Chapter 469

Chapter 469: Signature

Helena asked Vanna to confirm it several times, just to make sure she was not hearing things.

“So, you mean that Captain Duncan Abnomar, the Shadow of Subspace, the master of the Vanished, started to rebuild the ‘Lost Fleet’ after the Frostholm incident. And his very first step… was to have you bend the rules and get his new ship a travel pass?”

Vanna’s face showed clear embarrassment. Her voice also carried some hesitation, but she still had to nod stiffly: “Yes… that is what he told me.”

“And he wants this pass so that the new member of the Lost Fleet can keep running cargo on the Boundless Sea?”

“…Yes. That is also what he told me.”

Helena lifted her head and looked toward the spot where Vision 004 had sunk into the ground. Then she looked back at Vanna standing before her. Then she looked up again. Her gaze went back and forth several times before she finally could not hold herself back: “The tomb of the Nameless King updated the Visions list again today! Because of Duncan Abnomar’s actions, the world now has three new numberless Visions! The Churches of the Four Gods will all be busy. We may need a lot of people and a lot of time to figure out what these numberless Visions really mean—including that ‘Lost Fleet’!”

“Yes,” Vanna said with her head lowered. “But… he really hopes the Deep Sea Church can issue a special pass for the White Oak.”

Helena tilted her head back and quietly lifted her gaze to Vanna’s eyes.

Vanna kept her head bowed and tried her best to show all her embarrassment and guilt through her posture.

But her effort almost had no effect.

After all, the Pope was about one meter seventy, while Vanna was close to one meter ninety.

Helena took two careful steps back without changing her expression.

“Two things,” the Pope seemed to take a quiet breath. Her face calmed, and she once more showed her usual elegant and dignified bearing as she spoke to Vanna. “First, you are not allowed to sign this pass. Even though you still officially hold the titles of Inquisitor and Saint, you are also a member of the Vanished. That does not meet the rules about avoiding conflicts of interest, Vanna. You should understand this.”

Vanna’s face instantly showed regret and awkwardness, and she spoke without thinking: “Then the second thing…”

Helena closed her eyes slightly, as if steadying herself: “Second, I will sign the pass.”

For a moment, Vanna did not react. She stared at the female Pope with wide eyes.

Helena did not seem to care about Vanna’s sudden shock and doubt. She simply let out a slow breath and said: “So, what style of pass do you think Duncan Abnomar would like?”

Vanna kept staring, still dumbfounded.

She heard the Pope’s voice continue: “The pass will be ready soon. I will hold a Prayer in the great Storm Cathedral and perform a Listening rite for the Goddess’s revelation. If there truly is no problem, the pass will be sent to you through an Esoteric Rite. Maintain your ritual setup over there and wait for the message.”

As Helena finished speaking, her figure began to fade. In a short while, she disappeared completely from the square.

Deep in the Boundless Sea, along a secret route twisted and hidden by supernatural power, the majestic Cathedral ark sailed slowly along the borders of civilization.

The steam core pushed out powerful force. Holy steam rose above the Cathedral ark and gathered into a cloud that did not disperse. Gentle bells rang, announcing the end of a successful psychic conclave.

In the deepest part of the Cathedral ark, in the “lower hold” that was sunk into the Boundless Sea, braziers burned with bright fire. The flames drove away the darkness and shadows. Standing between two braziers, the female Pope slowly opened her eyes.

The dignified Lady took a deep breath. A complicated and tangled look crossed her face. Almost at the same time, an old and hoarse voice reached her ears: “Oh, you look troubled, young Lady.”

Helena raised her head and glanced into the distance. The shaking firelight lit up that spot. There, a “pillar” made from twisted, root-like blood vessels and nerves stood in the dimness. All kinds of artificial pipes and electrodes were attached to those thick nerve bundles. Tiny lights flashed between them, flickering on and off.

“You were awake the whole time?” Helena steadied herself and politely spoke with the mythic beast.

“I did not want to be awake, but it was too noisy,” said the great beast carrying the Cathedral ark on its back. “Every time you people use that psychic channel thing to meet, it is noisy. Today was especially noisy.”

“…I am sorry. Some things happened, and my mind was not very calm this time,” Helena said. “Next, I need to pray and seek revelation from the Goddess.”

“You have something to discuss with the Queen?” The old, hoarse voice sounded again. “All right, I will not bother you. I hope you get a clearer answer this time. And say hello to the Queen for me.”

Helena gave a small “mm” in reply, then turned around. She faced the brazier closest to her, closed her eyes, and began to focus on her Prayer.

In the vast, dim space, silence covered everything. Time seemed to stop flowing. Only the flames in the brazier leaped and danced, as if weaving an unseen exchange that crossed the Veil.

No one knew how long passed before Helena finally finished her Prayer and slowly opened her eyes.

She frowned. This time, her Prayer felt different from usual.

The revelation sent by the Goddess… was as vague as always. But amid that hazy “guidance,” there seemed to be something mixed in that felt like… emotions.

Helena could not tell what that vague and unfamiliar feeling was. But after she lowered her head and thought for a long time, she still confirmed the main part of the revelation: it was permission and approval.

So Helena let out a breath, then turned her head and looked at that bundle of nerves covered with pipes, cables, and electrodes. “The Goddess has given Her revelation. And I passed along your greeting.”

No answer came. The Leviathan that carried the ark seemed to have fallen asleep again.

Helena was not surprised. After giving that greeting, she simply reached out and grabbed at the darkness beside her. A blank travel document appeared in her hand out of thin air.

She quickly checked to make sure she had the right form. Then the female Pope picked up a pen and signed her name and some required details with a few strokes. After that, she walked to the brazier closest to her and, lowering her head, silently recited the words of the Prayer. She placed the document into the fire.

In the blink of an eye, the document and both copies of the pass, all bearing her name, were swallowed by the flames. They turned into specks of light and scattered from the Mortal Realm.

…

Vanna opened her eyes in the ship’s cabin. The moment she woke up, she started to gasp for breath.

The ritual field they had set up in a hurry was rough and simple. It was nothing like the “Tidal Chamber” inside the Cathedral. When her mind came back, the feeling of being soaked in seawater was especially strong. Even Vanna, a Saint of Storms, felt a bit uncomfortable.

Still, the psychic conclave this time was completed smoothly.

Vanna took a few deep breaths and calmed herself. She sorted through the events of the conclave in her mind, then got ready to patiently wait for Pope Helena’s reply, and for the pass that was very likely to be sent to her through an Esoteric Rite.

In theory, the Pope still needed to carry out a series of Prayer rituals before the pass was ready—even if, for various reasons, they left out the step of “inspecting the ship receiving the document,” they still could not skip the Goddess’s benediction.

But in the next second, as Vanna’s gaze swept toward the temporary altar they had set up in a rush, her expression suddenly froze.

The thick candles serving as the ritual brazier had somehow already burned down. The candle-stand that should have burned for a full day now held only a pile of ash and wax. In the last faint wisp of smoke, a “pass document” still glowing with a soft light lay quietly on the floor.

So fast?

Vanna frowned and stepped forward in confusion. She picked up the pages and carefully looked through their contents.

It was a standard permit. It recorded the basic information about the White Oak and the supernatural factors involved. It carried the Church’s stamp. There was the main pass and a copy meant to be shown during normal inspections at customs.

All of them were signed with the name of Pope Helena.

There was nothing wrong with the documents—and there could not be anything wrong.

It was just that they had arrived too fast. Vanna had only just returned from the conclave, and the papers were already here.

She held the forms and pass and checked them over and over. After a while, she suddenly heard a voice enter her mind. It was Pope Helena.

“What Captain Duncan wanted has been sent out through an Esoteric Rite.”

Vanna lowered her head and glanced at what she was holding, and her small doubt faded: “Yes, I have received it.”

Then she let out a breath, thanked the Pope, and said goodbye. After that, she put the documents away and hurried out of the cabin.

Duncan was still waiting on the deck. When Vanna, walking quickly, stepped onto the deck, he smiled: “You were gone for quite a while. Did the conclave go well?”

“The conclave went… very well,” Vanna said after a brief pause. What first came to her mind was the three “numberless Visions” from the parchment sheet she had brought out of Vision 004. With a very complicated feeling, she looked at the “person responsible” standing in front of her. Then she handed over the travel papers that had just been sent from the great Storm Cathedral. “But you should look at this first. The pass you wanted.”

“Pass?” Duncan was stunned. He had indeed mentioned the matter to Vanna, but he had not expected her to walk out from a conclave and instantly hand him a pass. The impossible speed left him dazed.

Still, he reached out and took the documents. As he looked them over, he said casually: “Your efficiency is really something… You carry all this stuff on you?”

“Well… it’s a bit complicated,” Vanna said, embarrassed. “I wasn’t the one who signed them. It was Your Eminence Helena. When she heard about…”

She had only said half her sentence when Duncan suddenly cut her off. He snapped his head up: “Wait. Who did you say signed these?”

Vanna froze. She did not know why the captain was reacting so strongly: “It was… Your Eminence Helena. Is something wrong?”

Duncan did not answer. He only stared into Vanna’s eyes for a long time. Then he lowered his head again and stared hard at the handwriting on the travel papers.

His gaze rested on the signature at the bottom of the certificate.

Signer—Gamona.

On the document. On the original certificate. On the copy.

All three signatures were the same.