Chapter 62 The Departed

[D-grade hidden quest completed]

[You have obtained the special emblem 'Storms Fading']

[Emblem effect when worn: Favorability of near-shore life forms +20%]

[You have obtained Origin Knowledge—Sequence: Knight's Code—Mercy.]

[Advanced knowledge permissions unlocked]

[Advancing to Tier 2 requires collecting transcendental knowledge: Inquisition Laws]

[Requires transcendental essence: Storm Hawk Feather, Order-aligned Sublimation Law (Unlocked: Dawn Priest, Storm Watch)]

At this moment.

Seeing these words.

Combining this with the transcendental abilities he had previously acquired, Su Wen understood clearly:

When a transcendental being advances in their life tier, intersections occur between sublimation lineages.

Just as Captain Adrian advanced from Tier 1 'Navigator' to Tier 2 'Current Observation'.

Yet his own next advancement was not Spring-Fall’s 'Grand Navigator' but 'The Anchor'.

A transcendental being's advancement is not entirely fixed.

However, what he needed to consider right now was not the dawn.

It was the immediate present.

That darkness belonging to the eve of dawn.

At the same time.

A crackling communication sound came through Su Wen's earpiece.

The voice was intermittent:

"Detective Kevin, can you hear me?

This is the Lorenzriel communication channel 'Aether System'.

I am Sidney.

Currently, the Natural Academy and the Nightwatchers are simulating various spiritual energy diversions, trying to find a way to crack the [Storm Restricted Zone] created by the Surge Cult.

Please hold on.

We will find a way to rescue you all."

When Sidney spoke these words,

he carried a heavy heart.

After all,

how long could a Tier 1 transcendental being hold out against Tier 2 and Tier 3 cultists, runaway entities, and Abyss Apostles?

Even he probably couldn't last ten minutes.

Yet next.

Su Wen's reply lacked any nervousness or anger.

His voice was detached and calm:

"There is no need to worry.

As a sign of respect for all the departed souls in this graveyard,

I will nail those filthy bastards down here one by one.

This is my oath to the Lamplight."

At this moment,

upon hearing Su Wen's response,

everyone was shocked.

Right then,

even Colonel Ulysses couldn't help but think:

Perhaps everyone harbors a lonely yet passionate dream in their youth.

He stood straight on the warship's deck, gazing into the distance,

his white navy cloak billowing in the South Pacific wind:

"I cannot do it, but in this world, there might truly be someone who can."

At this moment,

this weathered naval colonel recalled the shocking scene he had witnessed in [The Desolation Wall].

It was the silhouette of Rhein standing atop the blazing, ultra-high-rise building in Lesangton.

If this time,

that hero who saved the Colin perished because of it,

he was willing to bear all reprimands and subsequent disciplinary measures from the Nightwatchers and the Order Enforcers alone.

Yet if that Detective Kevin could truly accomplish what he said,

perhaps,

it was also time for him to accept the rank of Rear Admiral.

At this moment,

where everyone's gazes converged,

Su Wen slowly raised the phantom light of the lantern in his hand.

Behind him,

a colossal, detached figure wearing a black hood simultaneously raised a faint light that seemed to mirror the galaxy.

[I mourn the dead, just as Helenina weaves vows for the living]

[In silence alone, words are born; in darkness alone, light is formed; in death alone, new life is won; fireflies fall into the void, brilliant as the morning light.]

[I remember everything in this world]

[It burns to ash in destiny, yet takes root and sprouts anew in memory.]

[I listen to their voices]

[Bearing their loneliness]

[Then, watching the will they left behind bloom in the long river of time]

[I am the ferryman of the forgotten—'Afterglow of the Lamplight'—Branlit]

The middle section of the chant rang out for the first time.

Simultaneously,

one,

and then another former watcher of the Samoa Islands stood up.

They were the observers of the storm,

crossing thousands of years of vanished timelines,

gathering together in the mortal dust,

to stand once more upon the coastal cliffs.

A pale blue phantom of a gentleman stepped forward.

[Samoa Islands, fifth storm watcher, Edward Jasper, died of a hurricane warning.]

He bowed gracefully to Su Wen:

"Everything in need of redemption has already taken root."

In an instant,

the pale blue ocean light bloomed.

Much like the final words Anthony Eleanor left for his daughter.

[Spirit will detected]

[You have gained recognition]

[Inheriting the unfulfilled will, some people have never truly left]

[Note: Your baseline attributes have significantly increased due to the deceased granting the 'Lamplight Oath']

Next,

the figure of a bearded man appeared.

[Samoa Islands, twelfth coastal watcher, Nathaniel Neil Baldwin, died in a marine rescue.]

He laughed heartily and said:

"Haha, when the storm has passed, don't forget to drink a pale ale in my toast."

He placed his hand on Su Wen's shoulder and patted it as if they were old acquaintances,

"You're doing great."

[You have gained recognition]

Following that,

one figure after another emerged:

[Samoa Islands, twenty-seventh coastal watcher, Harry Monroe, died fighting an epidemic.]

With a gratified expression, he said:

"You live in a very good era. That is truly wonderful."

...

[Samoa Islands, forty-third coastal watcher, Robinson Rutherford, died in war]

"I have never left."

....

[Samoa Islands, seventy-fifth coastal watcher, Ian Martin, died in the arrival of a hurricane]

"There's too little space for an epitaph, so just leave a single sentence.

Let it read: 'Ian Martin still has three thousand and twenty-seven books unread'."

....

[Samoa Islands, one hundred and third coastal watcher, Hunk Gold, died in World War I]

"We are moving forward.

You see it now.

Therefore, you should also know what we have been pursuing."

....

[Samoa Islands, one hundred and seventh coastal watcher, Kevin Hamilton, died in wandering, his ashes returned to the island cemetery after death.]

"The beauty of the ocean—whether it is clear skies scattering a faint light across the surface of the sea for ten thousand miles, or a storm whipping up waves to play the symphony of the high heavens."

...

Until the very end.

[Samoa Islands, one hundred and twelfth coastal watcher, Anthony Eleanor, died of cardiopulmonary failure due to overwork in scientific research.]

That was a scholar.

He said calmly:

"I came here for those who could no longer hold the line, and so that after me, civilization might truly triumph over natural disasters.

Mankind should hold reverence for the ocean, but shall never retreat because of it."

Then,

he looked toward the young girl inside the research facility, a hint of gentleness and guilt in his eyes:

"I am sorry, Phyllis, for not being able to say a final farewell."

What is an epic?

To bear the past,

and then, bathed in hope, to take a new step toward the future.

As a young man who had never possessed any grand pursuits,

Su Wen was, for the very first time, left utterly speechless by the greatness of the Chronicles of Time.

At this moment,

silence was his highest tribute.

[You have obtained a new achievement]

[Achievement Name: Tidal Watch]

[Achievement Description: I can finally die in peace.

For, amid the sound of the rising tides, you have come.]