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

Chapter 391 [The Closed Loop of Spacetime]

at this time.

Shane wasn't particularly surprised by Lyra's appearance.

Until then.

He had long suspected that the [Eternal Coffin] led him to witness the scenes of Lyra's encounter with the Lord of Cinder.

This is perhaps because their meeting and conversation, to some extent, determined the future of the world.

Or perhaps it's because both of them left their own mark in this [Eternal Coffin].

However, for the King of Cinder...

Lyra's appearance was undoubtedly an unexpected event.

"Senior, is that you?"

Looking at the weary Lord of Cinder before her, Lyra couldn't help but let out a soft sigh.

"So, even you're in trouble now?"

The King of Cinder fell into a brief silence.

In fact, compared to the matter concerning Anbing and Xiaowan...

What truly put him under immense pressure was the disastrous consequences of the attack on the research institute by the Omniscient Sage's subordinates.

First of all.

Just as Bell said, although they managed to preserve the Eternal Coffin in this battle.

However, a significant portion of the research results were still seized by the enemy.

Much of the data and information suffered devastating damage.

Not to mention.

This incident also resulted in the loss of a large number of researchers and experimental materials.

Some of them were traitors who obeyed the "Omniscient Sage".

The other part consists of those who tragically died in the attack.

One to two to go.

The number of core researchers in the entire institute has dropped to a very awkward number.

True.

Just as the Lord of Cinder said.

Assuming the Eternal Coffin and the Bronze Dragon have not been taken.

It's only a matter of time before the entire research institute makes a comeback and resumes its research.

But the problem is.

What they lack most right now is time!
According to the original research plan.

The timing of setting up the rituals was barely just in time for the great flood to arrive.

The time allotted was already extremely tight.

And now, the underground research institute has suffered such a devastating blow.

Many research efforts have not only failed to progress on time, but have actually regressed significantly.

Coupled with the severe shortage of manpower, completing the research within the original deadline is almost an unrealistic task.

This is the fundamental reason why the King of Cinder is so heavy-hearted.

As for Xiao Wan and An Bing's matter, it also had a significant impact on him.

But ultimately, it's just a personal emotional matter.

"Sorry, senior."

The Lord of Cinder spoke.

Facing Leila at this moment, he couldn't help but feel a little ashamed.

After all, this legendary powerhouse of unknown identity not only informed him of the prophecy of the Great Flood in advance, but also temporarily lent him the invaluable [Eternal Coffin].

Can it bear fruit?
However, due to his own negligence, the entire plan suffered a major oversight, and he might even miss the only chance to save the world.

Moreover, the situation might have been very different if he had been able to confirm the authenticity of the flood earlier.

How could the King of Salvage not feel guilty about this?
"I've already heard about what happened to you."

Lyra did not blame the Lord of Cinder, but simply said...

"That 'omniscient sage' indeed had ulterior motives."

"Moreover, I suspect that taking away the research results from your institute is not his real purpose."

"His true intentions may be more absurd and evil than you or I think."

Lyra first glanced at the bronze dragon beneath the hall floor, then asked.

"How far have you progressed in your research on spacetime technology?"

The King of Cinder didn't hide anything and spoke frankly.

"Currently, our technology can only temporarily halt the activity in one area."

"Moreover, the scope and time that can be stopped are extremely limited."

Upon hearing this, a hint of disappointment flashed in Leila's eyes.

She could also achieve a simple freeze in time by relying on her own spacetime laws.

It might even be more effective than the technology developed by Lord Cinder and his team.

of course.

Lyra also knew that this did not mean that the Lord of Cinder's research results were ordinary.

Quite the opposite.

It is possible to achieve things like stopping time through technology.

In fact, it can be described as a groundbreaking technological breakthrough.

For most people, this is simply unbelievable.

only.

For Lyra, who is a legendary hermit and has mastered a certain amount of the laws of time.

This level is far from enough.

simply put.

The technology developed by the Lord of Cinder isn't bad, it's just... not good enough!

Such technology alone is far from sufficient to stop the impending cataclysmic flood and save the world.

at this time.

After learning about the situation, Leila's eyes flickered, as if she had finally made up her mind, and she murmured to herself.

"It's come to this."

"It seems that we have no choice but to take that plan."

Upon hearing this, the King of Cinder's expression changed slightly.

"Senior, do you mean you're going to complete that deal?"

"That comes from the [Secret Sea]..."

at this time.

A strange, indistinguishable noise entered Shane's ears.

This prevented him from clearly hearing the name the Lord of Cinder mentioned.

"This is?"

Xia En's heart skipped a beat.

This noise is by no means the true voice that appeared during this period of history.

It sounds more like some kind of mute sound.

This prevented him, an observer who witnessed this history through the Eternal Coffin, from truly knowing the being the Lord of Cinder spoke of.

After the noise subsided.

The King of Cinder continued.

"...There will never be a good ending to making deals with that kind of entity."

Leila sighed softly, "Of course I know that."

"But it's like knowing that the Omniscient Sage is suspicious, yet you still have no choice but to cooperate with him."

"Right now, the only way to save the world is to make a deal with Him."

"After all, only... power can fight against..."

As Lyra spoke, that strange noise rang out again.

This made Xia En feel an inexplicable sense of unease.

transaction?

With what?

And why does it sound like the Lord of Cinder also knows part of the deal, judging from his tone?
But didn't Lord Cinder and Lyra only meet these three times?
How did he find out about the deal Leila mentioned?

"No...no!"

Suddenly, Xia En realized something.

The King of Cinder and Lyra may have met more than three times.

When we reached this point in time, Xia En clearly felt that the pause in the middle was unusually long.

It's just like……

Did he skip a section of content for no reason?
Perhaps the truth lies hidden in this skipped period of time.

As for why this phenomenon occurs.

Most likely, it's for the same reason as that strange noise.

This is the being that Lyra and the Lord of Cinder mentioned. There is one possibility.

That being possessed an extremely high status, so much so that even the Eternal Coffin could not record any information related to it.

Another possibility is that someone deliberately removed some information related to "He" from the "Eternal Coffin".

This undoubtedly made Xia En even more curious.

Lyra said she wanted to make a deal with that being to fight against the impending cataclysmic flood.

Doesn't this mean...

That being possesses the power to fight against [the Fel God]?

But obviously.

It's not hard to tell from Leila's words.

To make a deal with such a being and seek His help would undoubtedly come at a considerable cost.

However, it still comes down to the same point.

Faced with this massive flood that has swept the world, they had few options.

They would not overlook any method that might potentially save the world.

While Xia En was pondering...

Lyra suddenly noticed the silver pocket watch in the Lord of Cinder's hand.

"Wait, that's it?"

The Lord of Cinder seemed a little confused, but he still explained.

"This is the patriarch's certificate of the [Ice and Snow People]."

"It contains a freezing law that condenses a certain amount of icy secret power, which can freeze space and time in a short period of time."

“Our research also referenced the design of the secret technique in this pocket watch.”

Upon hearing this, Leila looked enlightened, as if she had suddenly realized something.

"I see... I see..."

"So... this is the last missing piece of the puzzle."

Then, Lyra looked at the Lord of Cinder and spoke directly.

"Lord of Cinder, give me this pocket watch."

"With it, I will find the path to saving the world."

"What do you mean?"

Lord Cinder was taken aback, clearly not understanding Lyra's intention.

In his opinion.

This pocket watch, while possessing some extraordinary characteristics, is only "somewhat" extraordinary.

Don't talk about saving the world.

Compared to the [Eternal Coffin] beside them, it was far inferior.

But why is Lyra so focused on this silver pocket watch at this moment?
After hesitating for a moment, Lord Cinder spoke.

Is this pocket watch really that special?

"Could we find other relics from the [People of Ice and Snow] to replace them?"

Seeing that Lyra's eyes were a little strange, the Lord of Cinder explained.

"That's actually true."

"This pocket watch is a memento from my wife's mother, and it has special significance for her."

"Besides, I promised in the letter that I would return the pocket watch to her, so..."

Leila shook her head seriously.

Nothing can replace this pocket watch.

"That's the kind of importance it has."

"If you are unwilling to hand it over to me, then I will have no choice but to take it by force."

Upon hearing this, the King of Cinder immediately abandoned his last shred of hope and sighed.

"I understand."

In fact, the King of Cinder naturally knows how to distinguish between the urgency and importance of things.

Compared to something as momentous as saving the world, personal emotions are insignificant.

It was simply because he had made a promise to Dark Ice.

That's why I'm tentatively asking if there's anything that can be used as a substitute?

After receiving a definite negative answer, Lord Cinder did not hesitate and handed the [Fleeting Moment] directly to Lyra.

Seeing this, Xia En was deeply shocked.

At this moment, many of his doubts suddenly became clear.

It was mentioned by Dark Ice before.

The Lord of Cinder promised to return the "Fleeting Moment" to him, but in the end he failed to do so.

Furthermore, it is claimed that the "moment of time" was taken away by a powerful figure of unknown identity.

From Dark Ice's perspective, it was naturally a blatant lie.

After all, in the Great Yan Kingdom, which secret cultivator could take [Fleeting Time] from the King of Cinder?
But Leila right now clearly has the qualifications and ability to do so.

This way.

Xia En finally fully understands the place of 【Fleeting Time】 in history.

The "Fleeting Moment" was originally controlled by the Grand Elder of the "People of Ice and Snow".

Later, after the elder was injured, it was passed on to the next clan leader.

That is, Dark Ice's mother.

Then, the clan leader died, and the [Fleeting Time] was taken over by the Lord of Cinder.

Until this point in time.

Lyra took the [Fleeting Moment] from the Lord of Cinder and called it "the missing piece of the puzzle".

Xia En couldn't help but make a bold conjecture—

Perhaps, the time-traveling function of the later "Fleeting Moments" was Lyra's doing!

There are two reasons for this conclusion.

Firstly, Lyra herself is a legendary powerhouse who has mastered the laws of space and time.

Secondly, from Lyra's conversation with the Lord of Cinder, it is learned that she seems to have also made a deal with another being of extremely high status.

Only she could possibly transform a relic that could only temporarily freeze time into a tool with the power to travel through time and space.

And if that is indeed the case.

At this moment, history has once again formed an incredibly wondrous closed loop.

The reason why Shaen was able to travel back in time was because he obtained the [Fleeting Time] which contains the power of time and space.

It was also through this artifact that we were able to obtain it.

He had met with Leila several times in the past.

From a certain perspective.

Lyra's idea to save the world also stemmed from this silver pocket watch.

But right now.

This silver pocket watch was modified by Lyra, which gave it its special power.

Finally, by a twist of fate, it fell into Xia En's hands...

"and many more……"

Suddenly, Shane snapped out of his daze and realized a possibility.

Was his acquisition of the "Fleeting Moment" really just a coincidence?

not difficult to see.

Lyra actually had contact with the Kingdom of Shudon, which later became the "City of Coral".

They even knew that the Kingdom of Shudon had chosen the path of "coralization".

If Lyra did predict it—

Why did Shane deliberately leave the "Fleeting Moment" in the Kingdom of Shudon when he was exploring the royal palace of the "Coral City" in the future?
This conjecture, at first glance, seems like a fantasy.

But after witnessing firsthand the so-called thread of fate, Xia Endu instinctively felt—

This is not impossible.

At this moment, Shane can only see the thread of fate at the same time.

And if we add Lyra's spacetime laws to that...

Perhaps we will truly be able to see those things that happen in the more distant future, where the threads of fate intersect.

It's like truly predicting the future!

If that's really the case.

Which came first, the existence of "Fleeting Time" or the fact that Xia En traveled back in time?
This kind of closed loop in time and space truly shocked Xia En.

And just as Lyra received the [Fleeting Moment]...

The world before Xia En's eyes suddenly changed.

Everything around seemed to be covered by a layer of water ripples, becoming hazy and illusory.

A familiar voice rang in my ears.

"Captain Shane, Captain Shane? What's wrong?"

(End of this chapter)