Ashes Of Deep Sea Chapter 584

Chapter 584: Chapter 583: The Necessity of the Capture Operation Chapter 584: Chapter 583: The Necessity of the Capture Operation No matter what, Sherry's thoughtless interruption had managed to alleviate the tense atmosphere in the living room–though it almost steered the mood in an entirely different direction.

Duncan finally managed to control his expression before he ignored Sherry who, after recovering, almost curled up into a ball on the sofa. He cleared his throat and said, “All in all, this is all the intelligence we currently possess. The fog is still thick, but it's clear that 'Homeloss' has become a part of this maelstrom, unlike the previous situations with Prand and Frost.

“No matter how things unfold, I must figure out what this so-called 'The Dream of the Nameless' really is, and what exactly these heretics are aiming for–especially the latter.

“The Annihilation Cultists, Sun Cultists, and the hidden Doomsday Preachers… whether we capture them alive or not, we should try as much as possible to gather information during any contact… 'The Dream of the Nameless' will not simply dissipate. It will definitely reoccur, and as long as this vortex continues, we're bound to keep dealing with these heretics.”

As Duncan spoke, he suddenly paused, then thoughtfully looked towards Sherry, who was sitting on the sofa trying to make herself less noticeable, and Rahm lying next to her.

Sherry instantly felt Duncan's gaze and abruptly lifted her head, “Sorry, captain. I shouldn't have mentioned your empathy just now…”

“Did you and Rahm sense the aura of the fleeing Annihilation Cultist today?” Duncan waved his hand, cutting off Sherry's reflexive rambling, “I remember you mentioned that Rahm had left a 'mark' on that heretic during a previous encounter in The Dream of the Nameless.”

“No,” Sherry hadn't even started speaking when Rahm immediately shook his head, “I've been keeping an eye on this matter today, but as far as I can tell, the heretic doesn't seem to be in Light Breeze Harbor right now.”

“These heretics are hiding in nests across each city-state, coordinating their actions merely through entering The Dream of the Nameless. This indeed makes it difficult for us to catch them in the real world,” Fenna added, “Moreover, they've apparently mastered some 'rules' of The Dream of the Nameless, which allows them to freely enter and exit that 'dreamscape,' making them even harder to handle.”

Fenna's words caused Duncan to frown as well. Knowing the heretics were actively plotting yet unable to act due to insufficient intelligence and the cunning nature of the enemy was indeed frustrating, and for Duncan, his concerns went beyond just that–
He had once successfully “captured” an Annihilation Cultist who had entered the dreamscape, and even found a heretic gathering point through that cultist's perspective. However, he hadn't been able to expand on that success: the keen perception of the Profound Demons and the fragile symbiotic ecology of the Annihilation Cultists meant that those heretics couldn't withstand his power. They died neatly before much intelligence could be gathered.

Every time he recalled it, he felt regret.

He dwelled in that regret for a moment before finally setting his gaze on Rahm.

“Does my power stand out to you?” he asked.

Rahm was startled by the Captain's sudden question, his head drooping instantly, “Your question… whether it stands out or not…”

“I want to know how to avoid other Profound Demons sensing my power,” Duncan continued seriously, ignoring Rahm's cowering response, “Sometimes I can successfully leave my mark on those Annihilation Cultists, but those symbiotic Profound Demons quickly detect my power, causing me trouble more than once.”

“This…” Rahm's tone suddenly became a bit strange, “That's a bit difficult. The perception of Profound Demons is naturally very sharp, and those other than me lack cognition, relying only on instincts–seeking benefits and avoiding harm is their greatest instinct. When faced with great danger, abandoning their symbionts to flee back to the Mysterious Deep Sea is their inevitable choice, unless…”

Duncan raised an eyebrow, “Unless?”

“Unless you can safely sever their symbiotic relationship, or control them before they can react,” Rahm mused, “The first method is almost unfeasible since such symbiosis is irreversible and progressively transforms the physiology of the symbiotes. After the initial phase, the act of breaking the bond itself would be lethal.

“The second method… could work, but it's not easy to execute mainly due to the need for preparation. Different Profound Demons have different traits, making it hard to prepare a thoroughly precise and 'tailored' instant control plan in advance…”

Rahm rambled on, then paused as if something dawned on him, and looked up at Duncan, “But we don't necessarily have to capture Annihilation Cultists, do we? There are other heretics active too. Doomsday Preachers are hard to capture, but Sun Cultists are much simpler…”

Unconsciously, Rahm had already begun to see those elusive heretics as 'available on demand' prey, as if as long as the Captain wanted to capture them, no matter how well those heretics hid, they would eventually fall into the Captain's hands.

However, Duncan shook his head, “It's still best if we can capture some Annihilation Cultists.”

“Ah?” Sherry blinked in confusion, “Why?”

Duncan thought for a moment, his expression serious, “I have my uses.”

Everyone looked puzzled.

Seeing their confusion, Duncan hesitated slightly before lifting his hand and gently swiping it through the air.

As smooth as water, the flames of his Spiritual Fire rippled around him and swiftly spread throughout the entire living room. Amid the burning flames, a layer of invisible power soaked into reality, blurring the boundary between the real world and the Spirit Realm. Duncan's body also rapidly transformed into the form of a Spiritual Body.

“Invoke the name of Rahm–” Morris, seeing this, prayed quickly without a second word and then applied a haphazard myriad of mental protections to himself.

Beside him, Fenna smoothly pulled out a Storm Amulet and a portable rosary from her bosom, chanting Gomona's name while bestowing blessings upon herself.

Nina's eyes glimmered faintly with sunlight, full of expectation as she watched her Uncle Duncan, while A Dog exclaimed, “Damn,” and vanished into the shadows in an instant. Sherry was a step slow and only managed to cover her ears: “Can I not listen later…”

“I am about to establish a connection with the Saint of Profound Darkness–utilizing the power of the vanished heretics.”

Accompanied by the crackling of the flames, Duncan spoke indifferently, then somewhat helplessly glanced at the few people around him, “Is this really necessary?”

Sherry dropped her hands from her ears, “…My head is buzzing.”

“You are nervous,” Duncan glanced at her, “I have prepared the protections; you all don't need to be so tense.”

“Caution never hurts,” Morris, calm and composed on the opposite sofa, replied, “Of course we trust your power, but we are ultimately frail mortals, please understand…”

Fenna nodded in agreement with Morris's words, but then she looked at Duncan with a bit of confusion, “However, if it's just that, you could have just told us directly. This reason itself isn't dangerous, and for us, occasionally mentioning the Saint of Profound Darkness isn't a big deal…”

“Because this suggestion was personally given to me by the Saint of Profound Darkness,” Duncan casually mentioned, “He established a connection with me deep within Alice's Mansion, and this suggestion itself is the power He transmitted to the real world…”
As soon as he began to speak, Sherry quickly placed her hand over her ears, and after a crisp snap, she dropped her arm with a mournful face: “I was careless… My head really is buzzing.”

Duncan looked at her expressionlessly, too indifferent to speak.

Meanwhile, not far away, Lucrecia had been bewildered from the start–this young witch stared at the swiftly unfolding scene, her eyes keeping up with each sequence of events, but her mind couldn't keep pace.

A few seconds later, she finally came to her senses and looked at Fenna and Morris somewhat blankly, “You two… seem very practiced…”

“The captain often shares complex truths with us,” Morris said modestly with a nod, “We have a standard procedure when discussing these issues.”

Lucrecia's expression was somewhat vacant as she scanned the living room, now eerie and grim, dappled with ghastly shadows from the Spiritual Fire. Finally realizing what her father had just said, she immediately looked at Duncan, her eyes slightly widening, “Wait, you just said… the Saint of Profound Darkness established a connection with you, and He suggested… suggested that you capture His believers?”

Duncan nodded, “I was also surprised, but that's the fact.”

Lucrecia pondered for a moment, not understanding.

“The Witch of the Mysterious Deep Sea” had seen and known much–but she had never before encountered this.

However, someone at the scene was logically considering the situation–after the initial shock, Morris quickly grasped the astonishing implications behind this “suggestion.”

He swiftly confirmed the details of the “suggestion” and the various nuances revealed during the interactions between the Saint and the captain, reassessing the blessings and protections he carried.

Finally, Duncan had the opportunity to share this incredible matter with his followers–he had intended to speak earlier, but the sudden arrival of The Dream of the Nameless had delayed his plans.

After a lengthy period, Duncan finished recounting his experience deep within Alice's Mansion, and Morris opposite him sank deep into thought.

“…Incredible, one of the most dangerous ancient gods still retains sanity, and even made such an astounding 'suggestion' to you…” the elder muttered in reflection, “If we really could establish a stable and safe connection with this ancient god, perhaps we could truly unravel some of the greatest mysteries of this world, even… really understand the birth of the Mysterious Deep Sea Era…”

Sherry scratched her head, “So what?”

Morris suddenly turned to look directly into Sherry's eyes, his usually gentle and scholarly demeanor now alight with a fearsome fervor–
“According to the captain, let's try capturing a few vanished heretics,” he said with the eager gleam of a scholar peering into the truth, “This matter has now taken on an academic dimension!”

Chapter end

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