Ashes Of Deep Sea Chapter 438

Chapter 438: Chapter 439: The Captain's Suggestion Chapter 438: Chapter 439: The Captain's Suggestion Duncan shifted to a more comfortable position, leaning back on the sofa. Through the crisscrossed gaps in the bandages on his face, he looked at the priestess before him with a smile that wasn't quite a smile.

“Now that you know my identity, what are your thoughts,” he said with a smile, “from the perspective of the Death Church–you should immediately report this matter.”

Agatha opened her mouth, struggling to find words, and after a full half-minute, she finally managed a rueful smile and spread her hands: “You've put me in a very awkward position…”
“But you really should report everything that has happened here to the church immediately,” Duncan's smile faded, and he finally became serious, “Praland was the first, Frost the second–the heretics have indeed caused a lot of trouble over the years, but never has such trouble appeared so densely. And don't forget, aside from the two City-States that almost faced extinction, the sun above us–the phenomenon 001–has also recently shown unsettling changes.”

Agatha quickly recovered from her embarrassment, and as Duncan reminded her, her expression grew more somber: “…Are you saying that all these events are connected?”

“I don't know–don't be so surprised, I'm not some omniscient being,” Duncan said offhandedly, “but I have a habit, when a series of low-probability events occur one after another, I tend to think they are the 'harbingers' of a larger system beginning to malfunction. Have you considered why the heretics in the two City-States have both been able to succeed recently? Of all the mass heretical sacrifices throughout history, how many have actually caused a stir?”

Agatha fell into deep thought, her expression gradually turning grave.

“Report it all, everything,” Duncan said softly, “don't miss any clues–let the minds of the wise ponder it.”

“I understand. I'll report it truthfully,” Agatha nodded solemnly, and then emphasized as if looking directly at Duncan, “Everything.”

“I look forward to the Death Church's reaction,” Duncan breathed out lightly, as if he was relieved of a burden, “It's not good to keep dragging things on.”

Afterward, the living room fell silent for a while, as if everyone (except Alice) was lost in their own thoughts. It was not known how long this lasted before Agatha suddenly spoke up, breaking the silence, “I should go back now.”

“Won't you stay a bit longer?” said Duncan, “Under the current circumstances, you'll have countless issues to worry about once you leave. You won't get many chances to hide away and enjoy some peace here.”

“That's precisely why I must go back quickly,” Agatha shook her head, “The City-State is now riddled with countless problems that need to be solved, not just in the church but also in the city hall–it's a mess. If I continue to hide away in quiet, no one will be there to take charge of the situation.”

“A mess, huh…” Duncan repeated thoughtfully, then suddenly asked a question, “Do you think, relying on what's left of Frost's organizational strength and manpower, you can really restore order to the entire City-State in a short amount of time?”

Agatha was taken aback, appearing not to understand the purpose of Duncan's sudden question, but after a brief silence, she still nodded: “…I'll do my best.”

“'Do your best'–but many times, doing one's best doesn't solve the problem.”

“…What do you mean?”

“I just had a very bold suggestion,” Duncan smiled, his gaze settling on Agatha, “a suggestion from an outsider.”

…
When Agatha left number 44 Oak Street, the Sky Light had already begun to dim, the strength of the sun was gradually retreating from the real world, and little snowflakes still fluttered about in the sky–fine swirling snowflakes fell from the dark chaos, passing through the dim haloes cast by gas street lamps, slowly covering the deserted streets.

The guardians' night patrol troops passed by at a distant intersection, and the clacking footsteps of the steam walkers occasionally broke the silence of the streets, while the chiming of the day-night bell floated from afar. The wind carried the sound of the organ from the street corner chapel.

The scarred City-State licked its wounds in the night.

The cold wind blew through the streets, tossing Agatha's hair and the hem of her dress as she stretched out her hand in the snowfall, tilting her head slightly, “It's still snowing.”

Fenna, who had seen her out, curiously shifted her gaze, “You can't see the snowflakes?”

“I can't–but I can feel them,” Agatha said softly. “There's a lot more in my field of vision now, but also much less. It'll take a long time to adapt.”

She slowly drew her hand back, a smile suddenly spreading across her face, “But the good news is, I can't feel the chill of the cold wind anymore because no matter how thick the clothes or how many fires I light, I find this world… just as cold.”

“…Sorry, I can hardly imagine that feeling.”

“Oh, don't mind it, actually, it's not much of a bother to me,” Agatha smiled and slowly clenched her fist. As strength gathered, a faint green flame began to emerge from the crisscrossed “scars” covering her body, the flames flowed through her like blood, “This way, it's a bit better.”

Fenna was silent for a few seconds, “If the captain knew you were using the flame he bestowed upon you for warmth, his expression would probably be priceless.”

“What kind of person is he?” Agatha put away her fiery power and suddenly asked with curiosity, “Is he usually… very strict or frightening?”

“What do you think? You have met him twice now.”

“I feel that all the information has discrepancies with the truth. He is far more peaceful and amiable than I imagined, but… maybe I should refer to Him as 'It.' I wonder if I should even be measuring an existence like His by the standards of mortals. I know He was once human, but with Subspace… you know what I mean.”

Fenna thought for a few seconds, then gently shook her head, “Actually, I haven't been following him for long, and probably can't give you a definitive answer, but I can tell you that I had similar concerns as you–and in the end, the Storm Cathedral made the decision to place me, a Judge, aboard the Homeloss. Just like Captain Duncan chose to believe that a 'counterfeit' can possess humanity, we believe… or rather, wish to believe in Captain Duncan's humanity, after all…”

She suddenly stopped speaking, raised her head to gaze at the snowflakes fluttering in the sky, and after a moment, she said softly as if talking to herself, “After all, this world is too cold. If even we no longer believe in hope, then over this Endless Sea there would truly be nothing but the biting cold.”

Agatha did not speak for a moment.

After a few seconds of silence, Fenna suddenly asked, “What do you think of the captain's suggestion?”

Agatha fell into contemplation, and after a while, she began with a complex expression, “Letting the Mist Fleet into the city… to be honest, I'm not even sure if it would restore order to the City-State or bring even more chaos–you have been living in this city for some time now, you must be very clear about what the Mist Fleet means to most Frostfolk…”

“To most people from Sky Light City-State, the Homeloss is also terrifying–but trust me, after a terrifying disaster, people's 'tolerance' can really reach an exaggerated level. From a group perspective, the desire for a stable life will override many concerns.”

“The desire for a stable life…”

Agatha murmured, feeling the cold of the snowy night through her lifeless shell, and for some reason, she thought of something else.

Fifty years ago, when that uprising broke out, it seemed to be snowing as well.

“I will discuss this matter carefully with the city hall officials,” she seemed to make up her mind and turned to Fenna, “and from a personal standpoint, I will support it.”

“We all hope for the best,” said Fenna.

“Yes, we all hope for the best.”

Agatha repeated, then she waved her hand and began walking towards the steam carriage with the church emblem that was parked on the street corner.

But she had only taken a few steps when she suddenly stopped.

“Is there something else?” asked Fenna curiously.

“Some… personal questions, I hope they are not too offensive,” Agatha turned around, her expression somewhat odd, and asked hesitantly, “Did you… really once leap off a cliff and safely return after slaying offspring?”

Fenna was stunned for a moment, her expression becoming strange, “Why suddenly ask this?”

“I don't know, but the question just popped into my head,” Agatha seemed a bit embarrassed, “I feel like I heard rumors about this at some point… sorry, if this question makes you uncomfortable, I…”

“No, it's nothing. That did happen,” Fenna relaxed and waved her hand with a smile, “But the real situation is quite different from the rumors–I was actually just walking and accidentally slipped off the edge of a cliff. When I landed, I happened to crush a deep-sea pollutant that had washed ashore for some reason. It wasn't a true 'offspring,' and there was no real slaying involved. I have no idea why it got spun into such a tale.”

Agatha's mouth dropped slightly open–although her eyes were covered, her expression still betrayed her 'slack-jawed' shock.

“So… you're okay?” inquired the gatekeeper miss instinctively.

“Actually, it was quite a nasty fall,” Fenna admitted with an embarrassed grin, then she patted her chest, striking a robust pose, “But luckily, I was an athlete, so after drinking hot water and lying down for two days I was fine.”

Agatha: “…?”

The gatekeeper miss was profoundly shaken.

Fenna looked puzzled, “Why are you making that face?”

“…Your Sky Light athletes, they are… formidable.”

Chapter end

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