The brass key left by Leigh Nora was actually a gift from a friend - this was completely beyond Duncan's expectation.
It also aroused his great curiosity.
Who exactly made that key, and for what purpose? What is the nature of that key? After touching the key, the illusion of "the spaceship crashed to the earth and disintegrated in the explosion" he saw came again.
what's going on?
He couldn't wait to know the answer. Fortunately, the Frost Queen did not hide what she knew, but told her frankly:
"That was a friend I met shortly after I left the cathedral. At that time, I was planning to take charge of power. I often met with various people or participated in matters in the public sphere, and the old man appeared in a
At a fundraiser...
"He was not on the guest list, but he easily bypassed all the security and informants. I thought he was a professor from the university because he was wearing scholar's robes and had an elegant and decent temperament - I didn't know he was
Those who sneaked in started chatting with him, and the profound knowledge he displayed was amazing, until... the bodyguards of the gathering finally realized and kicked him out.
"But after that, the old man began to appear in my sight frequently. Sometimes it was gatherings of high society, sometimes it was dinner parties organized by friends in private. He would appear when everyone's eyes turned, and then he would appear calmly.
He would chat with me freely, discuss things in the fields of history, mathematics and occultism with me, and leave quietly before anyone disturbed him - except for being discovered by the bodyguard when we first met, he could always hide himself from everyone.
out of sight.
"Isn't it incredible? A friend that only I know, a knowledgeable advisor, an... air friend.
"I have never disclosed his existence to the outside world. At first, it was because I was worried that it would arouse the concerns of the church. The bishops would suspect that my psychic talent was out of control and put me back in the cellar - I knew that my power was not
I was out of control, and I wasn't worried about being imprisoned, but I felt that my time was precious and I couldn't continue to waste it in a cage. And later... I began to gradually gain control of the city-state, so I couldn't expose the existence of this 'secret advisor'
.
"This state lasted for about three years, and I became an old friend with this mysterious old man. But just when I thought he would continue to be my 'special staff' until my coronation, he suddenly appeared before dawn one day.
Show up and say goodbye to me.
"This is what he said - 'The window is over, this is the last time we see each other.'
"Then, he handed a brass key into my hand and told me that the key was a twisted collection. It was the key to establishing connections in time and space. It could also carry knowledge and memory. Someday in the future,
One day, it will work...
"After talking about many things related to the key, my 'air friend' just turned around and walked towards the first ray of light when the sun rose - the second the sun rose above the horizon, he
He disappeared and that was the last time I saw him."
Duncan listened to Le Nora's words in astonishment. Countless associations had already appeared in his mind, and all the associations quickly pointed to one term. When the Frost Queen in front of him finished speaking, he immediately spoke: "
Wait, the person you described sounds like the same person..."
"Yes, Evangelist of the End, Captain Duncan," Leigh Nora smiled, "I guessed it after the first few meetings - I have been exposed to countless books during the years of training in the church.
, naturally you know what a preacher is."
"You became friends with a preacher of the end, and he also..." Duncan frowned and said, but he realized the violation just halfway through, "Wait, that's not right, it doesn't look like a normal end."
Preacher……"
"Yes, as you said, although they are very similar in 'nature', the old man's state is completely different from that of those crazy cultists. He has sharp thinking, clear reason, gentle and friendly attitude, and finally
The only thing the missionaries have in common is their 'non-linear intervention and disappearance'."
"...Normal preachers of the end cannot think calmly and communicate, because the tearing of the timeline has long disrupted their cognition, and the worship of subspace has destroyed their sanity," Duncan responded quickly, "And you
The one I know is the opposite..."
He stopped suddenly.
Because at this moment, he recalled another thing, something related to "himself"!
Tyrian once mentioned when communicating with Vanna and Valentine that a century ago, on the eve of "Duncan Abnormar"'s last sailing voyage, several mysterious people were welcomed on board the Lost Home.
Visitors, who wore robes like ascetic monks, suddenly appeared on the ship and talked with the then "Captain Duncan" all night long, and then mysteriously disappeared when the sun rose the next day...
Tirian has always believed that the visits of those mysterious visitors were the direct reason why the Lost Home sailed towards the "border" on its last voyage.
And those mysterious visitors... Judging from the description, they are a group of clear-minded, gentle and friendly "Final Missionaries"!
The body Duncan was using at the moment could not express complex expressions, but his momentary silence and slight changes in his eyes did not escape the Frost Queen's keen observation. Le Nora immediately reacted: "What did you think of?
?"
Duncan raised his head and didn't speak for a while, just staring into the other person's eyes quietly.
The "friend" that Leigh Nora knew was not an isolated case - among the group of preachers of the end, which were generally considered to be brutal and crazy cultists, there did exist a group of rational individuals with unknown purposes, and they were running around
In the timeline, he uses a certain contact opportunity called a "window period" to constantly interfere with the affairs of the world!
Thoughts in his mind were ups and downs, and countless thoughts flashed past. Duncan finally broke the silence: "They also visited the Lost Home."
For the first time, Le Nora's eyes widened instantly.
It seems that she has not completely lost the emotion of "surprise" as she said at the beginning.
"Have you also come into contact with the sane Missionaries of the End?" Leigh Nora said quickly, "What did they tell you? They are..."
"Unfortunately, I no longer remember," Duncan interrupted the other party's hurried inquiry. "This part of the memory has disappeared with the erosion of subspace. I only learned from other channels that I had actually fought with them.
Communicate."
A look of regret that could not be concealed appeared on Le Nora's face.
Duncan quickly organized his thoughts and brought the topic back on track: "After realizing that the other party was a special final preacher, didn't you discuss his true identity with him? Didn't you ask him about his purpose?
"
"Of course I asked - but do you think I will get the answer?" Leigh Nora sighed helplessly, "We get along well, he is my elder who is also my teacher and friend, and he is willing to answer most of my questions.
, but whenever I try to bring the topic to his...'identity', he will always use one sentence to excuse it——
"It's not yet time, don't contact things outside the 'border' too early."
"Don't come into contact with things beyond the boundary too early..." Duncan repeated these seemingly meaningful words in a low voice, and then frowned slightly, "How could you make friends with such a suspicious person under such circumstances?
A friend can be said to be... kind-hearted."
"I need help, and most of the things that can be called 'power' in this world are dangerous," Leigh Nora looked calm. "Compared with the 'dreams' I have been exposed to since childhood,
A final preacher is too gentle and harmless."
Duncan didn't say anything else. He just stood up again and slowly came to the darkness at the end of the room.
"...One last thing, what are your plans...for your future?"
Leigh Nora frowned slightly: "The future?"
"Do you need to stay in this room called the 'Drifting Place' forever?" Duncan said, raising his chin again and pointing to the huge "tentacle" in the dark deep sea, "You need to stay here forever,
Use dreams to suppress the activities of this 'erroneous copy'?"
"Do you have any other ideas?"
"Maybe, but not sure," Duncan said. "What would happen if I could completely destroy this faulty copy?"
"...Freedom," Le Nora was silent for a few seconds and nodded solemnly and slowly, "He and I will both be liberated."
"What happens after that?"
"I don't know," Leigh Nora shook her head, "That's beyond my understanding - I have never imagined what it will be like after this long nightmare finally ends. Perhaps, this 'drifting place' will
If I lose this connection point, it will reconnect to somewhere else. Perhaps, I will lose contact with the real world, no longer be troubled by nightmares, and become a wandering soul with nothing to do, waiting for the day when this room is reopened.
.”
"That doesn't sound like a happy ending," Duncan's tone became solemn, "Eternal exile is not much better than sinking into a nightmare."
"In fact, it's even worse, because this room is not under my control. Rather than reconnecting to a 'connection point' in the real world, it is more likely to sink into the subspace while drifting out of control."
Duncan fell silent and said nothing for a long time.
Leigh Nora took the initiative to break the silence after a moment: "But even so, I still suggest you do this - if you can really do it, just end it all while I still have time."
Duncan looked into the Frost Queen's eyes: "...Are you sure? Even if this will cause you to suffer eternal exile?"
"Eternal nightmare is actually a kind of eternal exile," Leigh Nora smiled, "With this relief, at least it can truly solve the long-term threat facing the frost - at least for a long time, my city-state and I