[Vol. 7] Chapter 26: The Forbidden Voice
She declined.
In the end, Violet had the two girls beside her wear the protective devices, but she chose not to.
It wasn’t out of arrogance or overconfidence, this was a necessary test. If her guess was correct, this [contamination] that drove people mad might be directly linked to the dangerous, one-way nature of the [Ghost Sea].
Violet remembered clearly, when she used high-tier magic above the 8th rank in the past, anyone who witnessed it up close, if they were too weak or lacked mental resilience, would experience hallucinations or even suffer lasting psychological effects.
That was a form of "information pollution" caused by overwhelming, profound magic. But what if this type of influence could spread through other means?
She needed to verify the differences.
Seeing how determined Violet was, Queen Anies hesitated for a moment but ultimately said nothing. A brief exposure to the "contamination" wasn’t particularly dangerous, and if this incident gave her an opportunity to probe Violet’s abilities, it was hardly a bad thing for the queen.
With preparations complete, the group moved closer to the algae mats where the patients lay.
Perhaps the others, shielded by their protective gear, felt nothing, but Violet fully exposed to the [contamination] could sense it clearly. As they approached, the "sticky" feeling that Le Qiaoqiao had described grew noticeably stronger, thickening in the air around them.
How interesting.
This wasn’t elemental energy, nor was it a gas or some invisible form of soul energy. If she had to categorize it, the closest term would be… "sound".
Yes, just like sound. The closer you got to the source, the clearer it became.
Using the [Yin-Yang Eyes] she inherited from Dawn, Violet could see something beyond normal perception, waves of sound pulsing through the air like ripples. Yet this wasn’t a sound that normal ears could detect or comprehend. It was more like ultrasound, imperceptible yet unavoidable, washing over all living beings without them even realizing they were listening.
That burden on the brain and even the soul was likely why Le Qiaoqiao, with her heightened thief’s senses, described the air as feeling "sticky".
So, this was what they called [contamination], a form of information… an incomprehensible kind of information.
But information itself wasn’t inherently harmful. The real issue lay in what that information represented.
As they approached within a few meters of the patients, an elderly merfolk, also wearing one of the special long hats, quickly stepped forward to greet them. He bowed respectfully to Queen Anies.
"Your Majesty, I pay my respects."
"No need for formalities. Everyone, allow me to introduce someone."
She reached out slightly to lift the old merfolk from his bow, addressing her guests with a tone of respect.
"This is Longbei Sanfin, the chieftain of the Sanfin Mermaid Tribe. He is the most senior scholar in the Eastern Pearl Palace and the kingdom’s chief healer over four hundred years old."
"The Sanfin Tribe are known for their keen sensitivity. Their natural tail fins allow them to perceive things beyond ordinary senses, which is why they make up a large portion of our healers and scholars. Many of the methods we use to resist [contamination] and the [Deep Sea Ghost], including these protective devices, were personally developed under Chieftain Longbei’s leadership. His contributions have been invaluable."
The old merfolk let out a wry chuckle, shaking his head.
"Your Majesty overpraises me. Despite all my efforts and knowledge, I have yet to find a true cure for this plague. I feel nothing but shame… I dare not speak of accomplishments."
Queen Anies simply smiled, not debating the matter further. Instead, she turned to introduce him in return.
"Chieftain Longbei, these three are representatives of the Merchant Guild that provided us with those critical supplies. I intend to establish a deeper partnership with their merchant guild, so I’ve invited them to witness the ceremony that is about to take place."
Longbei nodded slightly, but his gaze quickly settled on Violet, the only one among them not wearing a protective device. He hesitated before speaking.
"If this is Your Majesty’s will, I would not dare object… but this young lady…"
Not wanting to waste time with lengthy explanations, the black-haired girl stepped forward and got straight to the point.
"My name is Violet. I'm a priest. Can I take a closer look at the patients?"
"A priest? Oh… you mean those little ones from the land who worship the [Primordial Light] and like to use light-based magic for healing? I have met a few before. They do seem quite skilled… If that’s the case, letting you observe them up close might not be entirely out of the question…"
The old merfolk instinctively glanced at Queen Anies, and after seeing her give a subtle nod, his expression became serious and professional.
"Miss, are you currently experiencing dizziness, ringing in your ears, slight disorientation, or hearing or seeing things that don’t make sense? Any one of these symptoms? Please don’t try to act tough or hide anything from me. This is no laughing matter."
Hmm… So these must be the early symptoms of mental [contamination] in normal beings. It seems this old merfolk truly knows his stuff.
Seeing that Violet calmly shook her head, and after carefully observing her for a moment, the deep furrow in Longbei’s brow finally relaxed slightly.
"It seems Miss Violet has quite the mastery of holy magic. Indeed, even just standing here, I can sense the pure, sacred aura naturally radiating from you… Very well, go ahead, but please be extremely careful."
After emphasizing his warning one last time, the experienced healer turned and led Violet closer to the rows of patients lying on their mats. The others remained at a safe distance, watching from afar.
The priest quietly expanded her perception and used SP to shield her body, just in case.
As expected, the further she advanced, the stronger those "silent sound waves", or rather, "whispers". Violet could now be completely certain of one thing.
This sound was coming from inside the patients.
Choosing one that caught her attention, a young merfolk girl dressed in a ceremonial outfit, likely of the same race as Silisa, Violet crouched down and activated [Information Detection] on the unconscious figure.
Lines of information quickly surfaced before her eyes.
There were no visible injuries, and her vital signs were stable. But through her [Yin-Yang Eyes], Violet could see something unusual mixed into the girl's soul, like ink dissolving into clear water, turning it murky.
Such an abnormal change in the soul would indeed lead to mental instability, causing irrational or even violent behavior. However, it seemed the merfolk had forced her into a deep sleep using some kind of sedative potion.
This was information that [Information Detection] alone couldn’t uncover.
Dawn’s ability was really convenient. If this were before, she’d have had to study for hours to figure this out.
She lifted her gaze to the old merfolk standing nearby.
"This won’t work. Even if you keep suppressing her mental activity with sedatives, it won’t truly calm her down. Her soul has already started to change under the influence of this [contamination], almost as if it’s transforming into something else."
"I can feel it. Once this transformation begins, it can’t be stopped or reversed. This [contamination] seems to have the ability to use the soul as fuel to replicate itself. So while you may be able to suppress it for now, all you’re really doing is slowing down the inevitable… Isn’t that right?"
Longbei froze for a moment. Then, his old, weary eyes, which had been carefully observing Violet for any signs of abnormality, suddenly flashed with sharp brilliance. His expression grew serious.
"You figured all that out… just from a quick glance?" He narrowed his eyes. "The Queen or someone else didn’t secretly tell you this beforehand, did they…?"
"Don’t you already know the answer to that?"
Longbei nodded repeatedly, deeply convinced.
"Yes… Yes, even Her Majesty, even I, could only vaguely speculate about the true nature of this [contamination]. But the way you described it, so precise and concise, only someone who has truly grasped the essence of it could say such a thing."
Muttering to himself, his demeanor became even more serious and respectful.
"Miss Violet… you are absolutely right. This is a disease that affects the very essence of the soul. With my current abilities, I can only delay its effects, I cannot cure it."
"So, in your opinion… is it possible to reverse this [contamination]?"