The wooden bridge connecting the stone pillars swayed in the sea breeze, like a path along a cliff.

Walking on the bridge, Lu Li carried an oil lamp, becoming part of an oil painting, heavy and profound, half of his outline merging into the darkness.

Lu Li did not lose his way in the darkness; the wooden signs before each bridge bore inscriptions of their destination.

[Storm Corner Resting Ground]

Stepping onto the last bridge, Lu Li arrived at the westernmost point of Pillar Island. The limited light of the oil lamp illuminated the surroundings, yet countless tombstones seemed to stand silently in the darkness.

Following a path for a short distance, Lu Li encountered Carolina, collapsed in a shallow pit.

Blood flowed from multiple cuts on her wrists, seeping into the dark soil, while her other hand clutched a sharpened iron shard.

There was no murderer; she had committed suicide.

The elder's chest barely rose; she was not yet dead. Lu Li squatted beside her, as Annie, bathed in dim light, welcomed the outstretching branches behind him.

The dying elder's eyes opened slightly, cloudy and unfocused under the firelight: "Ah, it's you, child... Th...ank... you..."

The Speaker of the Trees could not save the dying. The elder, with the fleeting clarity before death, left behind only a word and a smile, departing into the earth.

Whether she hallucinated or recognized Lu Li in the end remained buried as a secret.

Lu Li looked at the stone slab by the pit, used as a shovel. Before he could do anything, several oil lamps in a line slowly approached.

"Honored guest, our master hopes to invite you as a guest..."

The Heretics surrounded him, and Lu Li, who had concealed his presence, was finally detected by the Stormhorn God due to his leaked aura.

However, Lu Li and the Stormhorn God were not enemies.

At least, not now.

"Could she be buried here?"

"As the guest commands."

Two Heretics stayed behind, while Lu Li followed the others out of the resting ground.

A church with a slanted roof adorned with fluorite gradually emerged in the dimness. It occupied nearly the entire stone pillar, like a castle on a sheer cliff.

Lu Li stepped into the dimly lit church, where believers knelt on either side of the red carpet, praying with devotion. It was as if they were welcoming Lu Li, forming a red carpet path to the podium.

The gathering prayers echoed in his ears, lulling him into drowsiness. When sleepiness threatened to overtake him, Lu Li summoned the Dreamwalker.

The surreal light enveloped the surroundings, insulating him from the power lent by the prayers.

Lu Li lifted his drooping eyes, fixing them on the empty podium at the hall's end, as if gazing into the eyes of an indescribable presence.

The Mother of the Marsh required considerable power to invade dreams, and Lu Li doubted the Stormhorn God could achieve that.

Some presence descended here; the prayers grew more magnificent. However, having spent much time with the Alien God, Lu Li no longer feared the presence.

"I have no intention of becoming your believer."

Obscure consciousness intertwined with the dream, exuding a tangled desire. It wished for Lu Li's faith, promising beauty and power in return.

It was evidently ignorant of the Land of Light.

Lu Li gave up explaining, retrieving the Crown of Thorns from his satchel, running his fingers over it as blood soaked the thorns.

The distant awareness of the Mother of the Marsh stirred awake, and an unseen wind howled within the church, extinguishing the candles in swathes.

"I sense the aura of a foreign Evil God…"

"It's the Stormhorn God, wanting me to become a believer."

"What do you want to do..."

"Refuse gently, and ideally, make an ally of it."

In any case, the Stormhorn God safeguarded humanity, presenting a natural ally if misunderstandings were cleared.

The surviving candlelight stabilized, and the ineffable consciousness communicated in an inexplicable manner.

"It hesitates," the Mother of the Marsh informed Lu Li.

"I can hold out until leaving the Storm Corner range." Lu Li had little time to waste, adding weight to the swaying scales: "And rather than letting me become an enemy after leaving, forming an alliance with the Land of Light would benefit Storm Corner more."

Lu Li took out the Sunshine Box, light pouring out as he opened it; the chanting paused briefly, the believers bathed in sunlight, shocked and trembling.

"It asks: What is the price."

"Shelter more humans," Lu Li replied.

"It agreed," the Mother of the Marsh's expected reply echoed.

Every Spirit Town ought to protect its people; maintaining believers was akin to sustaining their power.

Yet without a binding contract, the fragile alliance could shatter anytime. Only after leaving the stone pillar of the church did Lu Li withdraw the Dreamwalker, planning not to linger on the pillar.

Originally choosing the stone pillar hostel due to distrust of the outer hotels, Lu Li felt it was a trap.

The confrontation consumed about 0.3 units of humanity, something Lu Li could replenish shortly, though for other holders, 0.3 would drag them into an abyss.

Regardless, the outcome wasn't bad. If the Stormhorn God could see further and not only prioritize immediate benefits, the Land of Light's allies could already include this place.

The optimistic Mother of the Marsh also remarked on the result: "Lu Li, you're unaware of your charm; none can resist its allure."

"Like Shilling to Hades?"

"I prefer the analogy of gems and women."

Lu Li didn't return to the hostel, abandoning the useless items in his baggage meant for disguising his identity, and proceeded directly to reside in an outer hotel.

Soon, a ruckus drew his attention: a caravan arrived at the Storm Corner.

From the window, Lu Li saw the caravan, spotting a bandaged silhouette that also noticed him.

Knock, knock, knock—

Minutes later, amidst the constant footsteps in the corridor, there came a knock on the door.

It was Bastus, the leader of the Prissy Caravan, along with his emaciated monkey servant and the bandaged figure they had seen previously.

"In the wilderness, you had rescued me, humble as dust, and left me your horse," the bandaged man spoke hoarsely with reverence.

Lu Li remembered him, the man abandoned to bleed in the wild, labeled a "Meat Pig."

"Can you travel under such conditions?" Lu Li asked directly, bypassing the reason for their visit.

"Never underestimate the Prissy Caravan." Bastus grinned ferociously, crossing his arms.

Perhaps they possessed a Cursed Title holder or were in good terms with the regional bizarre tribes.

"Take me to the Plant Habitat, quickly."

The bandaged man respectfully replied, "We can leave now."

"You're depriving the master's benefits!"

The lean monkey servant shouted, pointing at the bandaged man, but was hushed by Bastus: "It's fine."

Before leaving, Lu Li called upon the Mother of the Marsh again, instructing to have the Followers of the Storm brought: "The eyeball in the wooden box can summon the Merchant. For any needs, leave it to it."

Besides the Merchant's Eye, as a gift, Lu Li entrusted the Sunshine Box to the Storm Church: nothing represents beauty better than sunlight.

The Storm Church's return gift was a horn—an Homogeneous Item imbued with the Storm Deity's power.

Just as the Mother of the Marsh said, none could resist Lu Li's charm.

Thus, Bastus witnessed Lu Li's unusual connection with the Storm Corner.

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