Ashes Of Deep Sea - Chapter 321 - Chapter 321: Chapter 325: Handover

Chapter 321: Chapter 325: Handover

A weak yet wondrous power was resisting the commands Alice issued to this body.

Even attempting to expel her from it.

This force seemed to have existed from the outset, but it only became conspicuously resistant when she started having thoughts of going to Frost.

Duncan Ebnomal stopped in surprise, and although the force of resistance was consistent, he still slowly moved his feet to the edge of the wreckage, looking down at the calm sea.

He spoke softly, “I thought you had disappeared — usually, after the heart stops beating, the soul departs quickly.”

Then he fell silent, feeling that faint but stubborn force, and after a moment of silence, the body’s lips twitched twice: “Leave…”

Duncan slightly closed his eyes.

On the surface of the sea, sullied by oil, the body’s reflection was suddenly enveloped in a layer of eerie green flames, and the face, disfigured by a fire and explosion within the flames, quivered, transforming into Duncan Ebnomal’s solemn and somber visage.

“Hello,” the Duncan reflected in the water looked at the body standing at the edge of the Sea Swallow wreckage and greeted calmly, “I think this way we can converse more easily.”

The disfigured body stood rigid, with Belazov’s remaining consciousness desperately staring at the face in the water, gazing into the enveloping green flames. His lips twitched twice, emitting once more the monotonous, persistent voice: “Leave.”

Duncan pondered in the reflection of the water, “You’re not asking me to leave your body, are you asking me to stay away from Frost?”

Belazov’s body remained silent, standing tall as this technically deceased body refused the command to return to Frost.

“You are the first to resist — at least, the first to resist so profoundly that it caught my attention,” Duncan spoke calmly, “But you should realize, this weak resistance is meaningless. You’re only rapidly depleting your soul, and you’ve merely delayed me a few seconds.”

Belazov still stood silent, appearing dead — but there was a flicker of lingering light in his half-open eyes.

“I take back what I just said, your resistance has meaning,” after a brief silence, Duncan sighed, “Go in peace, I am not an enemy of Frost — I am here to help your City-State and your people.”

Then, he fell silent for a few seconds, staring at the quietly standing body, and after a brief contemplation, he spoke softly, “The reinforcements are coming.”

Belazov’s body swayed slightly; perhaps Duncan’s words truly had an effect, or it could be that the remaining stubborn soul finally dispersed entirely. This robust body looked once more towards the distant lights of the City-State before it fell straight back, face up.

Duncan sat up, slightly adjusting the charred strips of cloth on his body, then looked at his hands.

The feebly resisting force had disappeared.

A whirling, spreading fire suddenly emerged beside him. The sound of flapping wings emerged from the vortex formed by the flames, and a massive skeletal bird burst forth, circling over the nearby sea.

Almost simultaneously, the voice of Ai Yi entered Duncan’s mind, “Actually, you didn’t need to ‘negotiate’ with him — that was just a weak mortal soul.”

“Weak, but deserving of respect,” Duncan replied while extending a hand to the side, and Ai Yi immediately flew beside him, the blazing green flames forming a doorway rising beside him, “I’ll head towards Frost, focusing mainly there. Homeloss will be under your command. Also, tell Alice to prepare some bandages and an overcoat, ready for my orders.”

The Spectral Flame burst forth, Duncan’s body blending into the flame, and in the next second, it rose beside Ai Yi as a streak of fire, soaring into the sky toward Frost.

…

At the same time, in the warm southern seas, governed by the elves, was the technological City-State “Light Breeze Harbor.”

It was still deep in the night, most of the city still enveloped in the boundless night sky. However, on the eastern edge of Light Breeze Harbor, a dim yet warm glow still illuminated all the buildings and streets — those elegant turrets with Elvish flair and towering rooftops bathed in the twilight, with vines hanging between houses and trees growing in the narrow lots all appearing lush in the radiant light.

This scene, a blend of reality and fantasy, could even evoke thoughts of the ancient eras recorded in the old Elvish texts, landscapes intertwined between forest dreams and fantastical stories.

This unusual scene was certainly not part of the natural scenery of the City-State—the warm glow covering the sky above the eastern district came from the sea near Light Breeze Harbor.

There, like a small mountain, a geometric structure emitting endless golden light floated quietly near the Elven City-State. Despite its outer boundaries being several miles distant from the city, the marvelous radiance it released was still enough to affect half of the City-State.

And on the edge of this vast geometric body was the temporary research facility established by the City-State authorities—a giant floating raft-style harbor floated on the tranquil sea surface. Streaming clouds of steam and smoke from power devices on the edges of the rafts infused the skies, while complex mechanical work towers were busy loading and unloading cargo ships docked in the harbor. Meanwhile, numerous small speedboats shuttled tirelessly between the floating raft base and the glowing geometric body.

These speedboats penetrated deep into the interior of the luminous geometric body, carrying supplies and personnel to the research ships nearby the “core stone sphere,” or exchanging important data.

All these complex, busy, and efficient processes were calculated and overseen by a giant steam-powered differential engine at the center of the raft base.

At this moment, a magical warship, distinct in style from the local vessels, was docking next to the Elven-built floating raft base.

It was the Witch of the Sea, Lucaicia’s ship, the Brilliant Starship.

The mechanical doll Luny, with light steps, arrived at the upper deck of the Brilliant Starship, where her mistress was standing, gazing at the beautifully intricate high tower at the center of the marine base.

“Mistress,” Luny approached Lucaicia from behind, bowing slightly, “The research team led by Scholar Taran El has returned from near the ‘core stone sphere’ and is currently resting at the base. When do you plan to meet him?”

“In the afternoon,” Lucaicia replied without turning, “Let that Elven scholar rest a bit more—he hasn’t really rested since we dragged this luminary to Light Breeze Harbor. I worry he might die suddenly on my ship.”

Luny pondered for a moment: “We could meet him at the marine base, and prevent him from having to board.”

Lucaicia: “…Luny.”

“Yes?”

“You have improved in humor.”

“Thank you for your praise.”

Lucaicia’s lips twitched slightly, then she glanced once more at the tower at the center of the base—the pressure release pipes at the top of the tower were emitting bursts of mist now, indicating the differential engine’s power system was automatically balancing the overall load. It seemed the master “Taran El” indeed brought back quite significant data this time.

“Elves indeed possess exceptional talents in mathematics and mechanics,” Lucaicia murmured in admiration, “Bringing it to Light Breeze Harbor was the right move. Only here could we organize such a scale of research team and have such level of facilities readily available.”

“Moco could possibly do it, too,” Luny suggested, “after all, it is the headquarters of the Academy of Truth. The number of scholars and research conditions there are even somewhat stronger than here.”

“That’s too far, plus it’s too close to the Central Seas—I don’t intend to have the Brilliant Starship hauling a massive ‘otherworldly artifact’ along the main routes. It would stir up those City-States that haven’t experienced much turmoil,” Lucaicia shook her head, “Not to mention the Divine Quadrant is speculating it might be a fragment dislodged from Anomaly 001. This level of object… it’s best studied on the Civilization Frontier.”

Luny pondered somewhat, then bowed slightly: “Your judgment is well-considered.”

Lucaicia had no reaction to her maid’s compliment, merely pondering other matters silently, but suddenly, she seemed to sense something, her expression subtly shifting.

“Just a moment, my brother is calling me.”

With that statement, the “Witch of the Sea” transformed into a whirlwind of colorful paper shreds swirling over the deck, spiraling into a distant open window and returning to the captain’s quarters.

On the table in the captain’s room, the mechanical device comprising intricate lenses and a crystal ball was now glowing slightly and emitting faint vibrations.

Lucaicia’s figure reformed from the colorful paper shreds, and she stepped closer to the glowing crystal device, activating the image within the crystal ball.

The visage of “Iron Marshal” Tierian appeared within the crystal ball, his background not the familiar room.

“Brother?” Lucaicia frowned slightly, initially not noticing the background behind him, “Why did you suddenly reach out?”

Tierian smiled mysteriously: “Guess where I am?”

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