Deep Sea Embers

“Are you implying that the information provided by Vision 004 is unreliable?” Banster asked, tilting his head slightly. “Is it not that Vision-Pland lacks a numerical code, but rather that it’s concealed?”

“It might be an entirely new naming scheme,” Lune mused. “Vision 004 and Vision Pland might both be accurate, but we have yet to grasp this new vision naming method. Pland has undergone some highly unusual events recently – a city-state tainted by history but ‘rescued’ by subspace power, something unprecedented.”

“I don’t appreciate ‘new mechanisms’,” Banster shook his head, his voice low. “New mechanisms imply new uncontrollable factors. We’ve sacrificed so much to understand the world, and yet it continues to change.”

“No one enjoys it, but the world is consistently cruel,” Lune shrugged, turning to Helena. “I hope you can learn something in Pland and witness firsthand what has transpired in that city-state.”

Helena remained quiet for a moment, nodding slightly, seemingly deep in thought. Eventually, she broke the silence, “There’s another issue – you must have noticed it as well – the problem with Vision 001.”

Lune’s expression grew serious, a rare occurrence for the elderly man who served the god of wisdom: “Yes, the Solar Observation Tower has verified that the rune ring on the sun’s periphery has indeed sustained damage. Although the missing section represents only a small fraction of the entire rune structure, that portion is undeniably gone. I am still monitoring Vision 001 closely, but there’s no further damage to the rune ring or any indication of self-repair.”

“No unusual activities have been detected among the Sun worshipers,” Banster added promptly. “Initially, I suspected their involvement, but based on the information we’ve gathered, the Sun heretics themselves don’t seem to have noticed Vision 001’s changes.”

“That doesn’t mean it’s unrelated to the ‘Creeping Sun Wheel’,” Helena stated gravely. “The Creeping Sun Wheel is among the oldest entities in this world, and the Sun heretics are merely mold spots that have grown under its influence. Their connection to their deity isn’t as intimate as they believe.”

“We’ll continue monitoring those cultists and the sun’s heir offsprings behind them,” Banster declared slowly. “As well as the doomsday Enders… In any event, what occurred in Pland must not be repeated.”

Helena nodded slightly, watching as the shadows of the two popes faded and dissipated into the darkness, vanishing into the void.

She turned her gaze towards the spot where the tomb of the nameless king had sunk, and soon, her figure gradually disappeared from the assembly hall as well.

The next moment, Helena opened her eyes to the physical realm, stepping out of the secret chamber when two attendants approached. Helena waved her hand, signaling for them to leave, and proceeded alone down the lengthy corridor towards the upper deck of the cathedral ship.

A grand cathedral sailed upon the vast, boundless dark sea, with the cathedral’s three spires and towering pinnacles and bell towers reaching for the heavens. Their tops were enveloped in mist, while the lower half of the cathedral ship consisted of heavy armor, enormous pipes, and the rugged mechanical structure connecting to the deck area.

A colossal ark, the lower half a steel fortress and the upper half a sacred cathedral – this was the true headquarters of the Storm Church, the “Grand Storm Cathedral” navigating the Boundless Sea.

Helena emerged from the corridor that’s adorned with sacred runes, and arrived at the terrace on the upper deck, quietly surveying the magnificent feat of engineering below her.

This cathedral was relatively new; in fact, its hull had been finished a mere thirty-five years ago, and its upper structure had been completed only twenty years prior. Scholars from the Academy of Truth had aided in designing the cathedral ship’s immense power system and intricate control mechanisms, and thus far, everything had operated seamlessly.

Before the cathedral ship’s completion, the “Grand Storm Cathedral” was smaller in scale and spent less time sailing the Boundless Sea. For the maiden of storm and tranquility, she didn’t object to her followers seeking assistance from other religions to construct their temple, and neither did the other gods.

In truth… the gods were indifferent to anything that transpired in the mortal world.

Helena took a gentle breath, observing the thin mist surrounding the cathedral ship – this layer of mist and the chaotic darkness of the nearby seawater signified that the entire ark was currently navigating between the realms of reality and the spirit world. In this position, most ordinary ships sailing on the Boundless Sea could not detect the Grand Storm Cathedral’s presence.

After quietly savoring the cold breeze for a while, Helena reached out, grasped a hand-carved wooden piece shaped like a wave, and took it from her side. Once she’s done invoking the name of the Storm Goddess, Gomona, she casts the wave amulet made of “Sea Breath Wood” far into the sea.

“The faith of the saint you’re concerned about has started to waver,” Helena looked in the direction of the plummeting amulet, speaking softly as if to herself, “But her humanity seems to remain unblemished – she is still human.”

The waves gently rippled as if invisible whispers were softly echoing through the waters. Helena listened attentively for a long time and nodded gently, “That’s good… Yes, I understand.”

After having floated on the water’s surface for a while, the Sea Breath Wood amulet eventually tumbled and silently sank into the Boundless Sea.

….

Inside the antique shop of Pland, the morning sun was brilliant today as the light poured through the freshly cleaned windows and onto the scattered shelves housing the faux relics.

As cheerful as ever, Nina hummed an upbeat tune as she dusted the merchandise, occasionally peeking out to watch the figures near the counter as she did so.

Alice and Shirley had been sitting there, their brows furrowed and holding a stack of alphabet cards, while Dog hid in the shadows near the counter, trying to write words with a pencil grasped in his paw.

Truthfully, Nina found it amazing that Dog could even hold a pencil with his skeletal paw. From her view, it would be challenging to keep a grip.

On the brink of falling asleep for the third time, Shirley yawned widely, placed the alphabet cards on the counter, and looked at Alice, who was entirely focused: “Aren’t you sleepy?”

“No, not really,” Alice raised her head and replied honestly, “I don’t know what it feels like to be ‘sleepy’—I only sleep when it’s time to sleep.”

“I wonder what it’s like to be a living doll with a soul,” Shirley mumbled, then cautiously looked around and stealthily glanced upstairs before whispering, “Hey, why hasn’t Mr. Duncan come down today… and when I saw him this morning, he seemed preoccupied.”

Alice put the alphabet cards she had just memorized to the side, picked up a clean one, and began to recite again while saying absent-mindedly, “He’s pondering the mysteries of the deep sea.”

“Pondering the mysteries of the deep sea?” Shirley was puzzled, “What does that mean?”

“I don’t know, that’s what he said,” Alice shook her head slightly, “Why don’t you go ask him? He should be happy to teach you something…”

Shirley opened her mouth, about to say something when suddenly, she heard the sound of Dog panicking from the shadows near the counter: “If you want to court death, don’t drag me with you!”

“I didn’t say I was going to ask,” Shirley glared in the direction of the voice, “I still have to…”

She had just gotten halfway through her sentence when she suddenly heard the crisp sound of a bell from the direction of the door.

Dog instantly vanished, while Alice gracefully set her alphabet cards aside and looked up towards the door: “Welcome, may I… oh? Mr. Morris?”

The person who had arrived early in the morning was Morris—the elderly scholar wore a dark winter coat, a thick round-topped felt hat, and carried a hefty, old tome under his arm. After entering, he greeted Alice and Shirley by the counter and then glanced at Nina, who was tidying up the shelves nearby: “Is Mr. Duncan here?”

“He’s upstairs,” Nina nodded, looking curiously at the old man, “Do you need him for something?”

“I think I found the origin of that symbol,” Morris excitedly waved the ancient book he had brought with him, “It’s unbelievable that it appeared in a document about the ancient kingdom of Crete— and so inconspicuous!”