It's late at night, but for the Lost Homeland at the end of the world, the sky above it will always be a hazy gray day and night—the passive light of the sky is eternally and evenly diffused in the clouds, as if it would not change at any time.

The sailor sat on the aft deck in a daze, with a complicated expression on his bony face, which he had maintained for a long time, like a sculpture.

Duncan stood next to him, looking down at the dried corpse, and suddenly broke the silence: "Could it be that you are still thinking about your pile of 'last words'?" ”

“…… Not really," the sailor muttered as he adjusted his posture unnaturally, "the main thing is ...... Suddenly I don't know what to do in the future. ”

Duncan raised his eyebrows when he heard this: "In the future?" ”

“…… In my original plan, I should have disappeared from this world by this time," the sailor said calmly and slowly, after a few seconds of silence, "I never thought about continuing to 'live' after completing this mission, and I never thought about any possibility of this—I had been wandering this world for too many years, and now I suddenly found myself thinking about my future 'life'...... Helpless. ”

Duncan looked at the other party seriously: "If you are not happy, I can 'fire' you - it only takes a moment to get the 'long sleep' you want." ”

After hearing this, the sailor's expression suddenly changed subtly, and he adjusted his posture unnaturally: "Ah, this...... It's not ......."

An imperceptible smile appeared on the corner of Duncan's mouth, and he clasped his hands on his chest and looked at the misty sea: "After all, do you really want to 'sleep forever' so much now?" ”

The sailor was silent for a longer time than this, as if he had not seriously thought about the question all along, and only then did he suddenly fall into deep thought on the matter.

After a while, the dried corpse suddenly moved, and a hoarse voice came hesitantly: "This world is ...... to me Still as cold as ice. ”

"But the new world will be warm," Duncan said lightly, "and maybe you can no longer be a corpse, or maybe a corpse can still feel warm." ”

The sailor raised his head with a hint of surprise in his eyes: "New world? ”

"Have you forgotten what you said? What I'm going to do will be done—there will be a new world in the future, that's what you said yourself," Duncan lowered his head and looked calmly into the sailor's eyes, "Are you still so convinced?" ”

After a moment of silence, the sailor nodded: "...... I believe, believe at all times. ”

"Very well, then wait to see it with your own eyes," Duncan laughed, "I think it would be a good place to be - and the story of the Sea Song, many things should be told by the person in question to make sense, since you want it to be passed on to the future, do it yourself." ”

The sailor listened to the captain's words in a slightly sluggish position, and after a long time, the deep wrinkles on the corpse's face suddenly relaxed, and he smiled, although it was still so ugly and terrifying: "Okay, I figured it out. ”

He slowly stood up, looking at the still cold world, the wrinkles on his face stretched even more than before, "I want to see that 'new world', Captain—I really don't want to die." ”

"Okay," Duncan exhaled, smiled and patted the other man on the shoulder, "then he won't die." ”

It was late at night, and seven hours later, it was time for the Lost Country and the Bright Star to set sail.

The crew had gathered on deck after a night's rest, and Alice was once again on the aft bridge, where Miss Doll stood more solemnly than ever before the dark steering wheel, her face tense.

The Bright Star rested quietly next to the Lost Country, waiting to depart.

"Relax," Duncan said to the doll in a gentle tone, standing beside Alice, "you've already tried it once, and the ship is ready, just like last time." ”

"Hmm!" Alice nodded a little stiffly, took a half step forward with a resolute expression, and reached for the steering wheel, which looked extraordinarily heavy.

Before the puppet's fingers touched the wheel, Duncan and Vanna looked back in unison, looking once again into the depths of the archipelago, at the misty sea—in the center of the archipelago-clustered sea, the soft sound of the waves seemed to be real, as if to see them off.

Duncan nodded lightly in that direction and whispered in a voice that only he could hear, "Goodbye, I'll come to see you again." ”

In the next second, the puppet's finger touched the steering wheel of the Lost Land, and the execution authority of the Pilot III began to take over the entire ship.

A huge illusion descended from the sky, and under the chaotic skylight, the fragmented projection of the New Hope descended, and the rapidly spreading shadows enveloped the Lost Country and the Bright Star, as well as a considerable area of the surrounding sea, and then, an illusory and distorted voice seemed to penetrate the distant time, echoing in the depths of everyone's mind:

“…… The jump engine starts and New Hope sets sail...... May we meet again in distant destinations, where hope awaits us all......"

As the distracting and distorted sounds dissipate, so did the mist-shrouded seas, and beyond the shores of the Lost and the Bright Stars, the world quickly lost all color and detail, and reverted to the familiar, monotonous, even "gray."

Only the ancient projection of the New Hope still floats above the two ships, as if a sheltered figure spreads its wings.

Alice, on the other hand, clutched the steering wheel, staring wide-eyed ahead—the countless "threads" that connected her, the Lost and the Bright Star, and the projection of the New Hope, her mind had temporarily detached from the puppet's body and turned into the will and guidance to sail.

The route ahead is clear...... Navigating to a node at the end of the world.

At the same time, the long night still shrouded the endless sea—and under the long cover of the night, the new "order" established for survival had begun to operate.

A glorious "sunshine" is slowly moving on the sea, and the heavy tugboat is dragging the heavy sun fragments on the long voyage between the city-states, and the pale golden light is centered on the tugboat, diffusing out dozens of kilometers away, and where the pale golden light is diffused, there are countless large and small cargo ships.

The fleets that sailed between the city-states set sail with the moving sunlight, the powerful steam cores that drove them through the endless night, the captains would deliver important supplies to the cities that needed them in need, and along with the sunshine that represented hope—they would stay in a city for three to five days, and when the sunlight had dispelled the darkness and distortion of the city, and when the city-state's defenders had respite, the fleet would set off again, loaded with new cargo, and go with the sun to their next destination.

Across the vast seas, more and more fleets are carrying sunlight and supplies.

The union of the northern city-states has begun to work as planned, and in the central sea, the new "Sunshine Route", centered on Plant, has completed the first ocean-going material delivery at night. In Faheron, the White Oak serves as the pilot ship, leading the towing ship that hauls the sun's fragments through the blockade of the night, reconnecting the isolated cities, while in the distant Breeze, several fleets assembled by the Church themselves have sailed into the night, which will go to Moco and Lunsar to break through the blockade of the night.

The sun is flowing in the long night, and fleets are sailing in this sinking world, just like the pioneers who explored the Dark Islands in ancient times, and carried axes and torches in the forests, constantly fighting against the spreading and deepening darkness, and doing everything to keep the blood flowing in the giant's body as the "civilized" giant gradually declined.

Standing on the tallest tower of Breeze, Taran El gazed with some fascination at the pale golden glow that was fading away on the sea, and he saw the huge glowing geometry like light-cast crystals being dragged towards the night by the heavy tugboat, and in the fading sunlight, countless shadows of ships and ships were faintly visible.

It was the first convoy of cargo ships to depart from Light Wind Harbor, and they would spend the next seven days traversing the long night, taking the sun to deliver supplies to Moko, and from there, trying to make their way further afield to the central seas, and enter the "Sunshine Route" established by Poland to "dock" with the lines of communication there.

If all goes well, the central and southern seas will be reconnected after that.

And now, the Light Wind Harbor has sunk into the night.

The "sunshine" that had enveloped the city-state for the past year was gone, and for the first time, Lighthaven, which had been sheltered by the sun, was confronted with the long night in a real sense, and now darkness had fallen on all the neighborhoods, and the gas lamps were lit in the night, outlining the city in Taran El's vision.

Footsteps came from behind him, and Taran El didn't look back to know who was coming.

"Seriously, I'm a little sad, Ted, you know how it feels?" "I've spent most of the last year studying that Sun Fragment, and it's almost become a part of the Breeze—many people, including me, never thought it would leave this place. ”

"It's more than just a 'research specimen' now, it's become part of the lifeline of many city-states since Vision 001 fell," said Ted Lear, the keeper of truth, as he approached the edge of the terrace and joined Taran as he looked at the city below that had fallen into night...... I received an order from the Academy that 'survival' would be the first mission of all the city-states and all people in the future, and that everything else would make way for it. ”

Taran El listened silently, saying nothing, and after a long time, he sighed and broke the silence: "Let's go to the docks together." ”

(End of chapter)