Chapter 72 The Night Falls

Seventy-two hours later, the long sunset was gradually coming to an end. At the edge of the Boundless Sea, only a line of golden light and a portion of the runic rings of the glorious sun now remained on the surface. Reflected by the clouds, the sunset glow was becoming more magnificent, yet also increasingly dim.

The people of this world had no time to admire the magnificence of the setting sun—the magnificent glow of the sunset only meant the approach of night for most people, and now, the whole world was gradually entering what might be the longest night in history.

In the city-state of Mokha, two steam walkers bearing the insignia of the Academy of Truth were strolling through the streets. Fully armed Knowledge Guards accompanied the walkers, checking the situation on the streets and urging citizens to return home as soon as possible. In the increasingly dim light, the shadows of the warriors and spider robots were stretched long, swaying and blending into the shadows between the streets and the buildings.

In Cold Harbor, the final material mobilization had ended, and the notice of the subway station's temporary closure echoed in every station. The Guardians sealed all the doors leading to the underground facilities and guarded the entrances and exits—at sunset, sacred steam and incense would be injected into the pipes until the city-state's underground was completely purified. After that, the subway would reopen, but would operate cautiously in strict accordance with the new timetable and safety regulations.

After all, the night might last for one to two months, and the city-state could not completely shut down for such a long time. During the seventy-two-hour "preparation period" of the twilight, the city-state's administrators and scholars had developed a new "timetable" and safety system for the long night, in order to maintain the city's basic functions as much as possible during the night.

The new timetable and safety system had not undergone any practical testing, and there was not even time for more thorough and detailed discussion—each city-state would verify the feasibility of its "night plan" in this long darkness before the sun rose again.

In distant Lunsa, gunshots once disturbed the city's peace and almost broke people's tense nerves—Sun Cultists took the opportunity to move around, bewitching highly nervous and uneasy citizens, and spreading the word that the true Sun God would be reborn in the night. Convinced by them, believers set fire to the lower city, trying to occupy the churches on the edge of the city-state.

The chaos was quickly suppressed, and the "Firekeepers" of the Order of the Flame controlled the situation as soon as possible, but the city-state's tension had risen...

...

The mechanical spider moved its long legs, walking through the mottled old streets of the city-state. The broadcasting device installed on the head of the walker made a slightly distorted sound, echoing in the streets:

"...Steam, electricity, and gas will be supplied as usual, and workers in relevant positions can pass through the checkpoints with permits... All night shelters will be open for a long time until sunrise...

"X month, X day, XX year, we are still docked at the port of Phaeton. This city-state has prepared for the upcoming night, and now the sun is about to disappear on the sea..."

The broadcast gradually faded away, gradually turning into a vague and distorted sound of wind in the ear. Outside the window of the port hotel, the gas lamps had been lit, and the lonely lights dispelled the malicious darkness and illuminated the empty streets—except for the patrolling Guardians who could occasionally be seen passing by the intersection, there were no pedestrians on the street.

"...If you find abnormal shadows in your home, or hear strange noises from underground, immediately ask the Knowledge Guards on the street for help...

"Dear citizens... There are thirty minutes left until sunset, please return home as soon as possible... The new curfew will last for twelve hours, followed by the implementation of the temporary city operation schedule...

"Phaeton is not a very wealthy city-state, but the situation here is okay. Everyone is trying their best to appease the people around them and find ways to store things for the night... Before dinner, the hotel owner said that he had obtained enough fuel and filled the warehouse with emergency food and medicine, which could be supported even if the curfew period was extended...

Lawrence withdrew his gaze from the window, breathed a sigh of relief, and lowered his head to write lines of text in his diary—

"Please keep calm and relax, everyone. We are experiencing a special abnormal phenomenon. The city-state has enough power to protect everyone. Please maintain your life in accordance with the new timetable and safety regulations, and maintain your physical and mental health..."

"My crew members are not afraid. They have a kind of... fearless excitement. The blessing of the Lost Country gives them full confidence and believes that they have enough power to deal with everything—this is not a bad thing.

"This city-state is close to the southwestern border. It seems that it has become accustomed to this 'unstable' situation. No one knows what will happen next. People here try not to discuss the worst possibilities as much as possible, but focus all their energy on the current life. This is a valuable quality. This quality makes Phaeton more able to withstand greater pressure than the wealthy city-states in the central sea..."

It is hard to imagine that this place was still a bustling scene a few days ago.

"Citizens have the obligation to assist in supervising the operation of urban infrastructure... If you find that street lights are extinguished or steam supply is not smooth, please immediately report to the nearest church or security post...

"But I'm a little worried about other things—the sealed items on the ship, the sealed items in the city-state.

"And those ships that are still sailing in the distant sea, even if they try their best to return, they still fail to arrive at the port in time—the sun is about to set. Perhaps there are still many captains and sailors staying on the Boundless Sea. It takes at least seven days to reach the nearest city-state from the middle of the southwest route, and the situation on those remote routes is even worse... In the continuous night, no one knows what changes will occur in this sea..."

A cool breeze blew past his ear, and Lawrence stopped writing and sighed softly.

He raised his head and looked at the window facing the port area. Looking over the pier, he could see two more large cargo ships appearing on the distant sea, approaching the coastline while sounding their horns—several small speedboats with church insignias rushed out of the pier like sharp arrows, heading towards the two large ships requesting to dock, preparing for the necessary boarding inspections and port blessings.

In a corner of the window, a hazy figure emerged from the glass surface, waving to Lawrence who was looking into the distance.

"Two more ships have docked, and they are large ships," Lawrence said softly, "All of Phaeton's docks are almost full."

"In the past seventy-two hours, four times as many ships as usual have docked at Phaeton, and more than half of them are here to 'take refuge'," the hazy figure on the window said casually, with a hint of ethereal tremor, "They are already lucky. Those who don't have time to return don't know what to do."

"...Ships sailing in the ocean have small churches and chaplains on board, but these measures are used to deal with normal nights," Lawrence sighed and shook his head, "Twenty-four hours after sunset is the final time limit given by the Port Authority to allow normal docking. Ships that return after this time are not allowed to approach the city-state directly—they have stayed in the night for too long and are no longer safe."

"...The White Oak had such 'treatment' in the past," Martha said, "I remember you said it was after the first encounter with the Lost Country."

Lawrence shrugged and said nothing.

Martha was silent for a while, then spoke again: "...If the sun maintains this operation mode in the future, people will adapt sooner or later. The chaos is only temporary, just like those city-states that persisted in the Dark Ages. They found new ways to continue after the collapse of the ancient kingdom—as long as they survive, life will always find a way out."

Lawrence knew that these were not the words Martha would say—she was an outstanding female explorer and captain, but not a philosopher.

But he still felt a trace of comfort and warmth in these words.

"You're right, Martha," he nodded gently, "There will always be a way..."

In the distant sky, the pale Worldscar was gradually emerging behind the clouds, the increasingly thin sunlight was gradually receding from the sea, and a layer of hazy mist appeared nearby at some point, rising and falling with the sea.

The towering bow of the Lost Country broke through the waves, sailing into the distance in the evening mist. On the towering masts, the translucent ethereal sails billowed without wind. The ship *Bright Star* followed closely behind, its half-illusory hull rising and falling in the waves, as if it would fall into another dimension at any moment.

Lightwind Port sent the latest news that the last civilian cargo ship that could return to port before sunset had docked at the pier—the city-state's navy was setting up outposts and navigation marks in the nearby sea, and was moving a mobile port equipped with a high-power steam core and church facilities to the sea between the city-state and the "glowing geometric entity." After that, ships returning to the city-state must dock at that temporary port and be allowed to approach the city-state only after strict inspection and quarantine.

Duncan stood on the bow deck, listening to Morris's relay of the situation in Lightwind Port, and nodded gently: "Lawrence is currently in the city-state of Phaeton. He said that they have left a twenty-four-hour window for returning ships after nightfall. After the window time ends, returnees must also stay at the temporary pier near the city-state to accept inspection and quarantine."

"Each city-state is formulating different response plans based on its own situation and experience, but no one knows which plan will be the most effective," Vanna said from the side, "But in any case, everyone should not have much trouble getting through the first night—even with just the stored materials, most city-states can safely welcome the sunrise. What is really worrying... is the future."

Duncan did not speak, but thought quietly.

After a long while, he suddenly opened his mouth: "What about the sightings of the 'Doomsday Survey Team'?"

"As you expected—there have been sporadic sighting reports in other parts of the world," Vanna nodded, "I confirmed this with Her Majesty Helena. She mentioned that since a few days ago, there have been at least five incidents within the sphere of influence of the Deep Sea Church where 'phantoms of another time and space suddenly appeared', and after comparison and confirmation, three of them are very likely to be the Doomsday Survey Team performing observation missions at the end of time."

Duncan pondered for a moment, then nodded gently.

And in the corner of his eye, the last wisp of sunset finally disappeared on the sea.

It was dark.

(End of this chapter)