As the air rushed out of the pipe, a loud and melodious whistle sounded from the upper level of the Truth Academy Ark. The Lost Homeland once again docked at the steam machinery dock at the end of the Ark's coastline. Knowledge guards and scholars wearing dark blue robes appeared on the pier, ready to welcome back their Pope.
Duncan saw Rune who had just come out of the captain's room on the stern deck.
This short and fat old elf had been staying in the captain's room and had a long conversation with the "creator" of their race. Duncan didn't know what the other party talked about with Goat Head. He only knew that when Rune walked out of the captain's room, the expression on his face looked a little confused.
There is also a kind of calmness that comes from having an empty mind.
He came before the "Pope of Truth" and greeted him several times before the latter finally woke up from his confusion and emptiness.
"Your church ship is already waiting beside us," Duncan pointed to the giant ark outside the ship that looked like a small city-state, "The scholars and guards are here to take you back."
Rune raised his head and glanced, then nodded belatedly: "Oh... Yes, it's time to go back."
Seeing the reaction of the old elf, Duncan couldn't help but feel a little confused: "What did you talk about with Sasloka? When you first got on the ship, your state was not so bad..."
"We talked about... a lot of things," Rune hesitated, as if he didn't know where to start. "A lot of things."
Duncan frowned and vaguely reacted: "It seems that you have seen the first mate's usual appearance."
Rune suddenly shuddered, as if he had finally come back to his senses. He raised his head and glanced at Duncan, hesitating for a long time before finally speaking: "…Why does He have so much to say?"
"I am more surprised that He is so quiet in His mythical form," Duncan laughed, with a hint of joy in his smile. "What you are seeing now is His personality when He was on my ship - strictly speaking, His personality when He was 'Goat Head'."
Rune opened his mouth, as if he wanted to say something but didn't know where to start. After holding it in for a long time, he suddenly laughed with relief: "… There's nothing wrong with it. He seems to like it very much."
The deck fell silent for a moment. No one seemed to care about the Ark of the Pilgrims waiting for the Pope's return. After an unknown amount of time, Duncan finally broke the silence: "How do you plan to deal with the 'truth' of this incident? Especially the part about Sasloka."
"Most of the information will be known only to the top leaders of the Church of the Four Gods. Just like all other extraordinary events related to the gods, we will block the news, deal with the aftermath, and carefully assess the long-term impact of this incident on the real world. For the elven society..."
Rune paused here, thinking, and after a moment he shook his head slightly.
"The ancient times have passed, and the legend... let it continue to sleep in the legend. This is also what 'He' means."
"That's good. I don't like trouble." Duncan nodded, and then changed the subject, "But there is one thing I need to remind you - this is the third city-state."
Rune immediately understood what Duncan meant, and his expression became solemn.
"Prande, Frost, Breeze Harbor... The cause and course of each incident seem different, and each seems to be an independent 'special disaster'. The biggest culprit behind each incident seems to be the cultists, but a group of cultists alone cannot change the most basic order of the world," Duncan said solemnly. "What these incidents really show is that the 'foundation' of this world is shaking. I want to know if the Church of the Four Gods has any solution to this, what do you know, and what countermeasures do you have."
Rune remained silent with a gloomy face, and after a long time he nodded slightly.
"I understand what you mean... Now I have confirmed your position. At least in my personal judgment, now is the time to put aside suspicion and cooperate further."
Duncan looked at him: "But you also have to consider the reaction of the other three churches, right?"
"Not only their reactions... but also the reactions of the gods," Rune said calmly, "I will discuss this matter with the other three popes as soon as possible. No matter what the result is, I will give you an answer. Similarly, no matter what the result is, at least the Academy of Truth will give the Lost Home Fleet the greatest trust and cooperation from now on."
Duncan nodded. He knew that this was the biggest promise the other party could make to him at this stage.
At this moment, Rune seemed to remember something and suddenly said, "There is one more thing - I have heard about Miss Vanna's experience in this incident. I think... at least the Firebringer should come to you soon."
"Firebringer?" Duncan frowned and reacted immediately.
He turned his head and looked at the other side of the deck—Vanna was leaning against a pillar on the side of the ship, enjoying the sea breeze, and seemed to be resting with her eyes closed. However, Duncan's attention was not on her, but on something placed next to her.
It was a huge, strange cane that looked like a tree trunk. The tip of the cane was swollen like a huge rock of a strange shape, while the body of the cane was straight and rough, and the entire cane was covered with marks that looked like mysterious symbols.
That was what the giant named "Tarekin" left for Vanna - even though the dream of the nameless man completely dissipated, the cane still remained, and together with the strange "mini sun", it returned to the real world with the Lost Homeland.
"Eternal Flame, Tarek, the God of Firebearers," Rune said quietly, "The 'giant' that Miss Vanna saw in the Nameless Man's dream should be a phantom left in Silantis' memory in the form of 'reverberation' during the collision of the two worlds. But even if it is a phantom, it is the phantom of the ancient god. What he left behind now crosses the boundary between dreams and reality.
"That walking stick... If I'm not mistaken, it should be the 'Annual Column' worshipped by the Firebringers. There is a 'device' that looks almost exactly like it on the Pilgrimage Ark of Flame. It is regarded as the core of the Pilgrimage Ark, but its size is much larger than that 'walking stick'. I have seen it, and it looks more like a huge monument...
"And the 'Annual Pillar' built on the Firebringer Ark is actually a 'replica' made according to the description in the Holy Scripture. For a long time, the real 'Annual Pillar' has only existed in legends."
Duncan thought thoughtfully: "In other words, the walking stick that Vanna brought back is the 'genuine' one described in the Holy Scripture."
"It can only be said to be the closest to the 'authentic' known so far," Rune said very seriously, "Perhaps there is no real 'authentic' in this world anymore - the Great Annihilation ended everything. If we trace back from the deep sea era, the limit we can reach is just infinitely close to the so-called 'authentic'."
"Anyway, it seems that the 'cane' is of great significance to the Firebringers," Duncan nodded slightly, "Do you think they will take the cane away, is that what you mean?"
"I'm not sure. Frame is a generous and fair man. He never forces others to do things, nor does he take things that do not belong to him. But... you know, it is the 'Chronicle' left by the Everburning Flame after all. It has a very special meaning for both the Firebringer Sect and the Senjin people."
Duncan didn't say anything, but just stared quietly at the "cane" that was currently placed next to Vanna, thinking in silence.
For some reason, he thought of the long sword that had been thrown into the sky.
He gave the sword to the research institute in Breeze Harbor because the only important thing to him was the "information" about another world behind the sword. As for the extraordinary objects themselves, he was not a professional researcher.
Similarly, the staff didn't mean much to him, even though it had once been held in the hands of Tarek'in, the Everburning Flame - Duncan was only interested in the "truth" and "knowledge" of the Great Oblivion. After obtaining this information, he didn't care about anything else.
There were many extraordinary things in this world, but to Duncan, most of them were worthless - not worthy of a place on the Lost Homeland.
But the problem this time was that the cane was left to Vanna by Tarekin.
He had to respect his crew.
"I personally don't mind handing the staff to the Firebringer. After all, just like the significance of the 'Holo-Dazzo Poem' in your hand to the elves, the 'Chronicle' is indeed a relic of the Senjin civilization - but I must consider Vanna's thoughts," he said frankly, "Since you already know Vanna's experience, you should know that she cherishes the staff very much."
He paused, and said to Rune very seriously: "That is the relic of her 'friend' - I am not as lenient and fair as Frame you said. I protect my shortcomings."
"... I understand your attitude," Rune nodded seriously, "I will pass these words to Frame and ask him to consider this matter carefully - to avoid embarrassment for both parties."
Duncan nodded slightly: "This is best."
The melodious and loud whistle sounded again, and a large cloud of steam rose above the Academy Ark.
Rune said goodbye to everyone on the Lost Homeland, and then, with Duncan and others watching, the old elf stepped onto the pier to return to the Ark.
The mechanical pier driven by a huge steam engine was slowly retracted, and then the entire deformable dock mechanism was retracted into the "coastal structure" on the side of the Ark amid a series of heavy mechanical operation sounds. This "church ship" that was equivalent to a small city-state emitted a low roar and gradually separated from the Lost Homeland.
But Duncan knew that the Ark would not return to the border immediately - Rune revealed his next arrangements. The Pilgrimage Ark would continue to stay in Breeze Harbor for a while to assist this city-state that had "awakened from a dream" to deal with a series of follow-up matters.
But that has nothing to do with the Lost Homeland.
Now, Duncan has to deal with another matter that needs to be "cleaned up".
He came to the captain's room at the stern and pushed the door open.
(End of this chapter)