Chapter 280

Chapter 280: Before the New Recruit Joined

Was what Helena had said really her true thinking? Was the Deep Sea Church’s goal really only to build contact with the Vanished? Did this “God’s Herald” truly believe in Captain Duncan’s humanity and reason the way she claimed?

Duncan did not dare believe it all. Although this female pope’s attitude looked very sincere, he had a clear sense of things. He knew the Vanished was famous across the seas and had an impressive “battle record”. That fearsome name alone made it impossible for a leader like Helena to deal with him without any guard up—she had to be holding something back.

But caution was not always a bad thing. Choosing to cooperate while staying on guard meant she had a reason she had to work with him. Maybe it was the will of her god. Maybe it was for the Church’s interests. Whatever the reason, the olive branch she was offering now was real.

“Since we have already reached an agreement, we should talk about the actual handover and registration process for personnel,” Duncan thought for a moment, then spoke to the pope before him from a very reasonable angle. “I think we need some formal documents.”

Helena froze at once. Although she was the one who had first raised the matter, she had clearly never thought this far. Her expression now showed some surprise: “Registration… process? What do you mean?”

“Bringing a crew member on board and handing over work is a very serious matter,” Duncan said with a straight face. “The Vanished is an expedition ship with strict personnel management. Your Deep Sea Church is also a proper organization. You send an envoy over and do not even prepare a letter of introduction? And there is also the question of Vanna’s living expenses on the ship, or wear and tear on her personal gear. Whose side should reimburse that? We need to make it clear. Personally I think your side should cover it, at least cover part of it…”

Helena suddenly began to understand what Vanna meant in all those reports where she kept saying “Captain Duncan often does unexpected things”. She had drafted so many plans for dealing with the Vanished, and somehow had never considered this point at all!

“…The Deep Sea Church will of course cover this part of the… ‘budget’,” Helena finally nodded after holding back for a few seconds. “If you need formal paperwork, we can provide it. Or you can provide it—do you have a template on your side?”

“Of course I do. In a bit I can send a messenger to deliver it to you,” Duncan nodded solemnly, his tone very serious. “The Vanished is not some third-rate eldritch god’s lair where you light two braziers, mutter a few words, then shove someone in and call the sacrificial rite a success. We are a very proper employer. Recruitment, rules and regulations, and team-building are all first-class by Subspace standards…”

Helena had been listening with a blank face from the start. Now she could only nod along on reflex. For some reason, she suddenly felt that the twisted starlight in the mirror before her, which kept swelling and shrinking as it squirmed, did not seem quite so dizzying anymore.

She even felt those spinning lights and shadows were a little friendly.

In this slightly dazed state, she finally managed to end her conversation with that ghost captain.

With a soft crackling sound like fire burning, the green flames leaping before the mirror finally faded. Bright yellow-white fire once again rose on the candles. The shifting lights at the edge of the mirror, and the pitch-black cracks that had been everywhere in the room, slowly vanished from her sight.

The stable world of the Mortal Realm appeared before Helena once more.

But she still stared hard at the mirror that had returned to normal, at the reflection that slowly came into view within it.

She did not know how long it took before the trembling lines at the edge of that image finally steadied. Helena then drew in a deep breath, and her tense muscles relaxed bit by bit.

Only now did she feel how the sweat had soaked through her clothes. Her heart was pounding. A hollow, numb ache throbbed in her head.

“…I should remind Vanna to control her curiosity a little in this ‘new post’,” Helena rubbed her forehead and spoke softly while fighting the dull pain in her head. “Facing Subspace directly… feels terrible.”

A sudden crackling sound reached her ears, and a flash of green light entered her sight.

Helena jolted awake, but only had time to see a flicker of green flame flash by the windowsill. She quickly walked toward where the firelight had faded and saw an old parchment sheet lying quietly on the sill.

It was Vanna’s registration dossier for the Vanished.

“…He really sent it.”

The pope muttered in some shock.

…

The next morning.

“We will be adding a new member.”

In the dining hall of the Vanished, Duncan had gathered everyone on board, including Shirley, who had been helping out in the antique shop, and Morris, the old scholar who had been in the city-state library doing research. Then he solemnly announced this news.

Nina had been holding a handful of fries and feeding the pigeons with great focus. When she heard what Uncle Duncan said, she froze, lifted her head, and stared in surprise: “A new member? Who is it?”

“In a certain sense, she counts as an acquaintance,” Duncan said with a smile, his gaze sweeping along both sides of the table. “You have all met her. Shirley, you and Nina even saw her again not long ago.”

Shirley looked a bit blank. It took her several seconds to slowly realize something, and her expression changed in a way that was visible to the naked eye: “C-could it be that inquisitor…”

“It is her,” Duncan nodded lightly. “Inquisitor Vanna will become a new member of the Vanished, within the next day or two.”

“Clang!”

A loud crash suddenly came from beside the dining table. Duncan calmly looked toward the sound and saw Dog sprawled on the floor in a mess—only a second ago Dog had been sitting on the chair next to Shirley.

Shirley herself had almost fallen off her chair just now. At this moment she glared at Dog and scolded: “Dog, you scared me!”

“I-I-I’m completely dog-dumb here, really, Mr. Duncan, what did you just say—that inquisitor?!” Dog scrambled up off the floor in a panic, ignoring Shirley’s loud yelling beside him. His two bloody, hollow eye sockets stared at Duncan. “Are you planning to tie that inquisitor up and bring her here? Oh, of course I’m not doubting that you could do it. You could definitely tie her up. But making that inquisitor submit won’t be easy. She has clearly gone through very harsh training, and her head is full of faith in the Storm Goddess. I’m afraid ordinary methods could never make her…”

“…Why was your first thought to tie someone to the ship?” Duncan’s eye twitched. “I said Vanna would become our new member. When did I say anything about tying her to the ship?”

“Then how else do you get her here if you don’t tie her up?” Dog was utterly baffled. In his “normal logic”, he could not think of any other reason why a city-state inquisitor would suddenly become a new member of the Vanished. “Oh, you mean you’ll lock her up on the shore first…”

“Can’t it just be normal crew onboarding and a regular transfer of posts?” Duncan looked expressionlessly at the ugly dog head across from him. “For example, the Deep Sea Church writes a letter of recommendation. I write a notice of employment. Then Vanna, through this completely normal process, becomes the ship’s marine squad member and ship’s priest. Don’t you think that sounds more reasonable?”

Dog thought about it and felt that once you put this kind of “reasonable” thing on the Vanished, it became so bizarre it was almost supernatural. He would rather believe that one day he would open his eyes on the ship and see the Abyssal Lord than believe that series of steps the captain had just described. But after holding it in for a long time, he still did not dare say any of that out loud.

Because this was the Vanished.

And on this ship, the captain was always right.

“You are right,” Dog muttered in a muffled voice, his head drooping. “That is very reasonable.”

Duncan nodded in satisfaction. Then he looked again at the people on both sides of the table. After thinking for a moment, he still decided to add an explanation: “This is an agreement between me and the Deep Sea Church. Vanna will board this ship as a secret envoy, and before her mission ends she will serve under me as a crew member. Her status is a little different from yours, but while we are on the ship, everyone follows the same rules. I hope you can all get along.”

“As long as she doesn’t come looking for trouble with me,” Shirley muttered, “I wouldn’t dare cause trouble for her.”

“I still can’t picture how a city-state inquisitor is supposed to just sit still on this ship,” Dog grumbled along. “I have a feeling life is going to get exciting.”

“I am ready,” Morris, on the far side of the table, nodded lightly. The old scholar looked the calmest of them all (Alice, who had not reacted from beginning to end, did not count), and there was even a strange smile on his face. “Though she may be especially shocked when she sees me… But she will adapt. Vanna has been very good at adapting ever since she was a child.”

Nina had not said much from the start. She had just been thinking about something. Only now did she suddenly lift her head: “Uncle, does that mean we are going to have work to do next?”

Duncan lowered his head: “Why are you asking that all of a sudden?”

“Because you specially called all of us to the ship,” Nina thought for a moment. “Miss Vanna hasn’t even come aboard yet, but you called us in advance, so you must have other plans, right?”

Duncan looked at Nina’s shining eyes (with 6000°C burning deep in them). After a long moment, he smiled and patted her hair.

“Yes, we are going to be busy—we are heading for Frostholm.”