Ashes Of Deep Sea

Chapter 214: Chapter 218: The Survivors

The statue of the Storm Goddess, Gomona, stood quietly in the grand cathedral, as majestic, mysterious, and silent as ever.

It seemed that the veil not only covered the goddess’s face but also a certain connection between the mortal world and the deity. For the first time, Fenna realized that she actually had no understanding, and perhaps no comprehension, of the divine being she worshipped.

She had always taken her faith in everything related to storms and deep seas for granted, never questioning it like she did today, never contemplating from a skeptical perspective the relationship between herself and the divine.

Suddenly, Fenna snapped out of her brief reverie, her heart pounding and a cold sweat breaking out on her back.

Thought bred heresy, and the divine was unfathomable.

She couldn’t believe that those nearly blasphemous thoughts had originated in her own mind—beginning to question the “actions” of the divine was almost akin to heresy.

However, in the next moment, she felt the gentle sound of ocean waves in her ears, the goddess’s gaze and soothing touch emerged as usual, further easing the physical pain accumulated in her body and calming her spirit.

Even here in the grand cathedral, even with such unsettling thoughts, the goddess remained unchanged… Was it because the gods were ignorant, or because the gods did not care?

“…Are you sure you don’t need to rest?” Valentin’s voice suddenly came from beside her, interrupting Fenna’s distraction once again; the elderly Judge looked worriedly at the young Judge beside him, as she had never been seen lost in front of the goddess so continuously before, “You look distracted… Physical wounds are easy to heal, but mental fatigue is troublesome.”

“I…” Fenna hesitated, “I might indeed be a bit tired.”

“Then go rest. I will handle the rest,” Valentin immediately said, quickly adding before she could say anything else, “I just received the news that Mr. Dante has safely returned home. I think… your family needs you now, and you need them too.”

“Uncle…” Fenna paused, the memory of parting with her uncle surfacing in her mind, a strange feeling touching her emotions, finally dispelling her last resistance, “Alright, then I will leave first, and leave this place to you.”

“Go in peace,” Valentin nodded lightly, “May the Storm protect you.”

“…May the Storm protect,” Fenna said softly.

A deep grey steam car drove out of the church square, first heading towards the direction of the Governor’s mansion.

Fenna sat in the passenger seat, and Heidi, who had just finished being questioned in the church, was driving.

“Thanks, sorry to trouble you with giving me a ride,” Fenna said quietly to her friend as she watched the scenery recede through the car window, “You could have left earlier.”

“No need to be formal with me,” Heidi gripped the steering wheel, observing the road conditions while casually speaking, “And I couldn’t have left earlier anyway. That young Monk asked me a bunch of questions, and then made me burn incense for a long time—’necessary safety measures.’ It was almost evening by the time it ended.”

Fenna looked out the window, seeing the City-State Guards and wardens patrolling, citizens shaken by fright quickly crossing the streets, and some who seemed to have just left the shelters asking passersby for updates. Occasionally, a constable with a megaphone stood at the intersections informing the nearby public about the latest situation—the content being about the City-State suffering supernatural disturbances, the danger being neutralized, and the declaration of a Level 3 curfew for the night.

The City-State, like recovering from a severe illness, still showed chaotic order, but even such a chaotic, tense scene filled Fenna with an indescribable sense of relief and… warmth.

Fear and tension are proofs of life; only those who survived the disaster had the right to be anxious at this moment—and the next day’s sunrise would be the best consolation for the City-State.

“Are you okay? You look so drained,” Heidi, even while driving, noticed Fenna’s exhaustion and haziness, “This is the first time I’ve seen you so out of spirit—almost like you were forged from a piece of steel.”

“…What if I told you, during the time when the fire rained down, I fought through the entire City-State by myself, would you believe me?” Fenna glanced at her friend, already feeling more relaxed after leaving with Heidi, “I’m about dead tired.”

“Of course, I believe it, it’s you after all. You could say you’re back from battling in the Subspace, and I’d believe it,” Heidi responded without changing her expression, confidently nodding her head, then suddenly giving Fenna a thorough once-over, “No wonder you’re so out of it…”

Fenna felt uncomfortable under her friend’s scrutinizing gaze: “Your… your gaze feels weird.”

“I just had a sudden idea,” Heidi said seriously, “Why don’t you make a trip to the Marriage Aid Center now?”

“…Why?”

“You’re rarely this weak, there might actually be someone you can’t beat now, and it wouldn’t violate your second vow from back then—every battle fought with all your might,” Heidi’s thoughts seemed to soar freely, completely disregarding Fenna’s increasingly twisted expression, “Otherwise, once you go home and get some sleep, you’ll be invincible again, and the Marriage Aid Center will have to keep sending people to the hospital…”

Fenna clenched her fist slightly.

The crackling sound of the air made Heidi abruptly fall silent.

It quieted down for two seconds before Heidi murmured again, “If you’re unhappy, just say you’re unhappy. Since we were kids, you’ve been threatening me, and you even took my lunches…”

The car then fell silent. After a few seconds of silence, Fenna suddenly spoke in a soft voice, “Thank you, I feel much calmer now.”

“Of course, I am, after all, the finest psychiatrist in Prand— and you really do need a good state of mind to face Mr. Dante,” Heidi revealed a smile as if her plan had succeeded. Then, under her control, the car smoothly came to a stop. “You’re home now, my invincible knight miss— perk up, we’ve all gotten our lives back today.”

We’ve gotten our lives back…

Heidi had merely said it casually, but Fenna couldn’t help but think of a phrase often spoken by the followers of the Death Cult—

Survival is not an inherent right, but an item paid for in advance.

Fenna lowered her eyelids, took a gentle breath, thanked her friend, and said goodbye before getting out of the car and walking towards her nearby home.

Heidi remained quietly in the car, watching Fenna’s retreating figure. After a while, she started the car, turned it around, and headed towards her own home.

Is Father safe now? If he is, then… what is he doing at this moment?

…

Outside the cabin, lightning flashed and thunder roared as the storm abruptly intensified. The fierce wind whipped up giant waves that repeatedly battered the towering hull of the Homeloss. Beneath the deep, dark sea surface, it seemed as if some indescribable sea monster had been enraged, unleashing its towering malice upon the world.

Through the porthole, one could see a giant, engulfed in blazing flames, standing at the bow. Burning chains extended into the sea, and a huge creature with numerous tentacles, nearly as big as the Homeloss, was wildly thrashing below the surface. It continuously thrust out its manifold fanged and eyed tentacles above the water, climbing up the hull, seemingly trying to break free from the chains or to drive the Homeloss away from this sea area.

Inside the cabin, the lamp oil burned brightly but couldn’t dispel the tension and fear. Sherry was trembling in fear, holding onto a dog while listening to the noises outside. The dog was stretching its neck to avoid being strangled and asked Alice in a frightened tone, “Are you—are you sure the captain is just fishing?!”

“Yes,” Alice nodded with certainty and indifference, her expression suggesting a bit of “you city-state people are always overreacting.” “Fishing is the captain’s favorite hobby!”

“I finally understand why you reacted that way every time Duncan’s fish were mentioned…” Sherry, now realizing something, said with a gloomy face to the dog, “I—if I had known when I was eating them…”

She didn’t finish her sentence when Morris, sitting across with his eyes closed, suddenly opened his eyes. The old man looked terrified at the girl across from him, “You… have eaten the ‘fish’ Mr. Duncan caught?”

“How would I know?!” Sherry was about to cry, turning her head towards Nina, “You—you never told me that’s how your uncle gets his fish…”

“I didn’t know either,” Nina shook her head, but her expression wasn’t as exaggerated as the others, rather, it seemed a bit… excited. She leaned over the table, peering through the porthole at the scene on the deck, and those emerging tentacles didn’t make her feel scared, just very intrigued, “You all say… how do those things turn into fish at the end?”

To be fair, Nina’s behavior now was no different from when she was in the city-state— cheerful, lively, and sunny as ever. But such behavior, maintained even in the “fishing scene” of the Homeloss, was kind of scary, and it was under such circumstances that Sherry seemed to finally realize Nina’s incredible nature, “… you and your uncle are too terrifying, really…”

Nina scratched her head, looking slightly puzzled, “Really? I think it’s quite alright…”

As they were talking, Alice suddenly stood up and walked outside.

Sherry immediately became nervous, “Ah, what are you going to do?”

“To prepare dinner,” Alice said matter-of-factly, “the captain is about to secure the big fish.”

Alice left, leaving a few mismatched “visitors” who had boarded the ship staring at each other in the cabin.

“I—I want to go home…” Sherry clung tightly to the dog, looking like she was about to cry.

The dog’s eyes flickered red as it said faintly, “You’re choking me…”

Morris suddenly sighed.

Seeing this, Nina quickly asked, “Why are you sighing, teacher?”

“I think I can write a book when I get back,” Morris thought for a moment and spread his hands, “I’m just worried my daughter will think I’ve gone mad…”

Nina: “…?”