Deep Sea Embers

There is a high platform near the cathedral in the upper city, which used to be part of the city park, but with the reconstruction of the steam core, the original park facilities were transferred to other places, and there is only a lonely high platform left here—as if a A forgotten knight, standing on high and watching the factory area and square below.

On the high platform, you can overlook the entire church area and the central factory area.

In occasional free time, Fan Na would come here to relax, and when her mind was hard to calm down, she would also come here to think quietly in order to sort out her mood.

The afternoon sun is very good, even if there is a slight breeze, the high platform is not very cold. When the gentle sea breeze blows across the platform, the hair around the ears will be rolled up, making it a little itchy.

Fan Na threw her long white hair behind her head, quietly staring at the winding and misty steam pipe in her field of vision, and it took a long time to break the silence: "I'm going out for a while."

"Going out?" Heidi turned her head in surprise, "Where are you going?"

"I'm not sure, it might be far away, and I might be away for a long time," Fan Na looked into Heidi's eyes, "I can't disclose the specific itinerary, but I should tell you before I leave."

Heidi blinked, looking a little confused: "But you are the judge of the city-state—can the judge travel far at will?"

"I..." Fan Na opened her mouth, trying to make her expression look like a smile, "It's the church's arrangement, a direct order from the Storm Cathedral."

"Ah... so that's how it is," Heidi nodded suddenly. She actually didn't know much about the internal operating rules of the Church of the Deep Sea. It was just that when the name "Cathedral of Storms" was brought up, many things would not be correct. Need to explain, "So it seems that this is a sacred mission? Are you sent to fight against heresy outside the parish?"

Fan Na's expression seemed to stiffen for a moment: "...In a sense, it does have something to do with heresy, but it's not a combat mission."

Heidi, however, didn't notice the subtle change in her friend's tone, she just sighed suddenly: "Hey, my father also traveled far away recently, without any warning in advance, he suddenly told me that he was going to go out on business, and my mother didn't let me Inquire—now that you are leaving too, it feels like you are all mysterious."

"Has Mr. Morris gone out too?" Fan Na muttered casually, but she quickly shook her head with a self-deprecating expression on her face, "He must be going to meet his friends in academia, or to participate in What kind of activities, a scholar like him is often invited by various city-state universities... Anyway, the place I am going to is different."

Heidi turned her head and looked at her friend with some doubts: "Why do I feel that you are weird and preoccupied? Is it because you feel uneasy about going out? You really don't seem to have left the city-state much."

"That's not true. I'm probably just a little nervous because I was suddenly assigned a task I've never touched before." Fan Na shook her head, "Don't worry about me."

"Okay then," Heidi breathed out, then seemed to suddenly recall something, and suggested with a little excitement, "By the way, why don't we go to the theater together? There is a new drama recently, just as a change of mood—" —You should get more in touch with the things that are popular nowadays, maybe it can expand your social circle..."

Fan Na didn't care what her friend said in the last two sentences at all, she just raised her eyebrows curiously: "New play? What are you talking about?"

"The work of the great director Santoko, called "Frontier Horror", tells the story of a small border village falling into heresy worship, and sacrifices the women in the village to the "cave evil spirit", and finally the brave guardians wiped out the evil story. It is said that this drama also uses a new technology called 'sound track', when the screen is played, there are synchronized sounds from the machines on both sides of the screen..."

Heidi enthusiastically introduced the "new elements that are popular nowadays" to her friends, but found that Fan Na's face was getting weirder and weirder, she hesitated and stopped halfway through speaking, then she thought for a while and waved her hand: "Okay , you may not like this, there is another drama called "Night Watch", about a brave guardian who stepped into a secret realm, but was accidentally trapped in a lair of heretics, and had to rely on his own wisdom and experience to survive in the lair Come down, and find a way to stick to your heart...you don't like it either?"

Heidi scratched her hair and tried her best to search her mind: "Then let me recommend this book to you. The latest popular novel is called "Walking with Shadows", which is about..."

Finally, Fan Na couldn't listen anymore, and interrupted her friend's rambling with almost livid face: "I thank you, but there is really no need."

Then she seemed to realize that her attitude was a bit blunt, she couldn't help but sighed slightly, and explained in a low voice while rubbing her forehead with her fingers: "Thank you for your concern, but the task I am going to perform next requires firm will and pure thinking, set out It is best not to touch too many things that easily disturb the mind."

"Ah, well, that's because I didn't think carefully," Heidi smiled a little embarrassedly, "forgot that you are a 'professional'."

Fan Na waved her hand.

After a while, she heard Heidi's voice again: "My rest time is almost over, and there are two patients who have an appointment in the afternoon."

Fan Na exhaled lightly: "You go and get busy, I should also get ready to go."

Heidi hummed, but she stopped suddenly before leaving the high platform. She turned her head, and in the afternoon sun and breeze, the expression on her face was a little hesitant: "When you leave, I can send you off." You?"

"...No, this is a special mission."

"Then will you write back?"

Fanna hesitated for a moment.

She looked at Heidi, and the long white hair was blown by the breeze. In the turmoil of the flying hair, it seemed that there was a fluttering curtain between herself and her friend.

"...I don't know," Fan Na said in a low voice, "but I will... work hard, maybe it's not so strict there."

"Okay, then I'll wait for your letter," Heidi suddenly showed a bright smile on her face, and then she suddenly stepped forward, pulled out the crystal pendant from her collar and dangled it in the air, and then Pointing to Fan Na's chest, "Amulet of the same style - you will have good luck."

Friends are gone.

On the high platform in the wind, only Fan Na was left.

The young judge lowered his head and looked at the small pendant on his chest.

"...good luck," she murmured softly, her expression becoming a little strange, "I hope the antique store manager's things can really bring some good luck."

A loud bell rang suddenly from the direction of the church, interrupting Fanna's thoughts.

She raised her head and looked in the direction where the bell was ringing, and saw that the huge dial on the big clock tower was indicating the time, and the brilliance of the sun had gradually passed the highest point in the sky, moving slowly towards the west side of the cathedral.

She took out the parchment and looked at the text on the back of the parchment—that was her "Job Instructions".

According to the instructions on the entry instructions, a courier will pick her up in one hour, and she should go to the atrium of the cathedral to wait before then, so that no unrelated people will disturb the handover process.

What kind of messenger would that be? How will I be sent to the Lost Homeland far away in the boundless sea?

Fan Na had huge doubts in her heart, but she still took steps and walked in the direction of the cathedral.

She originally had many plans. Before leaving the city-state where she was born and raised, she still wanted to go shopping in the shops she was most familiar with, go to the theater, go to the port, meet some friends again, and go to St. Do a prayer...

But there was not enough time, and she didn't have that much spare time.

In the atrium of the cathedral, Pope Helena and Archbishop Valentine have been waiting for him for a long time.

"The messenger hasn't arrived yet," Valentine nodded to Fanna who walked into the courtyard, "Are you ready?"

Fan Na looked at the things in her hand.

Apart from the big sword that never left her body, there was only one packed suitcase—her personal belongings were not many, and apart from the necessary change of clothes, the most important thing in the suitcase was her prayer book. and some blessed church readings.

That's something safe to read on the open sea, and perhaps an antidote to the boredom of life on board.

"It's all here," Fan Na nodded, then looked up at the silent Pope, "I can still pray on the boat, right?"

"Of course," Helena smiled. "Captain Duncan even promised that you could turn an extra cabin into a chapel."

"...Then let me look forward to the next 'crew life'." Fan Na sighed, "I can't imagine what kind of life it will be like."

Helena opened her mouth, as if she wanted to say something, but at this moment, a crackle of flames and the sound of flapping wings suddenly came from the sky, interrupting the communication in the atrium.

Here comes the messenger.

Fan Na raised her head in surprise, but only had time to see a piece of green flame falling from the sky like a meteor. A huge bone wing suddenly opened in the flame. In the next second, the flame had already "fallen" on the path of the atrium , turned into a rotating door.

"It's time to go." Pope Helena's voice came from the side, reminding and urging.

"En." Fan Na nodded lightly, at this moment she put away the last bit of hesitation in her heart, and stepped forward.

She took a deep breath and stepped through the revolving door of flames, thoughts racing through her mind at this moment.

What will be the scene behind the door? What kind of life awaits you on that ship? Will I see that scary ghost captain first? Or some... sailor on the Lost Home?

What kind of strange appearance will the crew on that ship have?

The flame burst into flames, and then faded away, and it only took a moment to step through the gate.

Fan Na only felt that she was in a trance for a while, and then there was already a moist and cold sea breeze blowing in front of her, and the sound of crashing waves could be heard in her ears.

She blinked and patted her forehead hard.

She thought there might be something wrong with the teleportation.

Or something is wrong with your eyes.

Because she saw... Maurice standing in front of her, smiling right here.