Deep Sea Embers

A kind of...weak but wonderful force is resisting the orders he gave to this body.

Even trying to expel himself from the body.

This force seems to have existed from the very beginning, but when he had the idea of ​​going to Frost, this force of resistance became more apparent.

Duncan stopped in amazement. Although the force of resistance was always there, he moved slowly to the edge of the wreckage, looking down at the calm sea.

He said softly: "I thought you had disappeared—usually, after the heart stops beating, the soul will leave soon."

Then he calmed down, feeling the weak but stubborn power. After a moment of silence, the lips of this body twitched twice: "Leave..."

Duncan closed his eyes slightly.

Floating on the surface of the oily sea, the reflection of this body was suddenly covered by a layer of dark green flames. The face in the reflection, which had been completely changed by the fire and explosion, trembled in the flames and turned into the majestic Duncan Abu Normar Sullen countenance.

"Hello," Duncan, reflected in the sea, gazed at the body standing on the edge of the wreck of the Petrel, and greeted calmly, "I think it will be easier for us to talk this way."

The unrecognizable body stood upright, and the remaining bit of consciousness of Bellazov stared at the face reflected in the sea water, staring at the dark green flames, his lips squirmed twice, and once again let out a monotonous and persistent moan. Voice: "...Leave."

In the reflection of the sea water, Duncan was thoughtful: "...Didn't you let me leave your body, you want me to stay away from the frost?"

Belazov's body was silent, this theoretically completely dead body was still standing there upright, refusing the order to return to Frost.

"...you were the first to resist—at least, the first to resist so strongly that I could notice it," Duncan said calmly, "but you should be able to realize that this weak resistance is meaningless , you are just consuming your soul quickly, and this only delayed me for a few seconds at most."

Belazov still stood there silently, as if dead—but there was still a little light in his half-closed pupils.

"...I take back what I just said, your resistance is meaningful." After a moment of silence, Duncan sighed, "Leave at ease, I am not the enemy of Frost—I am here to help your city-state and countrymen."

Then he was silent for a few seconds, staring at the quietly standing body, and after a short thought, he said softly: "The reinforcements are here."

Belazov's body shook slightly. Perhaps Duncan's words really had an effect, or maybe it was just that the remaining stubborn soul finally dissipated. This burly body looked up at the city-state lights in the distance for the last time. , and then fell straight on his back.

Duncan sat up, sorted out the scorched cloth strips on his body, and then looked at his hands.

That weak resistance has disappeared.

A swirling and spreading flame suddenly appeared beside him, and a sound of flapping wings came from the vortex door formed by the flames. The huge skeleton bird rushed out of the vortex and hovered on the nearby sea.

And almost at the same time, the voice of the goat's head came into Duncan's mind: "Actually, you don't need to 'negotiate' with him—that's just a weak mortal soul."

"Weak, but worthy of respect," Duncan said, stretching out his hand to the side, and Ai immediately flew to his side, and the blazing green fire turned into a door, rising beside him, "I go to Frost , and then the main focus will be on that side, and you will be at the helm of the Lost Homeland. By the way, tell Alice to prepare some bandages and a coat, and wait for my order at any time."

The flames of the spiritual body spread loudly, and Duncan's body merged with the flames, and in the next second it turned into the flames rising beside Ai, and then a meteor-like flame rose from the sea and flew straight to the sky in the night sky. Frost direction.

...

At the same time, in the warm southern sea, the technological city-state "Light Wind Harbor" ruled by elves.

It is still late at night, and most of the city-state is still shrouded in boundless darkness. However, in the eastern fringe block of Qingfeng Harbor, a hazy and warm light still shines on all the buildings and streets—those elegant elves. The pointed towers and houses with high ridges seem to be bathed in sunlight, and the vines hanging between the houses and the trees growing in the narrow plots are also lush in the light.

This scene of intertwined reality and fantasy can even make people think of the ancient times recorded in the ancient books of the elves, the scenery intertwined between forest dreams and fantasy stories.

Such an anomalous sight was certainly not a natural sight in the city-state—a warm glow hung over the eastern quarters, coming from the sea near Breezy Harbour.

A hill-like geometric structure emitting endless golden light is quietly floating near this elven city-state. Although its largest boundary is still more than ten nautical miles away from the city, the wonderful brilliance it emits is still enough to affect To a small half of the city-state.

On the edge of this huge geometric body, there is a temporary research facility established by the city-state authorities-a huge floating raft-style port floats on the calm sea, and the power device on the edge of the floating raft facility spews steam and smoke into the sky. The complex mechanical working tower is loading and unloading the cargo ships docked in the port, and small fast boats are constantly passing between the floating raft base and the luminous geometry, busy.

Those small fast boats will go deep into the interior of the luminous geometry, deliver materials and personnel to the scientific research ships located near the "core stone sphere", or exchange important information.

And all these complex, busy, and efficient processes are calculated and coordinated by the giant steam-powered differential engine at the center of the floating raft base.

At this moment, a "magic warship" with a style completely different from the local ships is docking next to the floating raft base built by the elves.

That was the ship of the "Sea Witch" Lucrezia, the Bright Star.

The wind-up doll Luni walked briskly to the upper deck of the Bright Star. Her mistress was standing on the deck, looking at the beautiful and sophisticated tower building in the center of the sea base.

"Mistress," Luni came behind Lucrezia and bowed slightly to pay her respects, "The research team led by scholar Taran Ayer has returned from the vicinity of the 'Core Stone Ball' and is currently repairing in the base, are you ready?" When are you going to meet him?"

"Afternoon," Lucrezia said without turning her head, "Let that elf scholar rest more—I haven't seen him rest much since dragging this luminous body to Qingfeng Harbor. I'm really worried that he died suddenly while I was there on board."

The puppet Luni thought for a while: "We can meet him at the sea base, as long as we don't let him board the ship."

Lucrezia: "... Luni."

"exist."

"Sense of humor has improved."

"Thank you for the compliment."

The corner of Lucrezia's mouth trembled, and then she glanced at the high tower in the center of the base—the pressure relief pipes on both sides of the top of the tower were spewing out bursts of water mist, which meant that the power unit of the difference engine was automatically integrating Load balancing, it seems that the master "Talan El" did bring back a lot of useful information this time.

"The elves are indeed a race with outstanding mathematical and mechanical talents. It seems correct to drag that thing to Qingfeng Harbor," Lucrecia couldn't help sighing softly, "Only here can we organize such a large-scale research team, and can provide this level of supporting facilities.”

"Moco is actually fine," Luni said. "After all, it is the headquarters of the Institute of Truth. The number of scholars and research conditions are even stronger than here."

"It's too far away, and it's too close to the central sea—I don't intend to let the Brilliant Star drag a huge 'foreign object' through the main route. This will stimulate those inner city-states that haven't experienced much wind and waves. Lucrecia shook her head, "Not to mention that the Church of the Four Gods is still guessing that it is a fragment that fell off from Vision 001. Things of this level... are best placed on the frontier of civilization for research."

Lu Ni thought for a while, then bent slightly: "Your judgment is well thought out."

Lucrezia didn't respond to the doll maid's compliment, she was just thinking about other things quietly, but suddenly, she seemed to sense something, and her expression changed slightly.

"I'll leave first, my brother is looking for me."

After saying this, the "Sea Witch" has turned into a flying piece of colored shredded paper, rolled across the deck like a whirlwind, whirled into an open window in the distance, and returned to the captain's cabin.

On the table in the center of the captain's room, the set of lenses and crystal ball devices with complex structures have lighted up slightly, and they kept making slight vibrations.

Lucrezia's figure was condensed from the colored shredded paper. She walked to the crystal device and raised her hand to activate the image in the crystal ball.

"Steel Vice Admiral" Tirian's face appeared in the crystal ball, and the background behind him... seemed not a familiar room.

"Brother?" Lucrezia frowned, and didn't pay attention to the scene behind the other party at first, "Why are you looking for me all of a sudden?"

Tirian smiled mysteriously: "Where do you think I am?"