Chapter 1 Dagger Island

East of Frostburg, as far as the eye can see on the sea cliffs, lies a rocky island – long and curved, resembling a thin scimitar or a strangely shaped dagger. The entire island is covered in craggy rocks and barren sand, so the Frost people have given it a descriptive name based on its appearance: "Dagger Island."

In the vast ocean, land is the most valuable resource. Even the most barren and narrow island is put to use, and Dagger Island is no exception.

The island has a freshwater source, but no arable land or wide, flat ground. It cannot serve as a stable residence or food-producing area, nor does it have usable plants or animals. However, the island once had a small amount of boiling gold deposits, so the Frost people built mines and refineries on the island. After the small amount of boiling gold was mined, it served as a transit port for a period of time. After the Frost Rebellion, the shipping routes around the city-state were adjusted, and the island's port was transformed into a special storage facility for preserving dangerous objects that must be kept away from the civilized world.

As time passes and things change, the barren and rocky island has been managed by different organizations. Now it is controlled by the Frost military and has become a secret "temporary research base" for studying the strange object salvaged from the deep sea.

The sealing devices used to preserve dangerous objects and the island's strict security measures are strong guarantees for conducting such research.

A mechanical speedboat arrived from Frostburg at noon, approaching the military port on the recessed side of Dagger Island. The flag flying high on the mechanical speedboat indicated its affiliation with the Frost Navy.

After a series of complex and strict verification, inspection, and registration procedures, the speedboat named "Seagull" was authorized to dock. With the gradually low hum of the steam core, it docked next to the trestle bridge and lowered the gangplank from the side of the ship.

Several soldiers in dark blue naval uniforms walked down the gangplank first, followed by a tall, burly officer with short gray hair.

Several military personnel stationed on the island were waiting on the shore.

The burly officer with short gray hair looked around the trestle bridge and went ashore along the gangplank. The welcoming personnel waiting there immediately stepped forward and saluted. One of them said, "General, you are twenty-five minutes late than the scheduled time. This needs to be registered and explained—you must go to the registration room yourself."

"Yes," the burly officer, who was called general, nodded. He did not think it was offensive for an ordinary sergeant to say these things to him—this is a special research facility, and all strict verification regulations are normal and reasonable safety requirements. "Let's go now... How is the professor doing?"

"Professor Mairson is in the '密室' (Mishi, Secret Chamber). He made some discoveries while analyzing and testing a new batch of samples. The material scraped from the surface of that thing seems to exhibit wonderful properties under special experimental conditions," the welcoming person said. "But the specific situation will be discussed in detail after entering the '密室' (Mishi, Secret Chamber)."

"Okay, take me to the registration room."

Not far from the military port of Dagger Island, inside a solid building constructed of reinforced concrete and huge rocks, research work was still in full swing.

This inconspicuous gray building is the so-called "密室" (Mishi, Secret Chamber), and it is also one of the most heavily protected and structurally strongest laboratories on the island.

The hall inside the building was brightly lit.

This was a huge hexagonal prism-shaped room. Each wall was cast with the strongest cement, and the tops of the walls were engraved with symbols and religious symbols of mystical significance. Huge scripture banners hung down from the ceiling, staggered between the light and shadow gaps of the gas lamps. Steam pipes crossed through the roof of the hall, and some valves made slight hissing sounds. An incense burner burned quietly in the corner of the hall, and the sacred smoke slowly merged into the air.

Researchers in short robes were busy everywhere in the hall. A metal device, about five or six meters in diameter and round like a bell, was suspended in the center of the room by thick chains. The surface of the metal device was mottled and old, as if it had been soaked in seawater for a long time. The complex valves and connecting structures on the top were enough to indicate its function.

This was a "diving bell."

Directly below the suspended diving bell, the center of the hall floor was inlaid with a huge circular grid plate. The diameter of the grid plate was much larger than the long axis of the diving bell. Through the grid plate, the striking red light deep underground could be vaguely seen.

A tall, thin old scholar with meticulous silver hair was standing in front of the suspended diving bell, supervising several assistants to carefully scrape samples from its surface.

A clergyman in a priest's robe walked slowly behind the assistants. The priest held a brass incense burner in his hand, and a faint scent of incense rose from the burner along with soft, murmuring prayers, slowly floating in the air.

"Professor, General Belazov has arrived at the port," an assistant walked over from the side and said behind the tall, thin old scholar, "After completing the necessary registration and handover, he will come directly here to see you."

"Oh... Belazov, I received the message that he would come in person. It seems that the city hall is finally a little nervous," Professor Mairson said with some helplessness. "Come on in... How is the sample sent to the laboratory this morning?"

"The last round of tests has been carried out, and it can now be determined that although that thing looks like rust, it is definitely not any substance we know. Moreover, the properties it exhibits are constantly changing over time," the assistant replied. "It feels... as if that thing is still in some kind of evolutionary process, so that it can never stably show its own properties."

"Yes."

Professor Mairson nodded slightly, his eyes still fixed on the suspended diving bell.

The exterior of the diving bell was severely corroded, but the circular hatch structure on its side could still be clearly seen. The hatch was now tightly closed, and it had not been opened since it was sent to this "密室" (Mishi, Secret Chamber).

On the other side of the diving bell, a circular window could be seen, inlaid with a very, very thick piece of special glass, but for some reason, the inside of the round window was covered with dirt. The black stuff almost covered the entire glass, so that the situation inside the diving bell could not be seen clearly at all.

One could only vaguely see that there was a messy cavity inside, and some liquid-like things.

What's inside the diving bell?

Professor Mairson himself has wondered this more than once, but no matter how curious he is, he does not have the slightest idea of opening the hatch.

He was sixteen years old the year the Deep Sea Embers Project began.

He knows what can be curious about and what must be cautious about.

While thinking, the assistant's voice came from behind again: "Professor, do you think the higher-ups will order us to open that hatch?"

"... Frankly speaking, I don't want to receive such an order at all," Professor Mairson shook his head and turned to look at his assistant. "Courage and the spirit of exploration have allowed humans to survive in the boundless sea, but once these two qualities go too far, they will become recklessness and death."

The assistant blinked, then blinked his third and fourth eyes.

"But our progress is too slow—what if another submersible floats up, just like you predicted?"

Mairson pondered for a moment and shook his head gently: "When that time really comes, what we have to do may not only be opening the hatch—we have to be prepared to face the deep sea."

The assistant looked like he understood.

This assistant is still too young—but then again, how many people can still understand the horror of the Deep Sea Embers Project half a century later?

Professor Mairson raised his head and looked at those busy figures around the diving bell.

Some of the figures seemed to be a little different from when they first came to the island.

And other figures occasionally made the old professor feel a little strange.

It seemed that many unfamiliar figures had unknowingly appeared in this research facility.

But that's nothing.

Strange, personnel changes in the research team are very normal, especially for this complex and special project that requires the joint participation of various experts.

Everything is very reasonable.

The clergyman holding the brass incense burner came over and nodded slightly to Professor Mairson.

The incense burner in his hand slightly opened its eyes and secretly looked at the old scholar's appearance.

The wonderful scent of incense floated in the air.

"Today's prayer has been completed,"

The clergyman said softly, "I will come here again at this time tomorrow to pray for the machines."

"Thank you, %¥&%@* Priest." The old professor nodded with a smile, naturally addressing the other party, "If I didn't definitely have a bunch of troublesome things this afternoon, I should invite you for a drink."

"Let's receive the general first,"

The priest smiled, "That's a big shot representing Frostburg to 'supervise' here."