Duncan's thoughts led him nowhere because he didn’t know where to find another living Sun Cultist to test his conclusions. Such things depend on fate.
Duncan slowly stood up. In the basement, one green flame after another flickered in the closed space, casting dim shadows. As he looked at the dancing lights, his thoughts began to spread again.
Believers who worship and receive blessings from deities might be seen by the spirit fire as "extraordinary beings." But what about ordinary people?
When this flame burns ordinary people, besides the superficial "light effects," does it have any other impact? If not, how much faith does one need to have for the flame to consider them an effective "extraordinary target"? Can cultists who worship evil gods be burned, and what about those who believe in righteous gods?
Duncan calmly gazed at the flickering lights in the room and suddenly smiled faintly.
"They are human."
With that, all his thoughts came to a halt; he didn’t pursue that line of thinking any further.
This flame is a powerful force, and powerful forces are not inherently guilty, but weak wills can easily lead to corruption. Ever since Duncan discovered he possessed unimaginable abilities, he constantly reminded himself of this fact—no matter how famous "Captain Duncan" is or how strong the spirit fire may be, he must always be aware of his boundaries as a "human."
He couldn’t disregard people just to test or understand his powers—even in this strange world, even if he wasn’t always dealing with what one would call "humans."
Using force in battle is one thing; seeking out the weak to satisfy curiosity is another.
Duncan sighed lightly, watching the green fireball still burning in his hand, and waved to disperse it.
The flame obediently obeyed his command, vanishing silently into the air.
Duncan smiled—he was, and would always be, the master of this flame.
Once the spirit fire faded, the basement quickly returned to its normal state. The green lights gradually restored to their original bright and clear appearance. Duncan looked around at the messy scene, pondering what to do next.
The strange girl named Sherry had disappeared, and it seemed she had used some extraordinary means to escape. He knew nothing about that and had no idea where to find her—it was truly regrettable.
He had many questions for her, but it seemed he wouldn’t get the chance now.
Yet, Duncan felt he might meet that girl again someday—this wasn’t just a wild guess. It was clear that her goal was to stir trouble for the Sun Cultists, to investigate them. Recently, the activities of the Sun Cultists in the city of Prand had peaked, with countless similar gatherings happening in the shadows. Given Sherry and "A Dog's" style of operation...
They would inevitably cause quite a commotion.
Duncan had the stolen Sun emblem, which allowed him to sense the activities of the Sun Cultists in the city. Although the range of this sensing wasn’t very large, as long as he wandered around the city, he might stumble upon some new excitement.
As for the mess around him, Duncan had no interest in cleaning it up.
He only picked up the golden mask left behind by the Sun Priest from the ashes on the ground and carefully wiped off the dust and ash—this was his trophy, something to study on the Lost Homeland.
The priest had been burned clean, and everything related to the extraordinary had turned to ash. The Sun mask was the only "memento" he left in this world.
“…The palm-sized talisman is one thing, but this mask might be a bit too big…” After weighing the Sun mask in his hands, Duncan muttered thoughtfully, “And if I run into professionals from the Deep Sea Church, they might detect it with special means…”
Carrying this mask around would be risky, and even if he managed to take it back to the antique shop, Nina might discover it, which would certainly lead to trouble.
The best solution would be to send it to a completely safe place.
While thinking, Duncan turned to the pigeon perched on his shoulder. He had a new idea for a test—could this pigeon walk through the spirit realm and bring things back to the Lost Homeland without him?
The pigeon tilted its head, meeting Duncan's gaze: “Big hammer eighty, small hammer forty!”
Duncan chuckled, “Consider it overtime. I’ll find a way to get you some fries on the ship later—let’s see if you can take this mask back to the Lost Homeland.”
The pigeon flapped its wings and flew toward the mask, letting out its sharp voice, “I was going to refuse, but you’re offering too much!”
Before the words even finished, Duncan saw a flash of light, and the pigeon and the mask disappeared from his sight—yet deep in his consciousness, he felt Ayi’s presence suddenly appear in the captain’s cabin of the Lost Homeland.
The delay was almost less than a second!
That pigeon was so fast! It could teleport items this quickly?
Just as Duncan marveled at this, he felt a shimmer before him, and Ayi in her bone pigeon form suddenly appeared, landing on his shoulder. The bird flapped its wings, transforming back into a white dove, proudly raising its neck: “Delivery successful!”
Seeing Ayi's state as she appeared, Duncan nodded in understanding: it made sense that the bone pigeon was faster than Ayi.
He then adjusted his clothes, confirming there were no suspicious bloodstains on him and that there were no traces left at the scene (in fact, he hadn’t touched anything since entering, fearing he might leave fingerprints). He carefully opened the iron door, using his clothes to protect his fingers, and made his way back outside via the ladder.
The sun, bound by double rune rings, was gradually sinking toward the horizon. The beautiful evening glow spread over the uneven rooftops of the lower city, and in the sunset, the pale crack in the sky was becoming faintly visible.
Seeing the sky, Duncan quickly dismissed the idea of continuing his investigation in the city—Nina would be finishing school soon.
That child’s “Uncle Duncan” had just started to get better; he couldn’t stay out all night.
Duncan hurriedly left the abandoned factory, following the route he remembered toward the main road. He navigated through the winding alleys and the stinking pipe junctions, finally hearing the distant sounds of traffic.
It wasn’t completely dark yet; he should still be able to catch the last bus.
But suddenly, Duncan stopped in his tracks.
Not far ahead at the intersection, he saw four people in uniforms—two were dressed in deep blue sheriff uniforms with badges, carrying batons and revolvers, while the other two wore black coats that had a slightly ecclesiastical style, resembling a mix between a trench coat and a formal suit. They not only had holsters for large revolvers at their waists but also displayed a steel longsword that seemed out of place for the current era.
The two in black coats also carried something eye-catching: a lantern decorated with runes, clearly used for night patrols.
The four uniformed individuals seemed to be handing over duties. Duncan paused for a moment but quickly realized:
They were the sheriffs from the city hall and the guardians from the church.
The sheriffs maintained order in the city during the day, while the guardians protected the peace of the city at night. Now that the sun was setting, the transition between day and night was approaching—the time when the secular and the divine exchanged places.
This was a unique "sight" in this world.
The four didn’t seem to notice Duncan.
He walked past them calmly—though he hesitated for a moment, he quickly remembered that he had nothing to feel guilty about.
A law-abiding citizen walking outside before dark wasn’t a crime.
One of the church guardians, who was handling the handover, finally noticed the figure approaching. The tall young man looked up and immediately raised his hand, loudly warning, “Citizen! It’s getting dark, hurry home; it’s not safe outside.”
“Gentlemen! I’d like to report something,” Duncan quickened his pace and, once he reached them, spoke sincerely, “I just heard a lot of noise coming from that abandoned factory over there, and earlier I saw a lot of shady characters going in and out…”
He paused for a moment before adding, “I read in the newspaper that everyone should actively report any unusual gatherings and strange noises around them…”
(End of Chapter)