Tirian's story finally came to an end, but in Duncan's opinion, this strange story ended too hastily.
"Is everything over? Is it really over?" He couldn't help but look at the big pirate across the mirror, questioning in his tone, "A submersible with a warehouse of explosives running to a depth of one thousand meters underwater solved the worsening 'out-of-control supernatural phenomenon'? Let's not discuss how much power those explosives can release at a depth of one thousand meters underwater - just from the perspective of the supernatural field, is it possible for that kind of explosion to destroy a... supernatural phenomenon?"
"We can only think so," Tirian was obviously not surprised by his father's doubts. "In fact, no one knows what happened a thousand meters underwater at that time. No one knows what the No. 4 submersible saw there. The only connection between us and the deep water is the partial perception shared by the priests through psychic echoes... A scream, a roar, and a roar, these tiny fragments can piece together very little truth.
"And given the fact that no copies of Submersible 3 have ever surfaced from the depths of the ocean since the explosion of Submersible 4, we can only assume that... the matter is resolved."
"It's resolved..." Duncan frowned and shook his head, "Okay, let's assume that it's resolved, then the Abyss Project..."
"The Abyss Project is not over, and that's exactly what's wrong," Tirian said bluntly. "This happened, and they paid a huge price. They finally solved the strange crisis of Submersible No. 3. Logically, they should have reviewed the Abyss Project and stopped the project in time. However, Her Majesty Ray Nora went against the crowd and not only announced that she would restart the plan and start building Submersible No. 4, but even... raised the priority of the Abyss Project to the highest level, and did not hesitate to mobilize extraordinary manpower and resources for it."
Duncan's eyes suddenly became profound. He vaguely realized that the real "out-of-control" part of the matter might have ended here. The "crime" of the Frost Queen and the rebellion half a century ago all originated from this.
He looked Tirian in the eye. "You didn't sound like you supported him at the time."
"He and you had a dispute, a very inexplicable dispute, which is why you said that you were no longer directly involved in the "Abyss Project" after the "thousand-meter depth" - because after that, you felt that things were sliding in a dangerous direction," Tirian said slowly, his voice low, "but now think about it, he should have tried his best to stop His Majesty, instead of avoiding you... He trusted you too much, so that he didn't realize that you could make mistakes."
"You think your majesty has indeed made a mistake?"
"oh?"
"Not in this case, the rumor... In fact, it can't be considered a rumor. The rumor spread everywhere. People just said that His Majesty was doing some suspicious research, but soon, the statement became that His Majesty was studying the Warp. Later, it became that His Majesty was colluding with the Warp and had cooperated with his big boss in the Warp, Captain Duncan..."
"And the weirdest thing is that even after all these changes, even though the atmosphere of the entire project is getting more and more terrifying, the Abyss Project is still moving forward without hesitation. Those who participated in the project, those who were accompanied by madness and accidents all day long, and even those who themselves had experienced frequent trauma, none of them were timid and withdrew, and no one believed in or resisted the instructions from the upper level. It feels like..."
"Merchant ships continue to observe reflections identical to their own ships appearing in the distance on the sea. Thick fog frequently descends on the east, with shadows that look like ships or giant beasts floating in the fog. Some... unknown people begin to appear in the city-state. A lot of familiar people gather near the facilities related to the Abyss Project, all claiming to be participants in the project, and the number of these familiar people even exceeds the actual number of participants in the Abyss Project.
Tirian exhaled softly and spread his hands. "You know what happened next. The great rebellion that rocked the North."
Duncan remained silent, and after a brief pause he said, "If you look at it this way, the outbreak of this great rebellion is really due to the fact that Ray Nora insisted on promoting the Abyss Plan, which was too dangerous, and
From your description... his mental state at the time was really not right."
"That is what he wanted to say," Tirian said suddenly. "I know that His Majesty acted with all the signs of being irrational, like a madman seduced by something, but I know that I... have always been clear, very clear, very rational, and knew exactly what I was doing."
Tirian retracted his gaze and sorted out his thoughts: "In this way, the whole plan is as if being called and pushed by some force. It is even as if this plan itself has generated a certain will, and is persistently moving towards the deep sea. The members participating in the project have become cells in that huge will.
"In your opinion, that kind of trust should be too blind."
The large warehouse filled with "antiques" fell silent for a moment. After an unknown amount of time, Duncan's voice came out of the mirror slowly: "It's understandable that people associate this incident with the subspace, but associating it with the Lost Homeland is really too imaginative."
Seeing this, Duncan spoke softly, “It’s as if the deep sea is calling us.
“…What happened after Lenora insisted on implementing the Abyss Project?”
"Don't think too much, just keep talking."
Tirian was a little stuck, and seemed unable to find the right words to describe the atmosphere of that year.
"Instead, in such an atmosphere, the No. 3 submersible unknowingly crossed a depth of one thousand meters. I don't know how deep it finally dived, but I heard that... This is an astonishing number, very, very astonishing. From the perspective of engineering, materials science, and the technological level of the time... It is a number that is simply impossible to achieve.
“Some people involved in the project started to go crazy, some were inexplicably injured, some suddenly disappeared, and then reappeared in the city-state in a daze. The explorers who dived in the submersible became suspicious and irritable. They no longer looked like rigorous and respectable scholars and soldiers, but more and more like eerie and weird fanatics. Even... It is said that even the 'Submersible No. 3' itself has undergone some incomprehensible changes during its repeated dives, and its internal operation is becoming more and more like some kind of... 'living thing'.
"Yes, it's as if the deep sea is calling us." Tirian was startled, then nodded immediately, and then looked at Duncan with a strange look, "Very... accurate description."
"But I know that perhaps other participants in the Abyss Project are indeed gradually being affected by something, but I... obviously withstood that influence and am using it in the opposite way."
“He had a dispute with you, but you are still a general he trusts. He can get close to you—in fact, other senior officials of the city-state can also do so. They all know that His Majesty has never been crazy, and he has no conspiracy to destroy the city-state or threaten the world. Yes, they know... but they are afraid and hesitant. Some of them have been bought and deceived. They are not as firm as I am.
"Whether he was blind or not is your business," Duncan shook his head. "I just want to say that His Majesty didn't seem to be able to really keep everything under control. He died at the hands of the rebels in the end, and the Abyss Project was completely buried. Things didn't develop as he planned."
"What I mean is that His Majesty actually has a muddy and 'blind' plan, and he is not sure he can complete it, but he has not told anyone - not even to you." Duncan looked at Tirian thoughtfully, "And he still trusts you unconditionally? Because you firmly believe that even if something under the deep sea threatens the city-state, everything is under Ray Nora's control?"
Tirian sighed helplessly. "The Abyss Project has caused a series of crises and given those who support it the opportunity to
Taking advantage of the opportunity, this increasingly extreme exploration action eventually even cost Her Majesty Lenora her life. At least from this point of view, it was certainly a mistake. "
"This is actually a very normal association, and it may even be related to him," Tirian smiled bitterly and shook his head. "I am your son, after all. I am loyal to His Majesty and participated in this terrible project in the early stages. You should know that conspiracy theorists have the strongest imagination."
"In this
After that, I stopped directly participating in the project and didn’t know much about it, but from what I heard, the plan was not going smoothly, and... there were more and more strange and terrifying things, and they were getting more and more serious," Tirian said calmly, "The No. 4 submersible was completed, using the most advanced engineering technology and tough materials at the time, but its dives were always accompanied by various accidents, as if something in the dark was preventing humans from continuing to dive into the sea...
"The deep sea embraced the Abyss Project, and the deep sea accepted the No. 4 submersible. This increasingly strange machine and its increasingly strange crew traveled through the dark sea thousands of meters deep as if they were at home with great ease. However, in the waters surrounding the Abyss Project... strange events were gradually increasing.
“… I really can’t argue with that.”