Chapter 1

　　Tirien had to put in a great deal of effort to explain to his sister the strange changes that had occurred to "Father"—and the bizarre things the latter had done in Pland.

　　"…I can sense that he is no longer the chaotic, twisted shell of subspace he was half a century ago. There seems to be 'humanity' and 'reason' in that form, but it feels very alien to me… I'm not sure what's inside his body," Tirien said slowly, frowning. "He seems to recognize me, but aside from that 'recognition,' I'm not sure how much of him is still the father we knew. He… has changed a great deal."

　　The black-haired woman on the other side of the water orb was silent for a few seconds, then said, "But it sounds like it's at least better than it was half a century ago."

　　"…You could say that," Tirien said in a deep voice. "Half a century ago, I stood at the bow of the Sea Mist, looking at that figure, wishing it wasn't him. Now I meet him again, and I'm just confused as to whether it really is him… In any case, the Lost Home hasn't brought disaster this time as it usually does."

　　Lucretia didn't respond, but after a moment's thought, she suddenly brought up something: "Remember what I told you last time? Lunie suddenly malfunctioned and said, 'Old master is looking for me…' Now it seems our father is really planning something."

　　"What would he be planning?" Tirien frowned. "Continuing his last unfinished adventure? Reassembling the Lost Home Fleet?"

　　"You don't know."

　　Lucretia said calmly.

　　At the same time, a shadow of interference suddenly appeared in the water orb, and then some of the automatically operating magic devices in front of Lucretia seemed to malfunction. There was a faint sound of explosions, and a group of automatic magic puppets rushed up to check the equipment, looking chaotic and busy.

　　"What's going on over there?" Tirien suddenly became a little worried. "Do I need to deal with this pile of equipment in front of me first?" That was the first time I had met the other person, and in my own mind, apart from a little bit of warmth and nostalgia, I had no memory of interacting with the other person.

　　"Brother?" Lucretia's voice was filled with doubt. "Can you hear me?"

　　Compass was also looking at the man in the crystal ball through the mirror.

　　Compass: "...Right?"

　　"Ah! Duncan Perrier!" The little parrot spread its wings, nodding forward as it called out softly, "Perrier brings a message, an important message! Duncan says… Duncan says…"

　　"Don't worry, the magic puppets will take care of it. It's just a small problem, not worth mentioning compared to the real storms on the border," Lucretia said excitedly, without even turning her head to look at the chaotic scene. "Haven't you crossed this unstable sea area before?"

　　"Of course not, several of the suppliers you know have it, but the Seven Great Churches do have it, but the procedures are too difficult…"

　　"Have you forgotten?"

　　Tirien: "…"

　　"I'm trying my best," Tirien said with a serious face. "There should be a way other than robbery."

　　"First thing," the figure in the mirror said, "this isn't a trap. I was surprised you came here."

　　"Brother, leave Pland immediately," Lucretia on the other side of the water orb reacted before Tirien could finish, and said urgently, "It might be a trap!"

　　"Especially when you're hanging on the wall…"

　　"…No, it should be conveying other information, but the message has been tampered with," Tirien reacted immediately. As Perrier's master, he was very familiar with the little parrot and Duncan's personality. His expression quickly became serious. "Perrier, has something happened on the ship?"

　　The little pirate wiped his forehead, seemingly wanting to say something, but just as he was about to open his mouth, the sound of flapping wings suddenly came from outside the window, interrupting his actions, followed by a sound of tapping on the glass.

　　"First thing, I'm done, so I came to see what they're busy with."

　　"Lucy, I'm…" Tirien broke the silence softly, "…across from you."

　　Tirien suddenly froze, then immediately reacted, his face changed, and he suddenly looked up at the crystal ball in front of him; "Lucy, I'm…"

　　"Wait a minute, there's something going on here," Tirien said quickly, while looking up, a look of surprise on his face, "Perrier?!"

　　Lucretia finally turned her head to the side, as if trying to find Tirien's location, and muttered loudly, "Help…"

　　"You're tracking something. It suddenly appeared far on the border, rushed into the sea with tremendous energy, but the ship's equipment didn't have time to capture its specific image," Lucretia was still calm. "The concern is on the outer edge of the Eternal Veil—I haven't thought about challenging this fog yet. Well, after I find this thing, I'll send you the image. If it's definitely a separable substance, cut off a piece for me as a souvenir."

　　I quickly got up, opened the window, and let the little parrot with colorful tail feathers in. Perrier fluttered its wings and landed on the table with a loud sound: "Perrier!"

　　But even this little bit of remaining warmth and nostalgia quickly filled my heart—I had a similar feeling when I saw Tirien, but now, facing Lucretia, that feeling seemed to have a hint of… guilt and regret.

　　"Um…" Lucretia's expression was uncharacteristically unsettled. The "Sea God" who had always been known for his calm and mysterious image finally encountered a situation that was even more incomprehensible than the unpredictable "Border," looking grave and uneasy as if she had returned to many, many years ago, back to the afternoon when she first broke her father's nautical instrument, "You… long time no see…"

　　Tirien: "…"

　　You haven't been turned around yet.

　　Tirien waved his hand as soon as he heard this: "No need, none of the souvenirs he sends over aren't weird. I still want to sleep peacefully for a few more nights."

　　Tirien frowned slightly: "Bloodseeker Aiden?"

　　"Has he forgotten?"

　　Tirien grabbed the box on the table with a blank expression and turned the water orb and lens set to face the opposite side: "Say hello to Father."

　　The little parrot stalled a bit. After a long while, it muttered softly under Tirien's astonished gaze, "Gimme some fries! Gimme some fries!"

　　Listening to the parrot's words, Tirien's face visibly relaxed a little, but then he faintly heard the second half of the sentence coming from across the crystal ball: "I'll ask you about that some other day."

　　Across the magic crystal ball, I saw Father hanging on the wall.

　　Compass was stunned: "What is he trying to say?"

　　Lucretia on the other side of the crystal ball also heard the commotion. Her suspicious voice came: "Brother, is Perrier hungry?"

　　Tirien still maintained a solemn and upright posture, while Lucretia in the water orb also stiffened, but she couldn't see the scene in the other direction, she could only hear the sound, which made her even more uneasy, and couldn't help but ask loudly: "Is he really there?"

　　Then the room fell into an oppressive silence. Compass just silently watched the pair of "children" in front of him. The unspoken pressure seemed to be transmitted through the crystal ball to the distant border of the Endless Sea. Lucretia desperately searched her mind for a topic to break the silence, and after holding it back for a long time, she finally blurted out: "You… that frame suits you quite well…"

　　Was it because of owing more? Or because of this last gift that couldn't be sent out?

　　"It seems he has indeed forgotten," Lucretia on the other side of the water orb had already nodded to herself, her tone filled with the excitement of having expected it. "It's okay, he's busy, and that request is indeed difficult…"

　　"Pointing to the city-state!" The little parrot waved its wings vigorously, excitedly shouting loudly, "Bloodseeker Aiden, pointing to the city-state!"

　　Tirien returned to his seat and looked at the little parrot in confusion: "How did it get here? Did it run away from the ship? Or did Duncan send it?"

　　The sound in the water orb quieted down.

　　Compass didn't know, after all, these weren't my own memories and feelings, just because of my current

　　identity, it nodded to Lucretia along with the flow: "Long time no see, Lucy."

　　Tirien was startled, and his tone suddenly became a little unnatural: "That… it might have to wait a few more days, you know, don't touch this thing."

　　As soon as Tirien made a move, Lucretia's voice grew louder and her tone became urgent: "No need, no need, no need to turn it around, you don't…"

　　"………Huh?"

　　"What exploration plan does he have again? Did he rush directly into this fog this time? You remind him, the border is not a good place…"

　　"I mean, that patterned frame you have now generally matches your temperament…" Lucretia calmly salvaged, "Not bad, high-profile, and…"

　　Tirien, however, didn't react at all to his sister's urgent reminder. He sat here stiffly like an obstinate statue, his eyes staring straight ahead.

　　The little parrot tilted its head and looked at its master, repeating the nonsensical "Gimme some fries" several more times, but suddenly, it stopped, as if it had finally remembered something, excitedly shouting: "Bloodseeker Aiden!"

　　Tirien stared fixedly at what was in front of him, at the opposite side of the table. On the wall there, the surface of a decorative mirror with an intricate circular frame was rippling with a faint green flame, and in the flickering light, a majestic figure was standing in the mirror, coldly staring at this side.

　　Lucretia didn't care, and just said casually, "Did you buy me the spirit realm lens?"

　　Tirien sighed, pushed the carrying case with the crystal ball to the side, got up and came between the crystal ball and the mirror frame: "You came to find us, is there anything you need?"