Chapter 626 – Guidelines for Contracts and Sacrifices
Chapter 626 – Guidelines for Contracts and Sacrifices
Listening to Tirion, Duncan fell into a long silence and thought.
The Lost Country also seemed to fall silent along with its captain, the low creaking sounds from the depths of the ship gradually subsided, and a seemingly real auric quality enveloped the ship as it swept silently across the sea and through the equally silent world.
A long time passed like this before Duncan slowly lowered his head and looked down at his feet.
He couldn’t see it, but he could imagine it – beneath the layers of decks, deeper than the fragmented bilge structure, beyond the borders of reality, the spine of Sasloca was still submerged in the darkness of subspace, and in that spine’s place was the Lost Land’s original keel – -The keel that Duncan Abnormale had called “the twig”.
The “twig” had sunk with the original Lost Country in the depths of subspace along with the original Lost Country in the disaster of a century ago.
“Father ……,” Tirion’s slightly disturbed voice sounded in the bottom of his heart, interrupting Duncan’s contemplation, “Do you have any more questions?”
“One last question,” said Duncan, “After the completion of the Lost Country, there should still be those craftsmen involved in its construction left alive, I mean those elves who had been in charge of working the keel …… “
“Most of them should still be alive, but I’m afraid they’ll be hard to find anytime soon,” Tirian replied, “After the Lost Country’s ‘accident’, everything related to that ship became taboo, and of course the construction of that year’s Project.
“The craftsmen who had been involved in the construction of the Lost Country moved on or to other city-states, and even the elves chose to go into hiding, far away, and the design drawings were sealed and hidden in the depths of the church, along with all of the archives, as ‘sealed objects’… …
“It is said that everything connected with the Lost Country is cursed, as was the case with a pair of Captain Duncan’s children, and that no one who had built the Lost Country and knew its secrets could escape ……”
Duncan didn’t say anything for a while, and Tirion spoke and fell silent, Lucrecia’s voice was the first to break the silence in what had suddenly become a somewhat awkward atmosphere.
“Rumors are more than just rumors, and I can’t blame the people of the time for being so nervous about it,” the Witch of the Sea said slowly, “In fact, the dockyard that had been used to build the Lost Country caught fire the day after the Subspace Collapse. The day after the Subspace Collapse, there was a fire.
“The fire burned everything in an unorthodox manner, reducing steel and stone to ash, but not the drawings and files related to the Lost Country that were stored in the office.
“Nearly half of the participants in the construction suffered nightmares, strange illnesses and visions in the years that followed; some committed suicide some years later, some mysteriously disappeared while out at sea, some descended into madness, claiming in their final lucid phase that they had heard ‘real voices’ and subsequently spent the rest of their lives in the mental hospital for the rest of their lives – those who descended into madness instead seemed extraordinarily fortunate compared to others who suffered misfortune.
“The elven artisans who were responsible for working on the dragon bones in the first place were among the least affected, and perhaps it was the racial traits that protected them, as they appeared to be unaffected by the curse, but what happened to the others was still enough to frighten them, and their incognito and distance were justified …… “
Duncan listened quietly to Lucrecia’s recollections and descriptions for a long while before he spoke in a slightly odd tone, “But the records of the Lost Country’s original construction remain in Prand?”
“Yes, still there, in the form of the ‘Sealed Objects’, something you discussed with Vanna and I last time,” Maurice’s voice interjected, “and from what I understand, they will not be destroyed –nor would they dare to be destroyed casually, since subspace is involved, and the very act of ‘destruction’ could potentially cause the Lost Country to establish a connection with the real world …… “
“I need this part.” Duncan said immediately.
Maurice was stunned for a moment, but quickly responded, “No problem, I’ll contact my friends in the city-state of Prand, although those things have been high-risk seals for the past hundred years, given the current situation, the authorities should be willing to cooperate with your request …… “
“Unusual means of contact are too slow,” Duncan interrupted Maurice, “Vanna.”
Vanna’s voice rang out immediately, “Aye, Captain, I’m listening.”
“You can contact the Storm Cathedral in Prand directly, right?” Duncan was extraordinarily serious, “Inform them to prepare all the information related to the construction project of the Lost Country back then and send it to the cathedral.”
“…… Good,” Vanna hesitated for two or three seconds to show her loyalty to the Storm Goddess before agreeing very readily, “How would you like the information picked up? Send Aye over there? I’ll notify my coworkers there to prevent them from making a fuss ……”
“No, I’ll go myself.”
Vanna didn’t seem to react for a moment, “You’re going in person?”
……
Plainland lower city, not too big in the antique store, Duncan put down the newspaper in his hand, and took another look at the warm and bright sunshine outside the window, a trace of a smile emerged on his face, “Every day in the antique store to drink tea and read the newspaper to bask in the sun …… this side should also be active.”
“…… I understand, I’ll contact the City State Cathedral.”
Vanna’s voice rang in his mind, then faded away.
Duncan carefully iterated the paper and placed it on the shelf by the counter, then got up and went to the stairs leading to the second floor and removed his coat hanging on a hook.
The Lost Country was still sailing noiselessly and sharply across the boundless seas of the spirit world, Lightwind Harbor had sunk into a phantasmagorical dream from which it could not awaken, more and more elves were slipping into lethargy in city-states all over the world, and in the little antique store the peace and quiet of the old days was still maintained. It was as if this place was a haven separate from the whole world.
But just as Duncan put on his coat and was about to go out, the door of the antique store was suddenly pushed open, and the jingling bell broke the peace in this haven one step ahead of time.
Duncan raised his head and looked to the door to see a familiar figure standing in the sunlight.
“Miss Heidi? Good morning,” he greeted the visitor at the door politely as he recognized her, “Sorry, we’re closed for the day, I’m going out to run some errands.”
“Mr. Duncan …… Captain,” Heidi took two steps inside the store, she looked at the “store manager” who had just put on his coat and was obviously ready to go out, after a moment’s hesitation she spoke. “I may need your help.”
Duncan paused and looked at the other woman curiously, “Hmm?”
After the incident of Taran-El and the elf girl trapped in the dream world, Heidi already knew the truth related to the Lost Country, perhaps because she was not quite used to the drastic change, she did not come to this store for a long period of time after that, but she did not expect that she would suddenly come to the door today, and the moment she opened her mouth, it was a request for help.
“It’s sleeping sickness,” Heidi looked still a little hesitant, this was the first time she had come here voluntarily for help knowing Duncan’s identity, and looked rather overwhelmed, “a very large and sudden sleeping sickness …… “
“More elves in slumber?” Duncan frowned, “That’s to be expected – the Dream of the Nameless One changed drastically early this morning, and its influence is becoming stronger. No need to worry though, I went out for this very thing.”
“It’s not just that more elves are falling asleep,” Heidi said immediately, “there’s something off about the ‘symptoms’ this time around as well; the centralized medical facility in town just admitted a group of ‘patients’ ‘, I feel the need to ask you to take a look at the situation …… if you have the time ……”
The more she spoke, the more she lost her breath, and she didn’t know what things she had brainstormed in her mind in those few moments, and at the end of it all, she suddenly popped up with, “Is there some kind of offering that I need to ask you for help?”
Duncan was still pondering how long it would take for the cathedral side to get ready after receiving Vanna’s news, and at this time, he heard Heidi’s words and at once did not react a bit, “…… offerings?”
Heidi thought for a moment with embarrassment on her face, “When I corresponded with Father, I didn’t dare to ask closely about anything to do with you, he only said that life on the Lost Country was incredible and that you were friendly to mortals, but he didn’t say anything to me about your code of conduct, nor did he bring up the rituals and sacrifices that are required when requesting your help… …”
“Stop, I see,” Duncan interrupted hurriedly, looking at the psychiatrist lady with an odd expression on his face, and only after a long time did he venture, “I don’t want sacrifices, and I don’t need any bloody and bizarre sacrificial rituals – Lost Country The Fleet is a friendly group with members who are dedicated to the good of the city and state, didn’t Maurice or Vanna mention that to you?”
Heidi: “……?”
Duncan takes one look at the other’s expression and knows what’s going on.
He waved his hand and grabbed a bronze figurine from a nearby shelf in passing.
An antique from the Dark City-State era, the royal symbol of the old Isom dynasty, brand new from the factory last week.
“The original price is eight hundred solas, twelve after discount, you buy it at the original price, as a payment for my one time out – if it’s not a problem let’s go, anyway, the cathedral side will not be able to prepare what I want for a while, I can first follow you to check out those ‘sick people’ ‘ situation.”
……
“Are you sure you want to use these things to construct a ‘channel’ for spiritual energy resonance?” Morris watched dumbfounded as Vanna busied herself in the kitchen, and finally couldn’t help but ask out loud.
Vanna temporarily stopped the preparations in her hands and looked up at the old gentleman next to her, “Is there a problem?”
“…… I think it’s rather lacking in rigor,” Maurice’s face tightened in an effort to look serious, “As a sacred ritual, when establishing a connection with the city-state’s cathedral you should at least prepare some decent spell-casting materials ……”
Vanna was silent for a moment, looking down at what she could find in the “witch’s mansion”.
“Sacred Fire, Sacred Oil, Sacred Spice, supplemented by Devotional Prayer, all four elements are present.”
Maurice glared at once, “It’s not as if you put the word ‘sacred’ in front of it and it works – you can’t just pop an onion in the kitchen and ask the goddess to send down her power!”
Vanna: “……”
(I’m going to Guangzhou on a business trip, so I’ll start with a single shift for the next few days, and resume three shifts in two days when I get back.)
(End of chapter)