Ashes Of Deep Sea Chapter 604

Chapter 604: Chapter 603 “Test Chapter 604: Chapter 603 “Test Lucresia was quite in favor of Duncan's idea to “play the long game” to catch the big fish–in fact, from the beginning, she didn't quite support the simple and crude method that her father and Fenna had come up with.

It's not that she had any prejudice against athletes–the main issue she saw was that, based on the fear and sensitivity towards the “Spiritual Fire” that A Dog displayed, as well as the suicide rate of the Profound Demons, that method was so blunt, she feared that not a single living one would be caught…
“The heretics will hold a gathering before nightfall, and I will have Rabi try to get some information,” Lucresia said thoughtfully, “The most troublesome part now is that there is a so-called 'Saint' on that ship–meaning that apart from 'observation,' Rabi cannot do anything else. Any proactive actions might be detected by that Saint.”

“A Saint?” Duncan was curious, “I know of the Saints of the Four Gods, and I acknowledge Fenna's combat prowess, but what about a Saint from the Annihilating Church?”

His confusion was well-founded–the Saints of the Four Gods were individuals favored by deities, and their most significant feature was not actually their combat power (although most Saints were indeed powerful) but their ability to communicate with the gods. Ordinary priests needed to perform extremely complex rituals at a certain cost to hear the whispers of the gods, while Saints hardly needed any preparation. Sometimes, with just a prayer in their hearts, they could communicate with their gods. In more extreme cases, if a Saint was in danger, their deity might even find ways to actively reach out, issuing warnings and reminders.

To put it simply, they were treated as if they were one's own children.

However, a “Saint” from the Anihilating Church would definitely not be like that–Duncan was aware of the status of the Profound Saint; Their attitude toward their so-called “followers” was distinctly clear. Just from the phrase “try catching a few Annihilating cultists,” Duncan was certain that if there was really a Saint among those heretics who could communicate the “will of the god,” it would not be surprising if they were summoned by their “lord” the day they ascended–only to be dragged into the Mysterious Deep Sea and repeatedly beaten by their “lord.”

“The Annihilating Church views the Profound Demons as creatures closest to the 'Primordial Blueprint,' pure beings, and thus they constantly harness the power of demons to transform themselves, to become as close to this 'Primordial Blueprint' as possible. In this process, they gain greater power,” Lucresia explained, “I've heard from Fenna, she once saw in Frost Annihilating Priests who have almost entirely merged and coexisted with Profound Demons, and these so-called 'Saints'… are a step further.

“They won't have many human characteristics left, resembling demons more than humans. They move like Profound Demons and can directly draw power from the Mysterious Deep Sea. Apart from retaining their human cognitive abilities, they are essentially a type of 'Profound being'–these Annihilating 'Saints' can almost freely enter the Mysterious Deep Sea, also known as the 'Eternal Paradise.' Perhaps only the last vestiges of their human aspects still bind them to our reality.

“The Annihilating Church does not have the true favor of a deity, but through contracts with demons, they still obtain powerful strength, and their 'Saints' are the same–the monstrosities are powerful and resolute, and they know countless taboo, corruptive knowledge. In a direct confrontation, Rabi would not be able to match those Saints.”

Duncan listened with interest to Lucresia's explanation of these “obscure knowledge” before suddenly asking, “How do they compare to Fenna then?”

Lucresia was momentarily taken aback, pondering with a nuanced expression.

After a moment, she finally spoke, “Miss Fenna's combat capability, even among Saints, is quite… 'unique.' I find it hard to compare.”

Duncan nodded in understanding, “Alright, I got it.”

Lucresia then spoke up after briefly pondering, “There's also something else.”

Duncan's voice came through the mirror, “Go on.”

Lucresia organized her language, “Terrian has sent news that there have been three cases of 'Sleeping Sickness' at Light Breeze Harbor, affecting elves, with symptoms similar to…”

She was halfway through speaking when Duncan's voice from the mirror interrupted her, “Symptoms similar to the elven girl named 'Flority' from Pland and the initial case of Taran El, right? But this time, the treatment of the mental healers, using hypnosis and dream therapy, is ineffective; their dreams seem to have become a void, and their consciousness is lost in this emptiness.”

Lucresia looked at the mirror in surprise, “How did you… Pland's news?!”

Then she suddenly came around.

“Right before contacting you,” Duncan nodded in the mirror, “Heidi reported four similar patients, also elves, all in a coma–and if it's as I fear, we might not just have these two City-States affected. Maybe tomorrow, or even today, the news will spread from other City-States to Light Breeze Harbor.”

Lucresia listened with a frown. After a long moment, she blinked and recalled the ancient legends Taran El once told, murmuring almost to herself, “All elves… are the fruits and seeds of Silantis…”

“Legends are a reflection of reality, some accounts are true–Silantis' power keeps the elven race together, forming a hive-like relationship. On a psychic level, perhaps all elves are one entity,” Duncan spoke slowly, “This trait has remained dormant for an extended period, but now it seems… The Dream of the Nameless has awakened their connection.”

“Beehive… a psychic whole…,” Lucresia subconsciously repeated the terms used in Duncan's explanation. These descriptions caused her brow to furrow slightly, though she could not find a more precise expression, “The Dream of the Nameless is spreading among elves, and Light Breeze Harbor is just the first place to break out…”

“I call it the 'Ground Zero,' the initial point of explosion,” Duncan said indifferently, “And now the question is–why did this place become Ground Zero? What caused The Dream of the Nameless to break out?”

Why?

Lucresia was taken aback, and as she was lost in thought, Duncan's voice continued from the mirror:
“Two things happened before The Dream of the Nameless outbreak; first, the sun went out, and the entire Endless Sea was plunged into darkness. Aside from Prand, Frost, and Light Breeze Harbor, time in all other City-States disappeared for twelve hours. Second… Homeloss crossed the 'disappeared waters' and arrived near Light Breeze Harbor.”

Lucresia immediately grasped her father's meaning.

She said subconsciously, “So, the sun going out triggered the 'activation' of The Dream of the Nameless hidden among the Elves, and the approach of Homeloss… led to Light Breeze Harbor becoming 'Ground Zero'…”
“The first point was my initial speculation,” Duncan nodded, “The second point is a possibility I have just considered.”

Lucresia thought for a moment and then blurted out a guess, “Then if Homeloss were to distance itself from Light Breeze Harbor now, could it temporarily control the spread of The Dream of the Nameless?”

“Homeloss is already moving away.”

Inside the captain's quarters of Homeloss, Duncan turned to glance at the view outside the window.

Chaotic, dark clouds covered the sky; the pitch-black sea surface undulated silently in the distance. A thin mist shrouded everything, leaving the world in just black and white. Countless twisted and bizarre, seemingly real and illusory shadows flickered in and out of the fog, maintaining their distance in the far.

“Homeloss is currently at full speed deep in the Spirit Realm, moving away from Light Breeze Harbor to the north. Next, I will conduct a series of tests, including changing Homeloss's position, further descending into the Spirit Realm, and turning the whole ship into a Spiritual Body, to observe the effects these changes have on The Dream of the Nameless.”

As he spoke, Duncan retracted his gaze from outside the window and looked at the mirror beside him.

“But I suspect that these actions won't be able to stop The Dream of the Nameless from continuing to grow–based on the messages coming from various City-States, this 'Dreamscape' can work directly on every Elf regardless of spatial barriers, and it seems that neither the sun's extinction nor Homeloss's actions are the sustaining 'force' of the dreamscape. Rather, the sustaining 'force' is the Elves themselves.

“Still, I'm going to try some experiments on the 'Goat's Head,' to see if the effects I apply to it can influence The Dream of the Nameless, especially now that many clues point to this possibility–my current 'First Mate' is claimed to be the ancient god of creation from the Elves' legends.”

Lucresia in the mirror seemed surprised, “But didn't you say that the Goat's Head reflected on Homeloss told you Saslouka had already…”
“Is the 'life' and 'death' of a deity really that simple?” Duncan shook his head gently, “Even leaving aside deity, on Homeloss, I am not short of 'people who have died'.”

Lucresia opened her mouth but then realized she couldn't properly judge her father's followers, so she shifted the topic somewhat stiffly, “What about Light Breeze Harbor…”
“My true body will temporarily move away from the City-States with Homeloss,” Duncan stated, “This is to accommodate some of my subsequent 'test' plans, but Fenna and Morris are staying in the city. They will continue to observe The Dream of the Nameless–although I temporarily can't come back, my power can still be sent to the city through mirrors. If you encounter trouble, you can call me at any time.”

Lucresia nodded her head, then after a few seconds of silence, she hesitantly asked, “When you are at a distance, you must establish a beacon with your 'Avatar' for Ai Yi to 'Transition,' right?”

Duncan looked at Lucresia in the mirror and nodded, “…Yes, is there a problem?”

“This… seems a bit inconvenient,” Lucresia measured her words, “It was okay when Homeloss was near Light Breeze Harbor. You and your followers could move between the City-States and the ship at any time, but now that you're temporarily away from the City-State, you can only pass on power through the mirror. Have you considered… setting up an 'Avatar' in Light Breeze Harbor?”

Duncan was silent for a few seconds, then shook his head seriously, “I haven't thought about that for now–you should know what 'material' my Avatar requires. Unless there's a suitable situation, I'm not planning on creating another Avatar.”

Despite her suggestion being rejected, Lucresia in the mirror seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, “Okay, Dad.”

Chapter end

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