My esoteric uncle Jules

Chapter 98: Five Pence for a Loaf of Bread
As soon as I stepped out of the church, the cold wind blew in my face with a strong fishy smell.

From time to time, one could see the strange, hunched figure of a Deep One staggering through the streets, its scales glistening in the moonlight.

Sharp cries pierced the night sky, and the flapping of webbed feet was creepy.

After roughly assessing the current situation in Innsmouth, Jules took a deep breath and his eyes became somewhat solemn.

"Looking at this, it seems to be the 'that night' that the locals are talking about..."

After this night, the originally normal Church of Dagon completely degenerated into the distorted Dagon paganism, and gradually became what it was in later generations.

If that was the case, he would like to see what the situation was like at the Dagon Church.

……

"Mom..." The little boy hugged the woman beside him in fear and said in a trembling voice:
"Why, Master, are they suddenly acting so strangely?"

The woman did not answer, but just stared with her bulging eyes, staring blankly at the moonlight shining through the window.

The little boy waited for a long time without getting a response and looked up in confusion.

"Mom, are you asleep?"

However, when he looked up, he met the face that had become half human, half fish.

The slime dripped onto the little boy's face, causing him to scream, fall to the ground, and step back in fear:

"Mom, you, what's wrong with you..."

A low roar emanated from the woman's throat, and her originally normal body began to twist violently.

Her skin began to flake with sticky scales, and her limbs rapidly deformed, with her fingers and toes gradually connecting together to form wide webbed feet.

The originally gentle eyes were completely occupied by a strange hunger. The corners of his mouth were stretched to reveal his sharp fangs, and saliva dripped uncontrollably onto the ground.

Her eyes were filled with twisted hunger, without any trace of normality.

The little boy was so scared that his face turned pale. He tried to crawl back desperately, but hit the wall behind him.

He looked at his completely alienated mother in horror, covered his eyes with his hands, and said in a trembling voice:

"No, Mom, no..."

However, to no avail.

Just as the woman was about to pounce on the little boy, a hoarse and strange voice rang out:
"Send all unbaptized believers to be baptized."

The woman's hideous and distorted face suddenly became normal, with her eyebrows drooping.

"Yes."

She ignored the little boy's frightened pleas, picked him up, and staggered in one direction.

pat, pat.

After the sound of flapping webbed feet faded away, a figure gradually emerged from the shadows.

It was Jules.

Looking at the monster-like back, he fell into deep thought:
"Baptism..."

He already knew that the so-called "baptism" might be to forcibly stimulate the "shell species" blood in the Innsmouth people, or even forcibly distort them into monsters.

"If there are any hidden elements, it is likely related to this."

Without hesitation, Jules quickly followed.

The clacking sound of flippers was so loud that it made people's scalps tingle.

He could see that, apart from the Deep Ones wandering the streets, there were many more residents walking in the same direction in a daze.

Jules remembered that the place this direction pointed to was Devil's Reef.

He blended into the crowd, trying to make himself inconspicuous, while looking at everything around him with indifference.

A pungent fishy smell mixed with the smell of decay permeated the entire Innsmouth.

At this time, the houses on both sides of the street had not yet shown the dilapidated appearance they would in later generations.

However, the effects of the famine are clearly beginning to show.

In the moonlight, he could see that the faces pressed against the windows were mostly haggard, pale and thin, and quite scary.

From time to time, you can see one or two new figures walking out of the houses and joining the crowd on the street.

What concerned him most was that many of the doors of those houses were engraved with the marks that were previously exclusive to the Church of Dagon - three overlapping scales.

"It seems that the Dagon Church's influence here is already quite considerable..."

If that were the case, the famine would have been here for some time.

Otherwise, based on the previous state of the Dagon Church, it would be impossible for it to snatch believers from the Steam Church.

It is precisely because of this that the impact of tonight's changes is so huge.

Thinking of this, Yule curled his lips and felt a little emotional.

If the Church of Steam had done its duty and tried to prevent the famine from spreading to this area, perhaps the impact tonight would not be so severe?

Even after the black skeleton is corroded, its power will subtly distort all the normal residents here, but if they do not believe in Dagon, the impact will not be too serious.

The outsider who works in the town center square is the best proof.

He had previously asked why the Steam Church turned a blind eye to the anomalies in this area and did not seek help from the outside world.

But he now deeply suspected that the Steam Church, or rather, the England behind it, was deliberately "condoning" all this.

He didn't know the specific reason.

Is it a matter of indifference? Or is there a greater purpose?

Jules felt heavy in his heart when he thought of the horrific famine that killed almost one-third of Ireland's population in history.

He always felt that there was some terrible conspiracy behind this famine.

……

Soon, a huge crowd of people gathered near the Devil's Reef Pier. Jules could see that the Devil's Reef Pier had not yet become deserted like it would be in the future, and was obviously still in use not long ago.

However, perhaps after tonight, it will begin to become deserted.

The inky sea color reflected a deep luster, making the atmosphere on the scene very depressing.

Jules could even see that the eyes of many people were not dominated by distorted hunger, but were filled only with desire for the future.

They came here on their own initiative.

More and more people gathered, and at the front of the crowd stood several figures in black robes.

Yule recognized them at a glance; they were the Dagon "messengers" he had seen before.

But at this moment, the eyes of these few people were shining with a light that made him feel a little unfamiliar.

"People of the Father!"

The leader of the group suddenly spoke, his voice was grand and sacred, but with a strange accent.

"Today, we gather together for one thing only: to survive."

The crowd was extremely silent, everyone had their brows lowered, as if listening directly to the will of God.

The sound of the tide echoed, but it seemed much duller than before.

The leader slowly raised his hands, glanced at everyone, and continued:

“The famine is raging, the land is barren, and our food is running out.

But Father God is merciful and has shown us a way out—this vast ocean is our new hope.”

As the leader spoke, a slight commotion began to arise among the crowd.

Some looked hesitant, while others had fanaticism in their eyes.

The sea breeze grew stronger, making the cloth strips tied to the dock rustle.

“Jump into the sea and receive the baptism of God the Father. We will be reborn, possess endless power, and no longer be troubled by famine.”

The leader's voice rose high, carrying with it a magical power that could bewitch people.

“I know some people may have doubts about this, but Father God is forgiving and merciful and will not reject any lost lamb.

Do you know how much a loaf of bread costs out there these days? Five pennies!

The reason for all this is the work of those arrogant and indifferent noble lords in London!
Some of us have lost our wives and children, and some can't even support ourselves. Your children have been sold, your wives have run away, and your parents have starved to death. Is this what we wanted?"

A strange influence began to spread, making Yule feel slightly uncomfortable.

"Using the principles of the cup to distort and amplify people's desires..." His eyes narrowed slightly.

Frankly speaking, the content of the leader's speech was indeed very contagious. If he didn't know the consequences, he would even be tempted.

But he knew clearly what kind of abyss Innsmouth would fall into in the near future.

"You know, many years ago, we in Ireland were also a land of heroes, not a land of cowards conquered by England!"

The leader began to roar, his voice was a little hoarse and sharp.

"But look at it now!"

The leader waved his arms violently, his voice becoming more and more excited:
"We struggle to survive on this land, yet we still have to endure exploitation and oppression from those nobles!
They have left us starving, broken up our families, and left us struggling to survive in this famine!"

There were low sighs from the crowd, and some people even started sobbing.

The pain and anger that had been suppressed for a long time were gradually aroused in this infectious speech.

“But God the Father will not abandon us!”

The leader suddenly raised his voice, his face full of fanaticism:
"He has given us this sea, giving us a chance to escape this endless suffering. As long as we jump into the sea and receive baptism, we will gain power beyond that of ordinary people. We no longer need to fear those nobles, and we no longer need to endure the suffering of famine!"

He opened his arms as if embracing the so-called hope.

At this time, the commotion in the crowd became more intense, the eyes of the hesitant began to waver, and the fanatics rushed forward impatiently.

At this moment, Yule saw a familiar figure——

He was thin, his muscles were as strong as old canvas, and his face was covered with crisscrossing wrinkles.

Everything looked old except those eyes.

It was Santiago.

At this moment, he was standing in a corner of the dock, staring blankly at everything happening here.

"He's here too?" Yule raised his eyebrows, feeling a little surprised, but soon nodded in understanding.

According to Santiago's previous statement, it was the skeleton he captured that led to what happened later.

At the same time, the leader smiled strangely, took out a black bone stained with blood from his arms, and threw it into the sea.

Seeing this scene, Santiago's eyes fluctuated, revealing a painful struggle.

Jules saw all of this.

The bones dissolved as soon as they entered the water, dyeing the sea water a darker shade of ink, making it more viscous, and even making the rise and fall of the tides a little lower.

“Come, let us throw ourselves into the arms of God the Father and be baptized!”

A fanatical roar rang out and people rushed to jump into the water.

The asphalt-like liquid clung to their bodies, seeping into every pore and causing their shapes to undergo horrific changes.

The cold moonlight also took on a strange feeling at this moment, casting a twisted thirsty desire on the entire Innsmouth.

The eyes of those who were originally rational also turned crazy, and they began to jump into the sea on their own initiative.

Seeing this scene, Santiago was not affected at all. He just knelt on the ground and muttered:
"Why did it become like this..."

Suddenly, Jules's calm voice sounded:

"In that case, do you know where the skeleton is stored now?"

(End of this chapter)