Chapter 193 - 193 Fifty

Words : 1375 Updated : Sep 23rd, 2025

193: Fifty. Sudden Storm 193: Fifty. Sudden Storm The crackling campfire radiated a warmth that spread outward. The pot suspended over the flames bubbled, steaming with a rich aroma of meaty broth. Outside the window, the darkness was as deep as the night, with occasional flashes of lightning revealing twisted tree silhouettes in the distance before plunging back into darkness, leaving only the rain streaks on the windows and the pattering sound of raindrops hitting the glass. Coldness and warmth were separated by a wooden wall, and inside the cabin, it seemed one could let go of the wariness in their hearts and the fatigue of their bodies. “Welcome, traveler from afar,” The middle-aged man sitting opposite the fire showed a warm, amiable smile while his wife and son sat beside him, looking over with a mix of curiosity and friendliness. This lonely cabin, standing deep within the Shadow Swamp, didn’t seem as eerie as it appeared or as one might imagine. At least that’s what Anna thought. But when she saw that Lu Li hadn’t taken off his dripping raincloak and kept the oil lamp within arm’s reach, she decided to reserve judgment. Moreover, whether it was a subconscious influence or not, Anna always felt that there was something off about them. It wasn’t their expressions or their aura, but an indescribable oddity... “We haven’t seen outsiders for quite a long time.” The smile on the man’s face never faded, just like a hospitable host, “The weather outside is very bad. Did you lose your way and end up here?” Lu Li scanned over the family of three, saw no sign of the Blood-Colored Tentacles—his targets were not them—and then nodded. The host’s enthusiasm wasn’t dampened by Lu Li’s cool demeanor: “It is very fortuitous indeed. Losing one’s way within it is quite terrifying in this kind of weather.” “It?” Lu Li pulled back his raincloak hood, noticing that its edge narrowed his field of vision. “This swamp, it has a consciousness. We call it the Mother of the Marsh, and we are sheltered by the Mother of the Marsh,” the hostess replied. After finishing her statement, she clasped her hands together and prayed in a low voice. In the whispering voices, four figures sat around the campfire, their shadows flickering with the flames. The Mother of the Marsh sounded like a malevolent spirit—or perhaps it was just a coincidence in name. But it might have some connection with the Seeker’s hint that “the swamp can hear what doesn’t belong to it” to some extent. “Can you tell me about the Mother of the Marsh?” Lu Li’s words visibly picked up speed. Rain gathered along the waterproof raincloak and pooled on the floor beneath him, slowly seeping into the wooden boards before gradually drying by the campfire. “Of course, we would be honored to spread the name of the Mother of the Marsh to outsiders,” the hostess answered with the same warmth as her husband. Staring at this scene, a miraculous brightness suddenly flashed through Anna’s mind. She realized where the oddity that had been clouding her heart had stemmed from! It was the speech pattern! For some reason, both the middle-aged man and his wife spoke as slowly as old women, their slow pace as if each word, each term had no connection to the last, spoken with a lifeless cadence that never varied. But that didn’t seem to explain anything... It was just slow speech, like a stutter. One shouldn’t be inclined to reprimand others just because they spoke slowly. Anna began to worry, concerned that she lacked Lu Li’s rationality and intelligence but had picked up his suspicious nature. “The Mother of the Marsh is the consciousness of this swamp; it can protect its followers from harm and assaults. Every intelligent creature living in the marsh worships the omnipresent Lord of the Marsh...” Her slow speech made her words sound like those of a devout congregant in the middle of a mass. “How to gain the shelter of the Mother of the Marsh.” Lu Li’s words made Anna glance sideways. If it could make the journey ahead relatively safer, Lu Li wouldn’t mind getting into the good graces of the Mother of the Marsh. The host and his wife looked at each other, and the former said with a smile, “There are some rituals to be performed...” “Daddy, I want to eat the big meat!” The sudden crisp voice interrupted the lifeless tones. It wasn’t the pitch, but rather that the little boy’s rhythm of speaking was that of a normal person. The oppressive atmosphere inside the cabin finally lightened, as if a cool breeze had rushed into the stifling air. “But I want to eat big meat!” the little boy pouted. He had been writing in his diary ever since Lu Li entered, still clutching the animal hide cover, jotting down in “Little Rainer’s Diary.” “Alright... Husband, go get some wood,” the woman said slowly, unable to do anything about her child. She complained further, “It’s all your fault for always bringing back big meat; now our son has become so greedy.” The man didn’t say anything. He stood up with a strange enthusiasm in his smile, left the warm floor, walked to the door, took the cloak hanging behind it, put it on, and pulled open the wooden door. Whoosh— The cold wind, mixed with rain, suddenly burst into the cabin. The bonfire dimmed instantly, its flames licking the edges of the firepit stones as they were blown askew. Bang! The man closed the wooden door with a thud. The dimly lit cabin, fluctuating with the bonfire, stabilized and brightened once more. “Why do I feel like they want to eat you...” Anna whispered into Lu Li’s ear. Lu Li did not respond; his hand, resting behind him, had touched some of the water stains beneath the shadows, leaving a line of writing. [Check the diary] Anna caught on and drifted behind the little boy, who seemed to be named Rainer, peeking at his diary as he wrote. He held a charcoal pencil whittled to a point, his legs bent beneath him as he scrawled untidily upon his knee. [A storm is coming. Dad said there’s no game today, we can only eat those not-so-fresh foods. I hate storms.] [A guest has arrived! That’s great, Mom and Dad will definitely treat him well, and I can eat big meat again!] [But the guest gets to eat the best parts, I want to eat that too...] The little boy was still writing the last sentence, but Anna had already grasped the meaning and returned behind Lu Li to say softly, “They’re not going to eat you, they want to invite you to a big feast.” “Is someone talking?” The woman across the bonfire moved her eyes around inquisitively, looking towards Lu Li. “Perhaps it’s the wind,” Lu Li said. The woman’s eyes continued to dart around, but she still smiled, “Please take off the cloak, it will be very inconvenient later.” “Alright.” Lu Li nodded and began to unwrap the cloak from his body. Water accumulated in some of the folds trickled down, dampening the wooden planks Lu Li had written over, concealing the traces. Click-clack, click-clack— In the quiet cabin, from the howling wind outside, suddenly a strange noise was added. It sounded like hurried teeth grinding. Anna paused in surprise, then all of a sudden, the door was struck open by a great force. What poured in wasn’t just the wind and rain but also a tangled mess of a middle-aged man and Six-legged Savages. Grinding sounds, cries, rain, thunder—in the dimly lit, chaotic cabin, the strong smell of blood spread. “Do you need help?” Lu Li stood up and asked. He saw under the flash of lightning, several Six-legged Savages crawling on the ground outside, quickly approaching. “That would be great,” the woman said hastily, standing up. “Don’t mention it.” Lu Li raised the Spirit-Calling Gun and pulled the trigger. The woman’s head, sitting across the bonfire, exploded in response.

Chapter 193 - 193 Fifty

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