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墨書 Inktalez
Lalaye is an immense city, entirely submerged beneath the sea, with only a massive stone fortress rising above the water's surface.
According to legend, one of the Great Old Ones, Cthulhu, sleeps there.
The city's architecture resembles futuristic art, with structures that defy conventional geometry and are completely contrary to Euclidean principles.
Its unprecedented spatial configurations and dimensional sizes evoke a strong sense of revulsion.
These buildings are constructed from enormous green stones, so large they could not possibly originate from Earth, adorned with towering, dizzying stone carvings, grand statues, and exquisite reliefs; the entire city exudes a powerful aura of uncleanliness.
When Chu Donglin and his companions arrived at the coordinates of 47°9'S, 16°4'W, they were greeted by a coastline made up of enormous stones covered in mud, wetlands, and moss.
These stones were identical to those used to construct Lalaye.
Lalaye—the embodiment of nightmarish terror—was built countless centuries ago, its colossal and horrifying form birthed from the dark stars.
For countless ages, Cthulhu and its kin have dwelled here, hidden within the damp caves cloaked in moss.
The wooden Lonely Boat gently bumped against the massive stone steps as Chu Donglin and his companions reached the edge of the city.
He still clutched the swirling black smoke in his hand, while in his right hand, the twisted Evil God's Sword Cold Light flickered, ready to pierce into the body of the black smoke at any moment, instilling fear in the wailing monster.
They disembarked from the Lonely Boat and stepped onto the land of Lalaye.
There were no stairs for ascent; thick mists continuously rose from this waterlogged maze of twisted architecture. Under its refraction, even the sun appeared distorted. The surrounding stones initially seemed convex but upon closer inspection appeared concave; their twisted angles seemed to conceal sinister threats and restless emotions.
Gazing at this city filled with a warped aura of evil, Chu Donglin couldn't help but furrow his brow.
He glanced down at the writhing black smoke in his hand, his eyes filled with vigilance.
"Is this really Lalaye?"
The black smoke writhed and trembled, howling in agreement.
"Yes! Yes! This is Lalaye."
It looked fearfully at Chu Donglin's Evil God's Sword, desperately trying to distance itself from the sword's Cold Light. It struggled continuously but could not escape.
"I have fulfilled my promise and brought you here. Can you let me go now? The eternal secret lies deep within the city; you should feel that power. You just need to walk in. No need to drag me along."
Chu Donglin snorted coldly, squeezing tightly, causing the black smoke to howl again, its piercing cries echoing throughout the Abandoned City.
He watched the black smoke's lamentation with an expressionless face and said coldly, "Don't think about playing tricks. I won't let you go until I'm sure you're not lying. Until then, you'll obediently follow us."
The black smoke twitched lightly, appearing angry and resentful yet helpless.
Thus, Chu Donglin continued deeper into the city, while the demon hung back at a distance, neither too close nor too far.
Unable to resist, Chu Donglin glanced back at it.
"Why don't you come along?"
The demon shook its head.
"I can't. I am a demon from another dimension, not a being of this world. For me, there is no position to interfere in your world's affairs. Although I have to intervene now, I still prefer not to overstep my bounds. Observing from the sidelines is sufficient."
As Chu Donglin walked on, he looked at the demon maintaining a certain distance from him, feeling curious.
"If you really intervened, would there be any punishment?"
"Punishment? No, there is no punishment."
The demon replied calmly, "No one can punish me... or rather, no one has the right to."
The demon spoke these words with a calm expression, yet it inexplicably conveyed a sense of reality—he was not boasting but stating a fact.
The black smoke in Chu Donglin's hand began to swirl. The head formed from the black mist grimaced at the demon, baring its teeth and growling.
"Don't underestimate him, Nyarlathotep. This bastard before you is a demon from another dimension, the master of the Death World. In his realm, he is the strongest villain, and even gods must kneel before him. In our universe, the only one who might stand a chance against him is Azathoth... and even then, the odds are not in favor of victory; they are quite low! You'd better be cautious; who knows what this terrifying interdimensional demon is truly after?"
Cthulhu referred to Azathoth as the leader of the Great Old Ones, the most powerful Evil God.
He was a deity that operated purely on instinct, depicted as a massive, formless mass of darkness and chaos, residing in a palace at the center of the universe. He madly struck an invisible giant drum and played a flute that emitted only nauseating, monotonous tones, accompanied by the howls of the Great Old Ones in madness.
Even Nyarlathotep, one of the three Great Old Ones, was merely a messenger of Azathoth; his power was beyond that which any Evil God could resist.
And there were demons on par with Azathoth... perhaps even stronger...
Chu Donglin couldn't help but glance back at the demon several times.
"Since you're so powerful, why do you seem so hesitant? I thought there would be some force in this universe to punish an outsider like you for meddling."
The demon simply shook his head and replied calmly.
"Although you have become one of the Great Old Ones and gained Nyarlathotep's power, your thoughts and principles are still closer to those of humans, so it's understandable that you don't comprehend."
"As you gradually adapt to the power of a Great Old One and become accustomed to that kind of transcendent strength, you'll begin to impose self-restraint."
"Self-restraint?"
"Yes."
This strange concept piqued Chu Donglin's curiosity. "Why impose self-restraint?"
"Because for gods and demons, mundane beings are far too fragile. Even the universe is merely an expansive hunting ground; the countless stars are just a drop in the ocean. If I wished, I could instantly traverse the cosmic expanse to reach depths hundreds of light-years away and return in an instant."
After glancing at Chu Donglin, the demon added.
"Of course, you can achieve that, but only after the power of the Great Old One on this planet fades or after you leave this force field and regain your peak strength."
"For beings as powerful as us, if we lack self-restraint and only know how to blindly destroy or annihilate, recklessly wielding our power without regard for mortal lives, eventually the entire universe will face extinction, leaving no life behind except for gods and demons."
Pointing at the swirling black smoke in Chu Donglin's hand, the demon said calmly.
"A vivid example is the Cthulhu in your grasp... As one of the Great Old Ones, it shares the same lack of self-restraint as the others. The Great Old Ones always ruthlessly use their immense power to bully and destroy mundane things, annihilating countless planets and worlds."
"Yet even the most evil and chaotic of the Great Old Ones rarely wish to destroy an entire planet. Because while living beings may perish and later revive, once a planet is destroyed, it is nearly impossible to recreate... And that is their only form of self-restraint."
"Compared to the Great Old Ones, I simply impose more restrictions on myself, which is why I refrain from interfering in mundane matters... Of course, there are exceptions at times."
"Like your planet."
The demon stated calmly, "I should have quietly observed the development of events alongside this planet's self-awareness, watching as Cthulhu lured that poor girl to steal the power of the Blood Pool, then encountered you at sea, ultimately leading to a deadly confrontation where your battle would determine the fate of life on this planet... whether it would find redemption or be destroyed by Cthulhu's puppet."
"But you intervened!"
The black smoke in Chu Donglin's hand suddenly twisted and roared, revealing a fierce face with sharp fangs toward the demon.
"You scoundrel! You demon! Damn you! Why do you meddle? This planet doesn't care about humanity's survival; what right do you have to interfere as an outsider? Damn you!"
Amidst Cthulhu's roar, the demon shrugged nonchalantly.
"I simply do not wish to see humanity perish. Although I impose self-restraint and refrain from interfering with this world's changes, that does not mean I can stand by while you Great Old Ones bring about destruction without doing anything."
Cthulhu howled in agony.
"You meddler!"
"I do not deny that."
And just as Cthulhu's wails echoed through the air, Chu Donglin and his companions finally reached the depths of the Abandoned City, where they beheld the Fountain of Immortality that Cthulhu had spoken of.
It was a divine artifact powerful enough to alter the lifespan of mortal beings, granting them an extended life that could almost be deemed immortal. It was the strongest relic accumulated by Cthulhu over countless years.
At the same time, it was also its last hope to exchange for its own life.
However, when Chu Donglin and the others arrived in front of the Fountain of Immortality, even the demon, who had always remained aloof and indifferent, was taken aback.
They stopped at the entrance, gazing at the beautiful figure sitting by the waters of the Fountain of Immortality, humming a tune, all displaying expressions of astonishment.
Chu Donglin's hand instinctively clenched tightly.
"Ah... Acha?"
In that moment, even Cthulhu forgot the pain in its body, staring in disbelief at the figure by the pool, letting out an incredulous roar.
"Nyarlathotep? How is that possible?!"
Amidst the astonishment of the three-headed demon, the enchanting woman dressed in the familiar fitted Qipao turned her head to look at Chu Donglin at the door, revealing a sweet smile.
"It’s been a long time, my dear man. Have you missed me?" (To be continued)
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