Two hundred and sixty-one. The mask of the virtual and the real flashes a strange light
The next morning, just before leaving, Lu Li saw many townspeople gathered in front of a house.
According to them, this poor resident encountered something strange last night and no one survived.
And this is already the fourteenth consecutive day that people have died in Tawi Town.
There were no traces of the weirdness remaining at the scene. Considering the arrival of the Silent Hour last night, they might have died from the third plague, or from the night disaster and the weird fog.
After replenishing some supplies, they took a carriage and headed east.
The distance between Thunder Castle and Rotating City is almost the same as the length of Allen Peninsula, and there is a vast lake like an inland sea across the middle.
Light Mirror Lake, the glaciers on the world's back mountain range melt into water and gather here to form a shape like water droplets.
Either go around it or cross the lake from the ferry.
It would take too long to get around it, so Lu Li and Aimin came to the ferry to prepare to take a boat through.
"It cannot pass."
The most experienced boatman pointed to the carriage behind Lu Li. "It can't fit in, and the messenger from Light Mirror Lake will not allow it to go up."
The ferry only has wooden boats that can carry up to eight passengers.
"The owner of Guangjing Lake?" Ai Min asked puzzledly.
"They are the owners of this lake. So remember to respect them." The boatman reminded him like a devout believer.
Lu Li turned his head and looked at Ai Min: "Ask the locals."
Ai Min left briefly to ask other people on the ferry. He came back soon and told Lu Li about the situation in Guangjing Lake.
A kind of undead soul in the water called the First Dead Demons occupies this place. They have the power to drag people into illusions, and occasionally attack passengers on passing ships.
The boatman they chose seemed to believe in these first dead demons, and his boat was indeed safer than other boats on the ferry.
There were many people trying to cross the ferry at noon, and the wooden boat quickly gathered eight people.
Leaving the carriage behind, Lu Li and Ai Min got into the stern of the wooden boat. After the other passengers boarded the boat, the boatman pushed the wooden pulp and left the shore.
There are ripples on the mirror-like calm lake. The clear water can be seen several meters underwater, but the bottom of the lake is still invisible. This unknown makes some people who take a wooden boat for the first time feel frightened.
However, the world's back mountains in the distance are reflected in the clear lake water, and some wooden boats are dotted on the lake. This magnificent scenery dispels some fear.
The boatman rowed the oar, and with the piety of a believer, he told the passengers behind him what they needed to pay attention to: for example, the messenger did not like to look at him, but he should be grateful.
Disregarding the religious content and the obvious content of praise, we can peel off the true information of the first dead demons: the first dead demons are similar in shape to humans and swim like jellyfish. They wander in the mirror lake and use hallucinations to lure the crew into falling into the ship.
Don't touch the lake water; don't drop things; don't stare at the bottom of the lake for a long time; don't believe in any illusions; and, tentatively, "be in awe".
They use illusions as their power and may indeed be able to sense human thoughts.
Otherwise, why would the boatmen who believe in them become the most experienced ferrymen?
The wooden boat gradually moved away from the shore, and the only sounds around were the breathing of the passengers and the splash of the oars stirring the water.
"What is that..."
At some point, a young woman looked at the bottom of the lake on the right in horror.
She had just seen a gauze-like fabric swimming across the bottom of the lake.
"That's the respected messenger!" The boatman turned around angrily and yelled at her for her stupid move: "Get your dirty eyes away from the pure lake!"
The young woman closed her eyes in fear, the passengers who turned their heads and looked around calmed down, and the atmosphere became solid.
Lu Li thought that the boatman would throw the young woman who had offended the "messenger" into the lake in exchange for the First Death Demon's forgiveness - believers could do anything.
But to everyone's surprise, the boatman just whispered a few prayers and continued to paddle out of the water.
The crisis seemed to be far away. But even the people on the ship were breathing slowly.
Suddenly, a soft and warm palm slipped into Lu Li's hand. Ai Min looked at him and took out the sensory alarm clock from her cloak pocket. The hands on it were spinning rapidly as if out of control.
This usually means two possibilities: it detects a strange smell but cannot determine its location.
Or maybe weirdness is everywhere.
Lu Li looked away and stared at the lake outside the wooden boat.
Terrifyingly, the silhouettes of human figures as gentle as gauze curtains are like dense swarms of fish, gathering at some point and wandering around the wooden boat.
"Why are there so many... Lord Messenger, you-"
A trembling voice sounded from the bow of the boat, and the fisherman who also noticed this scene screamed in fear, and then stopped suddenly.
"No! My child, please don't leave me -"
With a shrill cry, the fisherman rushed out of the wooden boat and fell into the lake.
The newly dead demons wandering under the water surface surged up and entangled the fisherman into the depths of the bottomless lake.
"We take over the wooden boats."
Lu Li immediately stood up, walked towards the bow of the ship, and said at the same time: "Everyone close your eyes. Don't believe every word you see and hear next."
But it was of little use. The passengers had been captured by fear and fell into chaos and screamed.
The screams were not limited to this ship, but also echoed from other ships on the lake.
The first undead demon is no longer "docile" for some reason, and is attacking the humans on the Mirror Lake.
Lu Li grabbed the oar and paddled towards the other shore.
Attacks without entities are the most powerless because it is impossible to distinguish between true and false.
Perhaps Lu Li was still sitting in the stern of the boat at this moment, waving his hands as if holding a paddle. But soon Lu Li found that he was still awake, because he felt the illusion: the sound of the busy street.
These familiar sounds were not clear, as hazy and dull as if they were blocked by water.
The illusion Lu Li suffered was weakened.
Suddenly, a sound broke through the air behind Lu Li's head. A young man fiercely waved an oil lamp and hit Lu Li on the back of the head.
Bang!
There was a muffled sound, and the young man with a ferocious expression fell into the lake, revealing Ai Min holding a suitcase behind him.
The newly dead demons swarmed up and wrapped up the young man who had fallen into the water.
Lu Li silently looked back. Except for himself and Ai Min, the other passengers were caught in the illusion, talking to the air, or jumping into the lake while shouting.
"Don't worry...be careful with them, the hallucination may make them attack us."
Ai Min came up behind Lu Li and protected him from possible attacks coming from behind. "You row, I will protect you."
Lu Li nodded and picked up the oar again.
But at this moment, a clear, crisp sound like knocking glass passed through the noisy and chaotic wooden boat and penetrated into Lu Li's ears.
Knock knock knock——
Lu Li lowered his eyes and looked towards the side of the boat where there was a knocking sound.
A fair and delicate face emerged under the water.
"Lu Li..."
The white dress floated gently, and Anna looked at Lu Li tenderly under the water. She pressed her hands on the lake, but it seemed that there was ice blocking her, and she could not leave the water.
"I'm trapped down there, help me... pull me up... please..."
Lu Li looked at her quietly, still not showing any emotion.
But the hand that was about to hold the oar moved away and reached out to Anna under the water.