Embers of Embers

Chapter 500 The Horned Whale
"At that time, I had just joined the purification agency, and was subsequently incorporated into a scientific expedition team. The purpose was to explore the Silent Sea. At the time, I didn't know why it was for, but now it seems that it was for Merlin to go there later. The operations at World's End paved the way...although they all failed in the end."
Under the patter of rain, Shrike began his self-narration.
The sky outside the porthole window has become completely gloomy. This is the edge of the storm, but there is still lightning and thunder, as if the end is coming.
Lorenzo didn't feel depressed at all. He sniffed the cool air, which reminded him of his time in the castle. He was also telling others stories about the past in a similar environment. It was not the same as now. Very similar, but the people listening to the stories and the people telling the stories are different.
"First of all... where should I start? I'll just stop there. My memory is too vague."
Shrike tapped his head vigorously, and he also seemed very annoyed at the blurred memory.
"I was just an ordinary low-ranking knight, serving as a guard on the ship. The person in charge of this expedition at that time was Knight Commander Lancelot."
"Lancelot?"
Lorenzo was slightly surprised, and the silent Lan Jade also had the same expression as him, and then they all thought of the next story.
"Yes, it is precisely because the previous Lancelot died in the Silent Sea that Ovis can become the next Lancelot...but that will happen later.
This operation was very important, and for this reason, it was led by a knight captain and used the most advanced steam ironclad ship 'Narwhal' at the time.
The expedition went smoothly at first. The Narwhal was simply a fortress on the sea. When we sailed to the Viking countries, we encountered many Viking pirates. Judging from the time point, the King of Ice and Sea at that time was just a A pirate leader, civil wars continued in the Viking kingdoms, and the Viking pirates also plundered at will.
They attacked us, but you also know that under the advanced steam and steel, their wooden longships were like a group of ridiculous ants, being mercilessly run over by us. "
Shrike smiled and shook his head.
The Viking longship is very petite compared to other ships, but it has a shallow draft, fast speed, and can turn flexibly. It is mainly aimed at rapid plunder along the coast rather than sudden attacks at sea.
"At that time, it was similar to now. There was a heavy rain, which blurred the sea. They probably only saw the dark shadow of our ship and the light on it, thinking that we were a lost cargo ship or something, and then rushed over.
I don’t know what those Vikings were feeling at that time. Anyway, the Viking longship was carried by the waves and hit the solid iron armor. The Vikings were swallowed up by the roaring waves before they could even let out a war cry. Some of them were angry. Cursing us, he slashed at the hull with a tomahawk, but it could only leave a shallow scratch.
It was a simple victory. We didn't even fire cannons, but relied on the strength of the ship's hull and the heavy rain to defeat most of them. "
Shrike seemed to remember something and said again.
"Some Vikings survived that naval battle. They publicized our deeds. Within a few months, the Vikings all knew that there was such a thing as an ironclad ship in the world. They were fighting in the northern islands. After a long time, it completely derailed the world. Some people even believed that our appearance led to the unity of the Viking countries. After all, the faith of God Odin can no longer rule the sea. What really dominates all this is steel and artillery. "
The old age fades, and the new age dawns.
"After that, we successfully arrived at the Viking countries. At that time, they were not yet unified. Each island was controlled by different lords. They were at war with each other before, which was extremely troublesome. Fortunately, we showed enough They respect us somewhat in terms of force, and with the wealth and supplies they brought from Inverg to open the way, these Vikings are even more enthusiastic.
In fact, the Vikings are pretty good at this. I thought they would hate us, but they looked indifferent. When we mentioned the pirates we killed, they smiled and said they just returned to the Hall of Valor. This is a good thing. They are such a strange group of people. What is even stranger is that that night, some Vikings pulled me and asked me to kowtow to the statue of Odin, saying that in this way we can become brothers together. "
The memories gradually became clearer, and the Shrike's expression couldn't help but become a lot more strange when he thought about it.
"We took a short break and then asked these Vikings about the Silent Sea. This time, these carefree Vikings became serious. They remained silent and didn't say a word about the Silent Sea. No matter how we smashed it They refused to talk about the money. After paying a lot of money, we slightly pried one of their mouths.
That guy said that the Silent Sea is a forbidden sea area. The reason why it is silent is because there is something hidden under the sea that cannot be disturbed. It is so terrifying that there are no fish in this sea area. Even the violent winds and waves don't exist, there is only an almost eternal silence. "
"Is that why it's called the Sea of ​​Silence?" Lorenzo said calmly.
"It has many names, such as the Land of Silence, the Sea of ​​Death, the Realm of Storms and Silence, and some Vikings called it the Kingdom of the Dead, which is the Kingdom of the Dead in their mythology, but the specific location of that country is Under the Sea of ​​Silence, in that dark seabed, they believe that the bodies of all those who died at sea will be carried by the currents and transported to this dark seabed to obtain eternal silence.
Of course, the silence of the Silent Sea is also relative. Once a ship enters the Silent Sea, you'd better pray that you won't make any noise and disturb anything. Once you make a sound, you will be disturbed by the people sleeping under the Silent Sea. If something is discovered, then a storm will arise on the Silent Sea, and you and your ship will be destroyed in the lightning and thunder. "
"What's that 'thing'?" Lorenzo asked.
"I don't know, and no one knows. Maybe there were people who faced it, but those people are dead."
"Anyway, the careless Vikings can be so scared and awed like this. Even with advanced technology, we have to take it seriously. Another problem is that the reason why we are in contact with the Vikings is to find an opponent. The navigator Hai knew well took us there, but in this case, no one or even a Viking was willing to help, even if we took out all the supplies and money. In their view, it was an absolute place. A dark place. Once they die there, they will be swallowed up by the darkness. Even Valkyrie cannot save their souls from the darkness. They can only wander on the dark seabed, never reaching the sacred heroic spirit. temple."
"So no one here at the purification agency understands this?"
"It's long gone. The first time we went to the end of the world was in the middle of the Glorious War. That was decades ago. And at that time, we were forced by the situation and Yin Erweg obtained the knowledge regardless of the cost. , it can be said that it was completely filled with human lives. The surviving returnees also contracted diseases one after another and died one by one. The only one left is the Victoria family we are familiar with, and they are also troubled by the king's curse."
"Knowledge is cursed. Some people don't want more people to know about the existence of the end of the world." Lorenzo said.
"Absolutely. In fact, it seems that most of the weirdness and mystery in this world are traceable," Shrike said. "They are all protecting something, a person, a character, or a secret."
“Unfortunately, people themselves also have many things that we don’t know whether to call virtues or vices, such as thirst for knowledge, curiosity, and adventurous spirit. These things drive us to touch things that shouldn’t be touched... "
The Shrike murmured softly.
"We finally got some useful clues. Those Vikings said that we could go to Lord Wilgadasen. He was a lonely and strange lord. He once traveled across the entire Viking Kingdom by ship, and it is said that he had the most complete nautical charts of the Viking Kingdoms in his hands.
In the following time, he sailed away from the Viking countries and wandered on every sea area in the Western world, but he was not satisfied because he knew very well that his chart was not perfect. "
"Sea of ​​Silence." Lorenzo said softly.
"Lord Floki Wilgdarson was the first Viking to sail to the Silent Sea and return alive. However, his voyage seemed to have gone awry, and most of his crew died. , but his sea chart is still incomplete. Some people say that he was cursed by the sea, but he did not obey the curse, but continued to challenge the Silent Sea."
"Then we set sail to find Lord Floki Wilgdason. Everything went well. The Lord received us very friendly and had a meeting in his longhouse. It was also my first time since then. Once I learned detailed information about the Silent Sea.
The legend of the Vikings is correct. Under the Silent Sea is the kingdom of the dead, but this is somewhat misunderstood. It is not so much the kingdom of the dead as... the kingdom of demons. "
The harsh thunder fell, and pale light penetrated the sky and the earth. Everyone's cheeks in the cabin were reflected in a pale look. In the humid air, the unknown and strangeness were slowly fermenting.
Lorenzo's eyes were a little dull, and then great joy was released from them.
Yes, that’s it. There are no so-called gods and demons. There are just unknown puzzles one after another in this world, and they are cursed by a disease called erosion. When you realize its existence, then Prove you are not far from the truth.
"Keep talking, Shrike."
Lorenzo sat upright and listened carefully.
(End of this chapter)