The sea was calm, the breeze was pleasant, the waves were gentle, and the sunlight was not very strong. If we didn't know what kind of horrors lay beneath the deep sea, this could even be said to be a pleasant sight.
It was as if the terrible dream not long ago in which the entire city was dragged into doomsday and burned in flames had never happened.
On the high platform at the stern of the Lost Homeland, the dark energy wheel was automatically rotating without any control, and the Wind Clan not far away was also slowly adjusting their posture.
Nina sat on the green deck beside the platform, leaning over the railing with her legs outstretched and dangling gently, while Duncan sat beside her.
On a large wooden barrel.
"… This feeling is very strange. I know you are my Uncle Duncan. I know you are someone I can rely on and trust. But at the same time, another fact is so clear…"
She seemed to be talking to herself, her voice very soft and slow.
"I have an uncle, he is an ordinary person. He used to be a very good person, honest, hardworking and kind, but then he became... not so good anymore. He became ill, started to drink, was greedy for money, and became irritable. The situation was getting worse every day. At that time, I even felt that going home was a terrible thing...
"But suddenly, my uncle became better again, just like a dream, his health improved, his temper improved, and the atmosphere at home seemed to have returned to the past... It was not even that good in the past, and in fact, since then... I often thought, how nice it would be if you could really be my uncle forever.
Duncan frowned slightly.
"Did you already notice it then?"
"I guess I have a vague idea... But I'm not sure, and there's one thing I can't figure out," Yuna turned her head and raised her face slightly, "If it's really the 'evil spirit' that the book says has taken over my home, then why is the evil spirit so nice to me?"
Deng Gu looked into Ni Hui's eyes, and after a while, he suddenly laughed.
"I am much more powerful than the evil spirit."
"Now I can see that, and you're much friendlier than the evil spirit," Nina said with a smile, resting her head on the guardrail beside her, looking lazy, "You are Uncle Duncan, right?"
"Yes, and it always will be,"
"That's great... I feel much more relieved," Nina breathed a sigh of relief. She was silent for a while before she spoke hesitantly, "My other uncle... Was he peaceful when he left?"
Duncan recalled the night when he truly entered the city-state of Plande.
An irredeemable cultist took his last breath in a cold and damp sewer. His dark compatriots were planning to throw his body into the depths of darkness. In his muddled mind, apart from vicious resentment, there was only a twisted and fanatical worship of the Black End Sun.
But there is still a little bit of humanity left, and he is concerned about a relative who depends on him for survival.
Just for that little bit of humanity.
"He passed away peacefully, and he must be resting in peace now," Duncan said softly, "He didn't have many things to worry about in the end, and you were one of them." "That's good," Nina breathed a sigh of relief, as if she had let go of the last bit of burden. She stretched hard and lay back on the deck. The translucent spiritual sail of the Lost Homeland was reflected in her child's eye. "A lot has happened recently, especially today... Can you tell me about it? Those things you haven't told me yet, about this ship, about you, and... about me."
Duncan stood up from the barrel, came to Nina, and slowly lay down: "That will take a long time. I, your uncle, am a man with many stories..."
"In short, Captain Deng Qing is so amazing..."
On the spacious deck of the Lost Homeland, Alice was excitedly introducing the captain's great deeds to the "visitors". She had been talking nonstop for quite a long time, and at least two-thirds of these deeds were heard from Goat-Head. These stories were first embellished by Goat-Head, and now, after being twisted upside down by Miss Doll, they have all been distorted into something that is difficult for humans to understand - not to mention that Duncan himself would be scared if he heard it, even if he
Even if Ai Li repeated it again on the spot, she couldn't guarantee that she was correct.
But even such nonsense was listened to very attentively by Shirley and Morris on the other side. Even Agou beside him put down his newspaper and listened attentively.
Be conscientious.
They didn't think there was anything unreasonable in Alice's messy story - even though Alice insisted that there were actually two
It has these long legs and can run so fast only by running all the way on the seabed.
The subspace is great, the Lost Hometown is broken, and the Boundless Sea's No. 1 natural disaster is broken. It's only reasonable to be full of it. The more unreasonable, the more right it is.
The person in front of him is "Ms. Alice", who has a place on the Lost Homeland, a confidant who follows Mr. Duncan and even dares to pinch Mr. Duncan's cheek in Gu Zhong's store. What she said must be right.
"It's worthy of being called the Lost Hometown..." Morris praised. He had studied for his entire life, but only realized how limited his knowledge was when he met Alice. "I've seen many articles about this ship in books. Those authors sit in their rooms and rely on their imagination to write eloquently about it.
A whole book, but now it seems that more than 90% of it is really outrageous..."
As soon as the old gentleman finished speaking, a majestic voice suddenly came from the side: "I strongly advise you not to take Alice's words seriously - the extent of her high borrowing is much more serious than those fabricated books."
The moment the voice sounded, Agou quickly moved behind Shirley, while Morris quickly stood up and looked at the man who was walking not far away.
A tall figure walked down the stairs: "Ah, Deng Qing... Captain, are you done?"
Duncan nodded, walked down the stairs, and then another petite figure walked down the stairs behind him.
"Nina!" Shirley jumped up when she saw the figure and happily went to meet Yue, "You're okay! You're back!"
As she stood up to greet him, the black chain on Xue's arm instantly became thin and straight. The web dog, who had been burying his head and pretending that he didn't exist, was suddenly lifted up by the chain and rolled forward, kissing and yelling; "Slow down, slow down... WTF, you're still dragging me... Oh my god..."
"Shirley," Nina said with a bright smile on her face. She stepped forward and grabbed Guan Li's arm, shaking it twice. Then she bent down and looked at Agou, who was sitting on the stairs with his head tilted. She patted the latter's bony head and said, "And Mr. Agou, I'm back."
Morris also stepped forward to greet his students, and then turned to Alice next to him and said, "Miss Alice, what you just said... was that all made up?"
"I didn't make it up! That was what Mr. Goathead said!" Alice's eyes widened immediately. "It said it had served on the Homeless for a century. It knows everything about this ship better than anyone else!"
Morris said with a look of resentment: "Goat head?"
"My big shadow - you won't like dealing with it." Duncan said casually, and then looked around at the people standing in front of him.
Morris, Xueji, and Agou—unplanned boarders and long-lost visitors on the Lost Homeland.
The situation in Zenglande City-State was urgent at that time. Although Duncan had already had a plan to use the special properties of the Lost Homeland to get rid of historical pollution, he still urgently teleported the "guests" who were taking refuge in the antique shop to the ship just in case. But now the situation in the city-state was in a mess.
Now that the situation has calmed down, it's time to think about the future.
At the very least, Mr. Melis still has relatives in the city-state, and he probably doesn't want to stay on this Bear Spirit Ship forever.
After a brief thought, he withdrew his gaze.
"I think you already know where you are, and you also know who I am. As you can see, this is the Lost Homeland, and I am the captain of this ship. In the past century, at least half of the terrifying legends on the vast sea... almost all of them are related to me.
"I will not comment on the authenticity or exaggeration of these legends, but one thing is true as the legend says; after boarding the Lost Homeland,
It will be very difficult for you to sever your connection with this ship. In a sense, after experiencing Ai Yin's teleportation and the "spiritualization" of the Lost Homeland, you are already considered a crew member of this ship.
"Unfortunately, this process is neither reversible nor avoidable. Duncan stated this fact straight out of the gate—and this is also the experience he has summed up in recent times regarding the Lost Homeland and his own power.
Anyone who encounters the Lost Homeland, or the Phantom Flame, will inevitably establish a connection with Duncan, even if he himself is unaware of it - the earliest example was the White Oak, and the more recent was Vanna.
Morris and Shirley's reactions were calmer than Duncan had imagined. Only Agou hung his head and muttered something that no one could hear clearly.
It seems that they had thought of this situation a long time ago and were mentally prepared.
Duncan paused for two or three seconds deliberately, then suddenly smiled and shook his head forcefully.
"But there is one thing that is different from the legend," he said in a relaxed tone, "This ship does not only have one-way tickets, and as the captain... as you can see, I am not a crazy and out-of-control natural disaster as the legend says.
“You boarded the ship because of the emergency situation, so I will not restrict your freedom.
This time, Shirley and Morris finally opened their eyes slightly, especially the latter. The old man was still struggling with how he could return to the city-state and how he could exchange the qualification to return to the mortal world from a shadow in the subspace. He didn't expect that this matter would be so simple. He was immediately shocked.
Surprised: "That means... we can go back?"
"Of course," Duncan smiled, "The crisis in Plande is over, you are free to come and go, but..." Morris suddenly became nervous again.
"But let's eat before we leave," Duncan said. "This is my way of entertaining guests. The food on the Lost Homeland is simple, but it also has some characteristics, especially the seafood, which are all good things you can't get in the city-state..."