Morris sighed. "When we, the ones digging through history, finally stand before the high wall of the Great Annihilation, having spent our lives searching for artifacts and comparing records, hoping to glimpse the scenery beyond that wall, what we face is something so bizarre."
The old man's face showed deep fatigue and frustration, like a traveler who has journeyed most of his life but still sees no end in sight, having to accept reality.
"The history before the Great Annihilation is fragmented and contradictory. The records from different city-states are like strange stories or disconnected dreams... There is no definitive evidence to prove which record is correct, nor is there a theory that can piece these contradictions together."
Duncan was silent for a moment, as his thoughts surged like waves. In the incredible "fragments of wild history" that Morris described, he felt like he was caught in a storm of information.
As someone who had experienced the information age and had a good imagination, he could envision or speculate on some things from Morris's description—
A dome covering the entire continent, possibly some kind of artificial ecological device, a power system derived from the sun, using materials from the sea as fuel, perhaps fusion technology.
A giant ship sailing through the void, relying on capturing dust and gas in space for power, maybe it was one or more colony ships.
As for the so-called dreams of the gods… the seawater coming from dreams into reality… he found it hard to imagine what that could be, but it sounded like a fantastical concept, completely different from the technological atmosphere of the previous two histories.
He could find explanations or guesses for many things, but no matter how he tried, these things could never fit together.
Just as Morris said, they were more like disconnected dreams, sketching out a completely different "prehistory."
Contradictory and fragmented, they could not be used to recreate the world before the Great Annihilation.
"Perhaps you're right; there is a 'horizon limit' regarding the Great Annihilation," Morris's voice came from across the counter, interrupting Duncan's thoughts. The old man held his forehead, speaking in a low tone, "We cannot observe the 'events' beyond the horizon, so the history before the Great Annihilation is an idea we can never trace back."
Looking at the emotional Morris, Duncan's mind kept racing. Gradually, he came up with a rather bold idea: "What if all these records are true?"
Morris raised his eyes, somewhat surprised at Duncan: "Oh?"
"What if all these records are true, and each city-state or race's history is indeed their understanding of the 'world before the Great Annihilation'?" Duncan stroked his chin, pondering aloud, "Perhaps our ancestors ten thousand years ago really came from completely different 'homelands,' with entirely different civilizations? The Great Annihilation trapped these exiles from different worlds in this sea, and before the descendants of the exiles completely lost their civilization, they barely recorded what they knew. After ten thousand years, it became the 'contradictory history' that puzzles scholars..."
His thoughts became more lively, and he paused before continuing: "The essence of the Great Annihilation might not be the end of the world, but a 'great transfer'?"
Morris looked at Duncan in surprise and suddenly said, "...the hypothesis of the Brock Bendis School? The theory of world drifting? That's a rather obscure school; you seem to have a deep understanding of ancient history?"
That was a compliment, but Duncan felt a bit confused: Did this mean someone had already thought of this possibility?!
He blinked, managing to hide his surprise, and pretended to follow the topic: "Just some scattered knowledge, but I really like this hypothesis."
"I like it too—though it's quite obscure," Morris shook his head, "but like all other hypotheses, without evidence, it can only remain a guess.
"The Clark School once hypothesized that subspace interfered with reality, distorting all historical records. The Velentim School believed that the world before the Great Annihilation was made up of countless isolated lattices. People from the Bologna city-state even thought that the world before the Great Annihilation didn't exist at all, and all records about prehistory were illusions created by shadows in subspace...
"To say something I shouldn't, even some heretical cults have their own understanding of world history. The followers of the End of Subspace believe that the end of the world has already begun, and it is chasing and devouring our civilization throughout history. The contradictory historical records from various city-states are the result of real history being gradually torn apart by subspace. The Great Annihilation is a barrier blocking the end; after the Great Annihilation, history will also be gradually polluted and torn apart, marking the day the entire world falls into subspace..."
Duncan listened in shock, and after a long time, he instinctively shook his head: "I had no idea there were so many strange hypotheses..."
"Ordinary people don't delve into such fields; studying history in a mystical sense is indeed a dangerous thing," Morris said, "but one thing is clear: if thousands of scholars have been tirelessly exploring a dead-end field for hundreds or even thousands of years, they must have proposed all the hypotheses that can be put forth."
Duncan slowly understood what the old man meant.
For those who have truly spent their lives buried in texts and artifacts, proposing a hypothesis that can explain the current situation is quite simple. As scholars, they have never lacked imagination or vision.
What they lack is evidence—any evidence that can prove even one hypothesis.
"...Is there really no evidence left?" Duncan asked, "Nothing from the history before the Great Annihilation that can prove some 'wild history' is true?"
"None has been found so far," Morris replied slowly, "Ten thousand years have passed, along with one dark age after another, countless city-states rising and falling in the boundless sea; it's very hard for anything from ancient times to remain... What has been passed down is either unreliable manuscripts or orally transmitted stories, and those may have changed during the process of transmission."
Duncan fell silent for a moment.
Deep in his mind, on the distant Lost Homeland, the waves were gently rising and falling, the endless sea still covering the entire world.
It also covered all possible truths.
He couldn't help but sigh, "Studying ancient history is truly a difficult task."
"Yes, we face not only the fragmented 'years' but also the empty reality," Morris sighed, "On such limited land as the city-states, if anything could be unearthed, it would have been found long ago. If it can't be unearthed, it means that what can prove our history is hidden in places beyond mortal reach."
"Like the seabed?" Duncan suddenly said.
"The seabed? Ha, that's a thrilling and bold statement," Morris laughed, "But it's indeed a thought that many historians who have reached the end cling to in desperation... There are evidences at the seabed, mountains of artifacts, cities of ancient civilizations, sites that could explain everything, but what good is it? When we dive down, we can only touch shadows; mortals cannot reach the deepest parts of this world."
At this point, he paused for a moment before continuing, "However, this has indeed given rise to another hypothesis... Although it hasn't formed a school, many people speculate that the lost 'old world' in history is actually beneath the surface of the boundless sea, even precisely located at a certain 'depth' between the deep sea and the spirit world—the world before the Great Annihilation is sleeping at that depth."
"Why do you say that?" Duncan asked curiously; this seemingly serious yet unfounded hypothesis piqued his interest.
Morris thought for a moment and explained, "Because many fragmented ancient histories mention that the world before the Great Annihilation was covered by 'starry skies,' and it is well known that 'starry skies' exist at the interface between the deep sea and the spirit world."
Duncan nearly choked on his own saliva: "Cough cough... Huh?"
"Are you okay?" Morris was startled by Duncan's reaction, "This shouldn't be unbelievable..."
"I'm fine, just too engrossed in listening and choked a bit," Duncan quickly waved his hand, "I know that the starry skies are between the deep sea and the spirit world, of course I know, of course..."
(End of Chapter)