Ashes Of Deep Sea
Chapter 512 - Chapter 512 Chapter 513 In the Darkness

Chapter 512: Chapter 513: In the Darkness Chapter 512: Chapter 513: In the Darkness In Plunderland, the extinguishing of the sun naturally led to widespread chaos throughout the city–yet before the chaos grew dangerous, the City-State Guards and the Guardians had timely intervened and controlled the situation.

The melodious chiming from the small chapel reverberated above the streets, with a power as if instilled to calm the soul and restore courage. Steampunk walkers clanked down alleys, broadcasts from the town hall issued new orders, gas lamps on either side of the street were urgently lit, and panic-stricken pedestrians did everything possible to rush back to the safety of their homes or dive into the nearest “Nightfall Shelters.”

Fully armed Guardians swiftly moved among the crowds, checking up on Nightfall Shelters and inspecting if anything untoward had sprung from the sudden darkness that should not exist in the real world.

Heidi had lit all the lights in her home at the first instance–from the divinely-powered gas lamps and oil lamps to sufficiently bright electric lights, dispelling both the darkness brought by the extinguished sun and the tension in her own heart.

Her mother’s voice came from the direction of the sofa: “Relax a bit, Heidi. Running around could cause you to fall. It’s not the end of the world yet.”

Heidi turned her head and saw her mother sitting on the sofa as usual, resuming the reading of several letters she had set aside upon the onset of darkness. The old woman’s expression was still gentle and serene, seemingly unaffected by whatever else might happen in the world.

“The sun has gone out! This is terrible!” Heidi was surprised by her mother’s calm at such a time, unable to settle down herself, “Can you still focus on those letters?”

“If I put down the letters, will the sun come back on?” her mother finally turned around, her face carrying a look of resignation, “Now we can only choose to trust the town hall and the cathedral–there are powerful beings protecting this city.”

Heidi pursed her lips, unconsciously clutching the pendant around her neck: “Damn… if only Fenna were here, I could ask her what exactly has happened… Father isn’t home either…”

She didn’t notice the subtle expression that quickly crossed her mother’s face upon hearing these murmurs.

The next second, the old woman shook her head.

“If the sun has really gone out, then it must be a sight visible to the whole world. Fenna and your father must have seen it too–they’ll be thinking of ways to manage within their respective duties, and you, you should calm down now and think about your own responsibilities.”

Heidi finally calmed down a bit, and her gaze shifted to a table not far away.

A sleek, sturdy briefcase quietly rested in a corner of the table.

Inside lay all sorts of tools and potions she used in her medical practice. Since recent times had been unusually calm, even at night, she hadn’t needed to use the most potent items in the case for a long time.

“Many people will need psychological counseling,” her mother’s calming voice came from behind, “I reckon it won’t be long before the town hall sends someone to pick you up–the sun has only temporarily dimmed, but our city hasn’t sunk yet.”

Heidi exhaled softly and slowly approached her medical case: “Okay, you’re right. The world hasn’t ended yet–so neither has my overtime.”

“When you go out on calls, don’t forget to carry a gun,” her mother reminded gently, “Although recent Plunderland is much safer than before, people with mental disorders are always dangerous–you might need to resort to drastic measures to deal with the ‘infected’.”

“Of course,” Heidi casually responded as she opened a secret compartment at the bottom of the briefcase. A beautifully crafted revolver and several spare ammo nests lay quietly before her. She quickly checked the condition of the firearm and then, with a hint of a sigh, said, “After all… gunpowder is also a medicine.”

…

“I have already dispatched the City-State Guards, so there’s no need to worry about the order in Frost City for the time being,” Tyrann announced seriously, standing in front of the large floor-to-ceiling mirror in the corner of the dome office, speaking to the mirror, “The tension brought by the recent mirror crisis hasn’t faded yet, but the good news is, under this tension, the emergency plans are being implemented quickly.”

A ghostly green flame burned silently like a layer of gossamer on the surface of the mirror as Duncan’s figure stood in the dark depths reflected within. After Tyrann finished speaking, he nodded.

“That’s good. Have there been any anomalies indicating the Transcendent?”

“Not yet,” Tyrann responded immediately, “However, I have increased manpower, focusing on places like psychiatric hospitals, and the cathedral is also arranging people to patrol areas like Nightfall Shelters, cemeteries, and poorly-lit streets…”

“In theory, within the supernatural Frost region, ‘darkness’ itself is no longer a dangerous factor; it’s the mental breakdown and widespread panic that hit the human heart we need to closely monitor,” Duncan reminded, “Also, no need to assign people to the cemetery area, I’ll keep an eye on it myself.”

“Yes,” Tyrann nodded briskly, then hesitated for a moment, carefully phrasing his words, “How are things on your end? No issues on the Homeloss, right?”

“Don’t worry about this side; nothing can threaten Homeloss,” Duncan stated calmly, “Nina has already ignited a temporary sun in the sky, and we are still proceeding south as planned. The surrounding seas… are calmer than anticipated.”

Tyrann breathed a sigh of relief: “Then it seems I was overthinking.”

“Can you establish contact with Light Breeze Harbor?” Duncan’s voice continued from within the mirror, “What’s the situation with Lecretia there?”

“I just contacted her. She’s just returned to the Brilliant Starship, and there are currently no safety issues, she observed the phenomenon of the sun being extinguished at Light Breeze Harbor as well, but the chaos in that City-State is much less than in Frost–due to the influence of the mysterious ‘fallen object,’ most areas of Light Breeze Harbor are still bathed in ‘sunlight.’ Although the celestial anomaly is unsettling, it doesn’t look as terrifying as it does here in Frost,”

“That’s good. Keep in touch at all times and closely monitor the changes in the City-State.”

“Yes,” Tyrion nodded, then hesitated a bit and slowly began, “Additionally, there’s another situation…”

“Speak,” Duncan said, frowning from the mirror, “At a time like this, we need to discuss every matter.”

“…We’ve lost contact with the other City-States, whether those far away or nearby ones like Cold Harbor,” Tyrion carefully explained, “The telegraphs are down, the maritime signal towers are unresponsive, and even the church’s Spiritual Energy communications can’t be reached. Currently, only two City-States are barely maintaining contact, one is Prande and the other is Light Breeze Harbor.”

“Communication with other City-States is interrupted?” Duncan’s expression immediately became serious, “How long has this situation lasted?”

“We discovered the interruption with Cold Harbor when the sun went out, and then confirmed it was the same with the other City-States,” Tyrion immediately replied, “I’ve urgently recalled all the vessels near Frost and prohibited any ships from setting sail.”

Tyrion said this, but there were things he hadn’t fully expressed–after the loss of contact with other City-States, a peculiar anxiety had surfaced in his mind, fearing that beyond the City-States, in places where sunlight could not reach, the Endless Sea had already transformed into something incomprehensible to people…

“Continue to try contacting other City-States,” Duncan’s voice came through the mirror, interrupting Tyrion’s thoughts, “Also, if Lucy has any new information, contact me immediately.”

“Yes, father.”

The communication with the Homeloss had ended, and the vast domed office quieted again.

Tyrion raised his hand and vigorously rubbed his somewhat sore brow.

Then he pressed the buzzer on his desk.

The office door was pushed open, and Aiden walked in.

Tyrion looked up and instructed his most loyal subordinate:

“Be wary of those ships returning from the darkness. Before the sun is re-lit, don’t let them rashly approach the City-State–define a ‘buffer zone’ in the coastal area, let the returning ships temporarily stop there, waiting for inspection and clearance.”

…

The surface of the mirror gradually returned to calm, the eerie green flame temporarily retreated to a corner of the mirror’s edge, and Duncan took a light breath, turning to glance out the window.

Brilliant “sunlight” still illuminated the deck of Homeloss and a large expanse of the surrounding sea, but beyond the range of sunlight, the entire Endless Sea was still shrouded in peculiar darkness.

It was a very unsettling moment, even the normally clamorous she-goat’s head was now silently sunken over the sea chart.

Only Alice was still happily sunning the quilt on the deck at this time…

Duncan rubbed his forehead, trying not to focus on the figure sunning the quilt on the deck, then concentrated, calling to the flame floating in the sky.

“Nina, how are you doing? Are you tired?”

“Not tired at all,” with the resonance of the flame’s energy, Nina’s voice almost immediately sounded in Duncan’s mind, “I’m not flying very high, I can stay in this position for a very long time!”

“Can you see anything on the surrounding sea?”

“Umm… no, there’s nothing on the surrounding sea, not even a bit of wave. Uncle Duncan, did you think of something?”

“Not for now, but keep an eye on the sea–especially the areas where light and dark intersect,” Duncan slowly spoke, “If anything like a ship appears nearby, tell me immediately.”

“Okay! Will do!”

Duncan hummed a response, ending his conversation with Nina, then he looked at the mirror in front of him, steadied his mind for a moment, and reached out to brush over the mirror.

“Lawrence, how are things on your side?”