Chapter 673

Chapter 673: They Were “Communicating”.

For Lightwind Harbor, which had just woken safely from a nightmare, the collective visit of the four Pilgrimage Arks felt like another strange and bizarre dream. It all happened too suddenly. Even the scholars of the Truth Academy and the governor seemed to receive word only when the arks were about to arrive. So even when the Deep Sea Church’s Storm Cathedral appeared on the sea horizon, the citizens of Lightwind Harbor still felt as if it were unreal.

The Cathedral ships of the Four Gods had truly arrived.

Aside from the Academy Ark, which had been moored beside Lightwind Harbor ever since the “Nameless One’s Dream” incident, the first to arrive was the temple of the storm goddess Gamona. The Storm Cathedral reached them at dawn that day. When Vision 001’s radiant halo pierced the sky, the huge pilgrimage temple emerged from a bank of condensed fog onto the sea surface. It and its escort fleet approached from the western side of the city and moored along the coast when the morning bell rang for the third time.

After that came the Flamebearer’s Cathedral ship. The “Flamebearer Temple” surfaced on the sea along with Vision 001’s rising glow, as if sunlight from a blazing sun had fallen into the mortal world. It sailed out of a mirage that looked like flaming sunlight and docked between the Storm Cathedral and the Academy Ark.

Death god Bartok’s Cathedral ship arrived last. The “Death Sanctuary” appeared from a bank of dark, dense fog with solemn bells ringing. Its vast shadow swelled and grew in the mist, like a huge graveyard entering the Mortal Realm from the land of the dead. It and its two escort sister ships—“Closed Eye” and “Unclosed Eye”—moored beside the Storm Cathedral.

Those four Cathedral arks, each as huge as a small city-state, almost “surrounded” Lightwind Harbor. If part of their escort fleets had not been left out on the nearby sea in advance, their full escort ships would have nearly crowded out every stretch of shoreline around Lightwind Harbor. If a pair of eyes with nearsightedness and astigmatism had looked down from the sky just then, they might even have confused Lightwind Harbor with the neighboring Pilgrimage Arks and seen them all as one giant, continuous cross-shaped island.

The city’s City Hall issued a temporary order in the morning to seal the harbor and ban near-shore sailing. The Truth Academy announced that the four great Churches would temporarily hold a “special closed meeting” in Lightwind Harbor.

After that, curious citizens gathered near different parts of the harbor. They fought to claim good spots so they could get a look at the Cathedral ships’ grand shapes. After all, the Cathedral arks usually sailed along secret routes on the Boundless Sea. Ordinary people almost never saw them. This time they had not only appeared near the city, but all four arks had shown up together. Even elves, with their long lifespans, might not see such a sight many times in a lifetime.

On the tallest tower of the city academy near the western coast, Duncan was standing on a balcony, looking toward the shoreline.

He had nothing else to do anyway, so he stood there watching each Church’s Cathedral ship appear one by one. The sight was quite spectacular.

“Your Cathedral arks really all have their own special tricks,” he sighed casually.

“To move such massive ‘ships’ quickly across the sea, the power of steam engines alone is not enough,” Ted Riel stood beside Duncan on the high tower balcony, enjoying the wind as he explained. “Each Cathedral ark is both a ship and an supernatural item. Those huge cathedrals and academies on them are not just decoration. They draw the Gods’ power into the Mortal Realm and give the arks all kinds of unbelievable traits. They can race through storms, pass through mist and flame, or become invisible to mortal eyes and calm the tempests of the sea…”

Duncan turned his head with some curiosity. “Then what ‘sacred miracle’ does the Truth Academy’s Academy Ship rely on to sail so fast?”

“…Outstanding engineering. We built two hundred and sixty engine arrays. With enough power, even bricks can fly.”

Duncan: “…?”

“To make machines run, to make theory work, to make paradoxes hold—that in itself is part of Rahm’s sacred miracle,” Ted Riel clearly saw the odd look on Duncan’s face and could not help laughing. “The same engine arrays would not even start on other Cathedral ships. If they did not blow up on the spot, that would already show their craftsmanship is excellent.”

“…The Gods’ sacred miracles are truly unbelievable.”

Duncan shook his head with a subtle expression. After sighing under his breath, he turned his gaze and looked toward the distant shoreline.

He had seen the Deep Sea Church’s Storm Cathedral and the Truth Academy’s Academy Ark before. But this was the first time he had seen the Death God’s Death Sanctuary and Flamebearer Temple. Just like the other two Cathedral ships, these two Pilgrimage Arks had very distinct styles.

Flamebearer Temple gave people an ancient, solemn feeling. Gray-white stone buildings of different heights spread across the massive ark base. Those solemn and mysterious structures were totally unlike the styles found in modern city-states. They looked more like “ancient temples” restored straight out of some historical paintings. The most striking structure stood at the center of the complex: a huge high platform, encircled by solemn stone pillars. A ring of blazing flames burned around the top of the platform. At the center of that fire stood a strangely shaped giant pillar. That pillar looked very much like the Gatekeeper’s cane that Vanna had received from Tarrigan. It was obviously the Chronicle Pillar worshiped by the Flamebearers.

The Death Sanctuary was much gloomier. Black-toned Brother-style buildings were the most common “scenery” on that ark. Its core facility was a pitch-black temple shaped like a great pyramid. The temple sat on a high ground in the center of the ark, surrounded by tall towers, and it gave off a grave-like heaviness. At first sight, Duncan understood why many people simply called the Death God’s Pilgrimage Ark “the Great Graveyard”. It really did look the part.

No matter which ark he looked at, Duncan saw illusory projections floating above them in the air, like spirit forms that normal eyes could not see.

He lifted his head and, face calm as still water, used his gaze on those “spirit forms floating over the mortal world”.

Smoke-like and mist-like, tentacle-shaped phantom limbs spread out from those spirit form projections. They drifted silently over all of Lightwind Harbor like hazy Restless Souls. They did not disturb one another, but sometimes a phantom “tentacle” would suddenly stretch out from its own “body” to touch a tentacle stretching out from another ark—

Duncan noticed this “contact”. He instinctively felt that these hurried touches were not coincidences but something intentional.

He even felt that some of those phantom tentacles were practically… giving each other high-fives.

Some spirit forms drifting over from the harbor floated near the academy’s tall tower and circled around the balcony.

Duncan hesitated for a moment. He glanced back at Ted Riel, who did not seem to be paying attention here, then quietly rubbed his fingers together.

A wisp of spirit form flame appeared in the air and quietly touched those Spirits of the Ark drifting there, which mortal eyes could not see.

In careful perception, he touched the “thoughts” that flowed between those spirits.

Some strange, deep noises echoed in Duncan’s mind. Then, inside those strange, deep noises, actual understandable messages appeared. He heard whispers that did not sound like humans vibrating through time and space… They were “communicating”!

That vibration went deep into his consciousness—

“…The weather is nice.”

“It is okay. This place is really hot.”

“Better than up north. My tentacles were frozen stiff up there…”

“Didn’t you lose all your tentacles a long time ago?”

“Phantom limbs.”

“What are they going to talk about today?”

“How would I know—I just woke up.”

“…Huh? I also just woke up. What are they even going to talk about today?”

“…Stop asking. We all just woke up.”

Duncan: “…?”

Ted Riel finally noticed Duncan’s sudden subtle expression and, even more, the flicker of phantom flame that had flashed in the air. The Truth Keeper tensed up at once: “What happened?”

It would have been better if he had not asked. As soon as he did, Duncan’s expression became even stranger.

But before the Truth Keeper grew so nervous that his stomach acted up again, Duncan forced himself to get his expression under control and shoved that bizarre feeling in his mind aside. He kept his face as calm as he could, looked up at Ted Riel, and asked: “…Do the arks talk to one another?”

“The arks? Talk?” Ted Riel froze at the question. “What do you mean?”

The expression on the Truth Keeper’s face did not look fake. Duncan could tell at a glance that this was probably another special “secret” that only the inner circle knew. Remembering that even Vanna did not know many of the Storm Cathedral’s secrets, he decisively waved his hand. “You do not know, so it is fine.”

Ted Riel instinctively wanted to ask more, but just before he opened his mouth, a faint warning rose in his heart.

He wisely shut his mouth.

Duncan changed the subject at the right moment: “The Four Gods’ arks have all gathered. Where exactly will the meeting be held? Inside Lightwind Harbor?”

Ted Riel shook his head and began to explain patiently: “Lightwind Harbor is not suitable for the meeting. On one hand, a gathering like this might affect the ordinary people in the city. On the other hand, this meeting came up so suddenly that the city has not made any preparations. There is also the question of secrecy.

“The message I received said we should wait for further notice. This time, what we will discuss points straight at the Great Annihilation and already touches the foundation of the world. That means even an offhand remark from anyone at the gathering could cause unpredictable consequences. Even the popes, Your Eminences, must choose the meeting place very carefully—

“Right now they are each on their own arks, using psychic echo to commune with the Gods and seek revelation. The final meeting place will probably be chosen from among the four arks.”

Duncan waved a hand, unconcerned. “Alright, then I will wait patiently. I just hope it does not take too long.”

Ted Riel nodded. But in the next second, the Truth Keeper suddenly frowned. It was as if he had heard a voice coming from far away, and his expression turned strange at once.

“What is it?” Duncan noticed the change and asked curiously.

Ted Riel was silent for a few seconds, a trace of confusion in his eyes. “…On the Fifth Ark…”