Deep Sea Embers.

Chapter 831 Critical Hesitation
Lucrecia recognized it; it was her Brilliant Star—but it was the Brilliant Star from another timeline.

It was decades ago that she accidentally crossed the six-nautical-mile boundary during a reckless border voyage and got caught in the "lost" Brilliant Star - at this very moment, decades ago she was standing on that ship, searching in vain for a way back to the Endless Sea.

The sailor held the steering wheel tightly. After realizing what the ship shadow appeared in the distance was, he almost broke out in a cold sweat (if his sweat glands were still there). He subconsciously exclaimed: "Madam! That is an entity from another timeline - don't contact it! We should have exited the 'channel' early because of its interference. If we contact it rashly, we may be trapped!"

When the sailor shouted, the people on the deck reacted one after another. They realized that the situation this time was completely different from the previous time when the Lost Homeland encountered the Sea Song in the "passage" -

The Sea Anthem is a ship that has no "connection" with either the Homeland Lost or the Brilliant Star. Its sudden appearance at that time could at most be regarded as a wisp of afterimage in the time turbulence. However, the ship that now appears at the end of the thick fog is the "Brilliant Star" from another timeline, and it is the "isotope of the ship in a different timeline" of the ship under everyone's feet - what will happen when two such entities come into contact in the time stream?
No scholar has yet conducted research in this field (including the best physical fitness and fighting experts at the Academy of Truth), but there is no doubt that nothing good will happen.

However, Lucrecia seemed not to have heard the sailor's loud warning. She just looked at the "Brilliant Star" that was gradually approaching in the thick fog with a strange look. Then, suddenly, as if she thought of something, she turned around abruptly and looked around.

The illusion of the Lost Homeland covered the ship, with ghostly spirit fire floating on the dark wooden deck and translucent spirit sails hanging high on the mast - everything was just as she remembered the scene so clearly.

During her last voyage at the end of the world, she finally figured out the long-standing mystery that even her "father" couldn't figure out.

It was she herself who guided her own course...

"Don't worry," she finally spoke softly. Her voice was not loud, but it instantly quieted the deck. "We won't meet that ship - we will just pass it by. Maintain the current course, pass by it, and don't communicate."

"Okay... just make sure that...'you' on that ship won't come over suddenly." The sailor muttered, and did not question the "captain's" judgment at the moment. Instead, he followed the order and controlled the ship under his feet, which was simply a "hybrid", to slowly pass by the side of the "Brilliant Star".

Everyone was on edge at this moment. They watched the Brilliant Star, which was located in another time stream and came from the thick fog, getting closer and closer, until they could make out many details of its hull. They saw that the ship was very different from what they remembered, as if it was a "version" from decades ago. They watched the ship briefly slow down and adjust its attitude, as if it was panicked and shaken for a moment because of the sudden approach of the Homeland Lost, but in the end, the two ships passed each other peacefully.

Lucrecia exhaled slightly.

Then, within a few seconds after the two ships completely passed each other, the "Brilliant Star" in another time stream quickly dissipated and disappeared in the thick fog like a phantom.

The intersection of time streams has ended.

And this is exactly what Lucrecia was waiting for. She immediately ordered: "Turn the ship around and follow the path of the ship when it last disappeared, which is the direction to return to the Infinite Sea."

The sailor was startled, but he followed the captain's order without hesitation. After the ship began to slowly adjust its course, he turned his head and glanced at the "Sea Witch": "Madam, are you..."

"This happened before. Several decades ago, the Brilliant Star encountered the 'phantom' of the Lost Homeland beyond the six-mile critical line. I still remember the details of that time." Lucrecia nodded. "Don't think too much about it. Let's find a way to leave this place first."

"You can't think too much, my brain is about to explode," Shirley scratched her hair. She was obviously a little confused after quickly sorting out the matter in her head. "So, you were lost at the border decades ago, and the guiding phantom you met was actually yourself decades later, but you decades later were actually also lost - neither ship knew the way back, but in the end they both found the right direction... What the hell is going on..."

"Cause and effect, luck, time and space, everything here is a mess," Morris said, his voice sounding a little dull, as he held his pipe, which seemed to be rarely lit. "Don't think too much rationally in the border waters. The human mind has its limits when it comes to enduring 'irrationality'. Don't let those irrational things drive you crazy."

As soon as the old man finished speaking, Agou beside him muttered in a muffled voice: "Shirley is fine. She doesn't think much normally. Her brain is as good as new."

Shirley punched Agou on the head, making a "clang" sound.

Lucrecia paid no attention to the movement around her, nor did the sailor at the helm - they were still staring at the route ahead. In the direction of the bow of the Brilliant Star, the thick fog seemed to be changing.

Nina suddenly realized that the Brilliant Star was gradually slowing down.

She looked up in surprise: "Hey? Miss Lucrecia, why are we slowing down at this time?"

"...There is a 'critical change' in the fog ahead. That should be the place where we cross the six-mile critical line. After passing that boundary, we will enter the relatively safe Veil Sea," Lucrecia said slowly, but then her tone sank, "But there is a problem."

Nina had a confused look on her face, but the sailor at the helm had obviously understood. He pulled the corners of his mouth and made a hoarse and unpleasant sound: "Once we 'cross the border' from that place, the date for our return to the Infinite Sea will be determined - but that doesn't necessarily have to be a certain day in 1902."

Nina was confused for less than a few seconds before she slowly opened her eyes. As smart as she was, she instantly figured out what the sailor meant.

"We exited the 'channel' early. The moment we left the route, the time flow around us might have been disrupted," Lucrecia said in a deep voice. "And the Brilliant Star from decades ago appeared in our sight just now. It could be a shadow from another time flow that mistakenly entered our route, or it could be that we 'entered' the wrong time flow..."

This time even Shirley beside him understood and was shocked: "That is to say, if we go back now, maybe we will go back to decades ago?!"

The sailor sighed: "This is even the best case scenario - if it's worse, the time flow has been completely messed up, and we may enter any time node after crossing the boundary."

Shirley: “…Fuck…”

"Do you want to contact the captain?" Vanna suddenly said, "This is an unplanned situation. Perhaps the captain's power can..."

"No, I tried it just now, but I could only vaguely sense my father's voice," Lucrecia shook her head. "We are still in the turbulence of the border. The chaotic space-time order here is causing interference, and my father's side..."

She paused and shook her head slightly.

Everyone on the deck looked at each other.

The Brilliant Star was patrolling in the fog near the "critical line" at an extremely low speed, cruising slowly in a relatively "safe" position where it would not fall "deeper".

The way home is right in front of me, and it seems as if I can just stretch out my legs and step over it - there are no obstacles, no hindrances.

However, what stands in the way of the Brilliant Star is a barrier far more dangerous than any wall or trench - time.

On the bridge, the clockwork doll Luni was monitoring the various systems on the Brilliant Star that were so complex that they were dazzling. The rabbit Rabbi was huddled cautiously in the corner, holding the little doll Nilu and not daring to make a sound. Agatha's figure was vaguely reflected in the porthole not far away. The others were sitting around the captain's seat. The atmosphere was quite depressing.

Morris muttered, "It would be nice to have a 'guiding anchor' from the vast sea, even a piece of wood floating across the curtain."

"That's no more likely than us crossing the border and arriving exactly in 1902," Lucrecia shook her head. "This is a border."

Shirley scratched her hair and muttered, "If it really comes to the time node of decades ago, or even hundreds or thousands of years ago..."

She muttered a few words and said nothing more.

Vanna softly repeated the words Shirley said: "Hundreds of years..."

"Then we arrived too early," Nina stuck out her tongue, "The good news is that we can see the normal sun at that time."

Vanna ignored Nina's words, but suddenly looked up at Lucrecia with a serious expression: "Ms. Lucrecia, how long can you live?"

The scene suddenly became quiet, and Lucrecia understood what Vanna meant. After a brief pause, she broke the silence: "I'm not sure how long this 'curse' can last, but at least... a few hundred years is no problem."

Morris shook his head: "My life span is limited. Even with the blessing of machinery and wisdom, this body will be destroyed."

Agatha's voice came from the side: "Theoretically, I have no life limit, but I lack a physical body, so my existence is not stable..."

"Abyssal demons can live for a long time," Vanna suddenly looked at Shirley, "At least, I have never heard of any Abyssal demon dying of old age because of reaching the limit of its lifespan. Just hide well and don't be discovered by the church guardians of the current era..."

Shirley listened in a daze, and then she gradually reacted: "Ah... No way..."

"We have to prepare for the worst case scenario." Vanna said seriously.

"Then let's think about the worse situation," Lucrecia suddenly shook her head, "What if we arrive late instead of early? When father needs us, we may not have arrived yet..."

Everyone fell silent immediately.

Silence and depression enveloped the bridge again.

But at this moment, a buzzing sound suddenly came from the direction of the equipment console.

Then, the clockwork doll Luni, who was monitoring the equipment, exclaimed:
"Mistress, there is a signal!"

(End of this chapter)