Ashes Of Deep Sea
Chapter 626 - Chapter 626 Chapter 625 Rules of Contract and Sacrifice

Chapter 626: Chapter 625: Rules of Contract and Sacrifice Chapter 626: Chapter 625: Rules of Contract and Sacrifice Listening to Tirian’s narration, Duncan fell into a long silence and contemplation.

The Homeloss seemed to fall silent along with its captain as the deep creaking sounds from within the cabin gradually subsided, a half-real, half-illusory sense of a spiritual body enveloping the ship as it silently glided over the ocean, moving through an equally silent world.

After a long while, Duncan slowly lowered his head to look at his feet.

He couldn’t see, but he could imagine–beneath the layers of decks, deeper than the fragmented structures of the bilge, beyond the borders of reality, Saslouka’s spine was still submerged in the dark Subspace, replacing the original keel of Homeloss–the keel Duncan Ebnomal referred to as “the little twig.”

That “little twig” had sunk into the depths of Subspace along with the original Homeloss during the disaster a century ago.

“Father…” Tirian’s slightly anxious voice rose from the depths of his mind, interrupting Duncan’s thoughts, “Do you have any more questions?”

“The final question,” said Duncan, “after the completion of Homeloss, there must still be craftsmen who had stayed in the world of the living, I mean those Elves who were responsible for processing the keel…”

“Most of them should still be alive, but it will be difficult to find them in the short term,” answered Tirian, “after something went wrong with Homeloss, everything related to that ship became taboo, including the original construction project.

“The craftsmen who had participated in the construction of Homeloss changed their professions or moved to other City-States one after another, even the Elves chose to conceal their identities and flee elsewhere, the blueprints were sealed off, and along with all records, they were treated as ‘sealed items’ and hidden deep within the cathedral…

“People say that everything related to Homeloss was cursed, just as it had been for the captain’s children of Duncan, those who built Homeloss, and knew its secrets could not escape either…”

Duncan did not speak for a moment, and as Tirian also fell silent, the atmosphere suddenly became somewhat awkward until Lucrecia’s voice was the first to break the stillness.

“Rumors aren’t just rumors, you can’t blame people for being so nervous at the time,” said the “witch of the sea” slowly, “in fact, the shipyard used to build Homeloss encountered a fire the day after the Subspace collapse incident.

“The fire burned everything in a way that defied normality, turning steel and stone to ashes, yet it didn’t ignite the documents and blueprints related to Homeloss that were stored in the office.

“About half of the participants involved in the construction suffered nightmares, mysterious diseases, and hallucinations in the following years, some committed suicide years later, some mysteriously disappeared at sea, and others went mad, declaring in their final lucid stages that they had heard ‘the true voice’, and then spent the rest of their lives in psychiatric hospitals–compared to others who met with misfortune, these mad individuals were ironically the lucky ones.

“The Elven craftsmen responsible for processing the keel were the least affected group, perhaps their racial traits protected them, they appeared unaffected by the curse, but the experiences of others were frightening enough to justify their anonymity and fleeing far away…”

Duncan quietly listened to Lucrecia’s recollections and descriptions, and after a long time, he finally spoke, his tone slightly strange, “But are the construction records of Homeloss still kept in Plunder?”

“Yes, they are still there, as ‘sealed items’. You discussed this with me and Fenna last time,” Maurice’s voice interjected, “From what I understand, these things are not to be destroyed–nor dare to be destroyed lightly, as involving the Subspace, the act of ‘destruction’ itself might also cause Homeloss and the real world to establish contact…”

“I need those documents,” Duncan immediately said.

Maurice was taken aback, but quickly recovered: “No problem, I’ll contact friends in the Plunder City-State right away. Although those documents have been high-risk sealed items for the past century, given the current situation, the authorities should be willing to accommodate your request…”

“Ordinary means of contact are too slow,” Duncan interrupted Maurice, “Fenna.”

“Yes, Captain, I’m listening,” Fenna’s voice immediately responded.

“You can directly contact the Storm Cathedral in Plunder, right?” Duncan asked sternly, “Notify them to prepare all materials related to the construction project of Homeloss and deliver them to the cathedral.”

“…Okay,” Fenna hesitated for two or three seconds, showing her loyalty to the Storm Goddess, then very promptly agreed, “How do you plan to retrieve the documents? Shall I send Ai Yi over? I’ll let our colleagues there know ahead of time to avoid any surprises…”

“No, I’ll go myself.”

Fenna seemed momentarily at a loss: “You’re going yourself?”

…

In the Lower City District of Plunder, within a modestly-sized antique shop, Duncan set aside the newspaper he was holding and glanced again at the warm, bright sunlight outside the window, a slight smile appearing on his face: “Spending days in the antique shop, sipping tea, reading the newspaper, basking in the sun… It’s time for some action here too.”

“…I understand, I’ll contact the City-State Cathedral right now.”

Fenna’s voice echoed in his mind, then gradually faded away.

Duncan carefully folded the newspaper and placed it on a rack next to the counter before rising and heading to the stairs that led to the second floor, retrieving his coat from the hook.

The Homeloss was still silently sailing through the Spirit Realm’s Endless Sea. Light Breeze Harbor had sunk into an unawakening illusion, and in City-States around the world, more and more elves were falling into slumber. Yet, in this small antique shop, the same peace and tranquility of past days were maintained.

It seemed like a harbor of refuge independent of the rest of the world.

But just as Duncan put on his coat and was about to leave, the antique shop’s door suddenly burst open, and the jingling of bells prematurely shattered the haven’s tranquility.

Duncan looked up towards the entrance, seeing a familiar figure standing in the sunlight.

“Miss Heidi? Good morning,” he recognized the visitor at the door and greeted her politely, “Sorry, but the shop’s closed for the day, I need to run some errands.”

“Mr. Duncan… captain,” Heidi stepped two paces into the shop, her eyes on the “store manager” who had just donned his coat and clearly prepared to leave, hesitating before speaking, “I might need your help.”

Duncan paused, looking at her curiously, “Hmm?”

After the incident involving Taran El and the elven girl trapped in the Dreamscape, Heidi had learned the true nature of Homeloss. Maybe because she was not quite adapted to this dramatic change, she had not visited the shop for a while, but it was unexpected that today she showed up suddenly asking for help.

“It’s the sleep illness,” Heidi appeared still hesitant, this being her first request for help here knowing Duncan’s identity, seemingly at a loss, “It’s widespread, a sudden outbreak of the sleep illness…”

“More elves have fallen asleep?” Duncan frowned, “That is to be expected–The Dream of the Nameless underwent drastic changes this morning, its influence is growing. But do not worry, I was about to leave to deal with this exact issue.”

“It’s not just more elves falling asleep,” Heidi quickly added, “The symptoms this time are somewhat unusual. The city’s central medical facility just admitted a wave of ‘patients’, and I think it’s necessary for you to look into it… if you have the time…”

The more she spoke, the less confident she sounded, and after a moment’s thought, she suddenly blurted out, “Is some kind of offering needed when seeking your help?”

Duncan, who had been pondering how long it would take to prepare after receiving Fenna’s message from the Storm Cathedral, was caught off guard by Heidi’s question. “…Offering?”

Heidi thought for a moment, her face marked with embarrassment, “When I communicated with my father, I didn’t dare ask in detail about matters concerning you. He only said life on Homeloss was incredible and your attitude towards mortals kind, but he never mentioned your method of operation or the rituals and offerings needed when seeking your help…”

“Stop, I understand,” Duncan interrupted her quickly, giving the spiritual healthcare professional a weird look before finally saying, “I don’t need offerings, nor do I require any bloody, bizarre sacrificial rituals–Didn’t Morris or Fenna tell you that the Exiled Fleet is a community with a friendly atmosphere, deeply committed to urban philanthropy?”

Heidi: “…?”

Duncan knew the misunderstanding immediately from her expression.

He waved his hand, casually grabbing a small bronze statue from a nearby shelf.

Antique from the era of dark City-States, a royal symbol of the old Isom dynasty, brand new and manufactured just last week.

“Originally priced at eight hundred sora, after discount twelve, buy it at the original price as payment for my assistance–If that’s fine, let’s set off. The Cathedral won’t be ready with what I need for a while, so I can accompany you to see these ‘patients’ first.”

…

“Are you sure you want to use these things to construct the ‘channel’ for Psychic Resonance?” Morris stared at Fenna bustling in the kitchen, unable to hold back any longer.

Fenna paused her preparations, looking up at the old man beside her, “Is there a problem?”

“…I believe this lacks rigor,” Morris strained, trying to appear more serious, “For a sacred ritual, connecting with the Storm Cathedral, you should at least prepare some proper spell materials…”

Fenna was silent for a moment, looking down at what she could find in this “witch’s abode.”

“Sacred flame, sacred grease, sacred spices, accompanied by devout prayer, all four elements are ready.”

Morris’s eyes bulged in disbelief, “Just because you put ‘sacred’ in front of it doesn’t make it work–you can’t just chop onions in the kitchen and expect the goddess to grant her power!”

Fenna: “…”

(Trip to Guangzhou for work, single updates for the next few days and then back to three updates every two days after returning.)