Chapter 1 The Surfacing

Accompanied by a spray of浪花 (làng huā) and the rippling seawater, the submersible burst out of the water. The afternoon sun shone on the sea, and the thick hull of the submersible gleamed coldly in the sunlight. Then, the one-time smoke generator on top of the hull activated. With a flash of fire and a slight explosion, a plume of orange smoke rose straight into the blue sky. After a period of attitude and power adjustment, the submersible's floating state stabilized. With a creaking sound, the locking device on the side of the hull opened.

With a twist of the handle, Duncan opened the submersible's hatch from the inside. Fresh air rushed in. Even for the two "corpses" who didn't need to breathe, the fresh, cool breeze above the sea was extremely pleasant. The illusion of being constantly chased, entangled, and stained by the unspeakable things in the deep sea finally faded from their minds. Agatha gripped the handrail and climbed out of the hatch with Duncan onto the top of the submersible's hull, gazing at the vast, boundless sea in the distance.

Duncan turned his head slightly and looked at the Gatekeeper. "How does it feel to be back in the sunlight?"

"Like returning from the door of the realm of death once again," Agatha said softly.

"I never thought that sunlight and air could bring such a shock of near-rebirth, but it was after I could neither feel the warmth of the sun nor enjoy smooth breathing." He paused. "And 'she'?" Duncan asked.

"During the dive, the other Agatha never appeared—but she should have been watching all along. We feel the same way—but she said she needed some time to think, and is now silent. Do you want to talk to her? I can call her out."

"No need. Let her think. This deep dive will be a reshaping and baptism of values for everyone. We have a lot to consider." Duncan waved his hand gently, then raised his head and looked at the distant horizon.

"Oh, the recovery ship sent by Tīruian has found us. Looks like we don't have to make our own way back to the city-state." The silhouette of a steam clipper appeared on the sea, rapidly heading towards the rising smoke signal from the submersible. The submersible had successfully returned. His father and the Gatekeeper were safe and sound and on their way back. When this "expedited message" was sent through the pressure pipes to his desk, Tīruian, who had been waiting for news in South Port, couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. But then, a strange feeling floated up from the bottom of his heart. He got up from behind his desk and slowly walked to the window, gazing absentmindedly at the setting sun outside. In the silence, Lucresia's voice suddenly came from the crystal ball not far away: "Is there news from Father?" Tīruian turned his head and looked at the crystal ball glowing on the desk, his tone a little strange: "Is my anxiety that obvious?" Lucresia, with a piece of bread in her mouth, was rapidly writing and calculating on a floating piece of draft paper, while also busy adjusting the experimental equipment on the table. She spared a moment to look up at her brother and said vaguely, "Three parts tension, three parts hesitation, three parts relief, and one part fear and helplessness—it must be Father coming back. Are all you scholars used to talking to people like this? The way you describe me makes me sound like a pie chart." Tīruian frowned, then couldn't help but sigh. "I'm just a little emotional. If it were not long ago, I definitely wouldn't have thought that I would feel relieved because Father returned safely—the first time I knew he was coming back, I certainly wasn't in this state of mind."

"Yes, you almost cramped your leg that time, commanded the Sea Mist to fight Dad, and then couldn't sleep for three days. You woke me up in the middle of the night to describe your nightmare—insisting that I shiver with you."

"Stop making up these non-existent details," Tīruian quickly interrupted his sister on the other side of the crystal ball, "and that's not what I wanted to talk to you about."

Lucresia became quiet. She finally temporarily put down her seemingly endless research work and the endless bread, and looked very seriously into Tīruian's eyes. Just when this gaze almost gave Tīruian goosebumps, she finally broke the silence: "When we were little, Father often left home for a long time. Back then, whenever the bells rang in the direction of the docks, we would climb to the roof of our house to see if it was the flag of the Vanishing. You always told me to be more steady like a lady, and then took the opportunity to grab the highest spot."

"It's been many years," Tīruian said after a few seconds of silence, as if speaking to himself.

"I still remember that the roof was blue. When the sea breeze blew, the weather vane on the corner of the roof would whistle. You tied a windmill next to the weather vane, saying you wanted to show it off to Father, so our sneaky climbs onto the roof were exposed."

"Now we've reached places higher than that roof. We've seen the scenery that Father once saw," Lucresia said in a gentle tone.

"But we still haven't caught up with Father's footsteps. He went to the deep sea, to a depth that even the Submersible Project couldn't reach back then. What do you think he'll find on this expedition?"

Tīruian didn't speak for a moment. Then, in the next second, a crackling sound suddenly rang out from the mirror behind him, followed by Duncan's voice from the mirror: "I've discovered a very amazing secret. I was just about to tell you." Tīruian almost jumped out of his skin instantly, his muscles tensing up. The Sea Witch on the other side of the crystal ball reacted even more strongly. He only heard an exclamation and a clattering sound from Lucresia's side. Then, a cloud of smoke and flashing lights rose from the crystal ball, and the image was interrupted. Tīruian turned his head, his body tense, and saw a ghostly green flame burning in the mirror behind him. In the dark mirror, Duncan poked his head out and looked behind him. "Is your sister okay? Did I scare her?"

"Could you please not use such a frightening way to appear every time?" Tīruian muttered subconsciously, but as soon as he said it, he realized it was inappropriate and quickly checked Duncan's reaction. There was no change in his father's expression.

"I considered using a friendly way to appear, such as knocking on the door in advance or sending a warning letter, but Vanna told me that it's not the way I appear that's scary, but my appearance itself is scary." Duncan looked at Tīruian with a calm expression.

"I think she's right, so I simply didn't change it. This way, at least it's more interesting to watch other people's startled reactions." Tīruian's eyes twitched. His father was enjoying the show. His frank attitude on this matter left him dumbfounded. However, he quickly forced himself to regain his composure, and while recovering his expression, he looked curiously at his father in the mirror.

"Have you returned to the city-state? I'll come find you now." "The avatar I was using has returned, but you don't need to come here," Duncan interrupted Tīruian.

"Pack your things and go straight to the Vanishing." Tīruian was stunned. "Huh?"

"I have a major discovery in the deep sea." Duncan's expression was extremely serious.

"The information is not suitable for public disclosure and may point to an Ancient God, so everyone needs to be summoned to the Vanishing to discuss it. I've already sent Agatha over, and my followers have also gathered. You are the owner of the Sea Mist and the new Chief Administrator of Frost, so you must be there as well." From his father's expression and tone, Tīruian instantly realized the situation was unusual and serious, and immediately restrained his relaxation.

"Okay, I'll leave a note for Aiden explaining the situation."

"Mm." Duncan nodded, then glanced around the room, his gaze falling on the complex crystal ball lens device.

"Bring your crystal ball when you come to the ship," he said to Tīruian. "Lucy had better hear about the situation too. She'll be interested in the secrets of the deep sea."

Tīruian, who was writing the note, immediately looked up, first glancing at Duncan in surprise, then nodding instantly: "Okay, I'll definitely bring the crystal ball. What's the Vanishing's current location? I'll have a speedboat prepared." As soon as he finished speaking, Duncan in the mirror snapped his fingers.

A "dong, dong, dong" knocking sound came from outside the window. Tīruian turned his head in the direction of the sound and saw the fat white pigeon that always followed his father. The pigeon was pecking at the window glass of the seaport office with its beak, tilting its head slightly.

"Hop in? Got a big seat, the old driver's steady." Tīruian? The Vanishing's dining hall was the crew's gathering place. The wide, long dining table had been wiped clean and gleamed brightly. Bright oil lamps hung on the pillars near the table.

The captain's followers were gathered around the table. Vanna and Morris sat upright, while Sherry and Alice seemed lost in thought. Nina and Ah Gou were engrossed in reading their respective books. In addition to them, there were two new figures here today: Agatha, dressed as a blind nun, sat quietly by the long table, silently praying, and Lawrence, wearing a white coat and clutching a pipe, looked nervous and uneasy. The latter was anxiously sizing up the scene in the cabin. Lawrence's ship was currently docked on the nearby sea, with his first mate helping to manage things on board. He, as the captain, had been summoned by an order to the "flagship." No one had told him the specifics of what was going on. This was the first time he had truly set foot on the Vanishing. He had stepped onto this legendary ghost ship that had returned from subspace. Duncan Abnomar's followers were gathered in this ancient and solemn cabin, waiting in the lamplight for orders from Captain Duncan. He knew the identities and origins of these people: animated puppets, shattered suns, sentient demons, oath-breaking exiled inquisitors, legendary scholars on the verge of madness. Now, he was among them. Even in his wildest dreams and illusions, Lawrence had never imagined that he would experience such a scene.

He was a captain who had originally planned to retire.