Deep Sea Embers

Listening to Tirian's story, Duncan fell into a long silence and thinking.

The Lost Home seemed to fall silent along with the captain. The low creaking sounds coming from the depths of the cabin gradually subsided, and a spiritual quality that seemed both real and illusory enveloped the ship. It passed silently across the sea, Traveling through the same silent world.

After a long time like this, Duncan slowly lowered his head and looked at his feet.

He couldn't see it, but he could imagine it - beneath the layers of decks, deeper than the shattered bilge structures, beyond the borders of reality, Sasloka's spine was still immersed in darkness. In the subspace, what the spine replaced was the original keel of the Lost Home - the keel that Duncan Abnomar called "the twig".

That "little branch" had already sunk into the depths of subspace along with the original Homeless Ship following the disaster a century ago.

"Father..." Tirian's slightly uneasy voice sounded in his heart, interrupting Duncan's contemplation, "Do you have any questions?"

"The last question," Duncan said, "After the Homeless Ship is completed, the craftsmen who participated in its construction should still be alive. I mean the elves who were responsible for processing the keel..."

"Most of them should still be alive, but it may be difficult to find them in a short time," Tirian replied. "After the 'accident' of the Lost Home, everything related to that ship became taboo, including of course construction projects of the year.

"The craftsmen who participated in the construction of the Lost Country have changed careers or gone to other city-states. Even the elves have chosen to remain anonymous and move away. The design drawings have been sealed, and together with all the files, they have been regarded as 'sealed objects' and are hidden in Deep inside the church...

"People say that everything related to the Lost Home is cursed. This is true for Captain Duncan's children. Even those who built the Lost Home and know the secrets of the Lost Home cannot escape..."

Duncan didn't speak for a while, and Tirian fell silent as he spoke. In the suddenly awkward atmosphere, Lucretia's voice was the first to break the silence.

"The rumors are not just rumors. You can't blame people at the time for being so nervous about it," the "Sea Witch" said slowly. "In fact, the shipyard that was originally used to build the Homeless Ship collapsed the day after the subspace collapse incident. Then there was a fire.

“The fire burned everything in an unnatural way, burning the steel and stone to ashes, but it did not ignite the drawings and files related to the Lost Home that were stored in the office.

"Nearly half of the construction participants suffered nightmares, strange illnesses and visions in the years after that. Some committed suicide a few years later, some mysteriously disappeared while going to sea, and some fell into madness. In the end, they During the period of lucidity, he claimed to have heard "real voices" and then spent the rest of his life in a mental hospital - compared with other people who encountered misfortune, these people who fell into madness seemed particularly lucky.

"The elven craftsmen who were responsible for processing the dragon bones were the least affected group of people. Perhaps their racial characteristics protected them. They seemed not to be affected by the curse, but the experiences of others were still enough to scare them. They remained anonymous and traveled far away. It’s an excusable thing…”

Duncan listened quietly to Lucretia's memories and descriptions. After a long time, he spoke in a slightly strange tone: "But the original construction records of the Lost Home are still retained in Pland?"

"Yes, it is still there, in the form of 'sealed objects'. You discussed this matter with me and Vanna last time," Morris's voice interrupted, "According to my understanding, these things will not be Destroyed - I dare not destroy it casually, because it involves subspace, and the act of 'destruction' itself may also lead to the connection between the Homeless Number and the real world..."

"I need this part," Duncan said immediately.

Morris was startled for a moment, but quickly responded: "No problem, I will contact my friends in Pland City State right now. Although those things have been high-risk sealed objects in the past hundred years, given the current situation, the authorities should be willing to cooperate. your requirements……"

"Usual communication methods are too slow," Duncan interrupted Morris, "Vanna."

Fanna's voice immediately sounded: "Yes, Captain, I'm listening."

"You can directly contact the Cathedral of Storms in Pland, right?" Duncan was extremely serious. "Inform them to prepare all the information related to the Homeless Ship construction project and send it to the cathedral."

"...Okay," Fanna hesitated for two or three seconds to show her loyalty to the Storm Goddess, and then agreed very happily, "How do you want to take away the information? Send Ai Yi over there? I'll inform my colleagues over there. , to prevent them from making a fuss..."

"No, I'll go myself."

Fanna didn't seem to react for a moment: "Are you going in person?"

…

In the not too big antique shop in the lower town of Puland, Duncan put down the newspaper in his hand and glanced at the warm and bright sunshine outside the window. A smile appeared on his face: "I drink tea and read newspapers in the antique shop every day. Let’s bask in the sun...it’s time to do some exercise here.”

"...I understand, I will contact the city-state cathedral immediately."

Vanna's voice sounded in his mind, and then gradually faded away.

Duncan carefully folded the newspaper and placed it on the shelf next to the counter. Then he got up and walked to the stairs leading to the second floor, taking off his coat hanging on the hook.

The Lost Home is still sailing silently on the boundless sea of ​​the spiritual world, and the Breeze Port has sunk into a dream that cannot be awakened. In city-states around the world, more and more elves are falling into sleep, and in this small In the antique shop, the peace and tranquility of the past are still maintained.

It's like a safe haven from the rest of the world.

But just when Duncan put on his coat and prepared to go out, the door of the antique store was suddenly pushed open, and the jingling bell broke the tranquility of this haven one step ahead.

Duncan raised his head and looked at the door, seeing a familiar figure standing in the sun.

"Miss Heidi? Good morning," he recognized the visitor at the door and greeted him politely, "Sorry, the business is closed today. I have to go out to do some things."

"Mr. Duncan... Captain," Heidi took two steps into the store. She looked at the "store manager" who had just put on his coat and was obviously ready to go out. After a moment of hesitation, Heidi said, "I may need your help."

Duncan stopped and looked at the other person curiously: "Huh?"

After the previous incident in which Taran El and the elf girl were trapped in a dream, Heidi already knew the truth about the Lost Home. Perhaps because she was not used to this drastic change, she had many problems after that. I haven't been to this store for a long time, but I didn't expect that she would suddenly come to the door today and ask for help.

"It's sleeping sickness," Heidi seemed a little hesitant. This was the first time she came here for help knowing Duncan's identity. She looked quite at a loss. "It was a very large-scale, sudden sleeping sickness..."

"More elves fell into deep sleep?" Duncan frowned, "It's to be expected - the Dream of the Nameless One has undergone drastic changes this morning, and its influence is getting stronger. But don't worry, it's just the time I went out. For this matter."

"Not only are more elves falling into deep sleep," Heidi said immediately, "There is also something wrong with the 'symptoms' this time. The centralized medical facility in the city has just admitted a group of 'patients'. I think it is necessary to ask you to take a look at the situation. ...if you have time..."

The more she talked, the less confident she became. She didn't know what was going on in her mind during this moment, but at the end she suddenly said: "I'm asking you for help. Do I need any sacrifice?"

Duncan was still thinking about how long it would take for the cathedral to prepare after receiving Vanna's news. When he heard Heidi's words, he was a little unresponsive: "...Sacrifice?"

Heidi thought for a while, with an embarrassment on her face: "When I corresponded with my father, I didn't dare to ask about you in detail. He only said that life on the Lost Home was incredible, and that you were friendly towards mortals. But you didn’t tell me your rules of conduct, nor did you mention the rituals and sacrifices needed to ask for your help..."

"Stop, I understand," Duncan quickly interrupted the other party. He looked at the psychiatrist lady with a strange look on his face, and after a while he said, "I don't want sacrifices, nor do I need any bloody and weird sacrificial rituals. ——The Homeless Fleet is a group with a friendly atmosphere and its members help each other and are enthusiastic about the city-state's public welfare. Didn't Maurice or Vanna mention this to you?"

Heidi: "...?"

Duncan knew what was going on as soon as he saw the other person's expression.

He waved his hand and took a small bronze statue from the shelf next to him.

An antique from the Dark City era, a royal symbol of the old Isom dynasty, it was brand new from the factory last week.

"The original price is 800 solas, and after a discount of 12%, if you buy it at the original price, it will be regarded as my reward for making a move - if there is no problem, let's set off. Anyway, the cathedral won't be able to prepare what I want for a while. Well, I can follow you to check on the conditions of those 'patients' first."

…

"Are you sure you want to use these things to build a 'channel' for psychic resonance?" Morris stared dumbfoundedly at Vanna busy in the kitchen, and finally couldn't help but ask aloud.

Fanna temporarily stopped her preparations and looked up at the old gentleman next to her: "Is there any problem?"

"...I think this is quite lacking in rigor," Morris said with a tight face, trying to look serious, "As a sacred ceremony, you should at least be prepared when establishing contact with the city-state cathedral. Decent casting materials..."

Vanna was silent for a moment, looking down at what she could find in this "Witch Mansion".

"Holy flames, holy oils, holy spices, supplemented by devout prayers, the four elements are complete."

Morris's eyes suddenly widened: "It doesn't mean that if you add the word 'sacred' in front of it, it will work - you can't ask the goddess to give down her power just by exploding green onions in the kitchen!"

Fanna: "..."

(I’m going on a business trip to Guangzhou, so I’ll do one update in the next few days, and resume three updates in two days when I get back.)