Duncan quickly adjusted his expression and mindset to avoid looking like a confused outsider. However, his emotions were still in turmoil, churning like a stormy sea.
It turned out that when you suddenly find yourself in a strange and unusual world, no matter how adaptable you are or how well you disguise yourself, you can easily get hit in the face with some ordinary "common sense" that the locals take for granted. You can learn historical facts systematically, and you don't have to worry about complicated professional knowledge in daily life, but "common sense" is something that only surprises you when you encounter it directly.
In this world, there are no stars in the sky—that's common sense.
The stars are hidden deep in the sea, at the boundary between the spirit world and the deep ocean—this is also common sense.
As for this second point of "common sense," Duncan could only feel astonished.
He had never encountered this area before and had never reached such depths. He had sailed the Lost Homeland through the spirit world and had seen chaotic light streams leaking from subspace in the ship's lower cabin, but he had never seen the "starry sky" between the deep ocean and the spirit world... this was precisely his current knowledge "blind spot."
While he dealt with Morris's conversation, he quickly thought in his mind.
Stars... hidden deep in the water... what a strange sight that would be. Is the so-called "starry sky" that Morris mentioned the same as the "starry sky" he knew? What is the boundary between the spirit world and the deep ocean really like? Is it a darker, deeper ocean? Or is it just a special spatial structure that is called an ocean?
For some reason, Duncan suddenly thought of a girl named Sherry and her inseparable pet and weapon, "A Dog."
A Dog is a "deep hound," which in this world is described as a "demon" summoned from the depths of the abyss to the real world.
Duncan couldn't imagine what kind of physical structure such a skeletal hound would have, but from its appearance, it was clearly not an "aquatic creature"... so it could be boldly speculated that the so-called "deep ocean" might not necessarily be an "ocean."
It could be a vast and strange space, and... wrapped in stars.
Duncan was sketching a possible spatial model of the deep ocean in his mind when Morris noticed that the antique shop owner seemed a bit distracted. The old man looked at Duncan curiously and asked, "Do you have some knowledge of astrology?"
"I just... have some interest," Duncan said with a slight smile. After accepting the fact that there are no stars in this world, hearing the term "astrology" again felt quite strange, "Exploring a starry sky hidden so deep... isn't easy."
"Of course, it's extremely dangerous. But fortunately, we can also observe the projection of the starry sky through some indirect scientific methods—thanks to technological advancements. Since the spirit lens appeared, navigators on ocean-going ships have been much less likely to go mad during navigation," Morris laughed.
He seemed to have found someone willing to discuss these topics with him after a long time and was in high spirits.
"You know, a century ago, being a navigator was one of the deadliest jobs on ocean-going ships... I've always wanted to collect a set of the earliest spirit lenses, but unfortunately, I have no way to get them."
Duncan blinked. He hadn't really paid attention to the old man's last sentence; he suddenly felt that a long-standing question in his heart had been answered:
In a world without stars, how do ocean-going ships calibrate their routes?
The answer is still relying on "stargazing"—using special scientific instruments to observe the projection of the "starry sky" reflected from the depths of the spirit world.
Before the year 1800 of the New City-State calendar, navigating ships was even a deadly job.
After all, ordinary ships don't have real-time updated "maps" like the Lost Homeland, nor do they have a reliable "goat first mate."
"You really are a knowledgeable person," after discussing many topics, Duncan couldn't help but sincerely exclaim, "Nina is lucky to have a teacher like you."
"I'm also glad to see she has an uncle like you," Morris nodded modestly, "Now all my doubts have vanished. You're not only a competent guardian but also have a wide range of interests and a strong desire for knowledge. To be honest... I haven't had such a pleasant conversation with anyone in a long time."
The old man sighed slightly, "My life is good now—quiet, peaceful, and free from much of the trivial matters of the upper city. The only problem is that it's often hard to find someone willing to listen to me talk about these boring things... even the teachers I work with often can't keep up with my thoughts. It's rare that you can listen to me for so long."
"I'm happy to be your audience," Duncan smiled when he heard this, "I'm particularly interested in history."
"I can tell," Morris said with a contented smile. Then he glanced towards the window and suddenly realized how much time had passed, quickly standing up. "Oh, my goodness, have I really been here the whole afternoon?"
"If you don't mind, staying here overnight is fine," Duncan casually suggested, "You can try my cooking."
"... I should still be able to catch the bus back to Cross Street," Morris looked at the setting sun and declined Duncan's kind offer, "Thank you for the invitation, but I think I'll head home. Things haven't been peaceful in the city lately, and staying out all night would worry my family."
"That's true... then I won't keep you," Duncan thought for a moment and stood up to see him off, "I'll go call Nina down."
Morris was about to say something when Duncan had already turned to call upstairs, "Nina! Mr. Morris is going home, come down to see your teacher off!"
Footsteps came from the stairs, and Nina, now in a home dress, ran down cheerfully. She greeted her teacher first, then looked outside and was surprised to see the time, staring at Duncan, "You two talked for so long?!"
"We had a very pleasant conversation," Morris said with a smile, "Your uncle is a well-rounded and eager learner. We discussed many historical topics."
Duncan maintained a serious expression and nodded silently.
The so-called exchange was actually just the old man talking unilaterally while he pretended to understand and listened, but since the old man said so, Duncan naturally wouldn't say much—besides, to be fair, he thought he was quite a competent audience, able to ask questions at the right moments to keep the conversation going, which was the best environment for the old scholar who often struggled to find someone to listen to him.
Nina looked at her uncle with suspicion, then at the happy old man. She wanted to say when her uncle became so knowledgeable and eager to learn, but she swallowed her words at the last moment. Suddenly, she felt a bit nervous and tugged at Duncan's sleeve, whispering, "Did you say anything about me?"
"Just some minor issues at school," Morris, despite his age, had sharp hearing and immediately caught the girl's quiet muttering, "Your uncle will tell you—don't worry, I didn't complain."
As he spoke, the old man picked up his cane, confirmed the old dagger he had tucked under his arm, and then bid farewell to the uncle and niece, slowly walking out the door.
After seeing off the old man, Duncan glanced at the outside sky, hung up the closed sign, and locked the shop door—at this time, it was unlikely that more customers would come.
Besides, he had just made a big sale, so ordinary "business" didn't seem as important anymore.
Nina watched Duncan busying himself with locking the door and tidying up the counter, feeling a pile of questions building up inside her. But before she could speak, Duncan suddenly looked up and smiled at her, "In a couple of days, I'll take you to buy a bicycle."
"Ah?" Nina was momentarily taken aback, "Why..."
"I received a bonus from the city hall, and the money is enough. Then I just made a big sale, so I thought... we could live a little more comfortably," Duncan waved the check in his hand, "At least a bicycle will be very useful, right?"
"A big sale..." Nina finally caught on, "Ah, you really sold that dagger to Mr. Morris?"
"Yes," Duncan nodded, "Sold it for over three thousand Sola."
Nina: "…!?"
The girl, who had a good sense of money, was shocked by that number and then looked at her uncle with a strange expression.
"Your teacher came for a home visit, and you talked to him for an entire afternoon, then sold him something worth over three thousand Sola... what will happen if this gets out?!"
Duncan thought for a moment and replied seriously, "Our shop will become famous?"
Nina: "Are you serious?"
Duncan shrugged, "What else? The old man liked that thing; I couldn't just give it away—it's rare to have a genuine item in the shop."
Nina put her hands on her hips, puffed out her cheeks, but in the end, the breath she had been holding turned into a smile.
(End of Chapter)