Chapter 92 “Endless Guesses”
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Morris let out a long sigh that carried the weight of years of disappointment and unanswered questions. “For those of us committed to digging up the secrets of the past, to solving the world’s greatest mysteries, we often find ourselves face-to-face with an insurmountable barrier of uncertainty and unknowable facts.”
His face, visibly worn and etched with the marks of what seemed like a lifetime of global expeditions, served as a living testament to the endless struggle he and his contemporaries had faced in their work.
“The chronicles that exist prior to the event we call the ‘Great Annihilation’ are fragmented and inconsistent. Documents from each ancient city-state appear as if they’re recounting entirely separate, bizarre stories. The end result is that we can’t definitively say what the truth is about our past.”
Duncan paused, deep in thought, absorbing Morris’s words. His mood seemed to be in stark contrast to Morris’s almost tangible sense of despair. Duncan was wrestling with an internal storm of ideas and theories.
Coming from Earth’s modern era, a time rich with information and technological advances, Duncan couldn’t help but speculate on the seemingly fantastical histories laid before him.
The protective dome that covered the whole continent might be an advanced artificial ecological system engineered to simulate an optimal living environment. The “seawater fuel” that was mentioned could actually be a sophisticated hydro-fusion engine that powers this complex machinery.
Similarly, the giant spaceships that were said to travel the universe might actually be colonization vessels. These spacecraft could be stopping at various star systems to harvest essential resources like gases and metals from planets, ensuring their long-term sustainability.
But what stumped Duncan was the elvish tale about a demon god and a dream world where dreams and reality were intertwined. This particular account seemed to be entirely out of place, a narrative that belonged more to a magical realm than one rooted in technology.
As Morris had pointed out, given how piecemeal and disparate the historical records were, it was no surprise that reconstructing the past was proving to be an impossible task.
“Our investigation seems to hit a ‘horizon limit’ when we reach the core event of the Great Annihilation,” Morris interrupted Duncan’s contemplation. He spoke from the other side of the counter and began massaging his forehead, his voice softening. “It’s as if we can’t see or understand anything that occurred before that horizon, rendering the history leading up to the Great Annihilation an enigma that is permanently out of reach.”
Inspired by Morris’s melancholy, Duncan proposed a bold and daring hypothesis: “What if every single one of these records is actually accurate?”
Morris looked up, his eyes widening in surprise as he fixed his gaze on Duncan. “What are you suggesting?”
“What if all these stories and accounts, as recorded by each city-state or even separate races, are accurate reflections of their individual experiences prior to the Great Annihilation?” Duncan continued, rubbing his chin in a contemplative manner. “Is it conceivable that our ancestors, who lived 10,000 years ago, actually came from a variety of different worlds and civilizations? That the Great Annihilation wasn’t so much an extinction event but rather an event that stranded these divergent groups of people, each with their own unique histories, on this continent?”
Feeling more and more confident about his line of thinking, Duncan went even further: “Could the true nature of the Great Annihilation actually be closer to a sort of ‘mass teleportation,’ connecting different realities or even universes?”
The widening of Morris’s eyes clearly indicated his astonishment. “You’re referring to the Brock Bendis school’s hypothesis, the World Drift Theory? It’s a field of study that hasn’t been thoroughly investigated yet.”
While Morris seemed taken aback, Duncan looked equally surprised, albeit for different reasons. He hadn’t expected that others had previously floated a concept similar to his own speculative idea.
“I’ve only managed to gather bits and pieces about this theory, mostly from a lifetime of experience coupled with sporadic reading. But I must say, I have a soft spot for it,” Morris admitted.
“I find it quite intriguing as well, even if it hasn’t gained mainstream acceptance,” Morris added, shaking his head. “But, as is the case with any speculative idea, we’re missing solid evidence, so it remains merely a theory for now.”
Morris continued, elaborating on other intellectual currents. “There are other schools of thought that have their own intriguing theories. The Clark school, for instance, believes that the convoluted history we’re dealing with is the result of corruption in subspace. Then there’s the Villentium school, which argues that the world existed as a matrix of isolated, individual compartments or ‘lattices’ before the Great Annihilation. The residents of the Bologna city-state go even further: they flatly deny that a world existed prior to the Great Annihilation, claiming that any so-called historical texts are merely illusions conjured up by shadows in subspace to deceive us.”
Morris leaned in closer, lowering his voice as if he were about to reveal something sensitive. “If you permit me to tread into controversial territory, even certain heretical cults have their interpretations. Take the Enders, for example. They worship subspace and preach that the apocalypse is imminent. In their view, history is merely a trailing shadow of reality, and subspace corruption will eventually distort and erode the truth until the world collapses into subspace itself.”
Duncan’s level of astonishment grew exponentially as he listened to Morris. After a long pause to collect his thoughts, he finally spoke, “I had no idea such diverse and extraordinary hypotheses even existed…”
Morris nodded understandingly. “Most ordinary people don’t venture into these specialized fields of study, which is why these theories are largely unknown to the public. Also, theories concerning history often tread dangerously close to occult or heretical ideas,” he explained. “But one thing is clear: if thousands of scholars over hundreds or even thousands of years haven’t been able to crack this enigma, it’s likely that they’ve already considered—and been stymied by—just about every conceivable theory.”
As he absorbed Morris’s words, Duncan began to understand. The issue wasn’t a lack of imagination or creative thinking; what was missing was the empirical evidence needed to substantiate any of these theories.
“So, there’s no concrete evidence left? No tangible clues that could give us insight into the past?” Duncan inquired, his facial expression clearly showing his confusion and disbelief. “If these theories and histories exist, there must be some basis for them, some fragments of evidence, however scattered.”
“Sadly, none that we’ve been able to find,” Morris replied, his voice tinged with regret. “Over the course of more than 10,000 years, punctuated by multiple dark ages and the rise and fall of countless civilizations, any physical remnants that might have existed have likely been lost or destroyed. What we’re left with are unreliable manuscripts and second-hand oral traditions, much like the stories we hear from the elvish communities.”
Duncan sighed, his shoulders slumping as he finally said, “Trying to unravel the ancient history of this world is, without a doubt, an incredibly difficult task.”
“Yes, we’re up against a double-barreled challenge,” Morris said, echoing Duncan’s sigh. “We have to deal with a historical record that is both fragmented and riddled with gaps. Add to that the lack of concrete evidence in the present, and the task becomes almost insurmountable. Given the limited resources available on each individual island, no single city-state has the luxury to fully invest its assets into in-depth historical research. Most of the potential artifacts that could have been found on land have likely already been discovered. What remains—well, it’s likely in places we simply can’t access.”
“Are you suggesting that they might be at the bottom of the sea?” Duncan interrupted, his eyes lighting up with the idea.
Morris chuckled at the sudden enthusiasm. “Under the sea, you say? It’s a daring and intimidating idea, but you’re not the first to think of it. Many historians, during their more contemplative moments, have wondered if the seabed could be hiding mountains of artifacts from civilizations long past. These sunken treasures could potentially answer many of our current questions. However, the depths of the ocean are not a place where humans can venture.”
Morris paused, allowing the weight of that limitation to sink in, before he continued, “That leads us to another, somewhat nebulous, hypothesis. While it hasn’t gained enough traction to become an established theory, some people have speculated that the ‘old world’ might actually be hidden beneath the waters, somewhere between the deep sea and what we refer to as the spirit world.”
“Why would they think that?” Duncan was clearly intrigued by this new angle.
Morris leaned back and pondered for a moment before answering. “Numerous ancient texts, as fragmentary as they are, make mention of a ‘starry sky’ in the world that existed before the Great Annihilation. As far as we understand, this ‘starry sky’ serves as a sort of intermediary realm, situated between the deep sea and the spirit world.”
Duncan almost choked, coughing uncontrollably for a moment. “Ahem… excuse me?”
“Are you all right?” Morris looked concerned, clearly puzzled by Duncan’s abrupt reaction. “I didn’t think the idea would be that shocking to you.”
“No, I’m fine,” Duncan hastily reassured him, waving his hand dismissively. “I was so engrossed in your storytelling that I accidentally choked. Please, go on. You were saying that the ‘starry sky’ is believed to exist between the deep sea and the spirit world? Yes, I’m following you, very closely, in fact…”
Duncan’s eyes narrowed as he began to process this cascade of information. Here was yet another layer of complexity, another strand in the already tangled web of theories about the world’s history. And yet, with each new piece of the puzzle, the picture seemed to grow more vivid, more tantalizingly within reach.
I can’t believe I’ve already caught up to the translated, great chapter.
so sky is like a middle layer of those two?