Gary Smith nodded, acknowledging this, and as he was looking forward to it, a thought crossed his mind and he asked aloud,
"What happens if we sink to the bottom of the sea?"
Because he remembered Charles Brown mentioning that one should be careful when sailing through Mother River due to unknown beings. Since he and his companions couldn't get to the real Mother River, did that mean... they were in one of its tributaries?
"You're smart, catching on so quickly!"
The sultry laughter of Lilith came through the air, her heart-shaped eyes gaining a sudden seriousness, and she said,
"In Mother River, there exist supreme beings, and naturally there would also be those that due to failing to evolve, have become distorted and still managed to survive. Or, there could be ancient entities hidden here due to unknown reasons.