The fog in the alley was thicker than by the river, and it carried a strong, briny smell.
The closer they got to the Dace family's house, the stronger the briny smell became, even faintly accompanied by a foul stench.
This peculiar smell not only indicated the problem of ichthyosis but also seemed to be followed by an even more terrifying power from the ocean...
The match girl, carrying a basket, walked at the very front, followed closely by Miss Louisa, with Xia De bringing up the rear.
His hands glowed with the Moonlight of the silver moon, ready at any moment to counter a possible attack.
Fortunately, it was nighttime, which was when he was at his strongest.
As he finally approached the house, Xia De noticed faint golden cracks appearing beneath his skin.
They weren't clear, but they were definitely there.
He immediately frowned:
"A dream?"
"No, I can confirm this is reality."
"Miss Louisa, look."
The golden-haired Writer turned her head, seeing the marks and golden glow on Xia De's body, first showing confusion, then her expression turned a bit grim:
"This area is probably being dragged to a terrifying place.
I don't know the principle behind your 'decorations,' but the situation must be very bad."
As she spoke, they had already arrived at the door.
Miss Louisa told Xia De to step back and let her push the door open.
But Xia De didn't retreat at all; instead, he grabbed the Writer's wrist and pulled her behind him:
"Miss Louisa, I don't want to carry you or have you on my back when we leave this place."
He was joking, but his expression was resolute:
"This time, I'll do it."
He had faced gods twice, chatted casually with Old God in a toy store, and just hours ago, was pondering the secrets of Old God and touching its statue.
In terms of mental resistance and soul's anti-pollution ability, even two Miss Louisas combined couldn't compare to him.
In this darkness, he gazed into the Golden-haired girl's emerald eyes:
"The match girl goes first, I'll be in the middle, and you'll be at the back, holding my hand.
When we enter the house, try not to open your eyes; just follow me forward.
I can feel it, the exit is right here..."
Actually, 'she' was reminding him in his ear.
She could feel the special traces in the room, a privilege of possessing the core rune of 【Time-Space】.
"Detective, no, Xia De...be careful."
Dorothy Louisa also looked into Xia De's eyes, then nodded gently, proactively taking Xia De's wrist.
Xia De turned to face the door, took a deep breath, and gently pushed.
The door opened.
Thick darkness seemed to drift out from within the door.
The match girl's figure blurred slightly, and the golden light marks on Xia De's body became even more pronounced.
Particles of light drifted backward as he stepped forward.
After Lakeview Manor, this was the most dangerous operation.
"But actually, it's not that dangerous.
The greatest danger lies with the merfolk, and that 'more terrifying power' doesn't seem to have truly arrived here."
Thinking this, he stepped into the house, where it was almost pitch black.
The briny and foul smell in the air was so strong it was almost suffocating.
A chilling wind blew over him, the biting cold making Xia De's scalp tingle.
"Probably in the room on the left."
"Left."
He said softly, and the match girl, walking ahead, immediately turned left.
Her figure was indistinct, but the bronze-colored inspiration glow on her illuminated the path ahead.
Black shadows appeared in front, and roaring merfolk charged forward.
"I'll handle it."
Miss Louisa, almost pressed against Xia De's back, said into Xia De's right ear.
The match girl took a match from her basket, and the lit match head shot forward.
The flame ignited the merfolk, pushing it into the darkness amidst silent screams.
The match girl's phantom, however, grew dimmer due to this attack.
Continuing forward, a whisper gradually began to sound in his ears, for some reason reminding Xia De of the final wails of people who had drowned.
"Smile."
He said to himself, and then, he heard her laughter in his left ear.
As he shook off the influence of the whisper, his right hand suddenly pointed forward, and a burst of silver Moonlight illuminated a slightly smaller merfolk.
The match girl took out another match, and the flame forced the second merfolk to retreat.
Its decaying face and a form completely against human aesthetics, even though he had seen it once last night, still made Xia De very uncomfortable.
"The match girl can only use four matches."
Miss Louisa said into Xia De's right ear.
"Understood."
He endured the illusion of countless creatures seemingly peering at him from all around, and continued to walk forward behind the match girl.
The piercing cries of merfolk appeared simultaneously from both left and right, as if the things in the darkness were ambushing them from both sides.
"Right."
His keen intuition immediately provided the answer, without even 'her' hint.
"Right!"
He shouted a warning, and the third match in the match girl's hand forced the merfolk to retreat.
Xia De also took this opportunity to see more of the merfolk's physical characteristics.
Compared to the out-of-control merfolk from last night, these merfolk had more seaweed on them, almost completely integrated with their decaying fish scales.
In addition, the merfolk's feet were also tied with a rope.
He described these details to Miss Louisa, who then said into his right ear:
"I probably know which evil god has been attracted here.
I can't say its name now, but be prepared to hold your breath at any moment; we might feel ourselves submerged in water at any time."
"Okay."
Xia De continued to follow the almost transparent match girl forward.
The briny wind blew from behind, and the match girl vanished from in front of Xia De, appearing behind Miss Louisa.
The last match lit up, and the burning match girl lunged at the fourth merfolk, disappearing with it into the darkness amidst the bursting flames.
Miss Louisa grunted.
This Miracle ended after four matches, and not actively canceling its effect was also harmful to her.
"We're close."
Xia De whispered, and the silver Moonlight in his hand swept to his right.
The silver Moonlight illuminated the surroundings as it moved forward; it was only for a moment, but Xia De actually saw countless bloated corpses floating quietly and eerily around them, as if the surrounding air were liquid.
The sound of splashing water suddenly appeared in his ears, and Xia De, breathing, felt himself inhale a large mouthful of water.
He immediately held his breath, unable to open his eyes due to the water, but 'her' voice in his left ear still guided him forward.
Xia De tightly held Miss Louisa's hand, and after another dozen steps forward, suddenly stopped.
The sensation of being submerged in water disappeared, and opening his eyes, he saw the door to the Dace family's small house in front of him.
The door was wide open; this was the exit.
Leaving from here would allow them to escape this area, which was being pulled to who knew where.
"Miss Louisa, let's quick..."
But before he could finish his sentence, Xia De stopped.