Chapter 235:

Chapter 235:

Astrid looked up at her mother with worry as she gazed off into the distance; where the bubbled city was. Her mother frowned, but in the next second, she recovered her usual steely expression.

After another thirty minutes, they arrived at Rebirth. The docking station grabbed hold of Seabreaker and pulled it up with motorised winches. It took ten minutes to reach the Upper District where the Wayfarer and Seafarer docks were located. Major Steele saluted.

He didn’t die, Astrid thought in relief as she looked at the professional soldier. She wasn’t close to the man as she had only really seen him once or twice ever since she became a Wayfarer. But strangely, she was happy to see him alive and well. Well-ish. The man was evidently wounded, spoiled by the strange way he was hunched over. He was doing his best to hide it.

By his side was Freya. Astrid launched off the boat and hugged her cousin tight. “It’s good to see you, Freya.”

“Thank the Goddess you came back safely,” Freya replied.

“Thank you for the reinforcements,” Eli said, nodding her head to the Major. “Without them, we would be... dead.”

“It’s not my honour to claim I’m afraid, Lady Sinwen,’ Major Steele said. He glanced at Freya with more than a hint of respect. “It was all Lady Freya’s plan. She put Astrid’s... forces to work. Using their knowledge, they created the explosive ordnance that puts even our own to shame.”

“Freya, you have done well,” Eli said. Astrid noticed a hint of awkwardness between them.

Well, it wasn’t strange. Her mother and her sister had a strained relationship. Astrid couldn’t help but overhear rumours when she was younger. Apparently her mother’s sister–Nera–was in love with her father for quite a few years. The rumours still persist to this day. Because of that, it was a bit awkward between all of them.

Astrid hadn’t heard of Nera for a long time. She was an erratic woman. A scientist. Since she couldn’t have Lord Sinwen, she buried her head in her work. Astrid couldn’t remember what she did, but she recalled the mention of potions now and then.

“Thank you, Lady Sinwen,” Freya said, curtsying. “Without wasting time, I ask that we immediately head for the Sinwen Manor. There is a lot to discuss.”

Her mother nodded. Then the air changed. Astrid could feel it. It was coming from her mother. She looked at Major Steele and said, “Ignite the boosters. Relay to the admiral that we are plotting a course straight for the Dead Seas.”

“The Boosters?”

“The Dead Seas?!”

Major Steele and Freya asked in shock at the same time.

“Now,” Eli said.

“Right away, Lady Sinwen,” Major Steele disappeared in a flash. Heading straight for the admiral’s Bridge.

It was where the admiral steered the arc. If Astrid strained her eyes, she could see it in the distance, behind the broken buildings of the Upper District. It was a tall tower with toughened glass windows on all sides so that the admiral could see a full three-sixty degrees.

“Fighting to our last breath is what we should be doing!” Meridian slammed the desk. “We should be sending out every last man and woman into Apocrypha for reinforcements! For all we know, Lord Sinwen may need our help.”

“It isn’t a fight of numbers,” Lady Sinwen said calmly. “We will just be sending them to their deaths. For the future of Rebirth, we need everyone. We can’t afford any more losses. If Lord Sinwen–my husband–dies, then he will have died saving us time to reach the Dead Seas. If we hesitate, that sacrifice will be for nothing.”

At the cold words, Astrid’s tightened grabbed her thighs tightly. Was this the responsibility of a Sinwen? To disregard family for the greater good? The thought pained Astrid.

“But–”

Her mother interrupted Meridian. “There are no buts. The decision has been made.”

Meridian huffed. His shoulders relaxed, then he said, “Alright. Fine. let’s say it’s the best decision to escape, how will we enter the Dead Seas? It’s a certainty the Order won’t follow us, because we will be doing their job for them. No one has ever entered the Dead Seas and returned alive. Not even the most powerful of us.”

“There is one person,” Freya added with a smile. She seemed carefree. The fact that there were so many top nobles around her made no difference to her. Like a general in war, she was calm. “Noah.”

All the nobles at the table broke out into discussion. They had forgotten.

Her mother nodded. And as if on key, Noah entered the hall. She stood behind her mother. The pirate king of kings was still injured, wrapped in bandages, but she had enough strength to walk, it seemed.

“Lady Sinwen, you wish to forge a path through hell?” Noah asked.

“It’s only fitting, isn’t it?” Lady Sinwen said with a slight smile. “There’s no use asking if you can accomplish this feat, is there?”

“No, there isn’t,” Noah sighed. “Lord Sinwen made sure of that. Operation: Hell’s Sunder.”

The moment Noah uttered the words, the floor shook. No, the entirety of Rebirth trembled. Loud warning sirens fired across all the floors of the arc, and a minute later, a roar that could shake the skies erupted from the back of Astrid’s home.

Astrid’s body jolted. She held the table tight. Leena had her hand pressed against her back, keeping her in position. Without her mana, her body was weak.

Then, it sounded like a tower of god’s fire blazed through the engines. Astrid could feel it. They were moving fast. Incredibly fast.

“That will shock the residents,” Rachelle said in a whisper behind Astrid as she held onto Rob for support.

“Now that you’ve mentioned that,” Freya said. “We have a big problem in the Lower District. The people are rebelling. The Sanctity Healers are refusing to cooperate with us. And with ties to the Order, we were waiting for you... to provide a hand of force.”

“There’s a lot to do,” Her mother said.