The two naturally had many connections, but Chloe knew that wasn’t what Hughes was referring to. In the end, she shook her head.
"Do you think some kind of connection formed between us, which caused me to lose control, or even my memory?"
"Yes." Hughes hesitated for a moment and didn’t mention the Symbiotic Contract.
It was through a misjudgment of the Symbiotic Contract that he first realized some kind of connection had formed between him and Chloe.
Hughes looked into Chloe’s eyes.
The blood at the corners had already dried. Although the light was much brighter now, Hughes could still clearly see the glow in her eyes.
That glow had dimmed considerably, and Hughes could tell she wasn’t in a good mood.
"Has anyone ever told you that your eyes give off this kind of glow? Flickering on and off?"
Hughes nodded, and Chloe led him around to the back of the church, where there was a well.
"I usually live here. Look, that house over there. I use this well for washing clothes and cooking, but not so much anymore. Hardly anyone comes to the church, and I spend most of my time underground."
As she spoke, she threw an empty bucket into the well and pulled on the rope to scoop water.
"Speaking of which, I’m curious, why did you guys take over the Candlelight Church’s Cathedral?"
"For safety, of course. The Candlelight Church is wealthy. Even a remote church has quite a few protective measures. With a few modifications, we could move in easily."
Safety? Living in the enemy’s stronghold safe?
Hughes’ eye twitched.
"Aren’t you afraid of being discovered?"
Chloe pulled up the water and tilted the bucket slightly, gesturing for Hughes to wash his hands.
"It’s actually quite difficult to find us. These small churches don’t have Extraordinary individuals. Beatrice coming here was just an accident, and she even notified us in advance. To be honest, even if she had stayed in the church, she might not have found us. That’s just how strong the Chrysalis’ concealment ability is."
After washing his hands, Hughes helped her pour water. Chloe signaled for Hughes to dump the entire bucket over her head.
"That… that doesn’t seem right."
"It’s fine. These clothes are ruined anyway, completely torn apart, and bloodstains are hard to wash out."
In the end, she poured the whole bucket of water over herself, washing away much of the blood on her face.
"Come to think of it, the first time I met you, I didn’t notice that strange glow in your eyes."
"Then it must have happened later. But what happened later? I don’t think anything did?"
Chloe scratched her head, her soaked orange-red hair clinging to her scalp like a woolen cap.
But Hughes’ eyes lit up.
He remembered, there really was a point when a connection formed between them.
He had purified the Lord of Moths and had then descended once again into the body of Worker Hughes.
Thinking back, it had to have been during this time that he started to feel a vague connection between them.
The Shell of the Lord of Moths could hear the prayers of its followers, which undoubtedly indicated some kind of link, he just hadn’t realized it yet.
Now, it seemed that this connection was gradually changing.
It was worth studying further.
Hughes looked at Chloe and realized she was dripping wet, her nun’s robe clinging tightly to her body. It seemed to have shrunk slightly, stretching taut.
"Do you want to change your clothes? You might catch a cold."
"How could I? I’m an Extraordinary." Chloe waved her hand dismissively. "You think I endured all those curses for nothing? Extraordinary beings are much stronger than ordinary people."
"Is it the same for all paths?"
"Yes, at least all the ones I know. So, if you want to determine whether someone is Extraordinary, the simplest way is to see if their physical strength exceeds that of normal people."
"I see." Hughes lowered his head and looked at his hands.
Through the Symbiotic Contract, he had gained quite a few supernatural abilities, being able to enter water, night vision, and identifying the composition of objects.
But he was still just a mortal.
Sometimes he wondered if he could be considered somewhat of an Extraordinary, given that he possessed supernatural abilities.
But Chloe’s standard had given him a clear answer, he was still a mortal.
"Let’s leave it at that for now. You should look into this as well. I’ll investigate whether anything has changed recently. We can also conduct this experiment again, but we need to be more careful next time. We’ll go to the Eastern Test Site."
"Alright." Chloe nodded and pushed her hair to one side. "Then I’ll head back first. If you need anything, call me. Lina’s Shell is still over there. If you come up with an idea, you can find me again."
Oh, right. He had almost forgotten about this. He had originally come because of Lina’s Shell, and there was something strange about it.
Could it have influenced him? After all, when the mutation first occurred, Lina’s Shell had also been in the room.
Hughes hesitated for a moment and decided to warn Chloe.
"Lina’s Shell… I have a bad feeling about it. You should be careful. Can you use some method to keep it under control? A ritual, a seal, something like that?"
"You think something’s wrong with her? Did you see something?"
"I think I saw her move."
Chloe looked surprised. She had checked the Shell many times, it was impossible for it to move. The soul was long gone.
Hughes’ tone was uncertain. Maybe it was just an illusion.
"Alright, I got it. I’ll be careful. Do you think I lost control today because of her influence?"
"Hard to say." Hughes suddenly remembered the moment he withdrew his finger, the word [Shell] flashing through his mind.
Was this his subconscious warning him?
Warning him to be wary of Lina’s Shell?
A chill ran down Hughes’ spine.
"You should transfer her to the Eastern Test Site. There are plenty of Sirens guarding that place, and more Extraordinary individuals. It never hurts to be cautious."
Chloe glanced at him but didn’t argue, choosing to trust his intuition.
"Alright, I’ll have someone send her over and reinforce her restraints."
Hughes nodded at her. Both of them left with heavy thoughts.
Although he had successfully purified the pollution inside Chloe, her bizarre loss of control weighed on Hughes like a heavy stone.
[Shell], why did that word appear in his mind?
Shaking his head, he forcefully suppressed his unease and opened his Mind Link.
『Ash, how’s the investigation in the open sea going?』
『Not good, Lord. Our trouble might be more than just fishmen.』