Ashes Of Deep Sea-Chapter 342 - 346 Blockade
Chapter 342: Chapter 346: Blockade
Chapter 342 -346: Blockade
The girl standing at the door looked to be no more than eleven or twelve years old, small in stature, clad in a warm white thick coat. A slight steam rose from her woollen hat—she seemed to have run all the way here. She was still panting when she saw Morris but quickly, a bright smile blossomed on her face.
“Are you Grandpa Morris? Mom asked me to bring this over,” she extended her hand, handing over a key, “It’s the key to the basement. Mom said she forgot to give it to you when she left.”
“Ah, thank you, girl,” Morris came to his senses and took the key while nodding, “Come in and warm up, shall we?”
The girl was just about to speak when Duncan’s voice suddenly rang out from behind Morris, tinged with a hint of surprise, “Annie?”
His gaze shifted past the elderly scholar, staring somewhat astounded at the girl standing at the door.
That was indeed Annie Barbey—the daughter of Cristo Barbey, the captain of the Obsidian.
Duncan had now realized what had happened—whether to call it a coincidence or to lament the “smallness” of the City-State, after all the wandering, he had once again encountered the daughter of the captain of the Obsidian, at the temporary residence Morris and Fenna had found within a day… which just happened to be Annie’s house.
Annie also saw the imposing figure suddenly before her, and her eyes widened in the moment.
Caught off guard by the unexpected situation, the girl looked dazed for several seconds before belatedly realizing, awkwardly greeting, “Ah, it’s the uncle from the cemetery entrance… hello?”
Her final greeting was evidently hesitant, clearly recalling her experience at the cemetery entrance, recalling the flame soaring into the sky when Duncan had departed—Duncan hadn’t thought much then, but that scene had undoubtedly left a deep impression in the young girl’s mind.
Though still young, Annie knew that it was Transcendent power—this knowledge was already written in each City-State’s textbooks, propagated to all citizens through general education, understanding and basic protection skills of Transcendent forces were the foundation for ordinary people to live safely in this world.
But what exactly that power was, Annie couldn’t discern—her textbooks hadn’t covered it, the cemetery’s caretaker grandfather hadn’t explained it to her, and when she talked to her mother at home, her mother hadn’t told her anything.
It seemed like secrets that children shouldn’t yet know.
Annie looked somewhat dazedly at Duncan standing opposite her, the caretaker grandfather’s earlier warning echoing in her ears, causing her instinctively a bit of unease, but the towering figure suddenly stepped aside, his voice sounding a bit scary yet carrying a hint of warmth, “Come in and rest a bit, the snow has started to fall outside.”
Only then did Annie belatedly turn her head back to see the snowflakes falling down again from the sky, a few drifting into her neck with a chilling touch.
She unwittingly entered the house, looking around in confusion.
The lady with beautiful blond hair and an aristocratic demeanor stood in the living room near the dining table, casting curious glances this way.
She took off her veil, looking very beautiful—almost the prettiest person Annie had ever seen.
“My mom said not to bother the tenants casually,” Annie wiped the mud and snow water on her little boots on the entrance mat while still hesitatingly speaking, “She said Grandpa Morris is a great scholar, and it’s very rude to disrupt arbitrarily…”
“You are not disrupting, we were just wanting to get to know the new residence,” Morris guessed the situation and immediately said, “And now with the snow falling again, it’s not safe for you to run back along the small path. Rest here for a while, Fenna will take you back later.”
Annie looked up at Fenna, who seemed like a small giant, and subconsciously nodded.
Then she looked at Duncan, hesitating for a few seconds before speaking, “So… you need to live in the house too?”
“I certainly will reside in the house,” Duncan smiled as he led Annie toward the living room sofa, casually saying, “Running around outside by yourself, doesn’t your mother worry?”
To him, Annie seemed to be running around excessively, not only venturing alone to the cemetery early in the morning but also crossing the streets in this dreadful weather to deliver keys to new tenants she knew nothing about. This was worrying indeed.
“It’s okay, everyone around here knows me, and Mom said half the people on these two streets are Dad’s friends,” Annie didn’t mind at all. She sat on the sofa, hands propped under her thighs, swaying her body back and forth, “And Mom’s usually very busy, she has to handle accounts and fill forms for others, and when she has time she helps out at the small church. I’m used to running around.”
Duncan thought about it then asked, “Then… when you went home, did you tell your mom what I told you?”
“I told her,” Annie nodded, her expression then turning a bit weird, “At first she said I was talking nonsense, but then I repeated what the cemetery caretaker grandfather had said, and she went alone back to her room… she seemed to have cried when she came out… but then smiled telling me that tonight we would have fried fish sticks and sausage stew because today is a day worth celebrating.”
She stopped swaying her body and looked slightly confused as she raised her eyes to Duncan and said hesitantly, “I feel… I don’t quite understand.”
“It’s okay, you’ll understand in time,” Duncan smiled, “Some things are too complicated for you right now.”
“You talk just like the guard grandpa, he often says that too,” Annie muttered, then shook her head as if pondering seriously before lifting her head again, “Uncle, do you… not want to be disturbed?”
Duncan was curious, “Why do you say that?”
“Because of how you’re dressed—and the fact you disappeared all of a sudden when you left, Mom says that’s typical of the Cathedral’s secret personnel or hermit societies… that’s the word, mannerisms.”
Duncan didn’t know how to respond to the girl’s words, but she didn’t wait for his answer. After thinking to herself, Annie suddenly said, “I won’t mention it carelessly to anyone. The guard grandpa also reminded me, told me to pretend I never saw you, except to Mom, not to say anything to anyone.”
Duncan couldn’t help but laugh silently; however, before he could speak, Annie continued, “Then can I tell the guard grandpa? Tell him… you’re staying at our house?”
Maurice and Fenna, who had come over to the sofa to enjoy the excitement, exchanged looks upon hearing the girl’s words. Alice immediately turned her gaze to Duncan.
They all felt there was something amiss with the situation.
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However, Duncan only remained silent for a few seconds, then nodded gently with a smile, “Yes, I don’t mind.”
…
At the same time, near the eastern port, the collection of samples from the wreckage of the “Sea Swallow” had begun.
Several light-speed boats departed from the dock and cautiously approached the area of the sea still floating with filthy “mud” and a few flames. Each boat was equipped with a chaplain, a Sacred Relic, and nitroglycerin explosives for emergencies.
Onshore, the port garrison was also prepared for the docking work.
A vacant warehouse had been designated as a temporary transfer facility. The priests and guardians from the higher church had already completed the purification and countermeasures of the entire area, and Agatha had left a team of elite confidants before leaving, to prevent any accidents during the collection of wreckage samples.
Lister stood on the dock, staring at the situation on the sea, with his confidants nearby observing the progress of the salvage operations.
“Are you sure it won’t be a problem to haul that stuff ashore?” one confidant asked nervously, “Of course, I’m not questioning the gatekeeper’s judgment, but those things… a few hours ago, they were speeding towards Frost Island at a frightening pace. Are they truly ‘dead’ now?”
“Miss Agatha has repeatedly confirmed deep in the Spirit Realm that these things are no longer active,” Lister said calmly, “They can indeed be ‘killed.’ From Miss Agatha’s attitude and handling approach, I think the Cathedral may even have encountered similar things before.”
“Similar things? They’ve appeared in the City-State?” one subordinate officer asked, surprised, “I’ve… completely not heard about this…”
“If you haven’t heard, it suggests that this matter shouldn’t be disclosed, at least not yet. The Cathedral and the City Hall have their own judgment,” Lister shook his head, “Regardless, Miss Agatha is trustworthy. She wouldn’t risk the safety of the City-State. What we need to do is trust the professionals—clergy know better than soldiers how to deal with these strange entities.”
The confidant fell silent, but just then, a rush of hurried footsteps suddenly approached; a soldier hurried onto the dock.
“Commander!” The soldier jogged up to Lister, saluted, and handed over a document that had just come through the pneumatic tube, “Orders from City Hall.”
“It looks like the official order to blockade Dagger Island has arrived,” Lister said as he took the document, but his expression suddenly changed upon viewing its contents.
A confidant noticed, “Commander? Is there an issue?”
“… It is indeed an order for a naval blockade, but not of Dagger Island,” Lister said with a grave expression and solemn tone, “Strictly speaking, not just Dagger Island—the order demands a blockade of all naval routes in and out of Frost, and all guards to enter combat readiness.”
“A blockade… of the entire Frost Island?!”
“The Mist Fleet has appeared in the nearby waters,” Lister inhaled sharply, his face even grimmer than the skies at that moment, “The entire Mist Fleet.”
