Ashes Of Deep Sea Chapter 654

Chapter 654: Chapter 651: Little Sun and Little Sun Chapter 654: Chapter 651: Little Sun and Little Sun Even though he had already seen the “shrunken” moon, upon seeing and touching this tiny Ancient Star himself, Duncan still found it hard to believe.

It lay in his hands now, radiating a warm glow, the flames on its surface harmlessly sweeping over his fingertips, giving off only a very slight sensation, as if feathers brushed against skin.

Yet Duncan knew that in some distant past, this brightly shining little orb had once illuminated the skies of the Senkin People, sheltering a civilization.

“The followers of Black Sun want to obtain this thing, and for this, a 'Scion' even dare to risk their life,” the goat-headed figure reflected the sunlight emanating from Duncan's palm in its eyes and asked with curiosity, “what exactly do they intend to do with this 'sun'?”

“Whether it's the Scions of the Sun or those referred to as 'remnants' of the sun, their only goal is always to 'resurrect' their 'mother,' the dying Black Sun,” Duncan carefully rotated the “mini-star” in his hand without looking up, “This seemingly inconspicuous orb carries 'information' from before the Great Annihilation, for the ailing Black Sun… it might be some kind of key material for self-repair.”

He paused for a moment, then slowly articulated some ideas that had gradually formed in his mind–
“In that golden crystal, I saw their homeland where they once lived, a massive technological entity constructed around a star, and their entire civilization existed on the basis of this technological entity. When the Great Annihilation occurred, this massive structure was inevitably 'contaminated' by other worlds, thus warping and mutating into its current form…
“I have a bold guess, the so-called 'Black Sun' might be some kind of 'hybrid'–the entire civilization that evolved around the star collapsed together with their star, morphing into its current form, and this 'hybrid'… led to Black Sun being far more disordered, chaotic, and flawed than other ancient beings.”

He lifted his hand, shaking the “Ancient Star” in his hand.

“The Scions of the Sun might believe another ancient star could help them repair the 'flaws' of Black Sun. I don't understand the principle behind this, but one thing is certain–if they really succeed, that could spell serious trouble.”

“Thank goodness they failed,” the goat-headed figure sincerely said.

Duncan nodded, then thoughtfully looked at the Ancient Star in his hand.

Just then, a series of footsteps suddenly came from outside the captain's quarters, followed by a knock on the door, Nina's voice rang out, “Uncle Duncan! Are you in there?”

Duncan raised an eyebrow and immediately responded, “Come in.”

The door to the captain's quarters opened, and Nina peeked in before cheerily popping inside: “Dinner is ready! I came to call you to eat!”

Watching Nina's radiant smile, Duncan suddenly had a thought.

“You've come at just the right time,” he beckoned the girl, “Come take a look at this.”

Nina obediently walked over, and instantly noticed the “little sun” in Duncan's hand. Her eyes widened as she beheld the beautiful glowing orb, quickly realizing, “Isn't this the 'sun' that Miss Fenna brought out from that desert?”

“Here, hold it,” Duncan casually handed the “little sun” to Nina, “What do you feel?”

Nina, somewhat puzzled, took the orb about the size of her fist, examined it closely, and seriously “felt” it for a moment, then looked at Duncan with confusion, “I don't feel anything special… just feels warm.”

“Is that all?” Duncan frowned, subconsciously pondering what other test he should have Nina do, but in that moment of distraction, a crisp “crack” sound suddenly entered his ears.

He looked up in astonishment to see Nina also staring blankly in his direction, a wisp of tiny flame and specks of debris falling from the corner of her mouth, and the surface of the “Ancient Star” in her hand was now missing a small chunk, with a clear tooth mark visible on the edge.

Duncan: “…?!”

“I… I couldn't help myself!” Nina finally came to her senses, almost jumping in place as she frantically waved her hands, “It just seemed the right size, and… then… I just bit it by instinct…”
“Don't shake it.” Duncan quickly interrupted Nina's somewhat panicked actions, then stood up and snatched the little sun from her hand–he was worried that the bite Nina took could destabilize the “star,” although he wasn't sure how powerful a star shrunk to this size could be if it went out of control, it was clearly an extremely dangerous thing.

But nothing happened.

The “star” with a bite taken out of it neither collapsed nor exploded, still emanating a gentle, harmless heat.

And as Duncan examined its surface again, he noticed the small gap had somehow already disappeared.

Nina also curiously leaned in, blinking at the “little sun” now back to a whole sphere, finally blurting out, “Did it heal?”

Duncan looked weirdly at the “little sun” in his hand, then glanced up at the Homeloss's “little sun” and, despite being accustomed to seeing all kinds of strange and peculiar anomalies and phenomena, suddenly felt his mind was not quite up to the task.

After a surge of absurd and eerie thoughts, he handed the mini “star” back to Nina: “… Bite it again.”

Nina obediently took the “little sun,” put it to her mouth, and bit it again, crunching down with a crisp sound.

Honestly, even Duncan was starting to feel a bit envious…
The next second, the “Little Sun” was restored to its original condition under the gaze of Duncan and Nina.

Nina raised her head, looked at Duncan, then looked at the “Little Sun” in her hand, her face filled with confusion, “Why?”

Duncan raised his hand and vigorously rubbed his forehead–he had no idea!

“I guess the most outstanding scholars in the world couldn't answer your question,” Duncan said while massaging his head, then glanced strangely at the sparks flying from the corners of Nina's mouth and finally couldn't help asking, “Does it taste good?”

“Crispy,” Nina honestly replied, “It feels good, but I don't know what it tastes like.”

“Do you want more?”

Nina's eyes suddenly lit up (literally lighting up the captain's cabin), “Can I?!”

Duncan: “…”

The captain's cabin fell silent for a while, Duncan used all his knowledge and imagination to try to explain what was happening, while Nina curiously turned the “Little Sun” over, looking for another place to bite.

After who knows how long, Duncan decided to give up trying to understand the matter.

“You don't feel unwell, do you?” He shook his head, suddenly worried whether Nina might experience any problems after “devouring a star.”

“Not at all, it's warm and quite comfortable,” Nina shook her head, “Uncle Duncan, can I have another bite?”

“I suggest you at least avoid trying it again today,” Duncan thought for a moment, his tone serious but his expression somewhat strained, “If you still feel fine tomorrow… then go ahead.”

Pausing, he added, “Originally, I just wanted you to take care of it.”

He wasn't lying; even before Nina had come in, he was considering where to place the “Little Sun.” For obvious reasons, entrusting it to Nina seemed like the natural thing to do–firstly, owing to their inherent connection, Nina keeping the “Little Sun” might uncover more of its secrets, and secondly, from a safety perspective, Nina, who could warm up to 6000, certainly had the ability to ensure that no one could take this “star.”

But his grandniece thinking the “Little Sun” tasted good was an unexpected situation…
Nina didn't think too much about it, and upon hearing Duncan's arrangements, she immediately brightened up, nodding vigorously, “Mm!”

She looked just like a puppy that had gotten the bone it had longed for.

Seeing Nina's beaming smile, Duncan couldn't help but feel a twinge of worry–
Giving it to her… was that really okay?

Although it now seemed that the “Little Sun” would restore itself immediately after being bitten, there was no telling if this recovery had a limit. If it was left with Nina for “safekeeping”… might she one day eat it all?

“Uncle Duncan?”

The calling voice beside him pulled Duncan from his reverie, and he quickly cast aside the wild thoughts in his head, turning to face Nina's sunny expression.

“Is it time for dinner?” Nina asked with a radiant smile.

In the end, Duncan didn't have the heart to ask for the “Little Sun” back.

At the same time, the vast Academy Ark was already sailing near the coast of Light Breeze Harbor.

In the upper-level lounge of the ark, Rune was sitting in a chair, eyes closed, resting.

From the situation of the elves left on the ark, The Dream of the Nameless's impact on the real world definitely had completely dissipated; even those elves who had completely vanished at one point had now returned to the real world.

With the sudden relief of pressure, weariness crept up, and Rune had rested for a long time since returning to the ark, only now feeling slightly revitalized.

After a long while, he slowly opened his eyes, looked at his hands, and at his skin, now wrinkled and no longer lively.

“I really am getting old.”

He muttered reflectively, then rose from his chair and stepped over to a nearby laboratory table.

“… It's time to chat with a few old friends.”

Chapter end

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