Ashes Of Deep Sea

Chapter 231: Chapter 235: Crossing Time and Space

Separated by a layer of illusory mirror surface and flames, Duncan could still clearly observe Terian and Crexia’s reactions from beginning to end—tension, vigilance, and a faint trace of fear.

From the perspective of a “family reunion,” this atmosphere was far from good.

But he didn’t mind; this situation was within his expectations—meeting Terian in advance in a situation he controlled had already achieved his goal for today, and establishing a foundation now might avoid the chaos of a sudden reencounter later, especially considering… there was a “buy one, get one” deal today.

He hadn’t expected Crexia to be there as well.

Moreover, while he was hidden in the mirror just now, he also heard the exchange between Crexia and Terian and learned that his previous attempt to call the latter through “Niru” was not without effect. Although he hadn’t received any feedback, there was movement on Crexia’s end, an unexpected piece of intelligence.

Steadying himself, Duncan maintained his usual composed expression and slowly glanced over Terian and the crystal ball on the table beside him: “I thought a father searching for his child needs no special reason.”

Terian’s eyes widened momentarily, but he quickly suppressed this momentary falter, lowering his voice while still warily watching the man in the mirror, “You must know this is the church—even you, should at least have some regard for the deities behind this sacred space.”

“Yes, this is the church, of course, I know—I witnessed it being devoured by fire and reshaped this place from its broken history,” Duncan’s tone was calm, “If the deity behind this church is watching, then It owes me a thanks.”

Terian was instantly at a loss for words.

But this feeling of not knowing what to say when talking with his father was not unfamiliar to him.

Even a hundred years ago, before the Abernathy surname was entangled in curses, he often fell silent before his father—who was always too imposing and engrossed in those mysterious and terrifying things, and at that time, Terian… was not a man skilled in speech.

And back then, whenever a father and son fell into an awkward silence, it was always the livelier Crexia who broke the stalemate.

“Have… Have you freed your reason from the influence of the Subspace?” The voice of the “Sea Witch” came from within the crystal ball, just like a hundred years ago, she broke the awkwardness between the father and son, “This time you have returned, is it to continue… your adventure?”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ƝονǤօ.ᴄᴑ

Duncan looked at Crexia, beneath his calm exterior was the frantic turning of his thoughts.

This was a crucial meeting, he needed to lay groundwork for the future during this meeting, to prepare cover or explanations for the many “suspicious points” that might be exposed. If possible, to make the Homeloss and all his own future changes seem “logical” to these siblings.

Fortunately, he had prepared a draft before coming.

“The Subspace has left a profound impact on me, perhaps I will never be able to completely rid myself of its influence,” he began slowly, controlling his speech and expression, “I don’t remember much clearly, including my understanding and… perception of the real world. I am trying to reacquaint myself with this world, and after knowing of your existence, I thought that perhaps it could be a crucial step in rebuilding my cognition.”

He paused for a moment before continuing, “But as you said, Lucy—at least, my sanity has returned.”

This was the most effective solution he could think of to address hidden dangers and prepare for the future.

To maintain the stability of the Homeloss, he had to play the role of “Captain Duncan” well, and even in collusion with Goathead, he couldn’t relinquish this identity. Therefore, he had to continue the “performance” in front of Crexia and Terian, but even the best performance had flaws, especially since he knew next to nothing about the siblings. The most effective method was, of course, to prepare an excuse in advance.

Then blame it all on the Subspace.

After all, all the wicked things in this world have something to do with the Subspace—it was the pot of all pots, and it wouldn’t matter one more…

Besides, he emphasized that what was wrong with him was not just his memory but also his understanding and perception of the real world—this could almost explain all the incongruities about him.

The rest was up to Terian and Crexia’s imagination.

Crexia in the crystal ball was clearly startled after hearing Duncan’s words, and she seemed to carefully observe the expressions on her father’s face to confirm the truthfulness of his speech, while Terian, after a moment of silence, suddenly asked, “So, your previous actions in Prande were just to save this City-State?”

Duncan showed a smile, “Entirely out of benevolence.”

“…But the Bishop and Judge in the city seem not so willing to believe that,” Terian spoke gravely, “Especially the Judge… she is very cautious around you.”

“Oh, I could feel that,” Duncan nodded, “She tried to strike me down twice in a row, both attempts failing.”

Terian was once again at a loss for words.

Duncan, however, paid no mind to Terian’s silence and turned his gaze towards his “daughter” in the crystal ball, asking casually, “Is Luny with you?”

“She is.” Crexia nodded, then gestured to someone off-screen, and soon, a clockwork Magic Doll dressed as a maid appeared in the crystal ball.

Duncan looked at the Magic Doll, which regardless of the angle was quite different from “Niru,” with some surprise, “…What has happened to her?!”

“I’ve done a bit of… alterations to Luny,” Crexia said with a somewhat odd expression, while guessing her father’s sudden change of topic, “Why do you suddenly ask about her?”

“…I found Niru,” Duncan said calmly, “In a doll shop, you didn’t take her with you back then, and she hasn’t been sold either.”

Lucresia couldn’t help but let out a soft exclamation, “Ah…”

Some long-lost memories seemed to rise to the surface of this “Sea Witch’s” mind, and her expression suddenly became complicated.

Her subtle facial changes did not escape Duncan’s eyes.

This was about it—the groundwork had been laid, and to continue might affect the impact.

Duncan’s voice came from the mirror. “I must leave now.”

Lucresia and Terrian hadn’t quite reacted yet, and Terrian subconsciously blurted out, “Leave?”

“I still have many things to do,” Duncan said indifferently, his gaze finally resting on Lucresia, “I’ll keep Niru here for now. If there’s a chance in the future, I will give her back to you.”

As his words fell, his figure rapidly began to dim, and the pale green flames at the edge of the mirror vanished quietly like an illusion, giving Terrian and Lucresia no time to speak again.

The room returned to silence, and for the next several minutes, neither Lucresia nor Terrian spoke.

Eventually, it was Lucresia who broke the silence, “Did that really just happen?”

“It wasn’t an illusion,” Terrian said with a wry smile, shaking his head, “Did you ever think something like this would happen?”

“…Not even in my wildest dreams,” Lucresia said, then she suddenly asked with a slightly anxious tone, “What do you make of this?”

“You mean…”

“Everything he just said,” Lucresia said earnestly, “Do you think it was true? Father mentioned that he has lost most of his memories and needs to reacquaint himself with this world. He also mentioned the deep impact of the Subspace and the inability to fully extricate himself… but then claimed that his sanity has been restored…”

“…Frankly, I don’t trust a single word, including the words ‘restored sanity’,” Terrian said gravely, “Until there’s more evidence, I’d rather believe it’s a Subspace conspiracy.”

“There is no conspiracy in the Subspace,” Lucresia said calmly, “Only humans know of conspiracies.”

“…What about a human who has been baptized by the Subspace?” Terrian inhaled sharply, shaking his head, “When the chaos of the Subspace gains intelligence, it becomes more terrifying than pure chaos… Of course, things may not be as bad as they seem. I too hope for a genuine miracle, but for now… let’s just maintain vigilance and watchfulness. You’ve been active on the frontier for years; you should understand the necessity of this vigilance better than I do.”

“I understand,” Lucresia was silent for a couple of seconds before nodding softly, but then she lifted her gaze again, her eyes landing on the oval mirror with a hint of nervousness, “…He’s really gone, hasn’t he?”

Terrian thought for a moment, took a few steps forward, took down the mirror, and placed it face down on the table.

“I feel even more nervous about father than before,” muttered the widely renowned pirate.

Immediately, Lucresia’s voice came from the Crystal Ball. “That’s because he just struck you; the feeling’s still fresh…”

Terrian looked back expressionlessly, “Be careful. Who knows when Luny might suddenly speak with Father’s voice.”

The Crystal Ball went out at once.

…

Aboard the Homeloss, in the captain’s quarters, Duncan took a deep breath, pondering the interaction he’d just had with that pair of “children.”

There should be no oversights.

After organizing his thoughts, he casually reached for paper and pen from nearby and began to sketch from memory.

After a few strokes, a peculiar hexagonal emblem appeared on the paper.

That was the very same mysterious symbol that Terrian had shown before Fenna and Judge Valentin, the emblem that the odd “penitents” who had visited Captain Duncan a hundred years ago had carried.

Through Fenna’s eyes, Duncan had received this unexpected intelligence!

Setting down his fountain pen, Duncan thoughtfully observed the peculiar hexagon and its internally disjointed cross structure, considering where to begin unraveling the secrets of this symbol.

But suddenly, his gaze froze.

He saw a section of the paper’s edge gaining a damp mark, as though an invisible stream of water had soaked one corner of the paper, and then, in the middle of that damp stain, a blurry pattern began to emerge!

It was a word.

Thank you.