Ashes Of Deep Sea Chapter 776

Chapter 776: Chapter 773: Leaping Across the Boundaries Chapter 776: Chapter 773: Leaping Across the Boundaries Duncan opened the door to the captain's quarters and strode in; the black goat head on the navigation desk immediately silenced and turned its gaze towards the entrance, watching under the dim light.

“Duncan Ebnomal–I'm back,” Duncan said with a wave of his hand, then glanced out the window, “Where are we right now?”

Before entering the captain's quarters, he had noticed that the Homeloss had already passed through the dark mist, and now the dense fog in the nearby waters had turned into a normal gray-white color; under the light, that heavy fog was silently undulating in the distance.

“We arrived at the Six Nautical Miles boundary line fifteen minutes ago; the fleet is now waiting for your command,” the goat head spoke, creaking its neck as it swiveled its head, as if still sizing up the captain that had just entered the room, “You… seem to have been to a very far place or been gone for a long time; I almost didn't recognize you for a moment.”

Listening to the goat head's slightly anxious mutter, Duncan just waved his hand lightly and then did not head towards the navigation desk as usual but slowly turned around, as if searching for something around him–his gaze fell upon the lantern hanging on the nearby wall.

The antique brass lantern hung quietly on the hook, looking unremarkable, as if it were nothing more than a common item when not lit.

He reached out, took the lantern from the wall, and examined it closely in front of him.

“Are you headed to the lower deck?” the voice of the goat head came from behind him, with a hint of confusion, “The lower deck is very calm right now; it shouldn't need soothing, and we're at the boundary…”

“No, I'm not going to the lower deck,” Duncan interrupted the goat head, then took the lantern to the navigation desk and set it down carelessly on the table, “As for this lantern, how much do you know about it?”

The goat head visibly paused, somewhat unclear about why the captain suddenly asked such a question after “walking out the door,” but quickly it recovered to respond, pondering as it spoke, “If you're asking about the use of this lantern, I've already told you, but if you're asking about its origin… then I can only say, it was already here when I arrived.”

“So, this lantern was with the Homeloss from the beginning,” Duncan furrowed his brow slightly and said thoughtfully, then suddenly thought of something he had never before asked, “Wait, how do you know the purpose of this lantern? Who told you its function? And many other things on the ship…”

“…The ship told me,” the goat head hesitated before answering in a somewhat serious tone, “I know the purpose of every single thing on this ship, most of the intelligence comes from the ship's own 'memory,' and the remaining small part comes from…”

It hesitated for a few seconds before its gaze landed on Duncan.

“From long ago, when the 'captain' could occasionally think and communicate.”

Duncan nodded, not pressing further, then turned his attention back to the lantern.

But the goat head couldn't help but become curious; it carefully observed the familiar lantern and noticed the captain's serious expression, “Is there something wrong with this lantern?”

“…There's nothing wrong with it,” Duncan hesitated before realizing he could not risk discussing the matters “on the other side” of that door in front of the goat head, so he had to approach the subject indirectly, “I'm just curious, apart from providing comfort during inspections of the lower deck, does this lantern have any other use?”

“To my knowledge… this is its only function,” the goat head thought for a moment and replied very earnestly, “It is something the captain carries with him while inspecting dark places, the ship itself remembers it this way… maybe you could ask Miss Lucy?”

Duncan thought for a moment, and just then, a shadow surged in a nearby mirror, followed by Agatha's image emerging within the shadows, “Captain, we've received a signal from the direction of the lighthouse, inquiring if something has happened.”

Duncan exhaled and stood up to temporarily hang the lantern back on the wall–the Brilliant Starship and three church battleships serving as escorts and guides were still waiting for his orders.

For now, the mission of boundary exploration was more important–after all, this wasn't a safe “internal sea area,” and it wasn't a good idea to waste time at the Six Nautical Miles boundary line.

“Have Fenna contact her brethren and have those church battleships move closer to the 'lighthouse,' go notify 'the sailor' to stand by at the stern–we're preparing to 'cross the boundary.'
“Yes, Captain,” Agatha immediately bowed to take the orders, her image gradually fading from the mirror.

After that, Duncan left the captain's quarters, walking through the mist-enshrouded deck, and then made his way up to the towering stern deck via the staircase beside the captain's quarters.

The gray-white fog enshrouded the endless sea, the water's surface calm as a mirror, the sky was murky, but there was also a uniformly diffused “twilight” in the depths of the clouds and mist, distinct from sunlight and the Creation of the World; this “twilight” kept the entire sea area from sinking completely into pitch darkness.

This “twilight” was a phenomenon unique to the border sea regions; it existed even on days when the sun disappeared.

“So many wondrous sceneries, so many secrets awaiting explanation…”

A voice suddenly came from not far off; Duncan turned towards it and saw Morris standing at the edge of the stern deck, somewhat absentmindedly staring into the distant fog.

The old scholar, wearing a somewhat dated overcoat and holding an unlit pipe, had a wistful expression on his face. Upon noticing the captain's gaze, he turned with a self-deprecating smile.

“Just feeling somewhat nostalgic, Captain,” he said, “at the end of the world, yet seeing so many things worth researching for generations to come leaves one with a sense of regret.”

Duncan didn't say anything, merely joined the old scholar and looked up in another direction.

A towering lighthouse stood silently in the thick fog.

Strictly speaking, it was a composite structure made up of a lighthouse, a church, and a steam-driven platform–its base was a large-power harbor driven by a steam core, on which a lofty church in the style of the deep sea was built. The central part of the church also served as the foundation of the lighthouse, with solemn black structures spiraling upwards from the main tower, forming a helical external tower. Between each helical turn, the sacred steam piping was visible, and at the very top was the blazing “torch.”

It was the Blessed Flame, Burning brighter than any ordinary light in the prayers of the church–even in the boundless fog of the border seas, its light could penetrate the thick mist.

But it still struggled to penetrate the chaos beyond Six Nautical Miles that no longer obeyed “order.”

“That is the lighthouse established by the Deep Sea Church on the eastern border,” Fenna's voice came from not far behind; she had also made her way to the stern deck at some point. “I've heard from Helena that these lighthouses are the highest achievement the various churches can offer in their border operations so far–they only maintain communications and navigation for a short period after the ships cross the six Nautical Miles critical line, that's it.”

The sound of the steam whistle echoed through the nearby seas, as the three church warships tasked with the piloting duties broke away from the formation, passing slowly past the Homeloss and Brilliant Starship, heading towards the lighthouse standing in the fog.

They had completed their duties–the upcoming “boundary crossing” mission was not something they could participate in.

The task of the living had ended, and what followed was to be completed by the “Ghost Ship.”

Hesitant footsteps gradually approached. Duncan looked toward the source of the sound and saw Exception 077 hesitantly walking over.

He was wearing a “naval uniform” of unknown origin over the tattered rags of his original body, which hung loosely on a shriveled and wrinkled corpse.

“This was sent over from the church…” Exception 077 noticed the captain's gaze and immediately raised his hand, “I thought I should dress more appropriately… It never hurts to be a bit more dignified.”

Duncan nodded and casually asked, “Are you ready?”

“…I'm actually still a bit nervous,” the sailor instinctively tugged at the button on his chest, but soon straightened his posture and tried to look reliable, “but I'm ready.”

Duncan didn't say anything else, just looked up in the direction of the Brilliant Starship and mentally called out: “Lucy.”

“I'm here, Dad.”

“The sailor is about to take the helm; you need to stay as close to the Homeloss as possible,” Duncan said earnestly, “Next, I'm going to stop suppressing the influence of 'Exception 077' and will spread its power further. If all goes well, the Brilliant Starship will be affected too–we're going to enter 'the correct course' and head towards where the Storm Goddess sleeps.”

The voice of Lucia sounded calm and determined: “I understand; I'll keep up.”

Duncan nodded, took a deep breath, and looked towards Exception 077, who had come to the ship's helm.

“…Helmsman, fulfill your duty.”

“Yes, Captain!”

The sailor called out with the greatest strength and volume, in his signature raspy voice, then moved forward with a sudden step, gripping tight the dark helm.

Almost instantly, a ghostly green light that enveloped the Homeloss flickered visibly and then began to spread outward, encompassing the Brilliant Starship!

In a sudden creaking and squeaking sound, as if space itself was under pressure, both ships' figures began to blur–and they adjusted their stance and began to accelerate into the deeper part of the fog.

And at this moment of crossing the border, Duncan heard the steam whistles blowing.

First came the three church warships that had provided the escort, followed by the lighthouse tower of the church on the border of the fog, and then, the vessels, large and small, belonging to the Deep Sea Church docked near the lighthouse.

The whistles rose and fell, echoing at the end of the world–the Homeloss and Brilliant Starship accelerated again, leaping past the curtain amidst the mortal world's farewell.

Chapter end

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