The temporary campsite was enveloped in a faint mist, with many people passed out beside the fire, some sprawled eastward and others westward.
But from the rise and fall of their chests and the occasional snoring, it was clear they were still alive.
It was in this eerie atmosphere that seven or eight people were gathered in the central tent of the camp.
Surrounding a grotesque black stone idol, they continuously kneeled and prayed.
The black idol was strange, abstract in shape, a chaotic lack of symmetry that induced feelings of revulsion just by looking at it.
Tentacles, serpentine heads, compound eyes, multiple facets—it naturally evoked a sense of disgust.
Scattered haphazardly around it were gray candles burning with a faint blood-colored flame, beneath which were graffiti-like chaotic patterns that appeared to be smeared with blood, connecting them to the stone idol.
However, the expressions on the faces of most people praying were extremely fanatical.
