Ashes Of Deep Sea

Chapter 18: The Sewer

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Before he left the cave he was temporarily hiding in, Duncan first pulled off some rags from a nearby corpse and wrapped them around himself.

It wasn’t because he could not stand the cold in the cave; rather, it was to cover up his exposed chest. Even though the hole in his chest did not affect Duncan’s existence at all, as a normal person, walking around with his chest cavity feeling chilling, was too much for him to bear. Covering himself up could at least bring him some comfort and reduce the strange sensation of air passing through him.

Duncan also considered the possibility of suddenly encountering other people while moving around in the underground space. Needless to say, having a large hole in his chest would not be advantageous when striking up a conversation with strangers.

Just like that, after he dealt with his wound, Duncan carefully left the spooky wet cave. He headed down the passageway connected to the cave and slowly ventured deeper.

This body that he was temporarily possessing was not convenient to move in. Not only did the fatal wound in his chest affect his nimbleness, but Duncan could also clearly sense the fragility of his body. With these weak limbs, he couldn’t even walk fast. It could not compare at all with the supernaturally strong body of the ghost captain.

Duncan could not see his current appearance. However, from the parts he could see, he speculated that he should be a youth with a weak physique due to prolonged periods of severe malnourishment. Even though this body was currently controlled by the soul of a mighty ghost captain, it seemed that the strength of a soul could not make up for the physical limits of a weak body.

Unfortunately, he had no choice at the moment. Duncan could only control this barely usable body and slowly explore the deep passageway. He knew that with the condition of his temporary body, he would be helpless if he encountered any dangers. He could only pray that he could continue using this shell for a while longer.

The passageway was deep, wet, and dark. However, there were some hidden ventilation holes. A faint air current was constantly flowing past nearby. After a short distance, he saw torches and oil lamps hanging on the walls. These things proved that people had been around this place constantly.

After walking down the passageway for a long period of time, Duncan suddenly discovered that it was very bright down the path ahead. Artificial markings began to appear in his sight. He saw a fork at the end of the passageway. The paths branching out from the fork had flat walls and high semi-circular vaulting arcs. The ground lined with bricks was dark and damp. There are two more channels of water running along the ground, with disgusting sewage flowing in them.

There were openings of drainpipes on the walls on both sides of the path. Sewage flowed from some of these openings into the water channels below. They then flowed deeper into the darkness.

“A sewer?”

Duncan soon had a better idea of the place he was in. The space he was in was a large-scale sewer system. The place where the corpses were hidden was most likely a natural cave that happened to be connected to it.

A larger scale sewer. A natural cave connected to it. Dead bodies hidden in the cave.

Countless speculations surfaced in Duncan’s mind when he thought of these things. While his mind wandered into different possibilities, he scrutinized the condition of the sewer.

The sewer system was huge, and it demonstrated exquisite craftsmanship. The main supporting pillars were made of reinforced concrete. This sewer system could even be used as an underground shelter during critical times.

To have developed such a massive structure, the scale of the city above this sewer system would surely be enormous as well. Moreover, the city would have developed advanced technology.

Technology was not something that existed alone. Countless related industries would surely support the production of any product. From the sewer system alone, Duncan could tell a lot about the city, such as its construction standard, city planning, materials available, level of maintenance, and life standard of the locals.

This was enough for the currently information-deficient Duncan to obtain some precious knowledge about the civilized world.

Duncan walked along the sewer. He suddenly stopped after just walking down a short distance. His gaze landed on a nearby wall.

There was a lamp on the wall. It had an outer glass case and a solid-looking metal enclosure.

Compared to the cave’s torches and oil lamps, the wall lamp was clearly brighter. Within the sanded glass case was a steadily burning flame. The light it emitted was bright enough to light up a considerable part of the sewer.

Duncan approached it to take a closer look. Everything outside the Lost Home, especially modern civilization creations, was extremely attractive to him.

After observing it for a long while, Duncan finally figured out the lamp’s light source. It was a gas lamp.

The gas lamp appeared different from what he had seen from his resources. Aside from its appearance, the most apparent difference was that he saw a few fine symbols on the glass cover.

The symbols had most likely been added when the lamp casing was created. The curving shapes seemed hieroglyphic. Duncan did not recognize these symbols. However, he immediately thought of the mysterious runes he had seen previously on the machine-powered ship and Alice’s coffin.

Even though the symbols differed, they had a similar “vibe.”

This was a sacred, ritualistic item.

Duncan took a few steps back. He looked up and peered deeper into the sewer. He saw lit gas lamps on the walls every few meters.

As an underground facility that was rarely visited except for essential maintenance, the lighting in this sewer was overkill. The outer shell of each gas lamp might have similar mysterious runes.

Duncan sensed that these densely placed gas lamps seemed to be fighting against something in this dark, unvisited underground place. It was as though the civilized human world that they represented was opposing something.

Duncan followed the path lit by the gas lamps. He paid close attention to the surrounding walls, the floor, and the ceiling for any valuable clues. Suddenly, he saw something out of the corner of his eye.

He stopped between two gas lamps along a slightly darker section of the sewer. He looked up sideways and saw that high on the wall, near the ceiling of the sewer, something was painted in dark red paint.

Duncan narrowed his eyes. After trying to make out what was being drawn for a long time, he finally made out the picture outlined by those harsh lines. He saw hands reaching for the sky, seemingly worshiping something. The hands were all facing a ball high in the sky that was emanating bright light.

Beneath this picture was a line of crooked characters. The strokes contained intense passion and anticipation. The characters written were not of any language of Earth, but Duncan naturally understood what was written.

“The false sun will finally fall, and the true Sun God will be resurrected from blood and fire! All life belongs to the sun! All order belongs to the sun!”

Duncan stood silently in the sewer. He looked where the light of the gas lamps was darkest, at the dark red graffiti, and at the brightly shining sun drenched in fresh blood and feverishly worshiped by people.

He seemed to be prying into another world.

Just like that, he stared at these things for a long time. Suddenly, rustling sounds emerged from deep within the sewer. Duncan could hear footsteps.

He looked up in the direction of the sound. He saw a few figures wearing hooded cloaks walking toward him. The figures’ faces were covered by their hoods. They appeared like sinister ghosts from deep within this dirty sewer.

Duncan did not hide. In reality, there was nowhere to hide in this straight sewer. His improvised body could not perform advanced movements such as walking in blind spots. Hence, after pondering about it for a moment, he simply stood in the middle of the sewer and openly observed the approaching, suspicious hooded figures.

Since this body could not even run, it was destined to be disposable. It was best to get some intel in exchange.

Just then, a few hooded figures that emerged from deep within the sewer noticed Duncan.