Ashes Of Deep Sea Chapter 629

Chapter 629: Chapter 628: The Displaced's “Curse Chapter 629: Chapter 628: The Displaced's “Curse In the age of sailing warships a century ago, the shipbuilding craftsmen of each City-State followed one rule when working on the keel–they had to cut a piece of timber from the raw wood material.

They would treat this piece of wood in the same way as the keel, through carbonization, steeping in medicine, and oiling, and they would place it together with the unfinished ship on the shipyard. However, once the ship was completed, this piece of “Keel Timber” would be left in the shipyard and permanently preserved on land–usually, the ship owners would also pay extra money to have the priests of the City-State regularly bless the timber, or they would simply send it to the church for safekeeping and supervision.

At first, the practice of preserving the “keel sample” was part of a quality standard for ship owners to verify the selection and initial processing of the keel to meet the technical requirements of a ship. But later, it became a symbol of praying for safety–
People believed that ships had souls, and the keel left on land would bring good luck to ships out at sea. It would act as a lighthouse, helping lost ships find their way back to the coast. The blessings that the clergy applied to the Keel Timber could also come upon the ships out at sea. And, if a misfortune really occurred–the keel left ashore would transform into a small ferry in the world of the dead, carrying the sailors' souls back home.

In the past, when a ship was confirmed lost, the Death Priests would even take out its Keel Timber left on shore and hold a “funeral.” The families of the crew treated this piece of wood in the same way they would have treated the bodies of their loved ones, and watched as it was sent into the crematorium.

Agatha, once out of interest, had described in detail to Duncan the scene of the Death Priests “sending off” the keel sample a hundred years ago.

In fact, this custom is still preserved to this day, albeit not always in choosing to keep the ship's keel sample. Nowadays, many young captains prefer to keep parts of the pipelines cut during the installation of steam cores, preserved in shipyards or churches.

Duncan quietly stared at the piece of timber in the box.

The Homeloss was a ship built a hundred years ago–no matter how unique it had become today, it was constructed in the shipyard according to the same standards and practices as other ships.

A hundred years ago, the craftsmen had preserved its keel sample.

It wasn't the ancient god's spine that it is today, but the original one that Duncan Ebnomal had found in the mists near the border… the “little twig.”

Duncan reached out and carefully picked up the seemingly ordinary piece of wood.

He suddenly widened his eyes slightly, “It has no weight?!”

The “heaviness” that emanated from the keel sample surprised him–it was too light… so light that the word “light” wasn't sufficient to describe it, as he blurted out. This piece of wood seemingly had no weight at all, even lighter in his hand than a speck of dust!

However, Duncan could clearly see the distinct impression on the surface of the black satin where the timber had initially rested, a mark pressed by the wood.

“Yes, it has no weight–but only when held in someone's hand,” the voice of Bishop Valentin came from the side, “When placed on a weighing scale, it weighs 0.7 kilograms. But when a living person holds it, it weighs 0 milligrams. However, it wasn't initially like this–according to records, when it was first cut from the keel timber, it was no different from a normal piece of wood, I mean in terms of 'weight'.”

Duncan frowned, and though he had already guessed it, he couldn't help but ask, “When did the change occur?”

“On the day the Homeloss fell into Subspace,” Valentin answered. “A lot happened that day, many things were only investigated and confirmed after people recovered from the chaos. In addition to this keel sample losing its 'weight' in human hands, we also found that all other timber cut from the original material of Homeloss had disappeared without a trace.”

The old bishop paused for a moment and explained further, “The 'original material' you brought to Prand was a tremendously large piece of timber. After processing it into the keel, a large amount of leftover material was still sufficient for many other uses. According to records, some of it was used in the construction of various parts on the Homeloss, while the rest you stored in the shipyard's warehouse, and some of this was later taken away by you to make the figureheads and steering wheels for the Sea Mist and the Brilliant Starship. The remaining wood was no longer useful and remained in the warehouse until the day of the 'accident'.”

With that, the elder stepped forward, pointing a finger towards the large box in front of Duncan.

“The related records are also contained in here.”

“Were the Sea Mist and the Brilliant Starship also built in Prand? And they used the leftover keel material from the Homeloss? Are their construction records still available?”

“Unfortunately, the construction records of those two ships were burned to ashes in the great fire at the shipyard that year, along with their 'keel samples,'” Valentin shook his head, “People say that was the beginning of the curse on those ships–the Storm unleashed by the Homeloss in Subspace destroyed the 'anchors' left ashore by the Sea Mist and the Brilliant Starship, and since then, those ships gradually became what they are today.”

Having said this, the elder bishop suddenly seemed to realize it might be improper and quickly cleared his throat, “Ahem, I hope you don't mind, these are just…”

“It's alright, you are just stating what happened–and I was the one who asked,” Duncan shook his head, “Besides, I have a good relationship with the kids now, it's all in the past.”

As he spoke, he turned his attention back to the weightless “keel sample” in his hand.

A lot of things were finally made clear today.

All the twist and turns, seeming chaos and disorder, were after all only a single thread, and now, that thread had finally reached his hands.

“If you still wish to know more about the events of the past, I can try to locate some of the Elven Craftsmen who participated in the construction of the Homeloss… but it may not be easy,” Valentin said carefully, watching Duncan's facial expressions change, “after all… the situation with the Elves is not good.”

“I know, I'm here to address that issue,” Duncan sighed lightly, temporarily setting aside the thoughts in his mind, and nodded to Valentin, “that's enough; I've got what I wanted. I'll take this box with me.”

“Of course, you can,” Valentin immediately nodded, “rather say… it's better if you take it.”

Duncan obviously knew why the other had said this, he just smiled, then carefully replaced the timber back into the box and resealed it.

However, as he was about to summon Ai Yi to send the box back to the Homeloss, he noticed Valentin's hesitant expression.

“Is there something else?”

“Uh…” Valentin visibly tensed, then hesitated for a few seconds before speaking, “Actually, since a while ago, I've been thinking about a question, but feared that you might find it offensive…”

“Speak.”

“…Has Fenna caused any trouble on your ship?”

“Trouble? Why do you ask?” Duncan felt puzzled, “She's a mature and steady person, very reassuring to have onboard. What trouble could there be?”

Valentin was taken aback momentarily before blurting out, “She didn't break anything? She's very straightforward and not easy to get along with, strong too, and had few friends in the city…”

Duncan was silent for a moment; he first recalled the explosive Nina, then thought about Sherry, who caused chaos over a few scrolls every now and then, and Alice, who managed to 'stew' herself every other day, as well as all the pots, pans, mop buckets, and even cannons that caused endless turmoil on the ship…

“She's quite good,” he said seriously to the aged bishop, “She's actually one of the quieter ones on the ship, except when she's running and exercising on the deck in the mornings, which might be a bit noisy…”

Valentin: “…?”

The old bishop seemed still unable to imagine what life was like for Fenna on the Homeloss.

But Duncan had no further intention of explaining–he quickly summoned Ai Yi, who directly teleported the large wooden box to the distant Homeloss, and then bid farewell to the old bishop, striding confidently away from the grand church.

In the brightly lit inner chapel, Valentin stood before the statue of the Storm Goddess and drifted into a daze, suddenly feeling an unreal sensation about the morning's events.

This sacred place had truly hosted a shadow from the Subspace–and now, that shadow had calmly left.

It was almost like a dream.

“…Fenna.”

“I'm here,” the spiritual energy channel was still open, Fenna's voice reached Valentin's ears, “Has the captain left?”

“…He just left,” Valentin said.

Perhaps the hesitation and subtle emotions in the old bishop's tone were overly evident, as Fenna keenly sensed something amiss, “What's wrong? Did something go smoothly?”

“It's not that, I just feel a bit strange…” Valentin hesitated before speaking, “Tell me… does this count as the cathedral being invaded by Subspace?”

Fenna clearly didn't expect the old bishop to come up with such a question; her side was quiet for a few seconds before she uncertainly replied, “I… don't know.”

Valentin turned back, looking at the statue of Gomona standing serenely in the candlelight, “It seems the Goddess does not blame us.”

“I think the Goddess wouldn't blame us,” Fenna asserted confidently, “After all, the captain was just visiting. If that counts as an invasion, then the Death Cathedral in Frost would be invaded by Subspace every Friday… and there's no fuss about that.”

Valentin: “…?”

Chapter end

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