The system is four years ahead of schedule, but Weird is still a cub.

Although the crimson seawater had receded, the entire sea area was plunged into a state of...death silence. A true, biological silence.

There were no schools of fish, no seabirds, and even the eerie fluctuations of supernatural energy were extremely weak.

This sea was "purified" by the mysterious sound of the bell.

This place has become a wasteland, which is undoubtedly a terrible blow to them who rely on fishing as an important source of food.

“We must leave here as soon as possible,” Shen Ge immediately decided. He glanced at the nautical chart plate in his hand, which had stabilized but whose course had shifted slightly, and did not hesitate for a moment.

"Roca, recalibrate the course and follow the new guidance!" Shen Ge instructed.

In the current environment, anything that can provide direction, regardless of good or evil, is better than drifting aimlessly in this Dead Sea.

The "Ark No. 1" set sail again, but this time the crew members showed no joy at surviving the disaster. Everyone went about their business in silence, and an invisible oppression enveloped the entire ship.

They all understood that they had just escaped from the jaws of a visible, roaring tiger, only to plunge headlong into the territory of an invisible, silent dragon.

Until the problem of that "bell" is resolved, the voyage cannot be considered safe.

Of course, the ocean is never "safe".

The voyage that followed became tedious and difficult.

The stored food was being consumed rapidly, and no more supplies could be obtained from the ocean. After sailing for several days without finding any "school of fish," Alai had to implement a strict rationing system again.

The oppressive atmosphere caused problems for everyone's mental state. Ellie became more taciturn than before, Roca's eyes became sunken, and even the most lively Moya rarely smiled anymore.

Shen Ge saw all of this, but he said nothing. He simply used his actions to give this small group, which was on the verge of collapse, a much-needed boost.

Every morning, he would be the first to climb to the lookout tower, taking over Kyle's watch. During the day, he would personally descend to the lowest deck to inspect the sturdiness of every alloy plate and tendon cable.

He would even personally clean the deck, using this mechanical, orderly behavior to combat the despair and deathly silence that was eroding everyone's hearts.

His calmness and resilience, like an invisible spine, forcefully supported this lone boat adrift in the Dead Sea.

Even Shen Ge, who shouldn't be doing these trivial tasks, is "trying his best," so how could the others give up so easily? Alai quickly cheered up, called his younger siblings over and scolded them, leading them to take over Shen Ge's work.

In this oppressive atmosphere, they sailed for a full twenty days.

The ship has a device to convert seawater, and there is barely enough fresh water, but the food problem has become critical due to the disappearance of fish.

On the morning of the twenty-first day, as the first rays of sunlight pierced the horizon, Kyle, whose vision was already blurred from exhaustion, suddenly mustered all his strength and uttered a hoarse, dreamlike cry:
"Boat……"

"...I think I...saw...a ship..."

This discovery was like a shot in the arm for everyone on deck!

They struggled to their feet, gripping the gunwale, and gazed with an almost greedy look in the direction Kyle was pointing.

On the distant horizon, it was initially just a tiny black dot. But as time went on, the outline of that black dot became clearer and clearer.

That was not a ship.

Instead, it was a huge and... strange fleet of more than a dozen ships.

These ships varied in design; some, like them, had sails, some were propelled by huge wooden oars, and some were even converted from the skeletons of giant sea monsters.

They resemble a mobile, floating city pieced together from various kinds of trash, and are much larger in scale than the settlement on the Tomb of Sleep.

After drifting at sea for nearly a month, they finally saw traces of human civilization again, and the immense joy overwhelmed everyone.

Kyle and Roca even waved their arms excitedly, trying to get each other's attention.

"Quiet." Shen Ge's calm voice was like a bucket of cold water, instantly extinguishing their enthusiasm.

Everyone froze, looking at him in confusion.

Shen Ge didn't explain. He opened his eerie eyes and peered through the thin mist, taking in every detail of the fleet.

But what he saw was not "hope".

The entire fleet was moving in the same direction at an extremely slow pace, with half-lowered black sails, a symbol of mourning, hanging from the masts of every ship.

The deck was packed with people, all dressed in uniform, simple gray robes, heads bowed, hands clasped together, as if performing a silent, solemn prayer.

No one spoke, no one moved. The entire fleet was like a pre-programmed...ghost fleet.

In Shen Ge's eerie vision, those gray-robed men showed almost no signs of "life energy" belonging to living people; they were more like corpses manipulated by eerie energy.

Further ahead of this fleet, on a magnificent, cathedral-like pilot ship made of pure white giant bones, a wisp of black smoke was slowly rising.

There, it seems, is a... sea burial taking place.

Just then, the resounding, sacred bell rang out again, but this time, it was extremely close.

when--!
The bell tolled, coming from the skeletal ship that was leading the way.

"?"

Is the clock on the ship?

Shen Ge's gaze darkened. He had originally wanted the two brothers to turn around and get away from the fleet immediately, but now it seemed that they couldn't leave.

As the bell tolled, all the grey-robed figures in the fleet, those walking corpses, raised their heads in unison, their gazes fixed on the direction of the bone ship with an empty, pious, and fanatical look.

Their lips began to move silently, as if chanting a silent hymn to their gods.

The appearance of "Ark One" did not attract their attention at all.

Because... for a group of "dead people," the world of the living has long been irrelevant to them.

In their eyes, there is only their rituals and their...god.

This was not a fleet of survivors at all.

This is a... massive... mobile graveyard heading towards death.

"What...what do we do?" Alai's voice was hoarse. The fleet before them brought not hope, but a chilling colder than when they encountered the underwater monster king.

“Follow them.” Shen Ge’s answer was brief and unexpected.

"What?" Kyle thought he had misheard, and asked again in surprise, "Brother, those...those things, they're not living people at all!"

"I know," Shen Ge nodded calmly.

"But they control the 'rules' of this sea. At least, by following them, we won't encounter another deep-sea monster like last time. And..."

He paused, his voice turning low: "We only have a little food left. Taking a gamble is better than starving to death here." This reasoning was irrefutable.

Under Shen Ge's orders, "Ark No. 1" cautiously followed behind the ghost fleet, like an uninvited mourner trailing behind a funeral procession.

The fleet showed complete disregard for their tailing behavior.

No matter what the "Ark One" did, the gray-robed "zombies" never even glanced at them.

They are like a group of pre-programmed robots, focused only on their own "journey".

This bizarre "coexistence" lasted for two days.

Over the past two days, Shen Ge has gained a deeper understanding of the fleet through continuous observation using the "Eye of the Prophet" and the "Eye of the Deceit".

Every morning, noon, and evening, the skeletal ship that leads the way rings its bell three times precisely on time. Each ring is a "purification" and a "proclamation." Wherever the bell tolls, the sea falls into absolute silence.

At the same time, the fleet will also hold a "sea burial" ceremony when the bells ring.

They would select a few members from the team who showed obvious signs of "decay," such as having extra limbs or ulcerated skin.

These chosen "zombies" show no fear; instead, they display a liberated, fanatical expression.

Amidst the silent chanting of all their companions, they walked to the ship's railing, leaped into the sea, and calmly sank into the abyss.

It was as if this was a kind of screening, a cruel ritual to remove "impurities" and maintain the "purity" of the entire fleet.

"What are they searching for?" Ellie felt a chill run down her spine as she watched the bizarre scene repeat itself day after day.

On the morning of the third day, as another bell rang across the sea, change finally arrived.

A small boat, composed entirely of white skeletons and capable of gliding silently on the sea, detached itself from the side of the lead ship and headed straight for "Ark One".

On the boat, there was a "person" standing.

He was also dressed in a grey robe, but unlike the other members, his body was exceptionally well-preserved, and his skin was a marble-white pale. He had no facial features; his entire face consisted only of a sewn-up, unopenable mouth.

“Is it…the messenger from the ship?” Alai exclaimed nervously.

The small boat stopped a hundred meters away from "Ark No. 1," and the faceless messenger slowly raised his head.

Although they had no eyes, Shen Ge and the others clearly felt that they were being "examined" by a cold, emotionless gaze.

[...the lost...lives...]

A voice, not transmitted through the air, but resounded directly in the minds of each of them. This voice was flat and unbiased, without distinction between male and female.

[...Your struggles...your pain...we...have all seen...]

Life is original sin... Consciousness is a sea of ​​suffering...

[...Give up...Give up your futile persistence...Offer your 'self' to the 'new god'...You will receive...eternal...peace...]

?

? ?
???

"A new god?" Upon hearing this term, Shen Ge was immediately taken aback.

It's one thing that no fragmented world can escape the bizarre and strange people, but now even the "New God Cult" is joining in the fun?
So, this is the final form of the "New God Cult"?
The voice of that "person" possessed a peculiar magic, as if it were expounding some ultimate truth of the universe.

Alai and Ellie even felt their pain from dehydration and hunger lessen considerably under the comforting sound.

A weary yet peaceful thought, "It's not so bad to just give up," rose uncontrollably from the bottom of my heart.

Join us...

[...becoming...a 'pilgrim'...]

This is...the...final...invitation...

After the faceless messenger finished speaking, he fell silent, remaining there quietly, awaiting their reply.

It poses no threat and exerts no coercion.

But this calm waiting is itself the most chilling kind of pressure.

Acceptance means giving up your own identity and becoming one of those walking corpses.

And what about refusing?

What consequences will arise from refusing a "friendly invitation" from someone who holds the "rules"?
The voice from the Faceless Messenger, like a cold spiderweb, enveloped everyone on "Ark One".

Giving up, liberation, tranquility... these words, with their irresistible allure, repeatedly eroded their mental defenses, which had become fragile due to hunger and exhaustion.

A hint of confusion began to appear in the eyes of both Alai and Ellie.

Even Kyle and Roca's hands, which were gripping their weapons, drooped limply. It seemed that falling silent was indeed a good choice.

Shen Ge, however, was considering the "New God Cult".

Just then, a cold snort, like a sharp icicle, pierced through the false peace.

"roll."

Shen Ge's voice wasn't loud, but it contained a resolute and unquestionable willpower.

With such a weak "psychic energy erosion," it's one thing to affect Alai and the others, but to even attempt to invade his consciousness?

Shen Ge's eerie eyes coldly "stared" at the faceless messenger in the distance, completely crushing the bewitching power that had invaded everyone's minds.

Alai and the others were jolted awake as if struck by lightning, their faces instantly drenched in cold sweat. They recalled with horror the feeling of almost succumbing to despair, filled with lingering fear.

Shen Ge's rejection was direct and brutal.

Surprisingly, the faceless messenger was not angered, nor did it launch any attack. It simply lowered its faceless head slowly, seemingly with a hint of regret, towards the direction of "Ark Number One".

Those who refuse the 'gift' also have their own destiny...

Your 'clamor'... will be swallowed by 'silence'...

[...The voyage continues...]

After uttering these cryptic words, the small skeletal boat silently changed direction and slowly returned to the massive ghost fleet. It was as if the life-or-death invitation had been nothing more than a trivial routine. (End of Chapter)