Ashes Of Deep Sea Chapter 418

Chapter 418: Chapter 422 What is Seen in the Darkness Chapter 418: Chapter 422 What is Seen in the Darkness “How did the key end up in the hands of the first Governor?”

This was the question that occupied Agatha's mind the most at the moment–because no matter which historical record one referred to, whether it was from the perspective of the Queen's supporters or from the current City-State authorities, there was one consistent point regarding the description of the “rebellion” or “revolt” that occurred half a century ago: there was an irreconcilable conflict between the Frost Queen and the rebel forces.

The two were enemies, without any possibility of understanding or cooperation, let alone any “legacy” relationship–so why would the key of Queen Lei Nora end up in the hands of the City-State's Governor? And why did Winston refer to it as a “curse” and a “gift”?

Thinking rapidly, Agatha lowered her head, eyeing Winston's eyes: “There is another truth to the rebellion–not that the Frost Queen and the rebel forces had made some agreement…”
“It's not as dramatic as that, Gatekeeper, although it does sound like a good story–mad rulers of the City-State sympathizing with the leaders of the righteous forces, orchestrating a great uprising capable of ending the chaos of the former dynasty to pass on power and responsibility. Playwrights and novelists would like this theme, but unfortunately, true history has no such sentiment.

“The great uprising was inevitable; the rift between the mad queen and the Frost citizens was beyond repair. She had been great once, but her failure in the Deep Abyss Project had pushed the City-State to the brink of collapse. The first Governor's rebellion against the Queen was for the survival of more people, and there was no room for peaceful dialogue between them from the start.

“But there is one thing you're not wrong about–the Queen and the rebel forces did indeed have a certain 'understanding.' The Queen knew her overthrow was inevitable, and the rebels also knew that the Queen's madness wasn't just 'insanity.' She must have had many secrets.

“So, on the night before the execution, the leader of the rebels, who was the first Governor, sought out the imprisoned Queen; he wanted to understand what secrets she was hiding.

“As a result, the Queen gave him the key, and told him–with her life ended after the execution, whoever held the key would naturally come to know everything.”

Winston paused, a mocking yet helpless expression crossing his face. He lowered his head, staring at the brass key in his hand, and after a long time, he chuckled bitterly, “Do you know what she said to the leader of the rebels at the end? The history books of later generations never describe this; only successive Governors know this.

“'I did what I could; you think you can do better, very well, now it's your turn.' That was what she said after the first Governor took the key.”

“…Every choice has its cost.” Agatha sighed softly after hearing this unknown part of history.

“Gatekeeper,” Winston suddenly looked up, his strange smile returning as he raised the brass key, “Do you want to try? Take the key, have a glimpse of the scene once seen by Lei Nora?”

Agatha hesitated for a moment. She stared intently at the key that Winston was handing over, feeling her heart, which had been beating slowly, pounding again. A deep, oppressive force was emanating from the key, as if it was condensing half a century's darkness and malice–however, after several seconds of silence and hesitation, she took a light breath and reached out for the key.

A slight chill came from her fingertips.

The next second, countless phantoms surged from the boundless darkness, chaotic fragments of light and shadow sweeping over like a storm, filling Agatha's mind; and among the flurry of barraging snippets of information, visions began to flash in her mind–
In the Endless Sea's immense darkness, some massive and terrifying dark limb was slowly breeding, growing;
An ancient, chilling gaze looked out from the depths of the sea towards the City-State, indifferently surveying the mortal world like some incomprehensible ancient deity;
Shadowy, ghastly materials spilt from the depths of the sea, surging upwards, turning into the reality of Replication, flitting between shadow and substance, the depths of the Endless Sea teeming with chaotic, murky figures gazing up at the City-State with hollow eyes;
And in even more distant places, on the darker and deeper sea floor, beneath hundreds of City-States in the whole world, the entire Endless Sea, was dimly discernible, as if the ancient world had sunk into the boundless darkness, the loathsome entities spawning from ancient corpses, continuously rising, continuously rising…
Amid these countless layers of visions, Agatha could always feel some kind of “watch” deep within them–this wasn't a gaze or any kind of clear will. It felt as if she was being watched by time itself, something more ancient than history, grander than the City-State, even as if from the deepest part of this world… was watching her.

In that “watch” there was no emotion, no malice nor kindness, just observing, like a soulless shell looking at an ignorant intruder into the truth, and said indifferently–
“Oh, you're here.”

“Boom!”

Agatha felt a thunderous noise deep within her consciousness, and the last shreds of her sanity had her desperately surfacing through the countless layers of overlapping illusions. During this process, her perceptions and thoughts were suppressed to the brink–she could sense there was more information, more fragments of thoughts swirling around her, possibly even containing the will or words left by Queen Lei Nora; however, she could neither see nor understand them clearly.

By the time she regained control of her body, all the illusions had ended, and she opened her eyes in the dark chaos to see Governor Winston still before her, even maintaining the final posture of handing her the brass key–only a second seemed to have passed.

She was back in this strange, writhing, dark space… Wait, something was different!

Agatha suddenly noticed a bizarre change in her field of vision and looked up in horror, scanning her surroundings.

The darkness in all directions seemed to have receded a great deal, and those black, shapeless things slowly writhing and transforming in the darkness appeared to be gradually coalescing, morphing into solid forms. Amidst this ceaseless changing of shape and substance, she saw many things growing out of the surrounding space from nothing–looking like dried-up tree branches, densely filling the entire space. The black “branches” interconnected in the void, merging with one another, and faint glimmers moved between them, resembling…
Express message capsules whizzing through steam pipes.

And in the depths of the “branch” network as complex as a thicket, through the layered illusions, Agatha saw something huge… a limb.

It was a robust limb like a tentacle, colossal in scale as if to support the heavens and the earth. The surface of this giant pillar was covered in dark blue lines, the patterns formed by those lines… looked like countless eyes.

Mental contamination? Illusion? Madness Threshold?

Numerous thoughts flashed through Agatha's mind, and she immediately closed her eyes, only to find that the “giant pillar” supporting the heavens and earth was still lingering in her vision. She tried to pray to the god of death and stabilize her will with Divine Arts, but found that her mind was clear, with no signs of Corrosion.

After several rapid attempts at emergency measures had failed, she realized something–
She was not mad but was, in a state of sober sanity, witnessing a “scenery” that was unknown in location and reality.

She stood amidst this grand and terrifying “scenery,” as if deprived of thought, until Governor Winston's voice brought her back, “Oh, it looks like you saw it.”

The middle-aged Governor said, slowly lifting his head, softly exclaiming, “It's spectacular, isn't it?”

Agatha, hesitating, lowered her head and then noticed that what Winston was “leaning” on was not a tree stump–it was actually part of the vast “branch” structure around her, an end extending from the branches, with faintly discernible black structures above it, sprawling into the deepest part of this eerie space.

“These… these branches…”
“This is the thinking of an ancient god, materialized in the field of vision of us mortals to appear as such,” Winston said calmly, “You have only touched the key for the first time, so what you can see is still very little. But I have been with this key day and night for more than a decade… The things it has told me, they are far beyond your imagination.”

Agatha, as if plunged into a dreamlike stupor, slowly comprehended Winston's words, repeating subconsciously, “Ancient god's… thinking?”

“Isn't it incredible? These branch-like things don't truly exist. What you see may just be a fleeting thought of a deity in a certain moment, and this thought is so powerfully reflected here that it becomes the immense structure you see with your eyes–ah, don't try to decipher anything from them, don't attempt to understand the pattern of those flashes; it will drive you mad.”

Agatha abruptly turned her head, “Has someone gone mad because of this?”

“Yes,” Winston chuckled, “Have you forgotten? Her name was Lei Nora…”
Agatha was speechless for a moment, then after a few seconds, she spoke softly, “Then… that thing beyond the 'thicket,' what is it?”

“It's The Saint,” Winston declared indifferently, “A small part of Him, the part that pierces into the City-State.”

Chapter end

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