The ship Lost Home was likely sailing in subspace all this time—this shocking information made Duncan's mood very complicated. He always knew the Lost Home was strange and dangerous, but he never imagined it could be this bizarre.
He didn't know much about subspace, probably less than Nina's history teacher, but he at least understood that subspace was one of the most dangerous things in the world. It could keep saints awake at night and made even the gods wary.
It was the "bottom of all things," so frightening that some superstitious sailors wouldn't dare to say the word "subspace" out loud on ships about to set sail.
Even though subspace wasn't a rational deity that would pay attention just because people called its name, people still feared mentioning it at sea.
But the Lost Home, a ghost ship that had wandered for a century, might have part of it constantly sailing in subspace, and even… it might have a door leading to subspace at its bottom.
The dim and dilapidated cabin on the other side of that door might be a structure completely invaded by subspace—while that door was a seal.
Duncan instinctively looked down at the dark deck beneath his feet, as if he could see through the layers of wood to that broken cabin and the chaotic lights and shadows outside.
He suddenly felt like he was standing on a lit powder keg—the slight crack in that door was the fuse, and he had no idea how long it was.
But after a brief moment of shock and tension, Duncan gradually realized that the goat-headed figure seemed to reveal another piece of information.
From its panicked reaction after hearing Alice's words, it seemed that as long as "Captain Duncan" peeked into subspace through the crack in that door, something terrifying would definitely happen afterward.
Even now, the goat-headed figure was repeatedly confirming the captain's mental state with Alice, checking if the captain had said anything unusual on the way back or made any strange sounds, or brought out any unusual shadows.
But Duncan was very clear about his own state; he knew he was completely normal.
The "illusion" presented behind that door did indeed startle him for a moment, and he briefly considered whether to open that door—but all of that was just a simple psychological change. He didn't feel any influence from "extraordinary powers" during this process.
The fleeting thought had passed, and he didn't think that door had any long-term impact on him.
Duncan looked at his hands and repeatedly confirmed in his heart—here, his name was Duncan Abnomar, the captain of the Lost Home.
In another time and space, his name was Zhou Ming, an ordinary middle school teacher, trapped in a foggy single apartment.
Perhaps… the goat-headed figure was just overly nervous? It was just a crack in a door, not an open passage to subspace.
The Lost Home swayed gently in the waves, the mast and ropes creaking, and the semi-transparent spirit sail was still a bit unstable, showing the tension and… "dereliction of duty" of its controller.
Duncan raised his head to glance at the sail and suddenly steadied his mind, speaking firmly in his mind, "First Mate, steer the ship well and control the sail properly."
"Captain… Captain?" The goat-headed figure's voice immediately sounded, a bit flustered, "Ah, yes! Yes, Captain!"
Duncan remained silent, maintaining his usual serious demeanor in their mental connection. He waited for the goat-headed figure to speak, and sure enough, it broke the silence after a few seconds: "Captain, I just heard Miss Alice say… the door at the bottom of the cabin has opened a crack…"
"Yes," Duncan replied calmly, "I checked it."
"You did check it, and Miss Alice said you confirmed the situation on the other side of the door…" The goat-headed figure seemed to be carefully choosing its words, "Do you feel… I mean, just a little bit of mental disorientation? The other side of that door…"
"Subspace, I know," Duncan interrupted before the goat-headed figure could finish, "Do I look mentally unclear to you? Speak without stuttering."
"Of course, you look completely normal!" The goat-headed figure quickly replied, "Maybe I'm just too nervous. After all, this has never happened. Since you brought the ship back, the barrier between the Lost Home and subspace has been stable. I… didn't expect things to change; this is not a question of your abilities."
Brought the ship back? From where?
Duncan keenly caught the hint in the goat-headed figure's words and quickly guessed some of the truth, but he didn't show any unusual reaction. He casually said, "From my observation, that crack is still stable, but it could expand further—I want to hear your thoughts."
"…Stability is already good news, Captain," the goat-headed figure said, not suspecting anything, but looking very worried, "As for my suggestion… to be honest, I don't know what to do. That door was left by you and closed by you. You never told me what plans you had after that or what changes might happen. The situation at the bottom has always been handled by you…"
"…True," Duncan said, taking the opportunity, "You probably don't have any suggestions in this regard."
It seemed the goat-headed figure didn't know all the information about that door.
It only knew that the other side was subspace and that once that door opened, it would mean trouble. As for more information… it was in the hands of the "real Captain Duncan."
But where could he find the "real Captain Duncan" now?
"Captain…" the goat-headed figure's voice sounded again in his mind, "What are your plans next?"
Plans? What plans? Was he supposed to run to land? With Captain Duncan's notorious reputation, if the Lost Home appeared near any city-state, it would probably attract an entire fleet to chase it down. What else could he do but continue drifting at sea with this ship?
Duncan rolled his eyes and helplessly looked up at the sky. At that moment, Ai Yi, who had pretended to be on guard at the mast, flew down and landed on his shoulder, nodding and flapping her wings, "This is a trap! Abandon ship and escape!"
"Escape? Escape my foot…" Duncan instinctively said, but then realized, "Wait, can you hear my conversation with the goat-headed figure?"
He had been communicating with the goat-headed figure through their mental link, so why did this pigeon suddenly fly down and say something that seemed so timely?
The pigeon flapped its wings, looking quite proud, "Shut up, I have my own understanding!"
Duncan suddenly got a bit curious about what pigeon soup tasted like.
But he hadn't forgotten that the goat-headed figure was still waiting for him to speak, so after steadying himself, he ignored the pigeon on his shoulder and continued in his mind, "Just focus on your own duties. I will keep an eye on that door, as always."
"Understood, Captain!"
The Lost Home gradually stabilized, the sails adjusted to the right angle, allowing the massive ship to continue moving across the boundless sea.
The bow broke through the waves, and the tiny sea waves crashed against the hull, making a splashing sound.
Duncan ended the conversation with the goat-headed figure and slowly walked to the edge of the deck, looking down at the dark sea beneath him.
The seawater reflected the cold, pale glow of the world's creation.
He would keep an eye on the door at the bottom of the cabin, but merely "watching" it wouldn't change anything.
He needed more knowledge, needed to understand and control his power better, and perhaps… he needed some help.
These things were not on the ship, but perhaps they could be found in the city-state of Pland.
Tomorrow, Nina would return from school, and in the coming days, she would come back to the antique shop every day after class—her "Uncle Duncan" would need to be in the shop then.
Before that, he needed to transfer his "main consciousness" to the city-state—until he could skillfully control two bodies at once, this frequent switching of perspectives was a necessary choice.
During this transfer, he also wanted Ai Yi to conduct further tests.
He wanted to see if Ai Yi could bring things from the Lost Home to the antique shop. If she could, he needed to confirm if there was a limit to what she could carry and whether there would be any "loss of items" when carrying too many things…
Various plans brewed in his mind as Duncan's gaze unconsciously focused on the rolling waves outside.
The reflection of the world's creation in the sea appeared hazy and chaotic, with scattered glimmers of light resembling invisible streams of light.
World's creation?!
Duncan was taken aback; he suddenly felt that the sky reflected in the sea had a strangely familiar quality.
He quickly looked up at the enormous, scar-like crack in the sky.
Inside the massive "wound," chaotic and dim glimmers filled the space, and the surrounding sky was a mist of light. Upon closer inspection, that so-called light mist… was actually countless overlapping and entangled, blurry streams of light.
Just like… the scenery outside that broken cabin at the bottom of the Lost Home.
(End of Chapter)