The Pope's reaction confused the Priest of Truth. He spoke cautiously, "...the whole world will not freeze because the sun has 'disappeared' for a long time. Isn't this good news?"

"From the perspective of this incident itself, this is certainly good news," Rune shook his head slightly, "but what if we look at it from the perspective of the power that the sun should have originally possessed? What if we look at it from our knowledge and understanding of this world, from the perspective of the 'laws that things should have followed'?"

The middle-aged priest frowned slightly and suddenly understood what the Pope was worried about.

"The sun brings light and heat. When the sun rises, the day will gradually become warmer, and when the sun sets, the night will gradually cooler. If the sun is absent for a long enough time, the endless sea will be frozen. This is the law of things, just like ice will melt in fire. It is the simplest truth, but the current situation is... The cooling curve at night seems to have nothing to do with the sun," Rune said solemnly, "Do you know what this reminds me of?"

He did not wait for the middle-aged priest's answer. Instead, he paused for a moment before continuing, "A machine possessed by evil spirits - just like an axle that continues to rotate after its steam core has cooled, or a differential engine that continues to spit out paper tape after its gears have jammed. The operation process and the result of an operation are gradually becoming separated, and some of the laws that should be taken for granted... are failing."

The temple fell into an uneasy silence for a while. After a long while, the middle-aged priest finally broke the silence: "We should contact the other three arks..."

"They are also paying attention to changes in this area, so they don't need us to remind them," Rune said. "Compared to this... has our border fleet already set out?"

The middle-aged priest nodded immediately. "Yes, they entered the range of the curtain an hour ago, and the communication has not been interrupted. The fleets of the other three churches have also entered the border from different directions. There have been no casualties so far."

Rune nodded slowly: "...What about the sea refuge route?"

"We have set up 26 assembly points at the midpoints of the main shipping routes in various sea areas, with large church ships and supply ships as the core of each assembly point. Currently, hundreds of ships that cannot return to the city-state in time have responded to the call and are heading to various assembly points for refuge. According to the plan, these refugee ships will be guided to a 'safe distance' three days' sailing distance from the nearest city-state and stay there until the end of night.

"But the actual effect of this 'night shelter' at sea has yet to be verified. We don't know what changes will happen in the night as time goes by. Now we can only make the best possible preparations and prepare for the worst case scenario..."

Rune listened quietly and nodded slightly.

At this moment, a sudden bell sound from not far away interrupted his conversation with the priest - bells from various parts of the Ark rang one after another, with an unusual sense of urgency.

Rune was stunned for a moment, and then he seemed to sense something. He listened attentively, and a smile suddenly appeared on his face: "...They are back."

The Lost Homeland and the Radiant Star were back - on the distant sea shrouded in darkness, the blazing green flames on the ghost ships were as eye-catching as lighthouses. The two ships crossed the cordon built by the church and the city-state fleet near the coast and headed straight for Breeze Harbor, while the patrol fleet that had received the order in advance did not dare to stop them at all.

Without any cover or hesitation, the Lost Homeland and the Brilliant Star docked directly on the coastline east of Breeze Harbor, and Duncan swaggered into the city.

Nina held Shirley's hand and followed Duncan and Morris. She couldn't help but frowning as they passed through the deserted road inside the port area.

"…It was so lively the last time I came here…"

"Now there are only patrols and guards left," Shirley muttered. She covered her eyes with a black cloth to hide her scary eyes, but now she suddenly found that she didn't need to be so cautious. After entering the city, she hardly saw a few people outside. "It is said that the martial law will last for one or two months."

The city-state is still under martial law. Although it should be morning now, except for those who maintain the city's functions and other special positions, most of the citizens of Breeze Harbor are ordered to stay at home. The light golden "sunlight" shining from the offshore direction quietly permeates the empty streets, making this place look like a ghost town at dusk.

And in the other half of the city, where the "sunlight" released by the luminous geometric bodies cannot shine, there is only the depressing and suffocating night.

However, after leaving the outer area and entering the more densely populated urban area, there were still a few pedestrians in a hurry on the streets, as well as some shops that were open for business.

"There are actually shops open here!" Shirley looked at the shops on the roadside in surprise, "and some people are going out..."

"You just said that the entire state of martial law will last for one or two months. During this period, we must maintain the most basic order of life," Morris shook his head. "I think each city-state should have formulated a kind of 'life schedule' based on the upcoming long night, so that everyone can have the opportunity to go out to shop or work during the martial law... Life must go on."

Duncan did not speak while listening to the conversation between Shirley and Morris. He just looked up at the deserted street ahead and said casually, "I've seen enough... Aiyi."

A flame suddenly ignited out of nowhere, and a giant skeleton bird wrapped in flames appeared above everyone, circling and making a strange, sharp cry: "Who is calling the fleet?"

"Take us to 99 Crown Street," Duncan said.

A streak of fire passed over Breeze Harbor like a meteor, crossed over the city illuminated by the "sunshine" near the coast, and flew straight to the "Witch's Mansion" in the upper city.

This disturbing flaming meteor undoubtedly attracted a lot of attention - but for those who really knew the situation, it was actually reassuring... good news.

As soon as the flames fell to the ground and her vision stabilized, Lucrecia saw the uninvited guests standing at her door.

Helena, who was elegant and dressed in a navy blue robe, Rune, who was slightly overweight and dressed in a scholar's robe, and a bunch of unknown priests and scholars - they looked like attendants or assistants brought by the two popes.

They seemed to have been waiting here for a while.

"...Wow," Nina muttered immediately, "There are quite a lot of people..."

"It's not too surprising." Duncan's reaction was very calm.

Lucrecia's first reaction was to frown. She looked at the "visitors" who appeared at her doorstep and walked quickly forward, not hiding her impatience at all. Before the two church leaders could speak, she said, "I don't like receiving guests - especially so many guests."

Obviously, the witch, who had just completed a trip to the border and finally returned home, was very unhappy to see so many uninvited guests.

However, Rune did not mind the impolite attitude of the "sea witch". He seemed to have known the character and habits of the witch for a long time. Hearing this, he waved to the entourage around him and said, "Then you can go back first."

Helena also dismissed the accompanying priests and guards, then nodded to Lucrecia: "There are only two 'guests' here now."

Lucrecia stared at the two popes standing at the door with wide eyes, then sighed helplessly and took two steps to the side: "...Well, my father is indeed happy to talk to you. Luni, go open the door."

The clockwork doll Luni immediately passed everyone, walked up the steps and opened the door, while Duncan nodded gently to Rune and Helena: "Let's go in and talk."

The bright lights dispelled the darkness, and the warmth of the fireplace dispelled the coldness of the night. The mechanical puppets and iron servants who stayed in the mansion had already cleaned the place before the hostess returned home. Now hot tea had been placed on the table, and the freshly baked snacks were still emitting heat from the oven.

This bright, warm house almost made one forget the long, unsettling night outside, and the fact that the world was falling apart.

Everyone gathered in the living room. Duncan sat on the sofa in a casual manner and nodded to Helena and Rune opposite him: "I didn't expect you to come here in person to wait - I thought that for people like you, leaving the 'Ark' every time is a very serious and cautious matter."

"We really can't leave the Ark without reason - but meeting you as soon as possible is 'reason enough' in itself," Helena said, "especially in today's situation."

"What do you want to know now?" Duncan asked, "The current state of the world? The cause of the apocalypse? Or what will happen in the future?"

Rune and Helena subconsciously exchanged glances.

"We want to know all of this," Rune was the first to break the silence. He adjusted his sitting posture, leaning forward slightly, and his expression looked particularly solemn. "But first, we want to know what happened on the Holy Island and your communication with... the creator of the world."

"We have received some intelligence from the Tide," Helena added, "but I believe only you know the truth."

Duncan pondered for a moment and nodded slightly.

"Then first of all, I will announce a conclusion to you - this is the premise of everything."

From Duncan's expression and tone, Helena suddenly felt a heavy sense of uneasiness: "Conclusion...theory?"

"Yes, the conclusion - the end of the world is certain. Any form of repair has come to an end. At best... it can only be extended to a limited extent."

Duncan spoke calmly. His voice was not loud, but every word seemed to carry a thousand pounds of weight.