# 691
Chapter 691
Mist.
Japanese coast.
The raging wind swept across the waves, roaring and whistling beneath the desolate sky. Within the Chaos mist, a faint glint of light emerged.
It was a ship, not particularly large, rocking violently among the waves. At the bow, a slender figure in a deep blue hanfu stood motionless, holding an elongated black case, as immovable as a boulder despite the waves crashing against the deck.
Seawater flowed back into the ocean from the deck, yet the young woman remained completely dry—not a single drop touched her. She didn't even glance at the water; she simply stared into the mist ahead, where the vague outline of land loomed at its edge.
Wu Xiangnan stood in the cabin, controlling the vessel while casting his gaze upon the young woman at the bow, his expression somewhat helpless.
"This girl... she's truly courting death."
He glanced at the nautical chart beside him. They were nearly through this stretch of sea, about to enter Japanese territory. According to what Zuo Qing had said, the rendezvous point with the Oath Society should be somewhere nearby...
Just as Wu Xiangnan surveyed his surroundings, a red dot suddenly lit up on the screen—a blip approaching this vessel at terrifying speed from the distance!
Its speed was incredible, far exceeding any maritime vehicle, and it clearly wasn't human. Wu Xiangnan turned toward where the red dot was coming from. Rising from the churning waves, a white shadow shaped like an arrow was rapidly closing in!
Bow of the ship.
Jialan, who had been gazing into the distance, seemed to sense something. Her brow furrowed, and the elongated black case in her hand suddenly opened—a golden spear弹射而出!
She gripped the spear, her form blurring as she dashed to the opposite side of the deck, thrusting the golden weapon toward the incoming white shadow. A thick beam of golden light pierced through the dark sea!
BOOM—!!!
A massive column of water exploded upward, the waves lifting the ship completely off the surface. After a brief moment suspended in midair, it crashed back down onto the sea.
Amid the violent rocking, Jialan still gripped her golden spear tightly, her eyes locked on that spot in the sea.
During the two years she'd drifted alone in the mist, she'd encountered such "mystery" attacks from the seabed almost every single day. By now, responding to such sudden crises had become ingrained in her very bones.
At the same time, a white figure emerged from the waves, hovering above the water's surface. His slightly curled golden hair swayed gently in the wind, and he held a Western-style knight's sword in his hand, facing off against Jialan at the bow.
Jialan got a clear look at the man and confusion flickered across her features.
Not a "mystery"? It's a person?
Pale skin, golden curly hair, blue eyes, a high-bridged nose... This didn't look like someone from Great Xia?
A Westerner?
Just as Jialan puzzled over this, the man spoke first, his tone seemingly quite displeased:
"Hey, what the hell? You almost skewered me with that thrust!"
This blonde, blue-eyed white man opened his mouth and spoke standard Mandarin, even with a hint of Northeastern accent, sounding rather incongruous.
Jialan froze.
"You're the Night Watch from Great Xia, right?" The man glanced at Wu Xiangnan emerging from the cabin and continued, "I'm the Oath Society's Sixth Special Envoy, codename 【Knight】, serving as the 'sentry' for this operation to destroy the Takamagahara 'Human Enclosure' in Japan."
So we're on the same side...
Jialan quietly lowered her golden spear and apologized, "Sorry... I... it's habit."
She paused. "I'm Jialan, member of the Fifth Special Squad of Great Xia's Night Watch."
"Great Xia Night Watch, Wu Xiangnan."
Wu Xiangnan walked to the bow, extending his hand with an apologetic smile. "My apologies—your speed was so fast that we thought you were an attacking 'mystery.'"
Knight shrugged, reaching out to shake his hand, speaking with some resignation, "Forget it, forget it. As long as we've rendezvoused safely."
"Come on, let's talk inside the cabin."
The three entered the cabin and sat around a round table. Knight glanced around curiously, seemingly very interested in the furnishings aboard.
"You sailed all the way from Great Xia?"
"Yeah."
"Great Xia..." Nostalgia filled his eyes. "The only free land in this world. I've wanted to visit for ages."
"You're not from Great Xia though, are you?"
"No. I used to be a slave raised in the 'Human Enclosure' in London. Later, the guild leader led people to blow up the 'Human Enclosure,' and I regained my freedom. After that, I joined the Oath Society and started working for the guild leader."
"Then how is your Mandarin so good?"
"Before joining the Oath Society, everyone has to undergo Mandarin training. That's when I learned it." Knight smiled.
Upon hearing this, Jialan couldn't help but ask, "What exactly is the 'Human Enclosure'?"
Knight looked at her, set down the water cup in his hand, and asked a question in return. "Do you know what a divine kingdom is?"
"It's where the gods reside."
"Exactly." Knight nodded and explained seriously, "As the dwelling place of the gods, divine kingdoms are also the primary source of the gods' divine power. What sustains the divine kingdoms is faith.
And faith comes from humanity, from the myths and legends passed down through the ages.
After the mist descended, many divine kingdoms around the world sacrificed their lands and peoples to survive. However, they deliberately preserved a portion of humanity, confining them in a specific place—like raising livestock—because if all their citizens died, the bloodlines and myths passed down for thousands of years would be lost, and the faith they could draw upon would decrease dramatically.
The 'Human Enclosure' is the place they use to confine humans, spread divine radiance, collect faith, and let them mate and reproduce."
Jialan contemplated this. "Like... farms for raising humans?"
"You could put it that way." Knight nodded. "Different divine kingdoms use different vessels to house the 'Human Enclosure.'
Some carve out a separate region within the divine kingdom as a place to confine humans, but this method is relatively primitive—it can only hold a very limited number of people, the area is restricted, and it invites resentment from other deities... It's like how you wouldn't want your bed right next to a pigsty.
Other divine kingdoms use certain divine artifacts as carriers, placing all surviving humans inside these artifacts, like a fish tank, allowing them to form their own self-sustaining world. This method can accommodate a large population while allowing them to function independently, requiring no divine management.
The most tragic aspect of the second type of 'Human Enclosure' is that the humans living inside these vessels may never realize they've become the confined party. While alive, they might not notice anything...
But once they die, what awaits them is eternal torment."