Chapter 156

It was late at night, but for the Vanishing Line, sailing at the world's end, the sky overhead was forever a layer of hazy, chaotic gray, day and night—a source-less light eternally and evenly diffused through the clouds, seemingly unchanging.

A sailor sat on the stern deck, staring blankly, a complex expression on his gaunt face. He had been in this posture for a long time, like a statue.

Duncan stood beside him, looking down at the desiccated corpse, and suddenly broke the silence, "Still pondering your 'last words'?"

"...Not really," the sailor adjusted his posture uncomfortably, muttering, "Mainly, I'm suddenly unsure what to do in the future."

Duncan raised an eyebrow upon hearing this, "The future?"

"In my original plan, I should have disappeared from this world by now," the sailor said calmly and slowly after a few seconds of silence. "I never considered continuing to 'live' after completing this task. I hadn't even thought about the possibility. I've wandered this world for too many years, but now I suddenly find myself having to consider my future 'life.' This makes me a bit at a loss."

Duncan looked at him seriously, "If you're not willing, I can 'dismiss' you—in just a moment, you can get the 'long sleep' you want."

The sailor's expression immediately changed subtly upon hearing these words, and he adjusted his posture again uncomfortably, "Ah, it's not that bad..."

A subtle smile appeared on the corner of Duncan's mouth. He crossed his arms and looked at the sea shrouded in mist. "In the end, do you really want 'eternal sleep' that much now?"

The sailor was silent for even longer this time, as if he had never seriously thought about this question, and only now did he suddenly fall into contemplation on the matter.

After an unknown time, the desiccated corpse suddenly moved, and a rough, hoarse voice hesitantly came, "This world still feels as cold as ice to me."

"But the new world will warm up," Duncan said faintly. "There, perhaps you can cease to be a corpse, or perhaps, even a corpse can feel warmth."

The sailor looked up, a hint of surprise in his eyes, "New world?"

"Have you forgotten what you said? What I want to do will definitely succeed—there will definitely be a new world in the future. You said that yourself," Duncan lowered his head and calmly gazed into the sailor's eyes. "Do you still firmly believe that now?"

After a moment of silence, the sailor nodded, "I believe it, I always believe it."

"Very good, then wait and see it with your own eyes," Duncan smiled. "I think it will be a good place—and there's the story of the Sea Song. Many things should be told by the people involved for it to have meaning. Since you want it to be passed down to the future, then do it yourself."

The sailor listened to the captain's words in a slightly dazed posture. After a long time, the deep wrinkles on the corpse's face suddenly relaxed. He smiled, although his smile was still so ugly and horrifying, "Okay, I understand."

He slowly stood up, looking at this still cold world, the wrinkles on his face more relaxed than before, "I want to see that 'new world', Captain—I really don't want to die."

"Good," Duncan breathed a sigh of relief and stepped forward with a smile, patting the other's shoulder. "Then don't die."

It was late at night, and in seven hours, it would be time for the Vanishing Line and the Brilliant Star to set sail as scheduled.

The crew members, rested after a night, gathered on the deck, and Alice came to the bridge at the stern again—the doll was standing in front of the dark helm with a tense face, more serious than ever.

The Brilliant Star was quietly docked next to the Vanishing Line, waiting for departure.

"Relax," Duncan stood beside Alice, speaking gently to the doll. "You've tried it once, and this ship is ready. Just do it like last time."

"Mm!" Alice nodded stiffly, taking half a step forward with a determined expression, and reached for the seemingly heavy helm.

Before the doll's fingers touched the helm, Duncan and Vanna turned their heads at the same time, looking once again into the depths of the archipelago, towards that misty sea—in the center of the sea area embraced by the islands, a gentle sound of waves came, seemingly real and illusory, as if sending them off.

Duncan nodded slightly in that direction, and said softly in a voice that only he could hear, "Goodbye, I will come to see you again."

In the next second, the doll's fingers touched the helm of the Vanishing Line—the execution authority of Navigator Three began to take over the entire ship.

The massive illusion descended from the sky. Under the shroud of chaotic light, the fragmented projection of the New Hope descended. The rapidly spreading shadow enveloped the Vanishing Line, the Brilliant Star, and a considerable area of the surrounding sea. Then, a virtual and distorted voice seemed to penetrate distant time, echoing in the depths of everyone's minds: "Warp engine activated, the New Hope will set sail... May we meet again at the distant destination, the hope of the future awaits us all..."

The voice filled with interference and distortion gradually dissipated, and the misty sea area gradually dissipated as well. Outside the sides of the Vanishing Line and the Brilliant Star, the entire world quickly lost all color and detail, and was once again transformed into that familiar, monotonous, and uniform "grayish-white".

Only the ancient projection of the New Hope still floated above the two ships, like a sheltering figure spreading its wings.

Alice, holding the helm tightly, stared ahead with wide eyes—countless "threads" connected her, connecting the Vanishing Line and the Brilliant Star, as well as the projection of the New Hope. Her mind had temporarily left this doll's body, and had instead transformed into the will and guidance of navigation.

The path ahead is clear—navigating to the node at the world's end.

At the same time, the long night still enveloped the boundless sea—under the long night, the new "order" established for survival had already begun to operate.

A brilliant "sunlight" was slowly moving across the sea. A heavy-duty tugboat was dragging a heavy fragment of the sun, sailing on the long route between city-states. The pale golden light, centered on the tugboat, spread out for tens of kilometers. And in the pale golden light, there were countless cargo ships of all sizes.

The convoys sailing between the city-states set sail with the moving sunlight. The powerful steam cores drove them across this endless night. The captains would transport important supplies to the cities that urgently needed them, and along with them, the sunlight that represented hope—they would stay in a city for three to five days. When the sunlight dispelled the darkness and distortion of the city, and when the guardians of the city-state could catch their breath, the convoys would set off again, loaded with new cargo, and travel with the sunlight to the next destination.

Across the entire boundless sea, more and more convoys like this were transporting sunlight and supplies.

The Northern City-State Union had begun to operate as planned, and in the central sea area, the new "Sunlight Route" centered on Pland had completed its first long-distance material transport under the night. In Faelun, the White Oak, as the leading ship, led the tugboat dragging the solar fragment through the blockade of the night, reconnecting the isolated cities. And in the distant Breeze Harbor, several fleets personally assembled by the Church had already sailed into the night—they would go to Mokha and Lunsa to break through the blockade in the night.

The sunlight flowed in the long night, and convoys were sailing on this gradually sinking world, like the pioneers who explored the dark islands in ancient times, holding knives, axes, and torches in the wild forests, constantly fighting against the spreading and increasingly deep darkness. While this giant named "civilization" gradually stepped into decline, they were doing everything they could to maintain the flow of blood in the giant's body.

Talan Ehl stood on the highest tower in Breeze Harbor, staring in a daze at the pale golden light that was gradually moving away on the sea. He saw the huge, luminous geometric structure, like light-cast crystal, being dragged towards the night by the heavy-duty tugboat. And in the gradually receding sunlight, countless shadows of ships of all sizes were faintly visible.

That was the first cargo convoy to set off from Breeze Harbor. They would cross this long night in the next seven days, and under the protection of the sunlight, they would deliver supplies to Mokha, and then set off from there, trying to go to the more distant central sea area and enter the "Sunlight Route" established by Pland, to achieve "docking" with the transportation lines there.

If everything went smoothly, the central and southern sea areas would be reconnected after that.

And now, Breeze Harbor had sunk into the night.

The "sunlight" that had enveloped the city-state for the past year had left. For the first time, Breeze Harbor, which had been protected by the sunlight, truly faced this long night. Now darkness had descended on all the districts, and gas lamps lit up in the night, outlining the city's contours in Talan Ehl's vision.

Footsteps came from behind, Talan Ehl didn't turn around, already knowing who it was.

"Seriously, I'm a little sentimental, Ted, do you understand this feeling?" he said casually, "For almost the entire past year, I've spent most of my time researching that solar fragment. It's almost become a part of Breeze Harbor—including me, many people didn't think that thing would leave this place."

"It's no longer just a 'research sample'. After Anomaly 001 fell, it's become a part of the lifeline of many city-states," Ted Riel, the Truth Keeper, came to the edge of the terrace and looked at the city sinking into the night below with Talan. "I received an order from the Academy, 'survival' will become the first mission of all city-states and all people from now on, and everything else must give way to it."

Talan Ehl listened silently, saying nothing. After a long time, he sighed and broke the silence, "Let's go for a walk on the dock together."