Nina was very happy because it had been a long time since she had a normal meal with Uncle Duncan, sharing stories about what was happening at school. She hadn’t seen him smile in a while. This made her think back to the past, to when her uncle was healthy. Since she lost her parents at six, this man, like a father to her, had become her only family. But four years ago, an illness that even doctors couldn’t understand changed him completely. Those days were, to be honest, quite hard to bear.
Uncle Duncan was still supporting her education and managing the basics of life, but Nina could tell that the colors of “future” were slowly fading from their little familiar shop, disappearing amidst the strong liquor, pills, and the suspicious “friends” who often gathered with her uncle.
She had long stopped hoping for life to return to how it was a few years ago, but even a slight improvement in their situation would be worth celebrating.
Duncan was also happy because he finally had access to more information about the world, finally touching the threads of its history. Even if it was just a part of it, it brought him joy like clearing away fog.
He learned about the lost “Order Era,” the great “Annihilation” event that reshaped everything, the ongoing Deep Sea Era, and the strange occurrences around the world. These were things he had either been completely unaware of or only had a vague understanding of, but now they finally had clearer outlines.
After breakfast, Nina got up to clean the dishes. She moved quickly, clearly used to doing chores—there was no doubt she also tidied up the bedroom upstairs.
A man who was seriously ill and had given most of his energy and enthusiasm to a cult wouldn’t be doing these things.
But seeing the girl busy, Duncan couldn’t help but stand up and take the large tray from her hands. “Let me help you with that—it looks tough for you to carry it upstairs.”
Nina looked at Duncan in surprise. Just as she was about to say something, he had already taken big strides toward the stairs.
The girl hurried to follow him, reminding him from behind, “Uncle, be careful. The doctor said your condition is still unstable…”
“Doctor… Albert, right?” Duncan didn’t turn back, searching his fragmented memories but only finding a few fleeting images. “It’s fine; he still can’t figure out the cause of my illness. The most effective medicine he prescribed is just painkillers.”
“… You should still listen to the doctor’s advice,” Nina followed Duncan upstairs, mumbling as she walked toward the kitchen. “He at least knows how to maintain a healthy…”
Nina’s words were cut off by a sudden flapping sound.
Both she and Duncan turned toward the source of the noise and saw a shadow flash through the slightly ajar bedroom door.
“Uncle Duncan, something just flashed in your room!” Nina exclaimed, stepping forward to grab the doorknob. “Could it be that cat next door…”
“Hey, don’t…”
Duncan barely managed to say half a sentence before Nina pushed open the door, revealing a pigeon that had been hiding inside.
Ayi was perched on top of a cabinet, grabbing a French fry with one claw and stuffing it into its mouth. The sudden opening of the door froze the pigeon in place, one claw still holding the fry, its two little eyes staring blankly at Nina and then at the wall.
Then it spotted Duncan, flapped its wings a couple of times, making a loud noise: “Ah… coo?”
Duncan’s eyelid twitched as he noticed the window wide open nearby—clearly, that was Ayi’s escape route. In the distance, he could see a dock basking in sunlight.
This pigeon had gone to the dock to get some fries…
“A pigeon?” Nina finally reacted, looking at Ayi on the cabinet in surprise. “Uncle Duncan! There’s a pigeon in your room!”
“I see it,” Duncan said flatly. “I don’t know it.”
Ayi immediately dropped the fry and flapped over to land on Duncan’s shoulder, shaking its head.
“Alright, it flew in this morning,” Duncan sighed. “It might be someone’s pet, but it’s not very smart. I gave it some food, and now it won’t leave.”
Ayi cooed loudly, listening.
If there weren’t outsiders around and Duncan hadn’t given it a command, it would have definitely started saying “yes, yes, yes” by now.
Nina didn’t doubt her uncle’s words at all; her eyes sparkled as she looked at the pigeon, carefully moving closer to observe its reaction while asking Duncan, “So… are you going to keep it? Can I take care of it?”
Her thoughts were clearly written on her face; in her eyes, Ayi was just a beautiful and cute white pigeon. Ayi tilted its head to look at Duncan, making a questioning coo.
Duncan suddenly felt that the bird was even easier to understand when it wasn’t talking…
After a moment, he pretended to hesitate before nodding. “Sure—but only if the pigeon wants to stay. It might fly away at any time, so don’t complain later.”
Nina’s face lit up with joy. “That’s great! I knew Uncle Duncan, you’re actually a reasonable person!”
…
In the central prayer room of the Deep Sea Cathedral, Bishop Valentin, wearing a black robe with golden patterns, stood solemnly in front of the statue of the Storm Goddess.
He was tall and thin, with sparse white hair and calm eyes like deep water.
The large candlestick in the prayer room burned quietly, its holy flames illuminating the room. The statue of Gemona, the goddess, stood high on a platform. She had no face, her head covered with a black veil, and a long dress adorned with many wave patterns flowed down to the edge of the platform. Even though it was just a stone statue, the divine power was evident, radiating a strong presence. Anyone standing near the statue could feel a vague sensation of being watched and protected.
This feeling of being watched and protected was real, and it was under this gaze and protection that Vanna could confidently share everything she had seen in her dreams with the bishop.
“… If what you saw in your dream is correct, then it really is the Lost Home.”
Bishop Valentin turned around to look at the young judge who had come to see him early in the morning. Although the judge and the bishop were of equal rank in the church hierarchy, it was normal for a judge to seek advice or guidance from a bishop when dealing with extraordinary events.
“So it really is the Lost Home?” Even though she already had an answer in her heart, Vanna couldn’t help but widen her eyes upon hearing the bishop’s judgment. “I thought…”
“You thought that ship was just a legend, like those nervous sailors in taverns boasting about various ghost ships?” Valentin knew what Vanna wanted to say. The old man shook his head, his tone deep. “The existence of the Lost Home is a fact recognized by all city-states and the church. It is not a legend; it can be found in the church’s records.”
“I know that. The Lost Home did indeed exist. The city archives in Plander even have some construction blueprints and work records from over a century ago, but all this verifiable information only pertains to when the Lost Home was still a ship sailing in the real world, only when Captain Duncan was still human…”
Vanna said seriously, looking at the statue behind the bishop. She became more cautious when mentioning certain words.
“The key point is that the ship is clearly recorded as having fallen into subspace… A century ago, thousands of refugees on the Thirteen Isles of Visserland witnessed the ship being swallowed along with their homeland by a collapsing border, plunging directly into the shadows of subspace. In the decades that followed, although there were reports of sightings of the Lost Home reappearing in the real world, they all lacked real evidence, and many scholars doubted the ‘return’ of that ship…”
The young judge spoke while looking at the old man before her.
“Is it really possible for something swallowed by subspace to reappear in the real world?”
“… So far, nothing besides the Lost Home has returned to reality after falling into subspace. Even the Lost Home only has eyewitness reports afterward, and scholars from all fields are skeptical about the ship’s return. This is indeed a fact, but that’s not the key…” The old man said, suddenly fixing his gaze on Vanna, his expression unusually serious. “The key point is, Judge, are you afraid of something?”
(End of Chapter)