Shrouded Seascape

With a torch in hand, Dipp quietly walked through the semicircular tunnel along with the other white-robed islanders of the World's Crown. No other noises could be heard except the sound of their footsteps reverberating throughout the tunnel.

As they ventured farther and farther, the surroundings began changing. The once smooth, red walls were now marred with pits and cracks; there were also scorched marks, bullet holes, and other signs of battle.

There were attempts at repairs, but they were clearly insufficient.

Dipp's hands clenched tightly as memories of this place flooded his mind. These signs of battle were undoubtedly from their encounter with that giant spider, and their existence here confirmed Dipp's suspicions—this was that same island.

Dipp could still vividly recall how this floating island had come to their aid during the fight against the Foundation. This floating island belonged to Hope Island, so how audacious were these cultists to claim it as their own?!

Dipp silently vowed that regardless of whether he found any clues about Sparkle or not, he'd report this finding to Bandages and urge him to send the Navy to reclaim the island.

Lost in thought, Dipp almost didn't notice the light growing brighter up ahead, which opened up to a vast, circular hall.

The architectural style was strange, and the layout was even more peculiar. There were buildings of varying heights clinging to the walls and ceilings.

Dipp saw white-robed islanders flitting among the structures, and it became clear that whatever this place once was, it now belonged to these islanders.

When Dipp's group entered, the city's inhabitants showed their respect with a peculiar hand gesture—a hand on their chest and the web of their thumb facing inward.

"The great God is slumbering. We must tread carefully to avoid rousing Him," the leader whispered, setting down his torch gently and tiptoeing forward.

The others followed suit in the same manner as him.

"God? Are they worshiping Sparkle here?" Dipp mused, "I've heard rumors about how the islanders of Hope Island are worshiping the captain's daughter as a god. If she had come here to become their god, it would explain why she left her place."

However, another voice in his mind retorted, "That's unlikely. If Lil' Sis really wanted to have her own religion, she would have established it long ago. She's strong enough to do that, after all. I don't think these people are worshiping her."

Regardless of how absurd his theories were, Dipp was resolved to see the truth for himself. Mimicking the other believers, he set down his torch gently and made the same gestures as them.

The city was vast, and it took them nearly an hour of walking before they reached their destination, which was hidden among the crowded houses of the city.

Their destination was an extremely bizarre-looking temple. Its black, slanted walls looked as if they'd collapse at any moment. The roof and the cloth that served as the temple's walls were adorned with the same crude, eerie drawings from earlier.

The round temple gate led to a pitch-black interior, which was impenetrable even with Dipp's night vision.

A circular platform lay outside the temple, and it was their destination.

"Kneel with me and receive God's blessing," the leader declared, his voice trembling with emotion as he prostrated before the platform.

Dipp followed the others and lay himself flat on the ground. Soon, there were prostrated figures all over the circular platform.

"Lights out!"

The lights winked out one by one, plunging the surroundings into darkness. Dipp sensed something emerge from the temple, and a strange sucking noise resounded, sounding like someone was sucking on some jelly.

"There's something wrong here. This god definitely isn't Sparkle!" Dipp lifted his sleeve slightly, revealing the tip of a black spike.

The sucking noise grew louder. Soon, it arrived directly above Dipp, and it carried with it a stench similar to rotting corpses. Dipp hadn't expected things to go this way. He had come here to uncover the islanders' secrets, not become a sacrifice.

"It doesn't matter what these guys are worshiping; I have to escape and find any clues about Sparkle and Captain!"

As soon as Dipp felt something pressing against his nape, his figure dissolved into a blue mist that dispersed along the ground. His white robes deflated as he made his escape, taking advantage of the darkness to avoid getting noticed.

Dipp wafted over to a triangular house attached to the ceiling, and his figure solidified into flesh once more. Peering down, he finally clapped his eyes on the god that these islanders were worshiping, or at least a part of it.

A tube as thick as an arm was sticking out from inside the temple, and its wrinkled surface was reminiscent of an elephant's trunk; the only difference was that the "tube" was translucent, and there was a bizarre, funnel-like sucker at the end of the "tube."

The sucker skillfully cut open the islanders' robes and latched onto their skin. The next moment, something from the islanders' bodies flowed through the tube and disappeared into the dark temple.

"What in the world is that thing?" Dipp muttered with furrowed brows.

The sucker worked quickly, and it took no time for it to feed on everyone present.

Once it was done, it rotated and retracted into the temple.

When the lights came back on, Dipp was shocked to see that those who had been fed upon were still alive. They turned to each other and excitedly showed off the marks on their figures.

Upon seeing an abandoned white robe, the islanders revealed envious looks, believing that its owner had been chosen by their god.

Dipp observed them for a while before transforming into a cloud of blue mist and descending from the triangular house. The true nature of the so-called "god" was irrelevant to him; his goal was to find any leads on Sparkle's whereabouts.

Dipp had been doing his best when it came to his studies, but he could still only be considered semi-literate, which meant that he'd found it difficult to read even newspapers.

However, Dipp's long tenure in Hope Island's District 3 had taught him many things, and it included many interrogation techniques.

Dipp circled the city a few times in his mist form until he found a particularly luxurious house and slipped into it.

"Mmph! Mmph! Mmph!!" A man struggled desperately with his eyes widened in terror at the sight of the grotesque-looking fishman before him.

Raising the black spike in his hand, Dipp waved it in front of the man's face. He opened his mouth, baring razor-sharp teeth, and warned, "You'd best answer my questions honestly. Otherwise, you might meet a horrible end."