Chapter 201: The Legend Continues.

Chapter 201 The Saga Lives On

At the moment the Mother of the Tides perished.

The winds howled across countless worlds, like a funereal horn blast. For a brief moment, the ocean lost its azure hue, turning ghostly pallid and lifeless, as if frozen into solid amber.

Amidst this heavy atmosphere, roving whale pods emitted low-frequency calls, while sea witches in some worlds leaned against reefs, humming dirges that brought tears to the eyes of every sailor aboard passing ships.

This was a funeral.

—Yet also a rebirth.

Every second, countless new lives continued to be born and flourished in the depths of the sea. This time, they no longer followed the evolutionary paths once guided by the Mother of the Tides, but instead sought their own destinies... Perhaps, in hundreds of millions of years, a new uncontested sovereign of the seas would rise, replacing the fallen Tidal Prince to reign over the waters.

Meanwhile, in Earth’s oceans.

Many drug users wandered like soulless husks along the coastlines, their minds fogged, movements leaden.

Deep within the moisture of their corneas, clusters of translucent organisms crowded together—smooth in outline but already sprouting slender, tentacle-like structures at their edges, resembling swarms of tadpoles in their larval stage.

The users themselves couldn’t explain why they felt such an overwhelming urge to return to the sea, like prodigal sons longing for home after years of wandering.

Only one thought grew ever more insistent in their minds:

At any cost, they must return to the ocean—they must ensure the survival of the "children" within them!

To this end, they destroyed coastal barricades, brawled fiercely with law enforcement, and even began harming themselves, deaf to the desperate pleas and sobs of their closest loved ones. Their families’ tears, filled with fear and confusion, failed to stir even the faintest ripple in the users’ muddled consciousness.

Then, at a certain moment, they all froze in unison, their gazes fixed on the sea.

"Mother..."

They murmured—or rather, the fish eggs inside them murmured: "Mother... has fallen."

No tolling bells were needed. Every divine being of the ocean knew—

Their era had come to an end.

"What did you say?"

A family member leaned closer, straining to hear, only to recoil as putrid, ichor-like discharge began oozing from the user’s eyes, mouth, and ears—a stench like rotting fish.

The immature eggs, unable to survive without their Mother Goddess, perished alongside her, sinking into the lightless void of oblivion.

As the transparent creatures within their bodily fluids faded, the users collapsed as if drained of all strength, their bodies exhausted. They swayed drunkenly before slumping bonelessly to the ground, unconscious.

Soon, the night fog was pierced by flashing red and blue lights, the wail of ambulances echoing endlessly along the shore.

This became one of the most inexplicable large-scale chaos events in human history.

In the aftermath, authorities labeled it an unprecedented biological crisis:

Wan Neng Chao Xi Pharmaceuticals’ irresponsible harvesting of unknown marine organisms had led to the distribution of Universal Capsules tainted with hallucinogenic and mind-altering compounds, precipitating widespread self-harm, hallucinations, and suicidal leaps into the sea among users. The company faced lawsuits from multiple parties.

The governor of Wolder State, who had initially funded the Universal Capsule’s market expansion for profit, was imprisoned, along with several corrupt pharmaceutical regulators guilty of abuse of power. Combined, they were ordered to pay nearly ten billion dollars in reparations.

With the crisis resolved, Meng Siyou got a week off.

At last, he no longer had to randomly experience glimpses into strangers' existences. He could finally close his eyes and sleep peacefully.

Every time he checked his phone, news headlines and hot takes flooded his screen:

*"The 'Era of Universal Capsules,' which once blanketed cities like an unsetting sun, has ended with Wan Neng Chao Xi Pharmaceuticals’ bankruptcy and the downfall of implicated officials."*

*"Its rapid collapse mirrored its meteoric rise, leaving behind only a warning etched in history—a reminder that humanity must always face nature’s mysteries with reverence..."*

Reading these, Meng Siyou often felt a dreamlike dissociation.

Had it really ended so neatly?

No world-ending catastrophes like in the movies, no staggering death tolls to feed horror stories... Everything had simply ended with a whisper.

It was almost too perfect.

After the daze came profound gratitude.

Without thinking, he found himself saying, "Praise Fate!"—then startled himself.

Though he still maintained a wary stance toward deities, he had to admit... well, the Narrator was more reliable than most.

When disaster struck, It actually provided protection!

During his break, Meng Siyou even flew abroad to visit a lonely graveyard.

A newly erected tombstone bore Wen De’s face behind glasses, smiling shyly at the camera.

Public opinion on this pharmaceutical Founder remained bitterly contested.

Some called Wen De "the devil's first convert";

Others credited the warning video he recorded before death for sparing many from the capsules’ harm.

As online debates raged on, Wen De’s body was retrieved by the stocky woman and his hometown neighbors.

The townsfolk pooled funds for a simple burial, laying him to rest.

His tombstone stood in a forgotten corner of the graveyard, its epitaph carved beneath his portrait:

"He was no sinner;

He was a strong, good child."

When Meng Siyou arrived to pay respects, he was surprised to find a white origami flower already placed before the grave.

Adding his own bouquet, he glanced up and caught sight of frayed gray robes fluttering beside him.

"...Apostle."

Rising, Meng Siyou was growing accustomed to the Apostle’s sudden materializations and greeted him naturally. "Have you come to visit Wen De?"

"He was a strong, good child."

Bryce intoned the inscription slowly, his tone firm. "His soul shall pass through Death's Gate and find true rest—and rebirth—in my Lord’s realm."

"Is that so?" Meng Siyou studied Wen De’s smiling photo, exhaling slowly. "That’s good..."

After a pause, he spoke from the heart for the first time:

"Praise Fate!"

For countless drug users, the physical transformations have ended, but the psychological shadows linger on, not so easily dispelled.

Those days of being parasitized by divine beings still hover like an indescribable, intangible yet real shadow in their dreams.

A small number of drug users, whose abilities were awakened by the contamination, gradually learned to control their abilities and resist the pollution under the guidance of professionals;

But for the majority of ordinary people, they are nightly tormented by the contamination, reliving the agony of their bodies being parasitized and their minds twisted in nightmares.

—Fortunately, The Decameron has high-level ability users specializing in the "Nightmare" domain.

Under Elys's direction, the Shadow of the Mind traverses through various dream worlds, helping drug users dispel their nightmares, much like a lighthouse guiding ships through the darkness of the sea at night.

However, upon waking, these drug users all reported that they seemed to have dreamed of a bizarre and terrifying spirit, feeling extremely frightened, and did not even notice that they were no longer having nightmares.

Some believers even went to churches for help, hoping that the deities in human legends could keep the "spirit wrapped in shrouds" away from them.

"Oh... So this is how I appear to them."

This was nothing like what she had imagined!

Initially, the Shadow of the Mind thought she would leave an impression similar to that of Prince Bryce, a figure of purity and grace in human culture.

After dispelling the nightmares, she planned to reveal herself mysteriously and casually in the shining eyes of humans, letting them know she was also a member of The Decameron!

But reality was harsh.

Each time she just dispelled a nightmare, the dreamer seemed to be frightened by her, fleeing from the dream at lightning speed...

How could this be?

Shadow of the Heart was deeply affected.

Thus, she carried out missions at night and spent her days holed up in The Decameron’s meeting base, plunged into deep self-doubt.

Though she was entirely concealed within her shroud, making it impossible to discern her exact expression, Elys could still perceive Shadow of the Heart's low spirits from the listless droop of the fabric.

"Hmm..." Out of a sense of responsibility for the mental and physical well-being of her staff, Elys hesitated for a moment before suggesting, "Why don’t you try adopting a more amiable appearance?"

Shadow of the Heart, who had been sitting motionless all day, turned her head, her tone tinged with melancholy: "But, the shroud is the attire I’ve maintained since my birth... and besides, I’m not exactly attractive."

She was born from the remains of the Nightmare Sovereign Pope, a body that bore many marks of death, such as dark lividity and skin devoid of elasticity...

Elnos happened to come over and sit down nearby, overhearing Shadow of the Heart’s troubles.

After some thought, she spoke up: "I can help you—by providing a cleaner shroud and then drawing something more beautiful on it."

Shadow of the Heart abruptly turned to face Elnos.

Despite the thick layers of fabric, Elnos could feel the almost burning gaze of expectation fixed upon her.

At this moment, the pressure felt tangible, causing Elnos to take a deep breath and grip her brush with solemn resolve...

That night, Shadow of the Heart changed out of her stained, yellowed shroud and donned her “new outfit,” gliding through the dreams of the dreamers as usual.

This time, no one was frightened.

When people woke from their dreams, they vaguely remembered a clean, neat white cloth, adorned with colorful flowers, fresh green vines, and delicate silver snakes...

Though her face remained hidden beneath the fabric, no one felt any panic or fear in the presence of these whimsical illustrations.

People recalled their dreams and speculated:

It seemed to be a ghost—yes, a charming ghost.

Gradually, a legend spread among those who had taken the pills.

The legend spoke of a mysterious deity who brought about the end of the era of the all-purpose capsules. Beneath this deity were golden-haired saints whose faces no one could remember, possessed beings disguised as beggars, and ghosts that lit lamps in nightmares...

The age of the all-purpose capsules had ended, but the legend lived on.