Chapter 143 Sincerity

Frankly speaking, Duncan was truly sincere at this moment—he admired this resolute and straightforward inquisitor, appreciating her performance during the disaster. Even setting aside this admiration, he highly valued Vanna as a special "node."

Without enough coincidences, placing such a "node" among the top echelons of the church wouldn't be easy, and establishing even a basic "friendship" with her would be even more difficult.

Vanna was upright, and this uprightness meant she wouldn't deny Duncan's contribution to protecting Pland, ensuring that even if she felt awkward personally, she would treat this significant "favor" fairly.

However, Duncan's sincerity sounded somewhat frightening to others.

An unbreakable, curse-like connection, a subspace shadow that could invade her mind at any time, a powerful higher existence capable of reversing historical contamination yet with unclear motives—it was only because Vanna's will was strong; anyone else might have gone *sahk* several rounds already.

Vanna steadied her mind. She met Duncan's gaze without evasion, still filled with vigilance. Rationally, she still didn't dare believe every word this "Ghost Captain" said, even though he had indeed protected Pland. This protection might conceal an even more terrifying scheme—because similar schemes were abundant in history. But emotionally…

Her emotions were advising her not to trust rationality too much.

"...What exactly do you want?" Vanna took a light breath. She expressed her skepticism once again, but this time, her skepticism contained not only pure resistance and vigilance but also a touch of seriousness—she wanted to talk to this legendary captain seriously, to listen carefully to what he wanted to say, even if not as a friend, she could temporarily not be an enemy.

After saying that, she paused, then quickly added, "And don't say 'Let's get some fries' anymore… I want to hear something serious."

"...Actually, 'Let's get some fries' is serious," Duncan said with a helpless expression. "If possible, with plenty of ketchup."

Vanna: "………?"

"I'm improving the food on my ship, isn't that obvious?" Duncan suddenly smiled. None of Vanna's reactions were beyond his expectations. Then he moved around in the mirror, as if sitting on something, and continued in a relaxed manner, "Vanna, what do you think a captain like me does usually?"

"What do you do usually?" Vanna was stunned. She hadn't noticed that the conversation had shifted from a tense atmosphere to… a peaceful one. After the figure in the mirror sat down, the subsequent topic seemed like two friends chatting, "I… never thought about that question…"

"Yes, you haven't thought about it. No one thinks about these questions, because a terrifying Ghost Captain only needs to be 'terrifying.' I'm better off constantly devising world-shattering conspiracies twenty-four hours a day—that's more in line with the persona—but in reality?"

Duncan spread his hands as he spoke.

"I have a very, very big ship to manage, and there are quite a few troublesome people on that ship. My 'crew' often make messes, causing chaos on the deck every time. The food on the *Missing Post* is another headache, but the bigger problem is supplying hot water. I'm considering installing a boiler on the ship recently. Do you have any recommendations?"

"I don't know much about boilers… Wait, that's not right, it's not about that," Vanna said subconsciously. Halfway through, she felt something was wrong. She widened her eyes and looked at the Ghost Captain in the mirror, who was smiling meaningfully. She felt that there was teasing and… guidance in his smile, "Why are you suddenly telling me this? And… uh… are you serious?"

Duncan adjusted his posture. He looked into Vanna's eyes, his expression gradually becoming serious, "Vanna, have you noticed—I'm not as scary as you think. The unknown is the source of fear. Now, you know a bit about me."

Vanna didn't speak for a moment, because she couldn't keep up with the captain's rhythm at all, and she didn't know what to say at this moment.

But after a moment of silence, she took a light breath and tried to change the topic, "...You took away the sun fragment, which can also be considered clearing another major hidden danger in the Pland city-state. I should also express my gratitude for this."

The corner of Duncan's mouth twitched almost imperceptibly, "...Just a small effort. I have a hobby of collecting."

But in reality, he wanted to say that he had already sent the sun fragment back to Pland—although Nina was initially excited to spend the night on the ship, she later realized that she was used to her bed and couldn't sleep soundly without going home…

Duncan was afraid that if he said this, he would be jumped on instantly…

Vanna didn't notice the momentary change in his expression. She just nodded lightly and then said, "Now the order in the city-state has gradually been restored, the aftermath of the contamination caused by the Doomsday Preachers has completely subsided, and those cultists who summoned the Black Sun… have become burnt firewood as they wished. I hope you are satisfied with this result."

"It's okay, they will pop up sooner or later anyway," Duncan said casually. "Heretical worshipers are the breath of the evil gods, and as long as those 'roots' are not eliminated, the cultists cannot be completely eradicated—just keep cleaning them up next time you see them."

Vanna listened thoughtfully to every word Duncan said, her expression showing only slight curiosity, "It sounds like… you have a very bad relationship with those heretical worshipers."

"You want to find out some information," Duncan smiled, "Because this is a rare opportunity in the last hundred years to directly understand 'Captain Duncan' and the *Missing Post*—but you can ask directly."

Vanna was speechless for a moment, and her expression became awkward, but soon, she heard the Ghost Captain's frank reply from the mirror, "I don't like those cultists. I don't like the Sun Cultists or the Doomsday Preachers. As for the Annihilation Cultists who worship the Shadowy Holy Lord… I don't know them well, but most of them should also be lunatics that I find annoying."

"So you can report this directly, saying that the *Missing Post* is an enemy of the three major cults, and that when conditions permit, Captain Duncan will be happy to eliminate any cultist who appears before him—this information should be useful."

"...Thank you for your answer." Vanna hesitated for a moment, then nodded seriously.

"Is there anything else you want to know?" Duncan asked again.

Vanna pursed her lips.

Of course there was, but she didn't know if it was the right choice to ask the ghost captain about her wavering faith and the problems related to subspace.

In the end, she didn't mention her current confusion and wavering, but instead asked a question related to herself in a roundabout way; "...I want to know, will subspace respond to the wishes of mortals—and what is the price for the answer to this question?"

Vanna specifically mentioned "price" at the end, because she was very clear that this question was completely different from her conversation with the other party just now.

The previous conversation did not involve knowledge of the transcendent realm, but now this question… was seeking forbidden knowledge from a shadow returned from subspace, which was already a dangerous move.

She was not afraid of paying the price, but she wanted to know what the price was.

"Don't be so nervous, there's no price," Duncan in the mirror laughed, "Because I'm really not familiar with *them*."

Vanna: "...Huh?"

"Why does everyone think I know a lot about the secrets of subspace," Duncan rubbed his forehead a little helplessly, "It's true that I've been there, but I'm not conducting a population survey in subspace—do you live in a neighborhood and know everyone on the street?"

Vanna nodded, "I know them."

Duncan: "……"

Vanna suddenly realized and added a little awkwardly and belatedly, "Of course, there may be some who are not so familiar… Okay, I understand what you mean."

"Although I can't answer your question, I can see that this question is related to your terrible state just now," Duncan resumed his serious look, "Something in subspace is缠上了you?"

Vanna looked at Duncan in the mirror with a strange expression.

Duncan thought for a moment and added, "I mean, besides me…"

"I don't know," Vanna shook her head, then she opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something, but she didn't say it in the end.

"Okay, it seems you still have some concerns, I can understand," Duncan didn't care, "But if something from subspace is really giving you trouble, you can ask me for help—at least in this field, I can help you."

Vanna fell silent. After nearly a dozen seconds, she suddenly broke the silence, "Why?"

"Are you asking why I'm willing to help you?" Duncan's voice sounded from the mirror, it was still a majestic and even somewhat gloomy voice to Vanna, but at this moment it seemed to have a bit more gentleness and sincerity, "Perhaps it's because we fought side by side in Pland—Vanna, I admire your perseverance and courage."

The figure in the mirror stood up.

The Ghost Captain seemed ready to leave.

Vanna suddenly breathed a sigh of relief. She couldn't really explain whether she was being vigilant or simply nervous, but the other party's intention to leave did make her relax a little.

However, just as Duncan's figure was about to disappear completely from the mirror, she seemed to remember something and suddenly said, "Wait, there's one more thing."

Duncan turned his face slightly, "Hmm?"

"Later..." Vanna stuttered a bit, then organized her words and said hesitantly, "I mean, if you still plan to 'appear,' can you not always be so sudden..."

Duncan didn't respond, his face shrouded in the shadows deep in the mirror, making it impossible to tell what his expression was.

After a few seconds, Vanna heard his voice in her ears; "Next time, I'll knock."