Gun of Ashes

The night was deep, and under this heavy gray cloud, all the starlight was obscured. In the endless thick darkness, the only light came from the Morning Glow Advance, which held up a burning torch, sailing alone in this long night.

It was so solitary, yet so bright. If there were companions in the darkness, they would surely notice its light point. But likewise, if there were bloodthirsty beasts, they would inevitably become aware of the existence of the Morning Glow Advance.

The corrosive pressure constantly affected everyone on the ship. Fortunately, the Morning Glow Advance carried enough Florun Potion, and with the assistance of the medicine, these corrosions hadn’t overly affected the crew and soldiers for the time being.

But even so, some people still heard voices coming from the darkness, as if within this lightless blackness, countless aberrations surrounded the edges of the darkness, licking sharp claws and whispering among themselves.

”How long can they hold on?”

”And where can they go?”

”Fresh blood, fresh flesh!”

Chaotic, complicated voices sounded in the ears of a few individuals. The medical room was overcrowded, and the ship’s doctors were powerless against this; they themselves were also troubled by the strange whispers. The more they were affected by the corrosion, the clearer and stronger these whispers became.

The ship’s doctors could only prescribe a higher dose of Florun Potion for the affected people, which could alleviate their suffering. But the problem was that Florun Potion was not inexhaustible; it was limited, and eventually, there would come a day when it would be completely consumed, and then what would they do?

No one asked this question; everyone maintained the same tacit understanding, not thinking about this issue. They were all elites of the Purification Mechanism, and before setting sail, they were already aware of what they would face.

Galron and Cliff’s condition was also very bad, probably because they were forgotten. So far, no one had come to give them Florun Potion, as the will of mortals was directly exposed to invisible corrosion.

Thankfully, these Vikings were not yet very fragile. They didn’t understand the so-called corrosion; Galron and Cliff just felt very uncomfortable, tortured from the physical to the mental.

”Could it be that we... are seasick?”

Cliff suddenly said.

He knew well that this had nothing to do with seasickness. Every Viking was practically raised on longboats, how could they possibly get seasick?

Perhaps the atmosphere was too gloomy now; he wanted to crack a joke to slightly ease the solidified ambiance.

But regrettably, no one responded to his joke. Galron sat dazedly beside him, staring at the writhing shadows in the darkness.

After suppressing the aggressive Froki, Galron just sat there, saying nothing and making no movements. If Cliff couldn’t hear his breathing, he would suspect Galron was dead.

”Silent Sea...”

Cliff gazed out the porthole at the darkness. When he realized where they were, the despair within both their hearts increased a few notches.

As Froki’s subordinates, they knew very well what the Silent Sea was.

A sea where none return... although, not absolutely, there were those who returned.

They looked into the dark corner, where Froki Willgardson, whom they respected, was a returnee from the Silent Sea, the person most knowledgeable about the existence of the Silent Sea among the Viking nations.

”If we die here, when we are led to the Heroic Spirit Hall, will it be faster than others? After all, we are already in the Divine Domain.” Cliff said again.

Still, there was no response. In this eerie atmosphere, the faith in Odin was unknowingly being slightly shaken.

Do the gods really exist at the end of this sea, this dreadful and bizarre ocean?

And if there are gods here, are they as mad as this sea?

”The master has always wanted to own such a strong Iron Armor ship to explore the secrets of the Silent Sea; that’s why he supports the development of the Ice Bay Shipyard so much.”

Cliff muttered to himself again. The silence in the cabin made him extremely anxious; he dearly wished someone could come and talk to him, about anything at all.

”If the master could wake up, he might be able to lead us out of the Silent Sea, after all, he’s a returnee, isn’t he? The only returnee.”

A slight glimmer of hope rose in his eyes, but seeing the dejected Galron, that hope instantly vanished.

This was just a beautiful delusion; they knew well that Froki could not wake up; the closer he got to the Silent Sea, the crazier he became, hearing the breathing voices from the darkness, almost like a beast.

And so, once again, they sank into a maddening calm, where darkness frantically grew in the depths of the heart.

Cliff wanted to close his eyes and nap for a while, to recover his exhausted spirit, but once he closed his eyes, the dark vision made him feel extremely terrified, and then those whispers became clearer, constantly murmuring in his ears.

He couldn’t sleep and could only stare with bloodshot eyes, silently enduring this torment.

Footsteps sounded outside the cabin door; it seemed someone was approaching, and Cliff instantly became somewhat awake, looking at the door with slight excitement.

Whoever it was would do; if they were human, then Cliff would beg them to converse with him, to relieve the loneliness and despair. If it were a monster, Cliff would gladly accept death, ending this long torment.

The footsteps echoed in the dim corridor. Due to the Morning Glow Advance’s own damage and other issues, guards inside the cabins were few; everyone was working in shifts, striving to let the Iron Armor ship go further.