Chapter 391

Chapter 391: Reflections

Go to Frostholm.

Lawrence instantly thought of the words “Martha” had told him before. By now he could no longer tell whether that Martha back then had been his own hallucination or the trace of presence leaking from this Martha before him. Only one thing was sure: he should go to Frostholm.

But how was he supposed to get there?

“We have been searching here for a long time,” Lawrence could not help but frown as he spoke. “Ever since we left the city’s Harbor under cover of night last time, the White Oak has never found that city-state again. We followed the same route back, and there was only open sea there.”

“You will not find it by searching like this.” Martha smiled and shook her head. “Lawrence, Frostholm is hiding from you.”

“Hiding from me?” Lawrence froze for a moment. “Why?”

Martha did not answer. She simply raised her hand and pointed at the Ghost flames quietly burning on Lawrence’s body.

Lawrence understood at once. He lowered his head to look at his arm, which was like spirit form, and spoke in a thoughtful tone: “So… that was why we were not stopped when we left the city’s Harbor before. It was not that we sailed away from it. It was that the city sailed away from the White Oak?”

He lifted his head, his expression turning a little strange: “Then what are we supposed to do? The White Oak now is even closer to the Vanished than when we left the Harbor. If that city keeps moving away from me on purpose, how can I ever find it?”

“I will go find it,” Martha said, calm and brief.

“You will go?” Lawrence did not react at first. “You can find it?”

“Of course I can. For many years, my ship and I have always been part of this sea region. Even now that I have left this huge swarm, it will not realize it right away. And from another angle, the way the Black Oak exists now is closer to being the ‘reflection’ of the White Oak. I have not built a direct connection with the Vanished, at least not yet. Frostholm will not hide from me. It is not as ‘smart’ as you imagine.”

Lawrence nodded half in understanding, but he still felt puzzled: “But then only you can get close to it. What about me and the White Oak? The moment we show up, it will definitely ‘run away’ again…”

Martha smiled.

She stepped forward half a step and gently pressed her hand against Lawrence’s chest. With a deep, meaningful look on her face, she spoke softly: “It is simple. Let us trade places. Here, the line between body and reflection is not so clear.”

Lawrence stared for a moment and instinctively wanted to ask what she meant. But before he could open his mouth, he felt a slight push on his chest.

The force was very gentle, yet it made him feel as if the world spun. He only felt himself falling backward. In the instant before he lost consciousness, he felt someone support his back, and Martha’s soft voice sounded in his ear:

“Take a little nap, my love. What comes next is an unbelievable journey.”

Lawrence sank into sleep, but he felt as if he had only slept for an instant before his eyes flew open again. He shouted without thinking: “Martha!”

But what came to his ears was First Mate Gus’s voice: “Captain, you are awake?”

Lawrence finally woke up fully. He pushed himself up, panting hard from waking so suddenly, then looked around. He realized he was lying on the bed in the captain’s cabin. First Mate Gus stood nearby with a worried look on his face, and a few sailors were also in the room.

In a farther corner, he saw a familiar figure: Anomaly 077. The mummified corpse was using a noose to measure his own neck when he thought no one was looking. As soon as he noticed Lawrence’s gaze, he instantly hid the rope and pretended nothing had happened.

“What is…” Lawrence caught his breath and muttered while rubbing his forehead. For a moment, he could not tell whether he was still dreaming or back in the Mortal Realm. What had happened earlier rose and fell in his memory like a vision.

“You are already back on the White Oak. ‘Sailor’ brought you back,” First Mate Gus said at once, raising his hand to point at the mummified corpse not far away. “You have been asleep for several hours.”

“I remember… I remember going to explore the Black Oak, and seeing Martha on it… Did those things really happen?” Lawrence rubbed his forehead hard, then lifted his eyes. “Where is the Black Oak? Where is it now?”

“Your memory is fine. You really did go to that ship. ‘Sailor’ also told us that you saw Lady Martha on it.” First Mate Gus reached out to help Lawrence sit up, but halfway through his words, his expression turned a bit strange. “As for where that ship is now… Captain, things are a little odd. I do not know how to explain it to you…”

“Odd?” Lawrence frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Our ship has lost control. The wheel and the propeller do not respond. The White Oak is drifting like a ghost ship. As for the Black Oak… I will take you to see it.”

Listening to the first mate’s worried words, Lawrence’s expression became serious at once. He pushed away Gus’s supporting hand and stepped after the sailors toward the door.

At the same time, he noticed the changes on himself and on the others.

The spirit form flames that had burned faintly on them had gone out at some unknown time. Everyone’s body had returned to the state of living people. The floor and walls around them no longer looked like they were burning with the same flames as the Vanished. Everything here seemed to have gone back to normal.

First Mate Gus noticed the captain’s gaze and explained: “The flames faded a few hours ago, shortly after you came back.”

Lawrence nodded in silence. The faded Ghost flames were not what he cared about now. He cared more about what had happened to make his usually steady first mate look so hesitant and at a loss.

Soon, he left the cabin with the sailors and came out onto the White Oak’s deck.

In just an instant, he realized how strange the surroundings were.

The air felt damp and cold, as if it had been soaked in seawater. There was no light at all in the sky, only clumps like eerie Shadows floating overhead. There was no wind at his side, yet he felt a cold flow touching every inch of his skin. From time to time, he saw strange traces of currents nearby, like tiny bubbles rising in the air.

Lawrence felt the wrongness of this environment in shock and dimly realized what had happened. When First Mate Gus led him to the rail, he confirmed his guess even more.

“The Black Oak is there.”

First Mate Gus stood at the rail and pointed at the water directly below as he spoke.

Lawrence lowered his head. He saw the “sea” slowly rise and fall. The ripples raised by the White Oak as it moved spread out with a warped, strange texture. On that sea surface, which looked like a twisted mirror, he saw the “reflection” of the White Oak.

It was a black ship wrapped in thick fog and Shadows. A few lanterns like Wraiths burned on it. It was “reflected” below the White Oak and was cutting through the waves.

In that moment, Lawrence finally understood what Martha’s parting words had meant.

Now, the White Oak was the reflection of the Black Oak.

“Captain…” First Mate Gus watched the change in Lawrence’s expression. His years of following the old captain let him sense that Lawrence might already know what this was. “What is going on? Why has our reflection in the sea turned into the shape of the Black Oak? And the ship’s runaway state…”

“We are not in runaway state. We are just sailing after the Black Oak.” Lawrence breathed out softly, a faint smile on his face. “Let everyone rest and build up their strength. We are heading toward a place that can solve every problem.”

“A place that can solve every problem?” The first mate blinked in confusion. “Where are we going?”

“We are going to Frostholm.”

…

The veil of night was slowly falling over the city-state.

Two figures were moving quickly through the streets, which were already under curfew.

One figure was tall and broad, wearing a long black coat that made people think of the veil of night. The other figure was very short. Even under a thick winter coat, the thin body inside was still easy to see.

A gust of cold wind blew by, and the short, thin figure let out a solid sneeze: “Achoo!”

Duncan lowered his head to look at Shirley, who was rubbing her nose: “I told you to wear a scarf, but you would not. Frostholm at night is much colder than Pland.”

“It is so cold…” Shirley pulled her clothes tighter on instinct. Even though the coat was enough to block the chill, she still felt the wind cutting to the bone. She had been born and raised in Pland, and she clearly was not used to Frostholm’s weather yet. “I kind of regret coming out…”

Duncan looked at the young lady with a half smile: “Were you not the one who said you would do anything as long as you did not have to do homework?”

At these words, Shirley instantly lifted her chin, still talking tough in the cold wind: “Yes, I said that!”

“Every part of you gives in except your mouth.” Duncan sighed helplessly, then lifted his head and looked toward a distant alley. “Come on. I do not want to deal with the Guardians on patrol.”

Shirley hurried to move her short legs to catch up with Duncan. As she struggled forward, she could not hold back her curiosity: “What exactly are we going to do?”

“Confirm someone’s condition,” Duncan said casually as he walked.

“Someone’s condition?” Shirley raised her face to look at the big captain beside her. “Who?”

“Gatekeeper Agatha,” Duncan said lightly.

His gaze passed beyond the veil of night, his gaze fixed on the far end of the street.

In his sight, a tiny cluster of ghostly green flame burned, bright and dim in turn, flickering as if hidden behind a thick curtain.