Deep Sea Embers

Nina was very happy, because she hadn't had a normal meal with Uncle Duncan like this for a long time, exchanged information about what happened at school, and had never seen a smile on Uncle Duncan's face.

This reminded her even before, when her uncle was still ill-since she lost her parents at the age of six, this father-like man became her only relative in this world, but since four years ago, that even The illness for which doctors couldn't figure out the cause turned my uncle into a different look. During this period of time... To be honest, it was difficult to endure.

Uncle is still supporting himself in school and maintaining his most basic life, but Nina can feel that all the colors about the "future" have gradually faded from this familiar and friendly shop, dissipated in those spirits. , pills, and the gloomy gatherings of those dubious "friends" who deal with uncles.

She has long since hoped that life can go back to the way it was a few years ago, but even if the situation is a little better, it is worthwhile to be happy.

Duncan was also very happy, because he finally came into contact with more information about this world, and finally touched the historical context of this world-even if it was only a part of it, it gave him a kind of pleasure to push aside the clouds.

The completely lost prehistoric "Era of Order", the "Great Annihilation" event that reshaped the order of all things, the deep-sea age that continues to this day, and the anomalies and visions all over the world... These things that he didn't know at all, or only knew a little about, now Finally got a clearer outline.

After breakfast was over, Nina got up to clean up the dishes. She was quick on her feet and could see that she often did these household chores on weekdays - no doubt, she was also cleaning up the bedroom upstairs.

A guy who is seriously ill, has a decadent life and devotes most of his energy and enthusiasm to the cult business obviously won't do these things.

But seeing the girl in front of him busy, Duncan couldn't hold back in the end. He got up and took the large tray from Nina's hand: "I'll take it for you - it's going to be hard for you to go upstairs."

Nina looked at Duncan in astonishment. She was about to say something, but the latter had already strode up the stairs.

The girl could only hurriedly follow, and reminded while following: "Uncle, be careful, the doctor said that your condition is not stable now..."

"Doctor...Dr. Albert?" Duncan didn't look back. He went upstairs and searched for the corresponding impression in the memory fragments, but there were only a few flashed fragments, "It doesn't matter, he still doesn't even know the cause of the disease. I don't understand, the most effective medicine prescribed is painkillers."

"...Then you should also follow the doctor's advice," Nina followed Duncan up the second floor, cooing as she walked to the kitchen, "He at least knows how to keep healthy..."

Halfway through Nina's words, the sound of flapping her wings suddenly interrupted her movement.

She and Duncan looked in the direction of the sound at the same time, and saw a shadow flash across the gap of the hidden master bedroom door.

"Uncle Duncan, something flashed past in your room!" Nina said in surprise, then stepped forward and grabbed the doorknob, "Could it be the cat next door..."

"Hey, don't..."

Duncan only had time to stop a sentence, and saw that Nina had pushed open the door that was hidden, and the pigeon hiding in the room immediately appeared in front of the two.

Ai Yin was standing on the top of the cabinet, one paw grabbed a french fries and stuffed it into his mouth. The sudden opening of the door made the pigeon stand still. , the two mung bean eyes stared blankly at Nina and the wall on the other side.

Then it saw Duncan, flapped its wings twice, and made a loud noise: "Ah...cuck?"

The corner of Duncan's eyes jumped, and he saw that the window not far away was wide open, which was obviously Ai Yin's escape route - and in the distance facing the window, he could vaguely see a pier bathed in sunlight.

This pigeon went to the pier and came back with some fries...

"Pigeon?" Nina finally reacted at this time, looking at Ai Yin on the cabinet in surprise, "Uncle Duncan! There is a pigeon in your room!"

"I saw it," Duncan said blankly. "I didn't recognize it."

Ai Yin immediately threw the fries, flew over, landed on Duncan's shoulders and shook his head.

"Well, it flew in this morning," Duncan sighed. "It may be a pigeon raised by someone else, but it's not very smart. I gave it something and it didn't go away."

Ai Yin listened and made a loud cooing sound.

If it wasn't for the presence of outsiders and Duncan's order before, it must have started to shout "Ah yes yes yes" at this time.

Nina did not doubt her uncle's statement at all, she just looked at the pigeon with bright eyes, then cautiously approached, and while observing the reaction of the pigeon, she asked Duncan: "Then...then do you want to keep it? Can I keep it?"

The girl's thoughts were all written on her face. Ai Yin in her eyes was obviously just a beautiful and lovely white dove. Ai Yin tilted her head and looked at Duncan, with a questioning coo in her throat.

Duncan suddenly felt that the bird understood better when he didn't speak than when he spoke...

After a moment, he pretended to hesitate before nodding: "Yes - but only if the pigeon is willing to stay, it may fly away at some time, and you don't complain then."

Nina immediately smiled happily: "Great! I knew that Uncle Duncan, you are actually a reasonable person!"

…

In the central prayer room of the Deep Sea Cathedral, the city-state bishop Valentine, wearing a black background and gold-patterned priest robes, was standing in front of the icon of the Goddess of Storms with a serious face.

He was tall and thin, with sparse white hair, and his eyes were as calm as deep water.

The candlestick in the prayer room is burning quietly, and the holy flame illuminates the room. The icon of Gormona stands high on the stage. The goddess has no face, and her head is covered with black veil. The corrugated long skirt hangs down from her body to the edge of the platform—even though it is only a stone statue, the power of divinity is still manifested here. This entire icon exudes a strong sense of existence. You can feel a vague feeling of being watched and sheltered.

This feeling of being watched and sheltered is real, and it is under this kind of watch and shelter that Fanna, who came to discuss matters with the bishop, can confidently speak out all the pictures she saw in the dream.

"...If what you saw in the dream was good, it was indeed the Lost Homes."

The city-state bishop Valentine turned around and looked at the young judge who came to him early in the morning—although from the perspective of the church’s clergy, the judge in charge of force and the city-state bishop in charge of ceremonies had an equal relationship, but When it comes to the study and judgment of extraordinary events, it is normal for the judge to seek advice or even guidance from the bishop.

"Is that really the Lost Home?" Although she already had an answer in her heart, Fanna couldn't help but widen her eyes after hearing the Bishop's judgment, "I thought..."

"You thought that ship was just a legend now, just like the legends of all kinds of ghost ships that nervous sailors brag about in the tavern?" Valentine knew what Vanna wanted to say, the thin white-haired man. The old man shook his head and said in a deep voice, "The existence of the Lost Homeland is a fact recognized by all city-states and churches. It is not a legend, but something that can be found in the church dossier."

"I know that the Lost Homes did exist once, and the city-state archives in Pland can even find some of the ship's construction drawings and start-up files more than a century ago, but all these can be found. The data are limited to the Lost of Homeland or a ship sailing in the real world, only when Captain Duncan was a human..."

Fanna said with a serious tone, she looked at the icon behind the bishop, and her expression became more and more cautious when she mentioned certain words.

"The point is that the ship is clearly documented to have crashed into the warp... A century ago, thousands of fugitives from the Thirteenth Isle of Wetherland witnessed the ship and their homeland being collapsed by the frontier. swallowed and fell into the shadow of the warp, and in the decades after that, although there have been eyewitness reports of seeing the Homeless reappear in the real world, there is no real evidence, and quite a number of scholars have Doubt about the 'return' of that ship..."

As the young judge spoke, he looked at the old man in front of him.

"Things swallowed by the warp can really reappear in the real world?"

"...So far, nothing other than the Homeless has returned to reality after falling into the warp. Even the Homeless, there are only eyewitness reports after the event. Scholars from all walks of life have doubts about the ship's return. This is indeed the truth, but it's not the point..." The old man said, his eyes suddenly fell on Fanna, with a strange seriousness on his face, "The point is, Judge, are you afraid of something?"