Ashes Of Deep Sea
Chapter 583 - Chapter 583 Chapter 582 Gradually Gathering Intelligence

Chapter 583: Chapter 582: Gradually Gathering Intelligence Chapter 583: Chapter 582: Gradually Gathering Intelligence Listing to the phrases that Morris had recorded from some ancient elven narrative poem, Duncan gradually revealed a contemplative expression.

“Due to the long history and the fact that these sentences have traversed the dark period before the era of the City-States, having gone through ancient language translations and modern scholars’ restorations and supplements, they might not have fully restored their original appearance. However, I believe they still hold significance,” Morris continued, “They should be quite helpful for our understanding of the ‘Dreamscape of Creation’ as well as the current phenomenon of ‘The Dream of the Nameless.'”

Stroking his chin, Duncan mused and then said, “Saslouka creates everything in the Dreamscape, yet knows not what the Dreamscape is… How do you think this sentence should be interpreted?”

After thinking for a while, Morris responded, “According to my understanding, this might refer to the different perspectives between the divine gaze upon the world and that of mortals, or perhaps in the elven creation myth, there’s a certain uniqueness about Saslouka as the ‘original Dreamer’–for a deity who wanders in the Dreamscape, maybe the boundary between dreams and reality is meaningless? To Him, perhaps the real world is just a dream that can be modified at any time, and the Dreamscape can be used to replace reality at will, hence He ‘knows not what a dream is’…”

“That is a… fairly reasonable explanation,” Duncan slowly nodded, “What about the latter sentences then?”

“Regarding the two sentences that follow, scholars among the Elves do have interpretations,” Morris answered, “They believe that these two sentences refer to the day when the great deity Saslouka realized the ‘Elves’ own distinct comprehension of the Dreamscape, which caused Him to first question the boundary between reality and the Dreamscape, and this might have been a ‘crisis’. During this crisis, Saslouka nearly ‘awoke’, and in such an unstable state, He created the ‘dreamless ones’ among the Elves.”

“The dreamless ones…” Duncan nodded slightly, “I remember the Elves see this as a congenital defect.”

“Yes, and this is aligned with the legends–the dreamless ones were born at the moment when Saslouka was unstable, they are the result of the creator’s ‘moment of confusion’, hence they are flawed, and unable to enter the ‘Dreamscape paradise’ for all their lives, however…”

Morris paused for a moment, recollected his thoughts, and then continued, “But it’s precisely because of this that, in a very few legends, there’s also a notion that Saslouka is the protector deity of the ‘dreamless ones’–but this interpretation is not widely accepted in elven society, it is somewhat more accepted in modern times, but in ancient times, this was essentially considered a heretical statement.”

“Saslouka as the protector of the dreamless ones…” Fenna muttered on the side, “If I’m not wrong, this might have been something that those socially discriminated and oppressed dreamless groups came up with when they banded together–perhaps it was initially just to find some spiritual support for their own community.”

“Indeed,” Morris nodded, “Such statements first appeared during the dark ages, circulating on some ‘exile islands’ controlled by the elven City-States–at that time, the Elves considered ‘dreamless ones’ to be cursed individuals, whose congenital defects could create ‘great voids’ in the Dreamscape, thus attracting nightmares and consuming shadows, and they exiled their defective kin to isolated islands on the fringes of civilized worlds…”

“On those remote settlements far from the heart of civilization, the initial claims that ‘Saslouka is the protector of the dreamless ones’ emerged. The exiles clung to this as a pillar to endure the long and hard nights.

“Later, as times evolved and the influence of the belief in the four gods gradually expanded, and also with the exile lands themselves rising, the practice of banishment was gradually abolished, and the ‘unique culture’ that arose on the lands of exile also flowed back into mainstream elven society. However, it’s quite clear that while mainstream society might accept their once-banished kin, they could not accept their ‘heretical’ culture…”

Duncan silently listened, his mind couldn’t help but connect this information with the recent disturbances at Light Breeze Harbor and the scant clues–information was reorganizing in his mind, and he felt he was about to touch upon that most critical logical chain.

But he still lacked some more effective references, some more useful intelligence…

In his contemplation, a familiar presence suddenly appeared in his perception.

From the direction of the hall, the sounds of servants opening the door and giving greetings could be heard, followed by footsteps. In a moment, Lucrecia’s figure appeared in the living room.

The wind-up doll Luny followed behind Lucrecia–this maid-dressed wind-up doll was also holding an especially large, bizarrely styled, and horrifying fabric rabbit doll.

The next second, the bizarre and horrifying rabbit doll suddenly moved, and then it quickly jumped out of Luny’s arms onto the ground and while hopping, let out a shrill voice, “Finally here, finally here! Rabi has finally entered the city! Today Rabi is going to create a big commotion…”

Duncan silently watched this rabbit doll, and the other gazes in the living room also turned to the strange rabbit.

The bizarre doll that was just jumping around in the living room announcing its intention to create a commotion instantly became still. It slowly lifted its head, its button eyes took stock of the situation in the living room, and after two or three seconds, it finally shuddered and then slowly walked to the farthest corner from Duncan and sat down with a “plop”, starting to pretend it was a real fabric doll.

Everything happened very quickly, and Nina and Sherry sitting opposite Duncan didn’t even understand what had happened.

Two seconds later, Lucrecia’s voice finally broke the silence in the living room, “Don’t mind it, it sometimes isn’t very well-behaved, so I seldom bring it into the city.”

Then she turned to Duncan with a slight smile and nodded, “But with you here, Rabi should be more well-behaved than at any other time.”

The automaton Luny stepped forward and bowed before Duncan, “Good day, old master.”

After the greeting, the wind-up automaton looked up, seemingly searching for something around her.

“Alice is in the kitchen,” Duncan couldn’t help but smile, “Go find her if you want.”

Luny turned her head and, after confirming with her mistress, happily left the living room.

Duncan’s gaze then fell upon Lucy, “Is everything going smoothly?”

“Everything is going smoothly. I’ve already met with Sala Mel and then returned to the Brilliant Starship to bring up the incidents occurring here with Tirian…”

Listening to Lucy recount her actions of the day, Duncan nodded slightly and then let out a long sigh.

“Good, I’ve got a basic understanding of the situation. Now that everyone is here… it’s time to tell you all about what I’ve found.”

Everyone in the living room immediately adjusted their posture subconsciously. Even Sherry, who had been drowsing off since a while ago, suddenly perked up.

They heard something different in the captain’s tone.

Duncan didn’t keep them in suspense; he quickly relayed his current grasp of the situation, especially his speculation regarding “the goat head.”

However, he didn’t talk about the many troubling “details” aboard Homeloss right now–as this information would only serve to increase the anxiety of the others and was not helpful in addressing the anomaly at Light Breeze Harbor at this stage.

The mere suggestion of a possible connection between the goat head and Saslouka was enough to leave the whole living room in dead silence.

After Duncan finished outlining the situation, there was a long silence before anyone spoke.

The group exchanged bewildered glances until Nina broke the silence, “That goat head, who’s always babbling on… is possibly connected to Elves’ legend of ‘the great demon Saslouka’? Isn’t that a bit…”

“An extravagant guess, but at the moment, some clues seem to be pointing in that direction,” Duncan said seriously, “The goat head itself is unclear about its origin. And Homeloss, which sails through the fog with an eerie atmosphere, happened to appear at midnight, when The Dream of the Nameless is strongest. The words ‘May he wander in Dreamscape’ are written on the captain’s cabin door–this phrase clearly has connections to an ancient Elves’ legend. Add to this the suspicious ‘goat head’ on board, its peculiar state, and its strange reaction when mentioning Silantis… all of this can’t be a coincidence.”

Lucy’s expression rapidly changed, her eyes reflecting an unusual gravity and apprehension. She looked at her father several times before hesitatingly speaking, “The goat head… I remember you said it’s an interdimensional entity… Even not considering why the Genesis God from ancient Elves’ tales would take on such a form, if the goat head really is related to ‘Saslouka,’ then how could Homeloss…”

She stopped, seemingly unable to find the right words to continue, and after several seconds, she resumed, “How could Homeloss be involved in all of this?”

Duncan discerned the source of Lucy’s anxiety.

She talked about Homeloss–yet all her tension seemed to fall upon herself.

“Don’t fear, Lucy, everything is still under control,” Duncan spoke slowly, his voice steady and imbued with a comforting power, “Subspace holds too many secrets, even for me; it’s clear how much influence it has had on Homeloss. But one thing is certain: as long as I retain my humanity, that ship won’t lose control again, and I am very much lucid now.”

“Right, right, right,” Sherry quickly added. She had been rattled by the startling information she had just heard, and now, as if to reinforce her own courage, she immediately said upon hearing Duncan’s words, “With the captain here, the ship can’t have any problems; he’s humane…”

Duncan: “…?”

Several pairs of eyes instantly focused on Sherry, but she had yet to react, still saying, “Homeloss is a bit odd, but…”

Finally, A-Dog crawled out from the shadows beside the sofa, slapping a paw on Sherry’s head, “Will you shut up!”