Ashes Of Deep Sea
Chapter 405 - Chapter 405 Chapter 409 Twins

Chapter 405: Chapter 409: Twins Chapter 405: Chapter 409: Twins Amidst the roaring cannon fire, a bizarre Twin Ghost Ship abruptly cut through the scene and charged through the battlefield right under the noses of both sides engaged in combat–let alone the Sea Mist, even Tyrion felt that the “Replication” warships deep in the thick fog had been stunned for several seconds.

Then, he heard Aiden’s voice coming from beside him, “Captain, the ship that just ran past seemed to come out of the fog as well, do we… do we shoot it?”

On the bridge, all eyes turned toward their captain because the words he had uttered just a moment earlier were still lingering in everyone’s mind:

After the battle begins, everything that appears anew in this sea area, is an enemy.

“…Shoot what!” After a few seconds of unbearable silence, Tyrion finally glared and shouted, “Can we even catch up?! And didn’t you see that ship’s shadow in the sea?”

Aiden immediately shrank his neck, and a glint of light flicked across his bald head. He hesitated before saying, “I saw it, that shadow… seemed to be wrapped in Spiritual Fire.”

No sooner had the first mate finished speaking than a deep rumbling sound came from deep within the Sea Mist’s hull, and the ship’s whistle on deck suddenly sounded–as if the ship, once a main battleship of the Exiled Fleet and transformed by Transcendent forces, was affirming the first mate’s judgment on its own volition.

“The ship has sensed it too,” Aiden lifted his head to look around and then gave Tyrion a complicated look, “Captain, what do you think that ship just now is all about?”

“…Perhaps it’s my father’s arrangement,” Tyrion said seriously, “don’t delve into it, continue the fight. Also, inform all allies, including the Frost Navy, not to obstruct that bizarre… never mind, probably with that speed…”

He was only halfway through his sentence when a sailor monitoring the radio suddenly received a message, and immediately stood up to report loudly, “Captain! The Frost Navy’s ‘Sea Owl’ has contacted us, saying that just now a very fast and strange-looking Ghost Ship sped past them and headed straight for the Frost homeland. They are asking if that ship is ours.”

Tyrion pinched the bridge of his nose hard, and after a moment waved his hand, “Don’t mention anything about Homeloss to them–just say it’s an ally, no further explanation needed. Once the situation stabilizes a bit, I’ll confirm with ‘him’.”

“Yes, Captain!”

The cannons continued to roar, and the bursts of light and explosions within the fog did not subside even slightly during this brief interlude. Amidst the towering geysers in the distance, Tyrion’s contemplative gaze pierced the combat zone’s dense fog, quietly watching the direction in which the bizarre ship had departed.

…

“I feel like we just hit something!”

Laurence hurried back to his desk from beside the porthole and spoke loudly to the small mirror placed on it. Then he anxiously looked up again, and seeing the dark and blurry sea outside the porthole, it seemed as if countless vague and illusionary things were floating on the surface of the sea, making it impossible to distinguish what was real from what was illusion.

And the White Oak herself was moving through these phantasms at a staggering speed.

A cloud of black mist surged in the mirror, and a female adventurer dressed in a captain’s uniform appeared in the mist.

“We didn’t hit anything,” Martha said with a pleasant smile, “We just nearly did.”

“Nearly hitting is already terrifying enough!” Laurence picked up the small mirror and quickly walked to the window, speaking rapidly, “I didn’t realize when there were no reference points–how fast are we going exactly?!”

“Very fast, very, very fast–intangible phantasms can pass through the waves like the wind,” Martha smiled, looking into Laurence’s eyes through the mirror, “Do you remember what you told me many years ago? You said you’d turn the White Oak and Black Oak into the finest vanguard explorer ships, and then sail across the seas with me, like the wind… My love, we’re at least at force seven or eight.”

“That was a metaphor! A metaphor!” Laurence’s eyes held a hint of terror, for as he said this, he watched yet another colossal illusion almost graze the porthole as it swept behind them. The illusion’s bridge was towering, and the gun turrets on the side of its hull aimed distantly, engaged in fierce combat with the enemy in another dimension, while the White Oak-Black Oak seemed to have just rushed in front of the main cannon’s muzzle.

A moment later, Laurence raised his hand to his forehead and sighed, “Never mind, as long as you can ensure our safety, what’s the actual situation outside?”

“We’re crossing the combat zone,” Martha said softly and calmly.

“Combat zone? Who’s fighting?”

Martha in the mirror turned her head as if she was observing the situation on her side, and after a moment turned back her gaze, “The Frost Navy in the real world, and the renowned Mist Fleet. Their opponents are the Replications that have surfaced from the mirror world into reality.”

Laurence’s heart sank, his expression turning grave, “…The final moment has come?”

“It seems so,” Martha whispered, “The mirror is beginning to coincide with the real world, and the last ‘phase reversal’ process has begun.”

“Why so soon? Didn’t you say this process wasn’t going to start this early?”

“I can only make general inferences, Lawrence–after we broke away from the rank of fakes, my connection with this mirror world has been rapidly weakening. I don’t know what happened, but clearly, someone deliberately accelerated the reflection process…”

Lawrence didn’t speak at first, just looked out the window at the hazy, chaotic sea and the ceaseless passage of insubstantial phantoms. After a few seconds, he suddenly asked, “Are we still voyaging in the mirror territory?”

“Yes, we’re still trapped in this mirror world,” Martha nodded, “but the barrier between the mirror and the real world is becoming blurred–our time is running short.”

“What will happen if the reflection is truly complete?” Lawrence asked.

“A City-State transformed into a breeding ground for the arrival of ancient gods, what do you think will happen?” Martha replied with a calm expression.

Lawrence subconsciously pressed his temples.

“Damn, how far are we from Frost?”

“We’re about to arrive,” Martha raised her hand in the mirror and pointed outside the window, “I can already see the lights of the harbor area from here. Countless ships are assembling in the surrounding waters, ships sunk over the past half-century, innumerable Replications–but they are ignoring the Black Oak, at least for now.”

Lawrence nodded gravely, picked up the mirror through which he communicated with Martha, and left his captain’s quarters. He asked aloud as he walked towards the bridge, “Once we reach Frost, what do you need me to do?”

“Find their nest–the force that creates and sustains this mirror world is deep within Frost. I can sense its approximate location,” Martha’s perpetual smile shifted to seriousness as she looked Lawrence in the eye with earnestness, “And as soon as you start searching for it, the fakes lurking around the City-State will probably react immediately. I will find a way to hold them off.”

“…Just the Black Oak and the White Oak, can we really handle it? You just said, countless ships are gathering…”

“We are part of the Exiled Fleet, Lawrence,” Martha said, her smile returning to the corner of her mouth, “and besides, we’re not the only ones fighting this battle.”

Lawrence quickly caught on and thoughtfully looked out the corridor window.

Those shadowy, massive vessels were engaging in battle on the distant sea, and as time passed, the boundaries between the mirror and reality were blurring further. Soon, the entire sea area, including both the mirror and the real Frost, would erupt into flames.

“I understand,” Lawrence nodded, withdrew his gaze from the window, and continued to stride toward the bridge, “But one last question–I can lead the team into Frost alright, but how do we deal with that… ‘thing’ deep within the City-State? If it really is an ancient god or a part thereof, as you say, common weapons might not suffice.”

The bridge was reached.

Lawrence steadied himself and pushed open the door.

His first mate, second mate, the ship’s priest, and all his crewmembers were waiting here for him.

And there was that oddity, anomalous 077-sailor–this mummy had somehow found a cap from the White Oak to wear on its head and was now sitting properly in a chair, curiously and attentively studying the other crewmembers at work.

Lawrence walked toward them, and the crewmembers stood up to salute him.

Martha’s voice came through the mirror: “You will have help.”

Lawrence replied to the crew’s greetings, and upon hearing this, he looked at Martha in the mirror with surprise, “Help?”

“Yes, help–in the many years past, they’ve been fighting in the depths of this mirror world, trying to break through the gate to the deepest parts of the City-State, but they’ve never succeeded. You go find them, and without needing to explain your intentions, they will naturally become your allies… probably.”

“Probably?!”

“Because I’m not sure what kind of beings they are, not sure whether they can communicate with people–Lawrence, as you know, although I’ve been wandering here for many years, I’ve not had much freedom.”

“Alright, I get it, helpers,” Lawrence sighed, his tone unavoidably carrying some curiosity, “I thought we were the only ones here dealing with the fakes around us. I never expected there to be others. Who are they?”

“They call themselves… the Queen’s Guard.”

(Recommendation time, the book title: “The Savior Is Busy Branching Off,” let’s use the author’s own blurb: “A book full of meaningless rants, nothing else,” if you’re interested, feel free to support it.)