Chapter 513

Chapter 513.

In Pland, the extinguishing of the Sun naturally threw the entire city into chaos. But before the chaos grew truly dangerous, the city-state Guard Corps and the Guardian troops arrived in time and brought the situation under control.

The deep, mellow chimes of the small cathedral’s bells echoed over the streets. It was as if the bell?tones carried a power that calmed hearts and restored courage. Steam Walkers clanked through alleys and along main roads. Loudspeakers on their hulls broadcast the latest orders from City Hall. Gas lamps on both sides of the streets were lit in a rush. Panicked pedestrians did everything they could to hurry back to the safety of their own homes, or to dive into the nearest veil of night shelter.

Heavily armed Guardians moved swiftly through the crowds. They checked on the veil of night shelters one by one and searched the sudden darkness for any “filth” that should not appear in the Mortal Realm.

Heidi switched on every light in her home the instant she could. From gas lamps and oil lamps with holy power to bright electric lamps, she used every bit of light she had to drive away the darkness left by the Sun’s extinction—and to drive away the tension in her heart.

Her mother’s voice came from the sofa: “Relax a little, Heidi. You’ll trip if you keep running around. The world’s Doomsday hasn’t arrived yet.”

Heidi turned and saw her mother sitting on the sofa just as always. The old woman had already picked up the letters she had set aside for a moment when the darkness suddenly fell. Her expression was still gentle and calm, as if nothing that happened in this world could really affect her.

“The Sun has gone out! That’s not a small thing!” Heidi was shocked by how calm her mother was. She herself could not settle down at all. “You can still read letters right now?”

“If I put the letters down, will the Sun light up again?” Mother finally turned her head. A helpless look crossed her face. “Right now all we can do is trust City Hall and the Great Cathedral. There will be mighty beings watching over this city.”

Heidi pressed her lips together and unconsciously tightened her grip on the pendant hanging at her chest. “Damn it… If only Vanna were here. I could ask her what’s really going on… and Father isn’t home either…”

She did not notice the subtle expression that flashed across her mother’s face when she heard these muttered complaints.

The next second, the old woman shook her head.

“If the Sun really has gone out, then it’s something the whole world can see. Vanna and your father must have seen it too. They’re surely doing everything they can within their own duties. And you… you should calm down and think about your own duty now.”

Heidi finally began to settle. She frowned slightly and turned her gaze toward the nearby table.

A fine, sturdy medical case sat quietly in one corner of it.

It was filled with all the tools and medicines she used while practicing medicine. Because the city-state had been unusually calm at night for quite some time, she hadn’t needed to use the most potent things in the case for a long while.

“Many people will need mental counseling,” her mother’s soothing voice came from behind her. “I expect it won’t be long before City Hall sends someone to pick you up. The Sun has only dimmed for now. Our city hasn’t sunk.”

Heidi let out a soft breath and walked slowly toward her medical case. “All right, you’re right. The world’s Doomsday hasn’t come yet—so my overtime isn’t over either.”

“When you go out on calls, don’t forget to take your gun,” Mother reminded her gently. “Pland these days is much safer than it used to be, but the mentally broken are always dangerous. When you have to, you must use drastic means on the ‘lesion’.”

“Of course.” Heidi answered without thinking. She opened a hidden compartment at the bottom of the case. A finely crafted revolver and several spare cylinders lay quietly inside. After a quick check of the weapon, she couldn’t help sighing a little. “After all… gunpowder is also medicine.”

…

“I’ve already sent out the city-state Guard Corps. For now, we don’t need to worry about order inside Frostholm,” Tyrian said. He stood by the large floor?to?ceiling mirror in the corner of his domed office, speaking to the glass with a serious face. “The tension from the recent mirror world crisis hasn’t faded yet. The good news is that under this tension, all the emergency plans can be carried out more quickly.”

ghostly green flame burned softly on the surface of the mirror like a sheer veil. Duncan’s figure stood in the darkness behind the glass. When Tyrian finished speaking, Duncan gave a slight nod.

“Good. Have there been any signs of something supernatural in the city?”

“Nothing so far,” Tyrian replied at once. “But I’ve already assigned more people to watch places like mental hospitals in particular. The Great Cathedral is also sending people to patrol the veil of night Sanctuary Worlds, the cemeteries, and the districts where there isn’t much light…”

“In theory, within the Visions-altered Frostholm, darkness itself is no longer a dangerous factor. The only things we need to watch closely are mental collapse and widespread panic,” Duncan reminded him. “Also, you don’t need to send anyone to the cemeteries. I’ll watch that area myself.”

“Yes,” Tyrian said quickly. Then he hesitated, choosing his words with care. “How are things on your side? Nothing has gone wrong on the Vanished, has it?”

“There’s nothing here that can threaten the Vanished,” Duncan said calmly. “Nina has already lit a temporary Sun in the sky. We’re still sailing south as planned. The surrounding sea… is calmer than I expected.”

Tyrian quietly let out a breath. “Then it seems I was worrying too much.”

“Can you still reach Lightwind Harbor?” Duncan’s voice came again from the mirror. “What’s the situation with Lucretia?”

“I just contacted her. She’s just returned to the Radiant Star. There are no safety problems at the moment,” Tyrian said at once. “She said they also saw the Sun go out over Lightwind Harbor, but the chaos in that city-state is much milder than here in Frostholm. Because of that mysterious fallen relic, most of Lightwind Harbor is still covered in sunlight. The sky’s Visions are unsettling, but they don’t look as terrifying there as they do here.”

“That’s good. Stay in contact and keep a close eye on changes inside the city-state.”

“Yes,” Tyrian nodded again. After another moment’s hesitation, he slowly went on, “There’s one more situation…”

“Speak,” Duncan said with a frown in the mirror. “At a time like this, you should speak of anything.”

“…We’ve lost contact with the other city-states. All of them,” Tyrian said carefully. “Both the ones far away and those close by, like Cold Harbor. The telegraph has gone silent. The signal towers at sea aren’t responding. Even the Cathedral’s Psychic Communication can’t reach them. At present, only two city-states are barely still in touch with us: Pland and Lightwind Harbor.”

“Lost contact with the other city-states?” Duncan’s expression grew even more serious. “How long has this been going on?”

“We noticed the breakdown in communication with Cold Harbor as soon as the Sun went out. After that, we confirmed that it was the same with the other city-states,” Tyrian answered quickly. “I’ve urgently recalled every ship in the waters near Frostholm and banned all vessels from sailing out.”

As he spoke, there were still some words he did not say aloud. Ever since communications with the other city-states had broken down, a strange, heavy worry had pressed on his heart. He feared that beyond the city-states, in those parts of the Boundless Sea where sunlight no longer shone, the ocean had already turned into something people could no longer understand…

“Keep trying to reach the other city-states,” Duncan’s voice from the mirror cut off Tyrian’s thoughts. “And if there’s any new information from Lucy, contact me immediately.”

“Yes, Father.”

The communication with the Vanished ended, and the vast domed office fell quiet again.

Tyrian raised a hand and rubbed his aching brow hard.

Then he pressed the bell on his desk.

The office door opened and Aiden walked in.

Tyrian looked up and gave an order to his most loyal subordinate:

“Keep a close eye on any ships returning from the dark. Until the Sun lights up again, don’t let them approach the city-state rashly. mark out a ‘buffer zone’ in the Nearshore Waters. Have the returning ships wait there for inspection and clearance.”

…

The mirror in front of Duncan slowly grew calm again. The ghostly green flame retreated for now to a corner along the frame. Duncan let out a quiet breath and turned his head to look out the window.

Brilliant sunlight still shone on the deck of the Vanished and over a broad stretch of sea around it. But beyond the reach of that sunlight, the Boundless Sea remained drowned in an eerie, absolute darkness.

It was a deeply unsettling time. Even Goathead, usually the noisiest presence on board, lay silent on the enchanted sea chart table.

Only Alice was still happily spreading quilts out to dry on the deck…

Duncan rubbed his forehead, trying hard not to pay attention to the figure busy with the quilts. He focused his mind instead and silently called to the flame hovering in the sky.

“Nina, how are things up there? Are you tired?”

“Not tired at all.” Thanks to the resonance of the Power of Flame, Nina’s voice rang in Duncan’s mind almost at once. “I’m not very high up. I can stay here for a very, very long time!”

“Can you see anything on the sea around us?”

“Mm… no. There’s nothing at all on the sea around us. Not even a little wind or waves. Uncle Duncan, did you think of something?”

“Nothing for now. But keep watching the sea at all times—especially the waters at the boundary between light and dark,” Duncan said slowly. “If any ships or anything like that appear nearby, tell me immediately.”

Nina answered at once: “Okay!”

Duncan made a soft sound in his throat and ended the link with Nina. Then he looked at the mirror in front of him, steadied himself a little, and reached out to brush the surface.

“Lawrence, how are things on your side?”