Deep Sea Embers

Vanna rose and approached the goddess’s statue in the intimate prayer room. The figure was positioned on a tall platform, surrounded by gently flickering candles.

“We must relay this warning to the Grand Storm Cathedral, and ideally to other churches and city-states,” Bishop Valentine remarked from behind her. “However, the origin of the warning is crucial. To be convincing, we must provide a reason that will sway the other three churches. Simply saying ‘a saint had a revelation in a dream’ will not suffice.

“Her Holiness knows of your association with Captain Duncan and has not issued any admonishments. It appears she tacitly approves, but if the other churches learned the truth… their response would be unpredictable, particularly the Death Church.”

“The impact of the Witherland Thirteen Islands…” Vanna murmured softly, “The Death Church is exceptionally vigilant when it comes to the Vanished.”

“Indeed, the Witherland Thirteen Islands, once the largest archipelago city-state under the Death Church’s control, were pulled into subspace by the Vanished a century ago. For followers of the God of Death, those islands hold a significance comparable to Pland for the Storm Church today,” Valentine sighed. “It’s troublesome. After a hundred years, it’s not just about resentment, but also the innate human distrust toward an ‘uncontrollable catastrophe.’ If they discovered the source of this warning, they might suspect a conspiracy.”

Vanna remained silent for a moment before suddenly suggesting, “The Grand Storm Cathedral is convening soon. Perhaps Her Holiness will have her own thoughts.”

“Let’s hope,” Valentine muttered, lacking confidence. “Regardless, the Four Churches have already taken note of Vision 001’s situation. It seems our level of concern has been inadequate. If the Storm Church could take the initiative and elevate the importance of this matter, it would at least achieve the intended effect of this ‘warning.'”

Vanna nodded slowly, gazing up at the statue of Storm Goddess Gomona, and whispered a prayer, “May you protect us.”

…

At the stern deck of the Vanished, Duncan had just finished a full-ship patrol and was preparing to retire to his quarters.

Periodically, the Vanished required a thorough inspection, particularly its submerged chambers, which demanded the captain’s presence to maintain stability.

During this examination, Duncan also verified the “Subspace Door” at the ship’s bottom, ensuring it remained securely closed.

This brought him some relief.

However, along with that relief came lingering uneasiness: he still couldn’t understand how he had managed to cross to the “other side” of the door after falling asleep in his room the last time.

He had entered subspace in a stupor and spent half a day aboard another Vanished. Although he had ultimately found a way back safely, he could never be fully at ease without knowing the mechanism for entering subspace.

Moreover, his entry into subspace occurred just after Vision 001 experienced issues.

Issues with “The Sun,” peculiar dreams, and entering subspace – these three events occurred in such close succession that it’s difficult not to suspect a hidden link between them.

Duncan stood before the captain’s cabin, clutching a lantern in one hand, inhaling the cold night air deeply.

This sense of unease may have prompted him to issue a warning during his prior “dream communication” with Vanna. Although he was uncertain how much his strange dreams mirrored reality, his numerous encounters with supernatural phenomena taught him one thing: ordinary people might dismiss dreams, but for him, “Captain Duncan,” having a dream should not be taken lightly.

Now he hoped his warning would bring the Four Churches’ attention to the matter of Vision 001.

He was aware that he wasn’t an expert in the supernatural realm, and even if he wished to investigate the Vision 001 issue, he wouldn’t know where to begin. His role was to draw the attention of genuine experts to the problem.

A warning from “Captain Duncan” would undoubtedly provide a compelling reason for many to take it seriously.

Gathering his thoughts, Duncan placed his hand on the doorknob of his cabin. Before opening the door, however, another thought crossed his mind.

The Abyss Plan that Tyrian had mentioned to him.

Duncan furrowed his brow, pondered for a moment, and then pushed open the “Door of the Lost” directly.

A whirl of fog emerged from the doorframe as he stepped through it.

After brief dizziness and a sensation of spatial displacement, Zhou Ming opened his eyes to find the familiar bachelor apartment, where everything remained as it was.

He steadied himself, checking the windowsill, desk, and other areas to ensure that everything here was unchanged. Then he walked to the end of the room.

On the modest shelf, the intricate “models” of the Vanished and Pland still sat quietly in their original positions.

Zhou Ming approached, picked up the “model” symbolizing Pland, and held the neither light nor heavy “collection” in his hand as he sat at the nearby desk to scrutinize its “base” structure.

Previously, he had never considered this issue – he had to admit that “beneath the city-state” was not only a blind spot for many people in this world but also for himself.

He observed an extremely smooth bottom surface.

The portion of the model corresponding to the sea level below the Pland city-state ended abruptly, leaving a smooth surface as if it had been sliced by a sharp blade.

Zhou Ming stared at the base of the model, deep in thought.

If it were merely a “model,” this neat and even bottom surface would, of course, be perfectly normal. However, he knew that this “collection” was no ordinary model; it should be the “mapping” or “projection” of the actual Pland in this room. What this object depicted should be the complete appearance of Pland!

Regardless of what was beneath the city-state – an infinitely long pillar or a thin base – there should be a structure, not the abrupt ending of the portion below the sea level as it appeared now.

Was it because he hadn’t been thorough enough when he set the city-state ablaze? Or because… he had “overlooked” this part? Zhou Ming furrowed his brow slightly, his fingers tapping the edge of the desk absentmindedly. He then composed himself, placed his hand over the model, and allowed his spirit to gradually expand.

Within Pland City-State, in the antique shop, Duncan had just bid goodnight to Nina and Shirley. He silently returned to his room, approached the window, and gazed quietly at the tranquil nighttime streets illuminated by lamps.

The night was deep, and nearly all the city-state’s residents had gone home. The streets and alleys were incredibly quiet, with only a few points of light moving in the dim depths of the alleys. Those were the night patrol guards and the lanterns they carried.

Duncan closed his eyes slightly.

The entire Pland City-State’s landscape was directly projected into his mind with a clearer and more intuitive perspective.

Crowded residential areas, bustling steam factories, peaceful commercial districts, damp coastal streets, roadside gas lamps, and the city-spanning pipeline system…

Somewhere in the city, a squad of guards exited an alley, preparing to inspect the next gas and steam node.

A young team member, holding a lantern, looked at the quiet street ahead and muttered admiringly, “It seems to be another peaceful night… To be honest, I’m not used to these quiet nights.”

“Don’t let your guard down,” the squad leader glanced at his subordinate, “Anything can happen in the darkness. Keep an eye on the darkest corners.”

“Yes, I understand,” the team member straightened up but couldn’t resist adding, “But don’t you think it’s been really quiet these past few days? I heard that there hasn’t been a single incident in the city’s recent night patrol records…”

A faint green glow suddenly flashed at the edge of their vision, causing the team member to stop involuntarily.

It seemed that the light emitted from the distant gas lamp had momentarily changed, but it was extremely brief and elusive, almost impossible to detect.

“Did you just see something flash by?” The team member instinctively pressed his hand to the rune steel sword at his waist and spoke softly, “It looked like the gas lamp flickered.”

“I saw your lantern flicker too,” another team member chimed in.

The team members instinctively turned their gaze to the squad leader.

However, the squad leader only furrowed his brow, seemingly deep in thought. After several seconds, the experienced guard shook his head, “Continue the patrol – report the situation to the church afterward.”

Similar incidents occurred throughout the city as the guard squad departed, with the green light shadows overtaking the usual flames tonight.

In that transcendent and clear “perception,” Duncan allowed his consciousness to descend bit by bit, investigating the city-state’s structure below sea level.

Back in the apartment room, Zhou Ming abruptly opened his eyes when he heard a faint friction sound.

He picked up the “collection” in front of him and stared intently at the bottom of the Pland City-State.

A rough and intricate new structure was slowly “forming” at the base of this “model.”