Chapter 2: The Cult of Primus

Patro walked stiffly towards the two, falling to the ground after just a few steps, but even so, he did not stop moving towards Sherryman. He began to crawl forward on hands and knees.

Sherryman sighed, reaching out his hand to Antony, who hurriedly returned the pendant to him.

"Gun."

When the crew, attracted by the sound of gunfire, rushed into the second-floor cargo hold with their weapons, what they saw was Patro's body curled up in a ball.

The body was flipped and twisted, like a dead bug.

Half an hour later, the crew released Patro's body on the deck.

Dragging Patro's airbag slowly rose and gradually receded, the crew patted each other on the shoulders and returned to their workstations.

Sherryman, holding a bottle of wine, leaned on the railing, squinting at the withered sun. Several black dots gathered together, as if making eye contact with Sherryman.

He shook his head, looking forward, and saw a never-ending line where the emerald green color met the sky at the horizon.

This is the Verdant Sea, vast and broad, an ocean of giant trees. Beneath these dense canopies, lies a place even the supreme sun cannot touch.

Here it is cold and damp, filled with malevolent curses and maddening whispers. Evil spirits churn in the mud, and malevolent spirits wander in the mist.

Humans can only live on the sky islands that are several hundred meters above the Verdant Sea.

Sherryman closed his eyes, rubbing his forehead. Every time he looked at the Verdant Sea, his mind echoed with some whispers, unable to distinguish whether it was the memory of his terrifying experience when he first came to this world or something he was actually hearing now.

"Captain?"

Sherryman opened his eyes to find Antony leaning on the railing next to him.

"You don't have to be upset. The crew knows what happened to Patro's death; no one blames you."

Sherryman did not speak, seeing something he had never seen before in Antony's evasive eyes.

It was a disguised regret.

"Captain, after we return this time, I don't plan to continue."

Sherryman took a sip of wine and passed the bottle to Antony.

"Why?"

The alcohol mixed with a sigh from Antony's mouth as he stretched his hand towards Patro, barely visible now.

"I don't want to offer my body to the supreme sun like him, nor do I want to fall into the terrifying Verdant Sea like most who sail the airships.

I want to be buried in a graveyard, where my children can visit me during the festivals."

Sherryman sighed again. Antony was not just an experienced first mate to Sherryman but also the lifesaver who found him when he first came to this world.

It was he who found Sherryman riding on the canopy and, despite the maddening whispers of the Verdant Sea, lowered the airship to a reachable height with ropes.

"If you're worried about the special cargo, we just won't take on similar jobs in the future."

Antony shook his head firmly, his gaze holding the wisdom and gentleness of an elder looking at Sherryman.

"No, Sherryman, I've been sailing airships for decades. Other captains would be proud to have twenty sky island locations on their charts, while your chart marks seventy-seven sky island positions.

Listen, I can appreciate the joy of exploration, but I'm just too old, I'll only hold you back!

I bet, in the not-so-distant future, people will erect statues for you, right beside those gods in the temple!"

Sherryman smiled bitterly. He was not exploring for the sake of humanity's development, as Antony suggested.

His constant exploration was in search of a place called the Land of Return, a legendary sky island that connects two worlds.

In his world, his tried and true friends and his aging parents awaited him.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

Antony's determination to retire was as firm as Sherryman's determination to find the Land of Return. His efforts to retain Antony seemed pale and powerless, leaving him no choice but to lose this strong support.

Three days later, the New Moon was about to arrive at the Valance mainland island.

Sherryman stood on the bridge, holding a wooden box wrapped in layers, watching the horizon where the Verdant Sea met the sky, and the gray rock wall slowly appeared.

At first, it was just a dot, but as they approached, the dot gradually turned into a line, and then between the Verdant Sea and the sky, it formed a long gray horizontal line.

The air harbor dock was bustling. There were merchants coming to buy goods, craftsmen repairing airships, and groups of beautiful women throwing flirtatious glances at young men.

Shooting out ropes, the New Moon slowly entered its berth, with the helmsman Pond carefully controlling, the airship's airbags hissing on both sides, adjusting the New Moon's altitude.

After docking, first mate Antony stood on the deck, skillfully dealing with the tax officer, while the crew chief, Hilbert Peter, gathered the crew, preparing to arrange the unloading work. Helmsman Pond, with a cigarette in his mouth, stood in his control area, ready to adjust the airship's buoyancy to aid the crew in unloading the cargo.

Sherryman strode out of the bridge, followed closely by the mechanic Connie.

"Fill the gas tanks with compressed feather gas, the key to the airship's lift. Don't use those cheap ones full of impurities.

Check the airbags and steam engine, and also, it's time to properly fix the auxiliary wings. They've been squeaking since we left Oak Island..."

The slim Connie took note of the captain's demands one by one, watching the captain jump onto the dock, he reached out to grab his arm.

Sherryman turned, casting a questioning look at Connie.

"Captain... I have an idea that can increase the speed of the New Moon in a short time.

Just... I promise to control the costs this time!"

Sherryman waved his hand, always supportive of Connie's innovative requests.

"You're the best mechanic I've ever seen, Connie. Have some confidence in yourself, go ahead and do it."

Although Sherryman appeared encouraging, he was already calculating in his mind.

Antony needed a portion of the money to enjoy his later years, the New Moon needed to refill compressed feather gas and fuel, the crew's wages, the cost of supplies for the next voyage, maintenance costs, Connie's costly but always useful inventions, and so on and so forth...

"Every world is the same, it's really hard to move without money."

As one of the busiest ports on the Valance continent, Maple Town has a scale far beyond other inland towns, even larger than some uninhabited small sky islands.

Not only were there locals from the Valance continent island, but also pale-skinned, golden-haired girls from the Moank continent island, and even the strict Betigas people from the Andaries continent island, wearing thick iron chains around their necks, showcasing their steadfast faith in their lord for life.

Sherryman, holding the box wrapped in a sheet, made his way through the crowded market, bypassing the clanging blacksmith's shop, and arrived in front of the majestic building of the Primus God Cult on Holy Temple Street.

The doors were wide open, devout believers prostrating on the ground, mumbling prayers before bowing and taking a few steps, then prostrating again.

The hall echoed with a deep, penetrating song.

The vibrations seemed to shake one's internal organs, evoking a true sense of awe from within.

Beside the pillars carved with numerous deities, there were rows of benches filled with believers, their hands clasped in front of their chests, their murmurs blending together into a resonant sound that echoed back and forth between the stone walls of the hall, like a series of mournful elegies.

Sherryman did not join the mass, he did not believe in any religion, whether it was the light-worshipping Primus God Cult or anything else.

He was here to deliver a pre-ordered item.

Soon, his gaze fell on the priest conducting the mass.

The priest, dressed in a coarse grey robe, held an inverted cross, leading the believers in prayer.

Sherryman patiently waited for the ceremony to end and the crowd to disperse before meeting Priest Ulian waiting for him at the side door of the sanctuary.

Ulian stared at the package in Sherryman's arms for a long time before finally lifting his eyelids.

"Did you only bring back the relic? That means, you didn't find the Land of Return?"

Sherryman shook his head, saying, "No, the description of the Flame God Cult you gave me did indeed resemble the Land of Return, but it wasn't..."

"Hmm... then follow me."

The diocese was large, Sherryman followed Ulian out of the great hall, through the cloister and stables, and finally stopped next to a small house on the east side of the cemetery.

Ulian gently knocked on the door, a deep voice floated out.

"Bishop Marius, Sherryman is here, I believe he has brought the relic."

As Ulian spoke, he also glanced at the blue-stained package in Sherryman's arms, his eyes filled with doubt.

"Let him in."

Ulian stepped back, gesturing for Sherryman to enter, Sherryman exhaled and pushed the door open.

The room was extremely dark, the only light source a flickering candle.

Bishop Marius sat behind a wooden round table, his face hidden in the shadow of his hood.

"It seems you have successfully retrieved our relic stolen by the Flame God Cult..."

Marius's voice was very strange, like the gurgle of someone about to drown.

To Sherryman, this sound was like venomous insects crawling up his back, instinctively making him feel danger.

"Bishop, my money?"

"Go, Ulian will take care of everything."

Seeing Sherryman reluctant to leave, Marius laughed, the sound like bubbles emerging from a swamp.

"Do you want to watch me inspect the goods?"

With Patro's fate vivid in his mind, Sherryman could only retire.

After Sherryman left, Bishop Marius stood up.

He lifted his left arm, and from the sleeve, several slimy tentacles extended, tearing open the sheet on the box and completely wrapping the small wooden box carved with tentacle reliefs, like believers crowding around their deity.

"Ulian! Give him the money."

Outside, upon hearing the bishop's command, Ulian bowed deeply, then pulled Sherryman away from the cemetery.

Five thousand Andadil gold coins was not a small amount, enough to address the financial crisis Sherryman was facing.

As he walked, he pondered how to spend this money on hardware upgrades for the New Moon as much as possible.

A piercing shriek sliced through the sky, followed by a strong vibration from the ground. Sherryman, like the pedestrians around him, crouched down to look around.

"An earthquake?"

Fortunately, the earthquake passed quickly, and the people on the street began to whisper to each other, looking bewildered.

After sharing the same confusion with the passersby, Sherryman released the pendant in his pocket. He looked up and saw another wriggling black spot on the dim sun.