Deep in the Living
Chapter 304 - 292: The Eyeball

Chapter 304: Chapter 292: The Eyeball

The sea breeze howled, bringing with it the stench of rot and miasma as it blew onto Luo Di.

Although he did not know why he was standing in front of the lighthouse, instinct told Luo Di that it was necessary to enter. There seemed to be something very important hidden inside, something related to the Spine creature.

He then walked through the rotten door and into it,

He had thought the interior of the lighthouse would be an extreme scene of decay.

But instead...

Sizzling! Torches embedded inside burned away all the decaying fungi that floated in.

The moment Luo Di stepped in, the iron gate behind him slammed shut, sealing all the foul-smelling microbes outside.

The bone-made torches burning in the spiral staircase emitted a smell akin to that of Chaos Nest City, the scent of roasted spinal cord, mixed with a hint of fragrance.

Although the torches were made from spine bones, the building materials inside the lighthouse were similar to those of Navel Port, being a kind of hardened abscess. It had been so long that these abscesses were even harder than stone, and their surfaces even bore green crystalline structures.

The lighthouse’s staircase was extremely clean, so much so that it was hard to associate it with the Primordial Slime, and not even the nooks and crannies had any dust.

Perhaps it was the lighthouse’s self-purification, or perhaps someone had been cleaning here.

Luo Di climbed the spiral staircase, not noticing that an abscess on the wall was slowly opening an eye.

Despite being a lighthouse that spanned hundreds, nearly a thousand kilometers, Luo Di felt that it only took a very short time to reach the very top.

However, the iron gate leading to the top lantern room was locked, with a Hell seal drawn on it that Luo Di couldn’t understand, as if getting near it would scorch his whole body.

Squeak! The gate opened.

This iron gate with a high-level seal opened automatically, as if something inside was welcoming Luo Di’s arrival.

Entering the lantern room,

a giant eyeball over five meters in diameter was growing there, surrounded by fresh abscesses, and one could even see the eye’s nerves rooted among the abscesses.

Luo Di was certain that

this eyeball did not belong to the Primordial Slime but rather to the Spine creature.

Here, a good balance between the Evil Spine and the Primordial Slime had been reached, akin to Luo Di’s metal spine.

At the same time, a voice came from inside the gigantic eyeball.

"Luo Di, to think you obtained the status of a Monk and arrived at Navel Port so swiftly, a full ten days ahead of my prediction. You even have a nun in personal accompaniment; the boss truly didn’t misjudge you.

It seems like you don’t plan to set sail directly, but intend to stay in Navel Port for a while? Why? You should be quite unaccustomed to the life of the tumor citizens, right?"

The eyeball called out Luo Di’s name directly and was clearly aware of this special envoy journey, even referring to the overlord who had arranged all this as the boss.

The other party must be a higher-up of the Spine creature. Therefore, Luo Di had nothing to hide.

"Sister Agatha and I need to deal with a Wanted Criminal here."

"I suspected as much, earning some Hell contribution in advance to prepare before heading to the Dark Side. And the Great Monastery happens to be the source of the Warrants.

Let me think, the Wanted Criminal in this area... it wouldn’t happen to be Kuleon, would it?"

"Yes."

"I figured it was that kid—Kuleon. I remember him quite well. Good Spine Type and quality, talented too. It’s just that he has a terrible character, absolute selfishness. Even if he really could achieve Demon Ascension and return to the Nest City, he’d have a hard time getting by.

That kid chose the wrong path from the start; his character should have led him to join the Evil Play.

Now, I don’t know how, but he’s come to the coastal area, specifically killing members of the Evil Play, collecting skulls, as if he wants to construct a unique Gate of Demon Ascension.

You’ve only just completed Physical Casting, and even with that nun, there’s a considerable risk. Getting killed by your target is hardly worth it."

However, Luo Di responded firmly: "If we received the Warrant at the Great Monastery, it suggests that the will of Hell believes we are capable of handling this, right?"

"That’s true—alright then, I won’t say more! If the boss finds out, he’ll say I’m interfering with your path.

I’m looking for you tonight for something else, something related to the [Eye]. As you can see, I am a very rare pure Perceiver among the Spine creatures, and my spine is entirely dedicated to supporting the gaze of the eye.

One of my eyes has been donated to Navel Port, serving as a lighthouse beacon to provide lighting for passing ships, greatly reducing maritime disasters and also allowing the Spine creatures to accumulate some karmic credit.

Your performance in the recruitment ground was first noticed by me. Honestly, I personally wanted to recruit you, but the boss had other plans. Considering the extremely risky path that the boss has set for you, you might die on it.

For example, targeting Kuleon right now is quite a risky choice.

I want to understand something before you die, something that has to do with you and the eye."

Although this person’s way of talking was unpleasant, considering the other’s identity, Luo Di did not take it to heart, "Hmm, go ahead and ask."

"You must have encountered a certain type of eyeball creature at some point in your past, and even merged with it, right? I can smell a faint scent on you, something related to cold and water."

"That eye must be very special, so much so that after you lost that eyeball, it has been difficult for you to adapt to the inefficiency of normal vision in a short time."

Luo Di was somewhat surprised, having not realized that the main reason he was being observed was not his own talent, but the scent of the Eye Sister that lingered on him.

"Yes, but I haven’t felt too uncomfortable. After all, that wasn’t my eye in the first place, but rather a temporary companion who had to live in my brain due to danger."

Such a statement piqued the interest of the eyeball even further.

"Companion? May I probe into your memories to see what kind of creature this eyeball-related companion is, and what sort of eyeball abilities she utilizes?

In True Hell itself, I’ve had private encounters with any demons that have talent with eyeballs, and most are boring, with nothing really new overall."

Don’t worry, I will only probe memories related to the eyeball.

If it really is interesting and stirs my interest in this area, I will provide effective help without affecting your search for the path."

To just look at a small section of his memories was fine with Luo Di; that memory didn’t contain any private content, and it would certainly be worth it if he could make an acquaintance with a big-shot Spine in the process.

"Okay."

With Luo Di’s consent, a beam of light instantly pierced through his skull, probing the related events on the holiday island.

Upon probing the memories related to Eye Sister Mu Mu, this lighthouse giant eye showed significant pupil dilation behavior, and even trembled slightly.

Hum!

Probing concluded.

"Corner, Pseudo-Person, Fear Embodiment!

Interesting, there are indeed such intriguing worlds! Moreover, this girl’s eyeball concretization is very unique; she has a completely different understanding of eyeball usage than Hell does.

Though weak, she is very meaningful.

When will you end your thought projection and go back to the human side? I might be able to return with you and meet this girl."

Watching the increasingly presumptuous lighthouse eyeball in front of him, Luo Di sighed softly.

"Eye Sister has already gone to the Corner, and I’m not currently able to go there. How about I notify you when I meet her again later?"

"The Corner, huh? Mmm... that’s a bit of a pity. I really want to meet her now; perhaps I could pull her into True Hell and have her join my ranks like you.

Interesting, it’s been a long time since I’ve encountered something so intriguing! This is ten times more interesting than invading other worlds, no... make that 13.6 times.

It seems I have to do some extra work for the boss, to convince him to lock onto your world sooner so that I can personally go there to see it."

Upon hearing this, a sense of tension rose in Luo Di’s heart, but he suppressed the surge of emotions with reason.

But the next second, the eyeball negated its own words:

"No, no~ the boss said, during this time we can’t do anything that influences your search for the path, and your world is too far away; even if we burn all the current fuel reserves, we can’t get close, no idea how long it would take.

By the way!

You seem able to make contact with Hook in the human world, right? Maybe there’s a World Anchor in the Punishment Room. I’ll find some time to visit it, and if it really exists, I could go there on my own.

My relationship with Hook isn’t too bad; if he can get there, so can I."

"Yes." Luo Di did not deny this, and in fact, any lie would be laid bare before such an eyeball; with such powerful vision, any lie would be seen through.

"Thank you very much, Luo Di, the envoy! Since I can’t offer direct help, I can’t give you an eyeball or hell equipment... I can only arrange a team ally for you.

At least in my opinion, the team you and the nun have assembled is still lacking a lot.

Come to the lighthouse tomorrow morning after you wake up. There will be a little guy I really like joining your team, don’t bully him, alright?"

"Okay... I guess. Can I refuse if it’s not suitable?"

"Of course.

And you actually dare to question my decision, kid; no wonder the boss took notice of you... Seems like you don’t quite understand the Spine’s ranking and stature.

Well then, if you manage to come back to Nest City alive, I will meet you in person.

That’s enough talk, thank you for the island story you shared, very interesting... I’m off to find Hook now, bye!"

Hum!

A bright flash.

Luo Di startled awake on the sofa in the guest room, with time having advanced to the morning of the next day.

The feeling of fatigue was not just cleared out, but he even felt his spine radiating heat and glowing like the lighthouse.