Deep Sea Embers

The fleeting contact with the “smoke” quickly vanished.

Nonetheless, more smoke kept seeping from the Grand Storm Cathedral, wafting and twirling, occasionally amassing, then dissipating, resembling a dark cloud imperceptibly assembling above Pland and progressively enveloping a larger expanse, ultimately covering half of the city-state.

A lingering trace of coldness remained on Duncan’s fingertips. He furrowed his brow slightly and peered at the sky above the city, his thoughts consumed by uncertainty.

The gray-white fog evoked a sensation… as though a colossal creature had lost its shape, its essence ascending and dispersing within the real dimension, morphing into this unrestrained form. It was as if something behind the real dimension was gradually extending its awareness, utilizing the fog as tendrils, “sensing” the outline of the real world.

This second sensation was particularly pronounced when he made contact with the strand of smoke.

“Uncle Duncan?” Nina’s voice abruptly sounded from beside him, interrupting Duncan’s daydream. “Why is your hand out?”

“…Nothing.” Duncan blinked and murmured.

It seemed that Nina couldn’t see the smoke nor Shirley and Alice next to her, or the common people gathered inside and outside the dock.

But could those in the Grand Storm Cathedral perceive it? Could the female Pope, who sat within the cathedral and was considered the “Storm Goddess Gomona’s” mortal emissary, see it?

Silently, Duncan observed the magnificent “Ark,” almost as vast as the entire port area, as it decelerated near the edge of Pland. He watched its side mechanism gradually transform, extending a lengthy mechanical bridge like an elongating appendage, connecting it to the dock.

The indistinct and unseen smoke had evidently expanded during this procedure.

Feeling no hostility or threat from the fog, Duncan refrained from taking any action for now.

…

Adhering to ceremonial protocol, after firing a salute and playing music at Pland’s port to greet the Grand Storm Cathedral, a long mechanical bridge was extended, linking the pilgrimage ark to the city-state. Subsequently, a second solemn and harmonious steam whistle resounded from the ark.

The massive steam valves revolved open, and pressure relief pipes and steam whistle apparatuses all around the pilgrimage ark were activated concurrently. White plumes of vapor erupted from the cathedral’s walls and spires, soaring into the sky amid the steam whistle noises. This signaled the clock towers of both the city-state and the cathedrals to ring in unison.

Vanna inhaled deeply—standing in such a solemn and dignified location, even as an inquisitor, she couldn’t help but feel slightly apprehensive.

Moments later, she spotted several colorful flags emerging at the edge of the cathedral ark. A contingent of knights in bespoke armor then appeared on the long mechanical bridge. They rode steam-powered walking machines and reached the dock. One of them advanced and approached the high-ranking priests.

“Bishop Valentine, Inquisitor Vanna, may the glory of the Storm Ruler be with you.”

The knight commander bowed his head. He donned black alloy armor, and the arrangement of the boost pipes and steam valves was visible on his breastplate and armguards. A sturdy steel mask hid the knight’s true visage, and Vanna could only discern the dim red glow in his goggles and hear the air hissing, mingling with his voice.

Steam represented the breath of the gods, while steel served as the bridge connecting humanity and the divine. Beneath the face armor, the holy air hissed as though preaching in the knight’s speech.

“May the glory of the Storm Ruler be with you,” Vanna bowed her head back and said with Bishop Valentine standing beside her.

“The Pope invites you both to board the Ark,” the Knight Commander of the Inquisition declared amidst the air’s hissing, “Everyone else, please wait for a moment.”

Vanna raised her head in surprise and instinctively glanced at Bishop Valentine, only to find him looking equally perplexed.

Unsure if this was part of the ceremony, the Knight Commander clarified, noticing the confusion of the two high-ranking priests, “This is the Pope’s provisional arrangement. She has some matters she wishes to discuss with you.”

“We shall adhere to the Pope’s plan,” Bishop Valentine promptly hid his bewilderment and bowed his head respectfully.

Vanna, standing next to him, also swiftly recovered and bowed her head to demonstrate compliance.

“Please ask the priests and city officials to wait for a while, or they can rest on the side,” the Knight Commander addressed Dante and others, nodding slightly. “Don’t worry, you won’t wait too long.”

Vanna and Bishop Valentine proceeded onto the mechanical bridge leading to the Grand Storm Cathedral. The imposing cathedral drew nearer in her view, emanating an increasingly awe-inspiring, even somewhat oppressive, aura of authority.

Just by nearing it, Vanna felt her heart race.

Bishop Valentine noticed Vanna’s hesitant steps as they walked together. The elderly man gently shook his head, “Relax, this isn’t your first encounter with the Pope.”

“…Yes, I understand.”

Guided by a group of Inquisition knights, Vanna and Valentine traversed the lengthy bridge, strode across the dock-like expansive connecting platform, and ultimately were led into a massive elevator.

Vanna assumed the elevator would transport her to an upper level of the Ark Cathedral, but instead, she felt the entire car descending.

The sinking persisted for an extended period, long enough for Vanna to begin doubting whether the elevator was plunging directly into the ocean before the steel cables’ creaking noises finally ceased, opening the door in the next.

The Inquisition knight’s voice emerged from the side: “Please proceed on your own – the Pope awaits you ahead.”

Slightly bewildered, Vanna followed Valentine out of the elevator, hearing the gate behind them shut with a grinding sound. They gazed ahead and noticed an area almost entirely engulfed in darkness.

They could barely discern a figure garbed in extravagant robes standing in the dimly lit chamber.

Vanna hesitated for a moment before advancing.

As she did, the soft sound of a flame igniting abruptly shattered the silence in the shadowy space.

In rapid succession, several fire basins were kindled one after another. The sudden illumination banished the darkness near the elevator, enabling Vanna to spot Pope Helena standing not far away. To Vanna’s amazement, the light also revealed that the space was far larger than she had initially perceived.

Vanna could not see the end of this “room” despite the illumination from the basins; she could only observe the gray-black, slightly rough ground extending before her eyes, reaching all the way to the edge of the darkness. Around the periphery of the brazier’s light, she could vaguely make out some massive “pillars” and numerous intersecting shadows connecting them, resembling either the pipe system at the bottom of a church ark or a support structure.

Was this the lower hold of the pilgrimage ark?

Why would the Pope receive her and Bishop Valentine here?

Questions surfaced in Vanna’s mind, but before she could speak, a gentle yet authoritative voice from the front said, “You have arrived—Saint Valentine and Saint Vanna. Welcome to the Ark.”

“Your Holiness,” Vanna quickly stifled her doubts and, after adjusting her expression, paid her respects alongside Bishop Valentine. After the ceremony, she cautiously inquired, “You summoned us here because…”

However, Helena interrupted Vanna with a somewhat enigmatic question: “Do you know where this is?”

“Isn’t this the Grand Storm Cathedral?” Valentine looked up, his eyes blinking in confusion, “The bottom of the Grand Storm Cathedral?”

“This is indeed directly beneath the Grand Storm Cathedral, but strictly speaking, this place has already left the main body of the cathedral,” Helena revealed a slight smile. Under the reflection of several braziers, her smile seemed to conceal a deeper meaning, “You are standing on the lowest level of the pilgrimage ark, the ‘belly’ of this behemoth.”

She looked up, her gaze slowly shifting between Vanna and Valentine.

“Here, under the watchful eye of the Storm Lord and also closest to the deep sea, the blessings and judgment of the Lord coexist.”

Helena’s gaze settled, but she was not looking at Vanna or Valentine. Instead, it was as if she was addressing the void in the darkness.

“Has it become more challenging to continue fulfilling your duties after your faith has wavered?”

Vanna and Valentine both froze over that question.

An unbearable oppressive atmosphere enveloped this vast, dim space for the next while. Eventually, it was Vanna who broke the silence after taking a deep breath. “My faith…”

“I didn’t inquire about your faith,” Helena shook her head, “I asked if, after your faith has wavered, continuing to fulfill your duties has become more difficult than before?”

Vanna hesitated momentarily, seemingly not comprehending the deeper meaning of Helena’s words. On the other hand, Bishop Valentine displayed a sudden realization after brief astonishment. He immediately responded: “I have always carried out my duties, protecting the city-state and guiding the believers with sincerity…”

“Very well, Saint Valentine, your steadfastness moves me—you should continue to fulfill your duties as the protector of the city-state of Pland until the end.

“Saint Vanna, I see your confusion, and considering your situation, I have no choice but to announce the temporary suspension of your duties as the inquisitor of Pland.

“This decision is effective immediately.” Helena spoke rapidly, finishing before Vanna and Valentine could react.

The two saints exchanged puzzled glances.

Valentine: “…?”

Vanna: “…?”