The image in the mirror gradually faded, but Duncan still stood in front of the mirror, lost in thought for a long time.
He did not hide the details of his "incarnation" from Lucrecia, nor did he hide the powers associated with the incarnation - his "messenger" Ai could move quickly between the "beacons" formed by the incarnations, and his power and main consciousness could also be switched between the incarnations in an instant. This ability was powerful and convenient, but he did not arrange such an "incarnation" in Breeze Harbor.
One of the reasons is of course that he really didn't find a "suitable" carrier, but the more important reason is that he didn't tell anyone.
He looked at the mirror in front of him and examined his current face in the mirror.
I don't know since when, I have completely adapted to this once very strange face, this powerful body, this majestic and gloomy appearance... It has become his "code name" for living in this world.
A soul named "Zhou Ming" occupies this body, just like the soul that occupies the other two bodies of Pland and Frost. As time goes by, he adapts and adapts well.
Moreover, he believed that even if there were new, long-term "incarnations", he would quickly adapt, whether it was one or ten, or even more, he could "adapt".
He discovered that his mind was much tougher and more... weird than he had imagined. Managing multiple identities and multiple lives at the same time did not bring too much burden to himself, and the schizophrenia and personality disorder problems he had worried about did not appear.
But he still subconsciously controlled the urge to create a new "incarnation" and the idea of finding a corpse in Breeze Harbor to serve as a "beacon".
Duncan was not worried about losing himself due to too many incarnations - he knew that the residual emotions and memories he read when occupying these bodies had little impact on himself, and those weak wills could not shake his spirit in the slightest.
He was worried about other things.
If he gradually makes "occupying corpses" a habit and regards controlling multiple destinies as an insignificant "way of doing things", perhaps one day, something worse than "losing himself" will happen - after he has occupied dozens or hundreds of vivid lives, will he still be able to take the "aftermath" of those incarnations as seriously as he does now
By then, perhaps the next "Nina" will appear, but he will no longer be a diligent and responsible "Uncle Duncan".
Human nature will slip away without you noticing.
So after realizing this, he decided to be extremely cautious about the issue of "adding new incarnations" in the future - unless the situation is really appropriate or extremely necessary.
Of course, temporarily occupying the bodies of certain cultists for investigation purposes was not within his scope of caution - that was a one-time "disposable" consumable.
A thin layer of black smoke quietly emerged in the mirror, and Agatha's figure appeared in the depths of the smoke.
Seeing the captain looking in the mirror, Agatha quickly shrank back, hiding her image in a corner of the mirror, and then looked at Duncan: "Are you still thinking about the 'suggestion' that Miss Lucrecia just gave you?"
"… Maybe she still has some doubts about me," Duncan sighed softly, "Her suggestion is somewhat tentative, but that's not what I'm thinking about right now."
Agatha nodded and did not ask further. Instead, she changed the subject: "What are our plans next?"
"It's very simple. The Lost Homeland will continue to sail north until it crosses the northern channel of Breeze Harbor to see if the Dream of the Nameless will appear again at such a long distance, and see if the Reflected Lost Homeland will appear in Silantis's dream. Vanna and the others will continue to act according to the previous plan. The most noteworthy thing now is Rabbi's side. The rabbit is lurking on the ship of the Annihilation Cult, and those cultists will hold a rally before nightfall tonight. I'm very curious... what they are going to do at the rally."
As he spoke, Duncan exhaled lightly, with a hint of anticipation on his face: "Next, we just have to wait for more news from Lucrecia."
Agatha listened silently, and waited until the captain finished speaking before she could not help but ask a question she had been curious about for a long time: "If the Nameless Man's Dream really appears again without being affected, how are you going to get to the 'Reflection Lost Homeland' that is sailing in the dark fog? Your real body is staying on the ship at the moment, and the 'vine' will only appear in Breeze Harbor..."
Duncan smiled as he looked at Agatha in the corner of the mirror. "Do you remember that the last time the Nameless Man's Dream ended prematurely, it was because I touched the vines from the real world and entered that dark space. I took control of the helm of the Reflection Lost Hometown as an 'outsider'. After returning to reality, I told you that I had an idea to solve this problem."
Agatha frowned and asked in confusion: "The idea you mentioned..."
Duncan smiled and turned his head to look at the scenery outside the window. In the mirror in front of him, he slowly lowered his head and looked at Agatha who was in the same mirror as him.
Duncan in the mirror bent down and touched Agatha, whose image had shrunk to the size of a palm, with his finger: "This is my idea."
Agatha was stunned for a moment. She raised her head in the mirror world and looked at the captain who had also entered the mirror world. After being stunned for two or three seconds, she finally let out a soft cry - and then the ground cracked.
Duncan in the mirror sighed helplessly, bent down and picked up Agatha piece by piece, muttering as he pieced them together: "You should try to use a more flexible mindset to face life on this ship. In terms of adaptability, you should learn more from Morris or Vanna - the former can even accept Shirley's homework book now..."
…
Lucrecia sat in front of the mirror in a daze for a while. After an unknown amount of time, she heard the voice of the Rabbit Rabbi coming from the crystal ball not far away: "Madam, are you worried that the old master will be angry with you?"
Lucrecia turned her head and asked, "Why do you say that?"
"Because the suggestion you made at the end seemed to be testing the old master, testing whether he really maintained normal human cognition and 'humanity'. The old master might care about this..."
"I didn't mean to test my father. I just... didn't think too much about it," Lucrecia said casually, but then she frowned and looked at the faint phantom emerging in the crystal ball. "But you actually have the leisure to listen to my conversation with my father - it sounds like you have a lot of free time."
"Rabbi is relieving stress. Rabbi is in danger. Rabbi must be in the best condition to complete the task assigned by the mistress." The rabbit doll's shrill and annoying voice came from the crystal ball. "There are only terrible cultists here. They are stupid and ugly. Rabbi must talk to the mistress to control his condition and avoid eating them all."
Lucrecia ignored the weird parts of the rabbi's words and said expressionlessly, "Whatever, I don't care how you plan to complete the task. Anyway, if you are really discovered by that 'saint', don't expect me to save you."
"But the mistress will definitely come, Rabbi knows~~You will find Rabbi from the spirit world again, and then sew Rabbi into a new rag doll~~Can it be a little bear next time?"
"So much nonsense." Lucrecia tapped the crystal ball casually.
The rabbit finally calmed down.
…
The huge Anomaly 001 was gradually sinking, the sunlight turned into a brilliant sunset across the waves, the light coming in from the window seemed gentler, and after a whole day of repairs, the condition of the Death Bird finally improved a lot.
The time for the assembly is approaching, and now one can hear footsteps coming from outside the cabin from time to time, as well as the voices of compatriots greeting each other.
The tall and thin man with a sinister face got up from the bed and listened to the noise outside.
He had spent most of the day lying on this bed, adjusting himself and the dead bird, and now he had had enough.
The Annihilationist named Richard took a long breath, walked to the wardrobe in the corner, and took out the black hooded robe he would wear to the rally.
He actually didn't like this kind of robe - although most dark believers were accustomed to this kind of dress and believed that this kind of clothing that could cover the whole body could help calm the mind and help get closer to the Lord's enlightenment in meditation, but he never felt that way.
This kind of robe is not comfortable to wear, and is not suitable for moving around in a city-state. It has an old-fashioned and stubborn texture, and wearing it makes people feel like those exiled prisoners who hid in caves and slowly decayed hundreds of years ago. As for its "precipitating spirit" effect, it is even more laughable -
How can a true devotee need a robe to concentrate and be closer to the Lord
But now, Richard found himself beginning to like this outfit.
It doesn't feel so bad to cover your entire body among your fellow countrymen.
He pulled his robe around himself and pulled the hood down to cover his eyes - he sighed softly as a sense of relief came over him, then walked to the door.
Before pushing open the door, a breeze suddenly blew in the cabin, and it seemed that a light body was jumping towards him. Richard felt his body sink slightly, as if something was hanging on his shoulders.
A soft voice whispered in his ear: "You took the rabbi's cotton... Now, let's go."
"Okay, let's go."
Richard murmured softly, and along with the vibration of his vocal cords and trachea, he seemed to feel something itchy in his chest, warm and soft...
It's just cotton.
Cotton is growing.
He smiled with relief and reached out to open the door.
Figures wearing the same black hooded robes were walking through the corridor, heading for the gathering place deep in the cabin. They talked in low voices, discussing the Dream of the Nameless, the Saints, the Allies, and the news of the End Preacher.
Then Richard and the rabbi set off.
(Monthly ticket requested!)
(End of this chapter)