The Secret Cult Chronicles of the Decaying Lake Manor

George went down to the second floor, and before he even entered the Viscount's bedroom, he saw Thomas's back in the hallway.

His greeting made Thomas turn around.

The male servant still maintains a slightly strange "ordinariness" in the mansion today; his face is not covered with a cotton cloth soaked in vinegar, and his expression is quite calm.

"Young Master George, what's the current situation at the manor..."

"It's urgent, Thomas." George strode forward, pulled out a list, and cut to the chase. "I need you to gather some things for me immediately. Here's the list—"

He shoved the list of materials into Thomas's hand, his eyes burning with determination.

"We must gather everything as soon as possible. Especially this 'deep-sea pearl' used for grinding into fine powder, does the manor have any? Even a small quantity would be fine."

Thomas glanced at the list, his expression thoughtful.

"There's a small jar of pearl powder in the master's storeroom; I remember it was indeed made from top-quality white pearls from Archipelago. The rest—the spirits, dried herbs, and metallic salts—wouldn't be difficult to gather..."

He looked at George: "Young Master, get everything ready and deliver it to the alchemy room within an hour?"

"Yes. Also, Thomas, how's your father doing lately? Should I go see him?" George asked another question before he could leave.

"The master's condition is not much different from before. If you are worried, you can visit him yourself now." Thomas's tone was no different.

"It's good that everything's alright..." George nodded, then asked, "Did you retrieve the materials from the tower? Did Father tell you what trials you needed to pass to open the tower's doors?"

Thomas's upper eyelids drooped slightly: "The master has set some riddles for you, but I don't know the details. You'll have to go to the tower gate to find out for yourself."

George narrowed his eyes slightly, while Thomas looked back calmly, and the two began to stare at each other.

Finally, George broke the pointless stalemate: "Alright, let's go find the materials, and remember to be quick."

"Understood, young master." Thomas nodded, folded the list, put it in his pocket, and turned to leave.

George returned to the alchemy room and began pre-processing other non-critical materials and preheating the equipment.

Time slipped away in agony.

Less than an hour later, Thomas appeared at the door of the alchemy room, carrying two wooden crates.

"Young master, the pearl powder has been found, and it is perfectly sealed in a wax-sealed jar."

Thomas presented a delicate, dark glass jar, through which one could see fine powder inside.

"The rest of the materials have also been prepared, some of them are substitutes, but I have made sure they are similar in nature."

"Thank you for your hard work, Thomas." George took the jar. "Please keep a close watch on Father during this time. If anything unusual happens—whether it's a sound from outside or the behavior of anyone inside the mansion—notify me immediately."

Thomas gave George a deep look and nodded heavily: "Yes, young master."

After seeing Thomas off, George closed the door and immediately began the final refining process.

Because he was in a bit of a rush, he inevitably took some detours and even failed once along the way.

Fortunately, Thomas provided ample materials, allowing him to complete his first successful project an hour and a half later.

A layer of paste-like substance with a soft, pale blue pearly sheen appeared in the extinguished reactor; this was the drug George had requested.

He carefully mixed it with brandy, then dispensed it into dozens of prepared narrow-necked glass bottles, sealed them with corks, and waxed them.

After a flurry of activity, the clock hands had silently passed four o'clock.

George wiped the thin layer of sweat from his forehead, put the medicine in a cloth bag, thought for a moment, then grabbed a set of "resonance insect repellent devices" and quickly went downstairs.

The corridor was empty and unusually quiet, just like any other day, but the feeling it gave was completely different.

He had just stepped down from the servants' quarters when he saw Elliott standing by the stairwell.

The newly promoted Veilbreaker was somewhat pale, blinking occasionally and gently pressing the corners of his eyes with his hand.

"William?" George stopped and scrutinized him cautiously. "Are you feeling unwell?"

When Elliott saw George, he forced himself to stand up straight.

"Young Master... I've been feeling dizzy since this morning, and I've also been very thirsty. And... my eyes are acting strange. I keep seeing small dark shadows floating around in front of me, and I occasionally see flashes of light."

George raised an eyebrow, his consciousness sinking into the card table as he summoned Elliott's cards.

A moment later, he left the card table, breathed a slight sigh of relief, and stepped forward to offer gentle advice:

"It's nothing serious, William. It's just that your spirituality is too sensitive, causing an 'overreaction' to the strange atmosphere on the island."

"The situation at the manor is a bit unstable right now, but you'll be fine after a rest." His tone shifted, "What about Old Man Mo? How's it going with you keeping watch?"

"He's still asleep, sir," Elliott replied. "Mrs. Hughes has arranged for people to take turns on duty there; it'll be my turn soon."

"Very good." George took two bottles of freshly made potions from his cloth bag and handed them to Elliott.

"This is a newly prepared potion. If the old man develops a high fever or becomes delirious, immediately give him one bottle. If your discomfort worsens, give him another bottle. If any other abnormal conditions occur, remember to prioritize your own safety before coming to the alchemy room or finding me immediately."

He then handed the "resonance insect repellent" to Elliott: "This can be used to deal with insects. Just tap it when you see any unusual flying insects."

Elliot took the medicine and insect repellent: "Thank you, young master. I'll do my best."

George nodded, and without lingering, continued towards the reception room, carrying the heavy cloth bag.

Miss Kelly Moore was waiting there quietly, dressed in a darker style more suitable for movement, and wearing thin leather gloves.

"Mr. De La Porte, is everything ready?" She stood up immediately when she saw George.

"Almost there." George gestured, lifting the cloth bag. "The medicine is here. We need to get it to the people in the quarantine area as soon as possible."

The two left the reception room and walked down the corridor toward the small door leading to the north-facing room.

Pushing open the side door, the sight outside the mansion made the two men frown.

Although the sun was still shining brightly, a buzzing sound could be clearly heard in the air.

Along the gravel path leading to the north-facing rooms, swarms of flies gather in the shade of trimmed bushes, among the gaps in the grass, the soil, and the stones.

Unlike the noisy flight of ordinary autumn flies, they simply swarm and land densely on the surface.

But the two people who came out of the house clearly excited them, so much so that the flies around them swarmed around them like hungry beasts seeing filth.

"This quantity..." Kelly pursed her lips and was about to start taking things out.

George was the first to raise the golden sun amulet in his hand, infusing it with a trace of spirituality.

The amulet immediately emitted a warm and bright golden light, dispelling the surrounding shadows.

The dense swarm of flies seemed to instinctively fear the light; their buzzing suddenly intensified, and they quickly retreated from the light's reach like smoke being blown away by the wind.

A "path of light" wide enough for two people to walk on was formed.

"Let's go," George said in a low voice.

He held the amulet high, as if it were an invisible lamp.