lcionline Chapter 26 Are those Shapolili's grapes?
Chapter 26 Are those Shapolili's grapes?
The pickup truck bumped along the dirt road through the hills.
"...Does it have health insurance?"
Lucien gripped the steering wheel, his gaze sweeping across the pine forest passing by the window.
"That Seris is pretty good."
He chatted with Zeng Zhengmian casually, the conversation rambling on and on.
That distant shore across the ocean, which existed only in the briefing and had no enhancers, was more like a concept to him.
Zeng Zhengmian sat in the passenger seat, his eyes watching the shadows of trees flashing past the window.
"Well, at least I won't go bankrupt from medical treatment."
"Where are we going?" he asked, turning his head.
"The Church of God's Grace," Lucien said. "In your Seris terms, it's a secret society run by the Alden family and a few other families. Except ours... is a bit more interesting."
He smiled slightly, as if he had thought of something fun.
"You need to be prepared, this is something you'll absolutely never see in Seris, at least not for now~"
Zeng Zhengmian was stunned for a moment, then tilted his head and let out a soft hum.
"Um?"
The car turned onto a narrower road, the surface of which was a mixture of compacted dirt and gravel.
The trees on both sides gradually thickened, and the light dimmed.
After driving for about ten more minutes, a simple wooden garage appeared ahead, half-open, with several pickup trucks and SUVs already parked inside.
Lucien backed the car in and turned off the engine.
The two got out of the car and walked deeper into the woods.
There was fog in the air, very thin, drifting close to the ground.
Two rows of tall, straight pine trees lined a path, which was kept very clean and free of fallen leaves.
Things were hanging from the pine branches, spaced at intervals, tied with thin hemp rope, swaying gently in the wind.
Zeng Zhengmian smelled a strange odor.
It tastes a bit like rust, and also a little sweet.
He frowned and subconsciously looked up.
Lucien walked slightly ahead of him, and the corners of his mouth suddenly turned up on his usually tense face.
"Yue—!"
Zeng Zhengmian froze, his pupils shrinking sharply.
He took two steps back, a surge of acid rising in his throat, and gagged. He raised his hand, pointing tremblingly at the tree.
He gagged a few times, but nothing came out.
Then his legs went weak, he took two steps back, and fell to the ground.
He was breathing heavily with his mouth open, his face pale.
It took several seconds for him to recover, and when he looked up at Lucien, his eyes were full of fear and uncertainty.
"What...are those?"
He saw it clearly just now.
The things hanging on the pine branches are not decorations.
The arms were dried and dark in color, of different sizes, with the fingers curled up and the nails still in place!
Clusters of grape-like spheres covered in a thin membrane—Xapolili grapes?!
There are also heart-shaped, shrunken organs, like giant raisins!
It's all Gundam fragments!
Lucien walked over to him and casually pointed to a tree branch diagonally above.
"You read that right."
He said there was a certain lighthearted tone in his voice.
"Look, isn't this eye very well made? The texture of the pupil is still preserved."
Zeng Zhengmian gagged again and turned his face away.
Looking at him like this, Lucien let out a short, sharp hum from his nose.
The feeling of pleasure was like a tiny electric current running through my spine.
He had seen many people react to materials: numb, excited, greedy.
But for someone like Zeng Zhengmian, an individual whom he categorizes as a "normal person," the fear and physiological rejection of being suddenly thrown into such a scenario is novel.
It wasn't numbness, it wasn't excitement, it was the most primal terror.
Is this how infidels react?
he thinks.
"How is it?"
Lucien asked,
"Should I take you home first?"
He spoke in a casual tone, as if asking if we should leave early.
But if Zeng Zhengmian nodded, in his mind, this Seresian would stop there.
They are not worthy to follow up with the "actions for the Lord".
Zeng Zhengmian sat on the ground, breathing rapidly, and then took several deep breaths.
His face was deathly pale, cold sweat beaded on his forehead, and his lips were pressed tightly together.
He stared at the ground for a few seconds, then shook his head and pushed himself up to stand.
"fine."
He said, his voice still a little weak, "Since it was Mr. Walters who invited me to broaden my horizons... let's continue."
Lucien looked at him for two seconds, then turned and continued walking forward.
"Stay close."
At the end of the road, the fog dissipated slightly.
An area was enclosed by a fence made of bones of varying thicknesses, behind which was a dark mine entrance.
Several people stood by the fence, all dressed in white robes with bone or wooden crosses hanging around their necks.
An elderly man with gray hair and a sprightly demeanor stepped forward to greet them.
His white robe had dark red embroidered patterns on the cuffs, and the cross on his chest was clearly made of human finger bones pieced together.
"Hey, young master Lucien."
The old man smiled, revealing teeth yellowed from the fumes.
May the Lord bless you.
His gaze then fell on Zeng Zhengmian, looking him up and down with a meaningful look in his eyes.
"Are these the offerings you brought?"
Lucien stepped half a step to the side and blocked the way.
"Bishop Luke, the Lord is blessing me."
He says,
"This is a friend of the Alden family."
There was no intention to introduce the name, and the conversation quickly changed:
"Let's go, has the service started yet?"
Bishop Luke raised an eyebrow, his interest visibly fading.
He shrugged and turned to gesture.
"It's about to start, follow me."
Zeng Zhengmian's gaze, however, remained fixed on it.
To the left of the fence stands a huge, rough, unpolished wooden cross, nearly three meters high.
There really was a person, or rather, a Gundam, nailed to it.
His body drooped, a bloody mess, covered in whip marks and cuts, blood flowing down the wood of the cross and pooling into a dark red puddle at the bottom.
No movement or expression can be discerned.
Blood flowed down the lines of the cross, pooling into a dark puddle at the bottom.
In front of the cross, dozens of skeletons were neatly arranged on the ground.
It was completely white and clean, with no trace of skin or flesh remaining, and tendons still attached to the joints, like a specimen in a museum.
It really doesn't look like a prop.
Zeng Zhengmian's throat moved, but no sound came out.
He didn't vomit, nor did he speak; his face remained expressionless.
Bishop Luke led the way.
Several other men in white robes followed behind them.
A cold wind blew out of the mine entrance, but it had no smell. Torches were lit inside, casting a dim, yellowish light.
Zeng Zhengmian paused for a moment as he stepped over the threshold, then continued forward.
Lucien walked beside him, his eyes catching a glimpse of the Seres boy's taut jawline.
He gave a soft hum, making sure no one heard him.
A low chanting sound came from inside the cave, like many people reciting the same passage at the same time, with a flat tone and no inflection.
The sound was getting closer.
And a gust of wind swept over him, surprisingly without any strange smell, but it gave Zeng Zhengmian goosebumps all over his body.
As they stepped inside, a lake came into view.
"Let's get on board!"
The pool was so deep that its bottom was unseen, burying everything.