The price of a local newspaper is twelve pesos, which is about the same as a simple breakfast or the cheapest dessert from a nearby shop. You can buy the paper from a passing newsboy or walk a bit further to a newsstand at the end of another street.
Duncan had a few coins in his pocket and decided to buy a newspaper from the stand. The owner, a middle-aged man who was deeply engrossed in reading, waved his hand to indicate that Duncan could take the paper after he dropped the coins in the box. The man didn’t even look up.
Duncan peeked at what the man was reading and saw an article analyzing past lottery results, filled with colorful lines outlining unrealistic fantasies.
He then looked down at the newspaper he just bought. The headline caught his attention:
"The Honorable Church Guardians, led by Judge Vanna Wayne, successfully dismantled a Sun God cult gathering, capturing many followers and rescuing several citizens..."
Next to the article was a photo of the "Honorable Judge," which surprised Duncan. She was quite young, with a noticeable scar on her left eye, yet still a beautiful woman. She stood with her subordinates, taller than most of the men around her.
The judge wore snug, lightweight armor and a battle skirt, holding a large sword that looked like it came from a bygone era, resembling a knight from a medieval painting. Behind her and the Church Guardians was a massive steam-powered machine, complete with visible cannon structures.
It was a strange and fascinating image, both contradictory and harmonious.
Duncan's gaze lingered on the photo. The news about the cult being wiped out was good for him; he could feel relieved knowing that those who practiced live sacrifices were caught without worrying about his own identity being revealed. However, he was more interested in the information the photo conveyed.
A female judge specialized in dealing with cultists, steam-powered robots in full armor, and a Church armed force equipped with both melee and ranged weapons...
This was information that was hard to come by on the Lost Homeland, but here in a civilized society, he could get it clearly from a twelve-peso newspaper.
Just as Duncan had thought before—while the Lost Homeland drifted blindly for a century, the times had changed.
Even without considering who was stronger, the mortal civilization represented by the city of Prand had developed into a... remarkable stage.
The street corner wasn’t the best place to read the paper, so Duncan rolled it up and tucked it away. He remembered that a girl named Nina was waiting for him at the antique shop, so he turned around and headed back.
Having a local who inherently trusted him was clearly a better source of information than wandering aimlessly through the city alone.
As for the Lost Homeland, Duncan wasn’t worried. Even in a spiritual state, he could still clearly sense what was happening on the ship and the state of his other body. Goat Head was steering the ship, and Alice seemed to be behaving well. He figured he could still move around here for a while.
After all, the ship's rules did state that "the captain may occasionally leave the ship," so it wasn’t a big deal for him to wander for a couple of days in a spiritual state, right?
Moreover, as he continued in this spiritual state, Duncan felt he was getting better at controlling this special "spiritual projection." Perhaps soon he could try to control both bodies at the same time—then he wouldn't have to worry about what was happening on the ship while he was in the spirit world.
Just then, a sweet aroma wafted by, causing Duncan to stop and look around. He spotted a cake shop with fresh pastries displayed outside.
This was the lower part of Prand, so there weren’t any fancy dessert shops, but even the cheapest pastries made Duncan pause.
He had a few coins left, totaling less than twenty pesos, but that was more than enough to buy a piece of cake.
After a moment's hesitation, he approached the shop and bought a simple honey cake. The packaging was made of rough, thick paper that felt a bit scratchy.
With the newspaper and cake in hand, Duncan walked toward the antique shop, feeling unexpectedly cheerful.
Walking down the street, talking to people, buying things, and heading back home—these simple activities gave him a sense of joy he hadn’t felt in a long time. He savored the experience of breathing on land, treating these ordinary moments as precious life experiences.
Life on the Lost Homeland was fine too; Goat Head was noisy but reliable, and Alice was an interesting character. But experiencing life on land was also nice.
Before long, Duncan returned to the antique shop. Before entering, he looked up at the sign—"Duncan's Antique Shop" still had the same letters, carrying a sense of nostalgia as if it hadn’t changed in over a decade.
He pushed the door open, and the bell chimed cheerfully. Almost immediately, he heard hurried footsteps coming down the stairs.
A young girl with brown hair rushed down, skidding to a stop at the bottom of the stairs. She leaned against a nearby pillar, her eyes wide with concern.
"Duncan Uncle, where have you been?" she said quickly. "You said you were just going to look outside, but then you disappeared... I thought you went to the tavern or the casino again..."
Duncan looked at the girl in surprise. He could tell she was genuinely worried.
She was concerned about a relative who was her only family left—despite him being a drunken, gambling, and sometimes volatile person involved in shady dealings with cultists.
A vague feeling stirred within him, but his expression remained unchanged. "I just went for a walk and bought a few things."
As he spoke, he walked toward the counter to place the newspaper and cake down. Nina seemed to relax and then hurried back upstairs, saying, "Uncle, wait a moment! I’ll bring down breakfast—it's probably time for you to eat since you haven't had breakfast yet. I made corn and beet soup..."
Before Duncan could respond, Nina had already disappeared up the stairs. After a short while, she carefully came down with a large tray.
The tray held a simple breakfast for two.
Duncan watched, somewhat dazed, as the girl moved about, skillfully clearing space on the counter and arranging the food before going to fetch an extra chair for herself...
She was remarkably quick and seemed to be filled with a joy that came from nowhere.
Duncan wanted to help but found it hard to find a way in. He had dealt with many young people of her age, but he had rarely seen anyone as industrious and quick as her.
On Earth, she would probably just be a high school student, and even here, she looked like a student.
Duncan suddenly thought about how difficult it must be to live with an "uncle" who had fallen into a cult. Yet this girl named Nina seemed to have fully adapted to this life, which wasn’t perfect by any means, and had found ways to support herself.
"Let’s eat," Nina said, now that everything was ready. She glanced at Duncan and spoke as if she had said it countless times before, "Doctor Albert said that if you can eat breakfast regularly and keep a good mood, it will be more beneficial in the long run than strong liquor... or painkillers."
Duncan didn’t respond right away, just quietly watched Nina. Before her expression could shift to being awkward and tense, he took the cake he had set aside and opened the packaging, placing it in front of her.
Nina's eyes widened in surprise as she looked at the cheap pastry in confusion. "This is…"
"Cake, bought from the corner," Duncan said casually. "You’re still growing, so it’s good to have something nutritious for breakfast."
Nina was momentarily stunned, staring at the cake as if it took her a while to process what was happening. Finally, she murmured, "Are you really okay?"
"I’m perfectly fine," Duncan replied naturally. "I just suddenly remembered that I haven’t bought you a treat in a long time."
"Indeed, it’s been over a year…" Nina mumbled, but then she suddenly smiled, picking up a knife. "Then we’ll split it in half. Doctor Albert said you need nutritious food too."
Duncan felt a bit strange, but after a moment of silence, he nodded.
"...Alright."
(The End of This Chapter)