Chapter 1 Unsentimental News

Under the dim glow of an oil lamp, Heidi gently set down the paper bearing news from afar. The living room was quiet, the warm light of the lamp and her mother's gentle gaze surrounding her.

She knew about the Forsaken flagship's voyage—her father always wrote letters back, and recent letters had mentioned many border-related matters. She knew that captain was to carry out a great voyage, knew that her father was to set off with that captain, heading towards the distant border—but when she truly learned of this news from within the city-state, a different feeling still welled up within her.

It was as if something that had only been a vague concept had suddenly become real. She looked at the brief words and suddenly realized—ah, they really have set off.

Her father, her best friend, had set off into the world's end in this long night.

"They'll be safe," her mother's voice came from the side, waking Heidi from her slight daze. The old woman's tone was calm, like that night many years ago when she had comforted her during a storm, "Don't worry so much, Heidi."

Heidi turned her head, somewhat blankly: "Because... of that powerful captain?"

"Because of your father—he always manages to come back safely," her mother smiled gently, as if lost in memories, "He's done many daring things, more than you can imagine, but in the end, he always returns home, comes back to tell me about those incredible experiences… He will come back this time too, bringing back tales from the world's end, and you will hear an incredible story from him, just like I did back then."

Heidi listened quietly, and after a moment of silence, she suddenly said softly: "Father, and Vanna… they're doing something very great, aren't they?"

"Yes, very great—going to faraway places is always a great thing."

"Then what should I do now?"

"You should put on a warm coat, then go out to the gathering place, and tell our neighbors this latest news, they are still waiting for news of the generator and food supplies," her mother said slowly, "Go tell those ordinary people who cannot read, to put their minds at ease, to dispel the tension and fear spreading among the crowd, so that people are not crushed by the night, to fight against this long night—fulfill the oath you swore in the academy, and then come back safely, I will cook your favorite mushroom vegetable soup."

Her mother slowly stood up, put down the needlework in her hands, and stepped forward to tidy her daughter's hair: "Heidi, these are also great things."

Feeling her mother's fingers stroking her hair, Heidi hesitated for a moment before nodding gently, her eyes sweeping across the "newspaper" on the table, once again imprinting the message on it in her mind.

In the distant northern sea, a layer of even and thin pale golden "sunlight" gently covered the sea under the night. Huge luminous geometric figures floated on the boundless sea like a small mountain cast from crystal. In the edge area covered by sunlight, large and small warships were slowly cruising in the night, like hungry fish swimming next to food.

Solenna of Coldharbor stood on the bridge with a gloomy face, looking through the wide porthole at the sea surface filled with thin sunlight in front of him, and at the end of that sea surface, he could vaguely see the silhouettes of two small speedboats passing in front of the fleet—like cautious tentacles, neither getting too close nor appropriately displaying their own existence.

Those were the forward warships of the Morphys Navy, probing the borders of the Coldharbor Navy.

And several other warships flying black flags slowly cruised near the Coldharbor Navy and the Morphys Navy, their black flags flying high in the thin "sunlight," and the triangular "Door of Death" emblem on the flags was vaguely discernible in the binoculars.

The warships' main guns had already had their covers removed—all the warships.

Those clerics on the Church warships must be feeling overwhelmed at this moment—Solenna suddenly had this thought in his mind, and with it came a fleeting moment of guilt.

This guilt quickly disappeared into an iron-like determination.

At this moment, the communications station next to him received an external radio signal. After a moment, the communications soldier looked up at Solenna: "Commander, the 'Mourner' has sent a message, they hope that we and the vanguard of the Morphys Navy will each retreat five nautical miles to withdraw from the danger zone."

"Tell them again, let the other side retreat first," Solenna said without hesitation, "And emphasize to them again that Coldharbor now needs that 'sunlight'—this is not a discussion, this is a notification, a result, a fact that must be achieved, and in any case, before this goal is achieved, the Coldharbor Navy will never leave this area."

A chill filled the bridge, and the cold wind seemed to seep into the hatch, slowly flowing around.

The communications soldier immediately obeyed, but just as he was about to respond to the Church warship serving as the flagship of the "mediation fleet," another signal entered the public channel of the radio.