Ashes Of Deep Sea
Chapter 631 - Chapter 631 Chapter 630 Academy Ark

Chapter 631: Chapter 630: Academy Ark Chapter 631: Chapter 630: Academy Ark There were countless threads there, emerging from the surface of the sea like a mass of wild hair, weightless and drifting up into the mid-air–and now, their number was continuously increasing, more and more of them.

Alice’s eyes widened, both confused and shocked by the sight, and then, a dim green flame flickered in the depths of her eyes–Duncan’s eyes sparkled with the same flame, and thus the “threads” that only marionettes could see also appeared before Duncan.

“Are these… the people from Light Breeze Harbor?” Alice mumbled after a moment of daze, finally breaking the silence, “They’re gone, but their threads are still here?”

But Duncan did not speak, he just looked gravely at the dense, fine lines floating in the air. Although it was impossible to confirm with a glance, he faintly sensed that the “threads” were too numerous–even if one assumed that five threads could extend from a single person’s body, the quantity they represented far exceeded the elf population of Light Breeze Harbor. It was as if… the soul threads of all the elves in the world had gathered here.

The vast number made these connected threads appear hazy, their shapeless forms drifting slightly in the wind, shrouding the skies above Light Breeze Harbor like a persistent mist, carrying a dreamlike… beauty.

As well as an eerily unsettling strangeness.

By then, Alice had recovered from her initial shock. She observed the strands on the sea surface with curiosity, much like a cat that sees many balls of yarn, showing a can’t-help-but-want-to-touch yet hesitant expression. She remembered the captain’s usual instructions, so she carefully drew her hand back, trying not to touch any of the threads around her, but her eyes kept darting around, wanting to grab but daring not to.

Of course, Duncan didn’t miss her actions.

“Captain, I’ll just touch it lightly; I won’t grab… I want to see their ‘state’…” Noticing Duncan’s gaze, Alice said cautiously, then stretched out her hand, making a small gesture to convey that “just touching” really meant “very lightly.”

Duncan nodded silently, all the while closely observing the marionette’s movements.

Of course, he trusted Alice–but he did not quite trust her reliability.

Having received permission, the marionette immediately showed a delighted look and then carefully reached out to touch the invisible thread closest to her.

The next second, she let out a low gasp of surprise and quickly let go of the thread.

Duncan immediately asked, “What happened?”

“…Strange entity.” Alice looked at the thread a bit dazedly, muttering in confusion.

“Strange entity?” Duncan frowned upon hearing this.

“I don’t know what it is, but it’s different from the ‘threads’ I’ve encountered before,” Alice said hesitantly, seeming to struggle to translate her sensations into words, “I felt something… enormously huge hiding at the other end of the thread, but it’s vague and seems to keep fluctuating…”

As she spoke, she raised her hand and pointed towards the deepest part of the gauzy mass of threads.

“It seems to hide there, but I can’t see it.”

Duncan frowned and looked at the “white fog” that was hazy; he did not see the “strange entity” that Alice described, but he knew what that “strange entity” was.

Silantis had already begun to gradually coalesce a conscious entity within the collective consciousness of the elf race.

After hesitating slightly, he too reached toward one of the hazy threads in his vision and touched it cautiously.

He felt nothing–but that was not surprising.

After all, his current ability to “see” the invisible threads was merely “borrowed” through the connection of the flames from Alice, and naturally, he could not use it as adeptly.

“Goat Head,” Duncan called out in his mind after a moment of hesitation, “Do you feel anything?”

“Nothing,” came Goat Head’s voice immediately, sounding a bit bewildered and panicked, “Sorry, Captain, I…”

“It’s okay, it’s not your fault.”

Duncan cut off Goat Head’s response, and at the same time, he moved to the edge of the deck and reached out over the side of the ship.

A dim green Spiritual Fire gathered in his hand and then fell into the ocean like water, the fire silently spreading over the surface of the sea, flowing towards the floating invisible threads.

However, the next second, the flames passed through every invisible thread, and Duncan felt no “feedback” at all, as if… those silk threads were in a dimension completely undisturbed.

Duncan frowned at this sight yet wasn’t too surprised, only muttering thoughtfully, “It seems it’s not that easy after all.”

Just then, a melodious steam whistle sound from the distant sea surface suddenly interrupted his thoughts.

Duncan immediately looked toward the direction the sound came from.

He saw a towering silhouette gradually appearing above the distant sea as the steam whistle sounded, as if a curtain had been lifted between the heavens and the ocean. The colossal object, a quarter the size of a City-State, simply “popped” into existence and moved toward them, slowing as it approached.

Then, he gradually made out the details of this colossal object–its edges steep like cliffs, white walls encircling its base, while higher and lower buildings were placed on raised ground within the walls; among them were belfries, spires, and high-rises. These buildings, with their white exteriors and blue rooftops, didn’t carry much of a religious atmosphere, instead, they reminded one of the famous Academy at the heart of the City-State of Light Breeze Harbor–the two bore a striking resemblance in style.

Surrounding the gigantic object, Duncan spotted other ship silhouettes–all of them cutting-edge flagships. Compared to the massive Ark, however, their profiles seemed especially insignificant. Initially, Duncan almost missed them entirely.

At that moment, billows of pure white steam began to rise from the “mobile City-State,” with colossal streams of steam erupting from the tops of the buildings it carried. Following this, the melodious steam whistle spanned the vast sea and reached Duncan’s ears once again.

The second whistle sounded like a gesture, one subtly flavored with friendliness.

Duncan realized what it was–

It was the Academy of Truth’s “Pilgrimage Ark” and its escort fleet!

He had seen the Pilgrimage Ark of the Deep Sea Church before and vividly remembered the impression the massive “mobile City-State” had made. He knew that the four god churches each had their own massive Arks, and all Arks were roughly the same size–the formidable object that had appeared on the distant sea was equal in scale to the “Storm Cathedral Ark” he had once seen in Preland, and its upper structures hinted at its affiliation.

“Captain!!” came the voice of the goat-headed first mate in Duncan’s mind, breaking his reverie with a tone filled with surprise and a touch of anxiety, “It’s the Church’s Pilgrimage Ark!”

“I see it,” replied Duncan calmly, “What’s with the panic?”

“But that’s the Church’s Pilgrimage Ark!” The goat-head clearly did not understand why the captain was so composed, “That thing is not easy to handle–it truly has the gods’ direct protection…”

“Why would I want to handle it?” Duncan retorted casually, “I’m not at war with the four god churches.”

The goat-head’s voice still sounded panicked, “But Light Breeze Harbor is gone! Such a huge Light Breeze Harbor, now gone!”

Duncan felt it made no sense, “It’s not like I made it disappear.”

Goat-head: “…”

The poor first mate seemed suddenly stuck in logic, not knowing what to say next, emitting only a confusion of thoughts. Duncan, however, paid no heed to the fellow, turning instead to walk towards the pilothouse on the stern deck, taking personal control of the Homeloss.

The massive Ghost Ship instantly “came to life,” as spiritual sails filled out of thin air. Then, the large sailing warship turned with an incomprehensible agility and sailed straight towards the Pilgrimage Ark that resembled a small City-State on the distant sea.

Duncan didn’t hesitate at all.

The goat-head was startled by the captain’s decisive action, “Captain?”

“Going over to say hello and exchange some information, they’re clearly not just passing by–likely, it’s the distress signal from Light Breeze Harbor that brought the Academy of Truth’s Pilgrimage Ark,” Duncan continued to maneuver the Homeloss forward as he casually explained, “I understand what you’re nervous about. Sure, Homeloss has had some unpleasant experiences with the four major churches over the last century, but we need to view things with an eye to progress.

“We’ve already had quite the interaction with several City-States and the Church, and in my personal opinion, this positive and direct communication has been highly effective–remember what Lucresia mentioned before? The four god churches issued a notice to all the City-States and their Churches to actively cooperate with the activities of the Exiled Fleet, which means they’ve recognized the Homeloss’s passion for protecting the civilized world…”

The goat-head was rendered speechless by Duncan’s words but soon gathered his wits, warning with an anxious tone, “But… What if? We haven’t directly dealt with the Pilgrimage Ark of the Academy of Truth, and with Light Breeze Harbor in its current state, the intent of that fleet is unclear, and if we approach like this, if there’s a misunderstanding…”

Duncan didn’t speak, only smiled and shook his head.

Spiritual Fire burned on his body, rendering his figure as translucent and luminous as wrought light. The Homeloss cleaved through the waves amid the “mist” woven by countless “threads,” heading towards the distant Academy Ark. And below the undulating surface of the sea, the dim and ephemeral reflection of the Homeloss was gradually enveloped by ghostly green flames. The wisps and strands of the flames spread and flowed through the broken waves like water, gradually infusing the entire sea area with an eerie green glow.

“If there’s no misunderstanding, then there’s no misunderstanding; if a misunderstanding arises, then it’s not a misunderstanding–so all in all, there won’t be any misunderstanding.”