Samsara Paradise: Dream Weaver of Connections.

Lin Yi glanced back at the burning thatched hut. Orange flames licked the dry straw, crackling and popping, while thick smoke rose and blended into the inky night sky.

It's fair that Feld's life and his secrets turned to ashes.

The so-called spiritual priest holds a high position, while the place that lower-level believers like Feld need to rush back to is most likely the church's gathering place.

Bubuwang emerged from the grass, shook off the dew, ran to Su Xiao's legs and rubbed against them, then turned back and barked softly at Lin Yi.

Baha landed on a low branch, tilting his head to look at the burning thatched hut in the distance.

"What are the next steps?"

Su Xiao stopped and turned to look at him: "I need to repair the ship. The sea monsters that the Doomsday swallowed weren't enough, and there are a few places on the hull that need to be reinforced. I'll also check if there are any suitable materials on the island."

Lin Yi nodded. The Doom was sailing on the Viking Sea, and the ship's condition directly affected the efficiency of subsequent operations.

Su Xiao's judgment on these matters has always been accurate, so he doesn't need to ask any further questions.

"That Mordrac guy has a huge appetite; ordinary fish and shrimp aren't enough for him. There should be sea monster meat for sale on this island."

Su Xiao nodded slightly and led Bubuwang and Baha in another direction.

Lin Yi withdrew his gaze and turned to walk towards the town on the island.

The nights on the barren island were much quieter than the days. The noise from the taverns could be heard several streets away, but there were hardly any people walking on the streets.

Only a few drunken pirates lay in the mud by the roadside, snoring loudly. Occasionally, someone would turn over and mutter incoherent profanities.

Lin Yi bypassed the drunkards and walked along the dirt road he had taken during the day, heading deeper into the town.

He remembered seeing several grocery stores when he passed by during the day, two or three of which had dried sea animal bones hanging outside, so they must have been in the business of sea animal materials.

After walking for about ten minutes, a row of low wooden houses appeared ahead.

These cabins were much simpler than the ones at the tavern, with tattered thatched roofs and walls made of rough planks nailed together, the gaps stuffed with dry grass to keep out the sea breeze.

There were various odds and ends piled up at the entrance, including dried sea animal skins, large pieces of bone, and several wooden barrels filled with cured meat.

A dim light shone from the window of one of the wooden houses. Lin Yi walked up and knocked on the door.

Footsteps came from inside the door, followed by a heavy cough.

The door was pulled open a crack, and a fleshy face peeked out from the gap. The murky eyes swept over Lin Yi for a few seconds before frowning.

"Why are you here at this hour? Is something the matter?"

Without saying a word, Lin Yi took out a gold coin from his pocket and handed it over.

The pirate's eyes lit up the moment he saw the gold coins.

He took the gold coin, bit it with his teeth, and examined its color under the light. The wariness on his face quickly disappeared, replaced by a warm smile.

"Honored guest, please come in, please come in."

Lin Yi followed him into the wooden house. The interior was small, about twenty square meters, and filled with various goods.

Large and small jars and barrels were placed on the wooden shelves against the wall, several dried sea animal skins were spread on the ground, and there was a pile of bones that were half-processed in the corner.

"What do you need?" the pirate asked, rubbing his hands together, his eyes still scanning Lin Yi as if trying to guess his origins.

"Sea monster meat," Lin Yi said. "Large quantity, and good quality."

The pirate paused for a moment, then a brighter smile appeared on his face.

He walked quickly to the corner of the wall and patted the largest wooden barrels.

"This is all sea animal meat, just brought back from the sea, it's very fresh." He lifted the lid of a wooden bucket, revealing the marinated chunks of meat inside.

The meat chunks were dark red, with a rough texture, a glossy surface, and a strong, salty, fishy smell.

Lin Yi walked closer and took a look, then picked up a piece of meat and weighed it in his hand.

The meat was firm and did contain a faint trace of extraordinary elements. Although the amount was not high, it was enough for a behemoth like Mordrak.

"how much is it?"

The pirate's eyes darted around, and he announced a number.

Lin Yi didn't haggle; he simply took out a handful of gold coins from his pocket and placed them on the wooden table next to him.

The gold coin gleamed with a soft golden light under the dim light, its quality was excellent, and there were no signs of wear on its surface.

The pirate's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets when he saw so many gold coins.

He reached out to take it, then pulled his hand back, looking up at Lin Yi with disbelief on his face.

"You want all of these...?"

Lin Yi nodded.

The pirate took a deep breath and began frantically counting the gold coins on the table.

He counted once, then a second time, his rough hands trembling slightly with excitement.

“Distinguished guest, the quality of your gold coins is exceptional; we’ve never seen anything like them here before.” He looked up, his face beaming with smiles. “Don’t worry, I’ll pick the best for you; they’re absolutely genuine.”

Lin Yi didn't say much, he just stood aside and waited.

The pirates moved quickly, carrying all the largest wooden barrels to the doorway and picking out the best pieces of meat to repack into the barrels.

As he pretended, he kept rambling on and on, nothing more than boasting about how much good and genuine his goods were, how many years he had been doing business with seafood meat on this island, and how he had never lied to anyone.

Lin Yi listened, nodding occasionally, his gaze sweeping over the piles of goods inside the room.

Besides sea animal meat, they also sell various sea animal materials, such as bones, skin, teeth, and even a few bottles of eyeballs soaking in liquid.

Those things exuded an eerie aura, clearly taken from some deep-sea monster.

It was half an hour later when the loading was completed.

The pirate wiped the sweat from his brow, looked at the dozen or so wooden barrels piled up at the entrance, and a satisfied smile spread across his face.

"Distinguished guest, your shipment is too large. Would you like me to call a few helpers to carry it over?"

Lin Yi shook his head: "No need, I'll handle it myself."

He walked over to the wooden barrels, raised his hand, and put them all into his storage space.

The pirate was stunned when he saw this.

He opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end, he said nothing.

While extraordinary items are not numerous on this vast ocean, they are not exactly rare either.

Those pirates who can establish connections with secret relics, or those who hunt sea monsters to obtain extraordinary materials, all possess various abilities that surpass those of ordinary people.

While it's rare to see something that can magically store items, it's not unheard of.

The pirate, who had initially harbored some ulterior motives, was now completely dispelled by Lin Yi's display of skill.

Lin Yi packed up the goods and was about to leave when the pirate suddenly called out to him.

"Honored guest, please wait a moment."

Lin Yi stopped and turned to look at him.

The pirate hesitated for a moment, then moved a smaller wooden barrel from the corner and placed it in front of Lin Yi.

"This is a gift for you," he said, a hint of regret on his face. "This is genuine deep-sea cargo, incomparable to ordinary goods. I don't usually bring this out for just anyone, but with your generous gesture today, I, Old Sea Wolf, will make a friend."

Lin Yi looked down at the wooden barrel. It was smaller than the others, but the material was more refined. The mouth of the barrel was sealed with wax, and a stronger aroma could be faintly smelled.

He lifted the lid of the bucket, inside which were several neatly arranged pieces of dark red meat.

The meat chunks were a darker color than before, with finer textures, and a faint golden sheen on their surface.

This is genuine meat from a transcendent sea beast, and of extremely high quality; only high-level sea beasts could produce meat of this caliber. Outside, each piece of this meat would fetch an astronomical price.

"Good stuff," Lin Yi commented simply, then put the wooden bucket into his storage space.

Upon hearing this, the pirate's smile widened even further.

He rubbed his hands together, took a few steps closer, and lowered his voice, saying, "If you need anything else, just come to me. I, Old Sea Wolf, can get you all the good stuff from this area."

Lin Yi nodded and was about to leave when he suddenly remembered something and stopped.

"I have something to ask you," he said.

The pirate immediately nodded: "Please speak, please speak."

Do you sell information about supernatural powers here?

The pirate paused for a moment, then a knowing look appeared on his face.

He looked Lin Yi up and down a few times, a complex light flashing in his cloudy eyes.

"You're from out of town, aren't you?" he said, his tone slightly probing. "Want to step into the realm of the extraordinary?"

Lin Yi did not deny it, but simply nodded.

The pirate sighed, pulled a flask from his waist, unscrewed the cap, and took a swig.

He handed the wine jug to Lin Yi, who shook his head, not caring, and took another sip himself.

“I’ve seen far too many people with the same idea as you.” He wiped his mouth, his tone tinged with a hint of emotion. “On this vast ocean, who doesn’t want to step into the realm of the extraordinary? With extraordinary abilities, one can hunt stronger sea beasts, acquire more wealth, and roam freely across this ocean.”

He paused, then took another sip of wine.

"But it's not that easy. The rest are either fake or cursed evil objects that will kill you if you touch them."

Lin Yi listened without saying a word.

The pirate continued, "I've been doing business on this island for twenty years and have seen countless people go out to sea with dreams of getting rich, only to return empty-handed or never come back. If one in a hundred people can truly step into the extraordinary realm, that's considered good."

His tone was complex as he spoke, a mixture of envy, resentment, and a numbness born of worldly experience.

Lin Yi looked at him, then suddenly took out two bottles of wine from his pocket and placed them on the wooden table next to him.

Those two bottles of wine were ordinary products from the staff street of the Reincarnation Paradise, costing only a few hundred Paradise Coins each, which was nothing to Lin Yi.

However, the bottle is very well made. The transparent glass bottle is printed with intricate patterns, and the cork at the mouth of the bottle is made of cork and is also covered with a layer of gold leaf.

The pirate's eyes lit up the moment he saw the two bottles of wine.

He reached out and picked up a bottle, brought it close to his eyes to examine it carefully, then unscrewed the stopper and brought it to his nose to smell it. He was completely stunned.

The aroma wasn't the harsh, spicy scent of rum, but rather a complex and mellow fragrance.

Even a rough man like him, who was used to drinking cheap liquor, could tell that the quality of this liquor far surpassed anything he had ever seen.

"This...this is for me?" His voice trembled slightly.

Lin Yi nodded.

The pirate took a deep breath, carefully put away the two bottles of wine, and then looked up at Lin Yi, his cloudy eyes filled with gratitude.

"Distinguished guest, please feel free to ask me anything. I, Old Sea Wolf, will tell you everything I know."

Lin Yi looked at him and said calmly, "Have you ever heard of the God of Twilight?"

The pirate's smile froze instantly.

A hint of undisguised terror flashed in his cloudy eyes, and he remained frozen in place.

The silence lasted for a few seconds.

The pirate slowly put down the wine bottle in his hand and took a step back.

His movements were light and slow, but his vigilance was all too obvious.

Why are you asking about this?

Lin Yi looked at him without explaining, and simply said, "Recently, I've heard some rumors at sea that a sect that believes in that god has the ability to help people enter the extraordinary realm."

Upon hearing this, the pirate's expression became even more complicated.

He stared at Lin Yi for a few seconds, seemingly judging the truth of the statement, or perhaps hesitating whether he should continue.

He finally spoke, his voice very low: "You'd better not consider that sect. There are no normal people in there."

Lin Yi noticed that there was no hostility in his tone, only a complex tone that resembled advice.

It seems those two bottles of wine worked quite well, raising the pirate's friendliness to a point where he could be advised.

"How to say?"

The pirate hesitated for a moment, then picked up the wine jug and took another swig.

He wiped his mouth and lowered his voice, saying, "That sect is called the Annihilation God Cult, and they worship the god of twilight you mentioned. Their doctrine is to erase the sun and bring eternal night. Listen to that, what madness!"

Lin Yi didn't speak, but simply gestured for him to continue.

Seeing his calm demeanor, the pirate grew bolder and continued, "It's a long story. Long ago, there were two gods on this sea. One ruled the day, and the other ruled the night. Their followers fought for hundreds of years, disliking each other and battling each other every day."

"Later, for some reason, the god of daylight suddenly perished. To this day, no one knows why. The remaining god of twilight wanted to control his followers and plunge the world into eternal night. And guess what? Pirates and various kingdoms stepped forward."

"That battle was brutal. Countless pirates died, and the kingdom wasn't much better off. But the Church of the Vanishing Light didn't gain any advantage either; they were treated like rats in the street and could only hide in the shadows."

He paused, his tone tinged with emotion.

"Later, both sides felt that they couldn't keep fighting like this, so they sat down to talk. The result of the talks was that the Minguang Cult could preach, but it could not touch those important industries, such as maritime transport, grain trade, and land."

"Isn't this just raising a tiger to cause trouble?" Lin Yi asked.

The pirate gave a bitter laugh: "Who can argue with that? But what can we do? Pirates and the kingdom are already at odds, and neither side wants to fight that god first. What if we're wiped out and the other side gets the benefits?"

"So it just drags on like this. The Church of the Extinction of Light has slowly grown stronger over the years. They've become smarter and are no longer as arrogant as before. Instead, they've taken the initiative to cooperate with pirates and various kingdoms, giving up a lot of benefits. As a result, people are even less willing to provoke them."

As Lin Yi listened to these words, he quickly sorted through the information in his mind.

The world's situation is more complex than he had anticipated.

Two gods were at odds, one god fell, and the remaining god wanted to cause trouble, but was suppressed by the combined forces of pirates and the kingdom.

A delicate balance has now been reached, with neither side willing to make the first move nor daring to completely break off relations.

"Where is that church active now?"

The pirate's expression changed again upon hearing this.

He looked around, and although there were only the two of them in the cabin, he still lowered his voice.

"Why are you asking about this? Let me tell you, although that sect seems to be behaving itself now, it actually has a very long reach. They have people in every kingdom, and they also have followers in pirate groups. It's just that everyone is pretending not to know."

He paused, his tone becoming even more serious.

"Moreover, the various kingdoms and those three legendary pirate groups have an ironclad rule—if any official or crew member is found to be a follower of the Church of the Vanishing Light, they will be executed on the spot without hesitation. Just think about how deep that hatred must be."

Lin Yi nodded and did not ask any further questions.

He has obtained enough information.

The Church of the Extinction of Light does exist in this world and wields considerable power, but its situation is quite delicate.

On the surface, it is legitimate missionary work, but in reality, it is guarded against, like a bomb that could explode at any moment.

The pirate breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that the pirate was no longer asking questions.

He picked up the two bottles of wine again, and a smile returned to his face.

“Honorable guest, please just take what I said today with a grain of salt and don’t tell anyone. There might be their people on this island. If they find out I told you these things, I’ll be dead.”

Lin Yi nodded, indicating that he understood.

He then took out a few gold coins from his pocket and placed them on the table as an extra thank you gift.

The pirate stared wide-eyed at the gold coins and thanked them repeatedly.

Lin Yi didn't linger and turned to walk out of the wooden house.

The night grew deeper, and there was no moon in the sky, only sparse starlight.

The noise from the distant tavern had gradually subsided, and the entire Barren Island fell into an eerie silence.

Lin Yi walked back along the path he had come from, pondering the information he had just obtained.

Although this information is fragmented, it is enough to outline a general picture.

The ancient god known as the god of twilight does indeed exist.

Lin Yi walked through the coconut grove and arrived at the beach.

The sea was pitch black under the night sky, with only a few fishing lights faintly visible in the distance.

He stood by the sea, closed his eyes, and sensed the surroundings spreading outwards.

A moment later, he opened his eyes, and the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.

Mordrac was still swimming in the nearby waters, its immense life force particularly clear in the night.

It seemed to be waiting, or perhaps foraging for food; its leisurely posture suggested that it was not in danger for the time being.

Lin Yi raised his hand and waved gently at the sea.

A subtle energy fluctuation emanated from his palm, piercing through the seawater and reaching Mordrac.

A moment later, a huge outline appeared on the distant sea.

The silhouette rose slowly from underwater, creating huge waves that formed a white trail in the night sky.

Mordrac's flat head surfaced, his enormous eyes gleaming with a dark light in the night.

It saw Lin Yi standing on the beach and let out a low cry. There was a hint of inquiry in its voice.

Lin Yi took out the sea beast meat from his storage space and piled it on the beach.

A dozen or so wooden barrels were neatly arranged, forming a black silhouette in the night.

Mordrac's eyes lit up instantly.

It swam to the shallow waters, where its massive body stopped on the beach. Its enormous head approached the wooden barrels, its nose twitching gently as it made satisfied purring sounds.

Lin Yi opened a wooden barrel and threw the chunks of meat inside at it.

Mordrac opened his enormous mouth, caught the piece of meat precisely, chewed it a few times, and swallowed it.

Its eyes were full of joy, and its tail swayed gently behind it, splashing the sea and sending up large sprays of water.

Lin Yi fed him piece by piece, and Mordrac took each bite.

It quickly devoured the ordinary sea monster meat, leaving only the top-grade sea monster meat in the small wooden bucket.

Lin Yi opened the wooden bucket and took out a piece of meat that shimmered with a pale golden light.

When Mordrak saw the piece of flesh, his whole body trembled and he let out an even louder cry.

Its enormous head was almost touching Lin Yi's face, its eyes filled with longing.

Lin Yi tossed the piece of meat to it, and Mordrac caught it, but instead of swallowing it immediately as before, he held it in his mouth, savored it for a few seconds, and then slowly swallowed it.

It closed its eyes, let out a satisfied sigh, and relaxed its whole body, floating on the sea like a sleeping island.

Lin Yi looked at its appearance and his lips twitched slightly.

This guy certainly knows how to enjoy himself. (End of Chapter)