Chapter 371 Unexpected Visitors

When the door opened, two familiar and unexpected figures stood there. One was Helena, in a sea-blue gown, and the other was Fraym, exceptionally tall with skin that had the texture of stone.

Two unmarked steam vehicles were parked at the nearby intersection, their headlights piercing the night. Several church guards stood quietly beside the vehicles, like silent statues in the darkness.

Looking at the uninvited guests, Lucretia frowned slightly. "Why does everyone like to 'drop by' these days?"

"Sorry to disturb you, but it's important," Helena said, completely ignoring the obvious dislike on Lucretia's face. As she spoke, she walked into the house as if she owned the place. "Let's go inside—Fraym and I are here on a secret visit, and I don't want too many people to notice..."

Before Lucretia could react, the female pontiff, representing the highest authority of the Deep Sea Church, had deftly slipped through the door. Fraym gave an awkward smile, following her inside while apologizing to the lady of the house. "Sorry, sorry, Helena has always been very proactive—and something unusual has happened that 'Captain' should be interested in..."

Lucretia couldn't stop them. She could only turn her head and stare wide-eyed at the two "big shots" who were barging in. "Hey, you guys... this is my house!"

However, the reclusive witch failed to stop the two pontiffs—she couldn't fight them, and it was hard to stop them. By the time she reacted, the two uninvited guests had successfully invaded her home...

Duncan, who was in the living room, had already heard the movement at the door. He looked up and saw Helena and Fraym walking in. The former had visited with Luen not long ago, while the latter was the first time he'd seen in the city-state. This made him curious. "Are your pontiffs usually running around all over the place? Are you so free at this time?"

Helena heard the teasing in Duncan's words, but she didn't care. She just sat down on the sofa opposite him and said seriously, "We have news of a deity—intelligence from beyond the Eternal Veil."

As Helena spoke, Duncan's teasing expression vanished. The clues instantly reassembled in his mind, and he immediately thought of the intelligence he had just received from Lawrence. Even Lucretia, who was walking over with an impatient expression, stopped and looked thoughtful.

Helena immediately noticed the subtle change in the atmosphere of the living room. She frowned, but before she could speak, Vanna, who was standing beside the sofa, softly broke the silence. "The Seagull?"

Helena subconsciously adjusted her posture. "You..."

"If you hadn't come to visit today, I would have gone to find you," Duncan said slowly. "I just got some news about the *Seagull* as well. It seems this isn't a coincidence... but I'd like to hear what you've brought first. What exactly happened to that ship?"

Helena and Fraym exchanged a glance, and the latter nodded slightly. He turned to Duncan and said solemnly, "The *Seagull* returned in December 1675."

The living room was quiet for a moment until Shirley finally couldn't help but exclaim, breaking the silence. "What the heck? More than three hundred and twenty years ago?!"

The living room became even quieter. Alice calculated for a long time before cautiously poking Shirley's arm. "It seems to be more like two hundred and twenty years ago..."

Shirley was stunned, then readjusted her emotions. "What the heck? More than two hundred and twenty years ago?!"

The two pontiffs probably hadn't encountered a conversation partner like Shirley before. "..."

"Ignore her, her math isn't very good," Duncan said, having long been used to it. He waved his hand to bring Helena and Fraym's attention back. "Let's get down to business. Did the *Seagull* really return in 1675? How did you discover or confirm this?"

"...History has been chiseled through, and there is a hole in the normal historical trajectory," Fraym said in a low voice. "I sensed this hole, and then found the corresponding clues in the memorial stone tablets left by previous Firebearer pontiffs..."

He paused, seemingly organizing his words, then continued, "In December 1675, a bizarre and dilapidated ship, like a phantom, appeared on the eastern border and disintegrated into the sea shortly afterward. The only thing people could confirm before it disappeared was the name *Seagull* on its hull.

"This matter was recorded in the Firebearer Cathedral's archives, but apart from the words on the memorial stone tablet, there were no related records in any files or rolls for the corresponding year. It was like a shadow suddenly falling into the real dimension from the cracks of history. Only the Firebearer pontiff of that year saw and remembered this phantom... or rather, only the record left by that pontiff left a 'trace' in history."

"...Why would this happen?" Morris couldn't help but say. "Is this some kind of historical pollution? Or tampering..."

"It is the incompleteness of time that caused the historical penetration event," Fraym slowly shook his head. "The *Seagull* must have left the normal timeline due to some accident, and then 'drifted' in a timeless state, and finally returned to this world at the time node of '1675'..."

He paused and thought for a moment, then continued to explain, "It's like countless dust particles stuck inside a rolling tire. If one dust particle suddenly detaches from the inner wall of the tire and floats randomly, then when it is re-adsorbed by the inner wall, it may appear anywhere on the tire."

Out of the normal timeline... drifting in a timeless state...

Listening to Fraym's explanation, Duncan frowned slightly, a thoughtful expression on his face.

Lucretia and Morris also seemed to have thought of something, and a hint of understanding appeared on their faces.

Only Alice and Shirley, after hearing such a theory that was beyond common sense, still had clear eyes, and seemed to have not been polluted by knowledge at all...

"I see," Lucretia suddenly said softly. She nodded slightly to Duncan. "That explains the 'sailor's' experience."

"Sailor?" Helena looked puzzled. "Who is the 'sailor' you're talking about...?"

"The *Seagull's* 'first mate.' He still exists in this world, although... he has changed a lot."

Duncan said. He didn't hide the information he had obtained from Lawrence. In the next ten minutes, he revealed everything he knew.

Helena and Fraym looked at each other.

After a moment of hesitation, Helena suddenly said, "I need to see that 'sailor.'"

"He's currently in the small city-state of Faelun, near the southwestern border, with another group of my followers," Duncan nodded. "I can 'bring' him here at any time—but I want to ask the person involved for his opinion first."

Helena seemed to not understand for a moment. "Ask... for his opinion?"

"He has experienced many things that ordinary people can hardly imagine, and perhaps the *Seagull's* wandering outside the border completed the 'historical loop.' All the memories were almost instantly revived in his mind," Duncan said very seriously. "He may no longer be the 'first mate of the *Seagull*' that you knew. He may not want to deal with the Deep Sea Church again..."

"Uh, I'm not surprised by that. I can imagine the current state of that 'sailor,'" Helena looked at Duncan with a strange expression. "I'm just very surprised that you respect your followers' wishes so much in this matter and take care of their feelings..."

Duncan's mouth twitched. "...What exactly is my image in your minds?"

Helena's face stiffened, and she quickly tried to make up for it. "A reliable captain, a respectable explorer, although there have been many misunderstandings, we think you..."

"Are always surrounded by countless shadows from the subspace, and your pot is stewing children and stray dogs from all over the world..." Fraym said casually from the side.

Helena: "..."

"I didn't say that," Fraym said, looking at Helena with a calm expression. "That's what you and Banster said when you were chatting before."

"...That's just an exaggerated rhetorical technique! And that was last year!" Helena almost jumped up. "Why do you remember this?!"

Fraym didn't even change his expression, but slowly turned his head to look at Duncan, his face still as calm and indifferent as a stone carving. "That's really what they said."

Duncan was silent for a few seconds, then turned his head to look beside him.

Lucretia stood beside him with a straight face.

The witch's face was flushed red—not laughing was the last bit of courtesy she had for her father.

Duncan sighed. "...I'll contact Lawrence."

...

"That's the situation," Lawrence said, sitting in the chair opposite Anomaly 077, with a serious face. "Now Captain Duncan wants to see you, and the pontiff of the Deep Sea Church is also waiting. If you are willing, you can leave immediately—the captain allows me to use his Flame Summoning Messenger, and Aey can instantly send you to Fairwind Harbor."

Anomaly 077 had experienced the initial memory shock and confusion, and he had gradually calmed down and recovered some of his usual state.

Now he was worried.

"I... don't know what to do," he sighed, not hiding his current hesitation from Lawrence. "I remember a lot of things, but the things before the *Seagull* set sail are very vague. I know I'm the first mate of the *Seagull*, but this identity is like a stranger in a mirror to me... and more importantly, I lost that log..."

"If what you care about is Captain Kalani's log..." Lawrence hesitated, then said slowly, "Perhaps, you didn't lose it."

The sailor was stunned and suddenly raised his head. "Huh?"

"You said you remembered putting Captain Kalani's log beside you before she faded away, and kept it close to you—in fact, it's really been with you all along," Lawrence said very seriously, looking into the sailor's eyes. "Do you remember what has been with you all along?"

The sailor was stunned, as if gradually realizing something.

"We found some very vague traces on your shroud," Lawrence said.

(End of Chapter)