[Dimensional teleportation complete.]
[Current instance: Call of the Deep Sea.]
[Background: Late 19th century, North Atlantic, steamship "Prometheus".]
[Special rule: Sanity Check. Looking directly at the unspeakable will deduct sanity points. Reaching zero sanity results in madness and becoming a follower.]
...If the previous ghost village was a crimson bleakness, then this place is a gray suffocation.
The world was sealed off by a thick, gray fog.
The fog wasn't water vapor, but a viscous, gelatinous substance with a salty smell. It writhed along the surface, climbed the ship's hull, and enveloped the entire massive steamship in a cold, damp cocoon, isolating it from the world.
When Shen Qingqiu awoke, he felt a slight sway.
The muffled sound of waves crashing against the hull, and... countless faint, indistinct whispers.
"Ph'nglui...mglw'nafh..."
"So noisy." Shen Qingqiu rubbed her temples. The sound didn't feel like it was vibrating on her eardrums, but rather churning in her brain.
She opened her eyes.
Before her was a luxuriously decorated yet gloomy first-class cabin.
The deep green velvet curtains were tightly closed, the gaslight hissed, casting a dim, ambiguous light.
She glanced down at herself.
The fiery red wedding dress was gone.
In its place was an elaborate, deep purple Victorian Gothic gown.
Layer upon layer of lace collars encased her long neck, black ribbons hung from the cuffs, and her waist was cinched tightly by a whalebone corset. Her long hair was styled into delicate waves, and she wore a small hat veiled in black.
"Seventeen?" Shen Qingqiu called out instinctively.
"I'm here." A cold, hard, yet reassuringly heavy embrace came from behind her.
Seventeen had changed his attire.
He wore a sharp black double-breasted tailcoat, white gloves, and a silver-gray neckerchief. His signature star-patterned right arm was hidden in the black sleeves, only a sliver of pale wrist visible.
He looked like a young, aloof, yet dangerously alluring demon count.
"The humidity here is 98%." Seventeen's voice was low, tinged with dissatisfaction with the environment.
"Moreover, the air is filled with…unknown spores. I suggest activating the internal circulation breathing system."
"No need." Shen Qingqiu turned around and adjusted his neckerchief.
"Since it's a Cthulhu affair, we have to adapt to local customs. Being too clean makes us seem out of place."
She walked to the porthole and pulled back the heavy curtains.
Boom— Outside the window, it wasn't the azure sea.
Instead, it was a stagnant, black sea.
The surface was flat, devoid of ripples, only thick, impenetrable fog. Occasionally, the fog churned, revealing one or two enormous, sucker-covered tentacled phantoms that vanished briefly on the horizon.
[Warning! Staring into the abyss!]
[Sanity check…] A red bar appeared on Shen Qingqiu's retina.
[Sanity: 99/100.] Just one glance at the sea had cost her a point.
"Interesting." A playful smile played on Shen Qingqiu's lips.
Having survived ninety-nine reincarnations, her will was as hard as a rock. This mental pollution was like a mosquito buzzing in her ear.
But for the others on this ship, it was deadly poison.
"Aaaaaahh ... Then came the sound of hurried footsteps, the sound of leather shoes on the wet, slippery floor, and something else... the scraping sound of flesh being dragged.
"Let's go see." Shen Qingqiu picked up a lace folding fan from the table (a standard prop) and took Seventeen's arm.
"The 'ball' tonight seems to have started early."
…In the corridor, an even stronger smell of the sea filled the air.
The wallpaper on the walls was damp and peeling, revealing moss-covered iron plates behind it.
Several waiters in tuxedos were lying on the floor, their bodies convulsing violently.
Shen Qingqiu approached and raised an eyebrow slightly.
Their faces… had changed.
Their eyeballs bulged, their eyelids atrophied, and the whites of their eyes filled their entire sockets. Their mouths split open, revealing fine, sharp teeth. The skin on both sides of their necks cracked, and bright red gills were growing.
This was **"Deep One"**.
Once Sanity reaches zero, humans will degenerate into these half-human, half-fish monsters, becoming servants of the Great Old Ones.
"Help…help me…" A noblewoman, not yet fully mutated, stumbled over and grabbed Seventeen's trouser leg.
Her face was covered in scales, and she clutched a pearl necklace tightly in her hand.
"There's a monster…in the mirror…there's a monster…" Seventeen looked down at the webbed hand gripping his trouser leg.
A stream of data flashed in his purple eyes.
[Scan Result: Genetic Collapse.]
[Mental State: Chaotic.]
[Judgment: No value for salvation.]
He didn't move.
Only his right stellar arm, hidden in his sleeve, trembled slightly.
Buzz.
An invisible spatial ripple flashed.
The noblewoman's hand, as if sliced by a sharp scalpel, was cleanly severed.
"Ah!!" The noblewoman screamed and staggered back. Instead of blood, a dark green, sticky fluid oozed from her wound.
"Don't touch me," Seventeen said coldly.
He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket, bent down, and gently pulled the severed hand away from his trouser leg, then discarded the handkerchief with disgust.
"Disgusting." Shen Qingqiu watched this scene without finding it cruel.
In this instance, mercy was tantamount to suicide.
"Seventeen, don't you feel uncomfortable?"
Shen Qingqiu pointed to the oppressive atmosphere around them.
"That whispering, that feeling that makes you want to go mad." Seventeen tilted his head in confusion.
"Whispers?"
He listened intently.
"I only heard the sound of waves and the noise of the boilers in the bottom of the ship's hold."
"As for going mad..."
He looked at Shen Qingqiu, his eyes clear as an unpolluted spring.
"My core logic has been locked down by you. No data other than you can make me 'go mad.'"
Shen Qingqiu smiled.
She tiptoed and, through her black veil, kissed his chin.
"That's wonderful."
"In this world of madmen, you're the only insulator."
Because he lacked the fragile soul of a human.
He was AI, divine metal.
Even the mental pollution of the Great Old Ones was like casting pearls before swine when faced with absolute logic composed of 0s and 1s.
"Let's go." Shen Qingqiu tightened her grip on his arm.
"To the banquet hall. I heard the captain is holding a 'prayer ceremony' there."
...Prometheus, Central Banquet Hall.
Here, gold and glitter were everywhere, crystal chandeliers casting dazzling light, attempting to dispel the darkness outside.
Hundreds of elegantly dressed passengers had gathered here.
Some were dancing, some were drinking, some were whispering.
At first glance, it appeared to be a normal high-society dinner.
But if you look closely…
The violinist had two extra fingers, pulling the bow at an angle that reversed the joints, producing a piercing, sawing noise.
The fat man eating steak wasn't chewing meat, but a writhing, live octopus. Ink dripped from his mouth onto his white napkin.
The girl twirling with her dance partner had… a second face growing on the back of her head, grinning savagely at her partner.
A chaotic dance of demons.
It was a madman's carnival.
"Welcome, new guest." A tall man in a captain's uniform approached.
He wore a peaked hat, the brim pulled low, and held a pipe.
"I am Captain David Jones."
The man looked up.
His face had no beard, but instead… several slowly writhing tentacles.
[Sanity check…] The bar in front of Shen Qingqiu's eyes flickered again.
95/100.
"Captain." Shen Qingqiu opened her folding fan, obscuring half her face, revealing only a pair of golden eyes that seemed to be both smiling and not smiling.
She didn't scream, nor did she vomit.
Instead, she displayed an elegance and composure even greater than these monsters.
"This ball…is something missing?"
The captain was taken aback.
He was used to the fear and collapse of newlyweds upon seeing his face.
But this woman…was actually discussing the ball with him?
"What's missing?" the captain asked instinctively.
"Tea is missing." Shen Qingqiu closed her fan and pointed to an empty table beside her.
"Seventeen."
"Here."
"Set the table." Shen Qingqiu's tone was indifferent, as if she were instructing a butler to prepare afternoon tea.
"The wine here is too fishy. I want to drink my own Da Hong Pao." Seventeen bowed slightly.
He walked to the table, ignoring the guests around him who were gnawing on raw meat and had tentacles.
He retrieved an exquisite blue-and-white porcelain tea set from his storage space.
It was one he had specially prepared for the Suzhou-style garden.
He laid out a pristine white tablecloth.
He placed teacups on it.
He even arranged a vase of metallic roses, crafted in the Resident Evil dungeon.
His movements were fluid and elegant.
It was as if he weren't in a monster-infested ghost ship, but in the afternoon tea room of Buckingham Palace.
"Please, Madam." Seventeen pulled out a chair.
Shen Qingqiu gracefully sat down.
She picked up her teacup and gently blew on the steam.
The aroma of tea filled the air, instantly dispelling the stench of decay.
The surrounding monsters all stopped what they were doing, staring blankly at the scene.
This...isn't right?
According to the script, shouldn't these two be terrified, their sanity plummeting and turning into one of their own kind?
Why are they drinking tea?
And drinking it with such...refined elegance? "You...aren't you afraid?" The tentacles on the captain's face trembled, as if he had been insulted.
Shen Qingqiu took a sip of tea and set down the cup.
She raised her eyes, her gaze calmly piercing through the layers of mist, meeting the captain's murky fish eyes.
"Afraid?"
She chuckled softly.
"I've seen stars explode, I've seen civilizations restart, I've seen the most extreme evil in this world, and I've also seen the purest love."
"Compared to those..." Shen Qingqiu reached out, her fingertips gently toying with the metal rose in the bottle.
"You so-called 'unspeakable' creatures with a few tentacles and a few extra eyes..."
"At best, you can only be considered...seafood."
Boom!
This was the ultimate mockery.
The captain was enraged.
All the monsters in the banquet hall were enraged.
"Roar—!!!" Countless gaping maws roared, countless tentacles swept towards the tranquil tea table.
"So noisy."
Shen Qingqiu didn't move.
She simply shook her head slightly and picked up her teacup again.
"Seventeen."
"Get these impolite fellows out."
"Yes, sir." Seventeen, who had been standing behind her, slowly removed his white gloves.
His right arm, which had been hidden in his sleeve, adorned with black and gold interwoven with starlight, finally revealed itself.
Although it no longer had the power of a star core, it was a divine weapon reforged through [Divine Refinement].
He stepped forward, blocking Shen Qingqiu's path.
Facing the overwhelming tentacles and monsters.
A cold smile curled at the corner of Seventeen's lips.
A flash of red light appeared in his purple eyes.
[Mode Switch: Deep-Sea Fishing.]
[Objective: Eliminate all.]
"Madam is drinking tea."
He raised his hand, palm facing the horde of monsters.
"Anyone who dares to make a single drop of water…"
"I'll turn them into… sashimi." Crossing the maze, drinking clear tea.
Amidst the murmurs of the ancient rulers,
this mad couple from interstellar space, in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, redefined what it means to be... indescribably powerful.