Chapter 494

Chapter 494: Gathering of the Followers

With a burst of spray and rippling seawater, the submersible broke through the surface.

Afternoon sunlight shone over the wide sea. The submersible’s thick hull gleamed with a cold light under the sun. Then the disposable smoke device on top of the hull fired; with a flash and a soft bang, a column of orange smoke shot straight up into the blue sky.

After some time adjusting her trim and power, the submersible’s floating state steadied. With creaks and groans, the locking mechanism on the side of the hull released. As the handle turned, Duncan pushed the hatch open from inside.

A rush of fresh air hit them in the face – even for two “corpses” who no longer needed to breathe, the cool, clean wind above the sea felt especially pleasant.

The illusion of being hunted, entangled, and held back by unspeakable things in the Deep Sea finally began to fade from their minds. Agatha gripped the handrail, climbed out of the hatch with Duncan, and csheepered onto the top of the submersible’s hull, gazing out at the endless sea.

Duncan turned his head a little and looked at the Gatekeeper: “How does it feel to be back under the sunlight?”

“It feels as if I once again came back from the gate of the realm of death,” Agatha said softly. “I never thought sunlight and air could shake me like this, almost like being reborn – and yet I can no longer feel the warmth of the sunlight, nor enjoy smooth breathing.”

“And ‘her’?” Duncan asked again. “During the dive, the other Agatha never showed herself, but she must have been watching the whole time, right?”

“We feel much the same, but she said she needs some time to think about a few things, so she is staying quiet now – do you want to talk to her? I can call her out…”

“No need. Let her think,” Duncan waved his hand lightly. “This Deep Dive will reshape everyone’s views and be a kind of baptism. We all have a lot to think about.” He looked up at the distant horizon. “Oh, the recovery ship Tyrian sent has spotted us. Looks like we don’t need to make our own way back to the city-state.”

The silhouette of a steam launch appeared on the sea, heading quickly toward the trail of signal smoke rising from the submersible…

The submersible had returned safely, his Father and that Gatekeeper lady were unharmed and on their way back – when this “express dispatch” arrived on his desk through the pneumatic tube line, Tyrian, who had been waiting for news in South Harbor, could not help letting out a breath.

But right after that, a strange feeling rose from the bottom of his heart.

He stood up from behind his desk and slowly paced to the window, staring absentmindedly at the sunlight sinking outside. In the silence, Lucretia’s voice suddenly came from the scrying crystal not far away: “Is there news from Father?”

Tyrian glanced back at the glowing scrying crystal on his desk and spoke in a slightly odd tone: “You can tell… am I that obvious?”

Inside the scrying crystal, Lucretia had a piece of bread in her mouth. One hand was busy scribbling and calculating on a sheet of draft paper floating in the air beside her, while the other adjusted the instruments on her table. She still found time to glance up at her elder brother and mumble casually: “Thirty percent nervous, thirty percent hesitant, thirty percent relieved, and ten percent scared and lost – that has to mean Father is back.”

“…Do all you scholars talk to people like that? You make me sound like a pie chart.” Tyrian frowned, then could not help sighing. “I’m just a bit emotional. Not long ago, I would never have imagined feeling relieved because Father returned safe. The first time I heard he had ‘come back’, I was not in this frame of mind at all.”

“Right. Back then your legs almost cramped from fear. After you commanded the Sea Mist to fight Dad, you did not sleep for three days. In the middle of the night you dragged me out of bed to describe your nightmares and insisted I shiver along with you…”

“Stop! Don’t make up details that never happened!” Tyrian hurriedly cut off his younger sister in the scrying crystal. “And that is not even what I wanted to talk to you about!”

Lucretia quieted down. She finally set aside her never-ending research and the half-eaten bread, and looked up, staring seriously into Tyrian’s eyes.

When that divine gaze almost made Tyrian’s skin crawl, she finally broke the silence: “When we were little, Father often left home for very long trips. Whenever bells rang from the direction of the docks, we would climb up onto the roof to see if it was the flag of the Vanished. You always told me to act like a lady and be more steady, then took the chance to grab the highest spot.”

“…It has been many years,” Tyrian said after a few seconds of silence, almost like talking to himself. “I still remember the roof was blue. When the sea wind blew, the weather vane on the eaves would whistle. You tied a pinwheel next to it and said you wanted to show it off to Father, and that was how our secret rooftop climbing got exposed.”

“Now we have both risen to places higher than that old roof. We have seen the sights Father once saw,” Lucretia said gently. “But we still have not caught up to his steps. He went into the Deep Sea, to depths even the Abyssal Trench Project in those days never reached… What do you think he will find on this expedition?”

Tyrian did not answer at once. In the next second, a crackling sound suddenly came from the mirror behind him, and Duncan’s voice followed from within it: “I found an astonishing secret – and I am just about to tell you.”

Tyrian almost jumped out of his skin, every muscle tensing. The Sea Witch on the other side of the scrying crystal reacted even more strongly – he heard a sharp cry from Lucretia’s side and a loud clatter, then smoke and flashes flared inside the scrying crystal and the image cut off.

Still tense all over, Tyrian turned his head and saw ghost-green flame burning in the mirror behind him. In the dark mirror, Duncan leaned out and looked over Tyrian’s shoulder: “Is your younger sister all right over there? Did I scare her?”

“Could you maybe stop using such frightening methods every time you show up…” Tyrian muttered without thinking. As soon as the words left his mouth, he felt they were improper, and quickly checked Duncan’s reaction – his Father’s face did not change.

“I did think about appearing in a friendlier way, like knocking first or sending a notice in advance,” Duncan said calmly as he looked at Tyrian. “But Vanna told me it isn’t the way I appear that’s frightening; it’s the fact that I appear at all. I think she is right, so I decided not to change it – at least this way, watching everyone’s startled reactions is a bit entertaining.”

Tyrian’s eye twitched. His Father’s open attitude toward “enjoying the show” left him speechless, but he soon forced his emotions back into order. As he straightened his expression, he looked curiously at his Father in the mirror: “Have you already returned to the city-state? I will come to you now…”

“The avatar form I was using has returned, but you do not need to go there,” Duncan interrupted him. “Pack a few things and go straight to the Vanished.”

Tyrian froze. “Huh?”

“I made an important discovery in the Deep Sea,” Duncan said, his expression especially serious. “The information must not be made public, and it may point toward the Elder Gods, so everyone must be summoned to the Vanished to discuss it. I have already sent Agatha over. My followers have gathered. You are the master of the Sea Mist and the new governor of Frostholm. You have to be there as well.”

From his Father’s look and tone, Tyrian at once understood how unusual and grave the matter was, and quickly put away his moment of relief: “All right. I will leave a note for Aiden to explain the situation first.”

“Good.” Duncan nodded, then let his gaze sweep over the room and settle on the complex crystal sphere and its lens array device.

“Bring your scrying crystal when you come aboard,” he said to Tyrian. “It would be best if Lucy heard this as well – she will be interested in the secrets of the Deep Sea.”

Tyrian, who was writing the note, immediately looked up when he heard this, first giving Duncan a surprised glance, then nodding at once: “All right, I will definitely bring the scrying crystal. Where is the Vanished now? I will have a fast boat made ready…”

Before he could finish, Duncan waved a hand in the mirror: “No need. AI will take you.”

There was a knock-knock-knock at the window.

Tyrian turned toward the sound and saw the plump white dove that always followed his Father.

Outside, the dove pecked at the harbor office’s window with its beak, then tilted its head: “Coming aboard? Big seat! Veteran driver, nice and steady!”

Tyrian: “…”

…

The dining room of the Vanished was the gathering place for the crew.

The wide long table had been polished until it shone. Bright oil lamps hung from the pillars near the table, and the captain’s followers gathered on both sides. Vanna and Morris sat upright and proper. Shirley and Alice were off in their own worlds. Nina and Dog were each bent over a book. And besides them, there were two new figures here today.

Agatha, dressed like a blind nun, sat quietly at the long table in silent prayer, and beside her sat Lawrence, wrapped in a white coat and gripping his pipe, looking cramped and nervous.

The latter was nervously taking in every detail of the cabin.

Lawrence’s own ship was now anchored on the nearby sea. His first mate was handling things on board, while the captain himself had been ordered over to the “flagship”. No one had told him exactly what this was about on the way here, which left the old captain deeply uneasy.

This was the first time he had truly set foot on the Vanished, the legendary ghost ship that had returned from subspace. Duncan Abnomar’s followers gathered in this ancient, solemn cabin, waiting in the lamplight for Captain Duncan’s orders.

He already knew who these people were and where they came from –

a living doll, the shattered Sun, a demon with a soul, an Inquisitor who had broken her oath and gone into exile, a legendary scholar on the brink of madness…

Now he was among them.

Even in his wildest dreams and visions, Lawrence had never imagined he would live through a scene like this.

He was just an exploration-ship captain who had been ready to retire… so how had he ended up mixed into this?