This was the first time since their reunion that Lucrezia had seen such a complex, heavy, and warm expression on her "father's" face. Before this, her father had smiled at her and shown many human-like actions, but for some reason, she always felt a vague sense of incongruity behind those smiles and words, as if her father was trying to disguise himself with a "kind demeanor" after losing his memories in the subspace.

This sense of incongruity had always made her feel uneasy, but at this moment, she finally saw some heartfelt emotions on his face—a sense of apology, and a regret that others couldn't understand. But she didn't know if this apology was meant for her.

*I still don't understand enough,* the witch thought with a soft sigh.

*I thought I had more or less caught up with your pace.*

"The *Shireless* ended up falling into the subspace. It's a good thing you didn't catch up," Duncan said.

Duncan shook his head, then took one last look at the quietly floating moon before turning and walking towards the connecting bridge leading away from the platform. "Let's go back, Lucy."

Lucrezia was a little surprised. "Aren't you going to study it a bit more?"

"I'm not a scholar, and I don't have professional research methods or equipment," Duncan waved his hand. "I came just to see it with my own eyes. As for how to uncover its secrets, that's up to the professional scholars."

At this, he paused and added, "I'll be staying in Poughkeepsie for a while. I'll be keeping an eye on your progress 'on the moon.' Also, if anything happens to other elves like what happened to Talan Eil, tell me immediately."

"I understand," Lucrezia immediately nodded in response. Then, she hesitated and asked, "About your arrival, can I tell Governor Sala. Mer? Of course, I won't casually reveal it to more people..."

"As you wish," Duncan nodded.

"Tell whoever you want. Their reaction has nothing to do with me."

Lucrezia lowered her head slightly. "Yes."

A moment later, the *Shireless*, which was still hovering somewhere outside the glowing geometric structure, suddenly had a rotating, spreading doorway of flames appear on its foredeck. The door opened with a crackling burst of flame, and Duncan stepped out. Alice, who was holding a large mop and several other mops, vigorously scrubbing the deck, ran over happily. "Captain's back!"

Duncan waved away the flames behind him, looked at the gothic doll with a mop in her hand and a happy smile on her face, and nodded simply. "Yeah, I'm back."

"Was it successful?" Alice casually tossed the mop aside and looked at the captain happily. "You were gone for so long, so long! Did you talk to Miss Lucrezia a lot? Did you go to that 'ball' over there? What does it look li..."

"Ah..." The mop that Alice had thrown aside suddenly jumped up and smacked the excited doll on the head with its wooden handle, then hopped and skipped across the deck to wash itself in a bucket of water. Alice covered her head and looked at Duncan, bewildered and aggrieved. "Why did it hit me? It almost knocked me off!"

Duncan looked at the doll, whose emotions were so simple and clear, at her smile just now and her current confusion. Unconsciously, the frustration and disappointment that had been building up in his heart quietly dissipated a little. But Alice was still feeling wronged.

"You better check and see if that's the deck-washing mop. Maybe it works in the dining room," Duncan said with a smile.

He reached out and pressed Alice's head, then curiously asked, "Also, I've always wanted to ask you, the mops and buckets on this ship can clean on their own, so why do you still insist on washing the deck yourself?"

"I'm helping," Alice said righteously, puffing out her chest. "They get so tired wiping on their own."

Duncan's eyes twitched. He silently turned his gaze to the mops and buckets not far away, which were quickly cleaning the deck as if afraid of being grabbed by some doll to "help" if they were a step too slow. After a moment of silence, he shook his head. "You're happy... you're happy, that's all that matters."

Alice nodded, confused. Then she saw Duncan turn around, seemingly preparing to return to the captain's cabin. She couldn't help but speak, "Captain, are you going back to rest?"

"Yeah, I'm a little tired."

"Captain..." Alice still looked a little worried. She walked over and tugged on Duncan's sleeve. "Are you okay?"

"Why do you ask?" Duncan stopped in confusion and turned to look at the not-very-bright doll.

"Because you've been sighing a lot these past two days, and you've been spending more time in the captain's cabin than outside. Miss Nina thinks you have something on your mind, but she's too embarrassed to ask you," Alice honestly replied.

"Also, your face looked terrible when you came back just now, like... you've been bottling up a lot of things in your heart. But now your face looks better than before."

Duncan looked at the doll in surprise. He hadn't expected that Alice, who usually seemed so carefree and muddle-headed, would observe and notice these things. He hadn't expected that she would just grab him like this and say all these things. Was it perhaps because she didn't think too much that she didn't know how to hesitate and waver? Some disjointed thoughts floated through Duncan's mind, but looking at the doll in front of him, who still had a worried and confused look on her face, he didn't know what to say. After all, even when facing the knowledgeable Lucrezia, there were too many things he couldn't explain clearly. "You wouldn't understand," Duncan shook his head after a moment of silence. "Things are complicated, so complicated that they can't be explained to anyone. Not even Maurice could understand!"

Alice just blinked her eyes and said without hesitation, "Then you can tell me."

Duncan was dumbfounded. "I just said, you wouldn't understand..."

"But I usually don't understand a lot of things you say anyway," Alice said matter-of-factly. "I don't understand a lot of things, but you still tell me. I'm good at listening to people. I'll listen whether I understand or not."

Duncan's expression suddenly became a little subtle. Listening to the silly doll's blunt and even somewhat proud magical logic, he couldn't find a rebuttal for a moment. Alice was still staring straight at the captain in front of her.

She didn't think it was shameful that she usually didn't understand many things, nor did she think there was anything wrong with what she was saying at the moment. She thought of it, she was curious, so she said it. In Alice's uncomplicated worldview, that's how everything worked.

She suddenly ran away, ran to a place not far away, and brought over a large wooden bucket that was half her height. She placed it on the deck near the ship's railing, then brought another one and placed it next to the first one. She nimbly climbed onto the wooden bucket and waved to Duncan with a smile. "Captain, why don't you sit down too? Miss Vanna said that blowing the wind and looking at the sea will make you feel better."

Duncan hesitated for a moment, then suddenly smiled. This doll was trying hard, trying to use her limited knowledge and experience to find a way to make the captain feel better. Duncan walked over and sat on the wooden bucket next to Alice. His mood didn't change because of the sea breeze, but it did get a little better.

"Alice."

"Hmm?"

"I'll ask you a question." Duncan pondered. At first, he tried to think about how to make Alice understand the concepts of "moon" and "starry sky," but now he suddenly realized that he didn't need to explain these complicated things to her at all.

"Suppose you live in a place, and there's something that's unique to the place you live in. It could never come from anywhere else, nor could it ever belong to anywhere else. As long as you see it, you know it's from there..."

Alice thought for a moment and curiously opened her mouth, "Like how I live on the *Shireless* now, and you're the *Shireless*'s only captain?"

Duncan was stunned for a moment, then said hesitantly, "Your analogy isn't quite right... but it can be understood that way."

"Oh, then what?"

"Then, you left there, and you can't go back."

Duncan's tone suddenly became a little low.

"You've arrived in a very distant and unfamiliar place, where everything is different from home. You lived there for a while, trying to find your way home, but suddenly, you saw that 'thing,' that thing that theoretically could only appear in your hometown, that shouldn't be seen in a foreign land no matter what..."

Duncan's words fell, but Alice was still thinking blankly. But after thinking for a while, she suddenly laughed. "Then I must have returned to the *Shireless*."

"Returned to the *Shireless*?"

"You said, it can be understood that way. You're the *Shireless*'s only captain. One day, I was sent to a place far away from the *Shireless*, and I couldn't find my way back to the ship, but you suddenly appeared in front of me again, then I must be home. After all, wherever you are, that's the *Shireless*."

The doll smiled happily and looked at Duncan with a confident face. "You said, that thing can only appear in the hometown, and now it appears in front of you, then it means you're at home now."

Alice finished her theory, then turned around on the wooden bucket, rested her hands on her chin, leaned her body forward, and smiled brightly. "Captain, is this a riddle?"

Duncan was a little dazed. He stared blankly at the doll on the wooden bucket opposite him. When the sea breeze blew from the side, Alice's silvery-white hair fluttered, like her forever bright and cheerful mood. Then he laughed.

"Yes, it's a riddle. And now we've all turned it around."

He jumped down from the wooden bucket and said to Alice with a smile, "There's one more thing."

"Hmm?"

"Your posture is unstable," Duncan said. Alice, who was still leaning forward with her hands on her chin, was stunned when she heard this. "Ah?"

The next second, she heard a slight cracking sound from her neck.

"Pop..."

With two "gulu gulu" sounds, Alice fell to the ground twice. Then, her trademark, stuttering voice came from the deck... "Captain, sa... sa... save..."