When the world is on the verge of end, cause and effect will gradually fall into chaos. It is not that the last awake preacher of the end came to Duncan, but that the last awake preacher of the end "appeared" in Duncan's vision.

But for the two parties involved, it doesn't seem to matter which of the two events is the cause and which is the effect.

"What's your name?" Duncan looked at the old man in white robe in front of him and suddenly became curious.

Faced with such a simple question, the traveler in the tattered white robe frowned deeply. He thought for a long time before shaking his head: "I can't remember clearly. The last time I used the word 'name' seemed to be a long time ago... But if you like, you can call me Crete."

"Crete?" Duncan frowned. "This is the name of your tribe."

"...Oh, yes, no wonder it sounds so familiar," the old man said with a look of realization, a hint of a smile on his face, "That's great, call me that, I like this name."

Duncan was silent for a moment, then nodded gently: "Okay, Crete. I have some questions now."

"Please ask. I have plenty of time this time."

"First question, why did you choose to meet with me at this time?" Duncan looked into the other person's eyes and asked seriously, "What is the purpose of this 'window period'?"

"...We have actually been looking for an opportunity to contact you directly - here I mean those of us who are still sane," Krete hesitated for a moment before answering this question, but he quickly gave the answer, "It's just that contacting you is a very difficult thing - in fact, we tried it once before today, but... we missed that window of opportunity."

"...missed a window?" Duncan looked puzzled. "What does this mean?"

"We are early, Captain," Crete said calmly.

Duncan was stunned for a moment, and after a very brief thought, he suddenly understood what the other party meant: "You mean, the three who appeared on the Lost Homeland..."

"Yes, we are early," Crete nodded gently and repeated these words again. "When we found out that it was not 1900, the window period had ended... and that was the biggest 'linear out-of-control event' we encountered since we set out. From that day on, many things began to get out of control, but from the results... it seemed that everything did not deviate from the established track. Duncan Abnomer still embarked on his last voyage - after knowing his own ending in advance."

Because of these few short sentences, a storm of thoughts has already swept through Duncan's mind!

The End Preacher (or the End Survey Team) knew the truth about him being the "Fire Usurper", knowing that he was an alien soul that occupied the body of Duncan Abnormar - this part of the truth he had already noticed, but the other part of the truth was completely beyond his expectations -

In the memories of Tirian and Lucretia, those "uninvited guests" who suddenly appeared on the Lost Homeland, those End of the World preachers who had talked with Duncan Abnormar all night long... They were originally here to find them? !

Duncan quickly understood the information in Crete's words and gradually realized: "In other words, you didn't originally plan to contact...'him'?"

"Yes, we revealed the end of a man who was about to die in advance," Crete nodded slowly. "I know what you want to say, but the fact is that when we appeared on this ship, he seemed to have known something... As a great explorer, he had anticipated his own fate. Our appearance only surprised him for a few seconds, and from then until the end of the window period, he just asked us some questions about how to navigate in the border waters."

A slight tremor and creaking sound came into Duncan's ears. A low and uneasy sound echoed from the depths of the Lost Homeland's cabin, but after a few seconds, the strange noises gradually subsided.

Crete raised his head and looked at the dark roof above. He did not turn his gaze back to Duncan until the surroundings became quiet again.

"After missing that window of opportunity, our only remaining chance to contact you is today. In other words, only when the stability of the shelter drops to near the limit, we, the 'anti-order' beings, will have the chance to enter your field of vision safely. And it is precisely because the stability of the shelter has dropped to the limit that we have the opportunity to show you...something that will help you understand the fate of this world, the fate that has been 'determined' so far."

"Show me something?" Duncan's expression immediately became serious after hearing this. "What do you mean? What are you going to show me?"

"...Before that, I want to confirm one thing with you," Crete raised his head and stared at Duncan, "You have rejected our creator, right?"

"Your creator... you mean Pilot One?" Duncan realized what was happening and nodded. "Yes, he wanted me to take over his authority and take over the world, but I refused."

"...Really? That's great." After hearing Duncan's reply, Crete said to himself.

Duncan was a little curious: "...What does this have to do with what you are going to show me?"

Crete did not answer directly, but walked forward until he came to the door leading to the subspace, which was now tightly closed.

"Have you ever opened this door?"

"No," Duncan walked over, his tone immediately alert, "This door leads to the subspace. It's not a good idea to open it in reality."

"It's okay. You don't need to be nervous. I won't open it, and I don't have the ability to open it." Crete noticed the change in Duncan's tone, and a smile appeared on his face. "I'm just taking you to have a look."

Duncan watched Crete's actions and asked cautiously, "Take a look?"

"Everything is reflected in the subspace... As long as it is the possibility of this shelter, its answer has long been imprinted in the endless sea of ​​chaos, and we..."

Crete muttered softly, and suddenly reached out and tapped the door frame twice.

"...We have always been good at picking up fleeting glimpses of time from the chaos."

The next second, as Duncan watched in surprise, the door suddenly shattered like an illusion - light and shadow beyond the limits of human comprehension came at him like a storm, and then reorganized around him in the blink of an eye.

He almost made a move, but at the critical moment he controlled the impulse and stood still calmly.

Because he did not feel any threat or hostility, and he could even clearly feel that the door was still standing intact in its original place - Crete's breath was also nearby, without any change.

He looked around and found himself standing on a dark mountain. The chaotic and gloomy sky covered everything. A dim light was hidden deep in the clouds. Below the mountain was a vast wilderness. On that boundless land, one could vaguely see city-like ruins and dried-up, broken elevated canals.

Beyond that, there was cracked, dry earth. Some kind of fine "ash" covered everything in sight, filling up the ruins and canals, and then rolled up in the wind through the valleys, blowing towards the plains like fog.

A biting chill filled the space between heaven and earth, as if even the flying ashes would be frozen.

Duncan watched all this quietly, and after a long while he spoke softly: "What is this?"

"This is the age of fire, Captain." Crete's voice came from the side - he had been standing there without knowing when, still wearing the tattered white robe, but the white robe seemed to be even more tattered.

After a moment of silence, Duncan asked again: "Is this a branch of history?"

“This is the only historical branch that the sanctuary survives,” Krit said.

Then the "End Preacher" paused for a moment, as if he was organizing his words, before continuing:

"In the beginning, you reshaped the earth. All those grand plans that had not been realized in the blueprint came into being. Vast lands that humans had never imagined rose from the sea, city-states were connected, and resources became abundant. Then, you calmed the sea and gave it more life. The seawater was purified between the mountains and rivers, and turned into rain and snow and fell on the earth.

"Then, the mortal world began to prosper. For a while, the prosperity of this new world even surpassed all the beautiful poems praising it in the Deep Sea Age. Powerful countries rose on the earth, growing day and night, new technologies were discovered, new poems, literature, and imaginations about the future. Steam trains crossed mountains and wilderness, and huge pipelines connected factories and cities to the steel jungle...

“So many stories, so many lives, heroes and leaders, knights and philosophers, legendary adventurers, and ordinary people working hard in the city.

"Captain, believe me, if I had shown you those glorious days instead of this scene, even you would have been a little shaken. Even the most determined archon and guardian in this world would be willing to exchange everything for that world, even if it was glorious for only... a short time."

Duncan did not speak. He stood on the top of the mountain, quietly overlooking the dry and broken land below him. After a long time, he broke the silence: "Is there anyone alive at this moment?"

"No, the ashes have devoured everything - did you see the ruins of the city? The tallest church in the city center... The last refugee breathed his last there. Now there is only an empty soul wandering in the church, holding a great sword, but that sword can't protect anyone at this moment."

Duncan raised his head again and looked at the dark light in the sky: "What is that?"

"A...very small sun. When the world began to cool down, it tried to reheat the land and supported it for a long time."

"Where's my flame?"

"It's out, Captain," Crete said slowly, "after you have burned everything that can be burned in the world."