Chapter 1 Nina's Anxiety

In the antique shop on the first floor, Nina sat anxiously by the counter, occasionally getting up to glance out the window, only to see the empty streets under the lamplight. Then she would check the door again, ensuring it remained tightly shut.

Several times she felt the urge to go outside and take a look, but stopped before her hand reached the doorknob, recalling her uncle’s instructions before he hurried out—do not leave this door; stay home and wait for his return.

"Uncle is really something... Insisting on going out after dark, even with the curfew..." Nina grumbled to herself behind the counter, "If he's caught by the night patrol, he'll be detained again, and it's so dangerous..."

She had no idea how many times she’d muttered this.

Then, she finally heard some movement at the door—a sudden sound of footsteps, followed by the turning of the lock.

Nina suddenly looked up towards the door, seeing it pushed open. The bell hanging on the door jingled crisply and pleasantly as the familiar figure finally came into view.

"Nina, I'm back," Duncan said with a smile as he looked at the girl hurrying from behind the counter. "See? Not too late, right?"

Nina rushed over and bumped her head into Duncan's chest, immediately launching into a torrent of complaints: "Not too late, you say! What time is it now! It's so dangerous to go out during curfew, and you didn't even say what you were going to do, just left me waiting at home..."

Nina's incessant complaints were like a storm at sea, once stirred up, endless. But suddenly, she noticed a small figure hiding behind Duncan, and her complaints stopped abruptly.

Carrying a small suitcase, Shirley peeked out from behind Duncan, waving shyly and nervously at Nina. "Nina... It's me too."

Duncan turned around and closed the shop door, preventing busybodies from noticing the situation. Nina, after seeing Shirley's appearance, widened her eyes. "Shirley?! You... How did you get here, and with Uncle... Wait, you're covered in blood!"

"Ah, don't worry, don't worry," Shirley said, waving her hands慌忙. Although the injury on her back hadn't fully healed, she still tried to give the other girl the same bright smile as before. "Just a little problem. I'm fine..."

"This is hardly a little problem!" Nina frantically took the small suitcase from Shirley and quickly examined the bloodstains on her. She soon noticed the torn areas on Shirley's clothes and exclaimed in alarm, "You... How badly are you hurt? We need to find a doctor quickly! You..."

"I'm really okay, hey, calm down!" Shirley quickly grabbed Nina's hand, looking helpless. "Have you forgotten? I'm not an ordinary person..."

Nina opened her mouth as if to say something, but suddenly heard Duncan cough beside her.

"Cough," Duncan interrupted the increasingly chaotic exchange between the two girls, looking at Nina. "Don't ask so many questions yet. Shirley's injuries shouldn't be a concern—take her upstairs to take a bath and change clothes. I'll explain the details later."

Nina's gaze flickered between Shirley and Duncan, agreeing dazedly. Shirley rubbed her stomach, looking a little embarrassed. "Um... Is there anything to eat...? I want to eat something first..."

Perhaps the recovery process had consumed too much energy; she now only felt ravenous—in comparison, the pain from her injuries didn't seem so urgent.

"Ah, yes, yes, there is!" Nina paused, then immediately reacted. "I happened to make extra food tonight... I'll go heat it up for you!"

Nina quickly ran up the stairs, her footsteps fading away. Shirley stayed behind, looking a bit dazed. She looked around, seeing the familiar first-floor shop, shelves full of fake antiques, a not-so-clean display window, and Mr. Duncan standing beside her with a faint smile.

After a few seconds of愣神, she whispered, "I'm back..."

"Yes, you're back," Duncan said with a smile, bending down to pick up Shirley's small suitcase and walking forward. "We should probably discuss how to explain your injuries while we're at it, and come up with a reasonable excuse for you to stay here permanently—though I don't think that excuse needs to be too elaborate. Nina would probably be happy to have you stay."

Shirley stared blankly from behind, suddenly realizing something. She quickly caught up with Duncan, reaching for her suitcase and saying quickly, "I can carry it myself! I can..."

Duncan smiled and shook his head, looking ahead.

The pale, cold light of the Worldscar shone on the boundless sea, the gentle waves reflecting tiny flecks of light. The cool night sea breeze blew across the deck, stirring the hem of the captain's uniform.

Duncan stood on the deck of the Vanishing Sea, looking at the three "Harbingers of the End" who were still unconscious but whose bodies were gradually reverting to human form.

So these twisted fellows could turn into normal people?

Footsteps came from not far away. Duncan turned around and saw Alice's silvery-white hair flying in the night breeze—the gothic doll in a long dress ran over in the night, shouting happily, "Captain, Captain, I heard Mr. Goathead say you sent something to the deck again? Did you buy more from the human city-states..."

Alice stopped abruptly halfway through her shout. The doll who had run out to see the excitement stopped beside the captain, looking confused at the three "humanoid creatures" lying on the deck.

After a long moment of愣神, the doll turned to Duncan, looking lost. "Captain... Are these also local specialties from the human city-states?"

"...I suppose," Duncan considered. "Anyway, I haven't seen them anywhere else. They just keep popping up in the city-states."

Alice gave a muddled "oh," then raised her hand to scratch her head, feeling an itch—as if she was about to grow a brain, but hadn't quite managed it.

"Looking at them... They should be people, right?" the doll muttered. "Captain, what are you doing with these three things? You didn't buy them, did you?"

"I didn't buy them; I picked them up on the road," Duncan replied casually to the incoherent doll, while paying attention to the three "Subspace Cultists" who had almost completely returned to human form. He noticed that one of them was showing signs of waking up, and finally felt relieved.

It seemed that Aeyr's teleportation process was as reliable as ever; these cultists were still alive and well, and might even wake up.

So... Could Aeyr also transport ordinary people to the ship in the future?

Duncan pondered in his heart, his mood gradually improving.

He had always wanted to find some cultists to serve as "test subjects" to test Aeyr's long-range teleportation ability, the special environment on the Vanishing Sea, and Alice's guillotine power, but he had never found the opportunity.

The Sun Cultists in the city-states had been almost completely wiped out in a wave of attacks by the Deep Sea Church, and were now all crammed into churches across the land. The scattered, independent cultists in the populace had either fled or gone into hiding, and he hadn't been able to find any for a long time—he had originally put aside the idea for the time being, but he hadn't expected to encounter this situation tonight.

Several Harbingers of the End who worshipped Subspace had inexplicably appeared.

What could Duncan say? He could only thank the bounty of nature...

And as he pondered, the "gifts of nature" on the deck finally began to wake up.

One of the Harbingers of the End suddenly twitched, a hoarse, low grumble coming from his throat. Then, his skinny, emaciated arms suddenly propped up his body. The Subspace worshiper sat up, looking around in surprise at the unfamiliar surroundings.

The gentle waves and cold sea breeze stimulated his nerves, which had been altered by Subspace influence. A gentle, low voice came from the side: "You're awake."

"Where..." The cultist slowly turned his head, his turbid pupils reflecting the figures of Duncan and Alice. His brain worked sluggishly, and it took several seconds for him to regain his ability to think. The next second, he abruptly stood up, facing Duncan with hostility and taking a slight step back. "Who are you?!"

"Oh, right, you haven't seen me before," Duncan said with a smile, watching as the other two Harbingers of the End slowly woke up. He then said in a low voice, "Welcome to the Vanishing Sea—you can call me Captain Duncan."

"...The Vanishing Sea?!" The first cultist to wake up was taken aback. He clearly knew the name. After a brief moment of surprise, his eyes widened. "This is... This is on that ghost ship that returned from Subspace?!"

"That's right. It seems you know the situation, so our conversation will be simple," Duncan nodded. "First, I have some questions..."

Before he could finish speaking, he saw the cultist suddenly raise his hands high in the air. A kind of狂喜 seemed to fill the madman's mind, causing him to shout loudly: "Subspace! You have finally opened the door to us! Eternal life in the apocalypse! Salvation in disaster! All annihilation, all resurrection! The promised ark has descended... The promised ark has descended!"

Duncan couldn't continue his sentence—

Did this cultist have something seriously wrong with his head?!