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MTL - Deep Sea Embers-Chapter 20 sacrifice
The scale of this sewer system is so huge that in Duncan's eyes, it has even completely exceeded the need for a single function of "urban sewage". It can make him have many conjectures about the positioning of this underground facility.
But no matter what the builder's thoughts were at the beginning of the design, one fact is obvious: deep in this huge facility, beyond the sight of the earthly world, this dark and cold place has become a breeding ground for some evil force. nursery.
A cult group that worships the sun in name but only makes people feel cold.
The intersection of several corridors of the sewer is a wide underground space. Solid concrete pillars support the dome of masonry. The metal cast pipe structure is connected vertically and horizontally near the dome, like a spider web, illuminated by bright gas lamps. It illuminates the entire space and illuminates the crowd gathered at this "intersection"—
At a glance, there are at least hundreds of people wearing black robes gathered in this dirty and damp place. Among them is a high platform that protrudes from the ground. On the high platform stands a tall figure also wearing black robes. That is obviously the person with the highest status in this group of black-robed people.
The person standing on the high platform did not wear the same hood as the others, but wore a golden mask. The mask was strange in shape, like a disc that radiated endless flames all around. Inscribed with a large number of fragmented cracks.
Behind the masked person, there is a peculiar totem on the high platform - it is a tall wooden stake, and a flaming fireball is fixed on the top of the stake. The core of the fireball seems to be some kind of metal, and its surface There are many small holes, and flames spew out of those small holes.
When Duncan was "escorted" here, this is what he saw.
The people in black robes gathered in the assembly hall also noticed him.
"We caught an escaped sacrifice on the way to the meeting place!" One of the men in black robes who was in charge of escorting stepped forward and said respectfully to the "leader" on the high platform, and his tone was not without merit. I mean, "This sacrifice has been in the dark for too long, and my thinking has become a little confused. May you use your power to let the glory of my Lord fall on this sad body!"
The cult leader wearing a golden mask on the high platform turned around and stared at the expressionless Duncan, with a hint of surprise and coldness in his tone: "A sacrifice to escape?"
Duncan didn't react, he just observed the place curiously, including the golden mask on the face of the cult leader and the totem of the burning fireball behind him.
Perhaps, these symbols are strange and bizarre things to ordinary people in this world, but he saw it almost at a glance, these things... imitating the sun.
Instead of imitating the "sphere of light" bound by a large number of flames and double rune rings like today's, but imitating the blazing sun that Duncan is familiar with, emitting a thousand rays of light.
These people are really worshipping the sun, a sun that seems to have "fallen" in a very ancient age, and worshipping it as some kind of god.
Duncan raised his head and looked calmly at the black-robed priest who was overlooking him on the high platform, but perhaps because of the necrosis of his facial muscles, his calm appearance was more like some kind of numbness in the eyes of the other party.
The priest wearing the golden mask and Duncan looked at each other for less than two seconds, then turned his head and instructed a man standing beside the high platform: "Go check the place where the sacrifices are being held, look and return quickly."
After the command, he nodded to the black-robed men who "escorted" the sacrifices back, with a hint of compliment in his tone: "You have done a good job, even if it is a small contribution to the Lord, it will be in the hands of the Lord. When the sun shines again on all things, it becomes your eternal glory."
It was just a compliment that was neither salty nor sloppy, but the men in black robes seemed to have received great encouragement. The priest didn't speak to Duncan until this moment: "Poor poor man who has gone astray... Can you feel the deep cold between the dull rocks and soil?"
Duncan couldn't understand what this magician was saying at all, so he could only wait in silence, and the priest obviously didn't care about the reaction of the "sacrificial" in front of him. His words were not for Duncan, but more like It is to the surrounding believers, and to the "Sun God" whom he believes in:
"Coldness and darkness are the misery left by the false sun in this world. Under the rule of the false sun, the deep and dark ocean ravages the world, and only small pieces of land are left to survive, but even on these pieces of land, the world's It is also difficult to get rid of the suffering, the shadows of the old days are entrenched in the ground, their minions that choose people to devour are squirming in the dark crypts, the ground is full of hatred and disputes, and the pure human soul is contaminated by the breath of the evil god...
"How do we endure this long suffering? How do we endure the distorted and absurd world brought about by the false sun?
"We can't stand it. We wish that our Lord would return, and that the true sun **** would come to the earth again, burn in blood and fire, and bring order and prosperity back to the world!"
Under the agitating tone of the masked priest, Duncan could clearly feel that the atmosphere in the assembly hall had changed. Those believers in black robes were excited one by one. They first agreed, and then this echoed It turned into an eager cry: "May the true sun **** come to the earth again! Burning in blood and fire!" "May the true sun **** come to the earth again! Burning in blood and fire!"
"May the true sun **** come to the earth again," the priest on the high platform said loudly, and then pointed to Duncan, "and today, my lord will wake up further from his slumber - the blood of the lost will heal the wounds after the sun has broken!
"Bring the offerings up!"
Several men in black robes swarmed up from the side, but Duncan was faster than them - he didn't need to be pushed, he turned over and climbed to the altar.
Although this body is not very easy to use, it is still possible to climb a platform.
After climbing up, he came to the face of the masked priest, and the latter still maintained the majestic and mysterious posture when he gave the order just now - the change happened very suddenly, and the way of unfolding completely beyond the past experience made this cult leader suddenly disappear. In response, he looked at Duncan through the golden mask, and the surroundings of the altar suddenly became strangely quiet.
Duncan didn't seem to notice the change in the surrounding atmosphere at all. He just felt that he had collected more information about the world, and was very much looking forward to seeing more rare scenes before this temporary body was "scrapped".
"Then what," Duncan rubbed his hands together with some kind of anticipation of inquiry, "and then what? What's the next step?"
Mask Priest: "..."
"Didn't you hear me?" Duncan frowned—but not because of the muscles on his face. "I said, what should I do next?"
At this time, the priest finally reacted. Although there was a mask, there was a moment of confusion in his eyes, but soon he said in a low voice: "The shadows in the darkness have indeed affected your health. Mind, but rest assured, the most holy sun will end your suffering... Bring your sacrifices to the totem!"
The two men in black robes immediately walked to the stage from the side, pulling Duncan's arm towards the totem pole with the fireball on it. Duncan didn't know much about this step, and naturally he couldn't "cooperate in advance", but he still maintained his non-resistance. State, honestly stood under the flaming fireball under the "clamp" of the two men in black robes.
Although Duncan did not have any physical resistance, the two men in black robes who grabbed his arms still used great strength to restrain the arms of the "sacrifice", as if for fear that the sacrifice would resist violently and break free at the last moment. Their strength was so great that Duncan could even feel that the bones of this temporary body were bursting a little bit, which made him look at the two men in black robes in astonishment.
And then, the priest wearing the mask came over again.
Duncan's attention was immediately attracted, and he saw that the priest took out a peculiarly shaped dagger from his arms. The dagger was bizarrely curved like dry and twisted knuckles, and the blade was pitch black as if it was made of obsidian. The fire on the totem looks strange and extraordinary.
Duncan silently prepared to cut off the "soul projection". He knew that the information that this temporary body could collect should be here.
The prayers of the cult priests sounded on the high platform:
"O supreme and holy sun god! Please accept the sacrifice on this high platform! I offer you the heart of this sacrifice, and may you return it in blood and fire!"
Duncan immediately stopped the act of cutting off the soul projection, and looked at the cult priest in front of him like a fool.
(Mom!)