Chapter 350

Chapter 350: Sea Mist Surrounds the City

After nightfall, small snowflakes began to fall again, drifting through the air. In the hazy, fog-like darkness, the cold light of the World’s Wound was mostly covered by clouds. Only a few patches of its chaotic glow seeped through the gaps. Street gas lamps lit up one after another along roads and alleys, shining on the snowflakes in midair and giving the city a quiet mood very different from Pland.

Vanna stood at the narrow window and stared at the night outside for a while. Then she sighed and said: “I’m sure they didn’t send the money… and by now they have probably gathered a group of experts to crack the ‘secret cipher’ you left in that letter.”

Duncan turned his head: “Is it really that serious?”

Vanna looked at her temporary boss with a very serious face: “…Did you explain in the letter what that string of numbers was for?”

“No, but isn’t that the standard format for a denunciation letter?” Duncan answered with full confidence. “You just attach the account number at the end of the denunciation letter and City Hall will transfer the money. That’s how it works in Pland. And I’ve heard many places don’t put any special note in front of the account number, to make it sound more subtle and reserved—I thought I should be a bit reserved too.”

Vanna stared at Duncan for a long time. In the end she could not help letting out another sigh: “Ah…”

Duncan thought for a moment. At this point he actually had a bit of self-awareness, so his tone became a little awkward: “I guess… it is kind of hard for them to understand?”

“It’s good that you understand that,” Vanna said with tired patience.

Duncan lowered his head and thought more carefully: “…It’s not a good idea to send a second letter now, is it?”

“You… should put your hopes on them figuring out what that denunciation letter was for as soon as possible,” Vanna said, rubbing her brow. She felt that she had once again discovered a surprising side of Captain Duncan. This powerful and terrifying captain… actually had such a clear and funny personality.

Duncan did not care what Vanna was thinking. He only asked, as if casually: “You took Annie home today. How is everything at her place?”

Vanna nodded at once: “Everything at Annie’s home was normal. There were no signs of supernatural manifestations or corruption. We also found no trace of Annihilators nearby. None of the neighbors looked suspicious. Madam Belloni… our current landlady… also seems like a…”

“Stop, stop,” Duncan quickly raised a hand before she finished. “I’m asking about her home life, her living situation. I’m not asking you to report along the full heretic investigation procedure. Control your occupational disease.”

Vanna froze for a second, then realized what she was doing and coughed twice: “Ahem, sorry, that’s… my work habit. Everything is fine over there. I only stayed for a short while and talked with Madam Belloni a little, but it was enough to judge the basics. After all, six years have passed. She and her daughter have already walked out of the shadows of that year.

“Now Annie goes to a public school in the city-state. Madam Belloni makes money by renting rooms and also has some clerical work, enough to support the family. Besides, they are the family of a ship captain. Frostholm’s authority does give support to such bereaved families, just like in other city-states. Overall… you don’t need to worry about them.”

Duncan listened quietly and nodded.

Vanna hesitated for a moment, then finally could not hold back: “You don’t mind Annie talking about what’s happening here… is that really okay? It might not be long before that cemetery warden knows you’re living openly in the city. Then the matter will be reported to the Cathedral right away. The Gatekeeper and the Bishop will both be alerted.”

“And then?” Duncan turned his head and asked in a calm voice.

“Then… there will be some trouble,” Vanna said. Under Duncan’s divine gaze, her tone suddenly lost some confidence. “The intervention of the city-state’s authority might…”

“How exactly would they intervene?” Duncan asked with a smile. “Send a squad of Guardians to arrest us? Or have that Gatekeeper come talk to me personally? And what would I care about them? Am I afraid of exposing my whereabouts? Or am I afraid of hostile actions from the authority?”

As he spoke, Duncan spread his hands.

“I didn’t bring the Vanished over, did I?”

Vanna opened her mouth. She felt something was very wrong about all this, but she really could not think of how to respond to such a calm stream of words from the captain. After holding it in for a long time, she only managed one line: “Why do I feel like you just think this might be fun?”

“Yes.”

Vanna: “…”

Duncan chuckled and turned his gaze back to the night outside the window. He did not care about the wonderful expression that flashed across the inquisitor’s face. After enjoying the night view in silence for a few minutes, he suddenly said: “Vanna, I’m starting to feel you are less and less like an inquisitor—under normal circumstances, when someone mentions the Church and the authority of a city-state, shouldn’t your first reaction be ‘reliable allies’?”

Vanna’s mouth clearly twitched. A thousand words seemed to rise in her heart, but in the end not a single one came out.

At the same time, outside the city-state of Frostholm, out on the vast Boundless Sea shrouded by the veil of night, a huge fleet was slowly reducing speed and patrolling at low speed amid cold frozen mist and encircling floes.

The proud steel bow of the Sea Mist rose out of the darkness. Her navigation lights cast a glow along one side of the hull. More lights spilled down from that same side, lighting up the black sea surface below. In the rippling waves, faint reflections could be seen rising and falling.

They were fragments of drifting ice.

On the Frost Sea, every captain had heard a saying—

When thin mist suddenly appears, when ice floes emerge from the fog and slowly lock your ship in like chains, then be ready. The Sea Mist has arrived.

The Sea Mist had arrived now. The entire Sea Mist fleet had arrived.

Tyrian stood high on the bridge and looked into the distance through the wide windows.

From this distance, there was no way to see the city-state of Frostholm itself. But in the dark background, he could still see a faint glow floating in that direction. That was where the city lay.

In truth, the Sea Mist fleet was heading toward Dagger Island, and Tyrian had no plan at all to set foot on Frostholm’s main island. But for the people of Frostholm, who had lived under tension for half a century, there was no difference. As long as the flag of the “steel Vice Admiral” appeared on the nearby sea, it was enough to rob them of sleep and peace.

He could almost picture the chaos among Frostholm’s garrison troops right now.

Footsteps came from the side. First Mate Aiden walked up next to Tyrian. The rough-faced, bald giant looked very pleased: “Captain, the Sea Crow and the Fjord have left the formation with their escort vessels. They should reach their planned positions in twelve hours and lock down the routes. The Sea Mist herself has lifted the blackout—those Frostholm folks can forget about getting a good night’s sleep.”

Tyrian nodded with a slight smile and let his eyes sweep over the sea around the Sea Mist.

In the darkness, the whole Boundless Sea was silent. Only the Sea Mist, with her blackout lifted, floated there, as eye-catching as a gas lamp in the night.

Normally, warships on night missions had to keep a strict light blackout. Unnecessary lighting could expose their position and also make it easier to confuse friendly light-signals.

But the Sea Mist simply showed herself to the world, bright and open, like a provocation aimed straight at Frostholm.

Tyrian was not worried at all that this would push Frostholm’s City Navy into rash action, nor was he afraid of some “accidental discharge” starting a battle.

In this world, aside from the Vanished, no one could beat the “living ship” Sea Mist in a night battle. And on the other hand… if Frostholm’s navy was foolish enough to attack today, the six other warships hidden around the Sea Mist would immediately teach them a lesson.

Of course, Tyrian’s showy behavior was not only about venting or taunting Frostholm. His more important goal was to carry out the task his father had given him—

Make the city-state of Frostholm nervous. The more nervous the better. It would be best if they closed off the whole main island and blocked all routes in and out.

From what he had observed so far, that goal had already been reached. Frostholm’s garrison navy had sealed the Harbor and sent out signals to neighboring city-states, asking them to suspend shipping.

Everything was going just as his father had planned.

At that moment, a voice came from a copper tube nearby. Aiden walked over and spoke a few words with the post on the other end, then came back to Tyrian with a smile: “Captain, looks like the Frostholm people can’t sit still—there’s a small boat on the sea nearby.”

Tyrian raised an eyebrow: “A small boat?”

“Yes. It doesn’t seem to have any weapons, and it’s showing a signal lamp with three yellow and one white light. It looks like they’re afraid of causing any misunderstanding,” Aiden said. “The boat is carefully staying outside the range of our searchlights. It seems they want to observe us without making contact or showing hostility.”

“Observation… at least they still have some self-control,” Tyrian said with a shrug. “Let them watch. If they come too close, fire a warning shot.”

“Yes, Captain.” Aiden accepted the order, but before he turned away, Tyrian suddenly called out: “Wait.”

“Do you have other orders?”

“Send them a light-signal,” Tyrian said.

“A light-signal?” Aiden was startled. “What message?”

Tyrian’s lips curled up. The Pirate Lord who had a fierce reputation across the Frost Sea now wore a playful, mischievous smile: “Message? What message—just flash at random.”

Aiden: “…Huh?”

“Let the signalman flash whatever he wants,” Tyrian said happily, rubbing his chin. “Give Frostholm’s expert advisers a small ‘problem of the century’.”

A wide grin quickly spread across Aiden’s face. Even his bald head seemed to shine.

“Yes, Captain!”