From the Ship of Fools to Earl of Wugang

[The body is being invaded by a strange spirit called "Sea Corpse Spirit," originating from Farian Madeleine!]

Legend has it that fishermen in the far north of the Heart-Splittering Sea are often attacked by undead spirits. These evil souls, known as "sea corpse spirits," come from the dead who refuse to die. They are typically described as having a "deathly blue" or "corpse-like pallor," and usually possess superhuman strength, capable of possessing the living and causing trouble.

In that instant, Edmund felt something cold, sticky, and malicious trying to burrow into his head, as if someone were trying to use a frozen slime on him.

Countless chaotic fragments flooded my mind:

...In a stone chamber, a figure in a diving suit circles a magnificent stone pillar...

...anger, fear, resentment, and a certain almost insane thirst for knowledge...

...Strange fragments of runes, silhouettes of a ritual, vague descriptions of the "first layer of the spirit world"...

The alien soul attempts to use these fragments to assault Edmund's consciousness, dismantle his self-perception, and then establish its own existence on the ruins.

Edmund felt his consciousness being subjected to a frenzied assault. Fragments of memories that did not belong to him scraped against his mind, trying to carve grooves into his brain.

[Currently under invasion by "Sea Corpse Spirits," which are essentially fragments of the souls of deceased human superhumans (Tier 1), corrupted by unknown supernatural influences.]

The "Sea Corpse Spirit" has lost its complete personality, retaining only instincts and fragmented knowledge. Its method of invasion is through projection and infiltration into the first layer of the spirit world, the "Dream Spirit Realm," attempting to seize control of the vessel through consciousness assimilation.

[Can exempt from assimilation effects! Can exempt from mental contamination! Can exempt from memory overwriting!]

"Give it a waiver!"

[Exemption in progress...]

The moment the information feed refreshed, Edmund felt that the cold, invading momentum suddenly falter.

The alien souls tried to continue pouring in, but found that there seemed to be an invisible wall deep within Edmund's consciousness.

The memories, emotions, and knowledge it carried futilely battered against the impregnable dam, then shattered like waves.

[The intrusion has been exempted; the alien soul structure is beginning to collapse...]

Edmund "heard" a silent shriek in his mind.

Those forces that attempted to "assimilate" Edmund's consciousness were completely isolated, those that tried to pollute his mind were thoroughly purified, and those fragments that tried to cover up his memories were all repelled.

Not only that--

In the instant the alien soul collided with the "Wall of Immunity" and shattered, Edmund "read" more through his information vision.

Just as fragmented images can still be reflected in shattered glass, the broken legacy of the alien soul is being deciphered, appearing in Edmund's consciousness as luminous text:

[Gain some knowledge about the first layer of the spirit world, the "Dream Spirit World"]

The Dream Realm is a spiritual projection layer of the real world, a "reflection" of the material world within the spirit realm. Mortal dreams, souls, and spirits primarily reside here. During peak spiritual tides such as the "Planetary Alignment," the Dream Realm naturally permeates the material dimension…

[It seems that the alien soul had been researching the Dream Realm for a long time before its death, attempting to achieve "immortality of consciousness" through this layer of the spirit world...]

……

When Edmund was overwhelmed by the knowledge fragment gift pack, the complete collapse of the alien soul triggered a chain reaction.

"Ugh—ah—!!!"

A shout rang out in the cabin.

Edmund opened his eyes abruptly and looked in the dim light toward the bed where the sound had come from.

He saw a figure on the bed in the distance arch up abruptly, the restraints stretched to their limit, the iron bed creaking loudly.

Even though they were separated by several beds, Edmund could "feel" the unusual chill emanating from the other side.

It was Farian; his skin now had an unnatural, icy blue hue in the dim light.

"Bed number 9! Something's happened to bed number 9!"

Amid the wailing and howling of nearby patients, the cabin door was suddenly pushed open, and two nuns on night duty rushed in.

The familiar tall, plump nun went straight to Farian's bed, while the short, thin nun quickly opened her suitcase.

"Hold him down! Quickly!"

The tall, stout nun pressed down hard on Farian's shoulders as he struggled violently, but the old man's strength was astonishing, rendering the tall, stout nun, who had previously been able to easily subdue Edmund, almost useless.

The short, thin nun had the syringe ready, but her hands were trembling.

"Sister, in this situation, Ningxi Oil might not be effective..."

The tall, stout nun snapped, "Inject the standard dose of sedative oil, plus a heart stimulant! Then go and call the nun!"

The short, thin nun gritted her teeth and plunged the needle into Farian's arm.

Edmund lay on his bed, watching quietly as the short, thin nun hurried away.

The restraints restricted his movement, but his information vision continued to function. He "stared" at Farian, new information surfacing in his mind:

[Farian Madeleine (Near Death)]

[The backlash caused by the complete collapse of the alien soul is destroying the host's body; the host is currently brain dead. Conventional medical treatments are ineffective against this type of soul backlash.]

Amidst the wailing and howling of the surrounding patients, Edmund suppressed his many feelings about the mysterious old man's misfortune and the danger of the world's supernatural powers, and continued to stare at Farian.

If anything goes wrong, your immunity will be guaranteed, and you might even get some unexpected benefits.

Fortunately, this situation did not last long, and a large number of footsteps soon echoed in the corridor.

The hatch was pushed open again, and Sister Maria entered with three nuns.

Edmund saw the old woman quickly walk to Farian's bedside, put down the incense burner, and place her hands on the old man's forehead and chest.

Her palms began to emit a silvery-white light.

The secret ritual "Soul Soothing" is being initiated...

The "Soul Soothing" ritual is one of the fundamental rituals of the Hersh Ritual. It can stabilize soul fluctuations, soothe mental trauma, and alleviate physiological disorders caused by soul problems.

[The caster's rank is insufficient (Tier 1), therefore the healing effect on soul backlash is ineffective.]

Edmund quietly "read" the message.

The silvery-white light lasted for about a minute, then gradually faded away.

Sister Maria withdrew her hand, fine beads of sweat appearing on her forehead. Performing the ritual had clearly taken a toll.

Amid the noise, Edmund vaguely heard the old woman say, "Monsieur Madeleine fought to the death against the resurgence of the possessing spirit. It was my fault for not being careful enough to help him suppress this evil spirit."

The surrounding nuns gasped in shock, and the matriarch solemnly announced, "He has already passed away. We are too late."

Edmund was somewhat surprised; he didn't know when his hearing had become so good.

Could there be some other gains from this experience?

The tall, plump nun hesitated, then said, "Nun, well..."

"We need a funeral."

This was the answer Edmund heard from the matriarch.

The nuns gradually quelled the commotion in the cabin, and most of the patients seemed to have fallen into a coma.

The nuns left after working on Farian's bed for about an hour, but the bed still stubbornly continued to emanate a chill from the surroundings.

After all that commotion, Edmund, now wide awake, finally opened his eyes and began to review the knowledge he had just gained about the first layer of the spirit world, the "Dream Realm":

First, dreams in this world hold a special place, serving as the key to the "first layer of the spirit world—the dream spirit world." This is the projection layer of spirits in the real world, where mortals' dreams and the activities of wandering souls all take place.

Secondly, the so-called "dream realm" is not far away; it is like the reflection of the real world on another layer of water. During periods of "spiritual tide peaks," such as when the stars align, this reflection will seep into reality.

Third, the story of Maurice Gallon demonstrates that the "Song of the Pearl" can invade through dreams, and the alien spirit in Farian's body also infiltrated from the dream level. In his lifetime, that thing studied the dream realm, attempting to achieve "immortality of consciousness." After death, its soul fragments mutated into the "Sea Corpse Spirit," which infiltrated Farian's dreams through the projection of the first layer of the spirit realm.

The relationship between the three is quite intriguing...

But the most important point is that his immunity ability can not only block intrusions, but also extract benefits from the broken remains of the intruders.

It's dangerous, but it's also very useful.