The faint light of dawn seeped through the holes from the east, enveloping the entire Land of Light in a morning mist, akin to smoke.

The vast starry sky was gradually replaced by a pale, fish-belly white, and the Mist of Strangeness in the bay squirmed back into the deep sea.

At the birth of the Land of Light, the Mist of Strangeness, like all anomalies, dared not step foot here. But as time passed with nothing occurring, it began to encroach once more, spreading from the edges just outside the bay, advancing a few dozen meters each day, as if testing whether a certain unspeakable presence had truly departed.

At this moment, three months later, the Mist of Strangeness has extended from the edge to half of the bay. Even if it maintained this gradual spread, it wouldn't be long before it once again shrouded the coast.

Then, the Land of Light would no longer be pure, and disasters and anomalies would once again pervade this place.

Under Annie Tree, Lu Li gazed at the Agate Lake Camp enclosed by the ugly wooden walls.

Workers scattered along the Shore of Agate Lake, building shacks and reclaiming farmland, ended their tiring day and returned one by one to their makeshift huts, preparing to rest in the early morning before the brilliance of daylight.

The routine in the Land of Light is distinctly opposite, stemming from the migrating residents—simply because sleep represents danger, and even in disappearance, they wouldn't feel agony under the sunlight.

Moreover, when the brilliance illuminates the Land of Light, the temperature rises, marking the most comfortable time of the day. They no longer need to wrap themselves into shrimp-like balls in thin blankets, and can safely have sweet dreams. Although people often awaken from deep sleep due to excessive brightness or prolonged exposure.

Nor do they need to worry about delaying daily work—even at night, the Land of Light is brighter than noon in other parts of the world. They can work beneath the starlight, illuminated by fluorite lamps and oil lamps. Despite the occasional fool falling into the mud or tripping over a stone.

The camp did not fall silent, as workers constructing the wooden bridge to Lake Heart Island hadn't left yet, the sounds of hauling logs and pounding nails reverberating with the ripples.

They chose to work overtime because of Lu Li's return, hoping to complete the wooden bridge from the lake to the island swiftly, sparing Lu Li the hassle and danger of rowing every time he wishes to reach the island's heart.

Although the Twisted Church's believers constantly patrol the lake, the sparse numbers and not-so-small area of Agate Lake make it difficult for them to keep an eye on every corner. And the dark lake of unknown depth symbolizes the unknown, and the unknown represents danger.

Soon enough, they were driven away by the wet, twisted cultists emerging from the lake, compelled to put down their tools and return for rest.

Rather than describing this scene as a sheepdog watching over a flock, Lu Li preferred to articulate it as the beginning of a cooperation between two opposing existences.

The camp gradually restored tranquility, and the residents who finished laboring entered dreamland one after another.

Lu Li stood on the highest point of Sugard Mountain, gazing at the shadows lurking outside the camp, the mottled and dilapidated twisted remnants of Old Belfast, as if past scenes flashed vividly before him.

Despite possessing undisputed ownership, Lu Li was only nominally the lord of the Land of Light.

The brilliance illuminated half of Sugard Mountain and the entire bay, but Lu Li's actual control extended only around Agate Lake—five percent of the Land of Light.

The remaining ninety-five percent was half anomalous, half bay. Even Lu Li's former residence, the Detective Agency and Seaview Cliff, lay in areas inaccessible to anomalies and tendrils.

"You think so too...?"

A murmuring nearby suddenly broke the silence, Lu Li withdrew his gaze, turning toward the twisted figure that peeked at the letter's contents.

"Extreme but reasonable," Lu Li said.

When survival is unsatisfied, morality becomes meaningless, and life's selfishness becomes exceedingly apparent.

"I am disappointed... you are no different from other humans..." The distorted figure of "Elena" emerged with a tangible sense of regret and coldness.

"I don't understand what you're saying."

Does the twisted figure care about these human residents? Lu Li's gaze fell onto the letter, noticing the symbols and suspicious blanks after the closing sentence.

Realizing something, Lu Li lit the fluorite lamp, extracting a piece of fluorite to press against the translucent paper.

[Be cautious of the Twisted Vine Church; they are not human and should not be overly trusted]

The symbol and invisible ink were subtle means of communication between Mayor Matteus of Vena Ice-Free Port and Lu Li during the incident, though he didn't anticipate the twisted figure beside him seeing them.

"I didn't see this sentence." Facing an ally, Lu Li didn't shy away from explaining: "As for trust, I handed over the Land of Light to you three months ago."

Moreover, it was a territory that might be raided, usurped, newly born at any moment.

"I retract my disappointment..." He made "Elena" smile convincingly: "The church will not disappoint you either..."

Then Lu Li picked up a pen to reply to the waiting Matteus at Vena Refuge: "She says she won't betray my trust."

Matteus sent no further reply.

The long-awaited reunion kept the twisted figure from departing, continuing to converse with Lu Li, returning to the topic of the "Land of Obsession."

"They reignited your memories... but why have you not changed since our last meeting..."

"Perhaps I need rest now."

Lu Li had not closed his eyes since leaving the Midnight City Illusion; if the Doomsday Apocalypse was taken away, he might collapse beneath the tree into slumber. But there were countless matters unresolved.

The Land of Vortex in the southern part of the Land of Light, the Shipwreck District and Ashes District existing since the fall of Old Belfast, and the anomalies hidden within the city's ruins.

"We need allies."

The Twisted Vine Church could barely maintain the Agate Lake Camp against anomalies; they couldn't reclaim the occupied lands.

They needed more strength to protect and sound the call for a counterattack. On the Ailen Peninsula, Lu Li had an ally ready and waiting.

And he would never betray him.

But before that—

The twilight of Old Belfast faded, the dawn's light shone upon the Land of Light, as if returning to the gloominess of the Weird Times, or the Old Era.

The twisted figure whispered to Lu Li at this moment.

"Go rest... wake up and patrol your domain... lord of the Land of Light."

Lu Li temporarily stayed at Baron Joseph's manor. The mansion, aged and disrepaired, turned dilapidated, the red carpet akin to tattered moss, its silence without living beings resounding with Lu Li's footsteps.

Entering the bedroom once belonging to Aileen, the once-bright room faded under dust. Lu Li unveiled the aged bedding, allowing Merchant Anthony, like a butler, to bring in fresh covers.

Standing on the balcony, momentarily gazing at the unobstructed view of the Agate Lake Camp, Lu Li returned to the bedroom, prepared the bed, hung his black coat on the rack, unfastened his tie, placed it on the dusty nightstand, and set the stone seal beside it, he lay down in the warming bed.

Enjoying the tranquility after the clamor, Lu Li peacefully drifted into a dreamlike state in his domain.

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