Chapter 56: The Lord of the Dead? The Great Dark Monarch? The Benevolent Father of Slumber?

Chapter 56: The Lord of the Dead? The Great Dark Monarch? The Benevolent Father of Slumber?

They had been discovered; indeed, there were Beyonder here.

Hastur confirmed his suspicions and looked at the giant toad with increased vigilance.

Maric's eyes revealed a ferocious glint as he glanced at Hastur and growled, "Shall we go up and deal with him?"

"Let's negotiate first; they haven't shown any malice."

Hastur pulled on Maric's arm, signaling him to stay calm and not act rashly.

"We're just passing by, attracted by the commotion here."

Hastur led Maric out of the dense forest, drawing curious glances. Their expressions were calm, showing none of the panic that comes with having one's secrets exposed.

The middle-aged man began with a smile, "Those who come here are all favored by the Master."

"The Master?"

Hastur feigned a look of curiosity and interest.

The middle-aged man's smile brightened, and he spoke softly, "We worship the sovereign who governs the fate of all death. He is the Lord of the Dead, the Great Dark Monarch, the Benevolent Father who grants rest to all beings."

"You are all His followers?"

"We believe that only when souls rest in complete slumber after death can they find happiness in the next life. We are followers of His will."

"And what is this?" Hastur pointed to the people dancing around the bonfire.

"Although the Master cares not for our gratitude, we still need to please Him with our dance, to show our devotion and joy."

Hastur nodded and said with a smile, "Then continue, we will take our leave now."

"…"

The middle-aged man's smile stiffened slightly, then he said with a smile, "Not far from here is my estate. You can stay there for the night. We are always willing to help those in need."

The owner of the nearby estate, was this man the Count Richard?

"Thank you for your kindness, but we came out here specifically to camp in the wild."

Hastur still declined and turned to leave.

He was just probing, not really intending to leave at that moment.

If Count Richard chose to act, it would confirm they were not good people. If not, they could continue to chat for a while.

"There are many wild beasts here. You two friends should be careful camping outside. If you need help, you can come here to find us."

The middle-aged man's smile was kind, and he did not continue to converse with Hastur . Instead, he went into the crowd and led a new round of ritual dances.

His dancing was clearly far superior to that of the others, confirming he was the organizer of this event.

Other believers also joined the dance, leaving only Hastur and Maric standing outside the circle.

"Shall we try the dance here?" Hastur suggested with a smile.

Maric looked at him in surprise, "Aren't you always cautious? Why are you being so reckless now?"

"Life occasionally requires a bit of indulgence."

"You haven't been persuaded by his few words, have you?"

"I'll go try it first; you stay here."

"…"

Maric watched as Hastur joined the dancing group.

The middle-aged man was pleased to see Hastur return and personally instructed him on how to perform the ritual dance.

Hastur learned quickly, which made the middle-aged man even more appreciative of his talent, constantly praising his gift.

Soon, Hastur was dancing the ritual dance proficiently, naturally blending into the group.

Only Maric, who remained outside, seemed out of place, drawing many curious and puzzled glances.

After the dance, Hastur extricated himself from the conversation with Count Richard and returned to Maric's side to share the information he had gathered.

After integrating and conversing, he confirmed that the middle-aged man was indeed Count Richard, whose full name was Dylan Richard.

Every night, they came here to dance and pray, asking the Lord of the Dead, who rules the world of spirits, to let their loved ones' souls rest, so they could find greater happiness in the next life.

This concept was similar to the Buddhist teachings Hastur was familiar with, which also believed in the idea of future blessings.

To please the Lord of the Dead, they had to dance for thirteen consecutive nights. Now, only two days remained until the thirteenth night.

"You seem to have changed a lot."

Maric circled Hastur , noting not just his ability to gather information easily, but the change in Hastur 's temperament and character.

On closer inspection, the youthful naivety that had once marked Hastur 's features seemed to have faded, replaced by a mature and reliable demeanor.

"People always change themselves according to different situations; no one remains the same forever."

"That's true."

Maric nodded, not dwelling on the issue any longer, and asked softly, "You don't really plan to join them in their midnight dance, do you?"

"Aren't you the least bit curious?"

"Curious? Ha, I don't think I've lived long enough. I'd rather pretend nothing happened tonight."

Hastur pondered for a moment, then said, "Maric, you've successfully changed my stereotypical view of you."

"…I'm finding you more and more annoying." Maric's mouth twitched.

Hastur smiled and said no more. His interest in understanding these people was solely because Count Richard's estate was too close to his own.

If he was merely a simple follower of the Spiritism Sect's Rest faction, reporting him to the Church of the everNight Goddess would be pointless.

Rest was also within the purview of the everNight Goddess.

Her full title was: "The Evernight Goddess stands higher than the cosmos

and more eternal than eternity.

The Mother of Concealment,

The Empress of Misfortune and Horror,

Mistress of Repose and Silence."

Perhaps the followers of the Spiritism Sect were unaware that the authority over rest was not solely held by the god of death but also by the everNight Goddess.

Moreover, after the conversation, Hastur found that Count Richard, though eager to preach, was not of bad character.

Many people here had been helped by Count Richard. He not only offered assistance but also soothed their grieving hearts over the loss of loved ones.

Maric spoke earnestly, "I know you yearn for the mysterious world of the extraordinary, but it is very dangerous, far from as simple as what your eyes see."

"Like what?"

"For instance, right now, you don't really think what you see is all there is to this place, do you?"

Hastur 's eyes showed interest, and Maric hesitated before speaking in a low voice, "There is a huge spiritual creature here, overlooking all of us."

"A spiritual creature? Where? Why can't I see it?"

Hastur timely expressed his nervousness, excitement, and curiosity.

"You have not yet become an extraordinary being and cannot open spiritual vision, so you cannot see creatures from the spiritual realm."

"What a pity."

Hastur sighed with regret.

"I can't judge whether that spiritual creature is good or evil; it's best to stay away from it."

"You're right, but Count Richard is my neighbor next door; we'll meet again sooner or later."

"…"

Maric fell silent for a while, still feeling it safest and most trouble-free to report directly to the Church of the Night.

Just then, Count Richard came over again, warmly conveying his beliefs to Hastur and inviting him to join them.

"I don't have any sorrows right now," Hastur first declined, then added, "I agree with the idea that only by letting souls rest can they find happiness in the next life."

Understanding his meaning, Count Richard extended an invitation, "Tomorrow night and the night after, we will still be nearby. If you're interested, you can come and see."

"We will definitely come."

After receiving a positive response, Count Richard became even more hospitable and enthusiastic, repeatedly inviting Hastur and Maric to spend a couple of days at his estate.

Hastur smiled and declined the direct invitation to the lair.

Around three o'clock in the morning, when the excitement had gradually subsided, Count Richard organized his people to extinguish the bonfire with soil and clean up the traces of the event.

Hastur asked curiously, and Count Richard told them that the Master they worshiped liked the quiet after the bustle. After the ritual dance, as His followers, they should not disturb His peace.

Soon, as dawn began to break, Count Richard led the people away, and the giant toad-shaped spiritual creature also disappeared after the bonfire was extinguished.

Hastur and Maric, left on the spot, exchanged glances, marveling at the wonder of the previous night.

"They seem quite normal, if it weren't for that spiritual creature," Maric gave his assessment.

"He is a count; if he were to conduct any evil rituals, he would have attracted the church's attention long ago."

"Let's hope so." Maric nodded, seeing Hastur 's spirited appearance, and asked curiously, "Aren't you tired at all after staying up all night?"

"…I was too excited."

Returning near the lake, Hastur feigned exhaustion and suggested returning to the estate to rest, so he could be energetic for the evening gathering.

Maric went to check on his squad of living corpses to see if there had been any accidents.

At the Ziyuan Estate, Butler Neil saw Hastur covered in leaves and grass clippings, his expression complex.

What fun is there in camping outdoors, in such dense forests filled with mosquitoes, snakes, and rats, where one cannot sleep peacefully at night?

Where could it be more comfortable than the big bed at home?

He did not interfere too much, assuming it was just Hastur 's youth and love for excitement.

I

In the evening, Hastur once again proposed camping outdoors, and then he and Maric sat around the lake, burning a fire, playing cards for two hours.

During this time, they even included a living corpse to make up three players, and played several rounds of 'Fight the Evil'.

However, the living corpse, limited in intelligence, struggled with this more sophisticated game. It couldn't distinguish between friend and foe, throwing bombs whenever it had them, playing whatever cards were strongest.

Around midnight, as the temperature dropped, the distant whistle sounds echoed from the depths of the forest once again.

Hastur and Maric ended their card game and followed the sound of the whistle.

They found Count Richard and his group, already prepared with a bonfire, their numbers similar to the previous night, about a dozen or so.

Seeing Hastur appear as promised, Count Richard greeted him warmly.

After exchanging pleasantries, Hastur asked curiously, "Why is tonight's ceremony in a different place from last night?"

(End of Chapter)