Ever since the eighth "Submersible No. 3" was salvaged from the coast of Frost and sent to Dagger Island near the city-state, that island has been designated a military restricted area by the city-state authorities, and the two surrounding shipping routes are no longer open to the public.
This of course caused a lot of speculation, not just from the locals of Frost Island, but also from the ship owners who were forced to stay away from Dagger Island, as well as nearby pirates and explorers. They were curious about what happened on the island and what secrets the Frost authorities were hiding. Many of the speculations were quite plausible, ranging from "researching new weapons" to "performing dangerous rituals" - but none of them were reliable.
There are not many people in this world who know about the "Abyss Project" anymore.
"It's getting harder and harder for our people to gather intelligence on Dagger Island," Aiden said to Tirian with a serious expression on the path at the edge of the harbor. "The blockade level of that island has been adjusted recently. They even monitor every inch of the coast. Diving close is no longer feasible. The spies and insiders we bribed and controlled have also been transferred away from key positions recently. They haven't been exposed, but the transportation of materials and personnel on Dagger Island is now completely completed within a special list of the authorities, and we can't interfere."
"…Has it become a completely restricted military zone?" Tirian paused. "Did they find something on that 'Submersible No. 3'? Or have they opened the hatch?"
"It's hard to say," Aiden shook his head. "But the last time we got intelligence on the island, we saw an order issued by the Frost authorities. The order specifically mentioned that the hatch of the submersible should not be opened, and any samples scraped from the submersible's hull must be put into the incinerator after the research is completed. At least from this order, we can see that the city-state governor is still very cautious. But this was the situation several days ago, and no one knows if there will be any changes now."
"… If you can't get it for a long time
The investigation concluded that if there are more dangerous and strange experimental accidents, the wisest thing for the Frost authorities to do is to throw the submersible directly into the furnace and stop doing any research, just like we did back then," Tirian frowned, "but they still block the Dagger Island... This means they must want to dig out some secrets from the submersible."
"... In theory, the top leaders of Frost should know about the Abyss Plan, or at least know the dangers and horrors of the deep sea."
"Knowing is one thing, understanding is another - the next generation can hear the stories of their ancestors from books and oral traditions, but unless they experience it again in person, it is difficult for them to imagine the fear and powerlessness." Tirian shook his head. "In the face of extraordinary loss of control, the greatest advantage of mankind is that they can 'forget', and the greatest disadvantage is also the same."
Aiden looked at his captain and was silent for more than ten seconds before he finally spoke: "Captain, should we take some more... proactive actions?"
"A more proactive action?"
"Contact the Frost authorities and warn them, or even better... have the fleet raid Dagger Island and seize the 'Submersible No. 3'," Aiden said bluntly. "With the current defense strength of Dagger Island, it should not be able to withstand a strong attack from the Sea Mist Fleet."
He paused and added, "Otherwise, if we let those ignorant guys beat and hit a twisted replica that floated up from the deep sea, we really don't know when they will cause a big mess. It's really worrying."
Tirian thought for a moment.
After a moment, he shook his head. "Even if we successfully raid Dagger Island, can you be sure that we can find the whereabouts of Submersible No. 3 before the main force of Frost reacts? The scale of that island is not small... Once we spend too much time searching, we will have to face a city-state navy that is several times larger than us. No matter how powerful the Sea Mist is, it is not invincible, not to mention..."
He paused, but the face of the Frost Queen appeared in his mind.
The next second, Tirian stopped his wild thoughts in time—luckily another face that looked exactly like the Frost Queen did not appear in his mind.
"Nothing," he shook his head, "I still need to think about this."
"Then you need to make a decision soon," Aiden nodded.
At this moment, a bell suddenly rang from the direction of the port square. The first mate immediately raised his head and looked in the direction of the sound. "Ah, it's late at night... Captain, why don't you go to the square to join in the fun? Adjusting your mood may also help you make a decision later."
"I won't go," Tirian shook his head subconsciously, "I'm not interested."
"It's okay to show up once in a while."
Aiden urged enthusiastically, "Badika dancers are not always available - their dancing is more beautiful and agile than the black-tailed rock sparrow flying through the storm. "That's what I mean by not interested," Tirian spread his hands helplessly, "and to be honest, if I, the captain, really show up at the party, will the sailors really be able to make a fuss?"
"Yes, why not?"
Aiden said casually, "You know how shameless those guys are. They are hard, thick and can regenerate..."
Tirian: "..."
But in the end, Aiden was unable to convince the stubborn captain, and went to the port square alone to attend tonight's party.
The Pirate Island was still bustling with activity after midnight.
The sleepless undead have unlimited energy. There is no curfew on this island transformed and shrouded by supernatural powers. Their celebrations can last all day long, from sunrise to sunset, and from sunset to sunrise.
The platform on one side of the square has been converted into a stage.
The temporarily installed wooden walls blocked the cold wind from the coast, and the blazing braziers around the stage somewhat stave off the chill of the winter night—the undead were no longer afraid of cold or heat, but the "human guests" visiting the Pirate Island tonight still needed careful protection.
The young girls from Cold Harbor danced enthusiastically between the bonfire and the cold wind.
Skirts fluttered, dancers twirled, bonfires burst and jumped in the night, the sound of waves in the distance continued, terrifying undead people clamored in the audience, and the pirate island shrouded in fog had a noisy night that was rarely seen in this world.
Tirian stopped at a less conspicuous corner of the square and looked up at the stage.
He was not there to attend the party but was returning to his residence and was just passing through the square.
The weekly sailors' gathering was a "custom" that existed in the Frost Navy. Even though they had left Frost, this custom had been retained in the Sea Mist Fleet.
In half a century, many things have changed, but many things have not changed.
Tirian looked at the old subordinates making a fuss in the square, and a smile gradually appeared on his face, but suddenly, his smile faded.
He looked at the stage not far away, at the dancers on the stage. He saw their passionate dancing and leaps like stunning swans, but his eyes seemed a little dull and numb.
They must have drunk a potion in advance that was made from a mixture of various herbs and a small amount of extraordinary catalyst - not a rare thing.
The power of the potion can protect them from the cold to a certain extent, but it also affects their cognition and thinking.
This can prevent them from being afraid and temporarily leave only the dancing instinct in their minds.
Obviously, the masters of these dancers do not want their tools to destroy the peaceful relationship between themselves and the leader of the Cold Sea Pirates out of fear.
Tirian clicked his tongue.
This is actually very common. The "cold sea bigwigs" who dare to do business among pirates and even send people to the pirate island all have some similar means. After all, the church and the authorities will not interfere in their gray business, so ordinary people can only think of some "folk remedies" to fight against the shadows and terror of the vast sea. The life of pirates and "risk speculators" has never been as romantic as written in adventure stories.
In a sense, drinking the potion is also a protection for the dancers.
Tirian just felt a little disappointed - he thought that "Cutthroat Martin" would have made some progress after so many years, but he didn't expect that the other party was still using the same old tricks from ten years ago to run his "Cold Sea Entertainment Industry".
He shook his head and prepared to turn and leave.
But just as he was about to leave,
A slight crackling sound of flames suddenly reached his ears.
The strange yet familiar sound of fire instantly made Tirian's heart tighten, and he almost lost his balance. Then, he stared in the direction where the sound came from.
A faint green flame was jumping on an icy wall nearby, and as the light and shadow spread, the center of the ice surface suddenly became dark as night, and a tall and majestic figure stepped out from it.
"Good evening, Tirian," the figure began. "I hope I have not disturbed your rest."
Tirian stared at the figure emerging from the ice. After a long while, he tried to maintain a normal expression and responded to the other party's greeting: "Good evening... Good evening, father. Why are you suddenly..."
"I have something to discuss with you, and I also want to see how you're doing," Duncan said casually, "What are you doing?"
As he spoke, he raised his head, looked over Tirian's shoulder, and saw the stage in the distance, and the young girls who were still wearing only thin dresses in the cold wind.
"… "
"It's not what you think!"