Chapter 343

Chapter 343: Return.

In the military administration zone of the Harbor in eastern Frostholm, many people had not slept all night.

It had been more than twenty?four hours since the Sea Swallow lost contact. Even when the Harbor Cathedral sent an Aetheric Call to the priest aboard the Sea Swallow, there was no reply.

All the clues and traces pointed toward a bad outcome.

Inside the harbor office, a middle?aged man in a Frostholm navy commander’s uniform sat behind his desk with a dark face. A few other commanders sat on chairs around the room. The room was not very big, and the air inside was heavy and oppressive, as if it were brewing a storm.

“We still haven’t found any trace of the Sea Swallow. We searched three times from the point of its last signal back toward Frostholm’s main island. There was nothing on the sea,” said a civilian officer with short light?brown hair, shaking his head.

“The most optimistic guess is that the Sea Swallow’s communications system failed and something happened to the ship’s priest, so the ship went into a runaway state and drifted off the route. But honestly, that’s way too optimistic,” another officer sighed. “A ship that size, even in a runaway state, couldn’t drift out of the search area in such a short time. The more likely case is that the Sea Swallow had a serious accident and already sank. A coastal patrol boat reported hearing faint explosions and seeing distant flashes in the night. That may have been the Sea Swallow.”

“A ship that big would still take hours to sink, right? We sent out search teams as soon as the Sea Swallow lost contact,” the civilian officer with light?brown hair frowned. “And there was that corruption?tainted fuel slick on the sea. How could all those traces vanish so cleanly? What, did the whole ship just drop straight to the bottom in an instant?”

“…We should send people to Dagger Island to confirm the situation,” another female officer said. “Maybe the Sea Swallow never sailed toward Frostholm’s main island. Maybe it got stuck near Dagger Island for some reason…”

“Dagger Island is in a special state right now. Sending people ashore takes a lot of paperwork…”

“Then just try to make contact. That paperwork is simpler. The governor’s office can sign off in half an hour at best…”

The discussion in the room went on and on, until a calm voice from behind the desk cut everyone off: “Protocol Twenty?Two.”

The room fell silent at once. The officers who had been talking lifted their eyes and looked at the middle?aged man behind the desk, the one with thinning hair and a stern face.

“It may be that Protocol Twenty?Two was activated,” the Harbor’s defense commander, Lister, said in a low voice. “The situation might have been too urgent, or there was a risk of a memetic leak, or the Sea Swallow had fallen completely under someone else’s control, so no message could come back. Though that still doesn’t explain why the Sea Swallow’s wreckage disappeared so cleanly.”

In the office, the officers looked at each other. The words “Protocol Twenty?Two” pressed down on them, making the already heavy mood even more suffocating.

In that weighty silence, Commander Lister paused for a moment, then went on: “I know General Duncan. If the Sea Swallow really ran into an supernatural corruption it could not resist, he would use Protocol Twenty?Two without hesitation. So in the next stage, our job is not only to keep searching for possible traces of the Sea Swallow. We also have to figure out what attacked and corrupted that ship. If there really is an attacker, it may not have a physical form. That would be a huge threat to Frostholm.”

“An attacker…” The female officer who had spoken earlier grew more serious. “If this attacker really exists, do you think it wasn’t destroyed along with the Sea Swallow’s Protocol Twenty?Two?”

“One of the basic rules when dealing with an supernatural disaster,” Lister said slowly, “is that unless you have enough strong, direct proof, you always assume the enemy is still there. Whether it’s an supernatural object or an supernatural phenomenon, its ‘vitality’ is always frighteningly strong.”

The officers exchanged looks again. One of them spoke up, hesitating: “Then about Dagger Island…”

“I’ll submit a request for an investigation to the governor,” Lister said as he slowly rose and braced his hands on the desk. “The Sea Swallow had its accident on the way back to the main island, and when it left Dagger Island it did report that the inspection work there had gone smoothly. But now the ship has had an accident, which means the situation on Dagger Island is also in doubt. Next, you will—”

The defense commander did not finish his sentence. Sudden hurried footsteps sounded in the hallway, followed by a sharp knock at the door that cut him off.

Lister frowned and said: “Come in.”

A secretary pushed the door open, saluted the commander behind the desk, and said: “Commander, Gatekeeper Agatha is here.”

“Gatekeeper?” Surprise clearly showed on Lister’s face. “What is she here for?”

“She says it is about the Sea Swallow. The situation is urgent.”

“Let her—” Lister started at once, but before he finished speaking, an Ashen Wind swirled up in the hallway outside. The pale, dust?like Ashen Wind rushed into the room and quickly spun around the office. Agatha stepped out of the Ashen Wind. She held the tin Gatekeeper’s cane always carried by priests of the Death God. The gaze that showed between her bandages was serious, with a hint of apology.

“Sorry, Colonel Lister. The situation is urgent. I came in as soon as I heard your answer,” Agatha nodded and said. “I want to know how far your investigation into the Sea Swallow’s whereabouts has gone.”

Lister showed no displeasure at Agatha barging into the office. A good soldier knew what mattered most, and the city?state’s Gatekeeper had many special rights in emergencies. For this lady to appear in such a hurry clearly meant things were too urgent for polite formalities.

“We still haven’t found any trace or wreckage of the Sea Swallow. We currently suspect that General Duncan used Protocol Twenty?Two and the Sea Swallow has already sunk,” he said gravely. “Next, we plan to widen the search area, look for signs of the attacker in the open sea, and prepare to investigate Dagger Island.”

“Your guess about Protocol Twenty?Two is correct. The Sea Swallow was indeed invaded and corrupted by an supernatural force. The ship has already fulfilled its duty with honor, but you must not rush to investigate Dagger Island,” Agatha said quickly. “That island may already be in a full runaway state.”

“Dagger Island is in a runaway state?” The muscles in Lister’s face clearly twitched. “What information do you have?”

“…The source of the information is not convenient to reveal for now,” Agatha hesitated. “But it is very reliable. I haven’t had time to report to the great Cathedral and City Hall yet, because that might delay things. Colonel Lister, I hope you will immediately seal off all routes around Dagger Island. No ship is allowed to approach, and nothing is allowed to leave that island—most of all, nothing is allowed to land on Frostholm’s main island.”

“Lady Agatha, I must remind you—this does not follow procedure,” Lister said, his tone growing more serious. “I’m willing to trust your judgment as Gatekeeper, but you should know every rule was written in lives. Sending out the navy to seal off Dagger Island is no small matter. I need clearer orders and explanations.”

“At least this won’t make things worse,” Agatha took half a step forward. “I’ve already sent people to the great Cathedral. Follow?up orders will come soon.”

Lister opened his mouth as if to say more, but just then a sudden, sharp bell rang from a corner of the room, cutting him off.

The Harbor’s defense commander glanced at Agatha, then turned and quickly walked to a small side table. He pressed a button on the table.

Moments later, hissing air and a rapid, growing clatter sounded inside a copper tube fixed to the wall near the table. With a light metallic bang, the tube shook. A latch at the end of the pipe popped open and a bit of white vapor puffed out.

Lister opened the latch, flipped up the cover, took out the capsule inside the tube, and pulled out the slip of paper. He glanced over it, and his face changed at once.

“What is it?” Agatha asked, curious.

“A ship has appeared in the Nearshore Waters and sent a request to enter the harbor,” Lister slowly lifted his head. His face was grim. “It’s the Sea Swallow.”

The room fell quiet at once.

The officers looked at each other. Agatha’s gaze turned solemn in an instant. Lister stayed silent for a few seconds, then suddenly said: “To the docks.”

The Sea Swallow had appeared. After being missing for more than twenty?four hours, it showed itself again to the people of Frostholm and sailed straight toward the military pier of East Harbor.

From the watchtower on the East Harbor pier, they could already see the outline of the steam cruiser. It grew larger on the horizon, steam rising above it like clouds.

“Silhouette and bow flag match… It’s the Sea Swallow.”

A junior officer lowered his telescope and spoke in a complicated tone.

Lister still did not move. He kept his gaze fixed on the dark shape on the sea that was slowly drawing closer and did not say a word for a long time.

The faint sound of the whistle drifted over, with a special rhythm of pauses.

“Second?round signal. The Sea Swallow is requesting entry to port,” the junior officer turned and looked at Lister. “Commander…”

“Sink it.” Agatha, who had been silent this whole time, finally broke the silence.