Chapter 17 A Peaceful Departure

The sea was very calm, with a pleasant breeze, gentle waves, and sunlight that wasn't too strong. If one didn't know the great terror lurking beneath the deep sea, it could even be described as an idyllic scene.

It was as if the terrible dream of the entire city-state being plunged into doomsday and burning in flames had never happened.

On the stern platform of the *Vanishing Sail*, the dark, heavy astrolabe was rotating automatically without anyone controlling its angle, and the windlass nearby was also slowly adjusting its posture.

Nina sat on the green, seaweed-covered deck by the platform, her upper body leaning on the railing, her legs dangling outside, while Duncan sat on a large wooden barrel beside her.

"...This feeling is very strange. I know you are my Uncle Duncan, I know you are someone I can rely on and trust, but at the same time, another 'fact' is also so clear..."

She seemed to be talking to herself, her voice very soft and slow.

"I have an uncle, he's an ordinary person. He used to be a good person, honest and hardworking, but later he became... not so good anymore. He degenerated, started drinking, became addicted to money, and became irritable. The situation was getting worse every day. At that time, I even felt that going home was a terrible thing..."

"But suddenly, my uncle got better again, like a dream. His body recovered, his temper improved, and the atmosphere at home seemed to return to the past... even better than it had ever been. And in fact, from then on... I often thought, how wonderful it would be if you could always be my uncle."

Duncan frowned slightly.

"You noticed it back then?"

"Vaguely... but I wasn't sure, and there's one thing I don't understand," Nina turned her head, looking up slightly. "If it really was a 'demon' like the books say, occupying my home, why would that demon be so good to me?"

Duncan looked into Nina's eyes. After a while, he suddenly smiled.

"I'm much better than a demon."

"I can see that now, and you're much friendlier than a demon too," Nina smiled as well, resting her head on the railing beside her, looking lazy. "You're Uncle Duncan, right?"

"Yes, and I can always be."

"That's great... I feel much more at ease," Nina breathed a sigh of relief. Then she was silent for a while before hesitantly asking, "My other uncle... was he peaceful when he left?"

Duncan recalled the night he truly entered the city-state of Pland.

An irredeemable cultist, gasping his last breath in the cold, damp sewers, his dark brethren plotting to throw the body into the dark depths, and in his muddled mind, besides vicious resentment, there was only twisted, fanatical worship of the Black Sun.

But there was still a trace of humanity left, concerned about a relative he depended on.

Just for that little bit of humanity.

"He passed away peacefully, and he must be resting in peace now," Duncan said softly. "He didn't have many concerns at the end, and you were among them."

"That's good," Nina breathed a sigh of relief, as if she had finally let go of the last of her burden. She stretched vigorously and lay back on the deck. The *Vanishing Sail's* translucent ethereal sails were reflected in her pupils. "So much has happened lately, especially today... Can you tell me about it? The things you haven't told me yet, about this ship, about you, and... about me."

Duncan got up from the barrel and came to Nina's side, slowly lying down as well. "That would take a long time. Your uncle has a lot of stories..."

"In short, Captain Duncan is just that amazing..."

On the *Vanishing Sail's* broad deck, Alice was enthusiastically introducing the captain's great deeds to the "visitors." She had been talking non-stop for quite a while, and at least two-thirds of these deeds had been heard from the Goat Head. These stories had first been embellished by the Goat Head, and now they had been twisted upside down by the doll lady, all distorted into a form that humans could hardly understand – not to mention that Duncan himself would be shocked if he heard them, even if Alice were to repeat them on the spot, she wouldn't dare to guarantee that she'd get them right.

But even such nonsense was being listened to with great attention by Sherry and Morris, and even Agou, who was beside them, had put down his newspaper and was listening attentively.

They didn't think there was anything unreasonable about Alice's messy stories – even if Alice insisted that the *Vanishing Sail* actually had two long legs underneath and relied on sprinting along the seabed to run so fast.

The sub-space is amazing, the *Vanishing Sail* is broken, it's normal for the number one disaster in the boundless sea to be full of loopholes, the more unreasonable it is, the more correct it is.

The person in front of them was "Ms. Alice," who had a place on the *Vanishing Sail*, a confidante who followed Mr. Duncan and even dared to pinch Mr. Duncan's cheek in the antique shop. What she said must be right.

"As expected of the *Vanishing Sail*..." Morris stroked his beard in admiration. He had studied all his life, but only when he stood in front of Alice did he realize how shallow his knowledge was. "I've seen many articles about this ship in books. Those who wrote the books sat in their rooms and relied on their imagination to write a whole book, but now it seems that more than ninety percent of it is outrageous..."

As soon as the old gentleman finished speaking, a dignified voice suddenly came from the side: "I strongly advise you not to take Alice's words seriously – her exaggerations are much more serious than those fabricated books."

The moment this voice sounded, Agou instantly hid behind Sherry. Morris hurriedly got up and looked at the tall figure walking down the stairs not far away: "Ah, Duncan... Captain, you're finished?"

Duncan nodded, stepped down the ladder, and then a petite figure also walked down the stairs behind him.

"Nina!" Sherry jumped up when she saw the figure, happily welcoming her, "You're okay! You're back!"

With this welcoming gesture, the black chain on Sherry's arm instantly tightened. Agou, who was burying his head and pretending to not exist, was instantly dragged forward by the chain, rolling and crawling, while screaming: "Slow down, slow down... Woah, you're still dragging me... Ouch, my..."

"Sherry," Nina said with a bright smile, grabbing Sherry's arm and shaking it vigorously, then bending down to look at Agou, who was lying face down on the stairs, and patted the latter's skeletal head. "And Mr. Agou, I'm back."

Morris also stepped forward to greet his student, then turned his head to look at Alice: "Ms. Alice, what you just said... was all made up?"

"I didn't make it up! Mr. Goat Head said it!" Alice immediately glared. "He said he served on the *Vanishing Sail* for a century, he knows more about this ship than anyone else!"

Morris looked blank: "Goat Head?"

"My big shadow – you wouldn't want to deal with it," Duncan said casually, then glanced at the people standing in front of him.

Morris, Sherry, Agou – unplanned passengers, the *Vanishing Sail's* long-lost visitors.

The situation in the city-state of Pland was urgent at the time. Although Duncan already had a plan to use the special nature of the *Vanishing Sail* to isolate the pollution of history, he still urgently transferred the "guests" who were sheltering in the antique shop to this ship, just in case. But now that the situation in the city-state had calmed down, he needed to consider what to do next.

At the very least, old Mr. Morris still had relatives in the city-state. He probably wouldn't want to stay on this ghostly ship forever.

After a brief thought, he withdrew his gaze.

"I think you already know where you are and who I am – as you can see, this is the *Vanishing Sail*, and I am the captain of this ship. In the past century, at least half of the horror legends on the boundless sea... are more or less related to me."

"I won't comment on the authenticity or exaggeration of these legends, but one thing is true, as the legends say: after boarding the *Vanishing Sail*, it is difficult to break the connection with this ship. In a sense, after experiencing Aeyr's teleportation and the *Vanishing Sail's* 'spiritualization', you can be considered crew members of this ship."

"Unfortunately, this process is irreversible and unavoidable," Duncan said bluntly, stating the fact – and this was also the experience he had recently summarized regarding the *Vanishing Sail* and his own power.

Those who encounter the *Vanishing Sail*, those who encounter the ghostly flames, will inevitably establish a connection with Duncan, even if he himself is unaware of it – the earliest example was the *White Oak*, and the most recent was Vanna.

Morris and Sherry's reactions were calmer than Duncan expected. Only Agou muttered something in a low voice that no one could hear.

It seemed that they had already thought of this situation and were somewhat prepared.

Duncan paused deliberately for two or three seconds, then suddenly smiled and shook his head.

"But there is one thing that is different from the legends," his tone became lighter. "This ship doesn't only have one-way tickets, and I, the captain... as you can see, am not the mad, out-of-control disaster that the legends describe."

"Your boarding was because of the emergency situation at the time, so I don't restrict your freedom."

This time, Sherry and Morris finally widened their eyes slightly, especially the latter. The old gentleman was still struggling with how to return to the city-state, how to exchange the qualification to return to the mortal world from a sub-space shadow, but he didn't expect that things would be so simple, and he was immediately surprised: "That is to say... we can go back?"

"Of course," Duncan smiled. "The crisis in Pland has ended. You are free to come and go, but..." Morris immediately became nervous again.

"But let's eat before you leave," Duncan said casually. "This is my way of treating guests – the food on the *Vanishing Sail* is simple, but it has some unique features, especially the seafood, which are all good things that you can't get in the city-state..."