Nina came to the deck and raised her right hand towards the sky. A blazing flame suddenly burst out from her palm, transforming into an arc of light that was strong enough to penetrate the thick fog. This ray of sunlight flickered over the Lost Homeland, sending greetings and tributes to the dead in another timeline.
Did the Sea Song see it? Do they know what happened at this moment in the other timeline? Are they on their way to death, or on their way back? In this brief moment when the lights flickered and the two timelines intersected, did they understand their fate
The window of time gradually ended, and the silhouette of the ship began to quickly become dim and blurred, and was once again abstracted into messy lines and shadows. It seemed to float to the surface of the water briefly, and then gradually sank into the endless dark "deep sea" again.
On the bridge, the hunched and shriveled body of Anomaly 077 seemed to tremble slightly in the wind. He held the steering wheel of the Lost Homeland tightly and kept his eyes on the direction of the Sea Song. For a moment, he opened his mouth as if he wanted to shout, but all the words disappeared in his broken and shrunken throat.
Then he raised his hand, wanting to salute the ship he had served and his former colleagues - he had relearned the salute gesture these days, which was taught to him by Vanna. He only needed to draw a trajectory of the rising and falling waves with his hand on his chest, representing protection from the storm and a blessing for peace - but only for a moment, he pressed his hand back on the dark steering wheel as if he had been electrocuted, and held on tightly.
Outside the side of the Lost Hometown, dangerous and chaotic ripples briefly appeared in the uniform gray-white "inner wall", but then dissipated and calmed down in the blink of an eye.
He can’t let go—he’s at the helm.
The window ended, and the final shadow of the Sea Anthem disappeared from everyone's sight - in all possible time branches, this was the last time it appeared in the world's sight.
Until the very end, the Sailor never let go of the dark steering wheel of the Lost Homeland.
Slightly heavy footsteps came from the side. The sailor turned his head slowly and saw a tall figure coming to the bridge and looking at him calmly.
He was stunned for a moment, and subconsciously tried to stand up straight: "Captain..."
Duncan reached out and pressed the mummy's bony shoulder: "Are you okay?"
"... You see, I was holding on tightly." The wrinkles on the mummy's face trembled twice, and he lowered his head to look at the steering wheel in his hand, "I just loosened my grip a little bit... The boat didn't deviate... Then I never let go again... Never let go..."
Duncan said nothing, but put his hand on the mummy's shoulder and pressed hard.
Then he withdrew his hand and prepared to turn and leave, but at this moment, he heard the voice of Abnormal 077. The sailor whispered softly, as if talking to himself: "Will it make sense?"
Duncan stopped and looked at his helmsman quietly.
"Will all this make sense?" The sailor seemed to finally muster up the courage. He raised his head and looked into Duncan's eyes. His gaze did not seem to be seeking an answer, but more like he wanted to grab a life-saving rope in the storm. "The Sea Song, those people on the border, the sheriffs and guards who are still trying to maintain order in the city-state, and... us, will all this make sense?"
Duncan was silent for a few seconds, then nodded calmly: "...Yes."
He turned around and walked towards the deck. Just as he was about to leave the bridge, the sailor's voice came from behind him: "The first rule of the Lost Homeland crew, right?"
Duncan didn't answer again, just waved his hand gently and left the cockpit.
He walked down the stairs to the quiet poop deck, calling in his heart, "Lucy."
The response from the sea witch came immediately: "Yes, I am here."
Duncan hesitated for two seconds before speaking in a calm tone, "I remember you mentioned an incident - you accidentally sailed past the six-mile critical line and got lost in the depths of the Eternal Veil. At that time, you saw the phantom of the Lost Homeland and followed it back to the inner waters safely."
Lucrecia suddenly fell silent, and after a long while she broke the silence: "Yes, I... always thought it was an illusion of the Lost Homeland that rose up from the warp for a short time..."
Duncan said nothing more. From the tone of Lucretia's response, he knew that the clever "witch" had thought of the same thing as he had just thought.
Just now, the appearance of the Sea Song suddenly and strongly reminded Duncan of a fact that he had known before but had not thought deeply about -
Six miles outside the border, time is discontinuous and non-directional, and the cause and effect of things are in a state of constant change. A ship that has long returned can still sail in the past here. In Lucrecia's memory, her "Brilliant Star" was lost six miles away. In desperation, it was the phantom of the Lost Homeland that suddenly appeared and led her back to the real dimension.
She always thought that it was the Lost Homeland returning from the warp, or the "projection" of the Lost Homeland from the warp into the real dimension.
But... now this problem has new possibilities.
Duncan strolled to the edge of the deck, leaned against the railing and looked at the uniform gray-white outside the ship's side. His eyes seemed to penetrate this "inner wall" and look at the boundless chaos and fog outside the route, which was in a state of chaos in time and space.
Deep in the fog, the Lost Homeland piloted by Duncan Abnomer may still be sailing away - he may have just set out, or he may be returning. He may have just learned some truths about this world, or...
He had just hung a lamp at the end of the world, on the doorstep of a sleeping, lost man.
…
"Swish", the sound of a burning match broke the silence in the living room. A small flame approached the oil lamp on the table, and the fire became brighter, shrouding the room in a glow that was not too bright but still warm.
Heidi bent down to light the oil lamp on the table, looked up to check every corner of the living room, and then came to her mother's side.
The light from oil lamps is certainly not as bright as that from electric lamps, but due to a breakdown in a group of generators in the eastern city area, the City Hall has just issued an order for power control. The overall power grid supply in the city-state is very tight now, and the power load must first meet the needs of important factories, shelters, and containment and sealing institutions. Naturally, daily home lighting can only be achieved using the more energy-saving "traditional method."
"I don't know when the electricity will be restored..." Heidi muttered softly.
"That depends on how the generator is repaired," the mother's voice was still as calm and indifferent as usual, as if no matter what happened, the old woman would not be able to lose her composure. "Did the notice mention the damage to the generator?"
"The specific damage was not mentioned, but I heard that the failure has nothing to do with the machine being possessed by evil spirits. It should be just a normal operation problem," Heidi said. "It will probably be repaired in a few days. According to past experience, it may take two or three days at the fastest, and a week at the slowest... Tsk."
The psychiatrist sighed, obviously not in a good mood.
"The gas and oil lamps can still be used. The situation is not bad, is it?" The mother smiled and then picked up a piece of paper on the table and handed it to Heidi. "This is the 'Newspaper' that was delivered this morning. Read it to me. I am dazzled and can't see clearly."
Heidi reached out and took the "newspaper" handed to her by her mother.
It is now a long night, and the ordinary act of "reading" has been classified as a dangerous act. Libraries and book markets everywhere have long been closed, and even most newspapers have suspended distribution during the night - but even so, people still have a basic need to obtain information, so under the supervision of the city hall, this thing called "news newspaper" appeared in the city-state.
It is an abridged version of a newspaper. The paper itself has been exorcised and blessed by the cathedral. The content of the newspaper has been carefully processed to control the length and reading depth to avoid accidents of knowledge pollution. At the same time, the newspaper is also printed with many sacred prayers and rune decorations to protect the reader's mental safety.
While having so many protective measures, these newspapers also strictly control the scope of "distribution" - they are not sold publicly, but are sent directly through specific channels to people who are qualified to read them. These people must have basic knowledge of mysticism and the skills to deal with "small troubles".
This set of procedures and regulations is cumbersome, but no matter what, the modern city-state is built on the basis of modern civilization - information must be transmitted within the city-state, read by qualified people, and then spread to ordinary people who are unqualified but are still members of the city-state. Although Heidi is not a formal member of the city hall, she has been dealing with the managers of this city, and she can more or less understand what those who manage the city are thinking.
The night is long and difficulties are inevitable - but they must delay the process of "man"'s decline in the night as much as possible to avoid... "the degeneration of civilization."
Heidi opened the paper, calmed herself down, and read the following for her mother:
“… The fault of the generator has been located and repair work is underway quickly. Engineers expect to complete the replacement and repair of all equipment within two days…
“The problem of poor food distribution in the northern city has been solved. The city-state now has sufficient food reserves... The lighting system is functioning normally, and the production of the vertical farm is not affected... The production of fungi has increased...
"A standoff has occurred in the northern waters. The navies of Cold Harbor and Port Morpheus have assembled near a 'sun fragment'. The Church of Death's fleet has intervened. The situation has not escalated yet..."
Heidi read the short messages one by one, stopping from time to time to pray softly and recite the name of Lahm, the god of wisdom. Suddenly, she stopped.
"Any special news?"
The mother's gentle voice came from the side.
Heidi was stunned for a moment, her eyes still fixed on the last piece of news on the newspaper. After several seconds, she let out a sigh of relief.
"… A briefing from the Deep Sea Church: the Border Exploration Fleet has once again carried out a 'cross-border' operation. The Lost Homeland and the Brilliant Star have crossed the six-mile boundary…"
(End of this chapter)