We agreed to set sail, so you'd become the ruler of the deep sea?

Chapter 198 The Truth Behind the Great Flood (Please Subscribe! Please Vote!)
In a closed room.

The flames in the fireplace still flickered gently, and the gramophone played old songs, seemingly peaceful and serene.

However, a huge storm was brewing in Xia En and Nana's hearts.

Any participant in the advancement ceremony would likely have reacted the same way upon hearing Augustine's words.

However, what the old man said next shocked them even more.

"Let me guess again..."

"Am I not the real Augustine now?"

"Or rather, am I not the complete me, but merely a projection, or a slice taken from history?"

Xia En was so shocked that he couldn't speak.

He felt like he was playing a game where the NPCs not only recognized him at a glance, but also knew that he was just a fictional data.

It is obvious that it is precisely because of knowing these things.

That's why Augustine was indifferent to the two killing "Ansel".

"Judging from your reactions, I must be right."

Augustine continued to make startling statements.

"The only thing capable of replicating and projecting my existence could be the will of the [Secret Sea]."

“You don’t need to worry. This room can keep the [Will of the Secret Sea] out. No matter what you say or do, it won’t attract His attention.”

"So, if you have any questions, ask them now."

[Secret Sea Will]?
After being stunned into a daze, Shane managed to calm down and ponder the meaning of Augustine's words.

This was the first time he had ever heard of the term "Will of the Secret Sea."

That mysterious and profound boundless sea actually possesses its own will?
But then I thought, isn't the reason why the Secret Pathfinders complete the trial missions in order to gain the recognition of the [Secret Sea]?
However, if the [Will of the Secret Sea] truly exists, will it, like people, have distinctions of closeness and distance?

Seemingly noticing Shaen's confusion, Augustine spoke up.

"Under normal circumstances, the [Will of the Secret Sea] is an absolutely rational being, without any distinction of like or dislike."

“You can think of Him as a sophisticated and massive machine that operates according to its own rules.”

After hearing these words, Xia En suddenly understood.

In some fantasy worldviews, the [Will of the Secret Sea] is equivalent to the "Heavenly Way".

In gaming terms, He is the GM of this world.

but……

What is the general situation?
Is there something unusual going on?

After thinking about his [Eye of the Secret Sea], Xia En didn't ask the question aloud.

Nana, standing beside him, dared not underestimate this seemingly dejected old man at all and couldn't help but ask.

How did you discover your identity and realize that this world was abnormal?

"the reason is simple."

The white-haired old man smiled and said, "I am Augustine."

Only when he uttered these words did the old man's air of age temporarily dissipate, revealing a hint of the aura of a pirate king.

This reasoning seemed illogical, but both Xia En and the other person subconsciously accepted it.

If it were the king who founded the Pirate Kingdom, discovering the anomalies in himself and the world, it wouldn't be surprising.

However, it is precisely because of this that Xia En finds it even more difficult to understand—

Why did Augustine appear in this state of waning heroism at this time?

Shaun thought about the voyage that had left Augustine defeated and suffering heavy losses, and suddenly realized a problem.

In John's original memory, there was no reason why Augustine went to sea this time.

He didn't even know where he was headed.

Moreover, the fact that Augustine set sail with a fleet without taking any of his apostles is itself extremely strange!
Thinking of this, Shane asked, "Mr. Augustine, what exactly is the purpose of your voyage this time?"

Augustine was not surprised to hear this question.

He first looked at Nana and said, "Little girl, please wait outside for a while."

"What I'm about to say will not do you any good if you know it; on the contrary, it will bring you great trouble."

Without asking the reason behind it, Nana readily agreed, "Okay."

After Nana left the room, Augustine did not directly answer Shane's question, but instead asked a question first.

Do you still remember the calamity that befell Emerald Isle back then?

Xia En nodded and said, "Of course I remember."

The memory of returning to the past was so vivid that he found it difficult to forget it.

Not to mention, he didn't want to forget the elven girl who had promised to meet him in the future.

Augustine then asked, "Do you know who was behind that calamity?"

A name flashed into Xia En's mind and he blurted it out.

"[Hirthy Siming]?"

Augustine nodded: "It seems you know more than I thought."

Xia En frowned: "【Hui Si Ming】, what exactly is it?"

“You can think of Him as a deity who is older and more powerful than ordinary deities.”

Augustine patiently explained, "His purpose is to make this world more and more filthy and chaotic."

Xia En frowned even more deeply: "Why?"

The very idea of ​​this purpose is chilling and sends a shiver down one's spine.

"No reason."

Augustine smiled mockingly: "The Lord of Fate is so high and mighty; we are nothing but ants at His feet."

"Do you need a reason to crush a whole bunch of ants under your foot?"

"If we really have to find an excuse for His actions, then it is..."

"【The Filthy Fate】is nothing but filth and chaos itself!"

"Just as the God of War grows stronger as wars increase in the world, if the world is ravaged into filth and chaos, [Filthy Fate] will thrive even more in this world."

Xia En was deeply shaken.

This is the deity! This is the master of fate!
With just a single thought, countless people could be killed without a burial place.

"What about the goddess of storms? The goddess of steam and steel? And other deities..."

With a glimmer of hope, Xia En asked, "Are they just going to stand by and watch [Filthy Fate] dye the world its own color?"

"Of course not possible."

Augustine said, "In fact, if it weren't for the gods of this world struggling to hold it up, the power of the [Filth God] would have already filled our world with holes."

Upon hearing this, Xia Encai suddenly realized that Augustine seemed to be emphasizing "this world" and "this world" all the time.

"Could it be that……"

"Yes."

Augustine saw through Shaun's guess and said directly, "【The Fel God】 is not a native deity of our world. It is said that He was born in the 【Secret Sea】."

"And within the [Secret Sea], there are several Fate Masters, each wielding different powers."

"It's just that we were particularly unlucky, as we were targeted by this [Filthy Fate]."

Shaun fell silent, struggling to process these horrifying secrets. He already knew that there was a distinction between ancient gods and outer gods.

Now it seems that this [Hui Si Ming] is both ancient and comes from outside the world.

I just don't know, compared to the [Lord of the Deep and the Holy] and the [Lord of Billions of Radiance], which one is more powerful?

Soon, Shane suddenly remembered the question he had asked the first time and looked at Augustine in disbelief.

"Your voyage this time was actually..."

"Yes."

Augustine nodded, a deep bitterness appearing in his eyes: "I have challenged [Filth Fate]."

Xia En was deeply shocked.

To challenge a god—what an incredible feat!
With a mortal body, he can stand shoulder to shoulder with the gods!

This is indeed something that Shaun remembers Leo Gustin would do.

only……

There was no pride on Augustine's face; instead, his mood grew increasingly dejected, and he spoke in a hoarse voice.

"But I lost..."

"Even though I'm already a ninth-tier Mystic Path user, I still lost..."

When he said this, Augustine seemed to have aged decades in an instant, his body curled up, and he was even trembling slightly.

"So many people, all of them are dead, and not a single one has come back."

"Only by facing the [Filthy Fate] directly will you understand that kind of despair that goes deep into your bones."

“He could have killed me, but He gave me countless chances, even using secret techniques to bring me back to my prime, allowing me to challenge Him time and time again.”

“But every time, I lost.”

As if recalling that nightmarish experience, Augustine covered his face with his hands and muttered to himself in a daze.

"I lost, I lost, I lost, I lost, I lost, I lost, I lost..."

Tears streamed down his face uncontrollably from between his fingers.

Augustine was huddled in the chair, looking thin and hunched over.

At that moment, he no longer seemed like the king of pirates, but just a defeated, helpless old man.

Seeing this scene, Xia En felt a lump in her throat.

What happened to that once spirited man to turn him into what he is now?

He didn't dare to think about it.

Moreover, Shane couldn't offer any words of comfort.

Such flippant remarks as "You've done enough" or "You've been great" are an insult to this man who dared to challenge the gods!

Only then did Shane truly understand why Augustine looked like a hero in his twilight years.

th.

To put it in a more fantastical way, Augustine's "Dao Heart" had already shattered in the battle against [Foul Fate].

Therefore, even though Augustine may have known that various forces were trying to destroy the Pirate Kingdom, and even that some of his apostles had betrayed him, he remained unmoved and took no action.

Perhaps, in real history, the Pirate Principality also disintegrated for this reason.

only……

Shaun suddenly remembered the vision of Augustine being beheaded.

At that time, he seemed to have regained some confidence and turned back into that heroic pirate.
Why is that?
While Xia En was filled with a multitude of thoughts.

Augustine continued to murmur, "The Felf also said that because of my challenge, He was prepared to unleash a great flood like never before, to engulf the entire world."

"The reason He didn't kill me is probably so that I would witness the arrival of this world-destroying flood with regret and despair."

Upon hearing this, Xia En's heart skipped a beat.

The instigator of that world-destroying flood was actually [Hui Si Ming]?
On second thought, it seems that this is the only possibility!
A single massive flood could plunge the entire world into prolonged chaos!
Thinking of this, Shane said to Augustine, "Senior, in fact, I come from the era after the Great Flood."

"That great flood destroyed countless civilizations and claimed countless lives."

"But after the flood, new civilizations and order emerged on the islands at sea."

Xia En didn't know what he wanted to say at first, but once the words came out, it was as if a floodgate had been opened, and his speech became faster and faster.

"The era I lived in was also known as the Age of Exploration, when people built ships, set sail, and salvaged ancient relics from the seabed..."

"And the largest power at sea right now is called the Seven Seas Federation, which, together with the governors of the various islands, governs the people at sea..."

"Beneath the sea, there also exists a sea-dwelling civilization transformed from humans. I was fortunate enough to meet a sea queen..."

"Of course, there are pirates roaming the seas now, but no kingdom like the [Pirate Principality] has been established..."

After uttering these seemingly fragmented words, Shane's eyes grew brighter and brighter.

Finally, he took a deep breath and said very seriously.

"What I want to say is..."

"The flame of civilization has been passed down from generation to generation, and it continues to thrive!"

Even if the [Fel God] unleashes another great flood, new civilizations will be reborn from the ruins!

"Senior, it's normal for you to feel disappointed in yourself. I've heard a saying that human strength has its limits. It's too heavy and too burdensome for one person to shoulder this responsibility!"

Xia En paused for a moment, then said from the bottom of his heart, "I hope that you will be disappointed, but not despair."

"Why not place our hopes on our future selves?"

"What you can't do, our generation might be able to do."

"I dare not say that I will definitely be able to defeat [Hui Si Ming] in the future, but if I have the opportunity, I will definitely challenge that high and mighty Si Ming."

"Drive out all those malevolent gods, leaving not a single one alive!"

After hearing these words, Augustine murmured with a complicated expression.

"Placing our hopes on the future?"

After a long time.

Augustine sighed softly and chuckled self-deprecatingly: "It seems I really am getting old..."

"I actually got a lecture from you, a young man."

As he spoke, Augustine slowly stood up.

Although his figure was still somewhat hunched, his decadent demeanor had largely dissipated, and his cloudy eyes seemed to harbor the power of a lion.

"I will try to believe you."

"However, you also have to prove your ability to me."

Augustine picked up a box from the table and casually tossed it to Shane.

"Here is the [Twilight Black Pearl]. I'm giving it to you. You have one day to absorb its secret power."

"When you emerge from seclusion, you will be in charge of resolving this crisis in the [Pirate Kingdom]."

With that, Augustine walked toward the door.

Xia En was stunned for a moment, but ignored the so-called "Twilight Black Pearl" and asked instead.

"Senior, I have another very important question."

"explain."

After Emerald Isle, did you meet an elf named Lyra?

(End of this chapter)