Deep Sea Embers.

Chapter 803 After the only cook on board took the helm

The restless sea breeze blew across the mirror-calm sea, making the flags on the ships flutter in the wind. An escort formation composed of many large warships was sailing in the night, and inside the escort formation, a huge shadow was gradually emerging from the air.

On the ark base that looks like a small city-state, a magnificent church with towering spires stands solemnly. The lights between the multiple spires illuminate the nearby sea. The towers and corridors guard the main body of the church, like giant guards standing on the edge of the ark - this is the pilgrimage ark of the Deep Sea Church. After staying in the southern waters for many days, it finally returned to the middle of the boundless sea.

Helena stood on the terrace at the top of the Storm Cathedral tower, gazing at the calm sea in the distance in the night. A middle-aged priest stood quietly beside her with his head slightly lowered.

"The goddess's condition seems to be getting worse," Helena said suddenly, "No one in the Infinite Sea can hear her clear voice anymore."

"Similar news has come from the Church of Death," the middle-aged priest nodded and said, "and it is said that many city-states that have been in darkness for a long time have seen unrest among the dead—not only in the city-states protected by the Church of Death, but also in other city-states."

Helena listened quietly, sighed for a long time, and sketched the emblem of the Storm Goddess on her chest - an undulating pattern with a mysterious meaning, but no corresponding explanation or record in the "Storm Code": "...the order of death and storm is fading from the entire world."

The middle-aged priest did not speak, but just stood there quietly.

Helena looked back at him and asked, "Are there many people who are wavering?"

"...Recently, more people have gone to the confessional and the missionary center to receive guidance, but overall, the Ark and the Ark Fleet are in good condition. The clergy still have firm faith. From the beginning, we knew that the world would decline, and we were preparing for it. The goddess's decline is a test we will face sooner or later."

The middle-aged priest paused for a moment, then added hesitantly, "But in some more remote city-states... an atmosphere of unease is spreading. The priests in charge may still be able to maintain their faith, but they are unable to cope with the increasing number of believers and clergy who are wavering."

"...maintain order, cooperate with the city-state authorities in management and emergency measures. Even if prayers are ineffective, the power of steam and oil still exists, and we still have fire and steel that will not betray us," Helena said slowly, "We need to prove to the believers that no matter what happens to the goddess, the Deep Sea Church will still firmly perform its duties - most importantly, we need to divert everyone's attention from 'prayer' to other places."

The middle-aged priest bowed his head deeply: "Yes."

Helena hummed, but her eyes were still looking at the sea in the distance. She spoke softly to herself, "These days, I always feel that the sea looks a little strange... But when I come to my senses, it seems that it was all an illusion."

The middle-aged priest raised his head, a puzzled look on his face: "The sea... is there something wrong?"

Helena frowned, and after a few seconds of silence, she waved her hand: "No, nothing, just some irrelevant thoughts. Please leave first, I have other things to do."

The priest took his orders and left. Helena stayed on the terrace for a while enjoying the sea breeze, then turned back to the church tower. She walked down a spiral staircase and a short corridor, entered the depths of the main building of the cathedral, and returned to her private prayer room where she usually stayed.

The lights in the prayer room were bright. The oil lamps in the niches and the candlesticks in front of the altar were burning quietly. In the brazier in front of the statue of the goddess, an unquenchable flame was jumping. The illusory flames were like almost transparent ghosts with a hint of unreality.

Helena came to the brazier and sprinkled spices and essential oils into the almost transparent flame. As the smoke rose, layers of mutterings and whispers suddenly appeared in her mind.

She was in a trance for a moment in the "noise" that seemed to pollute her soul, but then she regained consciousness and spoke to the flame: "Frem, I want to talk to you."

The flames crackled and jumped a few times, and the voice of the Firebringer Pope Frame came: "Is it about the 'Archives'?"

Helena hummed: "I know you have an archive project, and your ark is sailing north... The destination is the permafrost sea, right?"

"That piece of permafrost is the most likely place to remain as a 'fragment' after the end of the world," Frame's voice seemed a little distorted in the flames. "Over the years, the Firebringers have been measuring the 'focus' of our world on the Infinite Ocean to find the most stable part of history and time flow, and this focus ultimately points to the north."

Helena hesitated: "Has the location been determined?"

"No, we can only be sure that it is in the north," Frame said calmly, "but we don't have much time to continue making precise measurements. The survival rate of the priests who enter the historical gap to measure the world is getting lower and lower. I can't let them take risks anymore... Now we can only let the Ark sail to the north. I will personally determine the final location of the focus."

Helena nodded gently. She thought for a moment before breaking the silence: "I will send a fleet to find you. They will reunite with you before the Firebringer Ark enters the Frigid Sea. Those ships carry the most precious and important documents that the Deep Sea Church has collected over the years."

The flames in the brazier crackled and jumped. It took a long time for Frame's voice to come out: "Okay, I'll leave room for them all."

Helena took a deep breath and exhaled: "Thank you."

"This is the duty of the fire bearer." The voice in the brazier said slowly.

……

In the background of the passage formed by a uniform gray-white color, the Homeless and the Radiant Star were floating as if they were sailing in endless nothingness. The unidentifiable gray-white texture in all directions made it impossible to judge whether the two ships were moving forward. After staring outside for a long time, Duncan even had a strange association that the ship had stopped and the Homeless had been permanently trapped in a stagnant time and space.

But he knew clearly that the ship was still sailing, sailing in the distorted and chaotic space-time structure beyond the border. The fragmented shadow of the New Hope was floating above the Lost Homeland and the Radiant Star. The occasional flicker of the shadow was evidence that the "jump" was still in progress.

Alice stood on the control deck at the stern, looking forward with unfocused eyes. She still held the steering wheel tightly, but her expression was not as lively as usual. Instead, she looked strangely empty and cold, like a real puppet.

Her consciousness is no longer in this body, but has been integrated into the Homeland Lost and New Hope, maintaining the stability of the jump channel.

Duncan went to the bridge to check on Alice's condition, and then returned to the cabin where the crew members gathered. In the dining room, Shirley was sitting at the table with a sad face, stirring the bowl of thick soup with a spoon, which had a subtle color and texture.

After stirring for who knows how many times, she finally raised her head with difficulty and looked at Morris who was sitting opposite her: "How about I be responsible for cooking next time?"

"No need. You are the youngest on this ship. It's not your turn." Morris waved his hand, and then his eyes were slightly curious. "My cooking is not delicious?"

Shirley immediately shrank her neck, and pulled the corners of her mouth unnaturally: "Actually, it's... not so bad."

Morris frowned when he saw this, then tasted the soup he had just cooked, his eyes a little dazed.

"...I remember that's how Heidi taught me to make vegetable mushroom soup..." The old scholar muttered blankly, "Which step went wrong?"

"It's hard to tell your steps, but I'm sure Heidi's vegetable mushroom soup is definitely not made like this," Vanna, who was sitting on the other side of the table, looked at the soup bowl in front of her with difficulty. "Forget it, I'll cook next time. Although the taste may not be as good, at least... well, it's not so weird."

"I kind of miss Alice's scones and fish soup," Nina muttered, "At least the soup tastes normal after the head is removed..."

Duncan walked into the restaurant at this time. He heard the crew's resentful mutterings, and his expression was a little subtle: "You guys don't usually speak so highly of Alice when she cooks, but now that she's at the helm, you guys are reacting."

When Vanna and the others saw the captain appear, they quickly stood up to greet him. Nina stood up and greeted him while sticking out her tongue: "I'll cook next time. I think I'm probably the best cook here now. After all, I was the one who cooked when I was at Pland's house."

Duncan laughed, sat down at his seat, and then looked at the food in front of him with an embarrassed look on his face like everyone else.

Expectant glances came from all directions.

After a moment, he sighed and snapped his fingers as the others looked on expectantly.

An illusory flame rose across the dining table and condensed into a pitch-black mirror. In the mirror surface where the flame flowed, Lucrecia's figure gradually became clear.

Miss Witch was sitting on her own ship, in the dining room of the Brilliant Star - with a sumptuous meal in front of her.

"Good afternoon, Dad," Lucrecia smiled in this direction, "and everyone else, good afternoon."

Duncan thought for a moment, then stretched his head to look at the cups and plates in front of Lucrecia: "Preparing for lunch?"

"Yes," Lucrecia nodded with a smile, "Luni made baked apple pie, fried pork chops, creamed corn soup, and vegetable pie today - this salad was made by Nilu. Although she is only one-third of Luni's height, she has already started to learn to help me with some things."

A small head popped up from the edge of the screen. The little doll Nilu, who had recently become an official crew member of the Brilliant Star, leaned over the table and stuck her head out, greeting the mirror.

Shirley stretched her neck to look at it for a long time, hesitantly: "Is it delicious?"

"It tastes great," Lucrecia looked at Shirley with a half-smile, "Luni's cooking skills have been recognized by famous chefs."

Shirley licked her lips: "Then..."

Lucrecia continued to smile: "Hmm?"

Duncan finally couldn't help but sigh, and spread his hands to look at the "Witch Lady" in the mirror: "No one is cooking on the boat here again - Alice is at the helm."

Lucrecia finally burst out laughing, then quickly adjusted her sitting position in a reserved and ladylike manner, and sighed with a helpless smile: "Come on, I have already prepared a lot... I knew it would be like this."

As soon as the witch finished speaking, Duncan heard the sound of chairs being moved. He looked up and saw that almost all the crew members around him had stood up, and then one by one their eyes fell on him.

He spread his hands, not knowing whether to laugh or cry: "Why are you looking at me? Go ahead, Ai will take you to the Brilliant Star."

"Aren't you going with us?" Nina asked curiously.

"I have to stay here," Duncan waved his hand. "Alice is still at the helm, and I feel uneasy leaving the ship. Go ahead, the food will be cold soon. Just bring me some when you come back."

Shirley and Nina cheered immediately, and Lucrecia's voice came from the mirror: "Bring your own tableware! I don't have that much prepared... Shirley, put down the basin!"

(End of this chapter)