Chapter 803 After the only Chef on Board Took the Helm
The restless sea breeze blew across the mirror-like calm sea, rolling the flags on the ships fluttering. The escort formation composed of many large warships sailed in the night, and inside the escort formation, a huge shadow was gradually emerging from the air.
On the ark base like a small city-state, the magnificent church with towering spires stood solemnly. The lights between the multiple spires illuminated the nearby sea surface. The towers and corridors guarded 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 tower of the Storm Cathedral, looking at the calm sea in the distance in the night, while a middle-aged priest stood quietly beside her, slightly lowering his head.
"The goddess's condition seems to be getting worse," Helena suddenly said, "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 it is said that many city-states that have been in darkness for a long time have seen unrest among the dead - not only the city-states protected by the Church of Death, but other city-states as well."
Helena listened quietly, sighed for a long time, and sketched the emblem of the goddess of storms on her chest - some kind of undulating pattern with mysterious meaning, but no corresponding explanation or record in the "Storm Original Codex": "...the order of death and storms is fading from the entire world."
The middle-aged priest did not speak, but stood quietly.
Helena looked back at him and said, "Are there many people who are wavering?"
"...Recently, more people have gone to the confessional and the missionary to receive guidance, but overall, the Ark and the Ark Fleet are doing well, and the clergy still have firm faith. From the beginning, we knew that the world would decline and we were prepared for it - the goddess's decline is a test we will face sooner or later."
The middle-aged priest paused here, and added hesitantly, "But in some more remote city-states...an atmosphere of uneasiness is spreading. The chief priests may still be able to maintain their faith, but they can hardly cope with the increasing number of believers and clergy who are wavering."
"...Maintain order, cooperate with the city-state authorities' management and emergency measures, even if prayers are ineffective, the power of steam and grease still exists, and we still have fire and steel that will not betray us," Helena said slowly, "We must prove to the believers that no matter what happens to the goddess, The Deep Sea Church will still firmly perform its duties despite the situation - the most important thing is to divert everyone's attention from "praying" to other places. "
The middle-aged priest bowed his head deeply: "Yes."
Helena said "hmm", but her eyes were still looking at the sea in the distance, and 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 is all an illusion."
The middle-aged priest raised his head with confusion on his face: "The sea... is there anything wrong?"
Helena frowned, and after a few seconds of silence, she waved her hand: "No, nothing, just some irrelevant thoughts. Leave first, I have other things to do."
The priest took the order and left. Helena blew the sea breeze on the terrace for a while, and then turned back to the church tower - she walked through 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 most often.
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. The fire basin in front of the goddess statue was jumping with an unextinguished flame. The illusory flame was like a nearly transparent ghost with a hint of unreal texture.
Helena came to the fire basin and sprinkled spices and essential oils into the nearly transparent flame. When the smoke rose, layers of mumbling and whispering suddenly appeared in her mind.
She was in a trance for a while in the "noise" that seemed to pollute the 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 Frem came: "Is it about the 'archives'?"
Helena hummed: "I know you have an archive plan, and your ark is sailing north... The destination is the permafrost sea, right?"
"That permanently frozen ice is the most likely place to be preserved as a 'fragment' after the end of the world," Frem's voice seemed a little distorted in the flames, "Over the years, the Firebringers have been measuring the 'focus' of our world on the endless sea to find history and time The most stable part of the current, and this focus eventually points to the north. "
Helena hesitated: "Has the location been determined?"
"No, it can only be determined to be in the north," said Fram in a calm voice, "but we don't have much time to continue to make precise measurements. The survival rate of priests who enter the historical gap to measure the world is getting lower and lower. I can't continue to let them take risks... Now I can only let the Ark sail to the north, and I will personally determine the final location of the focus. "
Helena nodded gently, thinking for a while before breaking the silence: "I will send a fleet to find you, they will meet you before the Firebringer Ark enters the Frigid Sea-those ships carry the most precious and important documents collected by the Deep Sea Church over the years. "
The flames in the brazier crackled and jumped, and it took a long time before Frame's voice came: "Okay, I've left a place 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 a uniform gray-white passage, the Lost Home and the Brilliant Star are floating as if they are sailing in endless nothingness. The unidentifiable gray and white texture in all directions makes it impossible to judge whether the two ships are heading towards the other. Moving forward and staring outside for a long time, Duncan would even have a strange association that the ship had stopped and the Homeless was permanently trapped in a stagnant space and time.
But he knew clearly that the ship was still sailing, sailing in the twisted and chaotic structure of time and space beyond the border. The fragmented shadow of the New Hope was looming over the Lost Home and the Brilliant Star. The shadow occasionally appeared The flickering is evidence that the "jump" is still going on.
Alice stood on the bridge at the stern of the ship, her eyes looking forward without focus. She still held the steering wheel tightly, but her expression was not as agile as usual, but like a real puppet with a strange expression. Empty and cold.
Her consciousness is no longer in this body, but integrated into the Lost Home and New Hope, maintaining the stability of the jump channel.
Duncan went to the bridge to confirm Alice's status, and then returned to the cabin where the crew gathered - in the restaurant, Shirley was sitting at the table with a sad face, stirring the bowl with a spoon. The color and texture were a bit subtle. of soup.
After stirring for an unknown number of times, she finally raised her head with a look of embarrassment on her face and looked at Morris sitting opposite: "Why don't I be responsible for cooking next time?"
"No, you are the youngest on this ship, and no one can take your turn." Morris waved his hand, and then his eyes became slightly curious, "My cooking is not delicious?"
Shirley suddenly shrank her neck and twitched the corners of her mouth unnaturally: "Actually, it's... not bad."
Morris frowned when he saw this, and tasted the soup he had just cooked, his eyes a little vacant.
"...I remember that this was how Heidi made it when she taught me how to make vegetable and mushroom soup..." the old scholar muttered with blank eyes, "Which step went wrong?"
"It's hard to explain your steps, but I'm sure that the vegetable and mushroom soup made by Heidi is definitely not like this." Fanna, who was sitting on the other side of the table, looked at the soup bowl in front of her with an expression on her face. "Forget it, I'll do it next time." Let’s cook it, it might not taste that good, but at least... well, it’s not that weird.”
"I kind of miss Alice's scones and fish soup," Nina muttered. "At least the soup itself tastes normal after taking the head out..."
Duncan walked into the restaurant at this time. He heard the resentment of the crew, and the expression on his face was a little subtle: "Usually when Alice cooks, you don't speak so highly of her, but now that she is at the helm, you do. Reacted."
When Fanna and others saw the captain appearing, they quickly stood up to say hello. Nina stood up to say hello and stuck out her tongue: "Next time, I'll cook. I think I may be the one with the best skills here - at any rate, I was in Pu When Rand was at home, I was in charge of cooking.”
Duncan laughed, sat down in his seat, and then looked at the food in front of him with a confused expression along with the others.
Expectant looks came from all directions.
After a moment, he sighed and snapped his fingers under the expectant gazes of the others.
An illusory flame rose across the dining table and condensed into a dark mirror. In the mirror where the flame flowed, Lucretia's figure gradually became clear.
The Miss Witch was sitting on her own ship, in the dining room of the Brilliant Star - with a sumptuous meal before her.
"Good afternoon, dad," Lucretia smiled at this side, "and everyone, good afternoon."
Duncan thought for a while, stretched his head and glanced at the cups and plates in front of Lucretia: "Are you ready to have lunch?"
"Yes," Lucretia nodded with a smile, "Lu Ni made baked apple pie, fried steak, cream corn soup and vegetable pancakes today - this salad was made by Ni Lu, although she only had Luni is a third taller but has started to learn to do things for me.”
A small head popped out from the edge of the screen. Nelu, the little doll who had recently become an official crew member of the Brilliant Star, stuck her head out of the table and greeted the mirror.
Shirley stretched her neck and looked at it for a long time, hesitating: "Is it delicious?"
"It tastes very good," Lucretia looked at Shirley with a half-smile, "Luni's craftsmanship has been recognized by famous chefs."
Shirley licked her lips: "Then..."
Lucretia continued to smile: "Huh?"
Duncan finally couldn't help but sigh, and spread his hands to look at "Miss Witch" in the mirror: "There is no one cooking on the ship here anymore - Alice is at the helm."
Lucretia finally burst out laughing, then quickly adjusted her sitting position in a reserved and ladylike manner, smiled helplessly and sighed: "Come on, I have prepared a lot...I knew this would happen."
As soon as Miss Witch finished speaking, Duncan heard the sound of chairs moving. He looked up and saw that almost all the crew members around him had stood up, and then a series of eyes fell on him.
He spread his hands in confusion: "Watch what I do - go ahead, Ai will send 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, I'm worried about leaving the ship - go ahead, the food will be cold in a while, 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 here... Shirley, put down that basin!"