Deep Sea Embers

The empty, cold, stagnant projections of the stars quickly passed by the edge of the field of vision. The navigation host, Alice, was calculating the return route. Shirley, who had returned to human form, and Agou looked at the floating lights and shadows outside the flames together. , remained silent for a long time.

After a long time, Duncan's voice suddenly reached her ears: "What are you thinking about?"

Shirley was startled, then she blinked her eyes filled with blood and shimmer that represented the Netherworld Demon, and whispered softly: "I just suddenly remembered... I always thought that the Netherworld Holy Lord was a terrible evil god... ...out of control and crazy, very bad, bad kind..."

Duncan looked at Shirley for a few seconds and then looked away: "If you were to face him alone today, the situation would be as you said. Your mind cannot understand and process his voice, and you will see his out-of-control and crazy side. ——The same is true for other 'gods'. After all, the Holy Lord Youshuo you 'observed' today was actually from my perspective."

"Well, I know - Agou has explained this to me before. It was explained after your meeting with the Four God Popes. Cognitive shift... right?"

Duncan nodded and didn't speak for a while. It wasn't until more than ten seconds later that he suddenly spoke: "Do you think I should accept this invitation from the 'Holy Lord Netherworld'?"

Shirley was stunned for a moment and seemed unable to react: "...Huh?"

Duncan just looked at her gently: "If I accept it, then what you expect will be realized almost immediately - no more demons will come out to hurt people, no more people will disappear in corners, and solar energy will be available every day Even when it rises and falls, the thick fog will not eat people. The world you hope for can allow more people to live more safely, as long as I take over the shelter.

"Perhaps a thousand years, perhaps ten thousand years, or it may last longer. After I take over this world, every city-state will be as safe as Puland and Frost today, and even the nights will calm down. As long as My flame is still burning, and this boundless sea can maintain this peaceful appearance until all resources are exhausted and the shelter reaches the limit of its originally designed lifespan... That is what Holy Lord Yousu had planned but failed to realize The real life limit."

Shirley was silent for a moment and whispered: "Then... everyone will still die, right?"

Duncan looked at her calmly: "But that will be after a long time. Even if you can live forever like an ordinary deep demon, you should have no regrets by then."

Shirley was quiet for a longer time this time, seeming to be thinking hard and seriously, while Agou stayed quietly beside her, unable to tell what he was thinking.

"Actually..." After a long time, Shirley finally broke the silence, "Actually, I do not understand. I think Lord Netherworld's plan is already very good. It is a safe shelter. Even if it is not eternal, it is at least safe. , I... don't have such high pursuits, but isn't it enough to be able to survive the last time like this safely? After all... there is no other place to go. "

"Yes, there is no other place to go," Duncan said softly, "because there will always be only this boundless sea in this world, there will always be only these city-states floating on the sea, and there will always be only this small piece of life in the mist. Earth...but Shirley, the real 'world' shouldn't be like this, it's just a...narrow cardboard box."

Shirley listened beside her with a vague understanding, and with the slight shaking of the chain, Agou suddenly broke the silence: "As you said, this small box is not enough to carry more 'possibilities', right? ?”

"It's too narrow. The boundless sea sealed by the fog is very narrow, and the 'service life' of tens of millions of years is also very narrow. For the countless civilizations that were destroyed in the Great Annihilation, this small box is only enough to hold a small Some of their replicas are stuffed inside, and the shelter's limited lifespan isn't even long enough for them to tinker with their lost history...

"This is not a 'new home', do you understand? If the 'world' before the Great Annihilation was countless lush forests, then today's boundless sea is just a small potted plant. The results of the first three long nights are just Plant the few surviving flowers and plants in the forest and pretend that the forest still exists - but the truth is that no matter how much water and fertilizer you apply, it will not become a forest, not ever. All it takes is one small mistake. Even this flower pot will cease to exist.”

"So, you rejected His plan because you have seen that it has no future," Agou said slowly, "You actually already know other solutions, right?"

Duncan didn't speak, just lowered his head and looked at his hands quietly.

He blinked his eyes. The moment his eyelids closed, in the first 0.002 seconds of darkness, he saw stars twinkling, magnificent galaxies shining in the deep sky, and huge star-making clouds like a gorgeous curtain. Across the stars.

Even if he has left the cave, he can still see those "different scenery" in the first 0.002 seconds of each blink.

Duncan knew that he was undergoing some kind of change, and the appearance of things that were originally hidden in his vision was only part of this change. As for when this change started specifically... he didn't know.

But he knows that as long as he continues to seek the truth and try to uncover the secrets within himself, this change will continue to appear, continue to develop, and continue to accelerate...

He didn't know if he was ready, but he knew that there was no time to prepare for himself. Just like Pilot One said, neither he nor the world had time.

The phantom of distant starlight reaches its end...

A field of blooming flowers bloomed violently in the illusion. The short baton in Lucretia's hand fell gently, and a few crisp notes burst out from the flowers. Several fear demons covered by the sea of ​​flowers disappeared silently. Made into scattered ashes.

There was the hiss of supercharged pipes and a loud sound of metal collision. Morris punched away the mysterious hound that rushed towards him. He shook his head helplessly: "These people have no respect for knowledge and wisdom." Devil…fortunately I still know some fists and kicks.”

"The number of demons is increasing," Lucretia looked solemnly, looking at the black door that was still expanding, contracting and squirming, with a rare hint of fatigue on her face, "This crack is expanding, and it's getting bigger and bigger." The more demons notice this place, the whole island is sinking into the deep sea."

"It's time for the captain to come back," Morris muttered, and the unique metallic resonance of the reed vibration came from his throat, "Listen to the noise above, if the captain doesn't come back, Vanna will probably smash through the entire valley. "

Lucretia frowned, listening to the low and muffled sounds that continued to come from the cave dome, and shook her head slightly: "This is unlikely to be the movement caused by Miss Vanna, it is more like the Holy Land Island itself. The sound...it was about to be 'awakened' again."

Morris opened his mouth when he heard this, but before he could speak, a dazzling green flame suddenly rose from the squirming black door!

In the blink of an eye, flames spurted out from the door and formed a rotating flame door in the open space of the cave. Then several figures stepped out of the door, accompanied by the captain's familiar and majestic voice: "That's right. , this place is about to 'wake up' again - inform everyone to evacuate Holy Land Island, our work is done."

Lucretia was surprised at first, but then she realized what she was doing. She ignored the greetings and nodded immediately: "Okay daddy!"

Before she finished speaking, she had already started to gather her toy soldiers quickly. After paying tribute to the captain, Morris immediately saw Shirley and Agou standing next to the captain. He saw Shirley's pair of eyes and deep eyes. The devil-like blood-red eyes suddenly opened slightly: "Shirley, this is..."

However, Shirley's eyes were wider than Morris's. She stared blankly at the university scholar in front of her who was in the state of "casting", and after a while she held back a sentence: "Old man, why have you turned into copper?"

Duncan also glanced at Morris with some surprise, and nodded with a subtle expression: "...a very unique form."

Only then did Morris realize that he was still in the casting form. He quickly concentrated his mind, silently recited Lachem's prayer, and used magic to reverse his state - the texture of the copper shell quickly faded from his body, and his flesh and blood body The gears, bearings, pumps and copper tubes were replaced in an incredible way. A pair of ruby ​​focusers faded from the eye sockets. Human eyeballs grew out of the eye sockets. He blinked and took out the delicate and complex thing from his body. The brass mechanism, then smiled and nodded: "...the power of knowledge."

Shirley looked confused: "...You and the captain didn't say this about the power of knowledge when you gave me the lesson, did you?"

In such a short period of time, this girl finally completely re-understood the two concepts of "knowledge changes destiny" and "the power of knowledge" - I am afraid she will never forget it in this life.

At this moment, another strange whistling and murmuring sound suddenly appeared in the cave.

The black door that was constantly undulating and crawling became restless again, and new demons began to enter the real world through this crack. The rugged skeletons and countless hands, feet, and tentacles squeezed out from the crawling surface, crawling and crawling toward the cave. !

Lucretia subconsciously raised the short baton in her hand, but before she could do it, Duncan waved his hand towards the door: "Go back."

The ferocious skeletons and countless limbs and tentacles began to crawl back into the door hurriedly and chaotically.

"Close the door by the way." Duncan added next to him.

The squirming "black door" began to gradually calm down.

Lucretia: "..."

Duncan turned his head and waved to the "Sea Witch" to bring her back to her senses: "Let's go, we still have a lot to do."