Deep Sea Embers.

Chapter 742 The Long Night Begins

Rapid footsteps broke the calm inside the church. A middle-aged priest wearing a dark blue robe with gold patterns walked through the long corridor like a gust of wind. Under the silent gaze of many sages on the murals on both sides, he came to pray. The door of the room - but before knocking on the door, a gentle female voice came from the door: "Come in."

The middle-aged priest opened the door and saw the figure standing in front of the statue of the Storm Goddess - Helena was wearing a simple priest's dress, with a string of beads made of aquamarine around her wrist, which seemed to have been until the previous day. She was still praying devoutly for a second. When she heard the sound of the door being opened behind her, she did not turn around. Instead, she still quietly stared at the veil-covered goddess statue and asked softly: "What's the situation outside now?"

"The dusk is still going on, and the sun still stays at its original position, maintaining its 'normal' brightness and shape," the middle-aged priest immediately lowered his head and reported, "The order in the city-state is still good, because the current situation is unknown, and most of the citizens have returned home. Awaiting further instructions, there are no abnormalities anywhere on the Ark ship, and four teams of technical priests are already on standby near the steam boiler."

Helena nodded slightly, seeming to be thinking about something quietly. After a moment, she suddenly asked: "What about the other arks?"

"There was just a contact a few minutes ago. Everything on the Ark is normal. Academy Ark said that their observation equipment received a series of repeated signals from the direction of the sun. The content of the signals was different from the previous one. It was converted into sound and then followed by sharp and short noises. …”

Helena said "hmm" and stopped talking. She just continued to stare at the icon of the goddess quietly. For a moment, she seemed to have forgotten the middle-aged priest who was still waiting for instructions. It was not until a few minutes later that she He spoke softly as if talking to himself: "The long dusk..."

Taran Ayre frowned, looking at the information that the apprentice had just sent to him. The long paper tape automatically recorded by the machine contained a large number of curves and seemingly irregular holes that would dazzle ordinary people, and these were like What the data in the Heavenly Book shows is the current state of the "Vision 001-Sun" that has illuminated and protected the world for a long time.

After a long time, the elf scholar finally put down the paper tape in his hand, rubbed his temples tiredly, and did not speak for a long time.

A calm voice came from the side: "Tell us about the current situation, Taran."

Taran El raised his head and saw Ted Leal standing next to the bookshelf. The Keeper of the Truth was wearing an academic robe. Under the robe, he could see close-fitting soft armor and armor buckles. He looked at He stood there seemingly calmly, but his eyes were as sharp as a soldier about to embark on the battlefield.

"...The sun is flashing. Although it cannot be distinguished by the naked eye, it is indeed flashing. And it is not a regular 'signal', but more like a... electric lamp that is in poor condition," Taran Ayre took a sip. He pursed his dry lips and pushed aside the information in front of him, "In addition, the latest tracking records show that it is not completely stationary on the sea level, but is still moving, but... very, very slowly, so slow that it cannot be detected by the naked eye. degree."

Ted Leal was silent for two or three seconds: "...how slow?"

"If the current speed remains unchanged, it will fall below the sea level in about seventy-two hours," Taran Ayre said, reaching for the water glass on the side, but almost knocked it over - he held it hastily Holding the cup, he took two sips of the cold tea, and his face became a little better. "But the worst thing is not the dusk that will last for seventy-two hours, but what will happen after dusk, Ted, you understand me."

"...Longer than dusk is the night," Ted Leal's expression suddenly became solemn. He certainly understood what his friend meant. "If it runs at this speed, how long will the next night last?"

Taran Ayre did not answer. He just put down his tea cup and stared at the papers in front of him, as if he wanted to see the future of the world from those papers, or to dig out the secret of an enemy from the papers. After a long time, he showed a wry smile and opened his hands to Ted.

"...I will arrange for the knowledge guards to be prepared," Ted Leal looked at his friends in front of him quietly for a moment and nodded lightly, "We have a plan to continue the mission after accidentally falling into a long period of darkness. The 'luminous falling object' next to Wind Harbor will also provide basic shelter in the night, so the situation won't be too bad."

"Yes, the situation in Breeze Port will not be too bad - the same cannot be said for other city-states." After a moment of silence, Taran Ayre sighed softly, "The city-states directly skipped the previous time when the sun went out. The situation of time is different. This time we are facing the sun slowing down, and all city-states are experiencing this world-class phenomenon... I don’t know how they will face the long night that follows."

"Every city-state has a survival plan in extreme situations, but how far it can be done is another matter... We can only wish and hope that the Four Gods will protect them."

Ted said in a low voice, then shook his head, picked up the thick book in his hand that recorded many miracles, and seemed to be planning to open a passage to leave here, but he suddenly hesitated and opened the book again. Put it away, sigh, then turn and walk towards the door.

Taran quietly looked at the back of the Keeper of Truth, as if watching a warrior preparing to embark on the battlefield. He did not look back until the figure of the other party disappeared on the other side of the door, and his eyes swept over those who had just been pushed by him. Information on the side.

At the end of one page of information, a line of records left by the observers was written in a slightly trembling handwriting——

"...According to current calculation...seventy-two hours from sunset..."

Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows on the side, the golden sunset still filled the city-state's rows of rooftops, magnificent and brilliant.

Then, he heard the ethereal ringing of bells.

The sound of the bells is rapid and repeated regularly, as if calling everyone who hears it, calling people to come and listen to the announcement before nightfall - Deep in the Pland Cathedral, they are talking to the Archon Dante Wayne. Archbishop Valentine, who was discussing how to deal with this solar anomaly, suddenly stopped and listened to the sudden sound of the bell.

Consul Dante, who was sitting opposite Valentine, immediately raised his head: "Your Excellency, Bishop? What happened?"

Valentine waved his hand gently, hesitated for a moment and then replied: "It's the Xun Bell."

"Xun Bell?" Dante's expression suddenly changed slightly. Although he was not a clergy member of the church, he knew many things related to the church because of Vanna's relationship, so he naturally knew what a "Xun Bell" was, "Then... "

However, Valentine shook his head: "No, let's continue, Mr. Consul."

"...Don't you want to respond to the call from 'Xun Zhong'?"

"Don't respond," Valentine said slowly, as if he recalled many things in a flash, but finally shook his head, "This is an order."

Don’t answer the bell, don’t answer the Tomb of the Unknown King, don’t answer the call of the tombkeeper——

The bells are still repeating. In every city-state, every church, every ship, and in the mind of every cleric who believes in the four gods, the rapid and repetitive bells ring again and again.

The priests stopped what they were doing at the moment the bell rang. However, after a short pause, everyone returned to their intense and busy work - continuing to receive and comfort believers who came to seek help, and continuing to maintain their health. Sacred vessels, maintaining the church, and continuing to prepare blessings for the warriors for what may be a very long night ahead.

The sound of the bell is like the wind in your ears and the waves in the distance, echoing in a distant place, but no priest responds to its call...

In another distant dimension, in the ancient gathering place shrouded in darkness and chaos, the last group of ascetics stationed here were quietly watching the center of the square.

Huge and towering stone pillars surrounded the assembly venue. Chaotic streams of light flashed through the dark sky. A simple and pale pyramid mausoleum rose from the center of the square. In the center of the desolate and desolate assembly venue, there was a figure wrapped in bandages, as if The gravekeeper, always between life and death, came out and stood in the empty assembly hall.

However, what is different from the past thousands of years is that there are no saints standing here anymore. The tombkeepers hold pens and papers in their hands, but no one comes to listen to the news in the tomb.

The ascetics stood far away from the center of the square, at a safe distance. Their bodies were covered with rune tattoos symbolizing the blessings of the four gods. Their eyes and ears had been sealed by spells. They perceived through the miracles given by the gods. The situation of the tomb, in order to avoid directly seeing the tombkeeper's figure and hearing his voice directly.

The tombkeeper in front of the mausoleum took a few steps outside. A huge shadow grew from behind him. Indescribable limbs and twisted things spread along his footsteps like undulating mud. He came to the penancers. In front of the reader, he stretched out his hand and handed over the parchment. On the parchment, trembling eyeballs continued to appear. He opened his rotten and deformed mouth and called out to the ascetic vigilantes——

His voice was like ten thousand blasphemous and polluted curses, and every tremor carried the power to pierce the heart and destroy reason.

The ascetic vigilantes just stood quietly outside the scope of the mausoleum, like sculptures, silently "watching" the guards of the mausoleum.

No responses can be made, no communication can be made, but neither can one leave the position.

The invisible and weird creeping shadow slowly calmed down. After a long confrontation, the tomb guard lowered his head and stared at the parchment in his hand with cloudy eyes. He was silent for a long time, and finally turned around slowly and walked towards the direction of the mausoleum.

Overlapping low murmurs came from the tomb, and the whispers of the tombkeeper and the sounds from the tomb gradually overlapped.

He was muttering softly, repeating over and over again -

"Dusk has arrived..."

(End of this chapter)