Across the long table, the others exchanged glances, momentarily speechless – they hadn't expected the captain to suddenly pose such a question, nor were they certain what the question truly meant.

After a good while, Nina seemed to grasp something. She thought earnestly for a moment, then whispered, "Maybe… a very safe place? I can't really imagine it… I think the best place would be Prand before the sun went wrong, though it would be nice if it were a bit more spacious. The city-states are just a bit too crowded, especially after going out to sea. It really makes you feel it. The world is so vast, but there's so little room for people to stand…"

"Yes, there will definitely be a spacious habitable zone, far safer than now," Duncan said with a smile, then looked at Shirley, who was sitting next to Nina. "And you? What do you hope the new world will have?"

Shirley, with half a biscuit in her mouth, mumbled indistinctly, "I haven't thought that much about it, just enough to eat and stay warm – and if possible, cheaper utilities would be nice."

"That's a request for 'society,' not for the 'world,'" Duncan gently shook his head. "Think again?"

Shirley chewed on the half-biscuit, her eyes starting to glaze over. She seemed to ponder the question seriously, then swallowed the food in her mouth. "Well… I feel the same as Nina, a safer, more spacious place. You're right, the rest depends on the 'people'… Ah, right! Ah-Gou and I want a big house, or if not, a big plot of land, a place where we can be undisturbed, where Ah-Gou can run around freely without worry…"

Duncan nodded with a smile, his gaze then falling on Maurice beside him.

"As a scholar, I'm well aware that a society composed of people will never be perfect. Even if the surrounding environment becomes safe, the people themselves will create new troubles, but that's also one of the reasons why society can change and move forward," Maurice shrugged. "So instead of imagining what a 'perfect' new world would look like, I'd rather have more research opportunities, more things worth studying –

"More never-before-seen phenomena, more incredible places, more distant lands worth visiting. I hope there are real principles to delve into behind things, rather than encountering all sorts of 'black barriers' and 'contradictions' at the end of every research project. I hope knowledge is no longer dangerous, that students don't have to worry about their lives every time they open a book. I hope 'people' can go further, instead of being bound by indescribable horrors, forever trapped in the place where they live and multiply."

Maurice took a light breath, a smile involuntarily appearing on his face. "If that were possible, it would truly be a good place…"

"I just want to regain my sense of taste and normal sleep," the sailor, who hadn't said much, muttered. "I haven't slept well in centuries."

"As for me, I want to see… what the 'continent' is like," Vanna added, her face filled with contemplation and reminiscence as she slowly said, "Vast and fertile lands, with many cities and 'countries' thriving on the earth, people able to travel between cities with more convenient transportation… I'm curious, what that kind of scene is actually like."

"Is that possible? That much land?" Shirley widened her eyes in surprise. "As big as the ocean?"

Vanna gave Shirley a wry smile. "Weren't you just hoping for a more 'spacious' place? The continent is a more spacious place than the city-states."

Shirley pursed her lips. "I was just saying… I can't imagine it either…"

"Yes, we can't imagine things we've never seen," Agatha's shadow floated beside the dining table, her voice carrying a hint of ethereality. "So I have almost no thoughts about the new world – anyway, it must be a good place, and I just hope to continue traveling with the *Lost Ship*. I've been on this ship for the shortest time, but I've already seen many sights that I've never seen in my memories, but this journey is about to end… it's really regrettable."

"Then I hope I can still be on the *Lost Ship* then!" Shirley's eyes lit up immediately. "It's definitely more fun to run around with this ship!"

"...I hope so too," Nina also smiled, rocking back and forth in her chair. "It would be best if we could return to the *Lost Ship* then."

Her and Shirley's gazes fell on Duncan at the same time, but after stealing a glance, they both looked at the "Sea Witch" who had remained silent the whole time.

Lucrezia hadn't spoken, and even now, she was still sitting there as if lost in thought. Noticing the gazes on her, the "Miss Witch" suddenly woke up.

"Will the *Radiant Star* and my crew have a place in the new world?" she asked curiously. "Including Lunie, Neeru, and Rabi, and the tinplate manservants and wooden doll maids I made… will the new world allow such beings?"

Duncan had been silently listening to his crew's discussion at the table, listening to them sketching the new world in their imaginations, listening to their expectations for the future. He had gradually seemed to be immersed in his own thoughts, and only now, hearing Lucrezia's question, did he suddenly wake up from his reverie.

After carefully sorting out his thoughts and words, he slowly spoke, "They will have a place – all souls have a place to rest."

The next second, Shirley and Nina said in unison, "Will the *Lost Ship* be there too?"

"...The *Lost Ship* will be there too," Duncan hesitated for a moment, then nodded seriously. "In some form… I will try my best to ensure that all of this reaches the new world in the most appropriate way. Then, you can still return to the *Lost Ship*, and I will take you on another voyage."

A happy smile slowly bloomed on Lucrezia's face. "Then bring my brother this time – even across the entire Boundless Sea and the border barrier, I can almost feel his resentment."

Duncan was silent for a few seconds, then finally nodded solemnly. "Okay."

Hearing this answer, Lucrezia lightly exhaled, rose, and raised the wine glass in her hand.

"Then let us toast to the new world," she said with a smile.

Agatha followed suit, raising her glass. "To the new world!"

"To the captain!"

"To the *Lost Ship*!"

"To the future!"

"To… ah, I don't know what to say, f*** it, cheers!"

Everyone raised their glasses around the table. Nina, who had drunk a lot of wheat juice and fermented grape juice, had a bright, slightly tipsy smile on her face. "Shirley, pour some for Ai, it doesn't have hands… By the way, how can this pigeon drink so much? It's all gone?"

Then she looked to the other side. "Lunie, come join us in raising a glass… Neeru too? Can Neeru drink?"

The little doll immediately held up a wine glass almost as big as her head and shouted loudly, "Yes!"

As soon as the words left her mouth, the little one drained the wine glass, red wine spilling from the joints of her neck, instantly soaking her pretty doll dress.

Lunie immediately let out a cry of surprise, apologizing to the mistress on behalf of her sister while rushing forward to wipe Neeru's body with a handkerchief.

Nina wanted to squeeze in. "Hey, wiping won't dry it, I'll bake her, don't let her move around…"

Shirley instantly grabbed Nina's collar from behind. "Don't! You'll burn her again! How did that white and blue dress of yours disappear?"

Ah-Gou remained unmoved in the midst of the chaos, holding a wine glass in both paws and pouring it into its neck. The wine hissed in its chest cavity, then instantly evaporated. It shook its huge bone head and muttered, "This wine doesn't taste like anything… I hope I can have a normal sense of taste in the new world…"

Before the words could fade, it felt a gaze full of pressure coming from the front. It quickly shrank its neck and looked up, seeing the captain looking at it with a smile on his face: "You can."

"I knew it would end up in chaos anyway, I should have brought Rabi," Lucrezia shook her head helplessly, looking at the sudden chaos on the table. "That rabbit likes chaos the most, it'll create chaos even if there isn't any…"

"Yeah, it would have been nice to bring Rabi," Lunie also sighed, holding the drenched Neeru in one hand and futilely continuing to wipe the doll's body with a handkerchief. "Rabi is so absorbent."

Lucrezia sighed. "Don't bully Rabi just because you're not afraid of nightmares. I know you used it to wipe the table last time."

Lunie instantly lowered her head. "Mistress, I'm sorry."

Neeru, being held in the air by her sister, also raised her hand happily. "Sorry!"

"...Forget it, stop wiping, just take her back and wash her with her clothes in the tub."

Duncan sat across the table with his arms folded, a calm smile on his face, watching this familiar and chaotic scene.

It was as if he had returned to the beginning, to when Alice first brought her proud fish soup to the table, with her head stewed in the pot.

And then, they should leave.

The *Lost Ship* and the *Radiant Star* moved slowly, but eventually arrived at the black island with the towering temple and the pilgrimage path.

The goodbyes that needed to be said had been said.

A small paper boat flew to the edge of the *Lost Ship*'s deck, expanding into a shuttle large enough to accommodate everyone. Lucrezia stood on the small boat, with Lunie holding Neeru in her hand, standing beside her mistress.

Shirley, Ah-Gou, Nina, Maurice, Vanna, the sailor, and Agatha in phantom form…

One by one, figures left the *Lost Ship* and stood on the paper boat.

Duncan stood on the deck, silently watching this scene.

Then, he saw Nina and Shirley turn around, followed by Vanna and Maurice and the others – they were smiling, waving to him.

Lucrezia had the brightest smile on her face.

At every farewell, one should smile, so that if they could never see each other again, at least the last scene in their minds when they recalled each other would be a bright smile.

So Duncan smiled too, waving vigorously to everyone.

And then, they left.

(End of Chapter)