Chapter 516: Approaching
This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation.com
As Goathead spoke, his tone was unusually serious and uncertain, which struck Duncan as odd given their shared history. His statement was clear but still full of questions: “If we maintain our current pace, we will be near Wind Harbor in approximately 24 hours. Our maritime map indicates this. However, the reason for the Vanished’s appearance in this region is still unclear. We need to independently confirm this information because the entire situation is perplexing.”
Duncan was not used to this level of hesitancy in Goathead’s voice. It was a clear sign that the ongoing mystery of the Vanished had ventured beyond the range of his first mate’s usual maritime experiences.
Meanwhile, Duncan leaned against the edge of the navigational desk, his gaze fixed on the slowly shifting fog on the nautical chart before them. The shadowy silhouette of the Vanished and its course northward were both engulfed in a foggy ambiguity. This was presumably the Vanished’s trail, but the ever-present fog made any concrete conclusions elusive.
“In the twelve-hour period before the sun mysteriously disappeared, we somehow managed to ‘jump’ across our entire journey from the northern route to the southern seas. How this occurred remains a mystery,” Duncan commented, lifting his eyes to meet Goathead’s at the other end of the table. “Yet, the White Oak, which was also at sea during the sun’s disappearance, did not experience this vision. They maintained their planned route without deviation.”
“I can’t provide an explanation either, Captain,” Goathead replied, his voice mixed with embarrassment and unease. “The Vanished and the White Oak both withstood your rigorous tests, but the differences between the two vessels are substantial. Any slight variation could potentially trigger this inexplicable occurrence…”
Duncan fell silent, his face etched with serious contemplation. After a thoughtful pause, a sudden realization struck him. “When did the nautical chart change?” he inquired abruptly.
Goathead answered immediately, “Right when the sun reignited.”
“Are you sure?” Duncan felt compelled to confirm, though he had no doubt Goathead was telling the truth.
“Absolutely,” Goathead responded, nodding emphatically. “I have been diligently observing all navigational elements, including the fluctuations on the nautical chart. When the sun disappeared, the chart remained unchanged, almost as though we were stationary. However, as soon as the sun reemerged, the chart descended into chaos, similar to our transitions from the spirit world back to reality. Initially, I assumed it was a self-calibration process. But, to my surprise, once the chart stabilized, it indicated that the Vanished was already nearing Wind Harbor…”
Listening to Goathead’s explanation, a frown crept onto Duncan’s face. “So, this sudden ‘jump’ likely took place the moment the sun reignited…”
A profound silence descended upon the captain’s quarters, the air heavy with unsaid thoughts and unanswered questions. Duncan could not divine Goathead’s thoughts at that moment because his own mind was awash with speculations and questions, all of which seemed to gravitate towards a central problem: what had transpired on the Boundless Sea during the time the sun disappeared and was subsequently rekindled?
Initially, Duncan assumed that the darkness was a temporary vision, akin to a delayed sunrise he had experienced once before, lasting mere minutes. During that incident, apart from the initial panic among some of the crew, life had continued unabated, with the world remaining largely unaffected.
However, he soon realized that this sun’s disappearance was markedly different, ushering in anomalies such as disrupted inter-city communication and the White Oak’s alarming “boundary” vision.
Now, in the wake of the sun’s return, he recognized that the bizarre consequences were even more far-reaching. The entire ship, the Vanished, had inexplicably “teleported” two-thirds of their journey, appearing near Wind Harbor. Additionally, Tyrian had reported that other city-states were completely oblivious to the sun’s temporary absence.
It appeared that during the sun’s “extinguishing” and “rekindling,” the world had briefly morphed into an odd “form,” spawning a host of conflicting inconsistencies. The Vanished, often referred to as the “ghost ship” lingering at reality’s edge, had somehow traversed this “rift” in a clear and discernible manner.
An exhilarating yet disconcerting thought suddenly seized Duncan.
What was the true purpose of the sun?
Did it exist solely to provide light and heat while suppressing their world’s “supernatural erosion”? Or was it holding back something far more significant – the erosion of the world itself?
His pondering was abruptly interrupted by Goathead’s voice, “Captain,” he began, “what’s our next move? If the Vanished has indeed arrived near Wind Harbor… should we reach out to Miss Lucretia?”
“First, we must assess our surroundings. It wouldn’t be wise to approach the city-state without caution,” Duncan answered, his mind flicking back to his past encounters in Pland and Frost. He couldn’t help but shake his head instinctively, “Keep the Vanished concealed in the shadows and the fog, and when the time is right, we will make contact with Lucretia.”
Goathead acknowledged with a quiet, “Yes, Captain.”
Duncan grunted in response, then moved towards the oval mirror in the room’s corner and tapped it. A swirl of dark light and shadows emerged, and in a mere blink of an eye, an image of Agatha, dressed in her customary adventurer garb, materialized before him.
“I could never have anticipated that my inaugural voyage with you would be filled with such supernatural events,” Agatha commented, releasing a sigh, “Just as you foretold, embarking with the Vanished would grant me a glimpse of the remarkable phenomena of our world. I now realize that my imagination was far too restrained prior to setting off.”
“Are you feeling overwhelmed?”
“Not in the slightest. Luckily, my heart isn’t easily startled,” Agatha responded with a gentle smile, “Next on my agenda is monitoring the changes in the spirit world, correct?”
“Indeed, the spirit world and those ‘reflections’ that traverse the boundary between the spiritual realm and reality. If possible, also keep an eye on what transpires beneath the sea surface,” Duncan stated with utmost candor, “I have a persistent feeling that, even though the sun has reignited, the repercussions of this incident are far from over. A little extra caution won’t hurt us.”
“Understood,” Agatha’s smile disappeared, replaced with a serious nod, but then she added with a touch of humor, “Ah, I should adhere to ship protocol—I comply, Captain!”
With that, the image of Agatha in the mirror gradually evaporated, leaving Duncan to continue his rumination in front of the reflective item.
…
In the city, streams of vibrant paper soared and whirled through the streets, weaving between towering and diminutive rooftops before finally alighting in a building near the university. The paper found its way into the study of the elven scholar, Taran El, located within the university premises.
A moment later, the figure of Lucretia unfolded from the colored paper and revealed the Sea Witch’s bewildered expression.
“Could he still be stranded on the roof, unable to climb down?” Lucretia mused aloud, her gaze darting towards a window left ajar nearby.
Just as she was about to ascend to the roof to ascertain whether the elven scholar was indeed marooned there, a flurry of frantic footsteps echoed from the hallway outside, halting her actions.
As the clamor in the corridor continued, Lucretia nonchalantly gestured towards the door in the distance with a finger.
Then with a loud “bang,” the door swung open, and a blotch of shadows immediately darted out from the room towards the noise. After a brief scream and a thud of someone falling, a flustered apprentice who had been struggling to rise was “escorted” into the room.
The apprentice was delivered horizontally, appearing to “slide” inside, hovering about ten centimeters above the ground. When he came to a stop within the room, the objects that had “transported” him dispersed from beneath him – countless toy soldiers scuttled from under the apprentice, swiftly lining up in neat rows on the floor beside him. With the sound of drumbeats and horns, they marched with precise coordination back into the shadows beside Lucretia.
The apprentice, who had been unexpectedly ushered inside, stared in horror at the toy soldiers now in motion on the floor. His gaze then shifted to the owner of the toy soldiers, who was positioned by the window. He finally recognized this vaguely familiar woman.
“The witch… ah, Miss Lucretia!” The apprentice hastily scrambled to his feet, greeting this enigmatic figure who was the subject of countless tales and myths, “Go… Good afternoon…”
While speaking, the apprentice couldn’t resist abruptly twisting his body – a tiny toy soldier had somehow found its way into his coat pocket and shattered when it fell out. Yet, before his eyes, the soldier reassembled itself, quickly spun around, and scampered back to its mistress, disappearing into the shadows.
Unfazed by the young apprentice’s lack of decorum due to his state of panic or the remnants of the toy soldier, Lucretia cut straight to the chase, “I’m here to see your master, where might he be?”
“I was on my way to find him myself,” the apprentice replied, swallowing hard as he hastily responded to the notorious “witch,” known for her “icy demeanor, reclusive nature, prowess in casting curses, and mercurial temperament,” “Somebody spotted him heading to the Cloud Tower when the sun went out… from… from the roof of the university…”
Lucretia’s eyebrow arched in surprise, “From the roof of the university?”
“Yes… Yes, a witness saw him, and he appeared to be in quite a rush… He hasn’t returned since, and I fear something may have happened to him…”
“More like he’s courting trouble, engaging in acrobatics on the university rooftop with his persistent shoulder and neck ailments. Even for an elf, such extreme sports are not advisable,” Lucretia remarked offhandedly, then waved a hand dismissively at the young apprentice, “I’ll go check on him. In the meantime, what’s your name?”
The apprentice stood a little straighter, “Jo… Joshua Dino.”
“Very well, I will inform your master that your conduct score will be docked by three points.”
Joshua’s face fell into a stunned expression, “Why?”
But by then, Lucretia’s form had already fragmented into vibrant fragments of paper, swirling in the air as they soared out the window, leaving behind a faint echo in the young apprentice’s ear—
“…No running allowed in the research building.”
“period before the sun mysteriously disappeared” -> “period after the sun mysteriously disappeared”
“lven scholar” -> “elven scholar” or “Elven scholar”
A guess as to what the role of the sun is.
There is a large focus on flames in this story, the sun is a giant flame.
When to sun goes out, it seems like existence stops sort of (the other city states report no time having passed) and things that don’t make sense start happening (the jump of the vanished).
All the things Duncan has touched are an exeption. Why?
Duncan has his own flame, the green magic flame that can not be stopped.
So the role of a flame is to keep “normal” reality working.
The same also applies to normal flames on a smaller scale, they suppress corruption and prevent subspace beings from appering.
The darkness brings danger, in the dark no one knows what happens.
A normal flame is not strong enough to keep reality “working”, it can only strengten the effect of the sun a bit.
Duncan’s flame however works independent of the sun.
Because of that reality in Frost and Pland continued.
This also explains the “render distance” the white oak experienced. That is the area of effect of Duncan’s flame.
In Wind Habor reality also continued, likely due to that fragment from the rune ring.
It was said that it looks like the moon, in real life the moon shines due to the sun.
We know that the rune ring is a creation of the ancient kingdom of crete, so maybe it is an artificial flame or a flame booster, it, like the RL Moon, spreads the suns light.
In Wind Habor that fragment spread it’s influence and kept reality up and running.
Following this, maybe Nina too can keep reality working in her surroundings due to being a sun fragment?
So the sun is, like some of you said last chapter, the engine that guarantees “normal” operation of reality.
That leaves some questions regarding the role of the gods in all of this as they, as far as we know, have nothing to do with the sun and also do not guarantee reality for their belivers… however… maybe for their popes? After all the gods abilities also manifest themselves as flames.
And on that matter, the cults should also have access to their own flames strong enough to guarantee reality, their source being the other gods they worship…
Great post!
I think you are correct about the ‘Moon’ kept reality up and running for Wind Harbor.
In my opinion, the evidence for the theory that Goat Head was the AI Navigator on the colony ship is getting stronger.
The runic rings could be suppressing the “black hole sun”, so when they malfunctioned, the sun’s state became visually apparent. Supposedly, being in close proximity to a collapsing star stretches time infinitely, effectively stopping it. There’s also the question of matter turning into “black” antimatter: perhaps, that is what the ancient Lord (spaceship crew member+AI?) is working on, desperately trying to “get out”. So, the prehistoric spaceship itself, our Earth and all kinds of wrecked things Duncan has seen on the otherside have (at different times yet almost simultaneously?) gravitated into. Goathead could be the spaceship’s navigational AI that attached itself to the Vanished, and AI the dove – the captain’s personal one that reconfigured itself to MC’s identity.
Must be nice to be a real life version of Cheat Engine. Even if using hacks is kinda morally questionable. Still, Duncan is quite questionable nevertheless.
Apparently, all city-states beside Frost and Pland, need to be ‘washed’ with Duncan’s green flame.