Chapter 314 – Debt cleared
Chapter 314 – The Debt Has Been Cleared
Aiden jumped down from the high platform and came to his captain, and after noticing his captain’s extraordinarily grave expression, his expression immediately followed suit.
“Captain, what happened?”
“An invitation that I couldn’t refuse,” Tirian looked around before sighing, “I may have to take a trip out of here tomorrow or the day after.”
Aiden’s eyes widened at that, “A message was sent to the island? Just now? And …… how else would there be an invitation on this cold sea that you couldn’t refuse?”
Tirian sighed again, “…… It’s my father.”
Aiden blinked and held his tongue, “…… About how long will you be gone?”
“Should be back soon, a day or two,” Tirian didn’t care about the subtle change in the first mate’s tone, he had a lot of thoughts in his mind right now and he really didn’t have the extra energy to say anything else, “There will be a messenger coming to the harbor area to pick me up and take me to the Lost Country ship, don’t make any public announcements about it for the time being, and don’t make any public announcements until I’m ‘disappear’ time, you coordinate everything.”
Aiden immediately bowed his head and led the order, “Yes, Captain.”
This first mate then paused for two seconds, seeming slightly hesitant, before he couldn’t help but look around, coming closer to mutter to Tirion, “Is he …… right around here?”
Tirian thought for a moment and tapped Aiden on the shoulder, “The Lost Country is hidden in the mists around us.”
Visible to the naked eye, he then saw the muscles in Aiden’s body tense up a little.
“…… Captain, after so many years of stopping breathing, I finally felt what ‘cold’ means again today,” First Mate Aiden’s voice was all noticeably cautious. “Are you sure the old captain he …… was just looking for you to meet him?”
“I don’t know, and I don’t want to know, it’s just that my instincts tell me that the journey should be safe,” Tirian whispered, then glanced back in the direction of the plaza at the sailors who were still reluctant to disperse and ready to party until sunrise before turning his head back to look at the first mate, “but the other sailors don’t necessarily think so, you know what I mean.”
Listening to the captain’s solemn words, Aiden slowly nodded.
He knew what his captain was worried about.
The Sea Mist Fleet was huge, and apart from a few ordinary people who were bought or hired by contract as peripheral members, most of the members of the fleet were “undead” like himself, and these undead sailors could be technically divided into two groups – -The undead sailors can technically be divided into two groups.
A large portion of them are former members of the Frost Navy, these former soldiers loyal to the Frost Queen were originally ordinary people, and it was only after the Frost Rebellion that these loyalists who still insisted on staying in the ranks were gradually transformed into what they are now.
In half a century of endless battles, and in the constant fighting with the rebels, death and the curse of the Sea Mist ship itself turned them little by little into today’s “undead sailors”, and became a part of the Sea Mist fleet.
Another small group of sailors are the real “original backbone” of “Iron Admiral” Tirion’s crew: they are the members of the former Lost Fleet.
Duncan Abnormale is their “old captain”, they witnessed the transformation and fall of the Lost Country ship, and experienced the storms and ups and downs of this century, they had followed Tirian’s allegiance to the Frost, and watched the Frost in the dramatic change of the sky and the earth – these sailors were called out of their loyalty for a century. The sailors who had served for a century were known as the First, and those who had served for half a century were known as the Second.
Aiden himself, and that half-witted old priest “Will”, whose head had been deflated, were all members of the “first phase”.
With a century of experience, Aiden could see a lot of things hidden under the surface.
Lost Country and Captain Duncan” in the eyes of the two groups of sailors is different, the same news put in front of them, triggered by the reaction is also complex and uncontrollable.
Even Captain Tirion himself was unsure of the true state of the Lost Country and the Old Captain, and even more unsure of whether that state would remain secure for long.
Therefore, before things become clear and the situation is under control, the news of the captain’s trip to the Lost Country must not be released – otherwise the island will definitely become a mess.
Just then, Tirian’s voice came again, interrupting Aiden’s thoughts, “…… Let’s send the dancers back to Cold Harbor early tomorrow morning.”
“Send them back tomorrow?” Aiden wondered why the captain suddenly brought this up, “Are you unhappy with them?”
“The Lost Country is nearby, it’s better to keep the ordinary people away from the island these days,” Tirian shook his head and made a random excuse, after all, “Shocked by their own father” was too embarrassing to think about, and then he added, after a pause. “But your latter sentence reminds me, just send it straight back, that mean ‘Machete Martin’ may be harsh on those girls …… I’ll write a letter back, you give it to the foreman of the dancers. ”
Aiden immediately bowed his head, “Aye, Captain.”
“Well,” Tirian nodded, then seemed to remember something, “By the way, just now when I came here I saw a dancer stop and say something to you, see your bemused look …… What did she say to you? ”
Aiden was a little embarrassed for a moment, “She said I had a sexy head shape ……”
Tirion silently looked at the first mate’s shiny brain.
“…… Cold Harbor’s dancers are really passionate and spirited – very passionate personalities and quite spirited aesthetics.”
…… Darkness, solitude, cold, silence.
An endless barren wilderness stretched out in the darkness, there was no grass, trees or animals in the wilderness, only jagged strange rocks and weird ruins weathered and decayed for an unknown number of years collapsed and tumbled, eternally muted in the bleak atmosphere, and then there were weird phantom lights that flashed across the sky every now and then fluttering through the darkness, occasionally lighting up the wilderness, and occasionally casting dappled and twisted shadows on the earth.
A hollow black shadow trudged through the wilderness.
He didn’t know how long he had been trekking for, nor did he know the name under which he had set out; he only remembered that he had set out what seemed like a long, long time ago, and the crude impressions that remained from that time told him that he should have actually reached the end of his journey long ago, and that he should have long ago come to rest in some place of peace and quiet.
What had delayed his journey? What had left him to keep trudging through this wilderness?
The shadowy, hollow figure pondered, but soon this intermittent thought was swallowed up by an even greater void, leaving him to follow his instincts and continue onward.
But suddenly, he stumbled in his steps.
Did he seem to have tripped over something? Or was he hit by something invisible?
The hollow black figure looked down at himself and saw that some colors seemed to float over his hazy torso.
He lifted his head and continued on.
More colors emerged, and more solid details appeared on the surface of his misty, undulating body.
A suit of clothes appeared on this humanoid black mist, the uniform of a mariner.
He gradually took on a face, that of a middle-aged man with black hair.
His footsteps slowly became steady and light, and the jagged gravel under his feet became much flatter at some point.
More and more memories began to surface in the depths of this soul.
First the name, then the moment of death, followed by the sunny youth, the tender and vague memories of childhood, and the fine warm floating light of swaddling clothes.
He trudged toward the end of the wilderness, while in the darkness, every now and then shadows, large and small, surfaced and silently merged with him.
They seemed to be individuals that had once been torn and separated from him, and were now returning one by one to their rightful place.
Suddenly, the figure stopped at the end of the road.
Christo Barberi raised his head in some dismay, and saw that he had at some point walked up an avenue lined with ancient stone pillars that stood in silence, and at the end of the road, an incomparably tall, magnificent and ancient and intricate patterned gate stood out of thin air.
The door was open, but the interior was always hazy, and it was impossible to see the slightest detail on the opposite side of the door.
Only a strong impulse surged out from within this soul – to pass through that door, to rest opposite that door.
The middle-aged man in the captain’s uniform subconsciously walked forward, his front and back, left and right were empty, but it was as if he could feel that at the same time there were countless other souls also walking on this road, also walking towards that door – every minute and every second on earth, there are dead people on the road, but in front of the lonely door of life and death, souls do not seem to be able to see each other. do not seem to be able to meet each other.
Yet just as he was about to touch that door, Christo stopped.
A tall figure suddenly appeared in front of the door, blocking his way.
It was a caretaker wrapped in bandages, wearing somber and complicated robes, a hood on his head, and carrying a long staff in his hand.
It was the gatekeeper of the place.
Christo looked at this almost three-meter tall “giant” with some trepidation, and the memories of his time as a living person came flooding back, allowing him to regain the ability to talk to people: “Are you …… the master of death? ”
“No,” the Gatekeeper spoke, a hoarse, low voice coming from beneath the bandages, “I am merely His messenger.”
Christo’s tone was a little sad, “I’m not qualified to cross this door, am I?”
He recalled something more.
Including the details of his own death.
Yet the imposing gatekeeper only looked down at the soul in the doorway for a few quiet moments before moving slightly to the side, “Please come in, your debt is cleared.”
(End of chapter)