After listening to Vanna's story, Tirion fell silent for a short time.

He couldn't analyze from these few words what kind of plans the ghost had at this moment, and how he had undergone these changes, but one thing was certain—the "Captain Duncan" that Vanna described was definitely not the frenzied monster that the Sea Mist had encountered in the cold sea half a century ago.

But it didn't quite look like the great explorer father he remembered a century ago.

"Captain Tirien," after a long silence in the drawing room, Vanna's voice suddenly rang out, interrupting Tirien's thoughts, "What do you think?" ”

"I ...... I can't believe it's happening, but since it's happened, I can only admit it for now," Tirien's brow furrowed as he thought as he spoke, "Judging by your description, it does seem that he is in a state of clarity, sanity and humanity, but his power ...... That cursed flame was correspondingly more powerful. ”

Vana nodded, "I don't know if that green flame is a curse, but that thing is really powerful." ”

"That flame has something to do with the subspace," Tirion said, "and he's gained this eerie power since he fell into the subspace, so it's no problem to call it a curse." ”

“…… So, the flame is more powerful than you saw half a century ago, which means that Captain Duncan's connection to the subspace is deeper than before," the old bishop Valentine mused, "so he didn't break free from the influence of the subspace, but instead sank deeper - but in the same way, he recovered in the process?" ”

“…… This is not in line with what we know about subspace. Tirion shook his head.

"The believers of Lachem often say," said Valentine, "the only thing we know about subspace is that we never know enough about it—for thousands of years, no person or thing from the real dimension has been able to enter the subspace and return to it, and no one knows what is in the subspace except for some indirect observations and the words written by the mad scholars of the ancient Cretan kingdom in their madness...... Our 'summary of the rules' of that place is actually meaningless in itself. ”

Speaking of this, the learned old man paused, and then sighed leisurely: "Even, we can't be sure whether subspace is a 'place' or not-

"Sixteen hundred years ago, the mad scholar Byrmin was devoured by the invisible in full view of everyone because he read an ancient scroll, and before he disappeared, he shouted 'subspace is the shadow on the back side of the world', and at that time he shouted crazy to one hundred and forty-two witnesses, but with the madness of those one hundred and forty-two witnesses as a 'sacrifice', this information has also become the biggest step in our understanding of subspace in thousands of years.

Until now, scholars have been trying to construct a theoretical model of subspace based on Bairmin's dying cry...... And your father, not only did he actually go to that place, but he is even now conscious and back to our world. ”

"Yes, every year I study, every year I die, and the dead people are quickly replenished and continue to study...... So I have a lot of admiration for the scholars of the Academy of Truth, in the true sense of the word," Tirion sighed and shook his head, then lowered his voice slightly, "So, my 'father' may have become a valuable sample now?" A sample who has actually been to subspace and is sane and communicative? ”

"It's just wishful thinking," Valentine said, "We can't expect 'Captain Duncan' to cooperate with mortal research, and besides, although he has sanity now, we can't assume that his sanity is on the human side - if he is a sane subspace invader, it will be far more terrifying than those chaotic projections that can't think." ”

Tirien didn't speak for a moment, as if he was in deep memory and thought, and it didn't take long for him to suddenly speak: "Before going on his last expedition, he was anxious for a while...... No, strictly speaking, it's been as if he's been anxious about something and doing a lot of ...... for it Chilling preparation. ”

Valentine and Vanna immediately looked at each other, and their expressions became serious at the same time.

This is perhaps the first time in a century that these vital secrets have been heard from the descendants of Captain Duncan!

Vanna couldn't help but ask, "What is he anxious about?" And why are you preparing? ”

"The end of the world." Tirion looked up and said calmly.

Valentin frowned slightly: "Doomsday? ”

"I know it sounds a bit cheesy, like the madness of the doomsayers that pop up every year, but it's really something the world's greatest explorer couldn't sleep day and night a hundred years ago."

Tirien sighed softly and continued.

"From the day Lucrecia and I took command of the Sea Mist and the Bright Star, he'd brought it up occasionally.

"He seems to think that there is some kind of ...... in our world Something like a countdown, or some kind of time limit, although the earthly world seems to be peaceful and peaceful on the surface, this countdown is actually nearing the end, and as long as the time comes, it will quickly enter the collapse, the end, and no one can reverse or stop the process, and he thinks...... Our age is the last frame of the countdown. ”

Valentine frowned: "Frankly, I don't think our world can be considered 'stable'......"

"But in my father's mouth, he called the present world 'the last pastoral age.'"

Vanna thought for a moment and asked, "So, he fell into subspace in order to find a way to stop this 'countdown'?" ”

"No, he wanted to find Anomaly 000 - he thought Anomaly 000 would end the warp of the world and kill the countdown, so he passed through the 'Curtain of Eternity' at the end of the world."

Valentine was taken aback: "He passed through the Curtain of Eternity?!" ”

"Yes...... But I can only confirm that he actually entered the fog, but I don't know if he actually managed to 'penetrate' it," Tirion said, "He refused to follow all frigates at the time, and all I know for sure is that he did make it back alive - to get into a state of madness." As for falling into subspace...... That's after that. ”

Valentine and Vanna fell silent in unison, and after a while, Vanna took the initiative to break the silence: "Then did he find the so-called anomaly 000?" You know, theoretically......"

"There is no such thing as a zero-numbered anomaly or anomaly, I know, and he really didn't get back," Tirion said calmly, "so I always thought that he might have been out of his mind when he decided to look for Anomaly 000. ”

Vanna thought for a moment and asked, "Do you know what your father was in the first place when he thought there was a 'countdown' in the world?" When did he come up with this realization? Was it exposure to some trigger, or ...... What was found? ”

Tyrion recalled for a moment, and said with some uncertainty, "I...... Not sure, it's a long time ago, but I vaguely remember that he had hosted a few people on the Lost and talked with them all night - the first time he brought the question of the end of the world to us was after that day. ”

"How many people have you received?" Valentine immediately became serious, "What kind of person is it?" What was the situation at that time? ”

"They were all dressed in gray-white coarse cloth robes, barefoot, I remember...... They were thin, as if they had gone through penance, as if they had gone on a long journey, and they had suddenly appeared on the ship during the voyage of the Lost Country, as if they had made an appointment with their father," Tirion said slowly, "and after a long conversation all night, my father said that the guests had left, but I did not see them leave the ship, and the men seemed to have disappeared out of thin air. ”

Valentine's expression was a little strange: "The last preacher? It sounds a lot like ......."

"Your Excellency, do you think that after a hundred years of my life, I will not know the Missionary of the Last Days?" Tirion shook his head slightly, "I was skeptical, too, but those people are definitely not the Last Preachers you and I are familiar with—they are sane and friendly, and they don't have any madness in them. ”

"Sane friendly?" Valentine blinked, and said thoughtfully, "I really haven't heard of a sane preacher...... Do those people have any other characteristics? ”

This time Tirion remembered for a longer time, and it was a few minutes before he suddenly looked up: "One of them said a few words to me, I can't remember the exact details, just a common greeting, but I remember they called themselves 'lowly seekers', and ......"

Tirian paused and looked around, "Is there a pen?" ”

"Yes," Vanna immediately took a pen and paper from the side, "Here you go." ”

Tirien took the pen and paper and lowered her head to draw a pattern on the coffee table, and Valentine and Vanna were curious to lean over.

They saw a hexagonal emblem with a fragmented, cross-shaped pattern in the center, and Tirion was visibly hesitant when he drew the cross, as if his memory had blurred.

"It's kind of like this—one of them was wearing a talisman like this, and it seemed so important that he didn't allow me to touch it, saying only that it was for them to seek guidance and refuge on the way."

Vanna frowned and looked at the pattern for a long time, then looked back at Valentine: "You know more, do you know this thing?" ”

“…… I've never seen it," Valentine looked at it for a long time, then shook his head hesitantly, "not like any known religious symbol, nor like something used by a classical city-state. ”

"Is that so......"

Vanna muttered softly, her gaze still fixed on the paper.

The strange patterns on the paper were reflected in her eyes.

Reflected in her eyes was a faint cluster of faint green sparks that were barely perceptible to the naked eye.

(End of chapter).