Ashes Of Deep Sea
Chapter 543 - Chapter 543 Chapter 544 Near Dusk

Chapter 543: Chapter 544 Near Dusk Chapter 543: Chapter 544 Near Dusk The captain’s quarters were plunged into silence.

Duncan still stared fixedly at the massive, eerie eyeball sketched on the draft paper–

It was rendered in a nearly mad, messy stroke, yet it was unbelievably accurate and lifelike, such that anyone would understand the meaning of each line in the drawing with just one glance, as though the true message was woven into every element that constituted the image.

Within those mad, messy strokes, the enormous eyeball’s pupil was profound, and the surrounding structure of blood vessels and nerve plexus was faintly discernible; outside the eyeball, a layer of dim material was unmistakably covering it. Taran El used many fine lines to depict the material that covered the eyeball, seemingly striving to restore what exactly it was, and the only information Duncan received from the drawing was that it was a “shell layer with a complex structure.”

It was an eye encapsulated in an outer shell that seemed as precious as a gemstone.

From nearby came the squeaking and creaking noises as the goat head at the edge of the nautical chart table turned its head extremely restlessly, as if wanting to glimpse the content on the paper but hesitating.

After a long time, it timidly spoke, “Captain… what exactly is that?”

“It’s an eye,” Duncan quietly reflected for a few seconds, and began to thoughtfully explain the contents of the draft paper to the goat head, “Structurally, it looks a lot like a human eye, with discernible blood vessels and nerve plexuses; it’s encapsulated within a spherical shell that seems like a man-made object…”

Listening to Duncan’s description, the goat head was for the first time ever so quiet.

After a long while, it moved clatteringly, emitting an extremely uneasy noise: “This is really… a terrifying spectacle… The true appearance of Anomaly 001 is such a colossal eyeball?! Then… didn’t many people during the sun’s extinction period…”

“There probably weren’t many who actually saw this scene,” Duncan slowly shook his head,” During the sun’s extinction period, we too looked up at the sky, but all we saw was a sphere completely engulfed in darkness, whose details couldn’t be directly observed–this drawing also depicts it; the eyeball is ‘encapsulated’ within a vast container.

“At that time, Taran El could only discern the true shape within the sphere by relying on the special observational device of the Academy of Truth, so there’s no need to worry that ordinary people elsewhere will easily see this madness-inducing ‘truth’.”

Hearing Duncan’s words, the goat head seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, but then it immediately started to worry again: “Not many, but there could be some– not everyone can react like Taran El and instinctively seal off and alter their own recorded content in a state of mental breakdown; and according to Taran El’s own subsequent actions, those who have seen this eyeball seem to unconsciously want to spread its appearance…”

Duncan listened to the goat head’s anxious words, yet said nothing, his face as still as deep waters, seemingly lost in thought.

The goat head rambled on for a while, seeing that the captain made no response, it finally couldn’t help but remind him, “Captain, do you think we should perhaps warn…”

“Light Breeze Harbor and Frost lack similar ‘observational” devices, that lens kit is the property of the Academy of Truth, precise and rare,” Duncan finally looked up,” Outside of Light Breeze Harbor, even if someone observed the surface of Anomaly 001 during the sun’s extinction, they wouldn’t see these ‘truths’.”

“Light Breeze Harbor and Frost may lack them, but other City-States might have them!” the goat head suddenly shouted, “Who knows what those reckless fools will do! Humans aren’t a reliable species!”

“…Other City-States will not see that extinguished sun,” Duncan suddenly said.

The goat head, agitated up to that moment, immediately fell silent.

“Have you forgotten?” Duncan reminded calmly, “Only the three City-States and the ‘Exiled Fleet’ witnessed the world of the sun’s extinction; the entire Endless Sea, aside from those, had not experienced those twelve hours of darkness.”

The goat head’s head shook slightly from side to side, and finally issued an ambiguous sigh: “Oh… uh…”

Duncan, however, had nothing more to say and looked down again at the sketch depicting the core structure of Anomaly 001. Gradually, another scene began to emerge in his mind–

A corona burning brilliantly, and beneath it, fleshly limbs twisted and entwined, and a dying, enormous eyeball surrounded by numerous pale fleshly limbs.

The Squirming Sun–Black Sun.

Duncan’s brow wrinkled slightly, an indistinct sense of familiarity emerged that he couldn’t ignore. The image in his memory quickly compared with the sketch on the paper before him, and a bold idea began to take shape in his mind.

“…It’s very similar to the ‘True Sun God’s’ eye,” he suddenly murmured softly to himself.

“Eh?” The goat head was startled, “What terrifying thing are you talking about!?”

“This eyeball, it’s a lot like part of the ‘Squirming Sun’s’ structure,” Duncan mused, and as the details in his memories were filled in, his judgment became increasingly sure, “Yes, strikingly similar–if you just look at this ‘eyeball’ structure by itself, it’s nearly identical.”

“`

With a clack, the mountain goat’s head seemed to have jammed at a certain angle, stiffening completely on the sea chart table, silent.

Even for a chatterbox like it, this was the first time it found itself entirely unable to utter a single word.

Captain Duncan let out a soft sigh, folded the draft paper, and safely tucked it close to his body.

Fortunately, Lucresia had been cautious enough not to leave this paper with the ordinary scholars of the Academy of Truth; otherwise, it was hard to tell what sort of trouble would have arisen–though the Academy didn’t have the “Spiritual Fire” at their disposal, which he used to break the seal on the paper, they did have various ingenious research methods that might just have restored the true pattern on the draft paper.

Just then, a series of rapid footsteps coming from outside the captain’s quarters interrupted Duncan’s thoughts, followed by a knocking at the door and Morris’s voice: “Captain, I have something to report to you!”

Duncan immediately composed his facial expression, looking up at the door: “Come in.”

The door to the captain’s quarters opened, and Morris strode into the room, fishing out a letter as he walked: “Captain, Heidi suddenly sent a letter, mentioning… some unusual matters that I need to report to you.”

A letter from Heidi?

Duncan paused for a moment, then reached to take the letter, not expecting to receive contact from the mental health practitioner so soon after establishing a connection and imparting the truth, but at the same time somewhat puzzled: “Why wouldn’t she go directly to the antique shop to find me? Why did she send the letter to you?”

Ai Yi would sail between Homeloss and the City-State of Prand every day, not only transporting necessary supplies but also handling routine mail delivery and collection at places like the grand cathedral, Morris’s house, and the Governor’s residence. So it was normal for Heidi to send a letter through these channels, but if she wanted to contact the captain of Homeloss, going directly to the antique shop would undoubtedly be a more convenient option.

“…She’s still a bit nervous and fearful,” Morris explained with a slight embarrassment in his tone, “probably because she doesn’t dare to meet with your avatar directly after knowing the truth.”

“…Unnecessary nervousness, she bought a vase from my shop just last week,” Duncan muttered to himself as he casually opened the letter, his eyes scanning the hastily-written lines, and his expression subtly shifting.

In the next moment, Duncan quickly shed the relaxed demeanor from his face, turning serious and then increasingly solemn. He quickly glanced through the content of the letter and then fell silent for a few seconds before lifting his head to look at Morris: “She encountered a Doomsday Preacher…”

“Yes, and according to the description in the letter, it seems to be one of those with a semblance of rationality,” Morris nodded, “Although that uninvited ‘rational’ guest is highly suspect, babbling nonsensically and not speaking clearly at all…”

Evidently, this old teacher, who had taught many students throughout his life and adhered to the principle of “imparting knowledge succinctly, bluntly, and understandably,” was quite dissatisfied and held a deep grudge against the enigmatic heretic mentioned in the letter.

“Not speaking clearly may be due to certain restrictions, but the key is that he’s willing to communicate. That’s the most significant distinction between the two types of Doomsday Preachers,” Duncan spoke quickly, then looked down at the letter again, the various pieces of intelligence mentioned therein catching his eye.

The fourth twilight… the Ark of Promise… a “milder” sun and the approaching dusk, as well as… an “aberration” that emerged and is gradually expanding the “void”…

Heidi had tried her best to faithfully transcribe in the letter the cryptic words she heard from the mouth of the Doomsday Preacher without any “additional processing” based on her own speculation.

And these pieces of intelligence themselves were enough to arouse countless conjectures and associations in Duncan’s mind.

“That Doomsday Preacher seemed not very coherent, and he appeared during the day, instead of at night like the other ‘normal’ preachers,” Morris spoke from the side, “He mentioned the fourth twilight and also referred to many ‘phenomena’ before the fourth twilight began; it seems his appearing during the day itself is a ‘sign’ that the so-called ‘fourth twilight’ is about to begin…”

The fourth twilight…

Duncan’s mind, however, couldn’t help but recall the descriptions seen in the “Book of Desecration”:

There have been three Creations, known as the “three long nights”: the King of the Pale Giants perished in the first twilight, the Dreaming King died in the second twilight, the Crawling King finally succeeded in shaping all things during the third twilight, and together with the Cretan tribe, he lit what is now the ‘sun,’ ending the night; yet He Himself, for unilaterally altering the blueprint, was exiled by the other ancient kings, unable to return to His throne…

Duncan slowly rose from behind his navigation table and walked to the window.

The sun was about to set below the horizon.

Under the majestic confinement of the twin Rune Circles, that dazzling and warm sphere was slowly dipping into the sea, the afterglow resplendent.

Duncan watched it, imagining he was actually observing an eyeball much larger than any City-State, one that had overseen the world for ten thousand years.

This “eye,” which rose into the sky during the era of the Ancient Crete Kingdom, was now nearing its end.

It seemed that the curtain of light, woven from brightness and warmth, was about to fall with the dying sun, and after this curtain vanished, after the “fourth twilight” described by the Doomsday Preacher arrived… what would the “dusk” of this world look like?

“`