Industrial Cthulhu, starting from the island lord

Chapter 348 Mira's Invitation

The woman stood quietly in place, as thin as withered grass, barely able to hold up her robe. She looked at the little girl in front of her expressionlessly, a hint of curiosity suddenly appearing in her eyes.

"who are you?"

Gwen was looking up; she was too short, and Mira was standing in front of her, blocking the sunlight.

Her long white hair slipped out from under the hood, and her eyes flickered as she glanced around almost imperceptibly.

The people who had been walking around had all disappeared, leaving only her and Mira standing in the alleyway. The once bustling downtown area was now so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

"Gwen, be careful, she actually managed to find you," a semi-transparent unicorn whispered in Gwen's ear.

Yes, this is the first person to discover you.

"It's alright, Gwen, we'll all help you!"

Don't be afraid, we're all here. If you run into trouble, we're here for you!

Gwen took a deep breath, and the fear and panic in her heart gradually dissipated.

As long as I have friends around, there's nothing to be afraid of.

She instinctively looked at the little Gwen in the armor—that was her grown-up self.

The young girl, Gwen, stared at her intently, then turned her head and gestured toward Mira with her lips.

Gwen nodded to herself, then turned her gaze to Mira.

She will protect her friends.

"My name is Gwen."

Mira scrutinized her closely, then slowly crouched down to meet Gwen's gaze, extending her withered fingers to gently brush her pure white hair.

"Such beautiful long hair! Are you from the White Raven Kingdom?"

Gwen nodded, thought for a moment, and then shook her head.

“I don’t know either. After my parents died, I wandered from the north to this place. I don’t know anything about the White Raven Principality, but many people say I came from there.”

Mira's eyes widened in surprise, but after a moment she chuckled and ruffled Gwen's hair: "I thought you were from the Silent Sanctuary, but you're just a little kitten."

Her fingers weren't very soft, and they hurt Gwen a little when she scratched her. Gwen frowned instinctively.

Mira withdrew her hand, stood up, and patted the dust off her robe.

"Little Gwen, what are you doing here? Are you hungry?"

"Of course not! Do you think children only experience hunger?"

"Oh, what is that?"

While the two were talking, Gwen glanced to the side when Mira wasn't looking.

A translucent squirrel slowly moved toward them; it was one of Gwen's friends.

But after taking only a few steps, it froze in place.

Mira looked at it.

Gwen trembled. This time, her friends all kept their mouths shut, and those who wanted to speak had their mouths covered by the animals next to them.

Mira can see her friends, she can see these phantoms that only Gwen can see!
If this were anywhere else, Gwen would be happy; her imaginary friends would have one more person to talk to, and perhaps they could become friends.

But this is the slums of Bloodharbor, and the woman before me is the high priestess of the Church of the Mother Goddess, a monster who feeds on the souls of believers.

Gwen's heart sank.

Comira seemed oblivious, and chatted with Gwen for a long time before pulling her into the next room.

The believers here were also cooking porridge. Mira served herself a bowl and turned to look at Gwen.

"I don't need it anymore, I just finished my porridge."

Mira didn't insist. She casually found a step on the side of the street to sit down and picked up the bowl of porridge with a pious expression.

Gwen glanced at the bowl; the porridge was a bit runny, not as thick as Josh's, but it still smelled delicious. Mira brought her dry lips to the bowl and sipped the porridge little by little.

She didn't say anything, quietly finished her porridge, and then lifted the bowl to let the last bit of soup flow into her mouth.

Only then did she show a satisfied smile.

"I love drinking porridge the most."

"Actually, I really enjoy eating, but most of the time I can only drink porridge."

“When I was a child, I thought that if there was a place where I could always have porridge, I would definitely go there and never leave, even if it meant my death.”

"Things are good now. We have porridge to drink, and everyone can survive."

Gwen blinked, looking at the rice porridge stuck to the corner of her mouth, then looked back at the rice porridge in the pot.

For some reason, she suddenly wanted a bowl of porridge, even though she had just had some from Josh.
That's true, porridge doesn't really stifle hunger.

"Would you like some porridge?"

Gwen quickly shook her head and looked at Mira warily.

Mira chuckled, patted Gwen on the back, and pointed to the alleyway.

"Go back now, little kitty. I'll treat you to porridge next time."

The streets gradually filled up with people. As the sun set, many people who had worked hard all day were getting off work and preparing to go home.

Gwen opened her eyes wide, looked at the alley, then at Mira, before jumping down the steps and running away.

Before leaving, she looked back and saw Mira waving at her, the setting sun casting a golden glow on her.

"What a strange person."

Gwen muttered to herself.

If Gwen finds it strange, then it must be extremely strange.

What nonsense are you spouting? It makes Gwen seem like a weirdo!

She's always been strange.

"Hmph, Mira must be scared. Gwen is incredibly powerful; she only let you go because she couldn't beat her!"

No, I think there's poison in the porridge.

Gwen looked away from her noisy friends and hesitantly asked the unicorn, "What kind of person do you think she is?"

She's a dangerous person. She can spot you, and even see us. She might be very skilled in that area and could potentially counter your abilities. It's best to keep your distance.

Gwen frowned and thought for a moment, then nodded solemnly.

Then she looked at the girl in armor: "What do you think of her, little Gwen?"

Like Mom.

Gwen was stunned.

She instinctively wanted to retort, but the words got stuck in her throat. Her expression kept changing, from anger to doubt, from determination to wavering, and finally to confusion.

She can no longer remember what her mother looks like.

"Little sister, why are you standing here? Can't you find your mom and dad?" A voice suddenly rang out from beside her, and Gwen turned around.

He was a hooded man with shifty eyes, and strange, distorted tattoos could be seen through the gaps in his sleeves.

My mom and dad are gone.

"Really? Come here, Uncle can help you find them."

Several hooded figures approached and subtly surrounded her.

Gwen nodded expressionlessly and followed them deeper into the alley.

(End of this chapter)