Ashes Of Deep Sea Chapter 611

Chapter 611: Chapter 610: Slumber in Twilight Chapter 611: Chapter 610: Slumber in Twilight Though both were heretic cults, the Solar Sect and the Obliteration Sect had strikingly different traits, which meant that Duncan had to consider their “traits” when confronting the actions of the heretics.

The essence of the Obliteration Sect was to gain power and transform themselves through contracts with demons, and though these dark cultists explicitly worshipped the inscrutable Saint, their “deity”actually didn't respond to this relationship. Therefore, apart from the desecrated Transcendent power, the Obliteration Sect was still fundamentally a human group, with actions and limitations based on their identity as “humans”–no matter how loudly they shouted the Saint's name, these lunatics actually had little to do with the ancient gods.

If their sect was divided into a “tower structure,” then from the powerless common Believers at the very bottom, to the clerical rank capable of summoning demons, to those at the very top who looked completely inhuman, the so-called “Saints,” each level was striving to climb higher towards the so-called “truth”–but the “inscrutable Saint” at the top of the tower had no desire to bother with them.

The Black Sun Sect was different–their “structural transmission” was from top to bottom.

At the top was the dying “Black Sun,” this ancient god in a state of near-death slumber spawned powerful descendants known as “Scions,” these “Scions” closely monitored and protected the monstrous humanoids called “Remnants,” the remains of the sun. Below them were the numerous, mentally clouded Sun Believers; these human Believers did not spontaneously worship the Black Sun, but rather the power of the Black Sun leaked to the reality dimension, leading to the mental distortion of some human beings, thus transforming them into Believers out of thin air.

Therefore, from a certain perspective, the entire “Black Sun Sect” could be seen as a “parasitic growth” of an ancient god, a branch structure of the Black Sun's power and flesh.

In confronting the Obliteration Sect, they must be thought of as humans, but in facing the Black Sun Sect, one should first consider “it” as a chaotic ancient god–each Scion, each Remnant, is a twitching, convulsing tentacle of the ancient god in its slumber.

These tentacles infiltrate The Dream of the Nameless, some instinct from a higher realm drives them to steal the “sun” from The Dream of the Nameless; considering their higher nature, these guys might enter The Dream of the Nameless in a simpler, more brute-force manner… and more dangerous.

Duncan exhaled softly, temporarily setting aside those complex thoughts.

“Let Rabi quickly confirm the exact location of that ship after this Dream of the Nameless ends,” he said inwardly to Lucricia, “the sooner the better–the caveat being careful not to alarm that 'Saint.'”
Lucricia's voice hesitated for a few seconds before coming through: “Are you… concerned about those Elves being used as sacrifices?”

“Judging by the Dream Ritual, they won't be in danger of their lives for the time being, but those heretics might perform some other ritual, and there could be more than just those two Elves on that ship,” Duncan said sternly, “That's one reason. Another reason is that I am very interested in that 'goat head' in their possession–if its true nature is indeed an 'ancient god fragment,' then the fragment cannot be allowed to remain in the hands of a bunch of heretics, who knows what kind of life-threatening new ploy they'll come up with next?”

Duncan could not tell if it was his imagination, but as soon as his words fell, he felt a faint… emotional fluctuation emanating from Lucricia's “mark.” The mood of the witch seemed inexplicably to have improved?

“Understood, I'll plan this out with Rabi,” Lucricia's voice rang, “I'll find that ship within a few days.”

“Hm.”

Duncan responded in his heart, then sighed and turned to look at the chart table.

The black goat head carving was calmly looking in this direction–though it seemed motionless at the moment, it had already rotated its angle once before.

It had woken up but had not spoken.

Duncan walked towards the chart table, eyes scanning over the surface.

The lush, mysterious forest was projected onto the chart, having replaced the previous sea markers and routes, with the ghostly ship silhouette representing the Homeloss moving slowly over the forest canopy.

The goat head at the edge of the table moved its gaze slowly, following Duncan's footsteps.

After what seemed like ages, the tight-lipped goat head (Duncan felt the term was somewhat inappropriate to attribute to the goat head) finally broke the silence: “You've come again, friend… You seem to have undergone some changes.”

“Changes?” Duncan raised his eyebrows, “What kind of changes?”

“I can't quite put my finger on it, but now you seem… to make me feel safer,” said the goat head slowly, “Before, your presence here confused and unnerved me; I couldn't understand your existence. But now, even though I still don't know who you are, that confusion and nervousness are gone.”

Duncan quietly looked into the goat head's eyes.

He knew that his method this time had worked.

He had entered the reflection of the Homeloss through the mirror before nine o'clock at night, just as Agatha had done–and after nine o'clock, when the Transformation took place, he became a part of this “Dreamscape ship” along with the reflection's changes.

In other words, he went from an “Intruder” to one of “our own” in the Dreamscape.

After multiple attempts, Duncan had found the true means of “entering here.” His actions here could finally go unrestrained–whether it was exploring the ship, taking the helm, or steering the ship towards that dark fog for exploration, he would no longer startle Silantis, nor the goat head.

“Perhaps it's because we've finally become familiar with each other,” Duncan smiled, though, of course, he couldn't reveal the existence of the Dreamscape to a slumbering consciousness, so he changed his wording, “This is good.”

“Familiar?” The goat-headed figure turned its head slightly, seemingly giving Duncan's words brief consideration. Compared to their last encounter, its muddled, semi-conscious state seemed somewhat diminished, but it still reacted sluggishly, “Ah, that does seem to be good… We are now better friends.”

Duncan thought for a moment and abandoned his intention to head to the helm “to steer” the ship, choosing instead to sit down in the high-backed chair behind the chart table.

He looked at the goat head, which was silently watching him, and cautiously asked a question, “Where is Silantis right now?”

The goat head swiveled its head slightly, appearing somewhat surprised by Duncan's question–it hesitated, a rare almost human-like response, before slowly speaking, “Silantis is right here, everywhere.”

“Right here? Everywhere? Can you clarify?” Duncan furrowed his brow and then added, “I mean no harm, I just want… to talk to her. I don't know if you can understand, but she is in danger, and a group of people with ill intent want to harm Silantis. I hope to find her before they do.”

Duncan did not know whether his latter explanation had any effect, but after a moment of silence, the goat head indeed spoke.

“… This place is Silantis,” it looked into Duncan's eyes, “You are inside Silantis–in her thoughts, in her memories. This place is the frontier as well as the hinterland, but… you cannot meet her.”

Hearing the first half of what the goat head said, Duncan instantly realized what it meant, but the last sentence left him baffled, “Why?”

“Because Silantis has not yet remembered herself–until she recalls everything, she won't be a distinct existence… And now, she does not wish to awaken.”

“You mean, Silantis is now dispersed in this dark fog as some sort of spiritual entity, because she cannot fully form a self-consciousness, she is currently an intangible being?” Duncan immediately understood the meaning and could not help but ask urgently, “Is there any other way I can see her? Or even just establish communication would suffice.”

He recalled his own past experience “steering” this ship of dreams, the streaks of light that appeared in the darkness, and the voices within the light–he was certain that they were Silantis's thoughts, yet those “thoughts” seemed to be in another dimension entirely and did not respond to his calls.

This time, the goat head fell silent for an even longer time than before.

After what seemed like an eternity, it finally spoke–
“Let her sleep a bit longer, just a little while… It doesn't need to be long, let her settle them down…”

A disordered wind suddenly rose to his ear, and pervasive sand shrouded his vision in an instant.

However, before Fenna could instinctively raise her hand to block the sand, it stopped before her, and a voice just came through the wind, “Traveler, we meet again.”

Fenna looked immediately towards the direction of the voice.

As the settling dust cleared, the giant's figure became distinct.

He sat amid a pile of collapsed, crumbling black boulders, beside which rested an exaggeratedly large “walking stick,” and the “campfire” that had burned for an unknown time had long since extinguished, leaving only a pile of ash that still emitted a faint warmth and sparks at the giant's feet.

Fenna lifted her gaze and looked around.

It was the same place where she had said farewell to the giant, the same wind-sheltered spot, the same campfire sphere–she had returned to this “location” with great precision, and the giant seemed to have been waiting for her all along.

“I said we would meet again soon,” the giant said with a gentle smile, his face crinkled with lines, “you see, the fire is still warm.”

“Have you been waiting here for me this whole time?” Fenna was somewhat surprised, “I thought…”

“It was just a bit of waiting,” the giant said calmly, “after all, this place is now desolate, without much for me to do–waiting does have some significance.”

He paused for a moment, then lifted his head, his gaze traveling into the distance.

“Now that you're here, Traveler… If you have no current destination, I would like to take you somewhere.”

(During the double event period, asking for monthly votes!)

Chapter end

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