The "flame" between the stars flowed at the edge of this world.
In Duncan Zhouming's perception, he could almost clearly see that starlight slowly linking itself into a ring — every spark of flame he had left at the four nodes of the outer barrier was now evenly radiating starlight outward.
Those lights were gradually penetrating and covering the nodes, covering the "ancient gods" that formed the nodes, covering their authority, covering their essence, covering their memories, covering… their information.
Just as when he first seeped his flame into that golden sun mask and understood the secrets hidden behind it; just as he often used flame to peer into and take hold of those transcendent artifacts — now he was doing the same thing again.
Every scrap of data from this world since its birth until the process of its ending was slowly being reflected into his mind.
Because in the eyes of the Inverse Singularity, this whole boundless sea, this steadily cooling heap of ash that stubbornly pretended a spark of civilization still remained, was itself a "transcendent artifact."
Alice lowered her head, watching Duncan with curiosity.
"Captain, how much longer do we have to wait here?"
"We can go now," Duncan said softly.