Ashes Of Deep Sea Chapter 445

Chapter 445: Chapter 446: The Biological Father Is a Fun Person Chapter 445: Chapter 446: The Biological Father Is a Fun Person Duncan, who was just walking into the captain's quarters, suddenly stopped and turned his head to glance behind him.

There seemed to be some slight disturbance in the direction of the ship's bow deck. In the subtle perceptions conveyed by the Homeloss, that disturbance was caused by Sherry and Dog.

But there were no problems there.

“Doing homework is such a chore,” Duncan muttered to himself as he shook his head and stepped towards the sea chart.

The goat-headed navigator by the navigation table instantly made a creaking wooden friction noise as it turned its head toward Duncan. Its two pitch-black obsidian eyes seemed to brighten up, “Ah! The great Captain Duncan has come to the side of his loyal first mate–Your catch of the day…”

“No fish today,” Duncan glanced at the goat head, “With all that commotion in Frost earlier, I'm afraid there won't be any fish to catch around here for a while.”

The compliments that the goat head had been brewing were immediately stifled back, and its wooden neck creaked from side to side a couple of times before it managed to choke out, “Ah… at least you've gained a leisurely morning. The sea breeze is comfortable today, and the sunlight is nice. It's a good day to wander the seas. If you're interested, we could go near Cold Harbor…”

“Not interested. I don't plan to let the Homeloss get near any city-state for now,” Duncan interrupted the goat head, which was about to start babbling, while his gaze casually fell on the sea chart before him.

Murky fog slowly undulated over the chart, within which a distinct sailing route was marked–the course that the Homeloss had taken heading north. Around the symbolic ship's ghostly silhouette were signs representing Frost and the Sea Mist, which emitted a faint green glow.

The latter was currently docked at the edge of the Frost City-State.

“The Sea Mist seems pretty quiet over there…” Duncan's eyes landed on the shade that marked the Sea Mist, and his lips suddenly curled into a slight smile, as if thinking of something pleasant, “Looks like it's going well.”

“Going well? Ah, Captain, do you have yet another grand strategy forming?” The goat head immediately perked up, craning its neck toward the sea chart while chattering, “Do you have plans? Are you going to subvert the city-state that's weak in the aftermath? Or will you take the chance to completely reclaim the Sea Mist that deserted the fleet? It's just like you, planning more than just…”

Duncan silently gave the goat head a look, “Is your head only filled with ideas of pillaging, scheming, and subverting? Can't there be some positive outcomes?”

The goat head thought for a moment, then changed its approach, “Are you going to personally help Frost re-establish order to overcome this predicament? Or maybe guide Tirian to shed his dishonorable reputation as a renegade and lead him back to the correct and grand path?”

Duncan suddenly gave it a strange look, “How did you come up with that?”

“Captain, perhaps you haven't noticed, but I do possess some power of observation, and having been with you this long, I've come to understand you more,” The goat head slowly turned its neck, its pitch-black eyeballs devoid of any emotion, yet its tone clearly carried a hint of pride and relaxation, “You won't ignore Frost in its current state–unlike Prandt, Frost has suffered more severe damage in this disaster. If truly left unattended, great troubles will arise, and you…”

It suddenly stopped mid-sentence, seemingly searching for the right words, and after a brief pause, it continued calmly, “And you, are full of humanity.”

Duncan was silent for a moment, quietly staring into the goat head's eyes that seemed capable of swallowing light. After a long while, he softly broke the silence, “A very sharp power of observation.”

The goat head hesitated slightly, then suddenly let out a crack from its neck, “This, this… this sounds like something you'd say before a murder…”

Duncan, however, laughed, shaking his head gently, “See, you still don't know me well enough–I don't mind those with sharp observational skills; it saves me a lot of trouble.”

Having said that, he waved his hand, not bothering to see how the goat head reacted, and stood up to look toward an antique, circular mirror not far away.

Gentle flames rose in his gaze, turning the mirror surface deep and dark. In the spreading calm radiance, the image of Tirian, rushing hurriedly, gradually became clear.

“Good morning, Tirian. I hope I haven't disturbed your rest,” Duncan said evenly, watching the “great pirate” in the mirror, who was clearly running over, with a hint of a smile, “How was your sleep last night?”

Tirian in the mirror was visibly nervous. He took several deep breaths to calm himself, forcing a stiff smile, “Father… good morning. I was just about to look for you–Oh, my rest wasn't bad last night, thank you for asking.”

“You're being too formal with me; you don't have to be so tense,” Duncan adjusted his sitting posture, looking at Tirian's reflection with a smile that wasn't quite a smile, “What, did my demeanor before scare you?”

“No… not at all!” Tirian quickly sat up straight, like a student unexpectedly called upon in class, “I've just grown to respect you more…”

“That's enough. I hope you can relax a bit–no stance of mine should make you that nervous,” Duncan shook his head, “You said you were looking for me? Is there something you need to discuss?”

Tirian hesitated, as if organizing his thoughts and weighing how to start speaking. After a moment, he spoke tentatively, “It's about Frost. I don't know how to explain, but they seem to want…”

The great pirate stumbled a bit, as if unsure whether certain things should be voiced, but then, Duncan's voice suddenly interrupted him, “Let me guess what your next role will be–A general of the Frost City-State? A senior official in the city hall? Or perhaps… they've gone ahead and made you the Governor already?”

Tirian, who had been struggling with his wording, was taken aback and looked up in surprise.

“`
“How could you…”

“It's simple, because I suggested it–the Mist Fleet's entry into the city,” Duncan said with a composed face, “otherwise, do you think there is another factor that could have spurred the chaotic city hall into action so swiftly and unified their opinion?–You're familiar with their procedural operations.”

Tirian's expression visibly grew more colorful, with something akin to the emotions of “I've agonized all night considering life and the future only to be shocked to discover my own father is a pleasure seeker” brewing in his eyes, but he looked at the mirror in front of him, opening his mouth several times without daring to voice the slightly disrespectful thoughts in his mind, he only gazed at Duncan with a conflicted and perplexed look: “Why would you do this…”

“Very simple, because Frost needs you, and you need Frost,” Duncan retracted the pleasure seeker's hint of a smile from the corner of his mouth and looked at Tirian with a serious expression, “Internally, the city's chaotic situation needs a force strong enough to pacify and appease, externally, the Frost Navy has been severely damaged, and the entire City-State urgently needs strong protection, so who else has both powerful management and a mighty fleet?”

Duncan slightly adjusted his position, leaning forward, looking into Tirian's eyes.

“It seems you have accepted their invitation, just as I said, Frost needs you–and you need it.”

Tirian's eyes showed a hint of evasiveness: “Fifty years, I've been a pirate long enough, changing my lifestyle doesn't seem too bad.”

“Tell the truth.”

“…After all, you personally intervened to protect that place, I don't want to see your efforts go to waste…”

“Tell the truth.”

“I admire the stubborn spirit displayed by the Frostfolk–faced with disaster, they didn't shrink back, even when you hadn't stepped in to help, they didn't surrender. I admit, I don't want to see these people suffer in the days to come.”

Duncan said nothing, just quietly watched Tirian.

Tirian shrugged: “On the other hand, I also don't want to see the place once protected by Her Majesty Lei Nora fall into a protracted and debilitating dark age.”

Duncan still said nothing.

“Alright…” Tirian finally sighed, looking helpless, “That's all of it.”

“Good, be an honest man, especially in front of me,” Duncan withdrew his gaze, relaxing his posture again, “So, what is your new title now?”

“They've appointed me as Governor,” Tirian said with a complex expression tugging at the corner of his mouth, “They even… brought out a whole stack of contingency plans that had been prepared long ago.”

Duncan didn't speak momentarily as if lost in brief reflection; after a few seconds, he finally exhaled softly: “A bit bolder than what I had anticipated.”

Tirian hesitated, his eyes carrying a hint of inquiry: “Do you have any advice for me?”

“Why would you want my advice?” Duncan smiled, “You've followed the Frost Queen and commanded the Mist Fleet for fifty years, dealing with every City-State across the Chill Sea, I don't think I have any advice to offer you regarding 'becoming Governor.'”
“I just wanted to hear your thoughts.”

After pondering, Duncan broke the silence with a soft voice: “Then do it well, do your best–in this cold world, there are very few things people can rely on.”

“…I understand.”

“Mmm,” Duncan hummed in response, then suddenly turned his head to glance at the nautical chart beside him, “Besides, there's one more thing.”

Instantly, Tirian's expression stiffened: “Please instruct me.”

Duncan's gaze fell on the chart, where the phantom image of the White Oak was rapidly emerging almost overlapping with the Sea Mist's position.

He turned back to Tirian with a smile: “Hold on tight in a moment.”

Tirian was startled: “What?”

Duncan waved his hand, casually dissipating the flames in the mirror, and in that moment the flames vanished, a faint cry of surprise came from the opposite side of the mirror–
“Hey, what's happening?!!”

Chapter end

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