Chapter 127: “Dinner Together”
This translation is hosted on bcatranslation.com.
In the room, certain topics were strictly off-limits whenever Nina was around. These subjects were like emotional landmines, and everyone knew it was unwise to discuss them in her presence.
Duncan listened intently to Dog’s recounting of the events he had witnessed, feeling a sense of urgency that made his heart momentarily skip a beat.
The image of floating ashes haunted her thoughts. What did the ashes signify? Within the factory, hidden behind thick drapes, ashes were scattered yet concealed. Ashes were the tangible aftermath of an intense fire, marking devastation and loss. What could these ashes scattered around Nina symbolize? Were they parts of her life that were irrevocably lost?
Duncan’s eyes shifted toward the staircase leading to the second floor. Nina was up there in the kitchen, absorbed in her cooking. Even from a distance, he could faintly hear the sounds of culinary activity—the clatter of utensils, the sizzle of a pan. These noises radiated a certain exuberance, contrasting with the grim undertones of the day but perfectly aligned with Nina’s optimistic disposition.
Turning his attention back to Shirley, who sat opposite him, Duncan summarized what had been discussed. “So, Dog informed you about a suspicious individual or entity, prompting you to covertly investigate the school for any evidence related to Nina. Concurrently, you contacted the Suntists active in the city to uncover information about the devastating fire from eleven years ago,” Duncan recapped.
Shirley nodded softly, confirming his summary. “Yes, that’s correct.”
“You’re not really searching for literal fragments of the sun, are you?” Duncan asked, intrigued.
Shirley scoffed. “What’s the point of hunting down fragments of the sun? Should I find a fire and interrogate it, asking why it burned what it did? I’m seeking the individual responsible for starting that fire over a decade ago.”
Duncan’s eyes met Shirley’s as he spoke, “This isn’t just any fire we’re talking about. If it’s indeed a fragment of the sun, it could do far more than incinerate a factory. Shirley, your quest is dangerous.”
“Frankly, even sitting across from you is risky enough,” Shirley confessed, her gaze dropping.
There was a brief pause before Duncan chuckled. “Fair enough.” He rose from his chair and slowly began to ascend the staircase to the second floor. “I’m just offering friendly advice. The final judgment is yours.”
“Hold on,” Shirley sprang up but hesitated. After a moment, she continued, “Your reaction makes me wonder. Were you not previously aware of Nina’s unique situation?”
Stopping in his tracks, Duncan considered her question. “It seems the body I currently inhabit lacks discerning eyes. I’ve missed some important details.”
“This body?” Shirley quickly grasped the implication but chose not to press further.
As Duncan resumed his climb up the staircase, Shirley asked, “So, what’s your plan now?”
“Plan? I’m heading upstairs to join Nina for dinner,” Duncan said, looking back at Shirley. “You’re welcome to join us. It is dinnertime, after all.”
Dinner time had finally come, and Shirley was awash in conflicting emotions as she followed Duncan up the staircase. The question of what it would be like to dine in a home belonging to someone from subspace loomed large in her mind. She felt a mixture of excitement, curiosity, nervousness, and even a little fear. Despite being fairly sure that the meal would be conventional, she couldn’t shake the possibility that something otherworldly might be presented before her.
This was no ordinary antique shop. It was the dwelling of an enigmatic figure from subspace, a curious intersection between mundane reality and a far more cryptic and chaotic realm. Given this backdrop, Shirley thought that even the appearance of a meal prepared by a malevolent cosmic entity wouldn’t be too out of the ordinary.
Yet, when she reached the cozy, slightly cluttered kitchen and saw what was on the dining table, her wild imagination was proven wrong. Instead of an arcane or spectral feast, the table was set with ordinary fare: freshly reheated crusty bread, a pot of vegetable soup typical of the city’s less affluent parts, and a tomato-mushroom sauce that smelled inviting but was hardly mysterious.
The star of the spread was a bowl of fish soup with a creamy broth. The fish had been chopped and prepared to the point of being nearly unidentifiable, yet its mouthwatering aroma stirred hunger pangs in Shirley.
“I made this soup from some salted fish leftovers we had,” Nina said brightly to Duncan. Then, turning to Shirley, she added, “Uncle Duncan got this fish. You must try it; it’s wonderful!”
As she took her seat at the table, Shirley felt slightly disoriented. Her eyes scanned the normal-looking array of dishes before her. Duncan, noticing her perplexity, chuckled lightly. “What’s the matter? Were you expecting some kind of arcane delicacy? Or is this not to your liking?”
“No, no, it’s far better than what I’m used to,” Shirley responded hastily. “I guess I just didn’t expect it to be so… conventional.”
Dog, watching from the side, made an unusual observation. “This fish looks oddly familiar. Why is that?”
Shirley shot him a teasing look. “And what would you know about gourmet food? Don’t you gnaw on rocks for fun?”
Nina looked genuinely shocked. “Mr. Dog doesn’t eat human food?”
“Entities like Dog from ghostly realms generally don’t need to consume human sustenance—they don’t need to eat at all,” Shirley clarified. “Though he does like to chew on rocks or metal, mostly to keep his teeth sharp.”
Dog seemed offended. “You’re painting me as quite the heartless creature, aren’t you? Have you forgotten the times I scavenged for food for you? While it’s true I don’t need to eat, I do partake in meals occasionally…”
As Dog leaned in to inspect the fish soup more closely, he suddenly froze. His words halted mid-thought, leaving him speechless. After a moment, he recoiled, pulling away from the table and retreating to his original spot. He sat down with a jolt as if he had seen something startling.
Shirley noticed Dog’s abrupt change in demeanor and looked at him in confusion. “What’s going on, Dog? You look like you’ve just seen a ghost.”
Dog glanced toward Duncan, meeting the enigmatic being’s eyes—or rather, the place where eyes would be if Duncan were human. Duncan was, in truth, a swirling maelstrom of light and shadow. His “face” bore a gentle smile. “Do you not enjoy fish?” he asked, amused.
Shaking his head, Dog experienced a chilling realization. Behind the friendly conversation and welcoming smiles, there lurked an unfathomable dread. His keen senses revealed a horrifying truth: the fish in the soup was no ordinary fish. It was an offspring from the sea, a higher-ranking entity, now chopped up and its essence transformed into ‘food.’ This unsettling revelation lay on the dining table.
“I… don’t care for fish,” Dog muttered, his voice tinged with unease.
Out of the corner of his eye, he still saw steam curling up from the hot fish soup, its aroma inviting to human senses. Whatever the soup’s original components had been, they were now unmistakably “fish,” their essence altered into something mundane. If not for his specialized vision granted by the Nether Lord, even Dog would not have recognized what those finely sliced pieces had once been. Now it was benign food—harmless, even if Shirley consumed it.
Dog made a silent vow to himself: he would never approach that dining table again.
Duncan couldn’t quite pin down the reason for Dog’s extreme reaction to the fish soup but suspected it had to do with the creature’s unique tastes or deeper sensitivities. Choosing not to delve into it, he focused on Nina.
Nina appeared her usual self, though Duncan sensed she carried extra emotional weight. She was a thoughtful child, always considerate, managing her feelings to avoid discomfort for others.
Duncan was increasingly aware that Nina was “concealing” something. The unseen “veil” that had enshrouded the factory in ashes and secrets seemed to extend its influence to her. While he wasn’t ready to make definite conclusions about the ashy aura around Nina, it was clear she occupied a unique position during the catastrophic fire eleven years ago.
The factory, like Nina, was special in ways yet to be fully understood.
Nina, blissfully unaware of the complexities and uncertainties around her, had spent the last eleven years in childlike innocence, never questioning her existence or the strange circumstances enveloping her like a shroud.
“Uncle?” She noticed Duncan’s intense gaze, pulling her out of her thoughts. “Is something wrong?”
Instead of answering verbally, Duncan extended his hand and tenderly stroked Nina’s head, his fingers lightly grazing her hair.
Feeling the paternal gesture, Nina hesitated briefly before shaking her head dismissively. “I’m not a little kid anymore, you know!”
“I’m well aware you’re growing up,” Duncan replied affectionately. As his hand moved through her hair, fleeting specks of soft green light flickered around the strands, vanishing quickly. “But in my eyes, you’ll always be a child.”
Somewhat mollified but wanting to assert her independence, Nina playfully puffed out her cheeks.
“Uncle, are you planning to keep investigating with Shirley?” she asked, her curiosity piqued.
“Only within the bounds of safety,” Duncan answered, his tone more serious.
“Why can’t you just stay here? Why go at all?” Nina pressed.
Duncan shook his head gently. “I have my reasons, and they can’t be ignored.”
Nina pondered his words, silent for a moment, grappling with their weight. Finally, she asked softly, “Then what can I do to help?”
“Your role is simple,” Duncan said, his face breaking into a reassuring smile as he gestured to the dining table. “Eat well, sleep soundly, focus on your studies, and take excellent care of yourself. Always trust your Uncle Duncan.”
Feeling a mixture of understanding and acceptance, Nina picked up a piece of hard bread and stuffed it into her mouth, her cheeks ballooning as she chewed thoughtfully.
After swallowing, she gave Duncan a firm nod, her eyes full of resolve. “I understand, Uncle. I’ll do my best.”
Her simple words, imbued with childlike innocence and trust, served as both acknowledgment and promise—a reminder of the simpler things in life often lost in adult complexities.
I feel so much sorry for Shirly and her dog.
The fish/tentacle confusion is unveiled after 90 chapters. I thought Alice saying the tentacle “transformed” (since it was also written in quotation marks back in chapter thirty-something) was her just following the rules of the Vanished by pretending that the tentacle was a fish because Duncan said so. The tentacle actually literally transformed into an ugly fish, its true nature now revealed once more before the sight of a shadow demon.
because what the captains says goes, if he says it’s a fish then it’s a fish
My guess is that at least onboard The Vanished, his reality-warping powers are based upon his belief. Goathead’s rules all seem to indicate that, ie “whatever the captain says is true, is true.”
Goathead can’t tell him or let anyone else tell him, otherwise his powers would at least be inconsistent as he struggles to make himself believe in the change he wanted.
Personally, I would be having tons of fun in his role, as I could be all mysterious even in front of gods, who wouldn’t know about Earth and his true body there.
Of course, I’d only have the courage to do this knowing that I could pop back to the ship and even the Earth apartment subdimension. Otherwise I’d probably still be on The Vanished, having panic attacks at the thought of just Goathead finding out I wasn’t really the captain.
Goathead already knows it’s not the real Captian, just something looking like the Captain that the Vanished dredged up. The goathead is even terrified because this thing doesn’t even bother reacting to the subspace. Look back at the chapter after Zhou Ming killed his mirror self inside the door at the bottom of the Vanished.
Yeah I am pretty sure he could still do that thing even if it was revealed unlike the original Duncan
Man his reality bending is terrifiing and I believe he is turning nina into real niece too. Remember what he say is true ?
I think she already is – this body has become Duncan, rather than Ron.