Survival on the Internet: A Bizarre Start at Sea

"My lord...my lord, are you there?"

Through the half-open door of the dormitory room, Su Zhisu heard Lilia's hushed voice.

He woke up from his sleep.

I glanced at the time: it was already afternoon of the Haiyue Festival.

Despite being in the unfathomable depths of the sea, Atlantis suddenly brightened up on its own. The light streaming through the windows was no longer the usual deep blue of the sea, but a pale, almost daytime-like brightness, as if bathed in moonlight.

The entire city of Atlantis was shrouded in an unusual clamor.

Is this... the sound of a celebration?

Su Zhisu vaguely heard a sound like the tinkling of chimes, a musical rhythm coming from the water, and a low humming sound composed of countless deep-sea languages.

He got up and opened the door, and Lilia was indeed waiting outside.

The girl had changed her clothes today, wearing a light blue gauze dress, with several small, glowing seashells pinned in her hair.

The festive atmosphere did not bring joy to the girl's face; instead, it brought worry and solemnity.

"Your Excellency, you are awake."

Lilia breathed a sigh of relief, then lowered her voice, "Something's wrong...something's wrong with the whole of Atlantis."

Stepping out of the room, Su Zhisu went to the viewing window by the corridor.

The sight before him made him catch his breath slightly.

Atlantis is glowing.

It's not the shimmering luster emanating from the buildings themselves, but rather the city as a whole, adorned and connected by countless light sources.

The glowing corals are carved into the shapes of crescent moons and full moons and inlaid on the surface of each building;

Bioluminescent jellyfish swarm together, forming a winding, flowing band of light in mid-air;

On the streets, the residents—sea creatures, half-humanoid beings, and even water elementals—were busy stringing pearls into chains and weaving luminous algae into garlands, their movements eerily synchronized.

"This is... the Haiyue Festival? It looks so lively!"

Lilia nodded, her voice soft: "Atlantis's grandest festival. According to tradition, on this day we worship the moon, thanking it for replenishing Atlantis's circulation with energy, allowing the entire city to survive within the Echoing Rift."

She paused, then added, "But the holidays weren't like this before."

"What's different?"

"people."

Lilia pointed out the window to a resident hanging a pearl chain; it was a woman with a human upper body and a fish tail.

"Look into her eyes."

Su Zhisu stared intently: the woman had a bright smile on her face and her movements were smooth and graceful, but her pupils... the depths of her pupils were a hollow green, without any luster, like two jades set in their eye sockets.

"Not just her."

Lilia's voice trembled. "Everyone I saw on my way here was like that. They were laughing, celebrating, but their eyes... their eyes were empty."

Su Zhisu's gaze swept across the street.

It does!

Every resident wore an almost identical, perfectly curved smile. They talked to each other in cheerful voices, but if you listened closely, you could tell that their conversations were mechanically repetitive, like lines from a pre-recorded script.

"There's something even stranger," Lilia said, pointing to several areas in the distance. "That's the direction of the three major academies and the temple."

Su Zhisu looked in the direction she pointed.

Within a radius of about fifty meters centered on the three academies and the temple, no residents were seen approaching.

The crowd parted automatically like flowing water, taking detours as if there were invisible walls there.

In reality, those areas were wide open, without any physical barriers.

"Are they... giving way?" Su Zhisu frowned.

“It’s not a deliberate avoidance,” Lilia shook her head. “It’s an instinctive dodge. Like…like deep-sea fish instinctively avoid waters where they sense predators.”

She turned around and looked directly at Su Zhisu.

"My lord, my father burned his very essence to fight Cthulhu last night. Although he was severely injured, his aura cannot be completely extinguished."

"The reason these residents avoid the Deep Sea Forging Institute is because they still harbor a subconscious sense of awe—or rather, fear—of their father."

"That temple..."

Lilia's face paled even more: "There's probably something even more terrifying there."

Before the words were even finished, all the residents on the street suddenly stopped what they were doing and turned their heads in unison to look in the direction of the temple.

Their expressions became devout, and they clasped their hands together in front of their chests, making a gesture similar to prayer.

Above the temple, the enormous green eye was fully open.

A deeper light than ever shone in his pupils, and a soft green beam descended from his eyes, sweeping across the entire city. Wherever the beam passed, the residents let out a unified sigh, filled with happiness.

A green fog has returned to the streets, thicker than ever before.

The fog seemed to have a life of its own, clinging to every resident and seeping into their mouths and noses. After being enveloped in the fog, the residents' smiles became brighter, their movements more fluid, and their eyes more vacant.

"This is the truth."

Lilia's voice was almost inaudible, "She connected everyone's dreams through the green mist; they thought they were celebrating willingly, but in reality..."

Just then, a Deep One appeared silently at the end of the corridor and bowed to them: "Lord Cthulhu requests that Lord Su Zhisu and Miss Lilia proceed to the Star Dream Academy. Please, both of you."

Lilia grabbed Su Zhixu's arm, her eyes filled with worry.

"Don't worry, we're together." Su Zhisu took the girl's hand and whispered.

On the way to the Star Dream Academy, the eeriness of Atlantis became even clearer.

When the residents saw them pass by, they would stop and turn to look at him in unison. Their smiles remained unchanged, but the green glint deep in their eyes flickered slightly, as if they were... recognizing? Recording?

Upon arriving at the entrance of Star Dream Academy, Hydra was already waiting there.

Today, the head of the Institute of Life Weaving is wearing a dark blue robe with ever-changing star patterns embroidered on the hem.

Her expression was calm, but Su Zhisu noticed that the knuckles of her fingers holding the staff were slightly white.

"You've come..." Hydra's voice was soft. "The whole city... has seen it."

"They're all sleepwalking," Su Zhisu said.

"To be more precise, it's 'shared dreams'."

Hydra led him inside. "In Atlantis, one gains a faint connection to Lord Cthulhu's authority simply by falling asleep. Normally, this connection brings peaceful dreams. But today..."

She stopped and looked out the window at a resident who was placing a flower wreath on his companion's head: "The connection is forcibly amplified. Their consciousness is still there, but their behavior is guided, and you don't even realize you're dreaming."

"My creations, my students, are inside..."

"Does that include you?" Su Zhisu asked.

Hydra's lips curled into a very faint smile: "I'm also a fourth-tier, I belong to her... but even so..."

She didn't finish speaking, turning back to continue leading the way, "Remember, in this city, being sober is a privilege, but also a burden."

Arriving at the Moonlight Coral Gate deep within the Star Dream Academy.

Hydra stepped aside: "Lord Cthulhu is inside. I... won't go in."

Su Zhisu pushed open the door.

Inside the room, Cthulhu—in the form of a green-haired little girl—was standing barefoot on a flowing star map.

She turned to look at Su Zhisu, a naive smile blooming on her face, as if the confrontation of last night had never happened.

"You're here~, my dear little brother~" she skipped over, "Today is a special day!"