Chapter 288

Chapter 288: Touching Frostholm

The sea grew a little choppy.

The cold night wind blew over the water. Rolling waves crashed again and again against the sturdy hull of the Vanished, but the huge ship still kept a steady stance. It seemed to ignore the wind and waves and kept sailing north at full speed.

Under the veil of night, the half?transparent spirit form sails billowed high. Now and then, the ropes and masts gave off tight creaking sounds. The living ghost ship let out a pleased sigh in the wind and waves, but the new member on board looked rather troubled.

From Duncan, Vanna had learned the truth about the Frostholm rebellion fifty years ago. She had learned of the strange and eerie Abyssal Trench Project, and that even now, fifty years later, faint Shadows of that terrible plan still stretched on without end.

Compared with the world?ending great fire that had struck Pland, the Abyssal Trench Project that took place at Frostholm was a disaster on a different level. In the abyssal trench, dark, cold, formless horrors surged. The catastrophe might be about to happen, might already be happening, or might even have already ended. In the cold veil of night, no sound could describe the outline of that unseen terror.

The Black Sun incident in Pland had been a blazing, dazzling war. What happened under the abyssal sea at Frostholm was a silent, twisted nightmare.

“According to Tyrian, the Abyssal Trench Project already ended, and all later effects ended with the death of Frostholm’s queen. But in truth, we have no proof that some supernatural Vision under Frostholm has really stopped running. We do not even know what that thing is. The entire affair was shrouded in mist from beginning to end. And now Morris has received a letter from Frostholm. That letter is a signal, a reminder that something is wrong in that northern city?state.”

Duncan’s deep voice sounded in the night wind. Then he paused for a moment, suddenly turned his head, and looked at Vanna: “Did Helena ever tell you about the ‘disturbances’ in the Northern Seas?”

“Your Eminence?” Vanna froze for a second and then shook her head lightly. “She never said. She only told me to board the Vanished, but she did not actually tell me what I was supposed to do.”

“She did not say…” Duncan muttered softly, but did not stay on that topic. “Then do not think too much about it. Just get used to life on the ship. Do not worry, I will not give you any task that puts you in a difficult spot.”

He raised his head and looked at the deep night and the thin mist spread over the endless sea in the distance.

“It is very late. You should not stand on deck in this cold wind for too long. The night sea breeze is not kind to body or mind.”

Vanna gave Duncan a slightly surprised look—she had worn that surprised look many times over the whole day—then came back to her senses and nodded: “Ah, all right. Thank you.”

As she spoke, she felt around on herself and took a small piece of wood from the pocket of her shirt. It was a wave?shaped charm amulet carved from Sea?Breath Wood. She raised the charm amulet to her lips and softly spoke a few lines of benediction. Then she threw it hard into the sea beyond the ship’s rail.

Duncan watched Vanna’s action with curiosity: “What are you doing?”

“That is a wave?shaped charm amulet I carved myself from Sea?Breath Wood. Believers of the storm Goddess use this way to pray when they go out to sea,” Vanna explained casually. “Sea?Breath Wood is seen as something the storm Goddess favors. Throwing a charm amulet made from it into the sea stands for an ancient sacrificial rite. Saying a benediction as you throw the charm amulet also makes it easier to form a link with the Goddess.”

She suddenly stopped here, then asked, a little unsure: “Do you mind this kind of act?”

“Ah, of course I do not mind. I told you, the atmosphere on the Vanished is more relaxed than you think,” Duncan said at once, smiling as he shook his head. “Morris also prays to the God of Wisdom from time to time.”

As he spoke, he waved to Vanna, then turned and slowly walked toward the captain’s cabin: “I will go back first. You should rest early.”

The sound of the rising and falling waves rushed like a steady roar. Vanna used her gaze to watch the tall figure go farther and farther away. Suddenly she seemed to think of something and called out behind Duncan: “Captain!”

Duncan stopped, but did not turn around: “What is it?”

Vanna opened her mouth. After hesitating for two or three seconds, she finally said: “I want to apologize to you—for my past recklessness…”

“I do not mind,” Duncan said casually. Then he waved his hand and walked off without looking back.

Vanna still stood on the deck, looking a little absent?minded.

Behind her, in the surging sea, the wave?shaped charm amulet carved from Sea?Breath Wood had been tossed up and down by the foam for a long time. Only now did a cresting wave catch it. In an instant, it was rolled down into the depths of the sea.

…

In the captain’s cabin, Goathead raised his head with a creaking sound and looked at Duncan as he walked into the room: “Ah, Captain, have you finished calming the new crew member? Today was truly an unbelievable day. A high?ranking priest of the storm Goddess has become your crew member. I think that can be seen as a kind of war trophy…”

Duncan lifted his eyelids and glanced at Goathead: “Then say that next time in front of Vanna.”

“…I cannot beat her.”

“Then stop talking nonsense,” Duncan said casually. As he walked past the enchanted sea chart, he lowered his head and glanced at it. “Where are we now? What is the situation with the Sea Mist?”

“The Sea Mist is still sailing at full speed, but it adjusted its course twice not long ago. From its position, it may already be near the secret home port of the Sea Mist fleet,” Goathead answered at once. “We should reach the Frost Sea before dawn. Then, if we sail north for four or five more days, we will arrive near Frostholm… Are we going straight there, or moving in secret in the nearby waters?”

“Do not reveal ourselves for now,” Duncan said. “I am not planning to have a ‘warm meeting’ with Frostholm’s Guard Corps yet.”

“Yes, Captain.”

Duncan thought for a moment, then said: “Also, after the Sea Mist stops, move closer and take a look. Without exposing ourselves, scout the position of Tyrian’s secret Harbor and the area around it. For the Vanished, which can hide in the Spirit Realm for long periods, that should not be hard.”

“Ah, of course, that is easy,” Goathead agreed at once. “But… why do you want to scout that secret Harbor?”

“If something really has gone wrong in Frostholm, and it is linked to the secret under the abyssal sea, I think Tyrian will take action. Watching him will be the same as watching Frostholm. If the conditions there are right, we will lie in wait near the Sea Mist.”

Goathead accepted the order at once: “Understood.”

Duncan nodded and walked toward his own cabin.

“I am going to try to ‘probe’ the situation in Frostholm’s direction. Do not disturb me unless it is necessary.”

“Yes, Captain!”

The door of the cabin closed behind him.

Duncan let out a light breath, went to the table, and sat down. He rolled his slightly stiff shoulders and neck.

Ai, who had been resting with her eyes closed by the window, woke up. She flapped her wings, hopped onto the table, tilted her head, and looked at her Master: “Food only, or staying the night?”

Duncan gave the pigeon a sideways glance: “A walk in the Spirit Realm.”

As soon as he spoke, the brass spirit compass hanging on Ai’s chest snapped open with a click. Ghost?green flame rose from inside the spirit compass. In an instant, the scene in Duncan’s sight changed.

He once again came to that boundless, chaotic dark space filled with countless starlights and lines.

Ai’s figure appeared in the darkness. The skeletal bird wrapped in spirit form fire circled and flew around him.

But he did not move at once or touch any cluster of nearby starlight. First he calmed himself, carefully watched the lights that flickered in his view, and felt the faint breaths that came from them.

As expected… as the Vanished moved farther from Pland and closer to Frostholm, the starlights he saw in this space also changed.

Duncan raised his head and sensed his body in Pland. Along that sense, he looked into the depths of the darkness and saw a hazy patch of light far, far away.

He then drew his gaze back from the distance and looked at the bright “stars” that flickered before him.

After thinking for a moment, he moved closer to some of the lights and carefully touched a few.

He did not directly take over the bodies that the lights stood for. Instead, he used this way to read the shallow information behind the lights—emotions, senses, and even broken fragments of surface awareness.

Cold. Nervousness. Fuel prices. Steam supply. City Hall. Frostholm…

After touching a few lights, Duncan withdrew his will.

If he kept touching these lights that stood for “living people,” he might cause panic on a larger scale, and that in turn might draw the attention of the city?state’s Guardians. He still did not want to deal with an unfamiliar Church.

The information he had now was enough. Just from what he read from those few lights, he could already be sure that this patch of starlight belonged to the residents of Frostholm.

At least, it was part of them.

Duncan let his gaze sweep across the dazzling starlight, looking for those individuals whose light was dim and weak, whose life force was fading.

He needed a fated body to serve as a forward post for gathering information.

After a moment, a faint light that flickered in an Anomaly?like way suddenly caught his eye.

“You will do!”