After putting away his new "collection," Zhou Ming didn't leave the room as usual. Instead, he sat down in the chair opposite the display shelf, gazing at the *Lost Country* and Pran City while lost in thought.

He was trying to summarize and understand the significance of these "collections."

This apartment and the world beyond the door had always been isolated. Except for himself, nothing from either world could cross the dense fog barrier, a fact he had tested repeatedly.

In a sense, the *Lost Country* and Pran City "models" that had appeared in the room broke this rule. They had a clear connection to the world outside the door and possessed "paranormal attributes."

The paranormal shouldn't exist on this side of the door.

The appearance of both collections followed a common pattern: they were things thoroughly burned by the spiritual fire and then consciously "controlled" by him.

Zhou Ming pondered quietly, summarizing the patterns. He concluded that "burning" and "control" were indeed necessary conditions for a collection to appear.

The White Oak had also been consumed by the flames of the *Lost Country*, but he hadn't actively tried to control it. He hadn't exerted any influence or "command" over the White Oak. Therefore, after the burning, the ship left only a strong imprint and didn't become a corresponding "collection" in the room on this side of the door.

Pran City was incinerated by the spiritual fire. At the same time, he actively controlled and purified the city, even treating it as part of the *Lost Country*. Thus, Pran City became a collection here.

So, what use could this transformation have? What meaning did these collections have for him?

Zhou Ming's gaze fell on the "model" of Pran City, and he closed his eyes slightly.

A gentle breeze was blowing through the port district in the southeast of the city. Gentle waves lapped at the shore. The time clock in the Fourth District had just chimed for the last time, and the steam factories in the upper city were roaring.

He opened his eyes again, and the situation was as he had expected.

He could sense the state of the entire city, down to the smallest detail of every building and every street lamp. Although he couldn't sense the "people" within the city, the essence of Pran City was as clear to him as the exquisite model before his eyes.

This feeling… was like his control over the *Lost Country*.

Zhou Ming pondered, unconsciously stroking his chin with his fingers. Realizing the extent of his influence over the city, he naturally began to use the *Lost Country* as a reference.

Pran City could now be regarded as another *Lost Country*. Therefore, anything he could do on the *Lost Country*, he could undoubtedly do in Pran City.

He could command all the bell towers in the city to ring for him, order the city to sink into the spirit world, and even…

Zhou Ming stopped stroking his chin.

Even order the city to sink into the subspace.

Zhou Ming's eyes narrowed, quickly suppressing this sudden, terrifying thought. But even though the thought was suppressed, his heart was still pounding wildly.

He really could do it, because he could also make the *Lost Country* do it. Subspace was right there. He could clearly sense the "location" of that chaotic dimension. The "promised land" that the End Transmitters longed for was as familiar to him as home…

Moreover, when that horrifying thought arose, he instantly felt a faint call, like the terrifying impulse some people feel to jump forward when standing on the edge of a cliff. He had felt that impulse just now!

With just a thought, a command, a yielding to the impulse, a moment of carelessness, he… could reach the place that was calling him.

And take anything he controlled, anything he dominated, anything he contaminated, down with him.

Zhou Ming took a deep breath and slowly stood up from the chair.

The world's fear of the *Lost Country* and Captain Duncan was justified. They should be afraid.

Zhou Ming took one last, deep look at his collection shelf, exhaled, and turned to walk towards the door of his apartment.

On the chart table in the captain's cabin, the black wooden goat head heard the sound of movement at the door. It looked up and saw Captain Duncan's tall figure appearing in the doorway. Its obsidian eyes lit up, and it immediately began to fawn skillfully, "Ah! The great captain has returned to his loyal first mate! Your achievements are known to all, your power makes the boundless sea…"

Duncan didn't say a word. He simply sat down at the navigation table, silently watching the goat head fawn, his expression calm.

Eventually, the goat head felt awkward and stopped halfway through its flattery. "Um… Captain, don't you usually tell me to 'shut up' at this point…"

Duncan said calmly, "I was just curious how long you could go on if I didn't tell you to shut up."

The goat head perked up at that. It seemed to have completely missed the teasing in Duncan's words, or it pretended to have missed it. "Well, you've hit the nail on the head! Your loyal I-won't-bore-you-with-the-details has always been knowledgeable and well-informed. Even just talking about the recipes on the boundless sea could take from morning till night. If you're interested, we could start with the one hundred and thirty-seven classifications of butter biscuits…"

"Alright, shut up," Duncan quickly interrupted, shaking his head helplessly. "I thought you'd at least have a concept of 'awkwardness'."

The goat head shook its head, its neck creaking. Then its black face turned completely to Duncan, its hollow eyes staring at the latter's face. "Captain, you seem to have something on your mind? We just completed an unprecedented feat. What could possibly affect your mood?"

"An unprecedented feat…" Duncan murmured softly, then shook his head. "You can feel it, can't you? The connection between Pran City and the *Lost Country*."

"Of course!" the goat head replied immediately, not forgetting to boast. "I never thought I'd see the day! Your power is astonishing. Your catch this time is an entire city! So, where's the next target? Are we going to Lensar or Coldharbor first? Or maybe even Frost…"

Duncan waved his hand, and the goat head immediately fell silent.

"I'm not particularly interested in 'catching' anything for the time being. I just wanted to tell you that I don't have the energy to keep an eye on such a large place all the time. If you sense anything that shouldn't be there entering Pran City, you can remind me. Of course, only if you have the capacity. Your primary task is still to take care of this ship."

"With pleasure!" the goat head said immediately. "It's easy for me. I won't let you down…"

Duncan nodded slightly, then glanced at the clock on the wall next to him, and then out the window.

Unknowingly, the night had passed.

A few seconds later, Duncan suddenly turned his head. "What time is it?!"

The goat head paused, a little uncertain. "It should… be morning, right? The sun should be rising."

"…The sun hasn't risen," Duncan said in a deep voice, his expression unusually serious. Then he suddenly turned his head and stared at the ticking clock. "…Sunrise was supposed to be fourteen minutes ago."

The goat head fell silent instantly. Duncan's gaze remained fixed on the clock's hands moving forward, and on the mechanical disc at the top of the clock depicting the sunrise.

The "sun" of this world, super-phenomenon number 001, rose at an incredibly precise moment every day, and set at an incredibly precise moment. The *Lost Country*'s clock was linked to the coordinates on the sea chart and would precisely indicate the time at which phenomenon 001 would rise above the sea in the current area. Since Duncan had come to this world, this had never been wrong.

The sun hadn't risen on time today. Ordinary people might not have noticed the change, but Duncan had noticed, and the moment he did, he suddenly felt a huge… unease.

He didn't even know how this unease had suddenly appeared.

"Perhaps… just wait a little longer…" the goat head's voice sounded again at this moment. It seemed a little nervous as well. "You see, the weather at sea is always unpredictable. Maybe something is blocking it…"

Duncan didn't pay attention to what the goat head was saying. He was still watching the clock, but in the next second, a faint ray of golden light suddenly appeared in the edge of his vision.

The golden light was shining in through the window.

Duncan turned around immediately, walked to the window in a few steps, opened it, and looked out at the distant sea.

The sun had risen. The huge orb of light bound by two layers of runic circles was gradually rising into the sky as usual, its brilliant light illuminating the boundless sea and dispelling the cold, pale atmosphere that the World's Scar had left on this world.

He turned back and checked the time one last time.

Today's sunrise was fifteen minutes later than usual.

Why?

Was it the aftermath of the disaster in Pran City? Was it related to the Sun Cultists' summoning of the "Butterfly Transformation Sun Wheel"? Was it related to Nina's awakening and control? Or… was it a harbinger of another anomaly?

Duncan returned to the table, unconsciously lost in thought. He knew that his thoughts might be a bit too anxious, but after just experiencing the historical pollution crisis in Pran City, he was now particularly sensitive to any unusual phenomenon.

"Maybe it's just the sea weather affecting it. You see, the sun has still risen," the goat head said beside him. "Sometimes the dense fog in the Grand Duchy will refract the light, causing…"

"The sunlight in Pran City was also fifteen minutes late," Duncan interrupted the goat head softly. "The weather there is clear, and the sea is calm. It's not the sunlight that's late, it's the sun itself."

"…Holy shit."