Deep Sea Embers

Both Fanna and Valentine fell into a daze because of this sudden change. Pope Helena's "judgment" is not so much a solemn religious ruling, but more like a deliberate result—the result has already been decided, just now Conversation is nothing more than a program.

Such a hasty "ruling" was of course difficult for Fan Na, the judge, and even Valentine next to her, they all said in unison: "Your Majesty the Pope..."

"It's okay, it's okay, there's nothing wrong with it, there are always ups and downs in life, just like storms are always the most unpredictable existence," Helena waved her hand, interrupting Fanna and Wa. Lundin’s words, “And don’t fall into despair easily, Saint Vanna—removing the duties of a judge is not necessarily a punishment, it’s just that you are temporarily unsuitable for this job, maybe... the storm has something else for you What about blessings?"

Fanna was startled when she heard the words, and seemed to vaguely hear some deep meaning from Helena's tone, but just as she was about to ask something, she saw the Pope in front of her shaking her head.

"Let's stop here for now. There are still some things that I need to see with my own eyes before I can decide," Helena said lightly, "Prand... I haven't set foot on this land in person for many years."

When she said this, she paused slightly.

"You go back to the upper deck first, the elevator is ready, I will complete a blessing here - it won't be too long, we will meet on the upper deck."

Barely realizing what was going on, Fanna and Valentine were "driven" back into the elevator, and until the elevator reached the top, until the two left the car and walked in the corridor leading to the upper deck, Valentin Ding Cai broke the silence in a low voice: "Fan Na, how do you... feel now?"

He really didn't think of a better way to break this embarrassment.

Fanna stopped in her tracks.

Valentine stepped back a little.

"Are you serious about taking these two steps back?"

"I'm afraid you're serious."

"You can still tell cold jokes, so it seems that you are also aware of the unusualness of this matter." Fan Na shook her head and said in a low voice, "Frankly speaking, my initial reaction was unbelievable and unacceptable. The hasty 'judgment' is more like a nasty joke, and should not come from the mouth of the Pope, but just now I recalled the details of the Pope's words, and I always feel...she seems to have other meanings."

As she said that, she exhaled softly: "I think I should wait patiently, waiting for what His Holiness the Pope said, 'the storm has another favor'."

"Your calmness and rationality are indeed far beyond ordinary people—this kind of thing suddenly happened to their heads, most people probably wouldn't be able to think calmly like you so quickly," Valentine stepped forward again, While walking, he said, "But compared to this, I care about another thing now."

Fan Na frowned: "Another matter?"

"Removing a judge must be replaced by a new judge, and such an important position as a city-state judge must be 'tested' and appointed by the pope himself-you should be very clear about this process," said Wa Lundin said slowly, "But His Majesty the Pope didn't mention this matter at all... This should have been a 'necessary matter' announced at the same time as the appointment or even in advance."

Fanna frowned subconsciously, but didn't speak for a while, while Valentine continued: "In addition, she chose to announce your dismissal in a 'secret room' that no one knows about. The secret given in the secret room must not be passed on to others, no matter what the content of the secret is, it is a kind of 'safety code'."

Fan Na had to admit that her young self was not as thorough as a senior priest like Bishop Valentine's in understanding the original text of the storm. She didn't think of these key points for a while!

"what do you mean……"

"Your dismissal will not be known by anyone," Valentine calmly looked into Fanna's eyes, "and there will be no new judge to take over your position."

Fan Na was startled, and frowned slightly: "Then how should I continue to perform my duties in Prand?"

"I don't know," Valentine said softly. He raised his head, looked towards the exit of the corridor ahead, and continued to speak after a moment of thought, "but I suspect that you may not need to continue to perform your own duties in Prand soon. responsibility."

...

In the extremely vast space, Pope Helena stood quietly among the dim firelight. After an unknown period of time, she raised her head and looked at the darkness in the distance.

This is the bottom of the pilgrimage ark. It is an area that ordinary people rarely have the opportunity to touch, or even understand at all. She called this place "the belly of the giant beast". In a sense, this statement is actually not wrong at all. .

Helena stepped forward, crossed the burning braziers, and came to a location that had never been illuminated by fire before.

Clusters of flames spread along with her footsteps, gradually illuminating the entire dark space, reflecting things that had not been illuminated before.

The intertwined venation structure on the ground, the huge tumors or nerve nodules hanging from the high dome, the nerve cords and vascular pillars hanging down from the dome, and the huge pale support like a skeleton.

These things, which were originally hidden in the darkness, appeared before Helena's eyes as the fire spread.

She finally stopped in front of a huge "pillar".

This is a pillar composed of a large number of complex structures twisted and stacked. Its surface is uneven and mottled, and a large number of nerves and vascular systems are intertwined like reliefs. In the depths of those nervous systems, you can faintly see To the intricate wires and needles gleaming with silver light, it seems to spread from the upper layer.

On the top of this pillar, on the dim dome, you can also see a more dense number of pendant organs. The surface of those organs is covered with grooves, which looks like... the brain.

Helena stared at the pillar for a long time, then stretched out her hand, slowly stroking the concave and convex grooves formed by the nerve fibers.

"The Faculty of Truth...is an unbelievable technology," she exclaimed softly. "Who would have thought that the dead Leviathan could be 'resurrected' in this way..."

As soon as she finished speaking, there was a low squirming sound from the pillar, and then a hoarse and old voice sounded from an unknown structure: "First of all, I am not dead from the beginning, and secondly, I am not dead either. I don't think I'm 'alive' right now—it's a loose term to describe Leviathan in terms of life and death, girl."

"...I thought you were sleeping."

"I do sleep most of the time, but today you solemnly prayed to Queen Gamona and brought outsiders to this place. I think I should be awake no matter what."

The corner of Helena's mouth seemed to tremble: "...Then do you feel that you have seen a satisfactory scene?"

"I just think you are quite unreasonable," the hoarse old voice came again, "Isn't she doing a good job? No judge in the major city-states can surpass her in the comprehensive evaluation. You just give it to me." If you are dismissed, don’t say any reason to shake your faith... We all know that as long as you can continue to perform your duties, this reason is the most insignificant.”

"This is the arrangement of the Lord of Storms." Helena said lightly.

The hoarse and old voice was obviously stunned for a moment before opening his mouth this time: "...Oh, then I'm fine."

Helena shook her head helplessly: "I thought you would at least ask."

However, this time, the hoarse and old voice did not respond in the slightest.

He fell asleep.

...

In the vast and boundless sea, the steel battleship Haiwu is sailing through the waves, and as the battleship gradually "heals" and its power is fully activated at the moment, the thin layer of ice fog also appears around the ship again, and in the Small pieces of floating ice are constantly forming on the nearby sea surface.

Tirian came to the bow, looking at the open sea ahead.

For some reason, he always felt vaguely uneasy.

At first, he thought it was the sequelae of "father's injury", the accumulation of pressure brought about by seeing his father several times in the sea and in the city of Purland, but as the Sea Fog got farther and farther away from Purland, De, this uneasiness has not weakened, but has become more intense.

This even made him gradually a little irritable.

It seemed that something was about to happen, or...had already happened, and it was most likely related to me.

He trusts his intuition as a Transcendent in this regard.

Tirian took a deep breath, pressed his hand on the railing in front of him, and frowned in thought.

At this moment, as if to confirm the growing anxiety, a burst of hurried footsteps suddenly came from behind.

Tirian turned his head suddenly, and saw that it was the first mate Aiden walking towards him.

The usually calm first officer's face was full of tension at this moment.

Tirian frowned immediately: "What happened?"

"Just now, the chapel received a psychic message from the home port. Something happened in the waters near Frost."

"Near Frost?" Tirian felt his heart beating suddenly, and asked, "What's going on?"

"...an ancient diving device suddenly appeared in the Frost Offshore," Aiden couldn't help taking a breath when he said this, "it's the 'No. 3 Submersible'—the eighth."