Chapter 112 Return

The quantum transition was over. The *Sea Wanderer* and the *Glimmering Star* emerged from that uniform grayish-white "background," and with a slight rocking and tremor, both ships entered waters as still as a mirror.

After such a long pilgrimage to the ends of the world, the two ships had finally returned to the beginning, back to the node where they had first arrived—the resting place of the Leviathan Queen.

Compared to when they had left, nothing seemed to have changed here. The sea was still calm, and the dark islands floating on the endless sea were still hidden in the mist. In the deepest part of the fog, the largest island revealed a vague outline, appearing somewhat dreamlike.

It was just much quieter than before—even the smallest ripples had disappeared from the water, and the faint whispers that had always been present in the fog had now dissipated. Even the sound of the wind blowing across the deck sounded blurred and distant.

Everyone came up on deck. They gathered near the bow, looking at the distant islands and sea that they had been away from for so long. After a long while, Nina was the first to break the silence, "Without realizing it... we've been sailing at the ends of the world for so long..."

"Indeed, so long that I almost forgot this journey was finite," Morris stood quietly beside Nina, the ruby lenses embedded in his eyes adjusting their focus. "...I think I will forever remember everything I've seen and heard along the way."

Vanna looked back at the old gentleman. "That will surely become another series of great discoveries that will shock the world, along with corresponding academic papers."

Morris was silent for two or three seconds. "No one writes or reads papers anymore—the world has begun to cool. No discovery will be able to shock the cooling ashes."

Vanna shook her head. "Then leave it to the more distant future—when the flames reignite and people start thinking again, start demanding knowledge and wisdom."

Shirley, on the other hand, was leaning against the railing, looking into the distance for a long time. Only then did she finally mutter to herself, as if talking to herself, "Ah, we're back after all."

Duncan stood behind everyone. Now, he felt one gaze after another finally fall on him: his crew was waiting for his orders.

Duncan had long been prepared for this moment—when it really came, he simply took a breath and calmly instructed, "We'll dock next to the island where the temple is located. Then everyone will transfer to the *Glimmering Star* and leave. We can stay in touch through the Flame afterwards."

Lucrezia opened her mouth, as if wanting to say something, but in the end, she didn't.

"Before that," Duncan said again, "we'll go to the dining hall and have one last meal together."

Footsteps came from not far away. It was Alice walking onto the deck. The doll lady had finished her steering work and came here to find the captain and her companions.

"Alice, it's time to show off your skills," Duncan turned his head, looking at the doll who was walking over with a smile on his face. "We're going to have a meal together."

Alice was stunned for a moment when she heard this, but soon a bright smile bloomed on her face, and she nodded happily while holding her head, "Aye! Okay!"

"I'll bring Rooney and Nilu over," Lucrezia said immediately. "They can help in the kitchen—and by the way, there's also the fine wine treasured on the *Glimmering Star*."

"I'll help too!" Nina said quickly, smiling, radiating sunshine-like enthusiasm and warmth. "If I help, I can stir-fry the dishes quickly!"

Alice looked at this scene somewhat at a loss, and subconsciously waved her hand, "Aye, there's no need for so many people, I can do it myself..."

The doll suddenly stopped, thought about it very seriously, and sighed helplessly, "Okay, then come if you want to help..."

In this way, a special dinner was quickly prepared. As the *Sea Wanderer* sailed past the islands, through the haze, and slowly approached the black island where the giant temple stood, Duncan and his followers gathered in the ship's dining hall.

The long table that had hosted many dinners and received every visitor who boarded the ship was once again placed in the center of the dining hall. Nina lit every lantern on the adjacent pillars with a sun-like flame. Rooney and Alice placed the rich food and wine on the long table. At the end of all things, light and warmth briefly reappeared—it even seemed to make people forget the long night on the boundless sea, and the biting cold that permeated the world outside the cabin.

Afterwards, Duncan sat in the center of the table. Nina sat on his left, and Alice sat on his right. Then, on both sides, were Morris, Shirley, A'gou, the sailors, Rooney, Nilu, and even the pigeon Ai and Agatha, who was in phantom form and did not need to eat, had their own places.

And at the ends of the long table, three chairs were left vacant—Duncan ordered these three positions to be prepared, but did not say who these three positions were reserved for.

When everyone was seated, the small doll Nilu, only a few dozen centimeters tall, climbed from her chair onto the table. She held a huge wine bottle and began to run around pouring fine wine into the glasses in front of everyone—the private collection of the mistress of the *Glimmering Star* exuded an unusual fragrance, and the dark red, blood-like wine reflected the sunlight-like brilliance in the glass.

Duncan picked up his glass, but suddenly remembered something. He looked around left and right, his expression a little subtle.

After a while, the corner of his mouth twitched slightly, and he silently moved his chair around to the opposite side of the long table.

Seeing this, Alice unhesitatingly moved her chair over as well, and naturally continued to sit on Duncan's right. The pigeon Ai also fluttered over closely behind. The others across the table looked at the captain's inexplicable behavior, their expressions a little dazed.

"The position just now was unlucky," Duncan twitched the corner of his mouth, not knowing how to explain to the others the ill-conceived associations in his mind just now. Then he waved his hand at the people across the table, "Don't move, sitting like this is good—this way is auspicious."

The "people" on the opposite side listened to Duncan's explanation in a daze. None of them could keep up with the captain's train of thought. Morris realized that this seemed to be a long-lost "subspace dark humor" that only the captain could understand, while Nina blinked a few times and then suddenly burst out laughing.

Duncan glared. "What are you laughing at?"

"It's nothing, I just suddenly feel relieved," Nina looked at Uncle Duncan across the table with a smile. "You saying 'unlucky' so seriously at this time is more reassuring than anything you've said to me before."

Duncan's eyes twitched. He had already understood Nina's implication, but he didn't say much. He just coughed lightly twice, "Ahem, as I told you before, this is the last dinner on the ship on this trip. After it's over, we'll dock on the Leviathan Queen's sleeping island, and then split up, understand?"

"Yes, I understand, Uncle Duncan," Nina looked at Duncan across the table, her eyes sparkling. Then she raised the glass in her hand, a little expectation on her face. "Can I have a little fermented grape juice or wheat juice today?"

Duncan felt like he hadn't heard Nina say this to him in a long time.

A smile appeared on his face, and he nodded gently. "Today you can, Shirley, you too—you don't have to drink secretly today."

Shirley was holding a wine glass and shaking it in her hand. When she heard the captain's words, she was shocked and subconsciously raised her neck. "I haven't been sneaking drinks!"

Duncan looked at Shirley with a half-smile. "When you were sneaking drinks from the ship's wine collection, didn't you notice that the bottles, glasses, and wine were all kinds of 'mirrors'?"

Shirley was dumbfounded. "..."

Duncan shook his head with a smile and raised his glass. "To this journey."

So, everyone who had hands raised their glasses, and those who had mouths and throats drank wine. Those who could not drink wine spilled the wine on the floor of the *Sea Wanderer*, offering the wine to the ship.

Even Ai very seriously put his mouth into the cup, appearing more solemn than ever.

Alice then got up and began to distribute soup and bread to everyone around the long table—she opened the soup pot in the center of the table, which was a rich fish soup. It was a meal that everyone on this ship had to eat after boarding. Next to the soup pot was a large plate of golden-brown sweet pancakes, which were delicacies from Prando and were the captain's favorite food.

After Alice had distributed the food, Nilu ran to the table again, holding up bowls of soup and plates of pancakes and delivering them to everyone—the little doll, only as tall as an adult's arm, ran around nimbly on the table. Her mind, which had not been born for long, did not seem to understand what "this journey" meant, but she looked happy.

"...I didn't expect such a little thing to be able to do things now," Shirley looked at the little doll running around on the table curiously, her tone unbelievable. "I remember when I first saw her, she couldn't move. She was lying in a wooden box, saying she was Rooney's sister from a long time ago, lying in a doll shop for a hundred years..."

"Nilu's awakening was very successful, and the process of injecting reason and humanity into her afterwards was unbelievably smooth," Lucrezia said casually. "Perhaps it was because of the special environment of the borderlands and Rooney's influence... this little thing has had a very 'activation' tendency from the beginning."

Nilu ran to Lucrezia, happily put down the bowl of soup, opened her hands, and made a soft, small voice, "Tendency!"

Duncan looked at this scene with a gentle smile. After a while, he suddenly said, "Have you thought about the New World?"

Nina was stunned, seeming to not understand for a moment. "The New World's... things?"

"What do you want in the New World? Or rather..." Duncan thought for a while, and looked at everyone across the long table very seriously, "What does the New World you imagine look like?"