Deep Sea Ember

Chapter 47 Before the Icon

Nina was happy because she hadn't had a normal meal with Uncle Duncan like this for a long time, communicating what happened at school, and she hadn't seen Uncle Duncan smile on his face.

This even reminded her of the past, when her uncle was not sick - since losing her parents at the age of six, this father-like man became her only relative in the world, but since four years ago, the disease that even doctors couldn't find out the cause of turned her uncle into a different appearance, during this period of time...... To be honest, it's hard.

The uncle was still providing for himself in school, maintaining his basic life, but Nina could feel that all the colors of the "future" had gradually faded from this familiar and friendly little shop, dissipating in the gloomy and oppressive gatherings of the spirits, the pills, and the suspicious "friends" who dealt with the uncle.

She no longer hopes that her life will return to the way it was a few years ago, but even if it makes the situation a little better, it is worth celebrating.

Duncan was also very happy, because he had finally come into contact with more information about this world, and finally touched the historical context of this world - even if it was only part of it, it also gave him a sense of pleasure in clearing the clouds.

The completely lost prehistoric "Era of Order" and the "Great Annihilation" event that reshaped the order of all things have continued to this day in the deep-sea era, and anomalies and visions have spread all over the world...... These things, which he once didn't know at all, or only knew half-about about them, finally had a clearer outline at this moment.

After breakfast, Nina got up to clean up the dishes, she was quick-witted, and she could see that she often did these housework on weekdays - no doubt, she was also cleaning up the bedroom upstairs.

A guy who is seriously ill, decadent, and devotes most of his energy and enthusiasm to the cult cause 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 big tray in Nina's hand: "I'll help you hold it - watch you struggle to go upstairs."

Nina looked at Duncan in surprise, and just as she was about to say something more, the latter had already strode towards the stairs.

The girl could only hurriedly follow, reminding while following behind: "Uncle, be careful, the doctor said that your current condition is still unstable......"

"Doctor...... Dr. Albert? Duncan didn't look back, looking for the corresponding impression in the memory fragments as he went upstairs, but there were only a few flashing fragments, "It doesn't matter, anyway, he can't even find out the cause until now, the most effective medicine prescribed is painkillers." ”

“…… Then you should also listen to the doctor's advice," Nina followed Duncan up to the second floor, muttering as she walked to the kitchen, "He at least knows how to stay healthy......"

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

She and Duncan looked in the direction of the sound at the same time, and saw a shadow flashing through the crack in the door of the empty master bedroom.

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

"Hey, don't ......"

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

Ai was standing on the top of the cabinet, grabbing a french with one paw and stuffing it into his mouth, the suddenly open door made the pigeon stand still, it maintained the posture of stuffing the fries with one paw and was stunned there, the two mung bean eyes looked at Nina and the wall on the other side in a daze.

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

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

The pigeon went to the dock and made some fries and came back......

"Pigeon?" Nina finally reacted at this time, and looked at Ai on the cabinet in surprise, "Uncle Duncan!" There's a pigeon in your room!

"I saw it," Duncan said expressionlessly, "I don't recognize it."

Ai immediately threw the fries and flew over, landing on Duncan's shoulder and shaking his head.

"Well, it flew in this morning," Duncan sighed, "maybe someone else's dove has been raised, but the brain is not very smart, I gave it something to eat and it won't leave."

Ai listened and let out a loud cooing sound.

If it weren't for the presence of outsiders and Duncan had given orders before, it would have started to shout "Ah, yes, yes" at this time.

Nina didn't doubt her uncle's statement at all, she just looked at the pigeon with bright eyes, then carefully leaned over and asked Duncan while observing the pigeon's reaction: "Then ...... Then do you want to raise it? Can I keep it?

The girl's thoughts were all written on her face, and Ai in her eyes was obviously just a beautiful and cute white dove, while Ai tilted her head to look at Duncan, her throat cooing with a questioning sound.

Duncan suddenly felt that the bird understood better when it didn't open its mouth than when it spoke......

After a while, he pretended to hesitate for a moment before nodding, "Yes - but only if this pigeon is willing to stay, it may fly away at some point, you don't have to complain then."

Nina immediately smiled: "Great! I knew that Uncle Duncan was actually a reasonable person! ”

……

In the central prayer room of the Cathedral of the Deep Sea, he wears a gold-patterned god on a black backgroundValentine, the bishop of the city-state in official robes, stood in front of the icon of the goddess of storms with a serious expression.

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

The large candelabra in the prayer room was burning quietly, the flame of holiness illuminated the room, the icon of Gemona was high on the platform, the goddess had no face, her head was covered with a black veil, and a long skirt depicting many wave ripples hung from her body to the edge of the platform - although it was only a stone statue, the power of divinity was still manifested here, and the whole icon exuded a strong presence, as long as it stood around the icon, You can feel a vague feeling of being watched and sheltered.

This feeling of being watched and protected is real, and it is under this gaze and protection that Vanna, who comes to discuss things with the bishop, can confidently and boldly tell the pictures she sees in her dreams.

“…… If you see well in your dream, it is indeed a loss of home.

The

city-state bishop Valentine turned around and looked at the young inquisitor who had come to him early in the morning - although from the perspective of the church priesthood, the inquisitor in charge of force and the bishop of the city-state who presided over the ceremonial rites were on an equal footing, but when it came to the study and judgment of extraordinary events, it was normal for the inquisitor to seek advice or even guidance from the bishop.

"Is that really the name of lost home?" Although she already had the answer in her heart, Vanna couldn't help but widen her eyes after hearing the bishop's judgment, "I thought it was ......"

"You thought that ship was just a legend now, just like the legends of all kinds of ghost ships that those nervous sailors bragged about in the tavern?" Valentine knew what Vanna wanted to say, the sparsely haired old man shook his head, his tone deep, "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 files.

"I know that the Lost Homeland did exist, and the ship's construction drawings and construction records from more than a century ago can even be found in Pland's city-state archives, but all this tangible information is limited to whether the Lost Home was a ship sailing in the real world, only when Captain Duncan was a human ......."

Vanna spoke, her tone serious, she looked at the icon behind the bishop, and her expression became more and more cautious when she mentioned certain words.

"The key is that the ship was clearly recorded to have crashed into subspace...... A century ago, thousands of fugitives from the Thirteen Islands of Viseland witnessed the ship and their homeland collapsed and plunged into the shadows of subspace, and in the decades since, although there have been reports of sightings of the Lost Homeland reappearing in the real world, there is a lack of real evidence, and quite a few scholars have doubts about the ship's 'return'......"

The young inquisitor said as he looked at the old man in front of him.

"Things that are swallowed up by subspace may really reappear in the real world?"

“…… So far, nothing has returned to reality after falling into subspace, even if it is the Homeless, there are only sighting reports after the fact, scholars from all walks of life are suspicious of the ship's return, this is indeed a fact, but this is not the key......" The old man said, his eyes suddenly fell on Vanna, with some strange seriousness on his face, "The key is, Inquisitor, are you afraid of something?"