Deep Sea Embers

Chapter 691: Abnomar Contact

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Ted Lir chose to sit next to Anomaly 077, drawn to the intriguing figure.

“Do you want some?” Anomaly 077 offered, holding out a bottle enticingly. “I’ve got more stashed away,” he hinted with a nod towards a hidden corner. “This isn’t something you can find in Wind Harbor. It’s quite exclusive, almost secretive. Give it a try; it might warm you up, especially after the chill of subspace. Alcohol tends to have that effect.”

Ted Lir briefly glanced at a nearby mummified corpse before dismissively responding, “Given your knowledge of the ‘Saints’, you should be aware that alcohol doesn’t really affect me.” He then looked away, lost in thought. “However, there is something else that does intrigue me.”

Anomaly 077 shrugged indifferently. “Go ahead and ask, though I can’t promise I’ll answer.”

Ted Lir took a moment to carefully frame his question. “As an ‘anomaly’ with a conscious mind, what’s your perspective on the world?” he inquired, pausing briefly to acknowledge the abruptness of his question. “I’ve encountered many people and read various texts offering deep insights on existence. I understand how mortals view their lives. But observing you, a rational anomaly, I’m curious about your worldview.”

Anomaly 077 chuckled, amused by the depth of the question. “That’s quite philosophical, befitting a Truth Keeper like you,” he remarked with a smirk. “But why not ask Miss Alice that question?”

After a brief silence, Ted Lir replied, “I believe she doesn’t hold any particular worldview.”

Anomaly 077 laughed heartily, grasping the implication. “So, you’ve met Miss Alice,” he said, taking a big gulp of beer and carelessly spilling some on the deck. He then stated bluntly, “To me, the world might as well be doomed.”

Noticing Ted’s expression, Anomaly 077 turned to him and then looked up at the sky thoughtfully. “Consider this, Mr. Truth Keeper. The sun has been extinguished not just once, but twice. Disasters ravage city-states, and heretics and exiles rise and return. From my perspective, this world is riddled with cracks, shadows, voids, and the sounds of decay. You, noble and steadfast—and I mean no sarcasm—dedicate yourselves to mending this fractured world. But from a scholarly viewpoint, can it truly be repaired?”

Ted Lir remained silent, deeply absorbed in thought. He hadn’t expected such a profound and unsettling response to his casually posed question. It seemed not just a fleeting thought but a well-considered belief, indicating that this ‘anomaly’ had been observing and reflecting on the state of the world for a long time, reaching a conclusion that was both well-reasoned and alarmingly earnest.

Anomaly 077 appeared unaffected by Ted’s reaction, indifferent to it.

“This world, Mr. Truth Keeper, is on a trajectory toward ruin. As a sailor, I’m particularly sensitive to the looming catastrophe,” Sailor began with grim certainty. “Compare the world today to a few centuries ago. It’s like an ancient, dilapidated house riddled with gaping holes. As these rifts expand, the icy wind will devastate everything. Your attempts at repair are futile. It’s like applying fresh paint to crumbling walls or patching holes with newspaper. These superficial fixes only create an illusion of safety. Listen closely, Mr. Truth Keeper, and pay attention…”

Leaning forward, Sailor dramatically gestured to his ear, his face twisting into a mocking grin.

“Do you hear that? That eerie, piercing sound… It’s the wind from subspace, seeping through those rifts, emitting frequencies beyond normal human hearing. I’ve always been able to hear them… And now, so can you.”

A subtle, almost imperceptible noise began to resonate around them, vibrating directly within their minds. It was faint but unmistakably real.

Ted Lir’s eyes slightly widened, his gaze intensifying as he stared at Sailor.

“Relax, Mr. Truth Keeper. That’s the nature of dealing with subspace. Once it touches you, it becomes a part of you forever,” Sailor commented casually, unfazed by Ted’s intense look. He shifted, leaning back against a stack of ropes with a relaxed demeanor. “You managed to escape that realm, which is remarkable. I won’t delve into the ‘miracle’ that saved you, but it’s clear that subspace has left its mark on you… You’re lucky, really. Many have lost their minds just by glimpsing into subspace. Compared to them, you’re fortunate.”

“…Is this also within a sailor’s knowledge?”

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“Absolutely,” the mummified figure nodded as if it were the most obvious thing, unconcerned about whether his claims seemed believable.

Ted Lir stayed quiet, taking in this new information.

Meanwhile, Sailor, unconcerned with Ted’s reaction, shifted to a more comfortable half-lying position on the ropes, and pondered as he shook his beer bottle. “Cheer up, the world is as it is. Whether you accept it or not, each day passes just the same. Enjoy a drink while you still can. I can’t afford the luxury of sleep; if I did, I might sleep through the end of the world. But this is fine too. I’ll witness the end of the world with my eyes wide open…”

With these words, he turned slightly, giving Ted Lir a sly, knowing smirk.

“As for you, Mr. Truth Keeper, you have duties to perform. It’s time for you to return to your post, to continue your efforts to salvage this decaying world. Although it may seem pointless, perhaps the world keeps moving forward in this ‘pointless’ way. Maybe, just maybe, a path will emerge from the void at the very end… When that happens, all your efforts might finally find their meaning.”

As Ted Lir processed this chaotic cascade of thoughts, a sudden dizziness overcame him. His perception shifted, distorting his sense of reality. But before he could explore this disturbance further, a sharp, crackling sound from the deck snapped his attention back to his surroundings.

Turning toward the noise, he saw an eerie display: a cluster of dim green flames flickered into being, intensifying into a fiery vortex. Out of this blazing portal, a giant skeletal bird engulfed in flames soared above in a daunting spectacle.

Caught off guard, Ted was about to speak when his vision blurred. In an instant, he found himself irresistibly drawn into the fiery gateway by the burning avian creature.

With a loud boom, the fiery portal vanished, leaving the deck eerily quiet as if the entire surreal event had been nothing more than a fleeting illusion.

Meanwhile, Sailor, leaning nonchalantly against the ropes with his bottle, seemed absorbed in his own thoughts. Suddenly, a writhing shadow materialized in the air nearby.

The shadow quickly took form and color, becoming an elderly man in a white, tattered robe. His face, deeply wrinkled, told of a long life. Under the cold, ethereal light of the World’s Creation, his shadow ominously stretched towards Anomaly 077.

After a tense silence, the old man, his figure thin and slightly bent, turned his head toward where Ted Lir had vanished, whispering, “…Invalid…”

In the next moment, his figure dissipated as quickly as it had appeared, fading into the wind like a ghost lost in time, leaving no trace behind.

Startled by the sudden disappearance, Sailor looked up, his expression a mix of confusion and curiosity. Instinctively, he raised the bottle to his lips for a drink, then frowned in puzzlement, “Why does this water taste so bland…”

It was at this moment that he truly noticed the bottle he was holding.

“…Damn it!!!” he exclaimed, realizing something was wrong, his earlier distraction replaced by sudden annoyance.

……

Hovering silently above the ocean was a mysterious gray-white stone sphere pockmarked with crater-like indentations. Beneath this enigmatic orb, a small research platform was anchored at its midpoint, bathed in an almost ethereal, pale golden “sunlight.” On this platform, a group of elven scholars, dressed in their distinctive research robes, stood with a mix of apprehension and nervous anticipation. Their attention was focused on a figure at the forefront of the platform.

Alice, brimming with childlike curiosity, was the center of their attention. She stood there, head tilted upwards, leaning slightly forward as she closely examined the large, peculiar stone sphere.

Duncan, with a protective gesture, nudged Alice’s head back: “Stop playing around — be careful, or you might topple into the sea!”

“Oh…” Alice quickly pulled her head back, securing it with both hands, though her eyes remained wide and fixed on the mysterious “stone sphere” before her. After a long period of scrutiny, she expressed her confusion, “I can’t make anything out…”

Duncan, his brow furrowed with concern, asked Alice, “After getting closer to the stone sphere, did you pick up any ‘extra information’? What about the ‘sunlight’ surrounding it? Did you notice anything unusual after entering this bright area?”

Alice squinted, observing the surrounding golden glow that draped over the sea like a curtain of crystals. The light shimmered in her beautiful purple eyes, creating ripples like those on water.

After a moment of reflection, she turned to Duncan and said, “…No information.”

Duncan, visibly disappointed, repeated, “No information?”

Alice hummed in affirmation, seriously reiterating her observation. She nodded, confirming, “Yes, just ‘no information’.”

Duncan sighed, his hopes dashed, “Alright, it seems…”

However, he stopped abruptly, sensing something off.

“Are you saying you actually saw the words ‘no information’, or did you see nothing at all?”

Alice confidently responded, “I saw it. It said ‘no information’ everywhere…”

Duncan realized that communicating with this literal-minded doll required a more nuanced approach — who could have guessed she would take things so literally?

Just as Duncan was about to probe further, a sudden crackling sound interrupted them.

Dim green flames erupted, followed by the sudden appearance of a spinning fiery portal.

“Ai is bringing someone back,” Duncan informed Alice, turning his head toward the newly opened gateway. His expression quickly changed to alarm, “Wait, something’s wrong with the gate…”

Before he could finish, the fiery portal burst open, and a familiar figure tumbled out — Ted Lir, who fell past the platform’s edge and plunged straight into the sea below, his surprise evident in his brief exclamation.

The burning skeletal giant bird emerged from the gate, gracefully circling in mid-air. After landing on the platform, it looked down towards the sea and crowed triumphantly, “Surprised, huh? I can fly!”

Duncan watched the scene unfold in stunned silence. Meanwhile, Alice, with cautious curiosity, approached the edge of the platform, peering down. She then fearfully patted her chest, remarking, “You really can fall into the sea…”

Duncan slowly turned to Ai, his gaze lingering on her for a moment before shifting towards the spot where Ted Lir had vanished into the sea.

He couldn’t help but wonder: How had that unfortunate “Truth Keeper” managed to provoke this bird?

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