My esoteric uncle Jules

Chapter 84: Past Time and Space (Please Order First!)

When Jules rushed into the room, Lolita was playing with a strange necklace in her hand.

Its shape is very similar to the Heart of the Ocean, but it does not have any strange aura.

Jules took the necklace, examined it carefully for a while, and said:
"It's also fake, but the workmanship seems even more shoddy."

Is it related to the Blood Goblet Cult? Or is it related to the Wave Cult that is suspected to exist here?

Lolita didn't think too much about it, she just laughed and said:
"Uncle, I feel so comfortable here! The air here feels so much fresher!"

Jules shook his head.
"Although this place is perfect for you, you are not allowed to run around until I tell you to!"

He only had a general understanding, but he had no idea what specific dangers he would encounter.

Lolita nodded obediently.

After simply tidying up the room for the two of them to live in, Jules began to think about his next plan of action.

In addition to purchasing the most basic daily necessities, the most important thing is to inquire about information related to "Dagon".

The best way to get started right now is to go and ask the "outsider" that the old priest mentioned tomorrow.

If this approach doesn't work, consider other options.

He was not afraid of encountering those "monsters" - for ordinary people, Innsmouth was a horror movie, but it was different for him.

At this moment, the brilliant sun has silently sunk into the sea, replaced by dark twilight.

Jules stood at the door of the church, his hands behind his back, carefully sensing the changes outside.

Since the old priest spoke so mysteriously, he had to see how weird it was.

As the last ray of light disappeared, an inexplicable depression lingered in his heart.

His brows furrowed slightly, trying to explore the source of this depression.

It seems that at the moment when day and night turn, certain laws undergo miraculous changes.

"Nothing special?"

Jules calmly scanned everything outside.

At this moment, the moonlight shines through the clouds and falls on the muddy streets.

He could see a few people gathered on the dock in the distance, whispering, with a few fishing nets nearby.

But what attracted his attention most was the faint light coming from the distant dock.

He remembered that it should be the direction of Dagon Church.

"Is a sacrifice being held?" He pondered for a while, then decided to close the door and explore the fragments of the Sixth History.

However, just as the door was closed, an anxious voice suddenly came from outside:

"Monsieur le Reverend! Monsieur le Reverend! Hold the door open!"

"Hmm?" Jules's eyes suddenly sharpened.

"who?"

He stopped closing the door and reversed the lever.

As the metal gate opened, he saw a young man running in, panting, his clothes covered in mud.

"Hurry, close the door!" The young man didn't see the old priest, but only saw Jules. He was stunned for a moment, but didn't say much. Instead, he hurried into the church and began to turn the lever desperately.

After closing the door, he leaned against the wall in exhaustion and said:

"Can...can I ask where the old priest went?"

"Him? He left a while ago, and I took his place."

The young man was startled and said:
"He left... Well, well, I wish him good luck."

There was a deep sense of pessimism in his words.

Jules looked the young man up and down, and after a while, he said:

"who are you?"

After the young man recovered, he stood up with the help of the wall and said breathlessly:

"My name is Alan, and I'm a local resident of Innsmouth."

"Local residents?"

Hearing this, Jules said doubtfully:
"It doesn't look like it."

Did he know that the local residents of Innsmouth all looked very strange, like fishmen?

Allen smiled bitterly and said sincerely:

"Believe me, I'm a local! I'm not leaving here because I have a hidden reason. I have no other choice!"

Jules sat leisurely on the chair and said leisurely:

"Then I'll trust you for now. Tell me, why did you come to the Steam Church?"

Hearing this, a trace of fear appeared on Allen's face:
"The nights in Innsmouth are very dangerous. Didn't the old priest tell you that?"

Jules frowned:

"Of course I know. What I mean is, since you know it's dangerous here, why don't you find a safe place to stay instead of running around at night?"

"..." Allen was silent for a while, then said bitterly:

"I don't have a home, so I have to come here at night."

"No home?" Yule's eyes flickered and he said:
"Why not leave Innsmouth?"

This time, Allen just lowered his head and didn't respond.

Seeing the other party like this, he didn't rush to ask for an answer, but just leisurely admired the hazy moonlight coming in from the window.

After a long time, Allen finally spoke:
"It's dangerous to stay here, but at least I can eat instead of escaping to the outside world and starving to death."

Jules shook his head helplessly - it was indeed a realistic reason.

However, he always felt that Alan seemed to be hiding something.

But he had no intention of asking further questions, he just crossed his legs and said leisurely:
"Can you tell me about the dangers of Innsmouth at night?"

Talking about this, Allen's pupils trembled slightly:
"The moonlight in Innsmouth turns people into monsters!"

He swallowed and looked at Jules pleadingly.

"It sounds unbelievable, but it's true. I don't want to become a monster like them, so I escaped here at night..."

Moonlight, can it turn people into monsters?

Yule frowned slightly.

If this is the case, then the strange changes he had sensed before seemed to have some basis.

But he didn't think the moonlight in Innsmouth could really be so powerful—it was likely that it had simply triggered some kind of bloodline in the local residents, causing this. If there were no changes during the day, then this thing was likely only effective at night, thus causing the moonlight to have an effect.

It seems I really need to go out and take a look one night... Jules nodded thoughtfully and said:
"Just find a room to rest first. There are plenty of rooms anyway."

Alan bowed repeatedly:

"Thank you, Father!"

……

After settling Allen, Jules did not go out, but just returned to his room.

"Something interesting... something unusual at night?"

The original story of Innsmouth is quite simple. It is about an investigator who comes to Innsmouth by chance and discovers that there is a belief in the ancient god "Dagon" here. The residents combine with the deep ones who look like fishmen, and eventually the whole town turns into monsters.

But what we see now is that there are obviously many differences from the original work, with only some basic settings being similar.

After thinking for a while, he summoned the fragments of the Sixth History.

[Sixth History Fragment: The Shadow of Innsmouth]

Some say they are extinct like the dodo and the dragon, but scholars know that species that existed before humans never died out, but simply persisted within.

[Objective: Eliminate the source of the residents' mutations and transformation into "Deep Divers"]

【Reward: Rusty Scissors】

[Secret History Integration Degree: 0%]

[Hint: There are hidden elements in the fragments. When the secret history integration degree reaches 100%, it means the exploration is complete.]

[Every time history turns, the fragments will be lost further until they completely collapse]

[Current number of losses: 0/∞]

[Tip: This fragment is a special existence. Each time it is lost, it will only cause further erosion and mutation to the entrant, but will not cause the fragment to disintegrate. At the same time, to enter the fragment, you must be at the corresponding location in the current history, otherwise you will not be able to enter.]

Jules stroked his chin, staring intently at the special prompt.

"Corrosion mutation, does that mean that I will gradually transform into a Deep Diver?"

[Would you like to enter? Yes/No]

[Once you enter, your existence will disappear briefly in this history and return after a period of time]

"Yes."

The world before my eyes suddenly shattered and reassembled.

But, there was no change at all.

【Current role: Jules】

"Ok?"

Jules was slightly stunned.

How come I'm the one playing myself? And nothing has changed?

He got out of bed and opened the door - the sunlight that hit his face made him frown.

"Something interesting..."

This fragment of the Sixth History is different from all the previous ones.

Jules opened Lolita's door and, as expected, found no one inside.

The same thing happened to Alan's room.

He yawned, feeling a little sleepy.

"So, I just woke up..."

He rubbed his sleepy eyes and walked out.

"Master, you are awake!"

A happy voice suddenly sounded:

"The believers can't wait any longer. Hurry up and change your clothes so you can go to celebrate Mass!"

Jules turned his head and was slightly stunned.

Alan? No, not really, but the person in front of him was about 70% similar to Alan, and seemed older.

"Okay, I'll be there right away." After entering the fragment, his mind was filled with a lot of knowledge necessary for clergy.

Naturally, he now also knows how to preside over Mass.

After a while, Jules changed into a familiar dark golden clerical robe and slowly walked towards the church hall.

When he appeared, the church, which had been a little noisy, suddenly became quiet.

As the brass lever was pulled, the cast iron boiler, which had been completely abandoned in reality, emitted the first wisp of white mist amid the roar of the organ.

This marks the beginning of Mass at the Steam Church.

……

Soon, the mass ceremony ended and Jules sat on the platform, lost in thought.

"Interesting. This was before the Steam Church fell into ruin?"

After experiencing so much, his understanding of the fragments of the Sixth History has also deepened a lot.

Based on the information he had obtained so far, this place looked very much like the period before Dagon's paganism flourished.

And at this moment, the Steam Church still has considerable influence here.

However, since the Great Famine in Ireland, the influence of the Church of Steam in the local area has been declining at an unimaginable speed, and the Dagon Cult has taken the opportunity to rise.

Yule's eyes flickered:

"There must be a reason for throwing me into this timeline... In other words, the source of the residents' mutation actually had signs before the rise of Dagon's paganism?"

Suddenly, a messenger ran in from outside. Seeing that Jules had not left yet, he ran over waving the letter in his hand and shouted:

"Your Excellency! Your letter!"

Jules took the letter and saw a strange symbol drawn on it, frowning slightly.

He recognized it as the pagan symbol of Dagon.

The messenger smiled heartily, then turned and left to deliver the next letter.

Only Jules was left quietly reading the letter.

As he read, his brows furrowed slightly.

"…News about Dagon's cult?"

(End of this chapter)