Shrouded Seascape

In a dimly lit basement, Anna was struggling to scribble down various complex, forbidden incantations and spell arrays.

She was having a hard time drawing each stroke, her hand pausing every so often as she pondered over the intricate details before continuing. She was attempting to record down everything she had once learned about in the Subterranean Sea.

It was a dangerous and risky move as compared to simply storing them in her mind, but she had no other choice.

The knowledge stored in her head was fading away as time went on; it was a feeling that she had never experienced before.

When she was still a Dioite in the Subterranean Sea, no matter how much information was crammed into her brain, she could always recall something with perfect accuracy and clarity whenever she wanted it.

The word "forget" wasn't even in her vocabulary.

When the wish had come true, however, Anna became human both inside and out.

Humans didn't possess a flawless memory. Once their mind became full of useless memories, their brains would choose to forget the not-so-important ones.

For Anna, it was an agony beyond description. It felt as though she once had four fully functioning limbs, but her arms were suddenly chopped off. The change was making her feel utterly vulnerable.

The pen slipped from her fingers and landed on the paper with a soft thud. Anna pressed her hands against her temples as she massaged her head which was throbbing from the strain of recalling her memories.

After a few moments, Anna's gaze drifted to the photo frame on the table. It was supposed to be a family portrait that consisted of three people, but only the mother and child remained while the spot where the father was supposed to be was empty.

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Anna reached out to take the picture frame into her hands. Brushing her slender fingers over the face of Sparkle in the photo, a trace of longing flickered across her eyes. It was a longing that only a mother could feel.

"Sparkle…" Anna called out softly. "You always used to know when someone was drawing your portrait. If only you could send this now. Mommy misses you."

A sharp ringing of the basement doorbell interrupted Anna's thoughts. She swiftly rose from her seat, gathered the papers scattered on the table, and carefully sorted them into various folders before placing them in the steel safe that towered over her. The last item that she placed into the safe was the family portrait.

Upon making sure that everything had been put away, Anna hurried to the door. The monitor on the wall lit up to show Wang Sheng's face.

"What is it? Didn't I say not to disturb me for five hours?" Anna's voice was laced with annoyance as it crackled through the intercom.

"I'm so sorry for disturbing you, High Priestess. But there's something really important that I need to report to you."

Click. Click. Click.

The heavy locks disengaged, and the steel door swung open to reveal Anna.

"What is it?" Anna asked in a cold voice.

"Uh… My father wants to speak to you."

"Your father? Didn't you say you have cut all ties with your family?"

Wang Sheng lowered his head as a trace of disdain flashed across his countenance. "I didn't want this either. But he has spent a lot of money to find me; I can't hide."

Anna brushed past him and headed toward the distant elevator.

Wang Sheng quickly turned and scrambled after her.

The elevator doors slid open, and Anna stepped into a prayer room. The interior decor and furnishings were deliberate, dominated by motifs of waves and also a dark hue.

If Charles were here, he would have immediately recognized it—this was the set up of the Fhtagn Covenant.

Since she was going to establish a new religion, it was much easier and more efficient to use a template. Anna only had to strip away the irrelevant doctrines, keep what was useful, and add stuff according to her needs.

Anna walked down the spacious hallway and eventually entered a chapel filled with kneeling worshippers. Their eyes were ablaze with a mixture of fervor and fear as they prostrated before the statue of Fhtagn in the middle of the room while chanting the prayer that Anna had taught them.

For any religion, this wasn't a large congregation. Every religion aimed to expand, but Anna wasn't interested in rapid expansion and strictly controlled their follower count.

First of all, this was to keep herself under the radar and avoid gaining attention. Another aspect that Anna had considered was that the fewer people they had, the easier it was for them to relocate.

If a sacrificial ritual happened to wipe all the believers out, she could easily move to a new place and restart the recruitment process all over again.

As Anna continued toward the reception hall, the chanting grew softer. Aside from a few security guards and a woman in professional attire, the room was empty.

Anna's attention immediately turned to the laptop on the table. Without a single word, she walked over and looked at the screen.

On the LCD screen was a man with deeply etched lines on his face. Seeing that his features bore a resemblance to Wang Sheng, he was obviously Wang Sheng's father.

"Hello, I'm Wang Jianshe, Wang Sheng's father. Let's get straight to the point. What do you want in exchange for returning my son?" Wang Jianshe asked, his voice was deep with a steely determination.

Anna let out a soft chuckle and turned toward Wang Sheng, standing next to her.

"What do you think?" Anna asked.

"I'm not going back. I will follow you all the way," Wang Sheng replied without hesitation.

Wang Sheng had his own plans. Now, he was considered a core figure in this growing religion. In fact, he could even be called Anna's right-hand man. If there were rewards to reap in the future, he would undoubtedly be the first in line.

Going back now meant throwing away all the efforts he had invested earlier and the progress he had made. As the son of a businessman, he instinctively calculated his sunken cost.

Hearing his son's defiant voice beyond the screen, Wang Jianshe's brows furrowed into a deep crease. "His opinion is not important. Just tell me how much money you want for you to let him go."

"Mr. Wang, it seems like you see me as some kind of kidnapper holding your son for ransom?" Anna calmly met the man's gaze on the screen. "I have never restricted your son's freedom. It's him who chose to stay here."

Wang Jianshe leaned forward; his eyes remained fixated on the woman on the screen.

A cold glint flickered across his gaze, and he took on a harsher stance as he said, "Do you really think I don't know what's going on?! He's been completely brainwashed by your superstitious stuff! Let me tell you! Back then, I fought till my current heights with a mere machete and a truck!

"If anything happens to him, I'll make sure you pay with your life!"

Anna remained silent, seemingly waiting for something.

Just as per her expectations, after berating her with harsh words, Wang Jianshe's tone softened, and he said, "I can forget about the money that you've tricked out of him before. Just send him back safe and unharmed, and we can let this end."

Wang Sheng couldn't hold himself back any longer. He shifted the laptop and angled the camera so that his father could see his face.

"You don't understand anything! All you ever talk about is money, money, money! You're just a slave to money! You can't even comprehend the world I've been exposed to!"

After shouting his frustrations, Wang Sheng slammed the laptop shut. A firm determination glimmered in his eyes as he turned toward Anna. "High Priestess, don't worry. I'll handle my father. He won't interfere with your plans."

Anna rested her chin on her hand as she entered a deep thought before asking, "How old is your father?"