“See that? That's how you make French fries. It's very simple—just be careful not to burn them or leave them raw. You don't need to crane your neck over the oil pot, and you don't need to taste them to check the saltiness. Got it?"

On the *Ghost Ship*, Duncan was in the kitchen, sternly instructing a nervous-looking Alice. Before them, in a pot of oil, some still-pale fries were bobbing and sizzling.

"G-got it!" Alice's eyes were glued to the hot oil, one hand clutching a cleaver. On the cutting board beside her were misshapen potato chunks—destined for other dishes.

Duncan glanced at the oil, then at the doll, nodding slightly. *Such a simple thing, this dimwit shouldn't mess it up again.* Then he noticed the cleaver in Alice's hand, and a strange feeling arose within him. "...Could you put the cleaver down? Don't always carry it around after you're done cutting."

A curse doll standing in the kitchen, cleaver in hand, radiating murderous intent (towards potatoes)—it was an ominous scene.

It felt like the soundtrack was about to switch to something suspenseful, and a health bar would appear above Alice's head, ready to be pierced through the screen.

"Oh... oh!" Alice finally realized, quickly placing the cleaver back down. Then, with confidence, she waved at the captain. "Captain, you can go back! I've already learned this. You and Ai just wait and eat!"

Duncan stared at Alice for a long time, making sure the doll really wouldn't cause any more trouble. Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief, and a feeling of emotion welled up within him—

After so long, his *Ghost Ship* could finally produce a steady supply of fries!

…

In the antique shop on the second floor, Nina, with a bandage on her forehead, suddenly looked up at her uncle curiously. "Uncle, I wanted to ask earlier, why have you been frowning all morning... and why did you suddenly look relieved just now..."

"Did I? I didn't notice..." Duncan was startled, his attention instantly shifting from the distant ship to the small antique shop. Then he smiled and shook his head. "It's nothing, just thinking about some accounting matters. I did some mental calculations, and now it's resolved."

"Oh," Nina nodded. "I was wondering, you seemed so tense."

Duncan didn't say anything, just kept his calm smile. *This girl has a keen eye.*

Nina then leaned over to look at the small window at the end of the second-floor corridor, facing the street. After hesitating for a moment, she whispered, "Shirley didn't come today."

"...She has her own place," Duncan said, amused by the lonely look on the girl's face. "And you have school today. No time to go out and play with her."

"I should find out her exact address," Nina said again. "That way, when she doesn't have time to come find me, I can go find her."

Duncan was silent for a moment, then softly asked, "Do you like this new friend that much? Even though you haven't actually spent that much time together."

"Shirley is a very good person. She even saved my life at the museum," Nina immediately said. "And... and..."

"And what?"

"And when she lived here, I would chat with her and A Gou at night, asking about her situation. I know she's been living with A Gou, relying on each other, in a small alley in the slums, where there aren't even streetlights at night, and the house leaks rain and wind, I..."

"Nina," Duncan suddenly interrupted the girl, his expression a little serious. "Friendship can't be built on sympathy, especially for children like Shirley."

Nina was taken aback, looking up to meet Duncan's gaze. After a moment, she slowly scratched her temple. "Uncle, you suddenly said something very philosophical..."

Duncan: "..."

"But you're right, Uncle, I might be a little sympathetic," Nina continued. "But... I just want her to have a better life. I can feel that even though she's always inexplicably nervous when she's here, she's actually very happy. Am... am I being presumptuous in making that judgment for her?"

Duncan didn't answer. He seemed to be lost in thought for a moment, then smiled and shook his head. "Don't think too much about it. We'll ask Shirley where she lives next time we see her. As for now... hurry up and finish your meal, it's almost time for school."

"Okay!" Nina immediately nodded obediently. Then, as if she had thought of something, her face lit up with excitement. "Right, so does that mean I can... ride that new bicycle to school today?"

"No," Duncan raised his eyelids, refusing without hesitation. "Have you forgotten how badly you fell last night?"

As he spoke, the events of the previous evening after Nina returned home flashed through his mind—the girl had seen the new bicycle parked on the first floor at first glance, and was so excited that she almost jumped on the spot. Then she eagerly wanted to get on and try it out. It took about thirty seconds before she crashed at the door with a clang...

Now she had a bandage on her forehead.

"I... I thought riding a bicycle would be easy," Nina said, a little embarrassed, lowering her head. "I see all the other students can..."

Duncan sighed.

He should have realized that if there were no bicycles in this antique shop, and Nina had no friends for so many years, then she would have no opportunity to learn to ride—he had completely overlooked this when he bought the bicycle.

"Take the bus to school today, don't run. We can afford the ticket now," Duncan took out a few coins and placed them in front of Nina. "I'll teach you how to ride a bicycle when you get back—it's really not difficult. With your intelligence, you'll probably learn it in a few days."

Nina was a little dejected at first, but she quickly perked up again, nodding happily. "Okay!"

After a while, Nina ran cheerfully out of the antique shop. Duncan stood at the small window on the second floor, watching the girl's figure cross the street in the morning light and run towards the bus stop not far away.

More and more sounds of traffic and people were echoing in the streets, and this area was slowly waking up in the sunlight. The golden-red sunlight was spreading along the distant rooftops, looking like a layer of illusory and rising curtain.

A curtain formed by flames, sweeping across the entire city-state.

Duncan's expression suddenly froze, frowning as he stared at the distant rows of houses.

The magnificent image of a curtain of flames sweeping across the city-state disappeared from the glow of the morning sun, as if the impression that had just entered his mind was just a momentary and unfounded fantasy.

However, Duncan's furrowed brows did not relax at all. He just continued to stare into the distance, as if trying to find another layer of reality overlapping with the magnificent morning glow—it was not until several minutes had passed that he slowly withdrew his gaze.

He pondered for a moment, then waved his hand at the air beside him. "Ai."

The next second, a ball of ghostly green flame suddenly burst into the air. The undead bird spiraled into shape from the flames. Ai flapped its wings and landed on Duncan's shoulder, burping loudly as it shouted, "Burp... who's calling... burp... the fleet?"

Duncan's emotions became disjointed. He turned to look at the pigeon, which had almost doubled in size, dumbfounded. "...How much did you eat on the ship?"

Ai flapped its wings, stretching its neck hard. "The time for gluttony has arrived... burp!"

Duncan stared at the bird expressionlessly. After a moment, he sighed. "No wonder Alice was tinkering for so long, but in the end, so little was brought to the cabin. So you intercepted it all... Oh well, let's just say it wasn't wasted. Can you still fly? Sixth Block."

The pigeon immediately let out a loud shout. "Mission accomplished! Mission accomplished!"

The next second, a flash of fire appeared in the small window on the second floor of the antique shop, and a plump pigeon leaped out of the window, swaying and flying towards the Sixth Block.

At the same time, deep within the Sixth Block, two dark gray steam cars were traveling along the empty and quiet streets.

The tall Vanna was sitting in the back seat of one of the cars, her greatsword beside her. She herself was quietly watching the scenery on the street outside.

Because she was unsure of the situation at the small church, Vanna did not directly bring the overly conspicuous steam walkers into the block, but chose to personally lead a group of elites to enter quietly first, while the support team waited in the nearby blocks.

After entering the Sixth Block, she immediately noticed the "atmosphere" here... something was very wrong.

An overly lifeless community, scattered and lazy residents who were unresponsive to external stimuli, and old facilities that were dilapidated, even beyond the tolerance of the lower city.

An aura permeated everything here, and the entire block gave her the feeling... as if time was frozen in a forgotten crack.

Chapter 169 Entering the Curtain