Chapter 1 Rebirth

Accompanied by a wave and rippling seawater, the submersible shot out of the water. The afternoon sun shone on the sea, and the submersible's thick shell reflected a cold light. Then, the disposable smoke device on the top of the submersible was activated. With a flash of fire, a slight explosion sounded, and a straight orange plume rose into the blue sky. After a period of attitude and power adjustment, the submersible's floating state stabilized. With creaking sounds, the locking device on the side of the hull opened.

With a turn of the handle, Duncan opened the submersible's hatch from the inside. Fresh air rushed in. Even for the two "corpses" that didn't need to breathe, the fresh, cold wind above the sea was exceptionally pleasant. The illusion of being constantly chased, entangled, and leaked by indescribable things in the deep sea finally faded from his mind. Agatha gripped the handrail and climbed out of the hatch with Duncan, onto the top of the submersible's outer shell, gazing at the vast ocean in the distance.

Duncan tilted his head slightly, looking at the Gatekeeper: "How does it feel to be back in the sunlight?"

"As if returning once again from the door of the realm of death," Agatha said softly.

"I never thought that sunlight and air would bring such a near-rebirth kind of shock, but that was after I could neither feel the warmth of the sun nor enjoy smooth breathing. Where is 'she'?" Duncan asked again.

"During the dive, the other Agatha never appeared—but she should have been watching all along? We feel the same—but she says she needs some time to think, and is silent now. Do you want to talk to her? I can call her out."

"No need. Let her think. This deep dive will be a reshaping and baptism of worldviews for everyone. There are many things we need to consider." Duncan waved his hand gently, then looked up at the distant horizon.

"Oh, the recovery ship sent by Tyrian has found us. Looks like we don't have to make our own way back to the city-state." The silhouette of a steam clipper appeared on the sea, speeding towards the rising smoke signal of the submersible. The submersible successfully returned. His father and the Gatekeeper Ms. were safe and on their way back.

When this "urgent message" was sent to his desk through the pressure pipeline, Tyrian, who had been waiting for news in South Port, couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. But then, a strange feeling floated up from the bottom of his heart. He got up from behind his desk and slowly paced to the window, gazing somewhat absentmindedly at the gradually sinking sunlight outside. In the silence, Lucretia's voice suddenly came from the crystal ball not far away: "Is there news from Father?" Tyrian turned his head and looked at the crystal ball glowing on the desk, his tone somewhat strange: "Is my anxiety showing that much?" Lucretia in the crystal ball had a piece of bread in her mouth, one hand was rapidly writing and calculating on a piece of draft paper floating in the air next to her, and the other hand was busy adjusting the experimental instruments on the table. She took a moment to look up at her brother and said casually, "Three parts nervousness, three parts hesitation, three parts comfort, and one part fear and helplessness—that must be Father returning. Do you scholars always talk to people like this? You make me sound like a pie chart." Tyrian frowned, then couldn't help but sigh. "I'm just a little sentimental. If it were not long ago, I would never have imagined that I would feel comforted by Father's safe return—the first time I knew he was coming back, I wasn't in this state of mind."

"Yes, you almost cramped your leg back then, commanded the Sea Mist to fight Dad, and then didn't sleep for three days, calling me up in the middle of the night to describe your nightmares—forcing me to shiver with you."

"Stop fabricating these non-existent details," Tyrian quickly interrupted his sister on the other side of the crystal ball, "and it's not these things that I want to talk to you about."

Lucretia became quiet. She finally put down her research work, which seemed to never end, and her endless bread, and looked at Tyrian's eyes very seriously. When this gaze almost gave Tyrian goosebumps, she finally broke the silence: "When we were little, Father often left home for a long time. At that time, whenever the bells rang from the direction of the pier, we would climb to the roof of the house to see if it was the sails of the Forsaken. You always told me to be as steady as a lady, and then took the opportunity to seize the highest place."

"It's been many years," Tyrian said after a few seconds of silence, as if muttering to himself.

"I still remember that the roof was blue. When the sea breeze blew, the weather vane on the corner of the roof would whistle. You tied a windmill next to the weather vane, saying you wanted to show it off to Father, so our sneaking onto the roof was exposed."

"Now we have reached places higher than that roof, and we have seen the scenery that Father once saw," Lucretia said in a gentle tone.

"But we still haven't caught up with Father's footsteps. He went to the deep sea, to a depth that even the Abyss Exploration Project of the past failed to reach. What do you think he will find on this expedition?"

Tyrian didn't speak for a moment. Then, a crackling sound suddenly came from the mirror behind him. Immediately afterward, Duncan's voice came from the mirror: "Found a very amazing secret, I'm about to tell you." Tyrian almost jumped up instantly, his muscles tensing up. The Sea Witch on the other side of the crystal ball reacted even more strongly than he did. He only heard an exclamation and a clattering sound from Lucretia's side. Then, a burst of smoke and flashes rose from the crystal ball, and the picture was interrupted. Tyrian turned his head, his body tense, and saw a ghostly green flame burning in the mirror behind him. In the dark mirror, Duncan leaned his head out and looked behind him: "Is your sister okay? Did I scare her?"

"Could you not use such a frightening way to appear every time?" Tyrian blurted out subconsciously, but as soon as he said it, he felt inappropriate and quickly checked Duncan's reaction. His father's expression didn't change much.

"I considered using a friendlier way to appear, such as knocking on the door in advance or sending a notice, but Vanna told me that it's not the way I appear that's scary, but that my appearance itself is scary." Duncan looked at Tyrian with a calm expression.

"I think she's right, so I simply didn't change it. That way, at least it's more interesting to watch other people's startled reactions." Tyrian's eyes twitched. His father was enjoying the show. His frank attitude on this matter stunned him, but he quickly forced himself to adjust his emotions, while curiously looking at his father in the mirror.

"Have you returned to the city-state? I'll go find you now." "The avatar I'm using has returned, but you don't need to go there," Duncan interrupted Tyrian.

"Pack your things and go directly to the Forsaken." Tyrian was stunned: "Huh?"

"I have a major discovery in the deep sea." Duncan's expression was particularly serious.

"The information should not be made public and may point to the Ancient Gods, so everyone needs to be summoned to the Forsaken to discuss it. I have already sent Agatha over, and my followers have also gathered. You are the master of the Sea Mist and the new Governor of Frost, so you must also be present." From his father's expression and tone, Tyrian instantly realized the situation was special and serious, and immediately restrained his relaxation.

"Okay, I'll leave a note for Aiden to explain the situation."

"Mm." Duncan nodded, then glanced around the room, his gaze landing on the complex crystal ball lens device.

"Bring your crystal ball when you come to the ship," he said to Tyrian. "Lucy had better listen to the situation too. She'll be interested in the secrets of the deep sea."

Tyrian, who was writing a note, immediately looked up, first glancing at Duncan in surprise, then nodding instantly: "Okay, I'll definitely bring the crystal ball. Where is the Forsaken now? I'll have a speedboat prepared." As soon as he finished speaking, Duncan in the mirror waved his hand.

"No need, Yi will take you there."

A "knock, knock, knock" sound came from outside the window. Tyrian turned his head in the direction of the sound and saw the plump white pigeon that always followed his father. The pigeon was pecking at the harbor office window glass with its beak, tilting its head crookedly.

"Hop in? Got a big seat, and the old driver drives steadily. Tyrian?" The Forsaken's dining hall was the gathering place for the crew. The wide, long dining table had been wiped until it shone, and bright oil lamps hung on the pillars near the table.

The captain's followers were gathered on both sides of the table. Vanna and Morris were sitting upright, Shirley and Alice were wandering in the sky, and Nina and Ah Gou were engrossed in their books. Outside of them, there were two new figures here today. Agatha, dressed as a blind nun, was sitting quietly by the long table, praying silently, and Lawrence, wearing a white coat and clutching a pipe, seemed cramped and nervous. The latter was nervously looking around the cabin. Lawrence's ship was currently parked on the nearby sea, and the first mate was helping to manage the ship. He, the captain, had been summoned by an order to the "flagship." No one had told him exactly what it was about. This old captain was uneasy. This was the first time he had truly stepped onto the Forsaken, stepped onto this legendary ghost ship that had returned from subspace. Duncan Abernathy's followers gathered in this ancient and solemn cabin, waiting under the lights for the order from Captain Duncan. He already knew the identities and origins of these people: animated puppets, shattered suns, sentient demons, oath-breaking exiled inquisitors, and legendary scholars on the verge of madness. Now, he was among them. Even in his most crazy dreams and illusions, Lawrence had never imagined that he would experience such a scene.

He was a captain who was originally preparing to retire.