After checking their watches against each other, all three captains fell silent.
Even Kanse, previously the most hot-tempered and harboring deep prejudice against Neo, wore a solemn expression at this moment.
Of course, toward Neo, it might not have been prejudice at all, but rather an accurate assessment.
"Three hours. We're off by three hours," Anthony immediately shouted back to his men. "Synchronize watches! Celestial calibration!"
Kanse shouted right after, "Follow suit!"
Neo tilted his head back, glanced at the starry sky, and reached up to tap the blue shell by his ear. "Fanny, calibrate."
Soon, the calibration results from both sides came in.
On Anthony and Kanse's side, it was just past one o'clock, while on Neo's side, it was just past four o'clock.
Though the two sides stood face-to-face, their time differed by three hours. Even the starry skies above their heads were different.
"What's going on?" Anthony looked at Neo.
Kanse asked, "Neo, what did we do in the next three hours?"
As captains of Whip of Order squads, they were by no means lacking in basic professional competence and fundamental knowledge; naturally, they wouldn't waste time hysterically shouting, "This is impossible, this is impossible, this is all a trick..."
Now that a bizarre situation had manifested, what needed to be done was to resolve it as best as possible.
Neo said, "You entered the Alais Castle Estate. Over an hour later, you left the estate. I had my people intercept your convoy, only to find the cars remained with no sign of you. When I led my squad on our return, I saw you driving over from this direction."
"So, we already entered the mission objective?" A thoughtful look appeared in Anthony's eyes.
Kanse asked, "What on earth is inside the estate?"
"I don't know." Neo shook his head.
"You don't know?"
"I didn't enter the estate. Because I sensed danger, I decided to abandon this mission."
"So only my squad and Anthony's entered the estate?"
"Yes."
Kanse licked his lips and said, "If we use you as the baseline, we are ourselves from three hours ago. Does that mean no matter what we do now, we cannot change the predetermined outcome?"
Neo raised a hand, interrupting Kanse. "I think we shouldn't be debating philosophical questions right now, but should focus on practical matters."
Anthony asked, "Neo, what do you think happened?"
"I suspect there is something occult inside the Alais Estate that affected you."
Kanse said in astonishment, "A sacred relic that can manipulate time?"
Neo swept a glance over Kanse and asked, "Do you know what a time sacred relic implies?"
Though legends of sacred relics and divine artifacts of time had always circulated, it had never been verified that any had truly existed. It wasn't that the church world lacked denominations that worshiped and believed in deities related to time, but without exception, they were all minor sects; even the deities they revered might well be fake and nonexistent.
Because time could not flow backward, nor could it be controlled.
Epoch after epoch, the gods had researched and dabbled in time, yet all ultimately failed.
Although a god would never step forward and voluntarily announce that their research had failed, one only had to look at how epoch after epoch passed, how countless deities and Orthodox Churches continuously perished into oblivion, to prove that to this day, not a single god had ever truly mastered it.
Therefore, a sacred relic of time had always remained merely a concept, widely known to many and long depicted in works of literature and art, but in reality, no trace of one had ever been found.
Anthony asked, "Then what do you think it is?"
"I suspect you may have been deceived or bewitched, resulting in the current situation."
"Us?" Anthony immediately pressed. "Why do you think you weren't bewitched?"
"Because my squad didn't enter the estate."
"How do you know you didn't enter the estate? What if you went in, but were deceived into believing you hadn't?" Kanse immediately asked.
Neo fell silent.
"If it was only us who were deceived and bewitched, why are you standing right before my eyes?"
Anthony reached out and held Kanse back, gesturing for him to stop talking, then turned to Neo. "We will follow your command. Both my squad and Kanse's will follow your lead."
"On what basis..." Kanse was clearly indignant. He realized now that Neo had demeaned their plight right from the start while keeping himself clear of it, obviously aiming to lead all three squads as a "savior."
That was why he kept deliberately saying "you" and "you," without mentioning at all that something might be wrong on his own end as well.
Neo smiled faintly. "On the basis that I will not surrender command of my squad, and that I dislike handing my fate over to others. You can choose to act on your own, continuing along this road toward the Alais Castle Estate. You do your thing, and I'll do mine."
"We are willing to unite!" Anthony said.
Kanse muttered under his breath, "Rogue,"
yet still shouted, "Fine, we'll follow your command. What's the first step?"
"Your two squads stay where you are. I'll lead my squad to the railroad junction ahead and try to catch a train back to York City."
Kanse immediately called out, "You want to confirm whether there's a problem on your end? And if there isn't, you'll just take your people and head straight back?"
Neo nodded. "Correct."
"You—!"
Anthony quickly pulled Kanse back and said, "Fine, we'll follow your arrangements."
Kanse's chest heaved with fury, but he held his tongue.
In this kind of situation, if Neo's squad really could return to York City, they could at least call upon the Church for reinforcements on their behalf, bringing in more powerful departments to handle the situation here so they might be saved.
Kanse wasn't blind to the stakes; what infuriated him was Neo's shameless manner.
Neo turned around and walked back to his squad members. The previous conversation between the captains hadn't been kept from their respective subordinates—especially since Kanse had been loud the entire time—because under these circumstances, keeping secrets from their subordinates was utterly pointless.
Letting everyone know the situation at hand allowed them to brainstorm solutions together, and also made it easier to command subordinates to carry out orders that would seem absurd under ordinary circumstances.
Most importantly, if this predicament was real, it meant no one could escape, which was another way to bolster cohesion at a moment like this.
Neo's gaze swept over everyone, and he said, "I now need a squad member to join the squads across from us. If our return trip fails, then when we turn back, that person can serve as an anchor point.
"Whoever is tired of living and wants to take a risk can volunteer. If no one is willing, we'll draw lots. Aside from me, the fifteen of you will draw lots to pick one person."
Everyone understood that the person left behind would shoulder tremendous risk. In such an eerie situation, leaving as early as possible to reach safety was the sensible choice.
Karen remained silent and did not step forward; he preferred to leave it to the draw.
However,
Richard took two steps forward on his own initiative and shouted:
"Captain, I'll stay!"
For a moment, all eyes fell on Richard. Richard straightened his back and scuffed the soles of his boots against the ground, putting on a nonchalant, "it's no big deal" front.
Karen glanced at the newcomer Memphis, who was also lifting his foot, preparing to step forward.
Right at that moment, Marlo stepped forward in advance. To be exact, Marlo's pace had only been slightly slower than Richard's.
Marlo reached out, gripped Richard's shoulder, yanked him back, and said:
"Captain, let me do it. I know magic arrays, so if we need to establish contact later, it'll be more convenient."
"Good. You stay. The rest of you, move out."
Neo's squad crossed paths with Kanse and Anthony's squads along the highway.
Marlo remained behind.
At the same time, as the squad finished crossing over, two new members fell into step behind them—men from Anthony and Kanse's squads. Clearly, those two captains had made the same arrangement as Neo.
Without words or introductions, those staying stayed, and those following followed, the distance between the two parties gradually widening.
Finally, they reached the railroad junction. Everyone stood by the tracks, waiting for a train heading toward York City.
York City was a metropolis that also boasted the Port of York, so trains ran frequently even at night.
Before long, a freight train rumbled in.
"Board."
Everyone climbed aboard the train.
Karen, Richard, and Memphis stood together between two cars at the coupling.
"This mission is very tricky," Karen said.
Richard said, "Indeed it is."
Memphis nodded.
"Didn't you notice anything unusual?" Karen asked.
Richard said, "Nothing. Even though I paid close attention to our surroundings, still nothing."
Memphis shook his head.
The train rolled forward.
Karen suddenly noticed something amiss with the scenery in the distance. They had clearly been drawing closer to the dense cluster of lights, yet in what felt like the blink of an eye, that cluster receded into the distance again.
Karen gripped the edge of the car with one hand and leaned out. Ahead, the location they were about to arrive at was the very railroad junction where they had boarded the train earlier.
They were... back again.
"Off the train!"
The captain's order came, and everyone jumped off the train one after another, watching as the train continued forward.
"On foot!"
A new order was issued.
Everyone began marching on foot. After walking for over twenty minutes, they found themselves back at their starting point once again.
Richard uttered a piece of useless obviousness: "It seems... we can't walk our way out."
Memphis said, "We might not have moved at all."
Karen looked at Memphis and asked, "Have we been hypnotized?"
Memphis shook his head. "It's more complicated than that."
Just then, several crows landed ahead, pacing back and forth. Neo walked over and waved his hand; the black crows all dissipated. Evidently, these were messages released by the captain, but even messages couldn't be transmitted out.
It was as if everyone were trapped inside a massive well. Though its walls had no sharp corners, the slimy slickness of moss clinging to them made one feel even more despairing.
Richard glanced at his watch and said, "It's almost five o'clock. Dawn will break soon."
Karen asked, "Richard, what time is it exactly?"
"Oh, five... huh? It's twelve-thirty!"
Similar cries of shock rang out from other members of the squad; evidently, Richard was not the only one who noticed the shift in time.
Karen looked up at the stars above. He wasn't well-versed in astrology, yet he could sense that the stars in the sky were slightly different from before.
Soon, the calibration result came in: it was indeed just before one in the morning.
This meant that what they couldn't escape wasn't merely this place, but time itself.
"They're gone!" Fanny shouted.
Everyone immediately got up and scanned their surroundings. After counting heads, including the captain, there were fifteen people.
The squad originally consisted of the captain plus twelve regular and three external squad members, making sixteen in total. Minus Marlo, who had stayed behind with the other two squads, there should be fifteen.
Everyone else was present. The ones missing were the two members sent over by the other two squads. Karen didn't know their names, but he was certain they had accompanied his group here and boarded the train together.
"They got off the train," Gray said. "The two of them were standing with me the whole time. I was responsible for keeping an eye on them. I remember very clearly that when the captain gave the order, they jumped off the train with me and even voiced their worries about the situation to me.
"You could say they were right beside me just moments ago, yet I didn't even notice how they vanished."
"Did the two of them go back?" Peige asked. "I mean 'made' to go back."
Fanny replied, "Then what about Marlo? If they were 'sent' back, why hasn't Marlo returned?"
"Because the return point is wrong," Memphis said.
Everyone turned their eyes toward the newcomer.
Free of social anxiety, Memphis spoke earnestly, "They should have returned, and Marlo should have returned as well, but the locations they returned to are different. The place they go back to might not be where we are right now."
"Sorry, I didn't quite catch that..." Fanny said.
"The coordinates aren't with us. There may be one or several fixed coordinates. When their time is up, they are 'returned' to that coordinate."
"Then what about us? Why are we still here?" Fanny asked.
"Our squad might currently be a mobile coordinate."
"A mobile coordinate?" Peige asked in confusion. "Why?"
"I don't know, but my sense is that if individuals are isolated on their own, they might be 'returned' to that fixed coordinate. But as long as a squad maintains a certain size, we can possess a mobile coordinate—only reset in time, but not in space."
"Time?" Gray caught onto the word.
"It's a different manifestation of time. I don't believe real time has actually undergone any change. Real time must be unchanged; what changed is our perception of time.
"Watches, the starry sky above us—they might all be a deception. I don't know what caused all this, but whatever entity brought about this phenomenon seems to be intentionally guiding us into accepting the concept that time has been severed."
Neo spoke up: "Memphis is right. Don't mention time, and don't reinforce that concept in your minds. I don't believe there are any sacred relics of time in this world, nor does any power of time exist.
"We must not follow its guidance in how we perceive and navigate this, or we will never be able to leave.
"Now, since we can't get out, we head back. Back to the hillside where we first stopped to observe. I hope Marlo will be waiting up ahead to regroup with us."
Neo didn't say the other two squads would regroup with them there. Karen figured it was likely because Neo believed they wouldn't appear at that spot, even though they would certainly hold their ground there according to the agreement.
The group began retracing their steps. As they marched, Richard whispered to Karen, "Is there really no sacred relic of time?"
"None," Memphis answered first. "It's said that the God of Light ultimately went missing in pursuit of mastering the power of time."
Hearing this explanation, Karen was taken aback and asked, "There's an explanation like that?"
There had always been countless speculations regarding the ultimate fate of the God of Light, with prevailing theories differing from era to era. This was only natural; after all, even the literary analysis of a single novel could spawn multiple rival schools arguing endlessly, let alone the God of Light.
The relatively unified consensus nowadays was that the God of Light had "disappeared" at the end of the previous epoch or the beginning of this one, and "disappeared" here also encompassed the possibility of having fallen.
"There are many explanations; it depends on which one you prefer to accept," Memphis continued. "Time is a power that even gods become obsessed with."
Because only by mastering time could one exist eternally across epoch after epoch without fear of being extinguished.
Karen couldn't help but recall what his golden retriever had said that night, describing the God of Eternity as "lost."
Yet if time truly was a power beyond the reach of even gods, one they yearned for above all else, then what on earth was the power acting upon their group right now?
Karen didn't know the answer. The captain's attempts to establish outside contact had all failed, and having Marlo send a distress message to the Church early on had likely failed as well.
If his cat and dog were by his side, they would probably be able to offer more analysis and insight into the situation before them.
Finally,
the squad reached the spot where they had last met with Anthony and Kanse's squads. In an unsurprising surprise, the two squads instructed to remain here, along with Marlo, had vanished without a trace.
Richard ran to the side of the road and checked around. Karen asked, "What are you looking at?"
"When I volunteered to stay behind, I ground a small pit into the dirt right here with the sole of my boot. I'm sure this was where I stood, but the pit is gone."
Karen remembered that when Richard had stepped forward to take on the assignment, he had indeed fidgeted quite a bit with his feet to feign an air of nonchalance.
At that moment, Karen heard Fanny make a suggestion to the captain:
"Captain, since we can't get out anyway, I think we should go take a look at Alais Castle."
"Yeah, Captain. Things are already like this; we might as well head to the castle and see what's actually in there," Gray suggested as well.
Neo shook his head. "On the contrary, I believe not having entered the Alais Estate is our greatest advantage right now. I don't believe its effect can last that long.
"Everyone, gather together and camp right here!"
The captain ordered them to make camp. Karen and Memphis walked over toward the squad. Just then, Karen noticed Richard hadn't followed; he was still searching for that little hole of his.
"Richard, come on. Time to make camp," Karen urged him.
Memphis also stopped and looked toward Richard.
"Oh, alright, coming, Karen."
Richard clapped his hands, stood up, and then—right before the eyes of Karen and Memphis—started sprinting in the opposite direction, shouting as he ran:
"Hey, don't run so fast! Wait for me, Karen!"
Chapter 236