Deep Sea Embers

Chapter 178 “Friendship”

Duncan kept a careful observation of the old man’s face in front of him right now. He didn’t know what’s wrong with the other guy since he’s no doctor, but even he could tell Morris wasn’t in a good state of health.

“Do you need me to find a doctor?” He asked with concern, “How do you feel now? Is there any dizziness or nausea? Or is it mental trance?”

Morris rubbed his forehead in pain due to Duncan’s voice. Unlike what the shop owner was saying, the old historian was being blasted by tens of thousands of overlapping roaring noises between those words. Like a patient being overloaded, he could only dully nod his head in reply: “I’m fine, just… need a little rest…”

The “existence” in front of me… the being that has its main body in who knows where, was expressing concern for me?

Regardless of the truth, Morris did not dare to think about what was actually under the surface of this concerned being. Maybe there’s a thousand pairs of eyes staring at him, or densely wriggling teeth and tongues ready to chew him apart. In fact, are those words of concern even words of a human being and not murmurs from subspace itself?

At the same time, the old historian had been trying to close his “True Eye” after getting out of the car earlier. It’s the ability granted to the those who followed the God of Wisdom when exploring the supernatural, and now… Morris finally got to experience why they say this blessing was called the greatest and most dangerous of all the blessings given by the four gods.

He failed of course. After opening his True Eye, it cannot be closed for the next while. And what if he closed it? What would that do now with his mind in this messed up state?

Morris dazedly thought for a bit before slowly speaking, “I… just came to take a look, give my thanks… yes, give thanks, for my daughter. Thank you again for your help in the museum last time. She had me…”

He suddenly got stuck like he didn’t know if he should bring up his daughter. After hesitating for several seconds, he somehow came to a decision: “She asked me to deliver a letter over. It’s in my pocket.”

Fumbling around, the old man took out a carefully sealed envelope from his pocket and handed it to Duncan, who promptly received it and opened the package to find a greeting and the report regarding Nina’s mental health.

This was what Heidi summed up after the last hypnotherapy for Nina, which the doc did mention the results would be mailed over at a later date.

“You don’t have to be so polite. In that kind of a situation, giving a helping hand is merely my instinct at work.” Duncan puts away the letter and got all formal, “Do thank Miss Heidi on my behalf. Nina is much better now after the last treatment, and she haven’t had that strange dream lately either.”

Morris nodded, pressed his fingers to his temples, and organized his language while guiding himself not to stare into Duncan’s eyes: “You… are you okay these days?”

“Me? I’m fine,” Duncan felt a little baffled by the question. In fact, he’s finding it strange that the old scholarly gent would open the topic in this fashion, “Healthy, full of energy, and in a good mood – except that today’s bad weather is a little depressing, there is nothing bad.”

Weather?

This small change in the weather can still make an evil god feel “depressed”? Is this a new joke that has recently become popular in subspace?

Morris found his mental state gradually getting better and could even mutter the protest in his head.

“Uncle! I put my bike away and closed the shop door! It’s getting windy outside… How is Mr. Morris?” Nina’s yelled over the corner where she was busy with the bike.

“He’s much better now, but he’s unable to tell me where he’s feeling unwell.” Duncan leans backward and saw his niece trotting over, “Why don’t you stay with Mr. Morris for a bit. I can send a telegram or something to Miss Heidi later…”

“No, no, no, I’m fine,” before Duncan could finish, Morris had raised his voice and waved his hand. “Don’t let her know. I’m just a bit old and need a little rest.”

Duncan was taken aback by the old gentleman’s sudden and somewhat intense reaction. He eyed Morris up and down. After confirming the other party’s state and attitude, he nodded: “Okay, then I won’t go. Nina, go upstairs and make some soup, a hot meal might make Mr. Morris feel better.”

Nina blinked, a little confused as she glanced between Duncan and her teacher. For some reason, she got this strange vibe hovering in the room that she couldn’t put words into. Nevertheless, she still obeyed like a good girl: “Okay!”

The girl ran briskly up the stair and quickly faded from their ears.

After Nina left, Morris felt the mental pressure slightly receding. Although this relief was almost insignificant compared to the huge pressure brought on by Duncan, he still breathed a sigh of relief.

Then the old man, who deals with history all day, was quiet again to organize the wording in his voice: “Was my performance just now out of place?”

Duncan’s gaze never left the old gent’s figure. At first he only assumed the other party wasn’t feeling well, hence the odd behavior. However, he’s starting to get a hint of familiarity in the old man’s behavior… He couldn’t quite put it where so replied casually: “Yes, just a little bit. So, what’s going on?”

Morris hesitated for a few seconds again before speaking in a low and cautious voice: “In my profession, one is often more sensitive to the spirits due to what we work with.”

He merely wanted to test the water, to see what type of attitude this being from subspace held. Was he coming with kindness, or malice?

Duncan frowned immediately after hearing the other party’s seemingly meaningful words, then suddenly, he knew what that familiarity was all about!

Morris’s strange behavior also manifested in another acquaintance he knew… it’s Dog, the dark hound!

The undead hound was a demon gifted with the ability of seeing the truth. It’s also the main reason Dog would act so nervous and scared of him, and now, Morris was behaving in the exact same manner!

Faintly guessing at what this meant, Duncan promptly peered into the old historian’s eyes for the answer: “You see something you shouldn’t, right?”

Morris hissed at being caught.

But in the next second, the expected end did not come. On the contrary, he once again felt that the mental pressure he was under rapidly decreasing to the extent that’s bearable even for a mortal without Lahem’s protection!

This was the doing of Duncan. Without a word, the ghost captain had transferred his master consciousness back to the Vanished. What’s controlling the shell inside the antique shop now was merely a wisp of his true essence, just like a remote-controlled drone.

“Is it better now?” Duncan’s low, gentle voice sounded from the side, waking Morris up from the momentary relief trance.

The old gent quickly raised his head and saw Duncan’s stable, clear, and harmless human form. In addition, he also noticed that the surrounding environment had stabilized through the corner of his eye.

The chaotic light and shadow are gone, the noise gradually subsided, the torn houses back to normal, the flowing flames gone, and the creeping and distorting darkness nowhere to be found—his mind was rapidly recovering, and the dangerous critical state of madness in his head was showing signs of improvement.

He looked at Duncan in disbelief, who nodded apologetically: “Apologies, I really didn’t expect a human to have such ‘good eyes’. Before this, the only one to ever see the true me was a shadow demon, and that’s only because he had a gift.”

“I… I’m much better,” Morris gulped as allowed his senses to return to normality. He could feel his heartbeat ready to explode due to the rush of the confrontation. Regardless of his woes, the fact that he’s capable of thinking was a boon to analyze the situation from a logical standpoint. “I… alas, I didn’t expect to see your true appearance. These years of living away from my faith have left me careless…”

Duncan didn’t pay attention to the muttering behind Morris’s words. Instead, the ghost captain was running his brain on how to handle this meeting and the way to end it. This great historian wasn’t Dog that he could just muscle into submission. That’s not only rude and impudent on his part, Duncan also didn’t want to go that route.

“I’m curious,” he said suddenly in thought, “why are you able to see me?”

“I…” Morris opened his mouth, hesitated, then decide to speak the truth, “I am a follower of Lahem, the God of Wisdom.”