Ashes Of Deep Sea Chapter 751

Chapter 751: Chapter 748: Uninvited Guests on the Ship Chapter 751: Chapter 748: Uninvited Guests on the Ship The long twilight had ended, and night had fallen.

The electric lights were turned on, dispelling the darkness in the room. Taran El stood by the window, frowning as he gazed at the streets outside–The gas lamps illuminated the street, and occasionally, one could see Knowledge Guards with watchdogs appearing near the intersections. Other than that, the entire city seemed dead under the nightfall, empty and silent.

After an unknown amount of time, he withdrew his gaze from the window and looked at the piles of materials and books on his desk, sighing almost imperceptibly.

He had organized these things before the sunset. Next, he needed to pack them up and send them to the university library–where there was a new office, blessed by the wisdom god and with many sacred protections, that would allow him to safely conduct research and reading.

But only a few scholars were destined to obtain a “safety room” in the university library. For the majority, once the sun set, “reading” became a taboo. For safety reasons, all books had to be sealed away during this period of extended nightfall until the next sunrise–this was also part of the “Nightfall Prohibition” recently issued by the council.

Meanwhile, educational activities in schools also had to cease–Young students did not have the strength and experience to deal with the monsters that chased after them from the Spirit Realm and the Mysterious Deep Sea; it was far too dangerous.

Of course, some believed that the situation at Light Breeze Harbor wasn't so bad because the Luminous Geometric Body next to the city-state had a power similar to the sun's. Within its “sunlight” range, people might still be able to live and conduct their research normally–but this was after all just a speculation. People had never tested the power of the Luminous Geometric Body during such a prolonged nightfall, and they couldn't be sure where its protective limits were. Naturally, it was too risky.

To Taran El's knowledge, there was already a group of scholars testing this near the Luminous Geometric Body. They were fully armed, with equally armed guardians protecting them as they attempted “nightfall reading” at different times and locations to confirm the effectiveness of the “sunlight.”

But even Taran El didn't know how long this testing would take or how many verifications were needed.

The door opened, and the young apprentice Joshua entered the room, pushing a trolley. Seeing his teacher, he seemed a bit stunned, “…You haven't gone to the library yet?”

“I'm going with the next group,” Taran El casually said, pointing at the stuff on the table, “The things are already organized. Take what's on the table and leave the rest here… I'll be back after dawn.”

“Okay, Teacher.” Joshua obediently agreed, silently bundling and packing the organized books and materials, loading them onto the trolley. He kept his head down the entire time, seemingly avoiding looking at the text on the materials, or perhaps avoiding meeting his teacher's eyes.

“After you finish packing up here, you should go home with the others,” Taran said, looking at his young apprentice, then casually, “you guys have a holiday now.”

“Can I go to the library with you?” Joshua hesitated and then looked up, “I… I haven't finished a paper yet.”

“Starting to be ambitious now?” Taran raised his eyebrows, deliberately speaking in a teasing tone, “Aren't you usually the one clamoring for a holiday?”

Joshua pressed his lips together, seeming a bit embarrassed, “I…”
“Alright, just kidding,” Taran laughed, lightly shaking his head, “Go home, stop worrying about your paper–those 'safety rooms' in the library aren't that safe. An experienced scholar like me knows how to carefully conduct research with those protective measures, but a young person like you wouldn't manage… Even if the safety rooms keep out those malevolent spirits in physical form, the whisperings from the books could still muddle your mind.

“Take the holiday, rest well, replenish your energy. We'll have a long day coming… When that time comes, you won't have such a comfortable break.”

Listening to his teacher's words, Joshua just slowly nodded his head, then after hesitating for a while, he plucked up the courage to ask, “Will it really be daylight later?”

“…Yes,” Taran looked into his apprentice's eyes, speaking with unusual seriousness, “Remember? You and I calculated the rate of the sun's descent, and it set precisely into the sea as per our calculations–it will rise again according to our calculations, just that it needs a little time.”

The tense expression on the young man's face seemed finally to relax a little. He quietly finished packing the remaining items, respectfully bade farewell to his teacher, and then pushed the trolley out of the room.

Taran El watched Joshua leave and, after a while, suddenly turned his head towards the window, asking, “How long are you going to watch from over there?”

The air near the window twisted slightly, and the figure of the Truth Confidant, Ted Riel, emerged from it: “I just didn't want to interrupt your conversation with your apprentice.”

“…You still dare to use 'miracles' for traveling?” Taran glanced at the Truth Confidant, “Forgot about the last time with Subspace Butterfly Swimming?”

Ted's expression twisted for a moment, then he forcibly suppressed the trembling at the corner of his eyes, “I made sure it was safe… Are you still holding such a grudge?”

Taran didn't speak, just silently gave the middle finger.

Ted's lips twitched, then he formed a sheepish smile.

“Shouldn't you be out with your guardians protecting the city's night at this time?” Taran casually asked, “How do you still find time to come here and join the commotion?”

“Finally, I don't have to deal with those rookie's patchwork hasty papers anymore, now I'm in a good mood, so came to chat with you–does this reason work?”

Taran did not speak, just silently looked at the Truth Confidant in front of him.

“Alright, I'm here to personally escort you and the second batch of scholars to the grand library,” Ted shrugged, “A squad of Knowledge Guards is already on standby downstairs. Once everyone else is ready, you will come with me.”

“Is that really necessary? A Truth Confidant personally escorting us?” Taran furrowed his brows, “It's only about a fifteen-minute drive to the grand library, I could just drive myself…”

“Moco City-State, two scholars disappeared into thin air on their way to seek refuge at the library–the night swallowed them,” Ted interrupted him, his expression growing serious. “The dusk has become more dangerous than we ever realized, and the 'knowledge' in your head… it appears particularly sweet to 'them.'”
Taran El paused, silently turning towards a side cabinet.

“What are you doing?” Ted curiously asked.

“Taking my revolver, as well as a dagger and an amulet for protection.”

The sound of pages flipping resonated in the room, Morris paralleled his previous records in a thick notebook, busily writing and occasionally stopping to ponder and refine his thoughts.

His large notebook was filled with densely written text, abstract symbols, and dizzying diagrams that sketched out the appearance of this world.

He was completing his most important research–an attempt to construct a “model” that could explain the entire world, from the great annihilation at its beginning, through the era of the Mysterious Deep Sea and up to the current state of the “Shelter,” including its potential future.

This research had been ongoing for a long time, and only as the world neared its end did he see the possibility of its completion.

Nearby, at Morris's desk, sat a dozing Sherry and an attentively perusing Agou.

After an unknown amount of time had passed, a low indistinct murmur appeared suddenly at Morris's ear.

Accompanying this murmur, a chilly air abruptly filled the entire cabin! The room seemed to suddenly turn into an ice cave, with the chill materializing on the ceiling as trails of descending white mist, within which invisible shadows gradually seeped out, extending a tentacle towards Morris…

Without looking up, Morris continued writing in his notebook while casually saying, “Take it down.”

Before he finished speaking, Agou by his side had already transformed into a whirlwind composed of shattered bones and pitch-black smoke–bone fragments and dark fogs howled past the ceiling, swiftly devoured that twisted entity that pursued knowledge.

The next second, Agou's figure returned to normal and fell back onto the floor.

Sherry startled awake, “Ah… what happened?!”

“Another shadow pursuing knowledge,” Agou casually muttered, glancing at Sherry, “… continue your sleep, it wasn't after you.”

Sherry pondered for a moment, nodded, “Oh.”

She simply crawled next to Agou, leaning against him and lay down, immediately emitting a soft snore.

Morris stopped what he was doing, looked up somewhat helplessly at Sherry, sighed, and then bent down again to solemnly add the final footnote to this page of his notebook.

Just as he wrote the last letter, a strange voice suddenly entered his ears–
“Outstanding research… you've been lingering in front of the last great door to the truth.”

Morris was startled, swiftly raising his head towards the source of the voice.

A figure in a worn white robe quietly sat beside him, smiling gently, looking at the scattered notebooks and documents on the desk.

Muscles tensing instantly, Morris reached under the desk for his revolver, while Agou also reacted immediately by getting up–Sherry yelped as she fell to the floor, then saw the uninvited guest who had appeared in the room, her eyes widening as a bone spur shot out like an arrow from behind her, seeming ready to pierce the figure in the next second–
However, the figure in the worn white robe just sat there quietly, as if unaware of the sudden surge of vigilance and hostility around, still engrossed in Morris's manuscripts.

After two or three seconds, he slowly raised his head, his face still wearing a gentle smile: “I need to talk to your captain.”

Chapter end

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