There can't be a Harvest Moon in the RimWorld.

I tentatively asked, "Your parents participated in the rebellion, which led to your grandfather being imprisoned?"

Kay nodded: "Yes, Grandpa and Old Man Hook should know each other in the same way. Because I saw similar whip marks on them, they must have been treated very cruelly."

...Didn't you ever consider that they might have gone to the streets of Singapore as a group and spat on the street?

I already knew that old Kay met the old miners in prison, but the war that Kay's parents participated in made me think a lot.

In terms of timing, it seems to correspond to the wave of resistance that Harris recounted, which swept across the entire Union and was personally commanded by General Morden.

There's even a subtle causal thread running through this, connecting some of the things that puzzled me.

I frowned and turned to ask Gerfrid for his analysis.

"Grey, what do you think?"

Gray replied absentmindedly, "Parents? I don't have any opinion—I don't have any parents, so I can't answer that question."

Even Kai was shocked: "Grey, so much time has passed, and your grandfather still hasn't told your parents about it?!"

Gray shrugged and said nonchalantly, "I don't know, but he insisted that I don't have parents, such a weak and useless thing."

I:……

Kay: ...

After saying that, he asked warily, "What are you doing? Why are you looking at me like that?"

Now both Kai and I were convinced.

I lost a loved one; it was tragic.

Kay had only heard about his parents from his grandfather, which made things even worse.

Gray doesn't even know what parents are, it's utterly tragic!

I hereby declare that the first annual World's Most Miserable Contest is won by Gray from Mineral Town: Unaware of the truth.

The prize for this competition is a grandfather who is never a human being. The prize is valid from the date of its award and is non-refundable for life!

Well, if there really were such a competition, I guess only Bruce Wayne, whose timelines keep restarting and whose parents keep sacrificing themselves in various ways, could have a slight edge—in terms of the setting, the Wayne family must have six legs in and two legs out, and they can never completely leave Crime Alley.

A level of misery on another level would be the German Genghis Khan band dressed in Mongolian robes singing praises of Russia, which is Poland's ultimate nightmare.

But don't worry, things will get even worse later, so Poland won't be destroyed, it will just disappear occasionally.

Chapter 615 The Strange Tales of Mineral Town Harbor (End)

In a space devoid of food, water, and any hope of escape, every second that passes is a sign of danger. If we cannot find a way to escape before our strength is exhausted, we will eventually perish along with this ancient, deserted ruin, decaying into wisps of dust.

“Marcus, why aren’t you nervous at all? I really have no confidence at all about this place.”

Seeing that I was still chatting casually with Gray, Kay slowly revealed a helpless expression, as if she wanted to emphasize the danger of our current situation.

But I sat up from the limestone bench without hesitation, turned to check on the unconscious Elliot, and calmly said, "You still have the mood to chat with us, so you must know some secret. Tell me, is it related to the curse of the Navigator's Alliance, or is it connected to some other inconceivable thing?"

Kay paused for a moment upon hearing this, and subconsciously asked, "What do you think... I would know?"

In his slightly surprised eyes, I could see the confidence in my expression.

"Where should I begin..."

I ran my fingers through my hair, looking a little embarrassed. "There are just too many strange things about this place. It's really hard for me to pinpoint exactly what's wrong. Maybe it started when we accidentally entered the eye of the storm and encountered that gigantic monster. The strange sights here have exceeded our expectations, to the point that the bizarre phenomena that followed have left me feeling a bit tired of them..."

Gray raised his hand to add, "And those Deep Ones in the water! As far as I know, these monsters don't experience fear. I don't believe any danger could make these inherently cruel, ruthless, and insidious creatures back down."

I nodded: "So far, the only time you've shown genuine surprise was when 'Stuart' asked that series of questions. I have reason to believe that what's going on here is currently only known to you and him, and that you don't intend to let us know."

Kay said with difficulty, "I really don't want to involve you in things related to ritual curses... My grandfather was still repenting for his actions until his death. I could feel that he was reciting scriptures day and night, just to alleviate even the slightest bit of his guilt..."

Kay's voice was a little hoarse as he slowly untied the purple sailor's headscarf he was wearing.

"Because I... can understand how he feels..."

I noticed with my sharp eyes that on the slightly faded, worn, and sea-breezy headscarf, there was an inconspicuous "Z" logo embroidered at the pointed corner.

“This headscarf…isn’t yours, is it?” I asked.

Kay exuded a somber aura and remained silent for a long time before answering my question.

“That’s right, this headscarf… originally belonged to Zack.”

"Zack? Are you sure there's nothing wrong with this gay purple?"

Kay solemnly affirmed, "I've thought about it too. If I hadn't gone near that monastery as a child, I wouldn't have heard those frenzied chantings in the dead of night, nor would I have had those insane and obscure nightmares, those... um... those..."

He left an unnecessary pause here, like someone taking the opportunity to choke someone during a breath.

“In the ancient town that my grandfather took me to, a gloomy, festering, and terrifying atmosphere permeated everything. Every day I was terrified, worried that some horrible being was rotting and taking shape in the moldy, unclean streets. It was during that time that I had my first nightmare… To this day I don’t know whether it was the dreams in the monastery that caused the fever, or the fever that caused the dreams.”

I sensed the unease in his voice, but I persisted with my question, "So what's the problem with Zack?"

"His problem... is that he has absolutely no problems whatsoever!" Kay said helplessly.

"I was sent to the ship that came to port to recuperate because of a fever, and he was the only sea breeze in that town, like sunlight shining into a moldy, empty house. Zack would laugh heartily and lead me onto his proud ship, introducing me, this little one, to his brotherly crew, the only one who had the courage to push open the monastery doors and interrupt that endless, gloomy mass..."

Kay's tone grew increasingly dejected.

"I saw Zack as my lifeline. In my young mind, I had only one thought: to tell him everything I had seen in town, everything that puzzled and frustrated me! Because only he would pat me on the shoulder, call me a little man at six years old, and call rum the elixir of courage and wisdom, and drink it with everyone in a joyful celebration!"

"...And then?" I asked.

Kay's expression gradually went numb, but his voice trembled violently: "I made a terrible mistake. I told Zack everything about the chaotic scenes in my dream... I described those eerie and bizarre murmurs that have haunted my dreams for so long, the seaweed-covered fantasies, the increasingly decaying dark world..."

"Later, I didn't see Zack for a long time. My grandfather told me that he had sailed alone to a very dangerous place despite all the obstacles, and almost lost his life, so much so that he could never set foot on the sea again..."

I immediately thought of Zach's ordeal. "Zach's shipwreck... was it caused by you?"

Kay pointed to the inscriptions on the wall, looking at me with great emotion: "Do you know why I can recognize this language? This dead script that disappeared thousands of years ago, and whose annotations and translations have long since vanished into history?"

He took a breath and said painfully, "Because every night, countless voices resound in my brain... Some cry, some shout, some roar, some curse, constantly pouring information about the fate of my ancestors into my brain, and it gets worse and worse as I get older, to the point that it is almost unbearable!"

"I often can't tell whether I'm a brave sailor on the high seas or just another ordinary person before the destruction of civilization! I can't tell whether I'm awake or asleep with a distorted expression! Perhaps the me who can talk to you now is having a beautiful dream, and the me who will wake up later will join that crazy and bizarre carnival..."

Zhuangzi dreaming of a butterfly... This experience seems familiar. If it were someone who was constantly brainwashed by memes, I could probably understand how he felt.

"Hey, believe it or not, I actually understand you very well," I said, patting his shoulder with utmost sincerity.

Whether out of gratitude or genuine belief, Kai forced a smile to try and relax, before finally whispering, "Grandfather said my symptoms are more severe than anyone else in the tribe knows... The unfortunate members of the tribe typically develop symptoms at thirty and collapse at sixty, but given my condition, I'll probably be confined to the Asini Island monastery before I'm even thirty..."

"So what exactly is the curse?"

Kay closed his eyes in pain.

"...As time goes by, memories keep surfacing in my mind. I can easily 'see' the lives of my ancestors, recognize their writing, and grasp hidden and ancient knowledge, as if these were originally a part of my bloodline, just slowly awakening... People who flow with blood similar to mine will slowly fall into ancient memories and find their own destiny. This is the secret of why the Brotherhood of Navigators has spanned countless years and has never disbanded..."

These symptoms are starting to sound familiar... Should I ask them to add a bed for me...?

And you guys shouldn't try to engrave every weird thing into your DNA!

“But I believe even more strongly that this destiny, deeply ingrained in my blood, is actually a curse left by our ancestors regarding forbidden knowledge… I’m only twenty years old this year, but what I’ve seen and know already surpasses that of the vast majority of my people, and I’m only one step away from being a madman in a monastery…”

He was talking nonsense with great seriousness.

"The forbidden knowledge our ancestors encountered became an indelible curse, corroding and binding the souls of their descendants, infecting and spreading in the minds of those who came into contact with it... Those who awakened too much and too deeply, finally succumbing to madness, will ultimately transform into that small, hairy thing with white fangs that I saw in the monastery... That night it darted out of its cell, leaving curves and horns on the wall drawn with some kind of viscous red liquid, before turning into a black raven and disappearing..."

I stood up and looked intently at him. "Kay, I think you should be awake by now."

"Awake??"

Kay was startled, then recoiled in shock. "No! I'm awake right now! I don't need to wake up!!"

But I did not give up because of that.

"Are you really awake? Or rather... do you really want to wake up?"

I held the gleaming Jade of Truth in one hand, and with the other hand outstretched, the ring on my finger emitted an infinitely dazzling brilliance that almost pierced the sky!

The King Soul's First Flame Ring is burning fiercely, which is enough to show that something indescribable is lingering around me. Fortunately, my recent study of dream entry techniques has also helped me find some clues.

"Kay, wake up."

My words carried a hint of seduction.

"Don't resist...you just need to think about it..."

"'Stuart'...is in which direction from us...?"

"Or perhaps...which dimension?"

Chapter 616 Codenamed "Project Dome"

As I stood still, my memories fragmented irregularly, like a terrifying vision unfolding around me in a loop. But as I observed, this vivid picture transformed into an isolated point in gray time, shapeless and chaotic, endlessly nested within each other...

My brain seemed to have suffered a major blow, so much so that it took me several tens of minutes to muster the courage to confront the byproducts of my brain's cyclical folding—that absurd, distorted, and terrifying memory.

Fortunately, just as I racked my brains and finally found the right words to describe this memory, I found my own memories again, as if I had picked up a book called "A Brief Biography of Marcus," and recited the words with familiarity yet unfamiliarity, reviewing the experience.

"Phew...that's right...this is a side effect of the dream-entering technique..."

I calmed my breath, which might not even exist, and slowly familiarized myself with the feeling of an unfamiliar memory appearing in my brain.

But specifically, it wasn't a memory.

This is a memory that plays repeatedly in the sleeper's brain. After layers of deletion and reconstruction, the information has been fragmented and encrypted beyond recognition. Under normal circumstances, only the sleeper can read and understand it.

As a beginner in dream entry techniques and experiencing passive dream entry for the first time, my brain was unable to use advanced skills to analyze and filter the ice floes in Kai's dream sea. Therefore, the chaotic data could cause fear, dizziness, and sudden contact could even lead to an inability to process or brain death.

But for me, such dream information pollution is far too easy compared to the brainwashing of demons and monsters. Besides, Old Man Hook has also taught me how to observe the battle situation using lucid dreaming.

Although I don't know why coaxing Kai awake led to another, so unstable dream, I know this situation is more often a protective measure. If I suddenly become aware of myself now, repeatedly emphasizing the abnormality and strongly resisting this dream, I would be kicked out as a foreign object, or even fall into a deeper, more turbulent dream, never to wake up again…

"Okay... calm down... the first step is to find the time machine..."

With my usual unreliable train of thought, I slowly accepted the onslaught of memories and gradually opened my eyes...

…………

Judging from the swaying cabin environment and the clouds drifting by outside the window, this is a heavy transport aircraft with considerable internal capacity.

The cabin was empty. The parachute packs had been removed from their designated positions and were piled haphazardly in a corner. There were also several half-open crates of military supplies, with the name of the eastern city of Cadwell Arms Factory printed in black ink on the crates.

I walked through the empty cabin like a ghost, passing directly through the locked cockpit door and standing behind the pilots of this heavy transport plane, without anyone noticing or showing any surprise.

Because for me, this is just a dream.