Chapter 148: Wheel/Plate at Sea (26)

The stone slabs slid open on three sides, revealing a hole about one meter square, barely big enough for one person to pass through.

You can feel the cold and damp atmosphere inside the cave without having to get close to the entrance.

What is even more alarming is that in addition to the mixed smell of water vapor, moss and soil, there is also a faint burnt smell in the air.

This cave entrance is probably the most dangerous location in the entire game. In addition, the hidden task is to "complete the sacrifice in the Temple of Poseidon". In nine out of ten cases, going down this cave will lead to the place of sacrifice.

So Su Yue was not in the mood to think about anything else. He summoned his sword and walked down the stairs cautiously.

.

The tunnel was not completely dark. On both sides of the walls, you could see many murals. These murals were painted entirely in dark red, which made them look extremely depressing.

The lighting work is completed by the eternal lights embedded in the tunnel walls every five meters.

An eternal lamp made by a seafarer.

It is not "made by overseas Chinese", but "made with overseas Chinese as raw materials".

This is also the source of the burnt smell that Su Yue smelled.

The sea creatures, each more than two meters tall and nearly three meters tall, were obviously dead and were fixed in the grooves of the wall in a twisted posture.

There are many gorgeous relief patterns on the edge of the groove. If you look closely, you can see the patterns of seaweed, shells and aquatic animals. The presence of these relief patterns makes the groove look like a luxurious coffin.

A candle was inserted from the top of the seaman's head to the tail, fueled by the seaman's own fat, and the flame flickered.

I don't know how long the eternal lamp has been burning, and a lot of candle wax has accumulated in the groove.

Although Haike was large in stature and had abundant subcutaneous fat visible to the naked eye, he could not withstand the burning sensation day and night.

The heads of several seafarers had been completely burned off, and even their upper limbs had been burned to the point where not much was left, creating a rather distorted and terrifying scene.

The ventilation in the tunnel is in a very perfect state, which can prevent the flame of the eternal lamp from being extinguished due to lack of oxygen, and will not be blown out by strong winds. The stench of burning flesh fills the entire space, making this tunnel like hell.

Su Yue held his breath and looked at the murals on both sides of the wall.

There must be a reason for setting up the eternal lamp here, and the reason must be the murals on both sides.

Then these murals are the information he must know.

The dark red mural did not change in color at all. Su Yue moved closer and carefully scraped some paint off the mural with the tip of a broken stone on the ground, then brought it to his nose and smelled it.

"What is it?" Cang Zhi asked.

"Cinnabar and blood," Su Yue replied, "a mixed smell."

The blood murals and the oil lamps made from the corpses of seafarers were strange, but they were within Su Yue's expectations.

Sacrifices in ancient times, regardless of civilization, were always cruel.

Sacrificing the lives of a large number of burial objects was to express holiness and convey hope.

Su Yue turned his attention to the murals. It was obvious that these murals conveyed the "background information" of the game. Although he didn't necessarily need to understand them to pass the game, since he was doing a hidden mission, it would be better for him to see them more clearly.

Unexpectedly, although the painting technique of the "blood mural" was so horrifying, Su Yue found that the content was actually quite peaceful after reading it from beginning to end.

.

The murals, of course, tell the story of the sea god.

Long, long ago, Moonlight Island and its surrounding area were extremely dangerous waters. Rough currents and ferocious beasts abounded, and worst of all, the climate was horrific. Storms abounded, fire fell from the sky, the earth cracked, humans sank into the sea, and fish were cooked in the water. This sea area had become a living hell.

"Storms and skyfires, it seems we've encountered them too." Su Yue sighed, "It seems this kind of weird weather is a common problem in this sea area."

"But according to the murals, the area with the harsh climate was much larger than what we see," Cang Zhi said, "which means the sea god really did protect the people nearby."

Su Yue agreed, and they continued to look down.

The sea god could not bear to see such a cruel scene, so he cast a spell to protect all the creatures in the sea. The storm was calmed, the shaking of the ground was repaired, and the sky fire was extinguished by the mercy of the sea and retreated to the depths of the ocean.

Since then, humans have built ports on land, fish have swam freely in the sea, and all things near Moonlight Island, under the blessing of the sea god, have lived a peaceful and beautiful life.

But soon, Poseidon fell.

Because she had used too much divine power, the sea goddess was close to collapse. She fell on Moonlight Island, dying.

At this time, humans who were grateful appeared.

They brought the grains and fruits they grew, meat and fish, and dedicated their best food to the sea goddess. The sea goddess was a god and needed a lot of food, but the large amount of offerings from humans actually met her needs. The sea goddess regained her divine power and continued to protect her people at sea.

From then on, humans and the sea god formed a relationship of worship and protection.

Humans offered sacrifices to the sea god, who in turn protected and blessed them. This kind of offering continued for a long, long time, even to this day.

"No wonder Captain Ghost came to Moonlight Island no matter the cost," Su Yue said, "Such a god should be worshipped."

"But there's something strange about it," Su Yue pondered. "According to the story, this sea goddess is kind, generous, and benevolent. Why would she ask humans to paint murals with blood? It's human nature to express worship of the gods, but there's no need for them to use blood, right?"

"Maybe it's because blood is their most precious thing. The sea god gave life to humans, so they want to dedicate their most precious things to the sea god." Cang Zhi said.

"That makes sense." Su Yue thought for a moment and said.

The content behind the mural records every sacrifice. After watching it, Su Yue feels that the Sea Goddess can really eat. The food from every sacrifice can be painted all over the wall, and there is everything.

In short, what is expressed above is that the people here are willing to offer all their food to the sea god in exchange for a peaceful life with good weather and good harvests.

"Sister Poseidon, don't you feel like you've been overeating lately?" Su Yue muttered, "So many plates could fill up Moonlight Island, right? Is that enough to satisfy you?"

Cang Zhi asked: "We have to help the Sea God complete the sacrifice. Does that mean we have to find so much food? Or -"

Cangzhi's words stopped abruptly.

Because the two of them had walked out of the tunnel and into a stone chamber.

The murals stopped here, and the scene in the stone chamber left them speechless.

.

This stone chamber is obviously a room for sacrifices.

In the middle of the stone chamber, there is a large statue of a god. The statue is a beautiful woman with lowered brows and eyes, looking down gently. Her eyes are carved from aquamarine and sparkle as if holding tears.

The entire statue is carved from coral and gems, which shows the sculptor's respect for the sea god. Even in the dim stone chamber, the statue still shines brightly.

But corresponding to the beautiful statue is the bloody scene on the altar in front of the statue.

There were many large plates, some of which were cluttered with wheat, fruit, and wine, but most of which were filled with blood. The heads of livestock were neatly placed on the plates, adorned with gold and silver ornaments, looking very gorgeous, but still retaining the angry expressions before death, and the blood from the cuts flowed all over the altar.

Pigs, cows, sheep, chickens, ducks, fish, and even seafarers... More than a dozen heads were neatly placed on the plate, glittering with jewels, bloody and weird.

But the two largest plates in front of the altar were still empty.

On the stone floor in front of the altar lay a pair of children.

A little boy and a little girl, who looked no more than ten years old, were dressed in gorgeous clothes, their hands tied behind their backs. They were lying unconscious on the ground, their young bodies moving slightly up and down.

The faces of the two children were adorned with the same ornate ornaments as the offerings on the table.

Su Yue's pupils contracted.

Could it be that this so-called "completing the sacrifice in the Temple of Poseidon" means cutting off the heads of little boys and girls and placing them on the altar?