Chapter 1 The Start

　　Alice and Vanna hid in the shadows of a street corner, where they would await instructions and observe the movements around the building.

　　Duncan and Morris, meanwhile, arrived in front of the building with the black door.

　　The building was quiet – as it should be, since the sun had not yet risen, and the nights in this world were never suitable for ordinary people to be out. Most normal people had little nightlife after dark, preferring to go to bed early and wait for dawn.

　　But would a "copy" returned from the deep sea follow the same routines as ordinary people?

　　Duncan looked up and noticed the conspicuous button on the corner of the doorframe. He reached out and pressed it twice.

　　Faintly, they could hear the sharp, rapid ringing of an electric bell from inside the building—in the silence of the night, the bell sounded particularly abrupt.

　　"Perhaps we shouldn't be calling at this hour during curfew," Morris said, rubbing his forehead, with a hint of hesitation in his voice. "Alerting the neighbors could arouse suspicion."

　　"But your friend probably can't wait too long. The sooner, the better," Duncan said calmly. "Don't worry about the rest. Arousing the suspicion of the church or the city-state authorities is part of life. You should get used to being a member of the *Lost Ship*."

　　Morris opened his mouth, but said nothing. At that moment, Duncan reached out and pressed the doorbell twice again.

　　Finally, they heard hurried footsteps inside the building, along with the sound of something being knocked over—then the lights in the living room were turned on, and the light spilled out onto the street through the nearby windows.

　　Just as Duncan was curiously sizing him up, he was also curiously sizing up Duncan—a burly visitor in a black windbreaker and wide-brimmed hat, with no visible features between the seams of his clothing, only layers of bandages.

　　"A friend of Mr. Morris, an explorer on a journey, is very interested in Mr. Brown Scott's research, so he's stopping by," Duncan said proactively. "I hope this hasn't caused you any trouble."

　　Duncan nodded knowingly. At the same time, the young voice behind the door hesitated noticeably after hearing Morris' words, before resolutely saying, "I'm sorry, it's too late, and... the teacher is sleeping. Can we talk about it tomorrow morning?"

　　"Would you like some sweet pancakes and sausages? That's all we have..." Galonie called from the kitchen, her voice slightly apologetic.

　　Morris frowned. The situation was different from what he had initially expected. He hadn't thought that Brown Scott's student would still be living in this house three years after his death. But after a brief moment of thought, he composed himself and said, "We arrived too late and haven't found a place to stay yet—also, your teacher wrote me a letter before, inviting me to come."

　　There was nothing wrong with the female student's tone and expression when she answered.

　　As he spoke, he unobtrusively watched the reaction of the person in front of him.

　　Then he turned to Duncan and said in a low voice, "Probably Brown Scott's student. I heard him mention her."

　　"About a month, I guess," Galonie didn't seem to think too much about it, simply answering the guest's question in a casual manner. "He suddenly came back, saying he was tired from traveling and needed to rest for a while… oh, that was before he mentioned inviting Mr. Morris to visit."

　　"Are you Galonie?" Morris asked tentatively. "Is Mr. Brown Scott home? I'm a friend of your teacher."

　　Having been awakened in the middle of the night, the young woman, as solid as a rock, was only wearing a loose robe. Her brown hair was slightly disheveled, hanging over her shoulders. She leaned against the doorframe, sizing up the two unexpected visitors at the door with a cautious gaze.

　　Morris and Duncan exchanged glances.

　　If it was simply a teacher-student relationship, that would be one thing, but her relationship with the folklorist was clearly more than that—Brown Scott would not have given the keys to his residence to this student, who had lived here for three years, and who had unhesitatingly taken on the responsibility of caring for him after the teacher "returned home." With such a close and trusting relationship, Brown would never have left without telling Galonie his itinerary.

　　However, Galonie didn't react at all when she heard the name "Obsidian." She simply thought for a moment, then shook her head. "I don't know about that. He didn't tell me much when he left..."

　　The sound of the door hinges turning broke the silence of the night, and the black door closed, leaving the street quiet once again.

　　The sound of metal clanging and chains rubbing echoed in the night. The person inside opened the latch hanging on the inside, and the door finally opened. In the dim light, Duncan saw a... tall and somewhat strange figure.

　　"...two or three years, I guess," Galonie said, thinking for a moment, unsure of herself. She looked a little ashamed. "I'm always bad at remembering dates. The teacher always tells me that."

　　As if everything happening around him was perfectly normal.

　　His muscles visibly tensed.

　　Entering through the door, the first thing one saw was a rather simple living room. The furnishings in the living room looked like they were a decade or two old. One side of the living room connected to the kitchen and dining room, while the other side had a staircase leading to the second floor. Underneath the staircase, there was a wide door, which probably led to the basement or cellar.

　　Then he looked at Galonie, who was standing at the door. "This is Mr. Duncan. I am..."

　　However, her answer itself was clearly wrong.

　　It sounded like a young woman.

　　"Just a cup of hot water will do. No need to go to so much trouble," Morris waved his hand. When Galonie walked over, he asked casually, "By the way, have you been living here all the time?"

　　The voice inside the door fell silent. This "Galonie" seemed to be recalling and thinking. After a few more seconds, her voice sounded again: "Then... please wait a moment while I unlock the chain."

　　But besides these striking non-human features, his face was no different from that of an unusually young human male, even somewhat... delicate.

　　Even though the Frost People were accustomed to "bandages," the visitor's appearance was still a bit too intimidating.

　　The figure was only a few centimeters shorter than Vanna, standing out at nearly 1.8 meters tall. But unlike Vanna, who was tall but still slender, this young woman standing at the door had strong, powerful muscles—yet it wasn't just her height that was striking, but also her skin, which was a grayish-black color like rock, with faint golden lines visible on its surface.

　　I don't know which ship my teacher took!

　　Galonie met the visitor's gaze calmly, her expression indifferent.

　　"...The teacher is resting and doesn't know when he'll wake up, but he did mention that Mr. Morris might come to visit," Galonie said. In stark contrast to her tall, muscular frame, her voice always sounded somewhat light and hesitant, with a sense of fear and insecurity. While speaking, she didn't even dare to meet Duncan and Morris' eyes, only muttering as she moved aside. "Please come in. It's cold outside."

　　"Out on a long trip for a while?"

　　Morris frowned subconsciously. "When did this happen?"

　　Duncan and Morris exchanged a glance. The former was a little surprised, while the latter was thoughtful and seemed to have realized something.

　　The lock clicked, and the black door opened a crack. A wary eye looked out through the opening, and a young voice asked, "Who is it?"

　　Morris thanked her and stepped into the house with Duncan.

　　Duncan and Morris didn't show excessive curiosity, simply glancing around before sitting down in the living room under Galonie's guidance. Then, the tall woman went into the kitchen, busying herself with brewing tea and preparing snacks.

　　"When did Mr. Brown return?" Duncan asked casually.

　　"Ah, I forgot to mention," Morris said suddenly, breaking the somewhat awkward and tense atmosphere. He turned to Duncan. "Brown's student, Galonie, is a *Senjin* – not very common in the northern city-states."

　　With that, the old scholar paused and continued, "My name is Morris Underwood. Your teacher should have mentioned me."

　　"I was very surprised when I received his letter," Morris continued smoothly. "He hadn't contacted me in many years. The last time I heard from him, I heard he was going to sea by ship… ah, it seems to be a large cruise ship called ‘Obsidian’?"

　　"Yes, I've been living here," Galonie nodded. "The teacher went on a long trip for a while, and he gave me the keys, asking me to take care of the place for him, so I simply moved here from the place I was renting before, and I've been here ever since. He recently came back, so I'm continuing to live here and take care of him."

　　In the dim light of the electric lamps, there were no suspicious dark corners in the living room. Everything that could be seen was very cozy and...

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