"My name is Cadezi Haji, thank you, Mr. William, for your treatment."
"Mm."
Yi Chen took his reserved seat.
In front of each person were two delicately prepared entrees, soup, and dessert.
Evengrad-style raw fish slices,
braised fish chunks,
a large portion of fish roe vegetable pie,
mushroom fish bone thick soup,
dishes in bright red, bright purple, bright green, and bright white laid out before them, which would have been hard to swallow if not for the enticing aroma.
During the meal,
the owner asked in a low voice while gnawing on fish meat:
"Have you seen through the essence of this small town?"
Yi Chen quickly waved his hand, "Ah? To say I've seen through its essence would be too much, but I've merely come to an understanding of the pathological symptoms and processes occurring in Green Lake Town, or let's say, a kind of 'selection mechanism.'
If my analysis isn't wrong,
pathological infection should be divided into three stages:
Direct or indirect contact with the water sources of Green Lake Town leads to the invasion of the pathogen.
This marks the beginning of 'First Stage.'
During this stage, the body slowly grows fish scales and starts to yearn for an underwater life.
One should also be able to receive the 'Parasitic Mother's' directives.
The body's main structure remains within human limits, showing no major changes... living normally among the townsfolk, organizing various activities to attract more tourists here.
Once the state of the first stage is stable or a certain threshold is reached,
an individual will be bestowed with the qualification to go to Green Lake, and come into close contact with the lake water,
officially entering 'Second Stage.'
I personally call this stage - 'Fishification.'
Due to the depth of immersion in the lake water, the human body will undergo a serious transformation,
skin grows scales, and organ tissues also tend to structure themselves like a fish's, gradually transitioning to a mermaid state.
As for the Third Stage.
That is the state you are currently in,
returning to land, shedding the external fish-like structures, and turning into individuals with intact consciousness."
"Indeed... you are different.
But there is one thing I couldn't understand all night, knowing that we are diseased, why would you still offer help?
You came here to investigate the root of the disease and eradicate it, right?"
Listening to the owner's doubts, Yi Chen slowly put a slice of raw fish into his mouth and swallowed before replying;
"Strictly speaking, I am still under assessment.
I'm not that clear about some concepts and ideologies,
I just act according to what I think is the 'right' way to do things."
At that point, Miss Cadezi by his side couldn't help but let out a chuckle.
The owner also showed a slight smile and didn't go on to say much,
just then,
from outside the inn came a loud explosion, from the direction of the town center... and also various hurried footsteps, thumps, the town seemed to enter into a state of chaos.
As Yi Chen was about to get up to check,
the owner gestured for him to sit down, speaking softly;
"If 'outsiders' have lived in the town for two days and are still not infected by the disease, we'll take forceful measures.
The tourists who came this time all have very high self-control and are quite strong, effectively avoiding contact with various forms of water sources.
Tonight has been designated by the mayor as 'Day of Disease,' where mandatory purification will be carried out against you.
However, you don't have to worry... as long as you stay in the inn, no one will come looking for you."
"Mm."
Being able to stay in the inn until the end of the third day was also a good option.
Yi Chen had self-awareness,
especially after seeing people like Edmund, he was very aware of his poor foundation, having not undergone systematic training... if he encountered a more powerful diseased person, there would be almost no chance of victory.
Just as Yi Chen was readily accepting this safety proposal,
little Grapes suddenly popped out of his shoulder, and with a leap, landed on the dining table.
Rows of teeth and eyeballs appeared together,
hands on hips!
A jumble of noises emanated from within.
"Hey~ William here helped you with the important 'Patient Transformation'... you know, humans might consider such an act a 'crime,' and might even send you straight to the guillotine.
You think a meal can settle this?
Provide some effective information, as well as tangible help."
Although the fleshy little grape looked somewhat comical,
the words carried a hint of coercion,
The owner, though expressionless,
but sister Cathy instinctively shifted her chair a bit, distancing herself from that ball of flesh.
Yi Chen was somewhat surprised, but his expression remained unchanged… tacitly allowing the little grape's behavior.
The owner locked eyes with the grape's lone eye, ultimately choosing to compromise.
"I was planning to discuss this matter after dinner,
Since you wish to use 'Green Lake Town' as a platform, to pass the so-called assessment with a high score, I will give you a special route.
Hidden in the deepest part of the lake lies a [good thing].
It is this very thing that oversees the 'fishification' process, while also monitoring and controlling the sick people.
Once you kill this thing, you can consider the town's disease root eradicated.
If you have this in mind, my sister and I will cooperate to disguise you as 'sacrifices,' to be offered to the thing at the bottom of the lake… In doing so, you can easily avoid the fish people's interference and head straight for your target.
The dinner you just ate will give off enough 'fishy smell', so you won't be suspected."
The owner's words reminded Yi Chen of the feeling of being watched from the bottom of the lake during his boat trip, as though a giant eye was staring at him.
At the moment,
Green Lake Town is undergoing a 'purge', with the townspeople and other assessors involved in large-scale battles; it is the perfect time to act.
Thereby,
two paths to the endpoint of the assessment lay before him.
1. Stay honestly in the inn, safely passing the assessment under the owner and his sister's cover.
2. Use the best moment at hand, under the brother and sister's cover, to head to the depths of Green Lake and kill the disease root hidden within.
Before making a choice, Yi Chen had one more question.
"If we fail in our action and fail to kill the thing at the bottom of the lake, you and Miss Cathy would certainly be implicated... Why would you do that?"
"Mutual benefit.
My sister has completed her scale shedding, transforming into an independent thinking individual.
But due to the existence of that thing at the bottom of the lake, we are still bound here… Only by getting rid of that thing can we leave the town, and I have promised her to see the outside world.
The decision is yours, Mr. William~ If you decide to go to the bottom of the lake, I believe you also have confidence in this."
"I need to think… Give me five minutes."
Although he saw no problems in the expressions of the brother and sister,
and from the intelligence gathered so far, as well as an objective analysis, they seemed to retain some human nature, despite being sick people.
However,
Yi Chen was still completely unfamiliar with this world, still not quite understanding many of the 'rules of position'.
"Little grape, can we trust this?"
"Of course, you can trust it, why not… Because I am a being that defies the 'essence of the pathogen', reassembled and born from the graves, not bound by anything.
I can understand the feelings and thoughts of these two.
Such a great opportunity presented before us, it's worth taking the risk.
If we can do it, your assessment score will far exceed that of other humans, thereby gaining the organization's regard, with more opportunities, greater odds for survival, and the possibility to explore more of the world in the future.
Don't you think so?"
"Do we have the capability to kill the disease root that controls and governs the whole town?"
"A [Mother] that needs to manipulate a large number of parasites, and also handle the fishification work, is generally fixed in one place and unable to move.
Its essence is also a 'parasite', so it won't have much combat power.
The greatest difficulty lies in [approaching] it,
Any outsider going into the lake not only gets dyed by the lake water but also gets attacked by the merpeople.
With the cover of the brother and sister, as long as we can get close to the Mother, everything will become simple,
Besides.
Even if your Silver Axe isn't enough to kill the target, this little grape still has so many teeth!"
The little grape proudly displayed its white teeth, eager to take action.
Yi Chen did not respond immediately, his hands crossed in front of his nose, quietly contemplating.
He had noticed that little grape seemed somewhat unusual, more proactive than usual on this matter.
As he struggled to make a decision,
he suddenly recalled his experiences in the cemetery,
the feeling of being infinitely close to death when fighting the living dead… He also remembered the significant assistance provided by little grape, and it was precisely because of the Visual Enhancement that he was able to leave the cemetery alive.
Sigh... He took a deep breath.
"To survive in this world, playing it safe is out of the question, just like when I didn't stay in the cabin but actively went to cemetery number 4 to take care of the trouble.
I don't know little grape's origin, true nature, or specific stance.
Since it has saved me once, I'll trust it unconditionally this time,
If I can survive, it means it's trustworthy, and I can cooperate with it for the long term.
And I need to seize such an [opportunity], to get on a higher platform… Just like back in the orphanage, I spared no effort to seize the chance to leave."