The endless stars had collapsed, and those distant and brilliant lights silently shrank back into a human form. Duncan had returned from the starlight to a dinsion that Fenna and Morris could understand—yet his voice still trembled in so higher dinsion, and the layers of whispers and noise in rationality and cognition made it almost impossible for Fenna to think.
After an unknown amount of ti, which might have only been an instant, Fenna felt the noise in her head slightly recede. She rubbed her forehead and saw Morris slowly taking out a pipe from his bosom. The old man trembled as he lit his pipe and muttered, "...used to it..."
"That was freaking intense," A Dog lay at Sherry’s feet, "I think I just saw The Saint again."
Nina seed less affected. She was stunned for a mont before regaining her senses, then seed to fall into contemplation, occasionally sneaking glances at Duncan, her eyes carrying a trace of sorrow.
Duncan was simply calmly gazing into "Helena’s" eyes, seeing through those eyes that reflected distant waves, he quietly faced that remote and ancient creature.
After a long ti, a voice finally entered everyone’s ears along with the gentle sound of the waves, "I understand now... we will et again."
The sound of the waves receded, and the moist and salty air that had always lingered also gradually dispersed. Helena blinked, and the non-human, distorted characteristics quickly receded from her. Then she suddenly bent over, her intense panting accompanied by severe retching—Fenna quickly reacted, rushing forward to support the Female Pope’s arm, helping ease her breathing while using Divine Arts to heal her injuries.
It took a while before Helena’s breathing stabilized. She slowly lifted her head, her face pale and weary, but with a sincere smile.
"I haven’t touched His will in a long ti," she said softly, "I almost forgot what it feels like..."
"Forget about feelings, you almost died—you need to go back to the Ark imdiately, it can stabilize your ntal state," Rune shook his head, interrupting Helena’s reflection, then turned his gaze to Duncan, "We should leave now, Captain."
Duncan raised his hand, "Please."
After regaining so strength, Helena rose from the couch. She bid farewell to Duncan with Rune and then set off back to the Ark.
But just as she was about to leave the "Witch’s Mansion," she stopped and turned back to look at Duncan, who was still in the living room.
"Go ahead, you have your matters to tend to," Duncan gestured to the hesitant Female Pope, "Even if it is indeed the end of the world, there are still many lives that need to continue—even if only for one more day."
Helena nodded silently, then turned and stepped into the boundless, long night outside with Rune.
The two popes left, the door closed, shutting off the vast night outside. Quietness once again enveloped the living room. Amid the slight crackling of the fireplace, it seed everyone had their thoughts, all bowing their heads in silent contemplation.
After contemplating for an unknown amount of ti, Duncan suddenly broke the silence, "...Just hosting here for a while, and one of the two popes nearly lost half their life—Deep Sea Church wouldn’t think we’ve laid an ambush of five hundred gunn in this house, would they?"
Lucy’s train of thought, which was halfway through, suddenly couldn’t connect anymore. She raised her head in surprise, "Is that what you were silent all this ti thinking about?"
"Don’t you think it’s a valid concern?" Duncan looked seriously at Lucy, "Originally, your house already had a bad reputation in this city. They think you’ve ambushed all sorts of things here, stewing pots filled with kids and stray dogs from around the world..."
"Well then, thank them for the rumors—maybe that will keep the sales ads that show up in the mailbox every week at bay," Lucy said, eyes wide, but she soon sighed and looked out the window, "...Of course, there might not be any sales ads now."
Duncan let out a sigh, rising from the couch.
"I’ve spoken too much, and I’m a bit tired myself, I’ll go to my room to rest—you all arrange yourselves, don’t wait for for lunch."
Accompanied by the slight creaking of the stairs leading to the second floor, Duncan’s tall figure gradually disappeared at the end of the staircase.
Those left in the living room looked at each other, seemingly at a loss for a mont.
"I actually didn’t understand what they were talking about just now," Sherry was the first to break the silence, "But there is one thing I felt, that Female Pope just now... she wasn’t really her, right?"
Fenna slowly nodded, "The Goddess told , their connection with the mortal world would be strengthened for the last ti, it seems they have already begun."
"What will happen next?" Nina couldn’t help but ask.
"Who knows? The optimistic ones used to at least say ’the sun will still rise tomorrow,’ but now even that holds no persuasion," Morris held his pipe, his voice low, "But no matter what, tomorrow will always co, even if it’s a morning without the sun rising. Just like the captain said, life must go on, he has his tasks, and we have ours."
The tobacco in the pipe slowly burned out, the last few sparks disappearing in the thin smoke.
A gust of invisible wind swirled through the living room, and then the brilliantly colored confetti spiraled and vanished from everyone’s sight.
Duncan heard the sound of the wind behind him and felt the approach of a familiar presence. He turned around and saw Lucy’s figure forming from the dazzling swirl of colorful confetti.
"I thought after the last ’incident’, you wouldn’t be using these colorful paper pieces to travel in front of again," Duncan chuckled, "Aren’t you afraid I’d be too curious again?"
"You are going beyond the Eternal Veil," Lucricia ignored him, her face expressionless as she stared into Duncan’s eyes, "Crossing the threshold of Six Nautical Miles?"
Duncan paused, "Why do you ask?"
"The thing you’re looking for isn’t in the Endless Sea—though I don’t quite understand what you ant by what you told the ’Female Pope’, I know that you are going to cross that veil again, and I can feel that this ti you will go further and leave for longer."
Duncan quietly watched the "witch" in front of him, and after a long ti, he slowly spoke, "Lucy, you should have seen it already."
Specks of starlight faintly appeared in the room, the interplay of light and shadow seeming to reflect a distant starry sky in the corner of Lucricia’s eyes.
"I saw it," the "Sea Witch" calmly stated, "In fact, I saw it the very first ti you appeared before ."
The starlight faded, and Duncan looked at the "witch" in surprise.
"Then you should know that I am not actually..."
"Nina never cared whether you were really her ’Uncle Duncan’ or not," Lucricia said calmly.
Duncan exhaled, unable to help but smile wryly.
"In the depths of the starlight, I can see my father’s shadow—whether you accept it or not," Lucricia shook her head gently, "I know you have indeed returned to this world, though in a way I cannot yet understand, but here you stand just as I rember, and now you are leaving again... seemingly just as before."
She paused, her expression turning serious, "Do you rember? We discussed this matter."
"...Taking you with , yes, I rember," Duncan finally nodded slowly, "Well, Lucy, I admit that before you ca, I did briefly consider setting out on my own—you needn’t rush, I just considered it and had no intention of actually doing it..."
Perhaps pressured by Miss Witch’s expressionless gaze, Duncan ended up adding a few words sowhat sheepishly, but suddenly, he noticed a hint of a smile in Lucricia’s eyes.
Miss Witch finally couldn’t hold back her laughter, which blossod across her face.
Duncan frowned, "What are you laughing at?"
"...You used to explain things to in such a flustered manner too, although it very rarely happened," Lucricia laughed rrily, "The last ti was when you broke my hairpin."
Duncan stared blankly, his hands spreading helplessly.
Then, a streak of bright light flashing past the window suddenly interrupted his next words.
He paused for a mont, then quickly rushed to the window with Lucricia.
In the thin golden "sunlight" spread by the Luminous Geotric Body, a brighter arc slowly appeared at the distant end of the city.
Duncan looked puzzledly at the "arc of light," then suddenly realized.
In Prandt’s antique shop, his gaze through the open window on the second floor captured a clearer scene—
A brilliant golden brilliance was slowly rising at the horizon of the sea.
In the initial, exciting and thrilling few seconds, almost everyone thought it was the sunrise.
Until that golden arc fully rose above the sea and began ascending into the sky at a startling pace—until its disjointed state beca increasingly clear to everyone, and as it ascended faster, it disintegrated.
Duncan finally saw clearly what that thing looked like.
It was a quarter-section of a circular ring, appearing to be just a part of the outer rune circle of Vision 001, its bright edges laden with visible dark cracks, which ultimately caused the entire "light arc" to fragnt into several loosely arranged luminous structures during its rise—in just a few minutes, this increasingly dispersed "luminous array" accelerated upwards to the height of the sun at around nine or ten o’clock.
Then, that lonely section of the rune circle in the sky completely disintegrated.
Accompanied by a roar that nearly shook the entire world and fearso howls and flashes that tore through the sky, the luminous array transford into several "teors" sweeping across the sky, plumting toward the earthly beings.
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