Chapter 43 Humanity

Duncan, who was heading into the captain's cabin, suddenly stopped and turned to look behind him.

There seemed to be some movement coming from the direction of the bow deck. In the subtle perception of the Vanishing Line, it was Sherry and Ah-gou making a fuss.

But there was nothing wrong over there.

"So much trouble just to do some homework," Duncan muttered, shaking his head, and walked towards the nautical chart.

The Goathead, diligently steering at the edge of the navigation table, immediately emitted a creaking sound of wood rubbing. It turned to look at Duncan, its two dark obsidian eyes seeming to brighten: "Ah! The great Captain Duncan has come to his loyal first mate – what are your catches today..."

"No fish today," Duncan glanced at the Goathead. "Judging by the disturbance before the frost, I'm afraid we won't be able to catch any fish here for a while."

The string of flattery that Goathead had just brewed was immediately stifled. Its wooden neck creaked and swayed left and right a few times before it squeezed out a sentence: "Ah… then at least you've gained a leisurely morning. The sea breeze is pleasant today, the sun is good, it's a good day for wandering at sea. If you're interested, we can go near Coldport…"

"No interest. I don't plan to let the Vanishing Line get close to any city-states for the time being," Duncan interrupted the Goathead, which was about to start nagging, his gaze falling casually on the nautical chart in front of him.

A hazy mist slowly rose and fell on the nautical chart. Amidst the swirling mist, a clear route was marked out, the route the Vanishing Line had taken northward. And around the phantom of the ship representing the Vanishing Line, one could see the projection representing Frost, as well as the Sea Fog, emitting a faint green light.

The latter was currently docked at the edge of the Frost City-State.

"Things seem pretty quiet on the Sea Fog's side…" Duncan's gaze fell on the Sea Fog's projection, and the corner of his mouth suddenly curled up a bit, as if he had thought of something pleasant. "Looks like things are going smoothly."

"Smoothly? Ah, Captain, I feel like you have a great plan again?" The Goathead immediately perked up at the sound of this, craning its neck towards the nautical chart while chattering, "What's your plan? Is it to subvert the weakening city-state? Or take the opportunity to completely recapture the Sea Fog that once deserted the fleet? As expected of you, what you're planning is not just…"

Duncan silently glanced at the Goathead: "Are those the only ideas in your head – robbery, disruption, conspiracy, subversion? Are there no positive possibilities?"

The Goathead thought for a moment and changed its tune: "Are you going to personally help Frost reorganize its order to overcome this difficulty? Or are you going to guide Tyrian to get rid of his current disgraceful rebellious identity and lead him back to the correct and great path?"

Duncan looked at the Goathead with a strange expression: "How did you come up with these?"

"Captain, perhaps you haven't noticed, but I still have some ability to observe, and after spending this time together, I'm understanding you more and more," the Goathead slowly rotated its neck, its dark eyes unable to reveal any emotion, but its tone was obviously tinged with complacency and relaxation. "You won't leave the current Frost alone—unlike Pland, Frost has suffered more damage in this disaster. If you really leave it alone, something big will happen, and you…"

It suddenly stopped here, as if searching for the right words. After a moment, it continued unhurriedly: "And you are full of humanity."

Duncan didn't speak for a while, but just calmly stared at the Goathead's pitch-black eyes that seemed to devour light. After a long time, he softly broke the silence: "Very perceptive."

The Goathead hesitated for a moment, and suddenly a cracking sound came from its neck: "Th-th-this… this sounds like what you say before silencing someone…"

But Duncan laughed and shook his head gently: "See, you still don't understand me enough—I don't mind perceptive guys, it saves me a lot of thought."

After saying that, he waved his hand, not caring about the Goathead's subsequent reaction, and got up to look at the ancient round mirror not far away.

A faint flame quietly rose in his eyes, and the mirror surface became deep and dark. In the light and shadow that spread out calmly, the figure of Tyrian hurrying over was gradually becoming clear.

"Good morning, Tyrian. I hope I didn't disturb your rest," Duncan looked peacefully at the "Great Pirate" who had obviously jogged all the way, a smile on his face. "How did you sleep last night?"

Tyrian in the mirror was obviously a little nervous, taking several breaths to calm down, and pulling at a stiff smile at the corner of his mouth: "Fath… Father, good morning, I was just about to find you—oh, I slept fine last night, thank you for your concern."

"You're too distant when you talk to me, you don't have to be so nervous," Duncan adjusted his posture, looking at the figure in the mirror with a smile that was not quite a smile. "What's wrong, were you scared by my previous demeanor?"

"No… no!" Tyrian immediately sat up straight, like a student who had suddenly been called on in class. "I just have more respect for you…"

"Alright, I just want you to relax a little—no matter what demeanor I have, it shouldn't make you this nervous," Duncan shook his head. "You said you were looking for me? Is there something going on?"

Tyrian hesitated, as if organizing his thoughts and weighing how to speak. After a moment, he said hesitantly: "It's about Frost. I don't know how to explain it to you, but they seem to want…"

The Great Pirate was a bit stuck, as if he couldn't decide whether to say some things, but at this moment, Duncan's voice suddenly rang out, interrupting his subsequent words: "Let me guess what your next identity will be—a general of the Frost City-State? A high-ranking official in the city hall? Or… did they simply make you the governor?"

Tyrian, who was struggling to find the right words, was stunned and looked up in astonishment.

"How did you know…"

"It's simple, because that's what I suggested—letting the Sea Fog Fleet enter the city," Duncan said with a calm face. "Otherwise, do you think there are other factors that could make a chaotic city hall act so quickly and unify its views? You know how they operate."

The expression on Tyrian's face visibly brightened, with an emotion brewing in his eyes that was a mix of "I've been racking my brains all night thinking about life and the future, and then I hear that my own dad is a joker." But he looked at the mirror in front of him and opened his mouth several times, but in the end he didn't dare to say the slightly disrespectful thoughts in his mind. He just looked at Duncan with a tangled and puzzled expression: "Why did you do this…"

"It's simple, because Frost needs you, and you need Frost," Duncan put away the smile of a prankster and looked at Tyrian with a serious expression. "From the inside, the city's chaotic situation needs a powerful force to calm and appease it. From the outside, the Frost Navy has suffered heavy losses, and the entire city-state urgently needs strong protection. Then who else has both strong skills and management experience, and a powerful fleet?"

Duncan adjusted his position slightly, leaning forward and looking into Tyrian's eyes.

"It looks like you've accepted their invitation. As I said, Frost needs you—and you need it."

There seemed to be a hint of evasion in Tyrian's eyes: "Fifty years. I've been a pirate long enough, changing my lifestyle doesn't seem so bad."

"Tell the truth."

"…After all, you personally protected that place. I don't want to see your efforts wasted…"

"Tell the truth."

"I admire the indomitable spirit shown by the people of Frost—in the face of disaster, they didn't retreat. Even when you didn't offer help, they never surrendered. I admit, I don't want these people to suffer in the days to come."

Duncan didn't speak, just quietly looking at Tyrian.

Tyrian shrugged: "On the other hand, I don't want to see the place that Her Majesty, Rei Nora, once protected fall into a long and irreversible dark age."

Duncan still didn't speak.

"Alright…" Tyrian finally sighed, looking helpless. "All of the above."

"Good. Be honest, especially in front of me," Duncan withdrew his gaze, his posture relaxing again. "So, what is your current identity?"

"They want me to be the governor," Tyrian pulled at the corner of his mouth with a complicated expression. "They even… pulled out a whole bunch of pre-prepared plans."

Duncan didn't speak for a while, seeming to be lost in thought. After a few seconds, he breathed a sigh of relief: "A little more ambitious than I expected."

Tyrian hesitated, a hint of inquiry in his eyes: "Do you have any advice for me?"

"Why ask for my advice?" Duncan laughed. "You once followed the Queen of Frost, and you commanded the Sea Fog Fleet for fifty years, dealing with every city-state in the Cold Sea. I don't think I can give you any advice on 'being a governor'."

"I just want to hear your opinion."

Duncan pondered, and after a brief moment of thought, he said softly: "Then do a good job, do your best—in this cold world, people have very few things they can rely on."

"…I understand."

"Mm," Duncan responded casually, then suddenly turned his head and glanced at the nautical chart next to him. "Also, there's one more thing."

Tyrian perked up at the sound of this, his expression quickly straightening: "Please, give your instructions."

Duncan's gaze turned to the nautical chart, watching the silhouette of the White Oak rapidly emerging on the map, almost overlapping with the Sea Fog.

He turned his head, looking at Tyrian with a smile: "Hold on tight."

Tyrian was stunned: "Huh?"

Duncan waved his hand, casually dispelling the flames in the mirror. At the moment the flames disappeared, Tyrian's faint exclamation came from the other side of the mirror—

"Hey, I… what's going on?!"

(End of Chapter)