Ashes Of Deep Sea Chapter 452

Chapter 452: Chapter 453: Pointing to the Deity Chapter 452: Chapter 453: Pointing to the Deity A whirlwind wrapped in pale dust smoke gradually disappeared from Duncan's view.

Agatha had left.

“I always felt… she has changed a lot compared to before,” Fenna finally broke the silence when the last trace of Grey Wind had vanished into the air, “especially the words she said last–not at all like what the former 'Guardian' would have said.”

“Experiences change a person, especially everything she has been through,” Duncan said indifferently, “And on the other hand, the role she now bears is no longer just 'Guardian', which was bound to bring change.”

Fenna was a bit curious, “You don't seem worried?”

“Because she has not wavered–those who have come to a realization tend to be more steadfast,” Duncan mentioned casually, “She is rational and not yet desperate enough to take a paranoid or wrong path due to the pressures of survival in the City-State, her last few words might not be as devout, but at least they were sober.”

Fenna didn't respond for a moment, and Duncan turned his head, looking meaningfully at the young Judge, “What you're actually worried about isn't Agatha, is it?”

“… My faith does not allow me to lie,” after a brief silence, Fenna finally sighed softly, “Yes, I am worried about my own state. In Agatha, I see a reflection of myself–my faith wavering, my words and actions heretical.”

Duncan remained silent, just waiting quietly for the other to continue.

“… I once thought that keeping steadfast faith and an unyielding spirit was enough to confront all problems head-on–the gods determined the order in which the world operates, we were like gears, peacefully operating within the framework. But the reality is… the order is as fragile as sea foam, mere faith and spirit can't save our City-State, and our longstanding understanding of the world is being challenged…
“'The sun' is not eternal; the 'boiling gold' that supports modern civilization's development might be a relic of the ancient gods; the gods do not always protect the City-State, beneath the deep sea is darkness not described or explained by any religious scripture–the appearance of you has even overturned my understanding of Subspace over the past two decades.”

“The last point, I suggest you still maintain caution–the others you mentioned are decent,” Duncan shook his head, speaking unhurriedly, “Human understanding of the world has always been one-sided; from the beginning, we should not have assumed there exists a simple and eternal 'logic' that violently explains everything. Perhaps such simple and eternal 'truth' exists, but it is not something that current humans can comprehend. Therefore, having one's 'worldview overturned' should be an essential part of civilized progress.”

Listening to Duncan's words, Fenna subconsciously fell into thought, her expression gradually becoming complex, and after a moment, she murmured almost to herself, “Then what position do the gods occupy?”

“I don't know, because I haven't directly dealt with them–perhaps glimpsed from afar, but that's not enough for me to judge them,” Duncan spoke straightforwardly, “But I admit two things, first, the four gods truly exist in this world, at least as some objective entities, second… so far, they have to some extent protected and guided the civilized world.”

Fenna looked momentarily startled, for in her life of more than two decades, this was the first time she heard someone evaluate the four gods in a manner neither good nor evil, nor reverent–like appraising items–arrogant, yet when uttered by a being who had returned from Subspace, Fenna felt…
These words were chillingly precise, like a certain measure of the world.

Just then, Duncan's voice interrupted Fenna's thoughts again, “Fenna, don't think too much, you still believe in Gomona, don't you?”

“Yes, my faith is unwavering,” Fenna immediately responded.

“Right, your faith is unwavering, and Agatha still believes in Bartok–your respective gods haven't abandoned you despite your changes of thought, blessings still ensue, which shows that your current contemplations haven't deviated from them,” Duncan said earnestly, “Thinking does not necessarily lead to heresy, nor does questioning. To believe after questioning and thinking, that is the true devotee–
“Maintain an appropriate and healthy faith, while also harboring suitable and healthy doubts, try to understand this world, accept that it isn't as you imagined, accept the narrowness and bias of your understanding, accept your own doubts–honestly, if Gomona can accept your prayers to Him on the Homeloss, what else can't you accept?”

Fenna was startled, then unconsciously looked up toward the Upper City District, towards the highest part of the Silent Sanctum in Frost.

Agatha must have already returned to that temple via “Grey Wind”–Would she return to her prayer room, continue to consider her partnership with the “Subspace Shadow”? Would she continue to ponder the future of the City-State and come to the conclusion that “anything that hinders survival is heretical, all else is permissible”?

After a long time, she withdrew her gaze that was looking into the distance, murmuring to herself, “…The Lord doesn't care?”

“I don't know, but if it were me, I wouldn't care,” Duncan shrugged, “And from what we've seen so far, the God of Death and the Storm Goddess indeed don't care–they probably care about something else.”

Fenna fell into thought, while Morris, who had been silent all this while, couldn't help but softly exclaim, “I didn't expect you to have such profound contemplation about faith… I thought you weren't interested in these matters.”

“How could I not be, as long as it is a theory trying to explain this world, I've always been interested,” Duncan looked serious, “Like now, I'm about to explore another attempt to explain this world, 'faith.'”
Seeing the puzzled expressions on Fenna and Morris's faces (Alice excluded, she never understood), Duncan smiled, “You don't have to worry about the matters of the City-State for now, it's almost time to take a look at the 'Book of Desecration.'”
…
Sherry was asleep–having reached the fourth mental arithmetic flashcard.

The light sound of chains swinging resonated through the cabin; Agou carefully held the black chain beside him with one paw, while raising his upper body and draping a blanket over Sherry with his mouth, then casually clawed the stack of flashcards on the table a few times, to fend off any damage from Sherry's drool.

As he tidied up, Dog glanced at the cards filled with simple arithmetic problems, his movement momentarily pausing, “…did I mostly get them right?”

He muttered in surprise and then, subconsciously turning his head, saw that Sherry had adjusted her sleeping position and was mumbling something incoherently in her sleep. A thin line of drool glistened at the corner of her mouth.

“…I suppose I took it seriously after all.”

Dog shook his head, settled down again, and then composed himself. It seemed like he hesitated and weighed his options before extending his paw to pull a book from the pile on the floor that belonged to him.

The book cover was plain, merely a textbook that could be bought in any City-State, printed with the title “Algebra Calculations.”

Dog hung his head low, a faint, blood-red glow flickering in his eye sockets. He quietly stared at the book before him, and after a long time, slowly opened its cover.

But then, he suddenly raised his head and rapidly scanned around the room.

The bookshelf where books were piled looked normal, and the dark corners of the room were peaceful. Sunlight streamed through the window, and the sound of the gentle, soothing waves came from outside.

“…Good, the environment is safe, distractions excluded, the book type is still mathematics… Let's try again… The third test.”

Muttering to himself, Dog finally lowered his head and began to focus intently on the contents of the book.

Understanding the formulas, memorizing the symbols, deducing the numbers, he tried to comprehend the operation of the world through the knowledge and wisdom of predecessors.

It was difficult at first, as stray thoughts and awareness of his surroundings distracted his thinking. But soon, Dog's thoughts calmed down–as usual, mathematics always helped him concentrate and immerse himself in contemplation.

Symbols and numbers combined in his mind, gradually enriching his understanding of the world. Dog absorbed his learning wholeheartedly, and gradually, he felt as if there appeared in his mind a…
Study partner.

Someone was reading with him;
Someone was thinking with him;
Someone curiously observed this place, a glance devoid of any moral judgment.

Dog cocked his head.

Beneath the white pages of the book, between the gaps of the text, in a city of knowledge delineated by symbols and lines, a red light source surrounded by numerous flickering, matrix-like dots watched him, like an eye.

Dog was stunned.

He stared at that red light.

He couldn't help but stare at that red light.

He even felt himself leaning forward–actively moving closer to that flickering matrix of lights.

However, this feeling was fleeting.

In the next second, a force suddenly emanated from the Symbiotic Chains and harshly “pulled” him back, freeing him from the illusion of attraction.

“Holy shit…”
Dog let out a startled cry, jolted awake from his brief illusion. The next second, he instinctively looked toward the pitch-black chains around his neck.

In the final moment, it was the power transmitted through the chain that pulled him back–clearly, Sherry had given it a tug.

Yet the chain still lay loosely on the ground, not tightened at all.

At the other end of the chain, Sherry was still deeply asleep, sprawled across the table.

She hadn't woken up at all.

Chapter end

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