Chapter 93 “This Is Common Sense”
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Duncan swiftly changed his facial features and mental disposition to blend in and not come across as an uninformed outsider. However, beneath the facade, his emotions churned with disquiet, akin to a tumultuous sea that refused to be stilled.
The experience made him realize that finding yourself in an unfamiliar and bewildering world exposes you to the risk of being caught off guard by the locals’ unique perspectives—particularly their definition of “common sense.” While you could study their history or dismiss professional expertise as irrelevant to daily interactions, it’s the surprising elements of what is considered “common sense” that often catch you unprepared and surprised.
For instance, in this strange world, the absence of stars in the sky was a given, an elementary fact known to all. Even more startling was the widely accepted belief that the celestial bodies were actually situated deep within the ocean, serving as a boundary marker between a spiritual dimension and the mysterious abyssal zone. This was also accepted as common knowledge.
Upon hearing this second point, all Duncan could muster was incredulity.
His experiences had never led him to this specific understanding. Although he had navigated the “Vanished” through the spirit realm and had observed erratic light patterns emerging from the lower deck’s subspace, he had never seen this supposed “starry sky” that lay at the intersection between the spiritual world and the abyssal depths. This was a significant gap in his understanding of this realm.
As he continued his dialogue with Morris, Duncan’s thoughts ran rampant.
What could a star-filled sky located deep within the ocean look like? Was Morris’ version of a “starry sky” similar to the night skies he knew? What defined the edge separating the spiritual world from the mysterious abyss? Could it be an even more impenetrable and fathomless ocean, or perhaps it was a unique spatial vision misleadingly termed an “ocean”?
Then, Duncan’s thoughts drifted to a girl named Shirley and her unconventional companion and weapon, “Dog.”
According to the lexicon of this world, Dog was a “dark hound,” a “demon” summoned from the mysterious depths of the shadowy abyss. Duncan found it challenging to visualize the biological composition of this skeletal hunting canine. Yet its clearly terrestrial appearance led him to speculate that this so-called “deep sea” might not actually be a body of water at all.
It could be an expansive, otherworldly dimension, possibly enveloped by its own celestial vault of stars.
As Duncan mentally assembled the potential spatial framework to explain this mysterious abyss, he noticed Morris observing him with curiosity. The older man, catching Duncan’s somewhat distracted demeanor, inquired, “Do you also have an interest in astrology?”
“I’m intrigued, to say the least,” Duncan responded, his mouth forming a half-smile that hinted at a complex mix of emotions. He found it almost surreal to discuss “astrology” just after grappling with the realization that the night sky in this world was entirely bereft of stars. “Navigating to a starry sky located so far beneath the ocean’s surface would undoubtedly be a daunting task,” he added thoughtfully.
“Absolutely, it’s a perilous undertaking,” Morris agreed, a hint of mirth in his voice. “Fortunately, technological advancements have given us the means to study the starry sky indirectly. The development of spiritual realm lenses has substantially reduced instances of navigators losing their sanity during voyages.” Morris chuckled, clearly delighted to find someone willing to engage in a conversation about such esoteric subjects. “You might find it interesting that a hundred years ago, being a navigator was considered the most hazardous occupation on any sea-going vessel. I’ve always wanted to acquire an original set of these spirit lenses, but they’re exceedingly rare.”
Duncan blinked, momentarily pulling away from Morris’s final point. A nagging question that had long plagued him was suddenly resolved: How did ships in this world navigate without celestial guides in the sky?
The answer, it seemed, was that they did indeed rely on “stargazing” of a sort. Using specialized instruments, navigators observed a projection of a “starry sky” that emanated from the depths of the spiritual realm.
It brought to mind a historical note: Navigation was indeed a life-or-death gamble before the year 1800 in the New Commonwealth calendar. Unlike the Vanished, which had real-time updated nautical charts and even boasted a goat head first mate, traditional ships were at the mercy of these elusive and potentially maddening star projections.
“You’re incredibly knowledgeable,” Duncan finally said, unable to hold back his genuine admiration after discussing a variety of topics. “Nina is fortunate to have such an erudite teacher.”
“And I must say I’m pleased to know she has an uncle like you,” Morris replied, nodding with an air of humility. “All my concerns have evaporated. Not only do you appear to be a capable guardian, but your diverse interests and unquenchable curiosity are also commendable. It’s been quite a while since I’ve had such an intellectually stimulating conversation.”
Morris sighed softly, “My current life is quite pleasant—serene and devoid of the commotion that plagues the more bustling areas of town. The only downside is that meaningful discussions on subjects that I find fascinating are hard to come by. Even my fellow educators often struggle to keep up with my thought process. It’s truly a rare pleasure to find someone like you, who is not just willing but eager to engage in such dialogues.”
“I’m more than honored to serve as your audience,” Duncan replied, his face lighting up with a genuine smile. “History, among other things, has always been a subject close to my heart.”
“Ah, I see,” Morris said, letting out a relaxed chuckle. He glanced towards the window and was taken aback by the position of the slowly descending sun. “My goodness, have I really spent the entire afternoon here?”
“If it suits you, you’re more than welcome to stay the night,” Duncan offered nonchalantly, his voice tinged with genuine hospitality. “You could sample some of my culinary experiments.”
“As tempting as that sounds, I should be able to catch the last bus back to the Crossroad district,” Morris responded, squinting a bit at the reddening sky. “I appreciate the invitation, but I think it’s best that I head home. The city’s been somewhat turbulent lately, and I wouldn’t want my family to worry about me staying out so late.”
“Understandable,” Duncan said, standing up to escort Morris to the door. “I’ll go ahead and call Nina down.”
Before Morris could issue any polite protests, Duncan had already tilted his head back and called up to the second floor, “Nina! Mr. Morris is getting ready to leave; come down to bid your teacher farewell!”
The sound of footsteps filled the air as Nina, now dressed in a comfortable long gown, energetically descended the staircase. She greeted Morris with a warm smile, then glanced outside at the darkening sky, eyes widening in astonishment. “Wow, you two talked for that long?”
“It was a most engaging conversation,” Morris remarked, his face lighting up with a smile. “Your uncle is a man of considerable intellectual curiosity and varied interests. We covered quite a bit of historical ground.”
For his part, Duncan managed to keep a straight face, nodding in solemn agreement. In reality, what Morris called a “discussion” had been more of a lecture on his part, with Duncan adopting the role of a polite, albeit somewhat befuddled, listener. But since Morris seemed so pleased with the interaction, Duncan saw no reason to burst his bubble. Duncan felt he had played his part well, asking questions at the right moments and keeping the flow going—perfect for an elderly scholar who seldom found an eager audience.
Nina looked from her visibly contented teacher to her poker-faced uncle, skepticism flickering in her eyes. She almost asked when her uncle had developed such a fervent interest in intellectual matters but wisely thought better of it. Nervously, she tugged at Duncan’s sleeve and whispered, “Did you guys talk about me?”
“We touched upon some minor school-related topics,” Morris quickly answered. Despite his advanced years, his hearing was still impressively sharp, and he had no trouble catching Nina’s hushed words. “I’ll let your uncle fill you in. Don’t fret, I haven’t divulged any of your secrets.”
Satisfied, Morris retrieved his cane from its spot near the door and patted the antique dagger he had carefully tucked into the inner pocket of his coat. Exchanging final goodbyes with both Nina and Duncan, he slowly exited the residence.
After ensuring Morris was on his way, Duncan surveyed the evening sky, taking it as a cue to close up shop for the day. He flipped the sign on the door to “Closed” and secured the lock. Given the lateness of the hour, he deemed it highly unlikely that any more customers would be dropping by.
Furthermore, having just closed a rather lucrative deal, Duncan felt a bit more relaxed about the day’s commerce. The usual urgency of keeping the store open late into the evening had somewhat dissipated, replaced by a comfortable assurance.
Nina watched her uncle as he moved around the store, securing the door and straightening items on the counter. Her mind was a whirlpool of questions, but just as she was about to voice them, Duncan looked up and beamed at her. “What do you say we go out and buy you a bicycle in the next few days?”
“Uh, what?” Nina stammered, caught completely off guard by the abrupt change of topic. “Why would—”
“I’ve received a bonus from City Hall,” Duncan interrupted, his tone cheerful as he casually brandished a check in his hand. “And on top of that, I’ve just sealed a rather substantial business deal. So, I figured we have some extra funds to make our lives a bit more convenient. A bicycle would come in handy, don’t you think?”
“A ‘substantial business deal’?” Nina’s eyes widened as realization dawned on her. “Wait, did you actually sell that antique dagger to Mr. Morris?”
“I did,” Duncan confirmed, nodding with satisfaction. “And for a sum of over three thousand soras, no less.”
Nina’s eyes went wide, her expression a mix of astonishment and incredulity. “Three thousand soras!?”
Fiscally shrewd for her age, Nina looked at Duncan with an expression that seemed to be questioning his ethics. “So, you invite your niece’s teacher for a home visit, spend an entire afternoon discussing intellectual matters with him, and then you sell him an artifact for over three thousand soras? What would people say if they heard about this?”
Duncan paused, furrowing his brows as he considered the question seriously. “That our shop becomes a hit and suddenly gains fame?”
Nina rolled her eyes. “Are you even serious?”
Duncan shrugged, his eyes twinkling with a mischievous glint. “What other option did I have? The man was genuinely enamored with the piece. It wouldn’t have been right to just hand it over for nothing, especially since it’s one of the few authentic items in the store.”
Nina stood there, her hands planted firmly on her hips, disbelief clouding her features. But after a moment, her look of incredulity slowly morphed into a grin. Despite her initial reservations, she found herself unable to hold onto her skepticism and, instead, felt a sense of quiet pride for her entrepreneurial uncle.
Are they in some kind of Dyson Sphere?
That won’t explain the deep sea and stars there
Also there is no moons or other planets and everything else that might exist in a solar system.
I wonder why Nina is so weird like Morris says ?
Maybe she is also a vision like fragment of sun or that fragment of sun might be influening her somehow
Huh, my take is that yes, all the records are true, however, it’s because of some interdimensional disaster that fragmented their various dimensions and thus planets, which then melded together. The excessive sea could be because of the spacial rifts.
After the land was deposited, along with any connecting ocean,the rifts stayed open for a while after, and the oceans of the various planets where they were intersecting kept pouring into the rifts until they healed or were otherwise closed. Particularly from the giant scar in the sky, which is literally a scar across the fabric of reality.
There might be dozens of other worldshards like this one, with fragments of the same worlds also melded together, albeit with a lot of desert perhaps, if so much water accumulated in just one worldshard.
My guess is the world they inhabit is reversed upside down. They don’t actually live on the surface of the planet, but inside a hollow planet with inverted gravity. The sun (Vision 001) and the sky they see is actually located in the center of the planet, while the deep sea is connected to the actual surface area of ??the planet, hence why they cannot see the stars in the sky but on the other side of the deep sea. Also, what they call ‘subspace’ is actually outer space. Anyone who has watched ‘Patema Inverted’ will understand what I mean.