Ashes Of Deep Sea
Chapter 549 - Chapter 549 Chapter 550 Afternoon

Chapter 549: Chapter 550 Afternoon Chapter 549: Chapter 550 Afternoon Before the power of the words “All gods bear witness,” Sala Mel finally reluctantly acknowledged Lucrescia’s assessment.

Regardless of the nature of the starlight mentioned by the sea witch, regardless of Duncan Ebnomal’s current mode of existence, at least, the leaders of the Pilgrimage Ark who could directly communicate with the Four Gods had made a decision to “collaborate” with Homeloss, and that decision itself was a strong piece of “evidence.”

Or, to put it more extremely–if even the judgments and instructions given by the Four Gods were wrong, then disasters no longer mattered. “All gods being wrong” would be the greatest disaster of all.

“We know very little about subspace, the rules of the real world may be subverted in that realm,” Lucrescia turned her head, her gaze passing through the office’s floor-to-ceiling windows as if gazing at the distant sea, and she spoke unhurriedly, “Homeloss ‘returning’ from subspace to our real world will inevitably undergo a series of changes. You know, merely being slightly affected turned the Brilliant Starship and Sea Mist into what they are now. What about Homeloss, which has been submerged in subspace for a century? What about my father?

“There are many things that should have been anticipated.”

She withdrew her gaze from the window, turned her head, and quietly stared into Sala Mel’s eyes.

“Frankly, I don’t even care how much of his ‘essence’ is still the original Duncan Ebnomal–if even a single speck of that starlight belongs to him, I am willing to welcome him for that speck alone, as long as he still stands broadly on the side of ‘mortals.’ That’s enough for me.”

Listening to the witch’s calm narration, Sala Mel’s expression changed several times, ultimately settling into a sigh, “Yes, at least that is a friendly existence, much better than a true subspace specter.”

Lucrescia didn’t speak again, just nodded slightly.

“How is Scholar Taran?” Sala Mel asked after a moment of silence. “I heard that he fell into a ‘dreamscape crisis,’ and that you and your father resolved it together?”

“Yes, I was just about to talk about that,” Lucrescia immediately adjusted her expression and spoke quite seriously, “About the so-called ‘dreamscape’ that Master Taran El fell into, it might be more complex than you imagine. My father confirmed some information that pertains to those heretics…”

In the next several minutes, she conveyed all she knew to the Governor before her, including the heretics’ motives and the conditions of the Scions of the Sun seen in the dreamscape.

Then, she also mentioned the intelligence from the Plunder City-State–about the Doomsday Preacher’s mention of the Fourth Great Night and those mystical “preachings.”

Sala Mel listened intently with a serious expression, not interrupting from start to finish.

It wasn’t until Lucrescia’s voice trailed off and the office fell silent for a dozen seconds that the seasoned Governor slowly nodded.

“The Dream of the Nameless…Indeed, there’s no such term in the elves’ cultural system, but it does evoke the ‘Creation Dream’ of the demon god Saslouka,” Sala Mel mused, “Yet if such an immense ‘dreamscape’ truly exists, why has it remained undiscovered for thousands of years? The heretics claim elves are the ‘gateway’ to this dreamscape, but as far as I know, no situation like Taran El’s has happened before.”

“We’ve discussed this, the most likely explanation is–The Dream of the Nameless’s emergence is also a sign and evidence of the approaching Fourth Great Night.”

“You mean…” Sala Mel caught on immediately.

“The Dream of the Nameless might have recently occurred, or rather ‘manifested,'” Lucrescia said solemnly, “It might have always been dormant, or in a ‘suppressed’ state, hence no one has noticed its existence, but as the Fourth Great Night draws near, it gradually becomes active…”

Sala Mel remained silent, his brows furrowed, then slowly lifted his head to look at the splendid sunlight outside–the “sun,” locked under the dual rune circles, was crossing the highest point in the sky, and it would soon be afternoon.

After a long while, he finally broke the silence in a murmur, repeating the Doomsday Preacher’s “preaching”–

“…Dusk is approaching, the sun is becoming ‘gentle,’ and thus those banished, those erased, start returning to this world…”

At the front door, Nina carefully checked her outfit and the items she needed to carry.

The weather in this southern City-State was much warmer than in Plunder, and even though it was the cooler end of autumn, she still needed to wear lightweight clothes–she put on her favorite skirt, paired with a newly purchased pair of lightweight sandals, lifting her spirits.

The small bag she carried out contained keys, change, and a map, and following Ms. Lucrescia’s reminder, also included mosquito repellent incense and medicine, which should mean she was fully prepared.

Lastly, there was a friend she needed to take with her.

Nina turned her head, looking in Sherry’s direction.

Sherry was still wearing her favorite dress, now crouching down to fasten her sandal straps. Noticing the gaze from the side, she lifted her head and asked, “What is it, Nina?”

Nina laughed, “Have you thought about where you want to go?”

Despite the significant shock they had received from trying “local specialty cuisine” that left the two girls even considering returning to the ship for a moment, Nina and Sherry eventually did not act on that impulse.

After all, this rare shore leave during their long sea voyage was not to be wasted.

“I don’t know where to go either,” Sherry stood up, patting the dust off her skirt. “Didn’t that elf gentleman recommend a market two blocks away? Let’s just go there–I don’t want to go to any so-called ‘food street’ anymore.”

Nina nodded and then glanced at Sherry’s small pouch at her waist, “Do you have the mosquito repellent? The mosquitoes in this city are much more numerous than in Plunder.”

“Yes,” Sherry patted her pouch, “A Dog reminded me.”

Nina flashed a brilliant smile, “Good, then let’s get going~”

The girls descended the steps in front of the big door. At that moment, however, the sound of the door unlock and the door hinge turning came from behind them.

Sherry shivered and turned around to see a tall and imposing figure standing at the door, instantly feeling nervous.

“I… we just wanted to go for a walk…” Without waiting for Duncan to speak, Sherry hastily spoke up, “We have already informed Mr. Morris…”

“We won’t go far,” Nina added with a radiant smile, “Just to the nearby market.”

“I know.” Duncan merely nodded slightly, then approached the two girls, his gaze falling on Sherry.

Instinctively, she shrank her neck, and after several seconds, she hesitatingly spoke, “I… maybe I shouldn’t go…”

“Take this.” Duncan interrupted her, then handed her some bills.

Sherry looked blankly at the bills already in front of her, not immediately realizing what was happening.

“Aren’t you going to the market?” Duncan’s voice brought her back to reality, “This is your allowance for today–don’t spend it all at once. I’ve already given Nina hers.”

Sherry was still stunned until A Dog’s reminding voice echoed in her mind, and she reluctantly accepted the not-so-large bills. Then, turning her face as if to shift the awkwardness, she murmured, “I thought you were going to make me go back and do my homework…”

Duncan ignored her reaction. He glanced at the two girls and casually reminded them, “Don’t come back too late, try not to go to other city districts, and if you get lost, just call me. I’ll have Aer pick you up…”

“Alright, alright, got it,” Nina waved her hands repeatedly, sounding impatient yet still smiling brightly. Then she grabbed Sherry’s arm and dragged her towards the direction of the intersection, “We’re off then! We’ll be back before evening!”

Sherry was thus pulled away, bewildered. She even turned back to glance at Duncan, opened her mouth as if to say something, but ended up saying nothing. Instead, she suddenly smiled, waving at him while being pulled away by Nina.

Duncan watched the two girls disappear at the intersection on the opposite side. After a moment, he withdrew his gaze, his eyes finding a space not far away, “Just came back from City Hall?”

As his words fell, the previously empty space suddenly revealed the figure of Lukecrecia as if an illusion turned into reality–she emerged from a mirage, a trace of surprise on her face, “So you noticed me already?”

Duncan nodded, “I saw you from the start.”

Lukecrecia turned her head, looking in the direction Nina and Sherry had left.

At that moment, her expression turned complex, her eyes seemingly swirling with varied thoughts–perhaps they were intermingled with memories of the past, or maybe mixed with indescribable sentiments. Eventually, she restrained all the emotions in her eyes, and when she turned to look at Duncan, only a faint smile remained on her face.

For some reason, Duncan felt like this “witch’s” mood had suddenly improved–a very, very good improvement.

“Has Taran El left already?” Lukecrecia suddenly asked.

“He left half an hour ago, said he couldn’t relax without checking on his laboratory,” Duncan nodded, then asked, “What did you discuss with the Governor at the City Hall?”

“The church has sent a notice to every City-State. Your warning to this world is beginning to take effect…”

Tip: You can use left, right keyboard keys to browse between chapters.Tap the middle of the screen to reveal Reading Options.

If you find any errors (non-standard content, ads redirect, broken links, etc..), Please let us know so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report