Ashes Of Deep Sea
Chapter 778 - Chapter 778 Chapter 775 Departing Far Away

Chapter 778: Chapter 775: Departing, Far Away Chapter 778: Chapter 775: Departing, Far Away Nina came onto the deck and raised her right hand toward the sky–a fierce flame erupted from the palm of her hand, turning into an arc of light bright enough to penetrate the thick fog. This ray of sunlight flickered above the Homeloss, sending a greeting and tribute to those heading to their deaths on another timeline.

Did the Sea Song see it? Did they, on that other timeline, know what had happened? Were they en route to their deaths, or on their way back home? In the brief moment when the lights flickered and the two timelines intersected, did they understand their fate?

The window of converging timelines gradually closed, and the ship’s silhouette began to rapidly dim and blur, once again dissolving into jumbled lines and shadows, like something briefly surfacing before sinking back into the endless darkness of the “Deep Sea.”

At the helm, the abnormal and stunted figure of 077 trembled slightly in the wind as he clutched the wheel of the Homeloss, constantly gazing in the direction of the Sea Song. For a moment, he opened his mouth as if to shout, but all words dissipated in his withered throat.

Then he lifted his hand, wanting to salute the ship he had once served and his former comrades–Fenna had taught him the gesture over these days, a simple wave across the chest in the motion of undulating waves, signifying the protection of the Storm and a blessing for safe passage. But just for an instant, as if struck by an electric shock, his hand pressed back onto the dark wheel, gripping tightly.

Outside the hull of the Homeloss, the uniform grey-white “inner wall” briefly stirred with dangerous and chaotic ripples, which then disappeared and smoothed out in the blink of an eye.

He couldn’t let go–he was steering.

The window closed, the last shadow of the Sea Song disappeared from everyone’s sight–in all possible branches of time, this was the last time it would appear in the mortal realm.

Until the end, the “sailor” never released the dark wheel of the Homeloss.

Heavy footsteps approached from beside, and the sailor, somewhat dull, turned his head to see a tall figure come up to the helm, quietly watching him.

He paused, instinctively straightening his body. “Captain…”

Duncan placed his hand on the skeletal shoulder of the mummy, “Are you okay?”

“…You see, I’m holding on well,” the mummy’s face trembled with wrinkles, he looked down at the wheel in his hands, “I just loosened my grip a little… the ship didn’t stray off course… and then I never let go… never let go…”

Duncan said nothing, just placed his hand on the mummy’s shoulder and pressed firmly again.

Then he withdrew his hand, preparing to turn and leave, but at that moment, he heard the voice of the abnormal 077, the sailor muttering softly, almost as if talking to himself, “Will it mean anything?”

Duncan paused, silently watching his helmsman.

“Will all of this mean anything?” The sailor seemed to finally muster the courage, raising his head, looking into Duncan’s eyes, but his gaze was not one seeking an answer, but rather grasping for a lifeline in the midst of a storm, “The Sea Song, the people at the border, the peace officers and guardians still trying to maintain order in the City-State, and… us, will any of this have meaning?”

Duncan remained silent for a few seconds, then nodded calmly, “…Yes.”

He turned and walked towards the deck, and just as he was about to leave the helm, he heard the sailor’s voice from behind, “The first rule of the Homeloss crew, right?”

Duncan didn’t reply but just waved his hand gently and left the helm.

He crossed the stairs to the quiet aft deck, simultaneously calling out in his heart, “Lucy.”

The response from the sea witch came immediately, “Hmm, I’m here.”

Duncan hesitated for two seconds before speaking calmly, “I remember you mentioned something–you once accidentally crossed the critical line of Six Nautical Miles, becoming lost deep within the Eternal Veil, and at that time, it was because you saw the phantom of the Homeloss that you followed it back to the internal waters.”

Lucy fell silent suddenly on the other end, taking a long time before breaking the silence, “Yes, I… always thought that was a phantom of the Homeloss, briefly surfacing from the Subspace…”

Duncan said nothing further, from Lucy’s response, he knew that the astute “witch” had also thought of the same thing he had just considered.

Just now, the appearance of the “Sea Song” had abruptly reminded Duncan of a fact he knew but hadn’t deeply contemplated before–

Beyond the border of Six Nautical Miles, time is discontinuous and unoriented; the cause and effect of things are in a state of constant flux, a ship that had long since returned could still be traversing past times here, and in Lucy’s memory, her “Brilliant Starship” once lost beyond the Six Nautical Miles, found itself in dire straits when the phantom of the Homeloss suddenly appeared and led her back to reality.

She had always thought that was the Homeloss returning from Subspace, or a “projection” of the Homeloss extending into reality from Subspace.

But… now this issue had a new possibility.

Duncan strolled to the edge of the deck, leaning on the railing and gazing out at the even expanse of grayish white beyond the ship’s side. His gaze seemed to pierce through the “inner wall,” looking towards the untamed chaos and mist of infinite disarray in time and space beyond the regular shipping route.

In the deep fog, the Homeloss steered by Duncan Ebnomal might still be on a long voyage–he might have just set sail, might be on the verge of returning, might have just learned some truth about this world, or perhaps…

He had just hung an oil lamp at the world’s end, right by the door of a sleeping denizen of Homeloss.

…

With a hiss, the striking of a match broke the silence in the living room, a tiny flame approached the oil lamp on the table, casting a bright glow that enveloped the room in a light that was neither too glaring nor lacked a sense of warmth.

Heidi bent down to light the oil lamp on the table and then lifted her head to make sure every corner of the living room was visible before she moved to her mother’s side.

The light from the oil lamp, of course, couldn’t compare to electric lights, but due to a malfunction in one set of generators in the eastern district of the City-State, the government office had just issued an order for electricity rationing–now, the entire power grid of the City-State was under strain, and the power supply had to prioritize important factories, Shelters, and containment seal institutions. The usual home lighting naturally had to revert to more energy-saving “traditional methods.”

“I wonder when the electricity will be restored…” Heidi murmured softly.

“That depends on the repair progress of the generators,” her mother’s voice remained as calm and even as always, as if nothing could disturb the elderly lady’s composure, “Did the notice mention the extent of damage to the generators?”

“There was no specific mention of the damage, but I heard the malfunction has nothing to do with possessed machinery. It should just be ordinary operational issues,” said Heidi, “Probably a few days to fix, judging by past experiences. Could be as quick as two or three days, or at most a week… Tsk.”

The psychiatric consultant Miss sighed, clearly not in the best of moods.

“Gas lamps and oil lamps are still workable, it’s not too bad, is it?” her mother, however, smiled gently, then casually picked up a sheet of paper from the table and handed it to Heidi, “This is the ‘News Bulletin’ that just arrived this morning. Read it to me, won’t you? My eyesight isn’t what it used to be, and I can’t see very well.”

Heidi took the “newspaper” from her mother’s hand.

Now was the long nightfall, and the act of “reading” was already listed as a hazardous behavior. Libraries and book markets had long closed down, and even the majority of newspapers had suspended circulation during the nightfall period–but even so, people still had a fundamental need for information. Thus, under the supervision of the city hall, something known as the “News Bulletin” came into existence in the City-State.

It was a simplified version of a newspaper, with the paper itself having undergone exorcism and blessings by the cathedral. The content on the paper was carefully curated, controlling the extent and depth of reading to prevent incidents of knowledge contamination, while the paper itself was adorned with many sacred prayers and rune decorations to protect the mental safety of the reader.

With so many protective measures in place, the distribution of these newspapers was also strictly controlled–not sold openly, but delivered directly to those who had the credentials to read them through specific channels. These individuals needed to have basic esoteric knowledge and skills to handle “small troubles.”

The whole process and regulations were cumbersome, but regardless, the modern City-State was built upon the foundation of modern civilization–information had to circulate within the City-State, read by qualified individuals, and then disseminated to the unqualified but still important ordinary people of the City-State. Heidi might not be an official member of the city hall, but she had always interacted with the city’s administrators and could somewhat understand what those managing the city were thinking.

The night was long, and difficulties were inevitable–but they must delay the process of “human” decline during the nightfall to the maximum, so as to avoid… the “degeneration of civilization.”

Heidi unfolded the paper, steadied her mind, and read the contents to her mother:

“… The malfunction of the generator has been located, repair work is swiftly underway, and engineers estimate that replacement and repairs of all equipment can be completed within two days…

“The issue of improper food rationing in the northern district has been resolved; the City-State now has a sufficient reserve of food… the lighting system operates normally, and the vertical farms’ production is unaffected… an increase in fungi output…

“A standoff has occurred in the northern seas; the Cold Harbor and Murphy’s Harbor navies have assembled near a ‘Sun Shard.’ The Death Church fleet has intervened, and the situation has not escalated at this time…”

Heidi read through the brief news bites, occasionally pausing to utter a quiet prayer or invoke the name of God of Wisdom Rahm. Suddenly, she stopped.

“Is there any particular news?”

Her mother’s gentle voice came from next to her.

Heidi paused, her gaze still fixed on the last piece of news on the newspaper, and after several seconds, she exhaled lightly.

“… A brief from the Deep Sea Church states that the border exploration fleet has once again undertaken a ‘cross-boundary’ operation, with the Homeloss and the Brilliant Starship having crossed the Six Nautical Miles boundary…”