Two Approaching Dark Clouds

The gods reside in divine kingdoms far from the real world. The common folk believe this special dimension to be the cornerstone of the world. Contrary to common sense, this "cornerstone" is not located at the bottom of the world, but rather at the apex of all dimensions.

The ancient Kingdom of Crete described their perceived world structure in surviving texts as follows:

The World Cornerstone lies at the apex, guarded by eternal truth and order. The divine kingdoms are within the Cornerstone, existing for all time;

Descending from the divine kingdoms is the reality where all beings reside. Mortals in the mortal world enjoy the lingering radiance of order on this level, allowing them to survive in a relatively stable and prosperous real world;

Descending from reality is the Spirit World, which gradually deviates from mortal perception. Within the Spirit World, the blessings of the gods have become scarce, and twisted, bizarre powers begin to gain the upper hand;

Descending from the Spirit World is the Abyssal Deep Sea, no longer suitable for life and dominated by strange powers. It can no longer be considered part of the material world, but more like a reflection of the void;

Beyond the Abyssal Deep Sea lies the very bottom of the world—the depths of subspace, where the shadows of all things reside. The true forms of extremely dangerous Ancient Gods and various malevolent entities are all entrenched in subspace.

In the records of the ancient Kingdom of Crete, the gods established a covenant within the Cornerstone. This covenant is the source and standard for all the laws of the world. This order flows downward, defining the laws of the world's operation, and also permeates all things in the mortal world. As one descends deeper, the power of order weakens and subspace gradually gains the upper hand—the "Cornerstone" where the gods reside and subspace are like the upper and lower endpoints of the world, with "order" flowing unidirectionally between them.

This is the ancient gift left to the world by that glorious civilization, which pioneered the Deep Sea Era ten thousand years ago. Over the long years, countless scholars have exhaustively studied this "layered structure" without finding any flaws in the model. Now, it has become the universally accepted "World Standard Model."

Within this standard model, mortals of the mortal world fall to deeper places, but few can return from the "deeper layers" to the "shallower layers." Even if one or two lucky individuals occasionally return from the Spirit World to reality, no one has ever heard of any defiant existence being able to reach the "Cornerstone" dimension where the gods reside from reality.

It is precisely for this reason that the Lost Homeland, returning from subspace to reality, has become the most absurd Phenomenon in this world—its return journey violates the world's understanding of the World Standard Model.

However, from another perspective, the existence of the Lost Homeland aligns with the classic discourse on anomalies and phenomena: the Law of Permanent Anomaly and Phenomenon Inaccuracy.

But regardless of how it's viewed, Bishop Valentine and Vana do not believe that the Ghost Captain has the ability to take revenge on the Goddess of Storms—even if he had the will, he could not accomplish such a feat.

This is because the "Cornerstone" and the real world are discontinuous. Unlike the continuous descent and material interpenetration between reality and the Spirit World, or the Spirit World and the Abyssal Deep Sea, there is no such connection. To date, no scholar has found any evidence of a direct link between the "Cornerstone" and the real world. Even the gods can only indirectly exert their influence through projections, parables, and the like. How could a Ghost Ship possibly counterattack the divine kingdoms?

Since revenge against the Goddess of Storms herself is impossible, the remaining choice is naturally her followers in the mortal world.

The Storm Cathedral, the headquarters of the Deep Sea Church, is a "pilgrimage ark" that sails hidden on the Boundless Sea, appearing and disappearing without a trace. The Pope presiding over the ark possesses the power to wield storms on behalf of the deity, making him a difficult target.

Therefore, the Pland City-State, fixed at sea, with a clear target and open to the public, naturally becomes a better choice: eighty percent of the people in this city-state are followers of the Goddess of Storms.

Vana has already concluded that the Ghost Captain has come for revenge—after all, the Lost Homeland fell into subspace during a storm a hundred years ago. She can't think of any other reason to explain why the Lost Homeland, missing for so many years, would suddenly return to the real world and target the Pland City-State.

But what exactly does the Ghost Captain intend to do?

Vana frowned, her thoughts slowly forming into words as she pondered, "Bishop Valentine, do you think... the Lost Homeland is related to the recent activities of those Sun worshippers in the city-state?"

After speaking, she paused and added, "In last night's dream, I saw a burning sun and the Lost Homeland together in Pland. The simultaneous arrival of these two disasters might be the Goddess's omen to me..."

"But don't forget, in the underground sacrificial site, the corrupted 'sacrifice' killed the priest of the dark Sun, who was a baptized 'Emissary'," the bishop shook his head. "At least at that sacrificial site, the Lost Homeland and the Black Sun seemed to be on opposing sides."

Vana remained silent for a moment, lost in thought by the bishop's words. The old man opposite her continued after a brief silence, "Regarding those cultists who worship the dark Sun, I received some intelligence from the Lensa City-State this morning..."

Vana immediately looked up, "Intelligence?"

"The Sun Heretics are not just making a comeback in Pland; they've been active in many city-states recently. A large number of Sun Heretics have recently been transiting through the ports of Lensa and Mokha, converging on Pland. Some have been apprehended," the old bishop nodded. "During interrogation, those heretics mentioned 'Sun Shards'."

"'Sun Shards'... the remnants that fell off the 'True Sun God' when it disintegrated, as those heretics describe?" Vana suddenly realized. "They believe a Sun Shard is hidden in Pland?"

"That seems to be the case currently. I don't know where those heretics got their information, or perhaps it was 'revelations' they received in their delirium. In any case, they are now convinced that a part of their 'Lord' is hidden in this city," Bishop Valentine said with a calm expression. "And they see this as the hope for the resurgence of the dark Sun."

"...Those lunatics," Vana couldn't help but curse softly. "How many lives have they taken to resurrect that dark, blasphemous Sun!"

"Dark Sun is our term; the Sun God in their minds is radiant, representing the truest order—you can't expect those irrational cultists to have any conscience when their hands are covered in blood," Valentine shook his head. "They firmly believe that everything they say and do is righteous. When dealing with them, only two languages are effective: caliber and tonnage."

Hearing the bishop's remark, which was quite characteristic of the Deep Sea Church, Vana's lips twitched. "It seems we'll have our hands full."

"The Boundless Sea is never peaceful, and the city-states are within the Boundless Sea," Valentine said. "Captains face the storms of the ocean; we face the storms brought by the fools of the mortal world. Inquisitor, be prepared. The Pland City-State may be facing a challenge."

"Two challenges," Vana corrected him seriously. "Besides the cultists of the Black Sun, there's also the mysterious and terrifying Ghost Captain. If the Lost Homeland and the Black Sun are not allied, then our troubles will multiply from one to two."

Bishop Valentine pondered for a moment. "Perhaps there's another possibility—based on the situation at the sewer sacrificial site, the Lost Homeland might even fight the Black Sun cultists?"

"...Then those two troubles merge into one world-destroying problem, Bishop Valentine," Vana said, looking at the old man who had clearly begun to let his thoughts wander. "A Ghost Ship returning from subspace and a group of cultists fighting over Sun Shards in the Pland City-State, possibly accompanied by the descent of the dark Sun. I can't imagine a worse situation."

Valentine sighed, admitting Vana was right.

"In any case, let's work with the security forces first to apprehend all those Sun Heretics who have infiltrated the city-state and eliminate the threat of the Black Sun before the situation escalates. This is a more achievable goal," Vana said. After dispelling the mental interference from the Lost Homeland and entering her area of expertise, her thinking became noticeably more active. "As for that Ghost Ship... we don't know its next move, so we can't act yet. We can only continue to monitor the Spirit World and the waters around the city-state..."

As she said this, the young Inquisitor couldn't help but shake her head, her expression serious and helpless. "Damn it, who knows what a Ghost Captain will do next..."

"I want to add some ketchup..." Duncan waved to Nina across the table. "Just pass it over, and I'll do it myself."

Nina immediately handed over the ketchup. "Okay, Uncle Duncan."

It was already noon, and Duncan and Nina were eating lunch in the small kitchen on the second floor. The meals at the antique shop were simple—a local specialty of Pland called salty fried pancakes, served with ketchup or hot sauce, and vegetable soup. It wasn't exactly a gourmet meal, but both Duncan and Nina ate with relish.

It had been a long time since Duncan had eaten such a normal lunch, and it had been a long time since Nina had eaten lunch so normally.

Duncan felt like he was starting to like this place.