Deep Sea Embers

Chapter 266 The Sea Witch and the Frontier Relic

The diffuse golden radiance enveloped the entire sea surface, filling all the space around the Brilliant Star.

This "magic battleship" with a weird shape is moving forward in a shroud of brilliance. The front half of its hull is running at full power, the paddle wheel structures on both sides of the hull are roaring, and a large number of magic mechanisms set on the deck are constantly Projecting flickering gratings into the surrounding air, those devices designed by the "Sea Witch" are constantly detecting the surrounding environment during the voyage to collect important data.

And the second half of this ship is like a mist. The illusory structure like a ghost ship sometimes condenses, and sometimes turns into a nearly transparent posture. With the surrounding light undulating like fog, many ghostly sailors are there. Activities are carried out on the translucent deck, while monitoring the status of the "depth of the spirit world" while ensuring the stability of the Brilliant Star itself.

The sailors in the front section and the rear section of the whole ship are clearly separated, and they perform their duties, and only occasionally communicate or move around when necessary.

Lucrezia is standing at the front of the ship, on the top deck in a "blooming" state, which is like a large open terrace with the best view of the entire ship, allowing her to see clearly situation at sea.

There are two thick chains extending from the waist of the Brilliant Star, across the slightly undulating sea behind, and wrapped around a huge stone ball tens of meters away from the stern.

The stone ball floated a few meters above the sea, seemingly weightless, but the creaking sound from the chains from time to time and the fact that the Bright Star itself was still sailing slowly at full power proved that it was not easy to drag this thing. As simple as imagined.

Lucrezia looked at the stone ball for a long time before she looked back and rubbed her eyes.

The endless light mist released around the stone ball is actually not dazzling, but being shrouded in this boundless brilliance for a long time will still make the eyes feel a little uncomfortable, and the mysterious concave and convex lines on the surface of the stone ball will make people dazzled after a long time.

It's just that apart from these dazzling sensations, the stone ball and the surrounding light and mist itself seem to be harmless. When you look at them, you won't be mentally damaged, and you won't hear weird and frightening sounds when you get close... As An odd relic "picked up" from the frontier, which is not uncommon.

Lucrezia has been wandering the border for many years, and has seen many dangerous things that can easily induce mortals to go crazy, and this stone ball that projects a huge geometric illusion...is really the safest alien among many border relics.

A sound of footsteps came from the side, followed by the voice of the wind-up puppet Luni: "Mistress, there is a report from the boiler room. The power of the machine can no longer be increased. Now it is the limit speed."

"...It's less than one-third of the normal speed," Lucrecia sighed, "This big ball seems to be floating, and it's so hard to drag it."

"It's really weird." Luni tilted her head, looking confused like a human. "We tried various methods, but we couldn't measure its exact mass."

"Fortunately, at least it can be dragged. Slower is slower, but sooner or later it can be dragged back."

As Lucrezia spoke, she turned her head and glanced at the direction of the bow of the ship—due to the limited length of the chains, the Brilliant Star is now sailing inside the "giant geometry" projected by the stone ball, and you can see it from the bow. What I saw was only endless light, and I couldn't see the normal sea surface at all.

But she wasn't worried that the ship would get lost, or that the ship would hit an island or something like that.

Because the stern part of the Bright Star is sailing in the spirit world, and the spirit world is not affected by the stone ball, her ghost sailors can observe the sea conditions and guide the course in the observatory and chart room at the stern to ensure that the Bright Star Sailing on the right track.

This is unimaginable for ordinary ships, but for the hostess of the Bright Star, this is an easy operation.

"Did Qingfeng Harbor receive our news?" Lucrezia turned her head slightly and asked, "What's their response?"

"They have received news that a research team composed of mathematicians, runegraphers and extraordinary experts has been prepared at the port, as well as people sent by the Explorers' Association," Luni replied immediately, "But I I also told them that the Brilliant Star is sailing at a very slow speed now, so they may have to wait a while..."

"It's not just a matter of waiting a while longer," Lucrezia looked at the golden light everywhere on the sea, and couldn't help pursing her lips, "Tell them, what I found this time is not a small thing." Stuff - although its 'main body' is indeed small, its scope of influence is too large.

"Let them find a suitable transfer point in the offshore area, at least two or three nautical miles away from the port, otherwise they have to prepare for the entire port area to be shrouded in endless daylight."

Luni lowered her head slightly: "Yes, mistress, we will pass a lighthouse facility in 15 minutes, and I will send another telegram to Qingfeng Harbor."

Lucrezia hummed, then she didn't know what to think, and after a few seconds of silence, she suddenly laughed lightly and shook her head as if mocking herself.

Doll Luni looked at her suspiciously: "Mistress?"

"It's nothing, I just suddenly remembered something from a long time ago," Lucrezia said softly, "Luni, do you know that I used to scold my father when he returned from his expeditions."

"Old master? Are you scolding him?"

"Yeah, I scolded him for always picking up some weird things outside," Lucrezia seemed to be lost in memories, and said slowly while thinking, "Sometimes when you find a broken stone in the border area, you will be excited to study it." Ten days and a half months, and I will be dragging my brother and I to study together."

She turned around and looked at the chain extending from the stern of the boat and the stone ball at the end of the chain in a daze.

"Now, I also picked up a 'big rock' back... If he knows, I don't know what he will think."

Lu Ni didn't know how to respond to her mistress, she was silent for a moment before she spoke: "...you rarely mention the matter of the old master,"

"Probably because a lot has happened recently," Lucrezia shook her head, "Let's not talk about these, I'm a little tired, what time is it now?"

"It's late at night," Luni nodded, "You really should rest."

"It's already late at night?" Lucrecia asked in surprise, and then waved her hand, "Drag this thing, 24 hours is like daytime, day and night are upside down...you stare at the boat, I'll go to rest first. "

Before she finished speaking, her figure suddenly disintegrated into countless flying pieces of colored paper, flying in the direction of the captain's cabin fluttering with the wind.

……

Until she returned to the cathedral, and until the end of evening prayer, Fanna still looked preoccupied—and it was obviously impossible to hide her preoccupied state from Bishop Valentine.

In the face of the bishop's inquiry, she did not hide the "communication in a dream" with the ghost captain on the way back from the port.

In the small prayer room connected to the side hall, Valentine quietly listened to Fan Na's narration.

"... I am not surprised by 'his' visit," the old bishop said with a calm expression, "some kind of...transformation has taken place in the entire Puland city-state, whether we want to admit it or not, we and the land under our feet The land has now established an inseparable connection with the Lost Homeland, I have discussed this with your uncle, do you know what he said?"

"……How did he say?"

"Behind today's Prand stands a 'Master' in the shadows, just like the 'Ten Cities' described in the Galante, in the shadows stands an uncrowned king, an unnamed An invisible but tangible 'owner', this 'master' does not claim his authority over the city any more than you claim master over the coins in your pocket--but when You don't think of asking their opinion when you take out coins."

Fanna showed a thoughtful expression: "...Ten Cities, it is said to be the most chilling fragment in the "Gallan Verses", describing the ten city-states being gradually taken over by an invisible ruler and transformed into shadows process, and until the end of the long poem, the author did not describe the ruler himself at all, but only hinted at the existence of the 'invisible king' through the description of the atmosphere, customs and environment in the city-state. I have read it , but I was still young at that time, and I couldn't understand the kind of relish when adults talked about the horror of this long poem."

Having said that, she shook her head lightly.

"But I think at least that Captain Duncan is not trying to transform the city-state into some kind of... indescribable hotbed like in the poem 'Ten Cities'. At least he has not shown any malice right now. .”

"Indeed, he didn't show any malice, and even came here to warn you," Bishop Valentine nodded lightly, "The issue of vision 001 has actually attracted the attention of the Church of Four Gods, but according to my I understand that the current mainstream views of various churches are still waiting for when vision 001 can "return to normal", but if the warning conveyed by Captain Duncan is true..."

The old bishop stopped, and only sighed after a while.

"Then our world will be in big trouble."

(End of this chapter)