Ashes Of Deep Sea-Chapter 371 - 375 Reflection
Chapter 371: Chapter 375 Reflection
Chapter 371: Chapter 375 Reflection
Mr. Eddie boarded the small boat heading for the Sea Mist, and those terrifying undead sailors scrutinized him as if observing a rare animal.
It made the secretary feel incredibly awkward and even somewhat creeped out.
“I really didn’t expect you to come alone,” the swollen-bodied undead sailor spoke with a touch of wonder, “Our captain said three people could board the ship.”
“Three people or one makes no difference,” Eddie shook his head, “If General Tyrion had allowed me to bring the entire team, I certainly would have brought all the advisors and aides. But he only permitted three… That’s hardly any different from me going alone.”
“You could bring two soldiers to bolster your courage,” another undead sailor laughed out loud, his voice wheezing through his leaky throat.
“I don’t need to bolster my courage; the soldiers won’t be of any help,” Eddie shook his head again and spoke earnestly.
His attitude left the undead sailors feeling rather bored, and someone mumbled on the boat, “…Pompous officials.”
A moment later, General Tyrion met with the emissary from the City-State—a man in his thirties or forties, donning formal attire, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, with hair meticulously combed as if he’d been in an office sipping tea just a second before.
Slick and powdered, and he had come alone.
This made the prepared pirate quite surprised, even feeling an awkward sense of frustration—as he had expected the first to board the Sea Mist to be at least a military person.
But soon, he guessed the intention behind Frost authorities’ arrangements:
The relationship between the Mist Fleet and the City-State was tense enough; they had been confronting each other on top of a powder keg for fifty years. At this sensitive juncture, sending a few more military officers to deal was meaningless—sending a clerk instead could at least express a hint of friendliness.
The clerk, Mr. Eddie, was obviously a bit nervous.
On the deck of the Sea Mist, General Tyrion sized up the “City-State diplomat” in front of him. He could clearly discern the forced calmness in his eyes and the erratic rhythm in his breathing—the gentleman’s composure was actually quite good, but regretfully, it could fool an average person, but not a captain who commanded an undead legion.
General Tyrion could even hear each of the diplomat’s heartbeats.
Eddie was also observing the great pirate before him—the man who once protected the City-State but had now become the source of terrifying legends in the hearts of all Frostfolk.
Tall, strong, silent, authoritative, his single eye carrying a scrutinizing and condescending air, each glance felt like a judgment.
In the presence of this great pirate, even breathing seemed like a strenuous act.
“General Tyrion,” Eddie took a couple of deep breaths, straightened his posture, and faced the pirate’s scrutinizing gaze, “I am here on behalf of the Frost City-State to extend greetings to you—I am pleased to board this legendary warship.”
“Half a century,” Tyrion watched the man, shorter than himself, “And Frost has finally gathered the courage to speak to me?”
Eddie did not mind the provocative undertone in the other’s words and continued, “I am here on a mission—the discord between Frost and the Mist Fleet is real, but that’s not our topic today. You must be aware of the trouble the City-State is facing now. We only wish to understand the intentions of the Mist Fleet—General Tyrion, what is it that you want, and what do you intend to do?”
“General… drop that title, it doesn’t please me,” Tyrion cast a glance at Eddie then slowly walked toward the railing nearby, “As for what I intend to do… Isn’t it obvious? I’m blockading this city-state that’s on the brink of falling—to prevent your disaster from spreading out and harming my ‘trade partners’ in the Chill Sea.”
“Trade partners?”
“I think the term is suitable—they pay the price, and the Mist Fleet ensures their safety on the Chill Sea,” Tyrion turned his head back, “Don’t you think it’s a very good trade relationship?”
Eddie’s lips twitched slightly, but he quickly masked the change. He glanced at the undead sailors around him before slowly stepping next to Tyrion, “Do you mean… you simply wish to help Frost control this crisis?”
“That’s a rather self-flattering interpretation, but it’s no harm if you wish to think so,” Tyrion remarked casually, “I don’t need you to do anything, just don’t interfere with me.”
After two seconds of silence, Eddie cautiously spoke, “…May I know why you chose to help?”
Tyrion rested his hands on the railing’s edge, not turning back, “Is the reason that important?”
“I need a reason, it would put my superiors and colleagues at ease.”
“Ah, Mr. Eddie, so what you’re asking for is a reason that allows everyone to rest easy,” Tyrion chuckled, turning his head to look Eddie in the eyes, “Well, I’ll give you a reason—’Father’s order’, that’s all.”
Eddie was taken aback.
A moment later, his expression visibly turned to horror.
“Looks like you’ve thought of something,” said Terran cheerfully, “Yes, my father’s command—pretend it’s sent from Subspace. He ordered me to send troops to surround your pitiful little City-State—so go back and tell your superiors, the Mist Fleet is executing the will of Subspace,” his tone was quite pleasant, “and then they can sleep like babies.”
The pirate’s face radiated obvious pleasure, and Eddie finally—well, he thought he had—caught on. He let out a sigh of relief, wiping the sweat from his forehead, “That joke wasn’t funny at all, Captain Terran… I understand what you mean. Since you don’t wish to elaborate, I won’t ask.”
Terran regarded the “Frost Ambassador” steadily before finally clicking his tongue.
These days, nobody believes the truth anymore.
But his mood remained very upbeat.
Watching this grim Frost official jump at shadows in front of him was amusing after all.
“You may leave now, Mr. Eddie,” he said quite politely, “Dinner is not prepared for you on this ship.”
Eddie looked startled, “Ah? Wait, I still…”
“You still have many questions, such as the Mist Fleet’s next move, Dagger Island, the former Queen and the Abyss Project. But unfortunately, I don’t care to talk much with Frost,” Terran’s face remained impassive, “You’ve accomplished your objective, completed your mission. Go back and tell your superiors. If there’s anything else in the future, contact us via radio—any open frequency will do. There’s no need to send anyone over—we’ll receive it.”
Eddie hesitated, then caught on immediately, a hint of joy crossing his face, “Ah, right, Captain Terran, I appreciate your understanding…”
He paused there, as if suddenly remembering something else, then hurriedly spoke up again, “Ah, wait, just one more question—one last question!”
Terran raised an eyebrow, “Oh?”
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“About… the cryptic light signal you sent to our scout ship,” said Eddie, his face tinged with embarrassment as he chose his words carefully, “we spent a long time trying to decipher it after returning…”
Terran watched the envoy in silence, letting his discomfort grow under his gaze until he suddenly smiled.
“It was just a signal lamp malfunction. The sailors were lax in maintenance.”
Eddie: “…?”
Terran finally laughed heartily with pleasure.
Eddie’s expression went through several changes, his hand brushing over the buttons on his dress uniform, but eventually, he too started to laugh, joining in Terran’s hearty laughter.
But Terran’s laughter suddenly stopped.
He reached out and firmly patted the shoulder of the “Frost Ambassador.”
“They sent a good man, Mr. Eddie—I was almost tempted to invite you to dine with us aboard,” he said.
“But I must get back to the ship,” Eddie ceased laughing, shaking his head slowly, “Too many nerves are on edge. We can’t continue to waste energy on mutual suspicion and speculation.”
Terran didn’t say much, merely nodding slightly before stretching out his hand to the side, gesturing for the guest to leave.
Eddie also nodded slightly, straightened his dress and bow tie, and headed toward the ladder on the other side of the deck.
But just then, something caught his eye, and he halted abruptly.
The Frost envoy approached the railing, puzzled, looking down at the sea, “…Captain Terran, what is that?”
“Hmm?” Terran furrowed his brow and looked in the direction Eddie was pointing.
He saw it—a shadow.
Below the sea’s surface, in a place whose depth remained unknown, a blurry shadow was moving swiftly across the vast area between the Sea Mist and a few escort ships.
The shadow was faint and translucent, like the reflection of a ship on water, yet the structure of the ship was indistinct. Terran watched the object for a long while, only to feel it appeared like… the underside of a ship.
As if there were an inverted ship sailing underneath the water surface.
Terran looked up, following the direction in which the shadow vessel was traveling.
That was the direction where Dagger Island once lay.
