Before the last rays of sunset disappeared, Duncan saw the familiar storefront of the antique shop. The gas lamps lining the street were already lit, casting a slightly yellow light that illuminated the sign and the gray walls. The lights in the display windows on either side of the door were also on, which clearly meant that Nina was already home—she had turned on the lights on the first floor, waiting for Duncan to return.
Strictly speaking, from Duncan's perspective, he and Nina had only just met, but for some reason, seeing the light on the first floor made him feel a strange sense of... guilt. Was this guilt because he had been out for so long?
Duncan stepped forward, pushed open the antique shop's door, and the bell hanging at the entrance chimed cheerfully. The next moment, he heard hurried footsteps coming from the stairs.
A girl in a simple long dress rushed down from upstairs like a gust of wind.
“Uncle Duncan!” Nina stopped on the stairs, looking surprised and happy to see Duncan at the door. There was a hint of disbelief in her eyes. “I thought you were going to….”
“I just took a stroll in the city and didn’t realize it was getting dark,” Duncan shook his head. “Sorry, I actually wanted to go to Cross Street to pick you up from school, but I ran into some unexpected things.”
“You went to Cross Street?” Nina looked at Duncan, surprised and confused. She scanned him up and down, as if checking whether her uncle had been drinking again or was feeling unwell because of medication. “Pick me up… from school?”
Uncle Duncan was showing a side that was both strange and familiar, leaving Nina unsure of how to react.
“I was just curious about how things are going at your school,” Duncan said casually. “Let’s not talk about that. You don’t have to worry about me going out to drink or hanging out with ‘friends’ anymore. If I come back late, it’s because I was dealing with something important, got it?”
Nina stared at Duncan as he walked in and closed the door, noticing how steady and energetic he seemed, and she instinctively nodded.
“It’s getting late,” Duncan said as he walked toward the stairs leading to the second floor. “Have you eaten?”
“Not yet…” Nina hesitated a bit in her response, probably still getting used to the changes in her uncle. “When I got back and saw you weren’t home, I didn’t know if you’d come back tonight, so… I haven’t cooked. But I bought some bread; I was planning to…”
“Just eating bread isn’t enough nutrition. Come on, there’s something good in the kitchen,” Duncan was about to step up the stairs when he turned back to Nina and smiled. “I’ll cook today.”
Uncle is going to cook?!
Nina felt like she had heard something unbelievable. But before she could ask, she saw Duncan striding up the stairs, so she hurried to follow him. At the same time, her eyes caught sight of Ai Yi, the pigeon, perched steadily on Duncan’s shoulder, and she was surprised. “Uncle, this pigeon has been with you the whole time?”
“Yeah, it’s quite clingy,” Duncan replied casually. “Oh, by the way, I named it Ai Yi.”
“Ai Yi? For a pigeon… that’s a strange name…” Nina scratched her head. She had followed him up to the second floor and watched as Duncan really headed toward the kitchen. She couldn’t help but ask, “Did you buy something?”
“Actually, it’s just some salted fish,” Duncan said as he found the salted fish he had put away in the kitchen cupboard. He waved the hard ingredient in front of Nina, looking quite pleased. “Don’t judge it by its appearance; it tastes pretty good in soup.”
“Fish?!” Nina’s eyes widened in surprise. “Is today some special day? Fish is so expensive; don’t you usually… ah?”
She finally got a good look at the salted fish in Duncan’s hand, and the unappealing thing left her quite confused. She blinked and stared for a long time. “What kind of fish is this? I’ve never seen it before.”
Duncan had expected this reaction from Nina.
Of course, the residents of the city had seen fish—despite the dangers of the vast sea and the threats from dangerous creatures known as “offspring” lurking in the deep, not all ocean areas were as extreme as the deep sea. Thanks to the protection of the gods and the city’s own defense system, the shallow waters near the city and certain blessed shipping routes were relatively safe, providing valuable resources for the city’s civilization.
People harvested seafood and minerals from the nearshore areas and hunted valuable fish like whales along the blessed shipping routes to sustain the city’s survival and support industrial development.
Given this backdrop, the profession of “fisherman” certainly existed.
However, the oceans in this world were not like those on Earth. Even the safe waters were only “safe” compared to the deep sea. Therefore, fishing in this world, even in nearshore areas, was an extremely specialized and dangerous task that required extraordinary knowledge and combat skills.
For people living in the city, fish were a known but expensive ingredient.
Even though they were right next to the sea, with countless fish swimming around.
Nina hadn’t eaten fish in many years—even before her uncle got sick, she, as a commoner, had little chance to see fish served at the table.
Ordinary fish were already so rare, let alone gifts from the deep sea.
Duncan even suspected that the deep-sea fish he caught on the Lost Homeland was probably the first of its kind to appear in the city of Prand. Not to mention Nina, even the city’s officials and high-ranking priests probably hadn’t had the chance to taste such fresh fish.
Nina was in for a treat today.
“Don’t worry about what kind it is; just wait to eat,” Duncan knew some things couldn’t be explained, so he decided not to elaborate. He turned back to the kitchen and began preparing dinner.
This strange fish was quite large, and even after being dried, it was still a considerable size. It wouldn’t be possible to eat it all in one meal, so he divided the salted fish into two parts, preparing to use the head for now—the rest could be strung up and hung in the cupboard to dry further, which might enhance its flavor.
Uncle is really cooking.
Watching the familiar figure busy in the kitchen, Nina felt like she was dreaming.
She didn’t care at all about what kind of strange fish her uncle had brought out; she didn’t even care about dinner tonight.
Compared to those little details, the changes in her uncle were the strangest and the most worth paying attention to.
The sounds of knife against cutting board echoed, the gas stove hissed, and the broth in the pot bubbled away.
Nina felt a bit dazed. Hadn’t she seen such a scene in years?
A hint of hesitation crossed her face, but after a moment, as if she suddenly made up her mind, she called out to Duncan’s busy back from the kitchen door, “Uncle, tomorrow… Mr. Morris is coming for a home visit.”
“Home visit?” Duncan, busy cooking, paused for a moment. “Mr. Morris… your history teacher?”
Nina nodded. “Yes.”
“That school’s teachers actually do home visits?” Duncan tossed the prepared fish pieces into the pot, surprised as he turned back to look at Nina while rinsing his knife in the sink. “I thought that was something only the schools in the upper city did as a ‘specialty.’”
“The school… doesn’t really have that rule,” Nina said cautiously, paying attention to Duncan’s attitude. “But Mr. Morris is a bit special; he… cares a lot about his students.”
Duncan fell silent for a moment.
This was a bit beyond his expectations.
He hadn’t thought that while he was out and about as “Captain Duncan” in the city, he would suddenly have to deal with something like this!
He had considered dealing with the church, the constables, and even the city’s navy and military police—whether he wanted to or not, his plans were filled with flames, swords, and over a hundred cannons from the Lost Homeland.
But he had never considered that an old man teaching history in a public school would come into play.
Why was reality always so unexpected?
“Uncle?” Nina noticed Duncan’s prolonged silence and felt a bit worried. “Are you unwilling? I can tell Mr. Morris… Actually, I told him today that your health isn’t great, so we can’t accept the home visit this time. He didn’t say much then…”
Duncan looked at Nina’s slightly nervous reaction and felt a wave of thoughts.
It seemed that Mr. Morris wasn’t asking for a home visit for the first time.
So how many times had Nina refused him for the same reason?
“…He teaches history, right?” Duncan suddenly asked again.
Though she didn’t know why her uncle was asking this again, Nina nodded. “Yeah.”
“That’s great; I happen to want to have a chat with a professional in history,” Duncan smiled. “What time is he coming tomorrow?”
(End of Chapter)