Chapter 649: The Delayed Day of Destruction

After a catastrophic disaster, an unsettling silence enveloped everything. Amid the remnants of widespread devastation, the ruins loomed with statues of ancient gods over a world reduced to ashes. In this bleak landscape, peculiar new creatures appeared, their forms distorted echoes of the past amid the debris. Duncan, looking beyond the myths, acknowledged the truth of the "Deep Sea Era" as stark and unsettling.

Although he could have softened his portrayal of the gods, Duncan knew that gentler words wouldn't alter the grim reality.

As he pondered, Duncan absentmindedly scratched the neck of Goathead, once revered as a "Creator." The creature looked at Duncan with concern and said, "You seem deeply troubled."

Duncan paused, sinking into his chair, his gaze distant. He murmured, "...The whole world is just a bunch of dying embers..."

Hearing this, Goathead recognized the phrase. "Lucretia used to say that."

Duncan nodded, lost in thought, and methodically searched through his belongings. From his weathered coat pocket, he pulled out two items.

The first was a mesmerizing orb, a miniature yet majestic representation of an ancient star, displaying animated solar activity. It glowed softly, a tribute to the vibrant life of a star—a meaningful gift from Ta Ruijin to Vanna, representing the sun of the forest folk's homeland.

The second item was a delicate pale gold crystal, irregular and asymmetric, adorned with smooth facets that shimmered ethereally. Inside, a complex network of fine lines formed an intricate three-dimensional lattice.

Curious about the crystal, Goathead asked, "What is this?"

Duncan, handling the crystal casually, explained, "In the terms of 'civilized worlds,' this might be considered a 'blasphemous prototype.' It's a fragment from the Sun Offspring that fell from the sky. Before it was consumed by fire, Ai retrieved it for us."

Goathead recalled the Sun Offspring's dramatic final moments and his pursuit using that mythical form, who he intercepted and shattered it in the clouds. Amidst the chaos, a glowing core was briefly visible before being engulfed by the ghostly green flames.

Just then, Ai gracefully landed and inspected the crystal it had retrieved, tapping it with its beak and chanting, "The crystal is filled with hatred!"

Duncan seemed unfazed by Ai's declaration, absorbed in his thoughts, his eyes locked on the crystal. He recalled the "Sun Remnants"—tall figures in black, each with an intricate umbrella containing advanced technological components, including crystals like the one he held.

These "blasphemous prototypes" were advanced technological creations of the "Black Sun." Duncan reflected on his earlier encounters with these umbrellas and the Suntists' sophisticated technology.

With his deeper understanding of the Great Annihilation, Duncan's perspective shifted. He realized that the catastrophic events marking the Deep Sea Era's start affected not just the elves and forest folk but also other worlds, all victims of this great catastrophe. Each relic in his world likely represented a civilization that had been destroyed.

These civilizations might have originated from different planets in the same universe, while others, capable of contaminating legacies, likely came from universes with different physical laws.

This led Duncan to a profound question: From which universe had the Black Sun been orphaned?

Duncan's expression grew more thoughtful as he traced the crystal's intricate facets. Lost in thought, he murmured, "So they too are lost ones..."

Initially confused, Goathead quickly connected the dots. "Who?" it asked, before realization struck. "Are you talking about the Black Sun and its strange offsprings?"

Duncan nodded. "Everything in the Deep Sea Era comes from worlds destroyed in the Great Annihilation. Even the ancient gods are just powerful beings that barely survived the aftermath. The Black Sun didn't just appear out of nowhere. This crystal likely represents the lost civilization from which the Black Sun emerged."

Goathead added, "...But now, this 'civilization' is our enemy, and their existence threatens to unravel our reality."

"Exactly, they are incompatible," Duncan agreed solemnly. "There are many things in this world that cannot coexist with civilized society: dangerous ancient gods, spectral shadows in the spirit realm, beings from subspace... But have you ever wondered why these entities cannot coexist with our world?"

Goathead seemed at a loss for words.

"Everything is simply the 'ash' left over from the Great Annihilation. The dead gods from these ashes have heralded the start of the current Deep Sea Era. Theoretically, this era should represent a merging, transformation, and compromise among the remnants of worlds destroyed in the Great Annihilation. Since that event has ended and the Third Long Night has reshaped the world, the entities that now exist should be part of a 'rebalancing,' not causing the same level of contamination and erosion as when they initially collided with our world..."

"Yet, the reality we face is different. Ancient gods like the Black Sun still exist, and many 'contaminants' wreak havoc upon entering our reality. This ongoing disaster strikingly resembles the 'erosion' witnessed around Atlantis during the Great Annihilation. It's as though..." Duncan's voice trailed off, his expression revealing his struggle to articulate a complex thought.

"It's as if the Great Annihilation never truly ended," Goathead interjected insightfully.

"Yes, exactly," Duncan confirmed. "It seems as though it was merely delayed, a catastrophe temporarily confined in a hidden corner of existence. And now, with the passage of time, it's gradually seeping back into our world. The erosion persists, and the conflicts and pollution between different worlds are continuously unfolding. The Third Long Night might have 'squeezed' these fragments of realities together, but within this precariously 'squeezed' order, the inherent opposition and destructive forces of all things relentlessly march on..."

Goathead, grasping the gravity of Duncan's words, connected the dots, "This seems to align with the 'doomed fate' spoken of by the Ender Missionaries."

Duncan's nod was slow and deliberate. "Self-pollution and self-destruction seem to be the inevitable trajectories of the Deep Sea Era. The Day of Destruction was embedded in the fabric of history from its very inception, staining the annals of time and eventually catching up from the river of history. This dire prediction has been the consistent 'sermon' of those Ender Missionaries," he acknowledged. "Such apocalyptic prophecies have always been dismissed by the mainstream as mere fanaticism. But now, after grasping the true nature of the Great Annihilation and observing the various 'characteristics' of the current Deep Sea Era, I've started to seriously consider the possible truth in the madness of these doomsayers."

Duncan paused, his gaze introspective, before continuing, "Maybe what they preach is not mere apocalyptic theory, but an objective description of the Third Long Night... The Third Long Night might have been an incomplete, unsuccessful act of creation. It didn't resolve the underlying 'conflicts' born from the collision of multiple worlds. Instead, it merely set up a temporal buffer, a period of ten thousand years for this world to find its way... Hence, the impending necessity of the Fourth Long Night."

"...Do you think such a 'path' has been found?"

"No," Duncan replied, shaking his head with a certain resignation. "The Ender Missionaries seem to be aware of some underlying truths, particularly the 'hidden dangers' left by the Third Long Night. They understand that the underlying conflicts and the gradual collapse of everything in the world are progressing. But if they really had a solution, they wouldn't use the Annihilators and the Suntists as mere pawns, nor would they send them into the Dream of the Nameless One in search of answers."

"The guidance they offer to the Annihilators and Suntists is cryptic and vague, more like an experiment than a clear directive. This indicates that even the Ender Missionaries are unsure of the correct course of action."

After a moment of silence, Goathead posed a new question, "What do you intend to do with this crystal? If it truly is a blasphemous prototype... the longer it stays in our reality, the more dangerous it becomes. Even keeping it aboard the Vanished might not be safe for long."

Duncan pondered for a brief moment, his gaze still on the crystal. Then, slowly raising his hand, he summoned a wisp of flame from his fingertips, which began to weave into the crystal's structure.

"I'm deeply intrigued by their secrets," he declared, a hint of determination in his voice.