My esoteric uncle Jules

Chapter 113 Return to normal
Santiago moved a chair to sit on the shore, but he was unable to sit down. Instead, he paced back and forth with an uneasy look on his face.

"Father God... no, God of Steam... please protect me and make sure nothing happens."

He sighed, his eyes looking somewhat melancholy.

If it were in the past, he would naturally be able to pray to God the Father without any psychological burden.

But today, everything he saw made it difficult for his simple values ​​to accept what he had caused.

Sometimes he even wondered why he shouldn't be as mentally confused as those people, but instead live soberly and painfully.

After waiting for several days, there was still no sign of the two people.

Logically, he shouldn't be standing here like a fool, waiting for two people who might have died days ago, but somehow, the last man left a very deep impression on him.

It gave him an inexplicable feeling that perhaps the other party could really do it.

But a few days passed and he no longer had any hope.

Maybe he drowned, Santiago thought optimistically.

It's better than being caught and torn to pieces by those fish-man-like monsters.

He waited eagerly, hoping that perhaps he would see two figures, one big and one small, on the foggy sea surface.

Suddenly, he saw a pool of red emerging from the sea in the distance.

When he saw the pool of red, Santiago's pupils shrank subconsciously.

"problem occurs?"

He had seen this scene more than once.

This is what a living person looks like after being torn apart in water and the blood flowing out of their body.

As the sun set, the fog on the sea thinned a little, but it could not dispel the gloom in his eyes.

He almost closed his eyes, unable to bear to look at the broken limbs that were about to emerge.

When he opened his eyes again, he was stunned by what he saw.

There were no human stumps, just a few webbed and scaly limbs.

"This..." Santiago hesitated, with a hint of disbelief in his eyes.

Could it be that the person who jumped into the water decisively earlier wasn't crazy, but could actually do it?!

"But the priests of the Steam Church are powerless to do anything about it. Can he really be better than the priests?"

His mood was a little complicated.

The sea breeze blows away the fog, and a salty smell hits your nose.

Santiago walked closer to the coast, and the gravel under his feet crunched.

He stared at the pool of red spreading across the sea, his throat dry and his heart beating faster.

In the distance, the water surface was surging, and new limbs of deep divers kept floating up, and their scales were shining faintly in the sunlight.

"How can it be……"

He muttered to himself, his eyes filled with uncertainty.

The waves crashed against the shore, making a roaring sound, but it could not cover up his heavy breathing.

Suddenly, the surface of the water broke open, and two figures slowly emerged.

The one big and the one small are Jules and Lolita.

Jules held his staff in one hand and held Lolita with the other, walking steadily on the water.

After walking a few steps, several deep divers rushed out with roars, their faces ferocious, and water splashed everywhere.

Without even raising his head, Jules casually slashed his arm with his staff, and several blood arrows shot out, accurately piercing their heads.

The corpse twitched and sank to the bottom of the water, and the blood dyed the sea red.

In Santiago's eyes, the man in front of him was as insignificant as stepping on a few ants.

"It's alright, let's go."

Yule spoke lightly, his voice calm.

Lolita followed closely beside him. Although her face was pale, she exuded a mysterious aura.

There were still a few strands of blood in her light golden hair that had not been washed away by the sea water.

At this moment, she was still holding a piece of bloody flesh in her hand and chewing something in her mouth.

She threw the bloody and fleshy remains into the sea. Several fish were attracted by the smell of blood and began to fight for them.

Santiago's eyes widened and his jaw nearly dropped.

He stood there in a daze, rubbing his hands unconsciously, and the calluses made a constant noise from the friction.

Jules walked to the shore, glanced at him, and said casually:

"Mr. Santiago, I told you before, you don't have to worry about us."

Santiago opened his mouth, but no words came out.

His face flushed red, and after a while, he just adjusted himself and wanted to ask a question, but was blocked by Yule's words:

"As for the 'mistakes' you made in the past, we have made amends. No need to thank me."

When he said this, Jules had a smile on his face, as if he was talking about something as trivial as "What did you eat for lunch today?"

Santiago's eyes suddenly widened, and he trembled and said:

"You, are you telling the truth?!"

He dreamed of seeing the mistakes he made made up for, but he never thought it would be in such a ridiculous way!
Moreover, this person has never seen himself. How does he know himself and know the mistakes he has made?

Jules left without looking back, leaving behind a sentence:

"If you don't believe me, you can go and see for yourself. Dagon Cathedral is not far from here."

……

Santiago was a little hesitant, a little scared, and a little expectant.

Is what that person said true?
He stood on tiptoe, trying to see the towering stone church in the distance through the woods on the coast.

In a place that he was quite familiar with in the past, he now felt confused and frightened.

He didn't even dare to face the elders and fellow villagers he used to be familiar with.

It was he who spread the faith in God the Father, and it was also he who caused the faith in God the Father to become so distorted.

He had thought that from now on, Innsmouth would continue to degenerate along this twisted path.

Unexpectedly, the turning point came so suddenly?

Santiago had doubts about the authenticity of the story, but every time he had doubts, he would think of the scene where those deep divers were easily slaughtered, and he couldn't help but shudder.

Maybe it can really be done?

With a nervous mood, he slowly walked towards Dagon Church.

The sea breeze gradually weakened, but the salty smell was still pungent, but the disgusting strong fishy smell was no longer there.

Santiago walked with heavy steps, and every step felt like stepping on his own heartbeat.

He stared at the outline of Dagon Cathedral in the distance. The spire was looming in the mist, looking down at him like a silent giant.

He swallowed, his palms covered in cold sweat.

Anxiety and anticipation intertwined together, extremely complicated, making his breathing a little rapid.

He didn't know what was waiting for him in the church - the distortion of the past, or the "compensation" that the man had mentioned.

The stone door of the church was half open, and a dim light shone through the gap.

Santiago pushed the door open and walked in, his footsteps echoing in the empty hall.

The flickering candlelight shone through, and he saw that his hands were stained yellow.

When he saw the scene inside clearly, he was stunned.

Several residents were praying with their heads bowed, their faces no longer showing the fanaticism and emptiness of the past, but calm, even a little gentle.

The surrounding portraits no longer looked eerie, but instead had a sacred meaning.

His eyes swept across the hall and landed on the statue of the Father in the corner.

The once ferocious face of the fishman is gone. The statue is now faceless. The posture has not changed, but it has inexplicably become much softer.

Holding an ear of wheat in one hand and a fish in the other, he looked down at everyone like a kind guardian. "Santiago? It's been a while since I last saw you." A familiar voice rang out.

He turned around and saw an old fisherman coming towards him.

"Are you...Martin?" He was a little hesitant to recognize him.

Ever since that night, Santiago locked himself in the warehouse, drinking alone on his savings. When he ran out of money, he would go out to help move some goods. He never dared to meet these old friends again.

He felt ashamed to face it.

But when they met now, it seemed that the situation was not what he had imagined.

In his opinion, the eyes of the old fisherman Martin were clear, no longer the turbid and crazy eyes of the past.

"You're back," the old fisherman Martin patted him on the shoulder and said calmly, "The town has changed these days. No one mentions the messenger anymore, and no one is crazy and shouting about sacrificing anything anymore."

Martin's throat rolled and he whispered:
"Father God is back."

Santiago's throat was dry, and after a while he managed to squeeze out a sentence:
"Really... recovered?"

Martin nodded and pointed at the statue:

"Father God is still the same Father God. No one knows what happened, but everything is back to normal."

"Those previously most fanatical believers have suddenly started praying frantically to the statue of the Father God, asking for forgiveness, starting a few days ago."

Hearing this, Santiago subconsciously looked at the statue.

The candlelight reflected in his eyes, revealing a hint of moisture.

He placed his hands in front of him, gesturing as Dagon's followers prayed, and murmured softly:
"Father God, forgive me... and thank that unknown being. May your mighty power protect him."

Outside the church, waves crashed against the shore and the mist cleared.

The sun shone down, and the sky over Innsmouth finally brightened.

……

The time waiting for moonlight is not always so fast.

It was only when Jules got ashore that he discovered that the flow of time seemed to be messed up again. By the time they came out from the bottom of the sea, several days had passed.

However, this did not affect him taking Lolita with him and waiting for the sunset.

The two sat by an abandoned pier, enjoying the sea breeze.

As she was blowing, Lolita suddenly asked:

"Uncle, what are the sun and moon like in the world of mysticism?"

"Sun and Moon..."

Jules looked up, staring at the setting sun, lost in distant memories.

"The sun of the past was bigger, brighter, and more magnificent than it is today."

"But later, the sun was split into four, and the calendar changed accordingly, becoming what we see today."

He paused and then said:
"I've never seen what the sun looked like before, but anyway, they all represent the true hour."

Lolita said "oh" and then asked:

"Has uncle ever met Si Chen?"

She already understood what kind of person Si Chen was, so she asked sincerely.

Yule was a little amused:

"Of course we have..."

He rubbed Lolita's head and said earnestly:
"From now on, you must be careful. There are many Sichen who don't like your presence."

As the son of the deceased Sichen, Lolita is bound to be ostracized in the mortal world.

Even murder.

Jules is not interested in waves, but he cares a lot about Lolita.

If one day he could sever the connection between Langlang and Lolita, he would be more than happy to do so.

Unfortunately, he is still far from being able to do that now, and even has to rely on the power of the waves to fight against the Red Cup.

The sea breeze blows gently across the pier, like a mother gently caressing her child.

Jules and Lolita sat side by side on the broken wooden planks, with the waves crashing against the rocks beneath their feet.

The sun slowly sets in the west, casting a tinge of orange and red on the horizon, making the water shimmer.

"Uncle, when will the moon come out?"

Lolita swung her legs, her light golden hair swaying slightly in the wind.

"It's almost there," Jules said calmly, leaning against the wooden stake behind him. "Just wait until the sun goes down completely."

The two were silent for a while, only the sound of the waves echoing in their ears.

In the distance, a few seagulls were circling, occasionally making a cry or two.

The air by the dock is cool, giving off a sense of isolation.

At this time, footsteps came from far away.

Jules turned his head and saw a strange middle-aged man carrying a fish basket, wearing an old cotton jacket and with a rough smile on his face.

The man passed by Yu Le, stopped, put down the basket, took out a wrinkled cigarette and lit it.

"Hey, good fish today."

The man exhaled a puff of cigarette, glanced at Jules and Lolita, and asked:
"Are you here enjoying the scenery?"

"Just sit down." Yule responded calmly.

The man nodded, squatted down to tidy up the fish basket, and hummed a tuneless little tune.

A few fat fish in the basket were still flapping their wings, splashing water onto the ground.

He picked up one, weighed it, and grinned:
"The soup we'll make tonight is very delicious. Would you like a bowl?"

"No," Jules waved his hand, "let's just look at the sea."

"Okay." The man didn't try to persuade him any more. He stood up with the basket, patted his hands to remove the fishy smell, and said:
"It's cold, go back early. If all else fails, spend the night at the Father's Church. It's safe there."

After saying that, he walked away humming a tune, his back blending into the dimming light.

The pier became quiet again, with only the sea breeze and the sound of waves.

Lolita stared at the direction the man left and asked with her head tilted:
"Uncle, he looks very happy."

"When life becomes normal, people feel relaxed."

Yule looked at the last ray of orange light in the sky and said softly:
"Innsmouth wasn't always this peaceful, you know."

Lolita hummed, lowered her head and kicked the wooden board under her feet.

The sun sank completely below the sea level, the sky darkened, and the moon rose quietly from the east, casting a cold white light.

"The moon is out." She whispered, pointing to the sky.

Jules looked up, the moonlight reflected in his eyes, calm and deep.

"Yeah, it's bright."

The sea was silvery, the waves were lapping gently, and the air near the dock was even cooler.

The two sat quietly, feeling the night fall.

In the distance, the laughter of residents and the smell of cooking smoke can be faintly heard. Everything is normal and warm.

Jules took out the night pearl and stared at it quietly, trying to see something from it.

Reflected by this mountain copper object, the moonlight seemed to have paved a kind of road on the sea.

This reminded him of his previous life, in a language that was not Chinese, there was a word that could not be described in Chinese.

Its meaning is that the moonlight shines on the sea, forming a road-like existence.

Perhaps, the shimmering light and the stillness of the shadows? Or perhaps, the Moon Bridge?
But no matter what, no words could describe the shock he felt at that moment.

By the silver light spreading over the sea, he saw—

The city of waves that stands at the end of the sea level, spanning the bottom and dome of the ocean and filled with golden sea water.

(End of this chapter)