After taking a bath, Amy walked out of the wooden tub, her face refreshed, twisting her wet hair and wrapping her body with a long bath towel.

When she turned around, she saw the blue-haired girl still soaking in the tub, curling up with her legs hugged, only half of her head exposed above the steaming water surface.

"Xin, what are you thinking about?"

Tang Xin: "Is that Siren Miracle real?"

Amy's expression stiffened slightly, seeing the girl staring at her seriously, she laughed it off: "It's just a story made up by the show's scriptwriter, Xin, you wouldn't really believe it, would you?"

"I don't like being kept in the dark."

"Eh?"

Tang Xin didn't say anything more and got up to walk out of the tub, her slender pale ankles lightly touching the ground, with water droplets falling from her deep blue hair, hanging on her distinctly defined neck and shoulders. Her body, hidden in the mist, had gentle and smooth lines, wrapped in a long bath towel.

Amy's lips curled into a smile as she met Tang Xin's clear eyes, and she coughed a few times:

"Cough, cough, anyway, don't overthink it."

Before she could finish, Amy was stunned as Tang Xin appeared before her without her noticing. She smelled a faint fragrance of irises as the girl's skin still emanated a misty heat, causing her to step back somewhat unnaturally until her back touched the wall.

"If I go drink the water here now, will you stop me?" Tang Xin asked, staring unwaveringly.

"What are you suddenly talking about, Xin..."

Seeing Tang Xin not responding, she turned her head towards the washroom, opened the tap, and was about to cup some water, gently bringing it towards her mouth. Amy's pupils shrank as she rushed forward to stop the girl's action.

"So, what exactly are you hiding from me?" Tang Xin asked calmly.

Amy had never seen this aggressive side of the girl before, her gaze subtly wavering as she turned her head, only to be turned back by Tang Xin.

"Is the water here polluted by something, related to the Siren King's miracle?"

Tang Xin recalled the scene when their Jeep had just driven into town, with a dozen fishmen standing afar, looking at them eerily. She was familiar with that malicious gaze and noted that most ordinary people looked lethargic, their eyes filled with bloodshot veins. Those city dwellers either for their livelihood or family, chose to settle in Mermaid Town, integrating into the local tourism ecology, staying for more than a decade.

All kinds of bizarre signs indicated that this town, no...

The whole island had issues.

Seeing Tang Xin so serious, Amy relented and said.

"The water is indeed polluted, more details I can't disclose to you, sorry Xin."

"I also don't want to be a puzzle master, but this issue is really serious."

Amy thought of something and spoke in a somewhat obscure manner:

"Xin, how are your grades in the Mysterious and Miracle Studies course?"

"I only didn't get an A+ once because I accidentally fell asleep during that exam and only answered questions for twenty minutes, ending with a B."

Amy's expression became rigid.

The Mysterious and Miracle Studies course is known as a theoretical course of astronomy, with content as abstruse as it could get. The major questions often require exam takers to have a certain foundational understanding of "Mysterious," being able to achieve a B by just answering for twenty minutes was hard for her as a senior who barely passed with a C-.

"My theoretical course grades are still okay, the practice art specialty courses, practical formula courses have always been on the verge of passing." Tang Xin added.

Amy took a deep breath and recalled saying: "The auxiliary textbook of Mysterious and Miracle Studies, 'Basic Introduction to Miracles,' page one hundred twenty-three, the fourteenth sentence, what is it?"

Almost upon hearing this sentence, a text fragment surfaced in Tang Xin's mind, which she did not say aloud.

'Knowledge is a miracle and also a pollution.'

This sentence was proposed by her teacher, also a scholar of mysteries—Fandony. The woman spent her life studying the mysterious, having a far deeper understanding of miracles and the Mysterious Domain than ordinary people.

Knowledge is a miracle and also a pollution.

The sentence itself best explains its literal meaning, all who have ever seen it or learned about it from any place will be polluted, forever cursed, albeit the curse's effect is negligible, it just makes people never forget the sentence.

It imprints deeply on everyone's soul like a brand, even memory-cleansing methods can't erase it.

Words hold Power, when they form a sentence involving any information about the "Mysterious," they become knowledge and thus polluted. The closer to the truth of the "Mysterious," the higher the degree of pollution. Ordinary knowledge might only cause skin itchiness or immune suppression, while forbidden knowledge, even a glimpse by ordinary people, would lead to immediate madness.

This is why all societies, companies, and the Church Court preserve their most core knowledge on scrolls, if leaked, it will trigger severe upper-level tension, firstly because it cannot be replicated; those recording such knowledge are often on death row, ending in no other way than madness and death. Apart from themselves and machines responsible for carrying and issuing orders, no one knows the content of that knowledge; secondly, they can't bear the disastrous consequences of its widespread dissemination.

"Got it, right Xin."

Tang Xin nodded and stepped back a few steps, no longer pressing Amy for more words.

"Xin, be careful of those fishmen during the day tomorrow, try not to be alone." Amy said.

At this moment, Xu Xiaoyou entered the room, seeing the two girls still awake, and greeted them.

...

In the deep night, the wind outside the window blew making the branches and leaves float about, issuing wails like that of an Evil Ghost.

Xu Xiaoyou lay on her side, tossing and turning, unable to sleep no matter what, whispers echoed in her ears, and the silver-haired girl and that bizarre heart emerged before her, its open fleshy mouth seemed as if it was saying:

'I hate you, I hate you.'

'You are the source of all my suffering.'

'Selfish people will be abandoned by all.'

'Ultimately alone, you will lose everything.'

Up until later, the murmuring seemed as if it could bore into her brain, the feeling was definitely not pleasant.

The connection between the Spiritual Gaze and Heart of Desire became increasingly intense, could it be Anya was active in Mermaid Town at the moment?

'You will end up with nothing.'

Xu Xiaoyou woke from a light sleep, breathing somewhat hastily, finding herself drenched in cold sweat, with an inexplicable sense of palpitations, an emptiness lingering in her heart. Opening her eyes, she found the blue-haired girl lying on her side next to her, quietly watching her.

"You aren't asleep?" Xu Xiaoyou asked, rubbing her forehead.

"You still have nightmares?" Tang Xin said.

The two girls' futons were laid closely together, their bedding scattered together, drawing a bit nearer would let them feel the other's breathing and body temperature. The pale moonlight streamed in, allowing them to see each other's faces clearly.

"Thinking about some things from before." Xu Xiaoyou said, intending to close her eyes.

"About what was said behind the curtain, can you tell me again in person?" Tang Xin softly spoke, as if asking for a secret only meant between the two girls.

Xu Xiaoyou didn't expect the other to bring it up now, and after contemplating for a moment, she averted her gaze:

"I've realized that my thoughts had strayed off-course deeply, and promised to discuss anything important with you in the future. I swear to the Stars, as much as possible."

Tang Xin laughed softly:

"Ashamed to say it face to face?"

Xu Xiaoyou remained silent, and Tang Xin extended her hand from the bedding, gently hooking over her palm and holding it.

Xu Xiaoyou's eyelids slightly lifted, warmth traveled through the soft palm of the girl to her.

"Your hand is so cold," Tang Xin said.

Xu Xiaoyou's lips moved slightly, Tang Xin placed a finger on her lips: "Shh, no need for more words, sleep, I will stay by your side."

"Not mad at me anymore?" Xu Xiaoyou asked.

"How could I be..."

Tang Xin gently embraced Xu Xiaoyou's shoulder, drawing the girl's head into her embrace, resting her face against Xu Xiaoyou's slightly messy golden hair, gradually closing her eyes.

The fragrance of irises from the white nightdress lingered around her nose, warmth and softness made the whispers in Xu Xiaoyou's mind gradually fade away, the world quieted down, the sound of wind and rain outside vanished, the empty palpitation disappeared as well. Following the girl's rhythmic breathing, Xu Xiaoyou's thoughts settled down, falling into a deep sleep.

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