridor not far ahead, came the sounds of hurried footsteps and hushed voices.
It's the waiters! They're guiding the guests this way!
"Damn it..."
Green cursed under his breath, then practically crawled to the wall, trembling as he pulled the "Slothman" coat from his pocket and haphazardly draped it over his shoulders.
"Don't move...don't get caught..." he muttered to himself, pressing himself tightly against the wall.
"...Distinguished guests, please come this way. Next, we will visit the most central and awe-inspiring part of this salon, 'Life's Sublimation.' Veronica's years of dedication will be showcased here..."
The waiter's elegant guidance, accompanied by a flurry of footsteps, gasps of surprise, and excited whispers, passed by Green, who was huddled up.
Green could smell the mixture of perfume, alcohol, and an indescribable air of excitement emanating from those people.
He couldn't save these people in front of him; all his hopes rested on the Night's Watch.
The crowd slowly walked by, and at the very back of the line, a figure appeared, both unfamiliar and familiar.
Irwin.
His brows furrowed slightly as he discreetly observed the corridor, seemingly taking notes.
Just as Alvin walked past, Green gritted his teeth and forcefully resisted the negative will of the "Sloth," grabbing Alvin's ankle directly.
Alvin paused, then stopped abruptly. He stared at the crowd ahead and quickly crouched down.
"It's me, Green," Green said quickly in a low voice, pulling off his cloak. "I'm losing control and need your help."
Alvin's pupils contracted sharply.
He immediately noticed the lingering fear, disorientation, and unstable spiritual fluctuations in Green's eyes. Then, his lips moved quickly to utter a short, strange syllable, while he gently placed a hand on Green's forehead.
A gentle, tranquil power flowed into Green's body, soothing his restless spirit.
A moment later, Green felt that he was in much better shape than before.
Although the unsettling, whispering murmurs that seemed to come from a distant abyss still lingered in my mind, they had become so faint as to be almost negligible and no longer posed a direct threat.
However, Erwin's brows furrowed tightly, and his expression became unusually serious.
He withdrew his hand, lowered his voice, and said in a serious tone, "You've been 'contaminated'."
"Pollution?" Green was taken aback; the word was somewhat unfamiliar to him.
He knew that "out of control" was a process of spiritual collapse and loss of rationality.
But 'pollution'...
Judging from what the other party said, it might be even more serious, which sent chills down his spine.
"What do you mean? Isn't it the same as out of control?"
"It's different, but more troublesome." Alvin spoke quickly, glancing warily at the front of the corridor where the crowd had already gone.
"Loss of control means that one's spiritual path has gone astray or collapsed. 'Contamination' is the invasion of your spiritual body by the power or will of an external, higher being, attaching to, penetrating, and changing you like a toxin. It may come from evil gods, powerful sealing objects, or certain extremely evil ritual sites... just like here."
He gave Green a deep look. "I only temporarily suppressed the surface activity of the contamination to prevent it from immediately causing you to lose control or mutate. But it's still there, like a seed buried deep within your spirit. We must leave here as soon as possible and find the captain or a high-ranking 'physician' from the church to treat it."
Green's heart sank.
Pollution... came from Mariana, from that tree of desire, from the murmurs and images that invaded his mind.
"We can't worry about pollution now, we have to leave quickly."
"What on earth happened?" Alvin asked urgently, supporting him. "How could you...?"
"There's no time to go into details, this place is extremely dangerous. Inside... inside there's a monster, it's coming to life. Veronica isn't here, but her ritual core is already acting on its own, and it even detected me. We have to go up immediately, find Clarice and the others, and warn them!"
Irwin didn't ask any more questions. From Green's brief overview, he already understood that the seriousness of the matter far exceeded the captain's expectations.
He forcefully lifted Green's body and whispered, "Let's go!"
The two stopped hiding and stumbled along the way they had come, running as fast as they could toward the staircase leading to the ground.
In the distance, behind the heavy oak door carved with vines and fruits, one could faintly hear the sudden clamor of a crowd entering, a mixture of exclamations, fear, and a certain seductive intoxication.
And then there were Marianna's almost imperceptible moans, which seemed to convey a sense of even greater pleasure and satisfaction...