Duncan stared at the large scar in the sky that glowed faintly for a long time, as if he wanted to pick out some familiar details from the chaotic light mist to confirm the astonishing guess in his mind—was the scene outside the bottom of the Lost Homeland ship the same as the creation of the world?
If the outside of the ship was a subspace, then could the creation of the world also be part of that subspace? Or at least connected in some way?
But in the end, he couldn’t figure anything out; the ideas in his mind remained just that—ideas.
The scar was too far away. Even with a telescope, he wouldn’t be able to see more details. From what he could see, it only vaguely resembled the scene outside the bottom of the Lost Homeland. Rather than saying they were similar, it felt more like he was overly tense after exploring the ship’s bottom, making him suspicious of everything.
Duncan stood on the deck, letting the sea breeze blow over him for a long time. He thought while trying to calm his mind. He also kept an eye on the goat-headed figure and noticed that his "first mate" seemed to have calmed down too and was now seriously steering the Lost Homeland.
Yet, Duncan still sensed a vague tension spreading throughout the ship. This tension seemed to have no source and filled the entire "living" ghost ship. The tall masts, the tangled sails, the ropes piled on the deck—all these silent things in the dark seemed to whisper anxiously about "that door."
This was the first time Duncan directly felt the emotional changes of the ship in his mind. It seemed that after returning from the ship's bottom, his connection with the ship had deepened.
Now, the whole ship was focused on the captain, watching for any abnormalities after he had peeked through that door.
The evening breeze blew toward him, and Duncan took a deep breath, slowly walking toward the captain's cabin. He lightly tapped the railing beside the ship, as if talking to himself, saying, "Relax, it's nothing unusual."
This time, he finally felt the change more clearly: the tension that filled the ship slowly faded. The ropes relaxed, the sails lifted, and the faint creaking sounds from below the deck gradually stopped.
It seemed the ship finally confirmed that the captain was still the captain.
Duncan reached the door of the captain's cabin but didn’t pull it open as usual. Instead, he hesitated for a moment, grasped the doorknob, and gently pushed the door inward.
The door opened, revealing a swirling mass of black mist inside.
Duncan stepped toward the black mist, and the pigeon, Ai Yi, which had been resting on his shoulder, suddenly flapped its wings and flew to a nearby mast, squawking, "The road ahead is blocked! The road ahead is blocked!"
Duncan glanced curiously at the pigeon that had suddenly flown away but took another step forward.
He returned to his familiar single apartment.
Zhou Ming lowered his head, confirming his current body: familiar hands, familiar shirt, familiar long pants. He didn’t look as strong as Captain Duncan but was just an ordinary person.
He raised his head again and looked around the room.
Everything was exactly the same as when he left; even the dust hadn’t increased.
Zhou Ming thoughtfully observed the furnishings in the room, then suddenly turned to look at the door—he stared at the apartment door, recalling the door he saw in the bottom of the Lost Homeland, remembering its position and angle.
He stood in the corresponding spot, first imagining that there was someone on the other side of the door, then looked in the direction opposite the door.
From the gap, he could indeed see the center of the room, where a slightly messy desk was placed, with a computer and other clutter on it—he usually worked at that desk, reading, writing, or grading students' assignments and exams.
Zhou Ming slowly opened the door a crack, inching closer to the gap.
At that moment, he felt his heart pounding—despite his rational mind telling him it was a nonsensical thought, he couldn’t help but wonder… would an eye suddenly appear on the other side of the gap? Would a grim-faced ghost captain suddenly show up? Or… would a pirate sword suddenly stab through?
He leaned in, eyes fixed on the outside.
Outside, there was only a swirling mass of black mist, just like always.
Zhou Ming suddenly let out a breath, but for some reason, he felt a strange sense of loss—like a disappointment, as if he had lost some fun.
He shook his head vigorously, trying to push this odd feeling away, then slowly walked to the desk—everything he had left in the room before he left was still in place, including crumpled papers filled with doodles, a neatly organized diary, and the computer screen that still glowed even after being unplugged.
Everything seemed unchanged.
Zhou Ming sighed, but suddenly his expression froze.
There was a change!
His gaze was fixed on a corner of the desk, where a small object had appeared—an exquisite decoration, a lifelike model, a… Lost Homeland.
Zhou Ming felt like he had been struck by lightning, sitting frozen in his chair for half a minute, completely still. He was a thousand percent sure that this model hadn’t been on his desk before… especially since it was a model of the Lost Homeland!
After a long time, he blinked, carefully picked up the model that had appeared on his desk, and examined it closely.
This detailed "ghost ship" was only about half a foot long, and it felt like an ordinary model in his hand, yet it was so finely detailed. Zhou Ming observed it for a long time; he could even see every rope and every barrel on the deck…
Compared to the real Lost Homeland, the only difference was probably its size.
Suddenly, Zhou Ming seemed to think of something. He brought the ship closer and carefully opened the tiny door at the back of the captain's cabin with his finger, peering inside to look closely.
On the miniature navigation table, he couldn’t see the goat-headed figure.
Likewise, there was no sign of Alice on the ship.
Zhou Ming felt something strange rise in his heart; he didn’t know why he thought "Alice" would appear on this miniature version of the Lost Homeland. It clearly seemed like a ridiculous notion.
Maybe the ship’s appearance itself was too absurd?
Zhou Ming held the small Lost Homeland, pondering for a long time.
He didn’t know how this ship ended up on his desk, but it was clear that the connection between his sealed apartment and the "world on the other side of the door" was deeper than he had imagined.
The change might have happened after he "took the helm," or perhaps after he peeked through that door into the subspace.
He leaned back in his chair, letting his mind slowly calm down.
He realized he could still "feel" what was happening on the other side of the door. He could sense the Lost Homeland, sense the goat-headed figure, and even… feel the distant city of Prand, sensing another "body" in that antique shop.
He didn’t know how long he had been lost in thought when he suddenly blinked awake, looking at the ghost ship still in his hands, then glancing at an empty shelf at the end of the room.
That shelf had been bought years ago, but until the strange events began, he hadn’t found a chance to fill it. Now, it only held a few decorative crystal bottles he had been tricked into buying online, while the rest of the spaces were empty.
Zhou Ming carefully placed the small Lost Homeland on the shelf.
After setting it down, he took a couple of steps back, examining his "work," seeming quite satisfied with his choice of location.
How this thing appeared here was still a mystery, but at least… during these trapped days, he could add a little decoration to his small room.
A loud and melodious foghorn broke the calm of the sea. Vanah, who had arrived at the port early, immediately walked to the edge of the lookout tower, gazing at the situation at the dock.
The entire port had been cleared in advance. The once-busy main port of Prand was now empty, with no ordinary dockworkers or handover staff in sight. Instead, there were fully armed law enforcement troops and guards from the church.
Twelve steam walking machines blocked all roads leading to the dock.
And on the surface of the sea outside the harbor, a beautiful steam mechanical ship was slowly approaching through the gently rolling waves.
The White Oak.
(End of Chapter)