Cháng table side, Lawrence carefully observed the behavior of everyone present, while cautiously controlling every expression, every muscle. He pondered how he could naturally blend into this special gathering without seeming like… an outsider.

Many stories about legendary investigators and adventurers flooded his mind, then receded like seawater over a beach, leaving nothing of reference except for some messy thoughts.

After pondering for a long time, he mustered his courage and whispered to Agatha, who was closest to him:

"When is Captain Duncan likely to arrive?"

"I don't know, he said he's waiting for everyone to gather," Agatha whispered back.

"Let's be patient and wait."

"Are there any rules later?" Lawrence asked again in a low voice.

"This is my first time attending a gathering..."

"Me too." Agatha folded her hands in front of her chest, looking as if she were praying silently, but like Lawrence, she was carefully observing the situation in the cabin.

Although she recognized the faces around the table, this ship was indeed her first visit.

"But I don't think there's any need to be nervous. We've interacted in the city-state before, and everyone is very friendly." Lawrence gave an "oh," but still couldn't sit still and couldn't help but look at Vanna, who was one seat away. This Pland judge could be considered an acquaintance of his. *Your Excellency Judge, this is my first time attending a gathering. If I do anything rude later, please help me...* Just as he finished speaking, before Vanna could say anything, Shirley on the opposite side of the table suddenly blurted out:

"What? You want her to help you take care of any impolite behavior? Old man, let me tell you, when she's impolite, the commotion is bigger than yours. I remember once she did a jumping split..."

"Cough, cough." Vanna coughed loudly, interrupting Shirley's rambling. Just as Lawrence was stunned by this, Nina across the table put down her book, looking around while muttering, "I'm hungry, when will dinner be served...?" Shirley shook her head: "It's still early for dinner." Nina was taken aback:

"Ah? Then why did we come to the dining room?"

"The captain said there was something important to discuss, didn't you hear?"

"Didn't hear... I was just busy reading. Uncle Duncan said to gather in the dining room, so I brought my book." Nina's head swayed back and forth.

"Does anyone have anything to eat?" I have biscuits and dried salted fish. Alice stood up, saying happily as she took snacks out of the pockets in her skirt.

"Anyone else want to eat?" Nina and Shirley pounced on her excitedly. Ah-Gou, tethered by a chain, tilted to the side and yelled while pawing at the draft paper, "Hey, Shirley, you should have said something when you got up. My coordinate map is all crooked..." Lawrence stared dumbfounded at the scene, watching as the atmosphere in this gloomy and solemn gathering instantly became lively. He hesitated and turned to look at Maurice, the only one still sitting upright at the scene. The latter took the pipe from his mouth and nodded friendly to him: "Just get used to it, it's like this every day on the ship—if you're hungry, tell Alice, she's in charge of everyone's meals." Lawrence felt his brain creak halfway around as he stammered,

"Uh... I'm... not hungry." Just as he finished speaking, the corner of his eye suddenly caught a flash of ghostly green light near the dining room door, and he tensed up instantly. However, just as he was about to remind everyone, the door opened, and it was not the owner of the *Lost Country* who walked in.

Tirian appeared at the door with a swaying gait, carrying a briefcase, looking slightly dazed as he surveyed the scene in the dining room.

Shirley climbed onto the table, Ah-Gou was hanging in mid-air, Nina was clinging to Alice, and Alice, the living doll with the face of the Frost Queen, was now raising her hands high, one hand full of biscuits and the other full of dried fish. The gatekeeper of Frost and the Pland judge were sitting across the table with blank expressions, silently covering their foreheads with their hands.

Tirian's appearance attracted everyone's attention, even Shirley, who was stuffing dried fish into her mouth, stopped.

Several gazes from around the cháng table fell on the newly appointed governor of Frost at the same time. The collective gaze even made the "Ironclad Vice Admiral," who was used to seeing big waves, take a half-step back subconsciously. However, Tirian was not seeing the current atmosphere of the *Lost Country* for the first time. He quickly reacted and tidied himself up.

Tidying up his expression, he walked towards the long table while greeting everyone in a friendly manner, polite and well-mannered, making it impossible to tell that he had been rampaging in this frigid sea as a sea pirate for the past half-century.

"Sorry, it took me a little while to sort things out, sorry to keep everyone waiting," Tirian said as he came to the empty seat next to the cháng table. He placed the rather heavy briefcase he was carrying on the table, then looked up at everyone around him.

"Has Father arrived yet?" Almost as soon as Tirian finished speaking, Duncan's voice suddenly appeared in front of the long table:

"I'm here." The next second, a ball of ghostly green flames ignited out of thin air at the end of the cháng table, rising and exploding. The flames fell towards the cháng table, and Duncan's figure condensed and appeared from the flames, sitting in his chair at the long table.

The next second, accompanied by a few faint sounds of "whoosh, whoosh," all the lights in the cabin were tinged with a layer of ghostly green light.

A low, unsettling creaking sound came from the depths of the cabin. Maurice's expression changed slightly. He could feel the ship's own "atmosphere" changing. The captain was adjusting the *Lost Country* to some kind of defensive posture! Then, he heard the ship's voice ring out in the flames: "The matter I am going to discuss today is extremely special and dangerous, so the highest level of protection is required. The *Lost Country* will now enter the spirit world. During the gathering, members with strong faith should pay attention to their mental state at all times. If you hear certain secrets pointing to the gods, if you hear or see any 'revelations,' report to me immediately." Vanna, Maurice, and Agatha exchanged glances subconsciously, but after only a moment of hesitation, Duncan's gaze fell on Tirian.

"Did you bring the crystal ball?"

"I brought it," Tirian said immediately, then raised his hand to open the heavy briefcase he had brought. A crystal ball containing extraordinary power and a complex lens device were presented to everyone. Then, he began to operate the complex structure on the lens base, placing all the lenses in the correct positions.

The next moment, the crystal ball began to brighten little by little. After a moment of waiting, a hazy figure appeared in the faint light, and then the figure quickly became clear.

Lucretia's figure appeared in the crystal ball, appearing for a moment, then the picture flashed and suddenly disappeared.

Nina, who was curiously observing next to her, was immediately confused and turned to look at Tirian: "Is it broken?" Tirian scratched his chin somewhat awkwardly: "She fell off her chair." As soon as he finished speaking, there were faint rustling sounds and the sound of debris being pushed aside from within the crystal ball. Lucretia finally reappeared in the center of the screen. The "Sea Witch" looked at the scene on the crystal ball side with a hint of horror and tension. The next second, she glared at Tirian: "Brother! What are you doing?!"

"I asked him to bring the crystal ball to the *Lost Country*, Lucy," Before Tirian could speak, Duncan's voice came from the side.

"But I didn't expect him not to say hello to you in advance. Don't be afraid, just saying a few words to your father won't cause you to be plagued by curses." Lucretia in the crystal ball looked strange, obviously not ready for this sudden meeting and conversation, so she seemed a little restless, but soon she realized the unusually serious atmosphere here, and the slight unease in her heart was immediately suppressed, replaced by the composure she tried to restore: "Father, long time no see... I'm sorry, I didn't mean to."

"It hasn't been that long, don't mind, I understand your reaction." Duncan smiled, then raised his head and gestured to the other figures around the cháng table.

"Let's start with a brief introduction, Lucy. What you see are the new crew members of the *Lost Country* and the new captain of the *Lost Country* fleet." He introduced the people around the cháng table one by one. Those whose names were mentioned stood up to salute. Finally, he pointed to the figure in the crystal ball: "This is my daughter, Lucretia. Many of you should know her, so there's no need for much introduction, right?"

"The famous frontier adventurer," Maurice nodded immediately, "and the Sea Witch who is very accomplished in the field of mysticism."

"It's an honor to meet you, madam." Lucretia nodded slightly with restraint: "I've also heard your name. Even in Light Wind Port and Mokha, senior professors at the Academy of Truth are always quoting your many achievements and views when discussing problems." After regaining her composure, the "Sea Witch" appeared dignified and steady. She sat upright in the crystal ball, exuding an aura of confidence and elegance in her gestures, not at all like someone who had just fallen off her chair.

"Alright, the introductions and greetings are over," Duncan interjected into the topic at the right time.

"Let's get down to business." His eyes swept over everyone present. Everyone had arrived, even the goat-headed man who was unable to move from the captain's room was listening to the commotion here with his permission. Duncan took a light breath and broke the silence: "In short, Agatha and I successfully conducted a deep dive into the depths below Frost. The specific diving depth has exceeded the Submersion Project half a century ago. During the deep dive, we witnessed many horrifying scenes and learned the truth that is enough to subvert many people's understanding."

"First, we have confirmed the bottom structure of the city-state. There is some kind of extremely huge biological organization there!"