Ashes Of Deep Sea

Chapter 261: Chapter 265: Sea Witch and Border Relic

A pale golden glow spread and enveloped the entire sea. It filled all the space around the Brilliant Starship.

This oddly shaped “magic battleship,” draped in a cloak of brilliance, was moving forward, with the front half of its hull operating at full power. The luminous wheel structures on the sides of the hull roared, and the many magic mechanisms on the deck continuously projected shimmering gratings into the surrounding air. Devices personally crafted by the “Sea Witch” were constantly monitoring the environment, collecting valuable data as they sailed.

The latter half of the ship seemed misty and illusory, resembling a ghost ship, occasionally forming solid structures then becoming almost transparent, dissipating like mist in the fluctuating light. Many ghostly sailors moved on the translucent deck, monitoring the “Spirit Realm depth” while ensuring the stability of the Brilliant Starship.

The sailors at the front and the rear of the ship were clearly divided by their responsibilities, only interacting or moving around occasionally when necessary.

Lucresia stood at the forefront of the ship, on the top deck, which was in a “blossomed” state, like an open terrace offering the best view of the ship, allowing her to clearly see the conditions on the sea.

Two thick chains extended from the waist of the Brilliant Starship, crossing the slightly undulating sea behind it, and wrapping around a giant stone sphere about several dozen meters from the stern.

The sphere floated a few meters above the sea, appearing weightless, yet the occasional creaking of the chains and the fact that the Brilliant Starship was at full power but still moving slowly proved that dragging this object was not as easy as it seemed.

Lucresia watched the stone sphere for a long time before finally pulling her gaze away and rubbing her eyes.

The endless fog of light released from around the stone wasn’t dazzling, but staring at the boundless brightness for a prolonged period still caused some discomfort to the eyes. The mysterious concave and convex patterns on the surface of the stone were dizzying if looked at for too long.

Apart from these dizzying effects, the stone sphere and the surrounding light fog seemed to have no more harmful effects; there was no mental impairment when looking at them, nor were there any strange and terrifying sounds when near them… For an odd relic “picked up” from the border, this was uncommon.

Lucresia, having wandered the borders for years, had seen many dangerous things that could easily drive mortals to madness. This sphere, projecting huge geometric illusions, was indeed the safest anomaly among many border relics.

The sound of footsteps came from beside her, and the voice of the clockwork magic doll Luny followed, “Master, the boiler room has reported, we can’t increase the power any further. This is the maximum speed now.”

“… less than a third of our usual speed,” Lucresia sighed, “This sphere looks so light and buoyant, yet it’s so hard to drag.”

“It really is strange,” Luny tilted her head, making a puzzled expression like a human, “We’ve tried every method, but we can’t measure its exact mass.”

“Fortunately, we can still drag it, slow as it might be, but we’ll eventually get it back.”

Lucresia said this as she turned her head to look in the direction of the prow—since the length of the chains was limited, the Brilliant Starship was currently sailing within the “huge geometric body” projected by the stone sphere. Outside the prow, nothing could be seen but the endless brilliance, unable to see the normal sea.

But she wasn’t worried about the ship getting lost or hitting something like a reef.

Because the stern of the Brilliant Starship was sailing in the Spirit Realm, unaffected by the stone sphere, her ghost sailors could observe the sea conditions and guide the navigational route from the stern’s lookout tower and chartroom, ensuring the Brilliant Starship traveled on the right track.

This was unimaginable for ordinary ships, but for the mistress of the Brilliant Starship, it was routine work.

“Has Light Breeze Harbor received our message?” Lucresia asked slightly turning back, “What was their response?”

“They have received the message, a research team comprised of mathematicians, rune scholars, and transcendental experts is already prepared at the harbor, along with people from the Explorers’ Association,” Luny immediately responded, “But I also told them that the Brilliant Starship is currently moving very slowly, so they’ll have to wait a bit longer…”

“It’s not just a matter of waiting a bit longer,” Lucresia looked at the omnipresent golden glow on the sea and couldn’t help but purse her lips, “Tell them, what I found this time isn’t a little trinket—although its ‘entity’ is indeed not large, its range of influence is too great.

“Have them find a suitable transfer point in the coastal area, at least two or three miles away from the harbor, otherwise we need to be prepared for the entire harbor area to be enveloped in endless daylight.”

“Yes, mistress, we will pass a lighthouse facility in fifteen minutes,” Luny bowed slightly, “I’ll send another telegram to Light Breeze Harbor then.”

Lucresia hmmmed softly and then, lost in thought, chuckled self-deprecatingly and shook her head after a few seconds of silence.

The Magic Doll Luny looked at her puzzled, “Mistress?”

“It’s nothing, I just suddenly remembered some things from a long time ago,” Lucresia spoke softly, “Luny, did you know that I used to scold my father every time he returned from his explorations?”

“The old master? You scolded him?”

“Yes, I scolded him for always bringing back all sorts of strange things,” Lucresia seemed to fall into her memories, pondering while she slowly began to speak, “Sometimes he would be excited to study a broken rock he found in the borderlands for half a month, dragging me and my brother into his research.”

She turned around and gazed absent-mindedly at the chains extending from the stern of the ship and the stone ball at the end of those chains.

“Now, I too have brought back a ‘big rock’… I wonder what he would think if he knew.”

Luny, unsure of what to say to her mistress, fell silent for a moment before speaking, “… You rarely mention the old master.”

“Perhaps it’s because a lot has happened recently,” Lucresia shook her head, “Let’s not talk about this anymore, I’m somewhat tired, what time is it now?”

“It’s already deep in the night,” Luny nodded, “You really should rest.”

“It’s already deep in the night?” Lucresia exclaimed, then waved her hand, “Dragging this thing around, twenty-four hours feel like daytime, living in a day and night reversal… Keep an eye on the ship, I’m going to rest now.”

Before the words were fully spoken, her figure suddenly dissolved into numerous colorful paper strips, fluttering in the wind towards the direction of the captain’s quarters.

…

Until she returned to the cathedral, until after the evening prayer, Fenna still appeared deeply troubled—a state of mind that could hardly escape the notice of Bishop Valentin.

Faced with the bishop’s inquiry, she did not hide the “dream exchange” she had with the ghost ship captain on her way back from the harbor.

In the small prayer room adjacent to the side hall, Valentin quietly listened to the content Fenna recounted.

“… Regarding ‘his’ visit, I am not surprised,” the old bishop said calmly, “The entire Plunder City-State has undergone some kind of… transformation, whether we like to admit it or not, we and the land beneath our feet are now inextricably linked with the Homeloss. I’ve discussed this with your uncle, do you know what he said?”

“… What did he say?”

“Behind today’s Plunder stands a shadowy ‘master’, just as the ‘Goran Songs’ depict the ‘ten cities’, with a shadowy, crownless king, an unnamed great governor, an invisible yet real ‘owner’,” the bishop explained. “This ‘master’ has not declared his authority to the City-State, just as you wouldn’t announce to the coins in your pocket that you are their master—but when you take out the coins, you don’t think to consult them either.”

Fenna looked thoughtful, “… The ten cities, said to be the most chilling passage in the ‘Goran Songs’, describe the gradual takeover and transformation of ten city-states by an invisible ruler into a shadowy realm. Even until the epic’s end, the author did not describe the ruler himself, but only hinted at the ‘invisible king’ through depictions of the city-states’ atmosphere, customs, and environment. I’ve read it, but I was too young to understand why adults were so enthralled and terrified discussing that epic.”

With that, she gently shook her head.

“But I feel at the very least, Captain Duncan isn’t trying to transform the city-state into some sort of… indescribable breeding ground, at least not currently showing any malice.”

“Indeed, he has shown no malice, even going so far as to come and give you a warning,” Bishop Valentin nodded slowly, “The issue with Vision 001 has indeed caught the attention of the Quaternion Church, but from what I understand, the mainstream view within each church is still waiting for Vision 001 to ‘return to normal’. But if Captain Duncan’s warning is true…”

The old bishop paused, then sighed softly.

“Then our world is in great trouble.”