Chapter 364: Masha
Chapter 364 Masha
“Pah!”
The paper in his hand was slapped on the desk, and Lister jerked up from behind his desk – in fact, he almost jumped up – as the harbor defense commander glared at the subordinate in front of him, “Say that again? ! What did you say about Dagger Island?!”
“Dagger Island …… Dagger Island it disappeared!” The soldier who came to deliver the news stuttered a bit in his speech, it was obvious that even as a well-trained warrior, he was having trouble controlling his state in this situation, “Just a moment ago, we observed a series of explosions on Dagger Island, and it is suspected that the last remaining people on the island detonated the various facilities… …Then the fleet on guard duty in the nearby sea watched as the island sank rapidly and disappeared into the sea ……”
“Those fleets were not affected?” Lister immediately frowned, feeling that something was wrong.
“No,” the soldier shook his head, “Dagger Island hardly caused any sea surface changes during its sinking, and the forward report said …… that the island was as if it had silently melted into the sea water. ”
Lister’s face became extraordinarily frightening, he was silent for a few seconds and looked up to the Gatekeeper who was still standing in his office, “Ms. Agatha, is there any known divine spells, miracles, or transcendent objects that could have caused this phenomenon in your knowledge?”
“No,” Agatha shook her head without thinking, “Anomalous changes of this magnitude are beyond the realm of spells, and are more properly categorized as a miracle – or a vision of some sort.”
“…… Either way, we’re in big trouble, the investigation hasn’t even begun, and the entirety of that island disappeared into the sea before the situation on Dagger Island became clear, and City Hall isn’t going to like the news,” Lister frowned, tapping his fingers on the tabletop, and then immediately As if remembering something, he snapped his head up to look at the soldier, “By the way, what’s the reaction from the Sea Mist Fleet side?”
“They’re still in their usual position, not crossing the offshore cordon,” the soldier replied immediately, “but after Dagger Island disappeared, two of their fast ships had briefly approached that area – staying for about ten minutes before darting back again.”
“Sounds like they were observing the situation …… looks like this incident was outside their expectations as well,” Lister said slowly, “Damn, looks like we’ll have to talk to that big pirate. ”
“The Cathedral side will also take action,” Agatha said immediately after, “At this point in time, there is no point in planning an exploration of Dagger Island, we will turn our forces into a full sweep of the city. Now that the Guardians have found some clues to the Annihilationists and several possible rally points, I will personally lead a team to tackle them.”
“May you be productive, Ms. Gatekeeper,” Lister looked up at the black-clad Goddess before him, “Things are spiraling out of control, we need the assistance of the Transcendent Realm more than ever, and the investigation on the Cathedral’s part is already progressing slowly.”
“We will do our best.”
Agatha nodded gently, then lifted her cane and gave it two gentle staccato strokes on the floor, accompanied by the sound of the end of the cane striking the ground, her figure suddenly transformed into a stream of gray wind, and then sank directly into a pale crack that appeared out of thin air on the floor in a hovering manner.
Liszt looked at the place where Agatha disappeared, and it was only after that fissure closed that he sighed and sat back heavily in his chair, while instructing the soldier, “Go out and close the door.”
Next, it was time for him to write a “swift document” to the city hall as soon as possible, to explain the evil things that happened in front of the city state’s house.
……
The staff of the city’s harbor was guiding the ships to dock, and those in black or blue uniforms stood on the concrete pier, each doing their own thing in the cold wind, not communicating much with each other, appearing to be silent and busy.
A little farther away, there are a few other ships at anchor, which seem to have docked here a long time ago, with only a handful of people on board, their loading and unloading or replenishment operations have been completed, perhaps waiting for the next step in the departure procedures.
Farther away from the dock area, the main road leading to the city could be seen – a wide road stretching to the towering buildings in the distance, the gas lamps on both sides of the road had not yet been lit, but due to the time of the day already approaching night, not many pedestrians could be seen on the road, and only occasional horse-drawn carriages could be seen, driving in a hurry through the gradually dimming down of the The only thing that could be seen were some carriages that drove hurriedly through the dimly lit road.
Lawrence stood at the edge of the deck, looking out at the distant buildings of the city-state.
This is not the first time he came to Frost, but it has also been some years since his last visit, the long time barrier coupled with the decline of memory after getting older, so that he can not remember what the city looked like back then, and now looking at the distant spires and towers standing in the dusk, he only felt extraordinarily unfamiliar.
But no matter what, the White Oak finally docked safely in this city-state – although the sky looked extremely bad along the way, it didn’t encounter any storms or other horrible situations after all.
Footsteps came from behind him, and the old captain looked back to see his first mate.
“The inspection is almost over,” said the first mate, “and the men have asked me to ask if we can go into town today. It’s been a long trip, and we’ve all been suffocating on the ship.”
Lawrence looked up at the sky, even though the World Creation was not yet visible, the only remaining afterglow in the sky had darkened to the point where it was about to dissipate, so he frowned and shook his head, “It’s too late, there’s a curfew in the city after nightfall, and there’s not much to go to when we disembark, so let’s all stay on the ship honestly – later on I’ll go to the harbor affairs office myself to do the rest of the paperwork, and the rest of you can move ashore in the morning.”
“Good, I’ll tell them that,” the first mate smiled, followed by a casual question, “but you’re going alone? Should I send two men with me?” “No, I can see the door to the harbor office-it’s right next to the dock,” Lawrence waved his hand and raised it to point to a light not far from shore, “Take care to check all the ship’s warehouses after the harbor inspectors have left. of all the stores, especially the bilges where the holy relics are kept and a few of the sealing rooms, in case some careless fellow has touched the settings.”
“Aye, Captain.”
The first mate departed, and Lawrence inhaled softly in the night breeze, the cold and chilly wind of the northern sea rushing into his lungs, making him jolt a bit more awake.
The old captain then shook his head and complained a little more about the terrible climate here, before striding towards the stairs not far away.
A figure was standing at the head of the stairs, holding his arms in the dimness of the crisscrossing lights, and looking calmly at Lawrence.
Lawrence paused somewhat hesitantly, recognizing it for a moment before hesitantly speaking, “…… Martha? Why are you here too?”
“If I were you, I shouldn’t have any unnecessary questions at this point, but rather set sail out of here at once,” the female navigator with her arms clasped over her chest gazed at the old captain in front of her with a tone of helplessness, “Your guard is down, Lawrence.”
“Martha, I ……” Lawrence subconsciously took a half step forward, he vaguely felt as if something was wrong, but with a thousand words clogging his throat, he could only sluggishly reach forward, “I’ve missed you a little bit …… How have you been?”
Martha, however, did not answer him; the sea-woman merely cast a calm glance, but her eyes seemed to be focused on a place farther away, and to the sound of the gentle sea-breeze and the fine waves she slowly hummed-
“Sails up, sails up, the sailor away from home moves on ……
“In the wind and the waves, in the clamor, we’re one plank away from death.
“Furl the corner sails, spread the mainsail, let go of the halyards, and hold on to the sides – we’ve come to the middle of the sea ……”
Martha’s voice trailed off as she finally stopped, her eyes focused on Lawrence, and she said in a whisper that sounded as if she were talking to herself, “Lawrence, watch out, you’ve come to the middle of the ocean.”
Lawrence drew in a sudden breath, the cold draught revitalizing his mind, and then, as if remembering something, he scrambled his hand to his chest, and darted but busily dug in his pockets.
Martha stepped away from him, walking slowly towards him.
“Lawrence, how did you get so old?” The lady mariner held out her hand forward, her voice husky with a hint of softness; she still looked young, and, though her face bore some of the weathering brought on by life at sea, was as pretty as Lawrence remembered, “It’s been many years, hasn’t it? You’re not young anymore …… and neither am I ……”
“Martha ……” Lawrence’s throat quirked as he felt his fingers about to touch the vial, only to miss it several times.
He could almost smell Martha’s scent – that familiar scent with a hint of lemon, her favorite aroma.
He touched the vial.
“Martha …….”
He took it in his hand, but his feet were fixed on the deck as if they were rooted, and he watched the memory reach out to him, just as he had seen it in countless dreams, and the hand, with its familiar warmth, touched the ends of his hair a little, and he saw the memory smile again, as if to relate to himself a long-lost thought ……
“Martha, I’m sorry.”
Lawrence clutched the vial and poured the bitter potion into his mouth.
Martha disappeared.
(End of chapter)