After checking all the test items, Duncan gained a deeper understanding of Ai Yi's transportation abilities and the nature of items on the Lost Homeland. Ai Yi could transport several different items at once, including organic and inorganic materials, extraordinary things, and regular items. The type of items did not affect the stability of the transportation process, and the process itself did not change the nature of the items.
Some items on the Lost Homeland that clearly had "movement capabilities" were actually "subunits" under a larger controlling consciousness. For example, shells were subunits of the ammunition system, and these subunits would lose their ability to move once they left the Lost Homeland, becoming ordinary objects.
It seemed that Ai Yi's transportation process did not consume much of its "energy." Whether it was the ritual dagger it carried at first or the pile of items it brought back, the bird still appeared lively. Of course, this might be because the total amount of "cargo" it had transported so far was still too small, far from reaching its capacity limit.
So far, they had only tested different types of items and did not know if Ai Yi's transportation ability had any limits regarding "weight" or "volume," which would require more testing.
Duncan summarized the known information point by point. Once he confirmed that he had thought everything through, he let out a sigh of relief and leaned back in his chair. He knew that the tests he had conducted were still incomplete, and there were many possible variables he hadn’t considered. Even in terms of "test item types," the samples he had chosen were too few to gather effective data.
In the future, he would need to select more types of items and test Ai Yi's transportation limits with different weights and volumes. Only with enough comparative samples could the resulting data be reliable.
He was very cautious in this regard, and this caution was not without reason—because he had a bold plan... or rather, an idea. Since Ai Yi could transport items safely between land and the Lost Homeland without restrictions on item types, could it transport people?
If it could transport people, could it transport someone who wasn’t really a person? For example... Alice?
Duncan understood that a person's abilities were limited. Relying solely on his ability to walk through the spirit world to act as a link between the Lost Homeland and the land would eventually lead to issues with manpower and oversight. If he had some help, things would be much better.
Ai Yi's demonstrated transportation ability gave him a good idea. Of course, Alice was not an ideal choice for a helper. This "Abnormal 099," who had a high-ranking number, seemed elegant and mysterious when she was quiet, but as soon as she moved, her clumsiness became apparent. However, at the moment, Duncan really had no other options.
Thinking about his only usable crew member being someone who could potentially cook herself into a stew made Duncan sigh. The Lost Homeland's reputation as a universally hostile entity was truly giving him a headache. He figured it was impossible to find allies in the human world; if he did, he would likely attract a bunch of delusional troublemakers—those who woke up every day hoping for the apocalypse, cutting gas lines on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, engaging in demonic sacrifices on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, and playing guerrilla warfare with church guards on Sundays...
Those types could easily team up with goat-headed beings to plot an invasion of some city, but they were definitely not the kind of help Duncan wanted.
"... Sigh, at least Alice is obedient," Duncan sighed as he stood up, mumbling to himself. "If trained well, she could grow... probably."
Even if she couldn’t be a helper, letting that puppet see the human world would be good. After all, she had been locked in a coffin for so many years and didn’t know what the outside world was like.
After organizing his thoughts, Duncan began to pack up the pile of items he had brought. He wouldn’t be returning to the Lost Homeland for now, and many of these items couldn’t be carried with him, so he needed to leave them in the shop.
There weren’t many places to hide things on the second floor of the antique shop, and Nina would be coming up to help tidy up at any moment. Some items that obviously didn’t look like everyday goods would be suspicious if left in the room (like a shell from a century ago). However, after a brief consideration, Duncan found reasonable places for these items.
The sun amulet could be hidden close to him, that dried fish could go straight into the kitchen, which seemed reasonable. The shell and the sailor's dagger from a century ago were even easier—Duncan simply took those two items to the first floor and placed them in an inconspicuous corner next to the counter. After all, this was an antique shop, and there were all kinds of odd items around. It was better to hide the dagger and shell among the pile of junk on the first floor.
As for the last item, the cheese he took from the Lost Homeland's kitchen, Duncan found a good place for it too.
In the trash can.
After taking care of everything, Duncan clapped his hands, satisfied with his arrangements. Then he glanced outside at the sky.
The "sun," sealed by double runes, was high in the sky, just reaching noon. Nina would be back home later today, and before that, he planned to go out and explore the city further. It seemed like there wasn’t much business at the antique shop today anyway.
The weather was a bit chilly, so Duncan put on a dark brown coat and tidied up his somewhat messy hair before leaving the antique shop. He wanted to make his worn-out body, which had suffered from alcohol, drugs, and illness, look a bit more presentable.
As soon as he stepped outside, a flurry of flapping wings sounded from the second floor. The pigeon Ai Yi flew out of the room and landed on his shoulder, bobbing its head proudly and chattering, "To Erxian Bridge, walk along Chenghua Avenue..."
Duncan shot a sideways glance at the bird. He had intended for Ai Yi to stay on the second floor, as having a pigeon on his shoulder while going out seemed too conspicuous and strange. Besides, he had a connection with Ai Yi through spirit fire, so if anything happened, he could summon it back to him at any time without worrying about delays.
He just hadn’t thought to tell the bird before leaving, and it had decided to "join the ride" on its own.
Looking at Ai Yi’s proud demeanor, Duncan finally sighed and smiled helplessly, "… Fine, if you want to follow, then follow."
With the pigeon on his shoulder, he made his way to the main road across from the antique shop. Not long after, he heard the sound of a clear bell mixed with the whirring of steam engines coming closer. He looked up to see a brown double-decker bus with blue stripes approaching and gradually stopping at a nearby bus stop.
This was a common public transport vehicle in Prand City, powered by steam engines, with a ticket price of six pesos, able to reach a large part of the lower city. According to the route map on the back of the bus, it would also pass two more stops that led to the edge of the upper city, one of which was called Cross District.
Duncan remembered the "Cross District." He knew that area was considered the "border" of Prand City, with bustling commerce and decent residences. Many residents from the lower city viewed Cross District as a goal and dream for improving their living standards. Many middle-class citizens who couldn’t afford the high costs of the upper city but wanted a decent life lived there too—there were cinemas, museums, and several upscale restaurants.
Nina's school was near Cross District, and the museum she mentioned was also nearby.
Thinking for a moment, Duncan hurried to the bus stop and boarded the bus before it took off.
There weren’t many people on the bus; more than half the seats on the first floor were empty. Next to the driver's cabin stood a ticket collector in a dark blue uniform. This young woman, with shoulder-length hair and simple makeup, instinctively reached for her ticket holder when she saw someone get on, but then noticed the pigeon on Duncan's shoulder.
"Sorry, you can't bring pets on board; it's the rule," the young woman said, pointing at the pigeon. "Including pigeons."
Duncan looked at Ai Yi, who innocently flapped its wings and tilted its head at him.
"Go sit on the roof."
"Goo goo, goo goo."
Ai Yi flapped its wings and flew out of the bus, cursing as it went, "Goo goo goo."
The young ticket collector stared blankly at the man talking to the pigeon and the pigeon that seemed to understand human speech, unable to speak for a moment.
"Is it okay now?" Duncan had to remind the somewhat dazed ticket collector, pointing towards the roof. "If the bird lands on the roof, you can't do anything about it, right?"
The ticket collector finally snapped back to reality, "Ah... yes... the ticket price is six pesos, for a general ticket."
Duncan reached into his pocket, pulled out two coins, and received a blue ticket. He then found a window seat, sat quietly, and prepared to enjoy his first bus ride in this world.
The steam engine started up, accompanied by a slight vibration and the sound of mechanical friction. The bell at the front of the bus rang clearly, and then the bus jolted slightly, and the scenery outside began to recede.
Duncan comfortably leaned back in his seat, feeling the vibrations and acceleration of this mechanical creation in motion.
Steam engines were great, civilized society was great, and technological progress was great. He thought he must get a set for the Lost Homeland too—even if it was just a boiler to heat water, it would mean they could take hot showers on the ship in the future.
Just as his thoughts began to wander, the bus suddenly jolted, and the scenery outside gradually came to a stop.
The young ticket collector opened a window near the front of the bus and called out, "Anyone getting on? Plenty of seats! All big seats!"
Duncan was taken aback and chuckled.
At that moment, he suddenly felt that this city, still unfamiliar to him, was bursting with life.
(End of Chapter)