No one understands the line between life and death better than Tirian and his undead sailors.
Bartok, the god of death, has a door that anchors the boundary between life and death. In short, as long as the soul of the living passes through that door, it reaches the world of the dead, and that door is One-way - in other words, as long as you don't go through that door, then whether it is a brief corpse awakening or a continuous undead curse, it is not actually a true "resurrection from the dead."
"There are many people in the world who confuse the 'immortal' with the 'dead', and even think that the former is taking advantage of the door of death," Tirian said calmly, turning back and looking at the noisy sailors in the square. "But in fact, they were only rejected by that gate because of soul pollution, and therefore were stuck on the boundary between life and death. If we follow the strict concept of the Church of Death, the 'immortal' actually belongs to the world of the living. "
Duncan didn't speak for a while, but recalled his experience in that cemetery.
Waking up in a coffin, he was called a "restless one" by the cemetery's caretaker; a group of Annihilation cultists came to steal the body, and they seemed to have expected that the body would move; the body suddenly disintegrated itself, as if "reaching some kind of limit"……
"There may not have been a real resurrection of the dead in Frost, but most people have actually witnessed the dead appearing in the city, and behind these events, it is most likely related to a group of Annihilation cultists," Duncan said calmly after pondering. He said slowly, "It's just that we can't tell how far they have penetrated, nor can we tell what they want to do."
"The Annihilation Cult?" Tirian was surprised. He did not expect that this matter would suddenly be related to the cultists. "How are you sure it is related to them?"
"They once tried to take away a corpse from the city-state cemetery. They seemed to be well prepared and even expected that the corpse would move abnormally in advance - although the actual situation in the end was a little different from what they expected."
Tirian listened blankly, and looked at his father with some suspicion: "How...how do you know this information? And it is so detailed..."
"That body is mine."
Tirian: "...Huh?"
"It was just a walk at night, and I happened to meet the body thief," Duncan did not explain in detail. "That is not important. What is important is whether these 'return of the dead' events are related to the 'deep sea' below the frost." .”
"The return of the dead and the 'deep sea'?" Tirian frowned. He had indeed never associated these two things together. When he heard his father suddenly mention it, he couldn't help but wonder, "Why do you say that? Between these two things, between……"
"It's very simple. The body I was 'temporarily using' had a strange disintegration phenomenon at the end. The state presented during the disintegration process was very similar to the 'replica' that appeared in the Qianyuan Project you described."
"In a state of disintegration?" Tirian sounded surprised, followed by confusion, "But... the replica of the Abyss Plan comes from the seabed a thousand meters below, how could the dead in the city-state be related to it... "
He stopped, the expression on his face became complicated and solemn, and he raised his head after a moment: "Could it be said that the power of 'replication' has spread in the city-state, and the cultists you mentioned are the promoters? But There shouldn't be any connection between the Annihilation Cult and the deep sea..."
Listening to Tirian talking to himself, Duncan suddenly thought of something else.
In the deepest part of the Obsidian, in the mouth of "Captain Christo", is that small piece of flesh and blood that contains the aura of the profound Holy Lord!
If that ghost ship really came from the deep sea under the frost, if Captain Christo (regardless of whether he is a copy or the original body) really had contact with the Holy Lord Netherworld...then the Annihilation Cult in the city-state will It has something to do with the deep sea!
Tirian looked at the figure on the ice curiously: "Father, what are you thinking about?"
"How much do you know about the Holy Lord Netherworld? What about the Annihilation Cult?" Duncan suddenly raised his head and asked, "How many interactions have you had with them?"
"I haven't had much interaction with them - although the Annihilation cultists are not as elusive as the Evangelists, they are also a low-key and secretive group. They are obsessed with studying demonic knowledge and 'purifying' themselves through demonic knowledge. Generally, they will not It has something to do with outsiders.”
Tirian shook his head and continued: "As for the Holy Lord of the Deep... I heard that his personality is equal to that of a god, but he does not have the authority of a god. In a few data descriptions, he is a person crawling in the deepest part of the Deep Realm. A huge piece of flesh, guarding a large crack leading to the subspace with countless arms and legs, but there are also reports that He is actually stuck in the crack, and some great power sealed it there...
"The information in this area has always been vague and bizarre. After all, mortals in the world have almost no means to observe the situation in the deep realm. All research in this area is based on the indirect observation of projections in the spiritual world and the soul torture of some Annihilation cultists. superior."
Speaking of this, Tirian couldn't help but asked curiously: "Why did you suddenly ask about Holy Lord Netherworld?"
"In the deepest part of the Obsidian, I found a small piece of flesh and blood. It is most likely from the Holy Lord Netherworld."
Tirian: "...?"
The number of times he was shocked tonight was obviously more than that of his old father when he saw twelve Badika dancers dancing on the stage just now.
"I know you don't believe it, but it's true." Duncan could certainly see the disbelief on Tirian's face. "I have a deep demon here who can help with the identification."
Tirian's tone was still a bit confused: "Deep Demon? Help with identification?"
"A deep hound - you have seen it," Duncan said casually, "although you only saw it for a moment."
Tirian was stunned, as if he thought of something, and immediately reached out and touched his forehead.
Duncan nodded: "Yes, that's it."
Tirian didn't know what to say.
Duncan raised his gaze, looked over Tirian's shoulder, and glanced in the direction of the square.
After a few rounds of dancing, even the dancers who had taken the potion in advance should take a rest.
"The conversation should be over," Duncan said suddenly. "This matter seems to be more complicated than you and I imagined. It is difficult to draw any conclusions just from such a discussion behind a mirror."
"what do you mean……"
"I will send a messenger over, and the messenger will take you to the Lost Home. Here, we can talk about some things more conveniently, and you can also see with your own eyes what I brought out from the depths of the Obsidian."
Go aboard the Lost Home? !
Although this was a gentle invitation, Tirian couldn't help but feel a chill and nervousness for a moment.
He tried hard to control the changes in his expression, but the instant reaction in his eyes still fell on Duncan's eyes.
"If you don't want to, I can go directly," the voice on the ice said calmly, "but you need to make preparations with your subordinates first."
Tirian looked a little nervous.
Go to the Lost Home by yourself, or let the Lost Home sail into the base of the Sea Mist Fleet?
No matter which option you choose, it seems to be a bit of a challenge to achieve success in life.
But after a brief weighing, he made a decision with reason.
"You can send a messenger. It will be more convenient for me to go there."
Tirian looked calmly at his father on the ice.
Reasonably, he told himself that his father had really regained his humanity, so even the Lost Home Number returning from subspace... was not a dangerous and forbidden place in theory.
What can't be passed?
If you go there, you just need to make some mental preparations. But if the Homeless Ship is allowed to sail directly into the home port, you will not be the only one who needs to make mental preparations.
Just need to fight a little nervous instinct.
"That's good," Duncan nodded, seeming to be satisfied with Tirian's answer. Then he took half a step back slightly, and his figure quickly dimmed and blurred on the ice. "Then I'll leave first. I have some things to do, so I will let you know before the messenger leaves."
Tirian bent slightly in front of the ice that was gradually returning to normal. He waited until the last trace of green flames dissipated before he straightened up again.
Then he calmed down, turned around and walked towards the square.
In the square, the noise in the second half of the night has not stopped. The undead sailors are either eating and drinking, or talking and laughing wantonly. There are also some rude people closer to the stage who are trying to whistle to the dancers on the stage - but because Air leaks from the mouth or throat and makes only funny noises.
On the stage, the dancers had finished their performance. They stood in a row under the command of the foreman, seeming to be waiting for the next order to disband. The cold wind blew through the gap between the bonfire and the windshield, and several of the girls seemed to be shaking a little. , and in their numb and dull eyes, clever expressions gradually began to emerge.
The effect of the alchemy potion is almost over, and normal feelings will return to their minds.
Two girls gradually showed a little curiosity on their faces, but fear gradually emerged in the eyes of more people.
The square was full of strange-looking undead people—even if they had been mentally prepared in advance, this was not a scene that ordinary people could bear.
First mate Aiden ran out. He had been paying attention to what was going on on the stage. At this time, he went directly to the highest point in the square and shouted loudly at the sailors who were still noisy with a broken gong: "It's over, it's over! It's not over!" It’s time to dance! The ones with the scariest looks covered their faces and crawled under the table with their missing arms and legs. The girls were about to leave - get out of the way next to the stage... Willen! Get under the table for me. Go! Your face scares me!"
So the sailors in the square responded loudly, covering their faces, hiding, noisy and laughing, while the foreman on the stage looked at this scene with some confusion at first, and then reacted hastily and awkwardly. He saluted Aiden and quickly led the girls off the stage.
The girls with nervous and fearful expressions tried their best to hide themselves behind others and hurriedly walked towards the temporary accommodation arranged for them.
There were also two very courageous girls who stopped on purpose, blinking and looking curiously at the undead people in the square.
A girl raised her head as she passed Aiden and said something with a smile. The first mate became so embarrassed that he almost fell off the platform.
The dancers from Coldharbour left.
Aiden finally noticed Tirian coming to the square.
(End of chapter)
