Unable to repay my student loans, I had no choice but to work part-time as a demon hunter.

The ancient Logariths clearly shouldn't have had electron microscopes, nor should they have known the shape of DNA.

Maybe it's just a coincidence.

Perhaps something told them everything.

"..." Gordon remained silent and began the final decryption.

He laid the eight pages of the letter on the left side of the table, placed the rubbing in the center, found Harold's notes and placed them on the right side, and piled up books such as "Anatomy of the Otherworldly Demons," "The Nature of the Source," and "Introduction to Spiritual Crafts" in turn.

"You've figured it out?" Vera asked.

"Almost." Gordon entered focused mode. "I'm not going to school today. I'm going to unleash my full potential, reach the pinnacle of my abilities, and decipher this thing."

"Oh!" Vera exclaimed happily. Although she didn't understand what Gordon was saying, his determination was inspiring.

Gordon took out a blank sheet of paper.

First, draw the silver fish holy box.

It once contained large amounts of source matter, possibly source matter related to reproduction.

The power emanating from the source material permanently transformed it, turning it into a machine capable of secreting exudates and creating source material embryos.

In his familiar language, this is an embryo synthesis machine.

Next, draw Harold's clam shell.

Harold hoisted himself up and secured him with chains, constantly activating himself with river water. His shell was coated with amniotic fluid, which would sometimes open and close, expelling residue.

He slowly dissolved inside, gradually transforming into an elderly baby. After being destroyed, he became a monstrous placenta.

Gao Deng painted the Blackwater River.

  

The river water possesses a water-based spirituality, all originating from that Great Source.

Yes, it's a large source of quality.

Gordon finally drew a dotted line and a question mark on the edge of the drawing, the mysterious Great Source Material, the Source Material that the Silver Fish Box had offered.

Although there is no connection at present, it is the origin of everything.

Gordon’s attention returned to the ceremony itself.

For a rebirth...

Embryo, uterus, amniotic fluid, and extraordinary vitality—all are now present.

What else is missing?

It's still missing something to guide it on how it should grow.

Guiding the direction of the re-evolution of new embryos, blank source material, and even Harold...

Eve's problem resurfaced.

Genetic information!

It controls everything.

Only by injecting new genetic information can Harold not be born as a human again, but instead be directed to become what he wants to become.

Gordon suddenly stood up, went back to his bedroom, and took out the colorful scales from the small safe.

The scale remains vibrant, its color constantly changing depending on the viewing angle.

[Colored scales. Some things can live for eight hundred years.]

Yes, that's it.

Gordon didn't even need to draw anymore; he just put it on a blank sheet of paper.

"All done," Gordon murmured.

"And now?" Vera asked.

"We need to confirm who it belongs to." Gordon grabbed the "Anatomy Atlas of the Otherworldly" and quickly flipped through the entries on aquatic Otherworldly beings.

Deep Claw Demon, Sea Dragon Demon, Giant Claw Demon, Poisonous Eel Demon...

Page after page of copperplate illustrations slipped through Gordon's fingers, until he finally stopped at a record from 170 years ago.

Sea monster.

In the copperplate engraving, a monster lies on a reef, its body being disemboweled by sailors. It has a body resembling that of a young girl, with a fish tail extending from its waist. The illustrator meticulously depicts the scales, then leaves a frustrated note.

"I can't draw in color."

"Remember, Vera? The siren was like a mermaid at the pumping station. Was it just my imagination?" Gordon showed it to Vera.

"I remember what it looked like," she concluded. "It must be the same thing."

"How many mermaids are there in this world? Or rather, 'sea monsters'?" Gordon murmured.

"Not many, and the Hunter School doesn't record it either," Vera said. "I suspect many weren't real mermaids at all. We might be the only two people in the world who have ever seen one."

Gao Deng understood.

In any case, the evidence has finally closed.

Seashell hair accessory. Don't mistake the sea for a river.

Mermaids. Fairy tales don't tell you what they eat.

Gordon then recalled the prompt that had appeared above the mermaid's head.

Her coming to the pump station was most likely to get revenge on Harold. No matter where Harold got the mermaid scale, it must have been an unpleasant process to dig such a large scale out of a mermaid.

He finally stood up.

The entire Tide Birthday Ceremony is now complete.

Five elements: embryo, uterus, amniotic fluid, exceptional activity, and genetic template.

The entire ritual involved no offerings and no prayers for miracles to be made to any deity. It resembled an ancient and sophisticated bioengineering feat.

Moreover, once Gordon is reborn, he can also endow his new source material with genetic characteristics.

The embryo has a pristine, unblemished source of matter.

There is no artificial womb available; it needs to be custom-made. Perhaps a spiritual craftsman would be needed to assist, and the craftsman must be persuaded not to report the incident to the police.

There was amniotic fluid in the warm bed; he stored half a box of it during his university years.

It lacks extraordinary activity and requires the extraction of large quantities of water-phase spiritual crystals from the Blackwater River.

If a genetic template exists, using this mermaid scale could potentially endow the source material with traits such as the ocean, tides, or songs.

Finally, a location that is easy to defend and difficult to attack, with an abundant water supply, is needed. This ceremony will take approximately 10 days.

Harold chose the old pumping station, which Gordon then destroyed, fully demonstrating the necessity of site selection.

If Gordon were to use this ritual, he would first need to find a place that would not be invaded, or one where, even if invaded, it would be easy to escape, and he would also need to keep it a secret.

"We're going to create something new!" Gordon said excitedly to Vera, having made all the necessary preparations.

"?" Vera frowned.

"No..." Gordon quickly corrected himself, "Are you ready to hunt Source Essence?"

"Source quality, great!" Vera nodded, her eyes lighting up.

"Let me clarify first, it will most likely become a deep-sea sexual entity, which may not be suitable for you."

"Oh." Vera's eyes dimmed as she controlled her appetite. "You need to be more moderate."

"The treatment is working better than expected..." Gordon breathed a sigh of relief.

"But you haven't explained Harold and the ritual yet," Vera said.

Gordon turned his attention back to the desktop.

"Actually, Harold possesses mermaid scales and uses them as the genetic template needed for the Tidal Birth Ritual. His dream is..."

As Gordon spoke, a series of interconnected conjectures suddenly came to mind.

"...Right, I suddenly remembered that Harold clearly wrote 'Going ashore is a long misunderstanding,' believing that evolving into the ape god was a mistake. But if I'm not mistaken, creatures came ashore from the sea, not from the river. How could this be? The Blackwater Hermitage worships rivers, but Harold wants to go back to the sea. Either Harold broke with the Blackwater Hermitage long ago, or what the Hermitage worships has nothing to do with this city's stinking, long Blackwater River from the very beginning."

……

……

The Relief Day holiday starts tomorrow.

The entire school was filled with a festive atmosphere, devoid of any academic focus. Black curtains hung on the doors, and white candles adorned the windows. Students packed their suitcases, dance invitations, and holiday plans, eagerly anticipating two weeks of unbridled fun.

Gordon arrives at university carrying a heavy, complex web of clues. Several major, troublesome matters weigh heavily on his mind.

His vacation plans will include Vera's pollution control efforts, continued research into relevant information, and finding the right person to custom-make an... artificial womb.

Next, we need to obtain a large amount of water-phase spiritual crystals and find a suitable place to create the second source substance.

In terms of comprehensiveness, it is far ahead.

"Mr. Vic." Charlotte was wearing a light blue spring jacket over her uniform, with a black veil for Evangelism on her left breast. "You seem to be in good spirits lately; you didn't even come to class yesterday."

"I slept very well." Gordon has been going to bed early and waking up early lately. "Just pretend I slept in yesterday."

This is real.

Vera would confiscate his coffee, seize his books, and silently watch him from his bedside.

A very effective medical intervention. This allowed him to sleep seven hours a day. He would occasionally dream of Vera herself.

"Your appearance may be alright," Charlotte commented on Gordon, "but hasn't anyone told you that you need a more formal outfit?"

"My student loans are mitotic again," Gordon said. "I can't afford to spend money on new skins right now."

Charlotte walked over to Gordon and patted him on the shoulder.

"You can't wear this coat to every occasion," she said.

Gao Deng lowered his head.

Your coat. It accompanied you through the classroom, the Montfort family home, and the exploding pumping station.

"The cuffs are worn out," Charlotte said.

"Time has settled."

"There's a crack on it."

"unique."

"There's a small burn mark on the hem from something." Charlotte looked down.

"Historical heritage".

Charlotte pouted.

"Changing your outfit is nothing to me. I'd much rather you be impeccably dressed." She raised her chin. "You can think of it as... investing in your image."

Are there any conditions?

"When you go out with me, you have to link arms with me, like this," Charlotte gestured, then added, "...just a formality."

He took Charlotte's hand. The thought flashed through Gordon's mind.

The two walked forward. Gordon kept a small distance between them the whole time.

It seems like the distance is just a little bit off.

What exactly was missing? Gordon couldn't quite put his finger on it. Maybe it really was just a new outfit, but it also seemed like more than that.

“I looked into Olivia Brundle,” Charlotte said. “I didn’t go to her Green Manor. I promise you I won’t get myself into any danger, but I subtly inquired about her connections to the fishmen.”

"She seems to be from some kind of association," Gordon thought of that chapter.

"Yes, the Logris Underwater Heritage Archaeology Association," Charlotte said.

"Haha, a family of fishmen."

"No, if only it were that simple. She left the association long ago and started running Green Shade Mansion," Charlotte said.

"It sounds like a peaceful and nice place."

"No, not at all." Charlotte blushed at the thought. "...It's called a 'mansion,' but actually, it's just...that kind of place. Officially, it hosts poetry salons, concerts, and card games. As for what they do late at night, nobody's willing to tell me explicitly..."