Chapter 544: Approaching Dusk
This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation.com.
The captain’s chamber was filled with an uneasy silence as Duncan stared intently at the sketch in front of him. The drawing depicted a vast and intricately detailed eyeball. Despite the chaotic and frenzied brushstrokes, the image was rendered with uncanny precision. Each line and curve seemed to convey a deeper meaning, capturing the essence of the subject in a way that was both mesmerizing and unsettling.
The eyeball was depicted with exquisite detail, its deep pupil surrounded by clearly visible veins and nerve structures. Enveloping the eye was a layer of dim substance, portrayed through intricate lines that hinted at its complex nature. To Duncan, it appeared as if the eye was encased within a gem-like shell.
A creaking sound from the side broke the silence as the goat head shifted uneasily. Curiosity mixed with hesitation as it gazed at the sketch.
After a long pause, the goat head timidly asked, “Captain… what exactly is that?”
“It’s an eye,” Duncan replied after a brief silence, choosing his words carefully. “Structurally, it resembles a human eye. You can see its veins and nerve structures. The eye is encased within a spherical shell that seems synthetic…”
The goat head fell silent, absorbing Duncan’s explanation. After a long pause, it spoke again, its voice filled with unease, “This is… truly terrifying. Is this the real appearance of Vision 001? A massive eyeball like this? During the blackout, didn’t many people…”
“Not many would have witnessed this scene,” Duncan shook his head slowly. “During the solar blackout, we looked up at the sky and saw only a dark sphere. The intricate details within it couldn’t be directly observed—this drawing shows that the eyeball is ‘encased’ within a vast container.”
“Only Taran El, with the help of the Truth Academy’s special observational equipment, could see the true nature inside the sphere. We needn’t worry that ordinary people might stumble upon this maddening ‘truth.'”
Hearing Duncan’s words, the goat head seemed somewhat relieved but quickly became worried again, “But even if few witnessed it, there could still be some, right? Not everyone reacts like Taran El, able to instinctively seal or alter their recorded content when overwhelmed. Those who see this eyeball seem compelled to share its image…”
Duncan listened intently but did not respond immediately. Instead, he wore a grave expression, lost in deep thought.
Noticing the captain’s silence, the goat head continued, “Captain, don’t you think we should warn…”
“Pland and Frost don’t possess similar ‘observational’ equipment. The lens set is an asset of the Truth Academy, intricate and rare,” Duncan finally replied. “Outside of Wind Harbor, even if someone observed the surface of Vision 001 during the blackout, they wouldn’t discern this ‘truth.'”
“But if Pland and Frost don’t have it, other city-states might!” the goat head exclaimed. “Who knows what those reckless fools might do? Humans aren’t a reliable species!”
“…Other city-states didn’t witness the blackout of the sun,” Duncan interjected.
The previously agitated goat head instantly fell silent.
“Have you forgotten?” Duncan gently reminded, “Only three city-states and the ‘Vanished Fleet’ witnessed the world where the sun blacked out. The vast seas beyond them didn’t experience those twelve hours of darkness.”
The goat head swayed slightly from side to side, finally letting out a vague sigh, “Oh… um…”
Duncan said nothing further. Instead, he glanced once more at the sketch illustrating the core structure of Vision 001. Slowly, another scene began to form in his mind—a blazing corona, beneath which twisted and tangled fleshy limbs, surrounded by countless pale appendages, a dying, massive eyeball.
The Creeping Sun Wheel—The Black Sun.
Duncan’s brow furrowed as a vague familiarity emerged, impossible to ignore. The memories in his mind quickly aligned with the sketch before him, giving rise to audacious ideas.
“…It’s quite similar to the ‘Black Sun’s’ eyeball,” he murmured.
“What?” The goat head was taken aback, “What terrifying thing are you talking about?”
“This eyeball, it shares a structure similar to a part of the Creeping Sun Wheel,” Duncan pondered aloud. As the details from his memories completed the picture, his conviction grew stronger, “Yes, it’s very similar. If you isolate this ‘eyeball’ structure and compare, they are almost identical.”
There was a slight snap as if the goat head’s neck had gotten stuck at a particular angle. It froze over the nautical table, rendered speechless. For the first time, even a chatterbox like the goat head was at a loss for words.
Duncan took a deep breath, carefully folded the sketch paper, and securely tucked it close to his body. Thankfully, Lucretia had been prudent enough not to leave this piece of paper in the hands of the regular scholars of the Truth Academy. Otherwise, it was uncertain what kind of chaos might ensue. Even though the Truth Academy didn’t have his convenient “Spiritual Flame” to break the paper’s seal, they had a plethora of ingenious research methods. They might have managed to restore the real designs drawn on the draft paper.
As Duncan was deep in thought, his concentration was abruptly shattered by hurried footsteps outside the captain’s quarters. Following the footsteps, there came a knock and the voice of Morris from outside, “Captain, I have something to report to you!”
Immediately composing his facial expression, Duncan lifted his gaze towards the door, “Come in.”
The door swung open, and Morris strode in. As he walked, he produced a letter from his pocket, saying, “Captain, Heidi sent an unexpected message. The letter mentions… unusual matters that I need to report to you.”
A letter from Heidi?
Duncan hesitated for a moment before taking the letter. He was surprised that, in such a short time after establishing contact and revealing the truth, the young mental health therapist would get in touch. However, a question arose in his mind, “Why didn’t she come directly to my antique store? Why was the letter delivered to you instead?”
Every day, Ai would travel between the Vanished and Pland, not only transporting essential goods but also routinely delivering letters to places like the cathedral, Morris’s residence, and the government mansion. It was normal for Heidi to send messages through these channels. But if she wanted to contact the captain of the Vanished, going directly to the antique store would have been a more convenient option.
“She’s still a bit apprehensive,” Morris explained with a hint of awkwardness in his voice. “Probably, after learning the truth, she became hesitant to meet with your avatar directly.”
“Unnecessary worry. Just last week, she bought a vase from my shop,” Duncan muttered. He quickly opened the letter and skimmed the hastily written words, his expression subtly shifting as he read.
A moment later, Duncan’s relaxed demeanor vanished, replaced by seriousness and growing concern. After quickly absorbing the content, he was silent for a few seconds before looking up at Morris, “She encountered an Ender…”
“Yes, and according to her description, it seems to be one of the rational kind,” Morris nodded. “Although the ‘rationality’ of this unexpected visitor is questionable, he was very cryptic throughout, never speaking clearly…”
Clearly, the venerable educator, who had spent his lifetime teaching numerous students and held the principle that “knowledge should be conveyed in a concise, straightforward, and understandable manner,” was profoundly annoyed with the enigmatic cultist mentioned in the letter. His displeasure was evident.
“The lack of clarity in his words might be due to certain constraints. The important factor is that he’s willing to communicate. That’s the most pronounced distinction between the two kinds of Endbringer Enders,” Duncan said rapidly. He then glanced at the letter again, absorbing all the intelligence mentioned therein.
The Fourth Long Night… The Promised Ark… A “gentler” sun nearing dusk and… the appearance of a certain “variable,” and the steadily expanding “void”…
Heidi had meticulously recounted in her letter all the cryptic remarks she had heard from the Ender, ensuring not to modify or embellish them based on her own assumptions.
The intelligence itself was enough to make countless speculations and associations bubble up in Duncan’s mind.
“The Ender’s thought process didn’t seem very lucid, and he appeared during the day, unlike other ‘normal’ Enders who manifest at night,” Morris interjected. “He mentioned the Fourth Long Night and alluded to many ‘phenomena’ preceding its onset. It seems his very appearance during the day is a harbinger of the imminent ‘Fourth Long Night’…”
The Fourth Long Night…
Duncan couldn’t help but recollect descriptions from the “Book of Blasphemy”: There were three genesis epochs, termed as the “Three Long Nights.” The Pale Giant King died during the First Long Night, the Dream King during the Second, and the King of Darkness successfully crafted all creation during the Third. Together with the Cretean Clan, they ignited the present-day ‘sun,’ lifting the veil of night. Yet, he was exiled by other ancient kings for altering the blueprint, never to reclaim his throne…
Slowly rising from behind the navigation table, Duncan approached the window. The sun was on the verge of setting beyond the horizon. Bound by magnificent dual-rune rings, the brilliant and warm orb was gradually sinking into the sea, casting a radiant afterglow. Duncan gazed at it, imagining he was actually observing an eye larger than any city-state, which had been overlooking this world for ten millennia.
This “eye,” which ascended to the skies during the ancient Crete Kingdom era, was now approaching its twilight. The tapestry woven from light, warm and tranquil, seemed poised to fall due to the sun’s imminent demise. After this protective veil vanishes, after the arrival of the “Fourth Long Night” as described by the Ender… What would the world’s “dusk” look like?
Maybe the Sun Eye and the Sun God Eye are the two eyes of one of the Fallen Kings?
That the King of Darkness used one Eye to craft the Sun and the other remained alive as the Sun God, a mere remnant of a Fallen Kings power…
Perhaps, just like the “simulation world” theory it needs more evidence to back it up.
On a different note, is it possible that the Dream King is the elves’ dreaming god?
I think that the king of darkness refers to the nether lord as he is the one who is said to have created everything with his essence. The king of dreams should be the elven god who created the elves and the world of dreams, and should be the entity behind the dream of the nameless one. As for the pale giant king, his corpse was seen floating in the subspace when Duncan accidentally woke up there. According to the information, the giant and dream kings are dead, while nether lord was removed from his throne by other kings because he changed the blueprint of creation in some way, which is why he is now in abyss and not with other gods. The four gods should be other four ancient kings, who removed the nether lord from his throne. This is because Gamona, the storm goddess, is also called Queen of Leviathans. The Ancient Sun God seems to be a different ancient diety, maybe one of the ancient kings, who was cursed and imprisoned as the sun, which is vision 001, by the ancient kings and the Crete clan. This also is consistent with the fact that the four gods were active during the era of Crete kingdom, as they established their religions during that time.
Great summary of things. I would only add one thing to it. I think one of the four gods is the Colony Ship AI Captain, most likely the god of knowledge.
will they leave Heidi unprotected? i hope not, as she did her part.