Chapter XXVI: The Ritual
In a cramped, semi-enclosed device, a thinner teenager slowly adjusts his posture to relax and wears an important converter on the back of his neck. www.biquge.info Relying on the faint light emitted from the inside of the machine, he can also accurately locate the interface and fix the connecting device.
Although virtual web hosting is extremely rare for most people in this remote sea, young people who spent a lot of time and pastimes in their childhood are naturally able to master the controls with great proficiency without the delay caused by strangeness.
After all the lights are on, the teenager slowly closes his eyes to avoid interference caused by the overlap between the real angle of view of the human eye and the virtual image generated by the radio waves. With a series of commands entered by his mind, the teenager was connected to a central virtual network via a submarine fiber optic cable through the host computer located in the Coral Reef Town Guard.
Even though I haven't logged into this virtual space for a month, the impact seems to be the same as when I left. The teenager casually reads the new messages in his mailbox and writes a short reply before getting down to business.
After activating the hyperlink in the letter sent by the academy, the scene in front of the young man's eyes suddenly shattered, and an invisible hole that could absorb everything was created with the hyperlink as the core. He knew that this was the sign of a special access link, and after entering a series of indicators, the original space was completely swallowed up by the hole, leaving only endless darkness.
Perhaps it was the excessive amount of vetting required to access that address, or perhaps the unsatisfactory state of the network in the remote area, the only thing the boy saw in the pure black world was a circle of light that kept spinning. After waiting for the animation to play for several minutes, he captured the weather-like transformation of the surrounding scene.
In an instant, the young man's vision was filled with the cold light, and what caught his eye was the hall building with the characteristics of the academy.
A low and gentle symphony reverberates in this space, and the main color palette of deep blue and gray makes people feel calm, even if they know that all the images in front of them are secondary images of electronic signal transformation, they are also moved by this invisible solemnity.
In the solemn auditorium, the sparse figures make it appear more and more empty. Under the simple etiquette and customs, in order to maintain respect for the deceased, most of them were dressed in black robes and did not speak loudly.
There is something special about the way Aritus arrived, as he participated in the funeral through a virtual network, and he came in the form of a holographic projection in the real auditorium. He was joined by dozens of classmates, all of whom appeared in this way, and the people standing next to them were not much shocked or dissatisfied.
Everyone was silent, and in the pure darkness of the hall, only the pure white coffin could be seen in the most central place. The length is not customized according to the height of ordinary people, but at the top of it is a glass box, and inside it is the identity plate and clothing of the deceased.
This is what happened to many admirals after they were killed in battle. Often, after the town guard mansion was breached by the deep sea, it was difficult to find his body even if it was regained in the future, and in most cases, it was only a matter of replacing people with a sense of remembrance.
Witnessing this scene through the virtual network, the teenagers and girls who came by projection are also difficult to calm down in their hearts at this moment. They are keenly aware that death has always haunted them, and perhaps the next person to be honored will be themselves.
Aritus didn't feel that way, or maybe he was used to the danger that could erupt at any moment. Since the death of a meteorite in the previous life, and the young man who barely survived in many deep-sea pursuits, his mentality is no longer immature.
But even he didn't guess that someone would die in less than a few months after leaving the academy, which made him more aware of the dangerous position he was holding.
His attention was more drawn to the slowly unfolding funeral. The use of high technology made him feel everything around him as if he were there, and the low chanting and prayer echoing in the hall could be clearly distinguished.
And the source of this is the only middle-aged man in the world dressed in black, dressed in pure white robes, he half-knelt in front of the coffin, as if he was praying intently.
Aritus, who had achieved quite excellent results in meditation classes, could naturally know through the familiar back of the middle-aged man that he was the master who taught him.
Aritus, who was studying more advanced courses, knew that this middle-aged man was not only a profound knowledge of religion, but also a well-known figure in the use of spiritual powers.
"Those who come from the sea will eventually return to the ocean, may the sea tolerate you, and from now on you will not be disturbed by the fire of mortal war, and you will always enjoy a peaceful sleep." The middle-aged man expressed his blessings to the deceased in pious and sincere words, and slowly recited the scriptures.
The advent of the cataclysm has not only changed the way of human existence and development, but even the traditional technology culture and even the most stubborn beliefs have also changed due to external factors. Of course, as priests in this cruel era, the most onerous work they received was to preside over funerals.
The already muffled symphony was now fainter, and only the prayer voices of the blessed wishes echoed in the church.
He was already middle-aged, and he had brushed shoulders with death on the battlefield, and after repeating this prayer for an unknown number of times, only regret rose in his heart.
Young people who can enter the Central Naval Academy and are assigned to high-intensity battlefields have extraordinary potential. And such a young man who can shine dazzlingly in the future died early in the deep sea counterattack, even if he has experienced thousands of changes in life, he sighs at this moment.
Later, the dean, who rarely appeared in front of the students, also prayed with the middle-aged priest after that, and a little helplessness and heaviness could be seen in his weather-beaten face.
The Admirals are shouldered by the important duty of the human race to fight against the deep sea and defend their homeland. Today, human beings can still maintain the inheritance of the original civilization, and I don't know how many admirals have spent their youth for this, and even that fragile life to compete with the deep sea.
Without the first awakened group of people to lead humanity to rebuild the post-disaster shelter, perhaps there would be no humanity today; And without the efforts of the commanders who have continued to fight bravely for nearly a hundred years, the frontier territory of mankind today may have shrunk dramatically, and it can only be curled up in the depths of the few peninsulas.
And the Central Naval Academy, which is the elite admiral cultivated by the New Human Federation, often pays attention to these juniors who are extremely talented and full of infinite possibilities.
But when a person is killed, he dies, and once it happens, it cannot be reversed. Even the shipwives with an unusually physique would die under the fire of the deep sea, let alone the admirals who could only build a telekinesis barrier and deflect small-caliber shells?
Knock~~Knock~~Knock~~ The melodious chiming of the bell means that the baptism ceremony before the burial is over, and what the young man notices out of the corner of his eye is a girl following behind the priest.
In the immature face, there is no innocent look that matches this. It was as if the soul had been lost, and only the dull face left by the basic physiological reflexes could see that she was immersed in the great sorrow.
In his mind, he recalled the formation of the shipwrewn under the command of that classmate, and after a little comparison, he recognized that this was the destroyer shipwreck named Wild Tide.
But at this moment, there was no smile on her face as she once was. After the death of the Admiral and the loss of all her comrades, she didn't know if it was because of the trauma caused by the mental countercurrent, her expression was in a trance, her eyes were empty, and she had no strength after losing all her spiritual support.
After barely surviving the ordeal, she has no idea of survival at the moment, and at this moment she is like a puppet following the guidance of the priest and getting through this difficult time in a mess.
Seeing such a soulless girl, he couldn't help but feel a little more pity in his heart, but the young man could also feel the coldness in the depths of his soul.
Death is so real and cold that there is no turning back. As Admirals, they are important beings in the fight against the deep sea on the line of life and death, and if they all fall, then no one can support this fragile protective umbrella.
"The hero is gone, but this spirit of perseverance has not died! We know your name, and your deeds live on forever. The seemingly old headmaster, perhaps noticing the trance of the people around him, told and encouraged them in sonorous and powerful words.
Faith is the most tenacious, and even in some times of crisis, he can stimulate people's potential to accomplish the impossible, but they are also the most vulnerable, and those who can still implement and adhere to their beliefs in the face of life and death crises are still a minority.
The projections of the young men and girls who heard these words invariably turned their eyes to the pale and simple coffin. The students who can become the Central Naval Academy, even if they do not inherit the family tradition and become admirals, are mostly people who have suffered greatly from the invasion of the deep sea. They have irresolvable hatred and conflict with the deep sea, and it is because of this that they have become the most critical backbone in the fight against the deep sea.
And at this moment, the ambition or belief that was originally carried in their hearts invariably took on a heavy commission after the death of their lives.
The war, which has lasted for nearly a hundred years, has given mankind an incomparably fierce hatred for the deep sea. I don't know how many islands have been reduced to ashes under the fire of the deep sea, and on the most important military ports and islands, the blood of human beings fighting against the deep sea has turned the soil black and red, and it is a decisive battle to the death, and there is no other possibility than to destroy each other.
Perhaps only a handful of heretics would be delusional in trying to achieve a balance between the two sides with the help of the power of the deep sea?
The uncomplicated funeral did not last long, and after the prayer was over, it was buried in the public cemetery on the lower floor of the college, where all the previous students had died, and behind each name was a young and fresh life, among which there was also the legend of mankind's fight against the deep sea.
After the ceremony, except for some of the people who presided over the funeral, all the figures who descended here using projections did not disperse, but took advantage of this rare opportunity to meet again.
Naturally, after getting acquainted with them, Aritus turned his attention to a slightly stronger figure.
"It seems that the situation in the northern theater is okay, you actually have time to come over." After a few months, the boy heard his friend's voice again.
"It's just that it was a little tricky at the beginning, and now there is no gap with the ordinary town guard." Arantus looked at Avalon's teasing smile and shrugged in reply.
"Yes, after all, it is the first place in the total score of our class completion audit, and this small difficulty can still be overcome." Avalon seemed to come to his senses, and then spoke.
"You're also the fourth...... I'm curious why you weren't assigned to the North District? Alitus had now noticed something, and asked in confusion.
"Maybe it's because the north isn't suitable for sunbathing? The sandy beaches in the eastern region are quite good~" Hearing this answer, Aritus pursed his lips, knowing that he didn't want to say it, so he didn't continue to ask.
After a casual glance, the boy noticed that the petite girl who had been following the priest was now sitting on a bench, her back frozen to reveal that her owner was still immersed in grief.
"I don't know where she will go in the future......" The young man, who still had a little sympathy in his heart, said to himself with a slight sigh.
"It should be accepted by the academy, but you can also apply to the academy if you are interested, so it must not be too difficult. And she might be able to make an excellent fight after overcoming the knot......" Avalon said after a moment of silence, as if in anticipation.
"We don't have that much free time to deal with this unless the academy has the spare ......time to deal with this," Aritus nodded, very understanding of this way of dealing with it.
It's just that he doesn't agree with the excellent combat power in Avalon's mouth. It is true that after breaking the knot in their hearts, they can fight against the deep sea with hatred, and even reach the limit of their potential, but it will also bring some trouble. For a teenager, summoning a destroyer does not require much mental power, and the resulting mental decline period is not long, so there is no need to do such a risky thing.
"Actually, this is also because he joined the academy, otherwise Mr. Dean may not come under normal circumstances, and he may not accept this kind of trouble." Avalon, whose father is also an admiral, seems to have some special channels and knows more about things.
Hearing that this was not an unfamiliar term, the young man was silent for a moment, and then stopped talking. He was recruited to get excellent results, but the obsessive teenager refused tactfully. He knew how much he would gain from formally joining a large, overt organization, but it was against his mind that he would be more constrained.