Chapter 1 Nina

Nina was very happy because it had been a long time since she had eaten a normal meal with Uncle Duncan like this, chatting about what happened at school, and even longer since she had seen a smile on Uncle Duncan's face.

It even reminded her of the past, of when her uncle hadn't been sick—since losing her parents at the age of six, this man, who was like a father to her, had become her only relative in the world, but from four years ago, an illness that even doctors couldn't figure out had turned her uncle into a different person, and those days... to be honest, they were hard to bear.

Her uncle was still supporting her schooling and maintaining her basic living expenses, but Nina could feel that all the colors of "the future" had gradually faded from this familiar and kind little shop, dissipating into the liquor, pills, and the increasingly grim and oppressive gatherings of her uncle's dubious "friends."

She no longer expected life to return to the way it was a few years ago, but even a slight improvement in the situation would be something to be happy about.

Duncan was also happy because he had finally come into contact with more information about this world, and finally touched the historical context of this world—even if it was only a part of it, it gave him a sense of pleasure like parting the clouds and seeing the sky.

The completely lost prehistoric "Era of Order," the "Great Annihilation" event that reshaped the order of all things, the deep-sea era that continues to this day, the anomalies and strange phenomena that pervade the world... These things that he once didn't know at all, or only vaguely understood, now finally had a clearer outline.

Breakfast was over, and Nina got up to clear the table. She was quick and efficient, showing that she usually did these chores—undoubtedly, she also cleaned the upstairs bedroom.

A guy with a serious illness, a decadent lifestyle, and who dedicated most of his energy and passion to the cult business obviously wouldn't do these things.

But watching the girl busying around, Duncan couldn't help but stop her. He got up and took the large tray from Nina's hand: "I'll help you with that—it looks like a struggle for you to carry it upstairs."

Nina looked at Duncan in surprise. She was about to say something when he had already taken a big step towards the stairs.

The girl could only hurry after him, reminding him as she followed, "Uncle, be careful. The doctor said your condition isn't stable yet..."

"The doctor... Dr. Albert?" Duncan didn't turn his head, searching for the corresponding impression in the fragments of his memory, but there were only a few fleeting scenes. "It doesn't matter. He can't even figure out the cause of the illness, and the most effective medicine he prescribes is just painkillers anyway."

"...You should still listen to the doctor's advice," Nina followed Duncan upstairs, muttering as she walked towards the kitchen. "He at least knows how to maintain a healthy..."

Nina was interrupted by the sound of flapping wings.

She and Duncan looked at the direction of the sound at the same time, and saw a shadow flash past the crack of the half-closed master bedroom door.

"Uncle Duncan, something flashed in your room!" Nina said in surprise, then stepped forward and grabbed the doorknob. "Could it be the neighbor's cat..."

"Hey, don't..."

Duncan only managed to say half a sentence before seeing Nina push open the half-closed door. The pigeon hiding in the room then appeared in front of them.

Eye was standing on top of the cabinet, holding a French fry in one claw and stuffing it into its mouth. The sudden opening of the door made the pigeon freeze completely. It stood there with a French fry in its claw, its two beady eyes staring blankly at Nina and the opposite wall.

Then it saw Duncan, flapped its wings twice, making a loud noise: "Ah... Gu gu?"

Duncan's eyes twitched. He saw that the window not far away was wide open, which was obviously Eye's escape route—and in the distance directly opposite the window, he could vaguely see a pier bathed in the sunlight.

This pigeon went to the pier and got some French fries...

"A pigeon?" Nina finally reacted at this moment, looking at Eye on the cabinet in surprise. "Uncle Duncan! There's a pigeon in your room!"

"I see it," Duncan said expressionlessly. "I don't know it."

Eye immediately threw away the French fry, fluttered over, and landed on Duncan's shoulder, shaking its head.

"Okay, it flew in this morning," Duncan sighed. "It's probably a tamed pigeon, but it's not very smart. I gave it something to eat and it wouldn't leave."

Eye listened, making a loud cooing sound.

If there weren't outsiders present and Duncan hadn't given the order before, it would definitely have started shouting "Ah, yes, yes, yes" at this time.

Nina didn't doubt her uncle's explanation at all. She just looked at the pigeon with shining eyes, then carefully approached, observing the pigeon's reaction while asking Duncan, "Then... then are you going to keep it? Can I keep it?"

The girl's thoughts were written all over her face. In her eyes, Eye was obviously just a beautiful and lovely white pigeon. Eye tilted its head and looked at Duncan, making a questioning cooing sound in its throat.

Duncan suddenly felt that this bird was easier to understand when it wasn't speaking...

After a moment, he pretended to hesitate, then nodded: "Yes—but only if this pigeon is willing to stay. It might fly away at any time, so don't complain then."

Nina immediately beamed with joy: "Great! I knew Uncle Duncan was actually a reasonable person!"

...

In the central prayer room of the Deepsea Cathedral, Bishop Valentine of the city-state, wearing a black and gold-patterned high priest's robe, stood solemnly in front of the statue of the Storm Goddess.

He was tall and thin, with sparse white hair and eyes as calm as deep water.

The large candlesticks in the prayer room were burning quietly, and the sacred flames illuminated the room. The statue of Germana was high on the platform. This goddess had no face, and her head was covered with a black veil. A long skirt depicting many wave patterns hung down from her body to the edge of the platform—although it was only a statue, the power of divinity was still manifested here. The entire statue exuded a strong sense of presence, and anyone standing around the statue could feel a vaguely existing sense of being watched and protected.

This feeling of being watched and protected was real, and it was under this gaze and protection that Vanna, who had come to discuss matters with the bishop, could confidently tell him about the scenes she had seen in her dreams.

"...If what you saw in your dream is correct, then that is indeed the *Ship of the Lost Home*."

City-State Bishop Valentine turned around and looked at the young Inquisitor who had come to him early in the morning—although from the perspective of church clergy, the Inquisitor in charge of force and the City-State Bishop in charge of ritual were equal in status, it was very normal for the Inquisitor to seek advice or even guidance from the bishop when it came to judging supernatural events.

"That really is the *Ship of the Lost Home*?" Although she already had an answer in her heart, Vanna couldn't help but widen her eyes after hearing the bishop's judgment. "I thought..."

"You thought that ship was just a legend now, like the various ghost ship legends that tense sailors randomly brag about in taverns?" Valentine knew what Vanna wanted to say. The old man with sparse white hair shook his head, his tone deep. "The existence of the *Ship of the Lost Home* is a fact recognized by all the city-states and churches. It's not a legend, but something that can be found in church archives."

"I know that. The *Ship of the Lost Home* did exist in the past. The Pland City-State Archives can even find some of the ship's construction drawings and construction files from more than a century ago. But all this verifiable information is limited to the *Ship of the Lost Home* still being a ship sailing in the real world, and limited to when Captain Duncan was still a human..."

Vanna said, her tone serious. She looked at the statue behind the bishop, and her expression became more cautious when mentioning certain words.

"The key is that the ship was clearly recorded as having fallen into the *Abyss*... A century ago, thousands of refugees on the Thirteen Isles of Weiserland witnessed the ship and their homeland being swallowed by the border collapse and falling directly into the shadows of the *Abyss*. In the decades since then, although there have been sightings of the *Ship of the Lost Home* reappearing in the real world, they have all lacked real evidence, and many scholars doubt the ship's 'return'..."

The young Inquisitor said as she looked at the old man in front of her.

"Can something swallowed by the *Abyss* really reappear in the real world?"

"...So far, nothing other than the *Ship of the Lost Home* has ever returned to reality after falling into the *Abyss*. Even with the *Ship of the Lost Home*, only after-the-fact sightings exist. Scholars from all walks of life doubt the ship's return. That is indeed a fact, but that is not the key..." The old man said, his gaze suddenly falling on Vanna, with a strange seriousness on his face. "The key is, Inquisitor, are you afraid of something?"