Chapter 14 We Have Evidence

For a long time, the scholars of this world have had many conjectures about the origin of the current Deep Sea Era and the world before the Great Annihilation. They have also tried to explain the historical fragmentation, the discontinuity of cultural relics, and the contradictions in the inheritance of the various city-states on the Boundless Sea, just as any group that forms a civilization system would do when faced with history.

Where there is history, there will be people who study history. Where there are people who study history, there will be people who try to explain those contradictions. There is never a shortage of conjectures. What even an outsider can think of, professional scholars have probably already thought of, and may even have constructed a complete theoretical model.

Scholars actually have many theoretical models that can explain the reasons for the formation of the current Deep Sea Era—including the one Duncan guessed, and every one of them makes sense.

The only problem is that every theoretical model cannot find sufficient "empirical evidence" to support it. The Great Annihilation is like a magnificent high wall, blocking everything before that point in time. No information or relics can be passed down from before that point.

But now, Duncan believes that he has found a key "exhibit" and extracted key information sufficient to support one of the conjectures:

Fragments left behind after the destruction of a distant and strange world—and a "memory" that accurately describes the doomsday scene.

Of course, in the eyes of a truly rigorous scholar, this single piece of evidence may still not be enough to fully and indisputably explain the status quo of the Deep Sea Era.

"The World Aggregation Theory..." Ted Riel murmured to himself, "I know, my mentor has always been a supporter of this theory—he believes that the current Deep Sea Era was formed by the stacking and reorganization of a large number of originally isolated worlds. The stacking and reorganization may have been caused by a major disaster that occurred simultaneously in several worlds. The so-called 'Great Annihilation' is not a disaster, but a series of disasters that occurred at the same time. Therefore, the various races on the Boundless Sea have such great contradictions in their historical records, and some ancient legends are seriously torn."

"This theory also explains why we can't find the 'original appearance of the world' before the Great Annihilation at all, and can't find 'ancient relics' that can support any kind of historical record—because those original appearances have already been reorganized. From the perspective of the timeline, 'this world' did not exist at all before the Great Annihilation."

He paused, took a light breath, and then continued.

"The entire Boundless Sea was born at the moment of the Great Annihilation, and before that moment, there was no 'old world' that could be completely and accurately described and understood. Only countless fragments of the old world were piled up as 'raw materials' at the time node of the Great Annihilation—the World Aggregation Theory, among all the origin theories, has the best 'explanatory power', and almost explains all the problems we face.

"But at the same time, it is also considered the most whimsical and most difficult to prove, because it fundamentally denies the point that 'history can be traced back', and attributes everything to 'anyway, it has disappeared'. Therefore, although this theory is very good, it has very few supporters. My mentor... is one of its few supporters."

After Ted Riel finished speaking with emotion, Duncan finally broke the silence: "Now, we have evidence."

Ted Riel's gaze fell on the long sword. After thinking solemnly for a long time, he still shook his head: "A single piece of evidence is not proof—this evidence is indeed very likely to support the 'World Aggregation Theory', but a single piece of evidence has flaws, unless we can find a second unmistakable 'world fragment', and it comes from a different world than the 'physical evidence' in your hand..."

When saying these words, the tone of this Truth Keeper seemed very difficult and tangled. Obviously, from an emotional point of view, he hoped more than anyone else that a long-unresolved conjecture could be confirmed, and that he had finally found the "answer." But from the perspective of a scholar, he must be rigorous, and even when he sees the first "evidence", he must show an unsympathetic "harshness."

However, after he finished speaking, Duncan just replied lightly: "There is."

Ted Riel didn't react for a moment, and even Lucrezia next to him didn't react. After a moment, they said in unison: "You have other evidence?!"

Duncan was silent for two or three seconds, then turned his head and looked deeply into Lucrezia's eyes: "The moon."

"That 'stone sphere'..." Lucrezia reacted instantly, "You mean, it is..."

"It is another 'fragment'," Duncan nodded lightly, "It comes from another world—a completely different world from the homeland of this long sword. Although I don't know what happened to it, so that it became what it is now, but I am sure it is..."

He suddenly stopped, as if a force was preventing him from saying that conclusion. This force surged in his mind, roaring like a storm, as a strong emotion, fighting against his rational part.

He instinctively rejected this conclusion.

Lucrezia noticed something, and she looked at her father with doubt and worry.

Duncan finally spoke, finishing the second half of the sentence: "...it is the remaining part of 'that world'."

In the end, reason overcame emotion.

When he said this conclusion, he even had a "relief"-like illusion.

In fact, after he first saw the "moon" and returned to the *Vanishing Sea* and talked with Alice, he already had this conjecture—

Since the "moon" appeared in this world, it is very likely that this world is his "hometown," a "hometown" after serious changes and distortions.

However, his hometown did not have "elves" and "Senjin people." The legends of the elves themselves did not mention humans, and the historical records of the city-states of the Boundless Sea never mentioned the word "Earth." The "historical tearing" problem that has plagued many scholars is particularly obvious in Duncan's eyes.

So... how was this Boundless Sea formed?

The most likely explanation is: there may be his hometown here, but only a part of it.

To confirm this conjecture, you only need to find a second fragment similar to the "moon" from another world.

The only thing he didn't expect was that the second piece of evidence would come so quickly and so directly.

Ted Riel and Lucrezia looked at each other. After a brief hesitation, they realized that Duncan had no reason to fool them on this matter.

So there were already two pieces of evidence—no wonder this once greatest explorer was so sure and so unhesitatingly announced that the current world was built up from ruins.

Lucrezia did not ask Duncan where he got his knowledge of the "moon."

Because she knew that the answers to these questions would ultimately point to the Subspace—in whatever form, her father had completed his reshaping and transformation in that "deepest and darkest place." Every piece of knowledge and ability that he now possessed that she couldn't understand was part of those imprints.

She shouldn't repeatedly uncover them.

Ted Riel, on the other hand, had been thinking in silence, but suddenly, he raised his head sharply, as if he felt something.

This "Truth Keeper" quickly opened the thick book in his hand, summoned the "stethoscope" from the pages, and rushed to the "living metal" on the central platform in one stride.

He placed the stethoscope on the surface of the "living metal," and his face suddenly became very solemn.

An extremely weak and slow heartbeat came from the room, and the sound of each heartbeat was slower and weaker than the previous one.

"It's dying."

Ted Riel raised his head and said with a complex expression.

For the first time in his life, this "Truth Keeper," whose duty was to protect the city-state, had particularly complex emotions when faced with an "alien object" that had invaded the real world.

Because he suddenly realized that this unspeakable "horrific thing" that had caused panic to many people in the market... was actually very likely to be an existence like humans, elves, and Senjin people—a "homeless person" who arrived in the Deep Sea Era from the Great Annihilation.

And unfortunately, its world was destroyed even more thoroughly, and that tiny fragment was far from enough to support it and its race to survive.

The Deep Sea Era did not leave a place for the homeless like it. Under the influence of some still unexplained mechanism, it became what it is now, and it is about to die.

Nina and Shirley subconsciously grabbed each other's hands, not knowing what to do for a while. Lucrezia could only watch this scene with a complex gaze, because she knew that this was no longer something that human power could reverse.

In the gradually low and slow heartbeat, Duncan finally slowly walked forward. He looked at the "living metal" that he could no longer see as a human shape, but another picture appeared in his mind—

The stubborn warrior, the silent magician, the ever-energetic hunter and ranger, the confident knights, the pessimistic necromancer, and that confident and proud, red-haired Grosska woman...

They set off on a sunny afternoon, carrying the best swords and armor forged by the kingdom, the best scrolls and seals, with the king's blessings and trust, walking together to the distant wilderness—just like the ancient poems described, a team of brave men was going to save their world.

Duncan reached out and gently pressed on the cold, hard "steel." "We are all lost souls... Now, you are home."

The low and slow "thump" finally gradually stopped. After an exceptionally weak and slow beat, there was no more heartbeat in the room.

The last heartbeat was like a sigh.

Ted Riel turned around, as if announcing to this Deep Sea Era—"it's dead."