Ashes Of Deep Sea Chapter 636

Chapter 636: Chapter 635 “Repair Chapter 636: Chapter 635 “Repair This time, the wind in this desert seemed more turbulent than ever before.

The chaotic wind swept over the dunes, covered with jagged rocks, almost like a broom, lifting clouds of sand that spiraled and danced in the air, tens of meters high. Far away, a huge, earthy yellow “barricade” was rising into the sky–a larger storm was brewing within it, seemingly gathering force enough to sweep across the world.

Yet all this incessant turbulence of wind and sand halted abruptly a few meters away from Fenna and the giant, the lifted sand swirling around, as if a scene within the eye of a storm.

Fenna immediately noticed the changes in the surroundings. She stared in astonishment at the restless clouds of sand in the distance, especially at that earthy yellow sandstorm rising from the ground like a sky-reaching barricade far away. Having never seen such a sight, she felt uneasy at once, “What is that?”

The old giant, cloaked in a tattered robe, lowered his head and looked gently into Fenna's eyes, “It's a storm, traveler, a storm you've initiated with your own hands.”

“A storm I've initiated?” Fenna, startled by his words, gazed at the giant in bewilderment, “When did I…”

“Not yet, but soon–time has once again started to flow, traveler. It's flowing in every direction. Do you feel it? The world is changing… After such a prolonged stillness, this rock covered and bound by sand is finally going to roll again.”

Fenna listened, startled, to the giant's sudden, cryptic soliloquy. She began to make connections based on his vague words, but before she could ask for clarification, the giant waved his hand at her, “Don't ask too many questions, traveler. This place is finally approaching its end. The more you understand about it at this moment, the more you will form an inseparable connection with it. I don't want you to become the next wanderer in this desert.”

Fenna finally saw something different in the giant's words and in his eyes, which burned with a dim yellow flame.

This “god who had lost his memory” had come to say goodbye to her.

“Come with me, traveler,” the giant beckoned to her, “accompany me one last time to conclude this journey.”

Fenna paused briefly, then hurried to keep up with the giant's pace while asking, “Where are you taking me? What exactly has happened here?”

“We're going back to that 'great pit,'” the giant slowed his steps and bowed his head slightly, “I've begun to remember some things. There's something I've been searching for there… and perhaps, something you desire as well.”

In the suddenly sweeping sandstorm, both Fenna and the giant's figures disappeared into the depths of the sandy sea.

The sun had almost completely set below the horizon–the vast, boundless sea held only the giant “Luminous Geometric Body” still quietly floating on the surface. The endless “sunlight” it emitted gently spilled out, spreading along the gently undulating waves to the infinite beyond.

Light Breeze Harbor, once basked in this “sunlight,” had vanished from the surface of the sea. At its former location, an astonishing and majestic illusion now towered–a myriad of thread-like insubstantial strands rose from the sea, intertwining between the sky and the ocean, coalescing into a tree's silhouette that dwarfed the City-State itself.

The gigantic tree, straddling the line between illusion and reality, continued to grow as if still drawing sustenance from the disappeared Light Breeze Harbor. With every passing second and every minute, it stepped further from the ephemeral towards the tangible. After each breeze swept past, after each wave surged, its trunk appeared a little clearer, and its grand crown solidified a bit more–now, it stood towering in the sepermeating sunlight, casting a shadow so vast that even the grand Church Ark on the distant sea seemed like a “small boat” by comparison.

The fleet of the Academy of Truth had been ordered to withdraw from the projection range of Silantis, and now the Ark and its escort fleet hovered on the sea outside the giant tree's illusion.

Yet, within the immense shadow of the tree, under the dome of its sky-reaching canopy, a sailship ablaze with fierce Spectral Flames advanced toward the “trunk.”

Transparent Spiritual Body sails hoisted, unseen forces billowed into the Homeloss, pushing it towards that World Tree, towering like a peak that pierced the heavens. Amidst the burning flames, the immense Ghost Ship groaned with a deep, unsettling creak, as if under immense pressure, resisting a force of repulsion.

As Homeloss sailed within less than twelve nautical miles of the “trunk,” the expected “resistance” emerged.

Waves surged upward, gathering to the force of a storm. Successive towering waves originating from Silantis crashed against the bow of Homeloss, at times flooding the deck, while howls and roars echoed from the direction of the tree. Each thunderous sound seemed poised to shatter the Ghost Ship as it continued to press on through the tumultuous sea.

Amidst this relentless force, there seemed to coalesce a tangible resistance and… anger.

Silantis disliked this ship, a ghost that had been rebuilt on Saslouka's spine using her branches for its keel.

She was perplexed, angry, even fearful.

But the roaring waves outside and the wrathful roar of the World Tree hardly affected the stability within the ship.

Duncan descended the stairs, through the dim, lengthy corridors, down the slanted ancient staircases, past the storerooms with inverse lighting, and the creaking cabins, step by step toward the deepest part of the ship.

In one hand he carried a lantern emitting a soft greenish glow, and in the other, a “block of wood” obtained from the Plunder City-State.

He could feel the block of wood in his hand emitting a faint warmth and vibration. This “sample,” cut from the original keel material of Homeloss, seemed to sense something and grew increasingly restless.

Agatha's voice came from the shadows beside him, “The storm outside is fierce; Silantis is preventing Homeloss from approaching.”

“We can hardly hear anything down here,” Duncan just smiled, “seems like the sound insulation is pretty good.”

“Alice has tied Rune down to a post with rope, saying she fears the old gentleman might get thrown out–Rune is not in good shape and has offered no resistance… I tried to persuade her, but Alice wouldn't listen. She said it's common sense at sea, and she also declared herself an old sailor on this ship now…”

“`
“…If she is happy, that's all that matters,” Duncan continued walking without pause, “Are those ropes happy?”

“…They must be quite content to have had the experience of tying the Pope to a ship.”

“That's good.”

Duncan spoke indifferently and then pushed open the final door that led to the ship's hold.

The shattered structure of Homeloss's bottom came into view.

No matter how fierce the storms above the sea raged, this layer, halfway submerged in Subspace, remained as tranquil as ever–the fragmented hull still floated silently in the void, chaotic streams of light from Subspace flowing erratically through the vessel's massive cracks. It had been this way a century ago, and it remained unchanged on this day, a century later.

Duncan slowly made his way to the middle of this fractured cargo hold, standing beside the largest crack.

Agatha's figure rose from beside him, cautiously beginning, “Is this really possible?”

Duncan lowered his head, gazing at the crack beneath his feet and the streaming light within it.

“Homeloss's original keel was crafted from the branches of Silantis, and later, Saslouka's spine took the place of that keel. With the authority of the 'Dreaming King,' the Homeloss, swallowed by Subspace, was reshaped through a 'Reality Shift.' So in a certain sense–Homeloss is another Silantis.”

He slowly bent down and placed the wooden block on the ground before him.

“Memory and Dreamscape, Saslouka wanders the border of tangible and intangible. In dreams, He created Silantis, and in dreams, he reconstructed Homeloss. He extracted everything from his own memories, but the only problem is, He doesn't remember himself–he doesn't even know he can dream.”

Duncan gently tapped the surface of the wooden block with his finger.

A cluster of ghostly green flames sprang up at one corner of the block and quickly engulfed the entire piece of wood. Within the fierce Spectral Flame, it took on the same ghostly, transparent essence as Duncan's body at that moment.

“Saslouka was the first 'dreamless one'–the most heretical teachings actually contain the simplest truth.”

Duncan stood up and kicked the blazing wooden block towards the crack that led to Subspace.

It tumbled over the edge of the hull, disappearing in the blink of an eye into that dim and chaotic void among the jumbled streams of light.

A strange creaking noise began to emanate from afar.

“So the key to entering the depths of Silantis's Dreamscape isn't to wake Silantis–Silantis is already awake; she doesn't need to be roused.

“What we need to awaken is Saslouka, the spine soaking in Subspace.

“We need to establish a communication between Saslouka and Silantis–after the long years, to let this 'dreamless one' realize His own Dreamscape.”

The strange creaking sound gradually reached its peak, then suddenly, ghostly green flames started to surge and rise from the broken hull's cracks!

Spectral fire flowed rapidly throughout the entire hold, and where the flames spread, the huge cracks began to heal and vanish before the naked eye, the shattered hull began to repair itself, and the structure of Homeloss's bottom approached completion!

Before the largest crack healed, Duncan caught a glimpse of the scene below the fissure with the corner of his eye.

That was the true “bottom” structure of Homeloss, the real hold that encased the keel.

The vast and desolate spine of the ancient deity submerged in Subspace, floated and sailed through the chaotic void.

Yet verdant new branches were winding and growing from the crevices of that skeleton, as the flames spread through every part of the spine.

“Now, the two keels have merged into one,”
Duncan whispered.

Before him, the last piece of the crack in the Homeloss's hold slowly healed.

He lifted his head, calling out from deep within: “Saslouka.”

The voice with the goat's head responded, “I am here, Captain.”

“Full sail, full speed, we go to find your sapling.”

“Aye, Captain!”

Chapter end

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