Ashes Of Deep Sea Chapter 356

Chapter 356: 360 Chapter 356: 360 Captains navigating the Endless Sea, especially those using modern technology, are certainly no strangers to “stars” — the vast starry sky situated between the Mysterious Deep Sea and the Spirit Realm provides extremely accurate navigation for ships. It can guide the correct course even when the vessel enters the Anomaly Waters, and it can even lead those lost to certain “abnormalities” out of danger and back to reality.

Of course, there are other professions that deal with the “starry sky”. Scholars study it to unlock the deep mysteries of the world, diviners observe it to predict the fate of all things, and some secret societies even regard the starry sky as a source of knowledge and revelation. These societies risk peering into the starry sky with dangerous methods that teeter on the edge of sanity in hopes of mastering secrets about the Profound Demons without falling into their depths — these dangerous societies often end up as prey for the Profound Demons or potential “allies” of the obliterated believers, and so they are also the prime targets of crackdowns by churches and authorities of various City-States. Regardless, the profession most closely associated with the “starry sky” and the most frequent users of various Spirit Realm lenses are still the captains on the Endless Sea.

Lawrence had been adrift on this ominous vast sea for half his life and naturally knew many things related to the starry sky, including methods of stargazing and the dangers that had to be faced.

He buried his head deeply into the recessed area of the Spirit Realm lens — of course, gazing at stars required bowing one's head, that was common sense. He then began to quietly recite the name of the deity he believed in, allowing that name to resonate with the blessings the priest had just bestowed upon him.

As the mystical power gradually diffused, his spiritual resonance and faith steadily rose, he first heard a subtle sound, as if water was gathering in a basin and moving towards him — he smelled the faint, briny scent of seawater, and the next second, he felt as if his entire face was submerged in water.

Novice navigators stargazing for the first time can easily panic at this point; the illusory sensation of “drowning” can shake their composure, allowing unnecessary shadows to enter their minds. Therefore, a novice's first stargazing session must be assisted by someone, whose main task is to pull them away from the Spirit Realm lens before they mutate into a pile of writhing flesh.

But this was no issue for Lawrence.

He knew that the “seawater” engulfing him was the power of the Storm Goddess Gomona — the gods do not harm their believers. Now, he could open his eyes.

Lawrence slowly opened his eyes.

Both the sky full of stars and endless darkness filled his vision simultaneously.

Looking down, he saw boundless darkness, the endlessly deep and profound space fringed by the surging chaotic light of the Spirit Realm's faint projections. Between that darkness, myriad constant, dense dots of light came together to form clusters and filmy structures of various sizes, some resembling clouds, some like vortices, others like rivers. This endless expanse of points of light spectacularly covered the old captain's view, tracing some sort of mysterious design not yet known to mortals.

Deep within the splendid, curtain-like starry sky, between some “clusters” of light points, faint shadows different from the darkness could be discerned. They appeared like shattered lands floating in the depths of the starlight, radiantly spread out, with dim, pale “rivers” lying between them. A mere glance was enough to make one feel dizzy and fearful.

That was deeper than the Spirit Realm, the terrifying homeland of the Profound Demons — the Mysterious Deep Sea.

The starry sky is a veil floating between the Mysterious Deep Sea and the Spirit Realm.

Lawrence cautiously controlled his line of sight, careful not to gaze too deeply into the profound depths to avoid attracting the attention of those chaotic, dim-witted demons. At the same time, he concentrated and began to search for his position in the starry sky.

He found it, a faint projection, like a lost soul floating somewhere among the stars.

Lawrence stared at that projection, carefully distinguishing it for a long while, when suddenly he couldn't help furrowing his brow.

His position … was it near the Frost shores?

The old captain's mind tensed as he began to move his hands, searching for the control stick on the side of the lens device. He carefully adjusted the machine, and the many small lenses on the cylindrical device's side immediately kicked into action, changing the “starry sky”'s observational angle in Lawrence's vision.

After confirming several times, he realized he was indeed near the Frost shores — already at a position where he could see the Frost island with the naked eye.

Just then, Lawrence's vision blurred.

The starry sky scenery, filled with countless points of light, flickered for a moment, turning pitch black, and then resumed as normal.

Lawrence was caught by surprise, instinctively wanting to readjust the control stick to reset the view, but years of experience made him forcibly stop this instinct and he suddenly raised his head.

A flickering starry sky picture could mean a fault in the Spirit Realm lens — and no matter the cause, any anomalies during the observation process had to be immediately ceased.

This was a safety protocol summarized by countless forbearers with their lives.

Lawrence rubbed his temples and glanced at his wristwatch, noting that only a few minutes had passed.

He began to check the entire lens device, preparing to carry out another observation after troubleshooting and confirming safety.

But just as he was about to dismantle the machine's casing, a knock on the door suddenly interrupted him.

“Captain!” The first mate's voice came from outside, “Captain, have you finished your observation? We've received a signal!”

Lawrence's brows furrowed slightly, and after a moment's hesitation, he put aside the work in his hands and quickly walked to the door. Opening it, he saw the first mate standing at the threshold.

“We've received a response from Frost,” the first mate began, glanced at the interior of the observatory to make sure nothing was out of the ordinary, then set his eyes on Lawrence. “The close-to-coast and harbor entry permissions have been granted.”

Lawrence's frown deepened as he felt an odd sensation rise in his heart. Recalling the incongruity he had noticed in the observatory just moments before, he asked seriously, “Have we caught sight of Frost Island itself?”

“We can visually confirm it,” the first mate nodded. “The fog has cleared at sea, and our course was slightly off, very slight–but it has been corrected.”

Lawrence turned to look back at the observatory, his expression growing more solemn.

“Captain?” The first mate finally took note of the captain's unusual demeanor. His own expression tensing up, he asked, “Did you discover something?”

“There was something off in the observatory just now… and according to our observations, we should have already been close to Frost Island. There's no way the fog or a deviation in our course would prevent us from seeing it,” Lawrence spoke in a low voice. “Have the engineer check the Spirit Realm lens assembly, see if there's an equipment malfunction. I'll go up and take a look.”

“Yes, Captain.”

Lawrence hurriedly left the lower decks, ascending the stairs and passing through the various compartments of the White Oak, soon arriving on the upper deck.

Instead of returning to the bridge, he stood directly at the bow deck, looking out towards the distant scene.

A large city-state lay ahead of the White Oak, its coastal buildings and port facilities clearly visible. The fog had dissipated, gentle waves undulated slowly on the sea surface, and clouds of varying density floated across the sky. The Sky Light poured through the clouds, illuminating the distant sea and city-state.

It indeed appeared to be Frost, with no signs of anything unusual.

Lawrence knitted his brows tighter, then lifted his gaze to the sky once more.

Other than the clouds being plentiful, there were no anomalies.

After a moment, he left the deck and returned to the bridge. Meanwhile, the sailor at the telegraph was just receiving another welcoming message from Frost Harbor.

Lawrence looked at the note recorded by the sailor–
“The harbor is open, welcome to Frost.”

Lawrence blinked, suddenly feeling that he might have been a bit too anxious–the minor malfunction of the Spirit Realm lens, combined with the fog that had lingered on the sea, had exacerbated his nervousness when, in fact, everything here was clearly normal.

“We'll dock.”

“Yes, Captain.”

Duncan and his party had departed from “Second Waterway” and bid farewell to Nemo in the secret passageway that connected to it.

They had searched the collapsed corridor for a long time but were unable to discover any clues. They found neither more “mud” nor any pores or traces where the “mud” might have seeped in.

Of course, they hadn't found that mysterious location where “Crow” had once gotten lost.

The clues seemed to have been severed.

“I and the old spirit will see to Crow's burial. Please convey to Captain Tyrion that Crow died like a true warrior–he was a member that the Mist Fleet could be proud of.”

In the secret passage, Nemo removed his hat and gave a slight bow in front of Duncan.

“I will tell him,” Duncan said, looking at the man known as “the informant” with special gravity. “Moreover, the investigation into this matter is not over.”

Nemo lifted his head to meet Duncan's gaze.

“Crow left behind very important information. He definitely had been to some place, and that 'fake' couldn't have appeared in Second Waterway out of nowhere,” Duncan spoke slowly. “I'll keep on the investigation, and if necessary–I'll search every brick and every blade of grass in this city-state.”

Chapter end

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