The Doomsday Preachers were the most mysterious and bizarre group of cultists Duncan had encountered among all the heretics he had met so far.

They were far fewer in number than the Sun Believers and the Annihilation Cultists, but their ability to stir up trouble was unparalleled. Their actions were treacherous, their motives were enigmatic, and to this day, no one knew what kind of "organizational structure" they had, nor could they determine their approximate number or how they concealed themselves.

But more than their treacherous and bizarre style, Duncan was more concerned about their own "characteristics"—a suspected non-linear existence in the timeline, and that applied to every single one of them.

The four God Churches and the authorities of the city-states of this world referred to the Doomsday Preachers, the Sun Cult, and the Annihilation Cult as the major cults, but in Duncan's view, the strangeness and style of those "preachers" were so bizarre that they should be singled out.

According to the intelligence currently available, the Doomsday Preachers should be divided into two categories: one is completely insane extremist cultists, and the other is 'rational scholars' who possess reason and appear polite. At the long table, Morris slowly cleaned his pipe, thinking as he said that the latter would take the initiative to contact people and try to...guide the people they chose. Judging from the frequency of their appearance, the number of these rationalists seemed to be far less than that of the madmen.

In the known reports of contact with heretics, all the Doomsday Preachers on record were insane, Vanna nodded.

"That shows that the lunatics account for the vast majority of 'these preachers'. Reason is just a characteristic. After all, they are a group of people who are constantly entangled with the subspace—it's normal for them to be mentally unstable," A Gou said casually from the side, then quickly looked up at Duncan, "Ah, Captain, I didn't mean you..."

Duncan ignored A Gou's muttering. He was just thinking quietly, and after a moment, he suddenly said, "Whether they are madmen or rationalists, these two kinds of Doomsday Preachers actually have one thing in common—they are both trying to interfere with history."

On both sides of the long table, everyone fell into a brief moment of thought. Agatha, who hadn't said much, looked up: "Are you...saying that the Doomsday Preacher who took the initiative to contact the Frost Queen back then was also for a specific future?"

"Perhaps we should try to look at history from the perspective of the Doomsday Preachers."

Duncan said unhurriedly, "Let's assume that they are really a group of non-linear 'time stowaways', then what does history look like to them?"

The dining room fell silent. After a moment of silence, Morris's voice suddenly rang out: "Everything has already happened, but everything could not have happened. The course of the world can be customized, just find the right fix."

"That's right. The three preachers who came to the *Forsaken*, a hundred years ago, and the mysterious scholar who contacted the Frost Queen more than fifty years ago, their actions have greatly influenced the subsequent course of history to a certain extent. Judging only from the perspective of interfering with history, the actions of the mad and rational Doomsday Preachers are actually the same."

Duncan nodded, "And the difference between them is that those crazy preachers seem to want to completely destroy history, while those rational ones, they seem to want to 'correct' history to some direction they expect..."

Correcting history, Vanna frowned tightly. This was a dangerous term. The Flame Keepers were dedicated to protecting our history from being contaminated by external forces. They were the orthodox church that dealt with the Doomsday Preachers the most. According to the teachings of the *Ran Xin Huo Ta* (Burning Pyre Pagoda) Rijin, history had its own rigor and purity. It was untouchable, unchangeable, and for history, correction was also a kind of destruction.

"What if we 'restore' the history that has been damaged to its original state?" Duncan asked, then added, "Of course, I'm not talking about the actions of the Doomsday Preachers. I'm just curious about this question."

"I'm sorry, this involves the deeper and more complex teachings of the Flame Keeper Church," Vanna thought for a while and lowered her head with a hint of apology, "They are the most mysterious of the four God Churches in their actions, and their teachings are also the most difficult to understand. My understanding of them is also very limited."

"Is that so..." Duncan nodded slowly, thinking, his gaze slowly sweeping across the edge of the table—the figures of Agatha, Vanna, and Morris came into his view.

"We're still missing an expert from the Flame Keepers," he couldn't help but sigh softly.

The expressions on Vanna's and Morris's faces instantly became subtle, but Agatha didn't change much—because she was new here and didn't react for a moment.

Duncan himself didn't realize that there was anything strange about what he said—he just felt it in his heart and sighed casually, and the next second he changed the subject: "Vanna, do you think the Flame Keepers know about the existence of the rational Doomsday Preachers?"

Vanna quickly put the slightly disrespectful thoughts in her mind aside and answered honestly after thinking, "Not sure, but logically, it is believed that they know it, or at least should be aware of it."

The followers of 'Tar-Rijin' have been dealing with those heretics who try to destroy history for thousands of years, and Morris nodded in agreement, "The Flame Keepers are professional and sensitive in this regard. Judging from the existing information, those Doomsday Preachers with reason have been active for at least a hundred years. Unless they have really only shown up those two times in such a long time, and happened to completely avoid the Flame Keepers' eyes every time, otherwise the Flame Keeper Church must have noticed them, but I don't know why...the Flame Keepers don't seem to have taken any major action."

"I will try to contact the Storm Cathedral to see if His Holiness the Pope can find out anything from the Flame Keepers."

Vanna said immediately, "In any case, rational heretics are more destructive than mere madmen in many cases. Although they seem to be friendly and even seem to have good intentions, I really dare not believe that a group of people who deal with the subspace all day long have true reason and kindness..."

After Vanna finished speaking, she suddenly felt that something was wrong, and after a moment of愣, she quickly turned to look at Duncan again and added, "Heh, Captain, I didn't mean you."

Duncan was expressionless.

He felt like he had heard this sentence just now. He waved his hand, indicating that he didn't care, and then he pondered for a moment, and finally slowly opened his mouth, "We need to contact not only the Storm Cathedral, but also the message we want to convey is not just about those Doomsday Preachers."

Everyone present looked at each other in dismay, and Vanna was the first to react: "You want to warn the outside world—like before?"

Duncan nodded with a serious expression, "Perhaps the situation this time is even more dangerous. The awakening of the ancient god that happened in Hanshuang is likely to recur in the short term, and even at this very moment, under a certain city-state, there may already be a resurrected ancient god's erroneous replica—there is only one Frost Queen, but there are many city-states on the boundless sea. In order to avoid being caught off guard when the time comes, at least let the various churches and the top leaders of the city-states know about the existence of this crisis..."

As he spoke, he looked up at the figures on both sides of the long table.

"Vanna, you go and contact the Storm Cathedral. Morris, you find a way to contact the Academy of Truth. Agatha, you should also have a direct channel to communicate with the top of the Church of Death—convey everything we discussed here today to your churches as completely as possible, including the true structure under the city-states, the situation related to the Master of the Deep, and the information of the Doomsday Preachers."

"In addition, there is the Explorer's Association, Lawrence, and Lucy. Think about what is a safer way to warn the Explorer's Association about the awakening of the ancient gods without causing panic."

"The captains on the boundless sea are a sensitive and experienced group of people, and they are well-informed. They are the best at discovering whether there are strange signs in any corner of the world."

"Tiree, you should sort out the matters of Hanshuang as soon as possible, and then find a way to contact other city-states in the capacity of the chief executive...also, without causing panic, try to get other cities to establish an early warning for the phenomenon of the ancient gods awakening."

He finished speaking in one breath, and then sorted out his thoughts and further explained and emphasized: "Remember, inform the churches with the most complete information possible. After all, they are professional in the supernatural field to some extent, and they have a lot of manpower."

"As for the city-states and the Explorer's Association, be sure to be cautious, because this involves too many ordinary people. You should go back and think carefully about how to convey this warning without revealing too much secret knowledge. Remember, the goal is not to let them uncover the secrets in the deep sea, but to let them cautiously pay attention to the strange signs that may appear in the city-states and on the shipping lanes. After I'm done, do you have anything to add?"

Duncan raised his eyes and quietly looked at both sides of the long table.

And at this moment, everyone in the cabin—even Shirley and Alice—felt an atmosphere of a giant wave brewing. The storm that was enough to impact the entire world was accompanying the captain's series of decisions and arrangements, as if in this gloomy cabin illuminated by the ghostly green fire, in this secret gathering with only a few people participating, the direction of the world seemed to have been vaguely determined. A feeling that they were participating in history, or even shaping history, gradually surged from Lawrence's heart. He subconsciously felt his breathing was a little rapid, and his heart was pounding.

"This is really going to stir up a storm..."

The old captain, who had just become a member of the Forsaken Fleet, couldn't help but mutter to himself, "It's not about stirring up a storm, but the storm is already approaching."

Agatha, who was sitting next to him, shook her head and opened her mouth softly, "It's just that no one has noticed all this—and now, we are going to open the window."