Chapter 186

Chapter 186: Local Specialty from the City-State

On the first floor of the antique shop, Nina sat anxiously on the chair by the counter. From time to time she got up to peek out the display window, but all she saw was the empty street under the streetlamps. Then she went to check the front door again, making sure it was still tightly shut.

She had the urge to go out and take a look several times, but each time, just before her hand touched the doorknob, she stopped. In her mind she recalled Uncle’s hurried instructions before he left—do not leave this door, stay home and wait for him to come back.

“Uncle really is something… he just had to go out after nightfall even though there’s a curfew…” Nina sat back down behind the counter again, muttering to herself, “If the patrolling Guardians see him, they’ll definitely detain him again, and it’s so dangerous…”

She had no idea how many times she had muttered this already.

Then she finally heard a bit of noise at the door. Footsteps sounded suddenly, followed by the turning of the lock.

Nina snapped her head up toward the door. She saw the door being pushed open as the bell hanging there rang with a crisp, pleasant chime, and that familiar figure finally appeared in her sight.

“Nina, I’m back,” Duncan looked at the girl hurrying over from beside the counter and smiled a little. “See, it’s not that late.”

Nina rushed over in a few quick steps and bumped her head into Duncan’s chest. Right after that came a long string of complaints: “You call this not late? Do you know what time it is now? Going out when there’s a curfew is so dangerous! And you didn’t even say what you were going to do, you just told me to stay home and wait…”

Nina’s nagging complaints were like a storm at sea, once they rose they went on and on. But then she noticed a small figure hiding behind Duncan, and her complaining stopped at once.

Shirley, carrying a small suitcase, ducked out from behind Duncan with her head down. A little stiff and nervous, she waved at Nina: “Nina… and me.”

Duncan turned around and closed the shop’s front door to keep nosy people from noticing anything. Nina, after seeing what Shirley looked like, opened her eyes wide: “Shirley?! You… why are you here, and with Uncle… Wait, you’re covered in blood!”

“Ah, don’t worry, don’t worry,” Shirley waved her hands in a panic. Even though the wound on her back had not fully healed, she still tried to show the same bright smile as always. “I just ran into a small problem. I’m fine…”

“How is that a small problem?!” Nina hurriedly grabbed the small suitcase from Shirley’s hand and quickly checked the blood on her. She soon noticed the torn place on Shirley’s clothes and was shocked pale. “You… how badly are you hurt? We have to find a doctor right away! You…”

“I really am fine, hey, calm down!” Shirley quickly caught Nina’s hand, looking completely helpless. “Did you forget? I’m not an ordinary person…”

Nina opened her mouth, as if she still wanted to say something, but suddenly heard Duncan cough beside them.

“Ahem.” Duncan cut off the two girls’ increasingly chaotic exchange and fixed his gaze on Nina. “Don’t ask so much for now. Shirley’s injuries shouldn’t be a problem—you should take her upstairs to bathe and change clothes first. We’ll explain the details later.”

Nina’s eyes moved back and forth between Shirley and Duncan as she muddle?headedly agreed. Shirley rubbed her stomach, a little embarrassed: “Um… is there anything to eat… I’d like to eat something first…”

Maybe she had burned too much energy while healing her wounds. Right now she only felt ravenously hungry—the pain in her body seemed far less urgent in comparison.

“Ah, ah, yes!” Nina froze for a second, then reacted at once. “I actually cooked enough for one more person tonight… I’ll go heat it up for you!”

Nina ran up the stairs at full speed. The thudding of her footsteps faded away. Shirley stayed behind, a little dazed. She looked around and saw the familiar first?floor shop, the shelves filled with fake antiques, the not?so?clean display window, and Mr. Duncan standing nearby with a half?smile.

She stared for several seconds before she finally muttered softly: “I’m back again…”

“Yes, you’re back again.” Duncan smiled, bent down to pick up Shirley’s small suitcase, and started forward. “We’d better take this chance to talk about how to explain those injuries of yours, and come up with a reasonable reason for you to live here for a while. Though I don’t think we need to work too hard on that. Nina will be very happy to see you stay.”

Shirley stared blankly at his back for a moment, then suddenly came to her senses. She hurried to catch up with Duncan in a few steps, reaching for her suitcase as she spoke quickly: “I can carry it myself! I can…”

Duncan only shook his head with a smile and looked up ahead.

The pale, cold light of World’s Wound shone over the boundless sea. The gently rolling waves reflected fine, broken scales of light. The cool sea breeze from the veil of night blew across the deck and stirred the hem of the captain’s uniform.

Duncan stood on the deck of the Vanished, looking at the three “Enders” in front of him. Their minds had not yet recovered, but their bodies were slowly returning to human shape.

So these twisted, warped things could turn back into normal people after all?

Footsteps came from not far away. Duncan looked back and saw Alice’s silver?white long hair flying in the night wind—the doll in a long dress ran over through the darkness, shouting happily as she ran: “Captain, Captain, I just heard Mr. Goathead say you sent something to the deck again? Did you buy something from the human city?state again…”

Alice stopped mid?shout in shock. The doll, who had run out to watch the fun, skidded to a stop beside the captain and stared in confusion at the three “human?shaped creatures” lying on the deck.

After staring for quite a while, the doll finally turned her blank gaze toward Duncan: “Captain… are these also local specialties from the human city?state?”

“…You could call them that,” Duncan thought for a moment. “I really haven’t seen them anywhere else. They keep popping up one batch after another in the city?state.”

Alice let out a muddled “oh,” then raised a hand to scratch her hair. Her head felt itchy—as if a brain were about to grow in there, but somehow still refused to appear.

“They look… human, right?” the doll muttered. “Captain, why did you bring three of these things up here? You didn’t buy them, did you?”

“I didn’t buy them. I picked them up on the way.” Duncan answered this scatter?brained doll offhandedly while keeping his attention on the three “Subspace believers,” whose bodies had almost fully recovered their human form. He noticed that one of them already showed signs of waking, and only then did he quietly let out a breath.

It seemed AI’s teleportation process was as reliable as ever. These cultists were still alive, and they could even wake up.

So… could he also have AI teleport ordinary people to the ship in the future?

Duncan began to calculate in his heart, and his mood slowly improved.

He had always wanted to find some cultists to serve as “test subjects,” to test AI’s long?range teleportation ability, the special environment aboard the Vanished, and Alice’s Guillotine power, but he had never found a chance.

The Suntists in the city?state had been almost completely swept up by a crackdown from the Deep Sea Church, and were now all stuffed into Cathedrals around the city. The scattered cultists among the common folk had either fled or gone into hiding, and after searching for a long time, he still hadn’t found any. He had already put this idea aside for the moment, and had not expected to run into a situation like this tonight.

A few Enders who worshiped Subspace had popped up out of nowhere.

What else could Duncan say? He could only thank nature for its gifts…

As he was thinking this, the “gifts of nature” on the deck finally began to wake up.

One Ender suddenly twitched. A hoarse, low groan came from his throat. Then his thin, twig?like arms suddenly pushed his body up. This worshiper of Subspace sat up and stared in shock at the strange surroundings.

The gentle waves and the cold sea wind pricked at nerves twisted by the influence of Subspace. A mild, deep voice sounded beside him: “You’re awake.”

“This is…” The cultist slowly turned his head. Duncan and Alice’s figures were reflected in his clouded eyes. His dull brain took several seconds to start working again. Then he suddenly jumped to his feet to face Duncan with open hostility and even took a small step back. “Who are you?!”

“Oh, right, you’ve never seen me,” Duncan smiled as he watched the other two Enders slowly wake. His voice sank to a low rumble. “Welcome to the Vanished—you can call me Captain Duncan.”

“…The Vanished?!” The first cultist to awaken froze for a moment. He clearly knew the name. After a brief dazed pause, his eyes went wide. “This is… this is the ghost ship that came back from Subspace?!”

“That’s right. Looks like you understand the situation. That will make things easier between us.” Duncan nodded. “First, I have a few questions…”

He hadn’t even finished when the cultist across from him suddenly raised both hands high. A kind of wild joy seemed to flood the madman’s mind as he shouted at the top of his lungs: “O Subspace! You have finally opened Your gate to us! Immortality in Doomsday! Salvation in disaster! All things destroyed, all things reborn! The Promised Ark has come… the Promised Ark has come!”

Whatever Duncan had been about to say was instantly choked off.

Just what kind of serious problem did this cultist have in his head?!