Chapter 829: Chapter 826: The Last Gathering

The jump was over, Homeloss and Brilliant Starship emerged from the uniform grey-white “background color” and, with a slight shaking and trembling, the two ships entered a water surface calm as a mirror.

After such a long pilgrimage to the edge of the world, both ships finally returned to where everything began–to their initial arrival node–the resting place of the Leviathan Queen.

Compared to when they left, it seemed as though nothing had changed here; the sea was still tranquil, and the dark-colored archipelagos floating on the Endless Sea remained concealed in fog, with the largest island revealing its vague silhouette deep within the mist, almost dream-like in its appearance.

It was just much quieter than before–because even the smallest ripples had vanished on the water surface, and the faint murmurs that had persisted in the mist were now gone; even the sound of the wind passing over the deck seemed vague and distant as it reached their ears.

Everyone came up on the deck, gathering near the ship’s guardrail at the foredeck, staring at the long-lost archipelagos and sea surface. After a long time, Nina was the first to break the silence: “Unknowingly… we’ve been sailing at the edge of the world for so long…”

“Yes, so long that I almost forgot this journey had a limit,” Morris quietly stood next to Nina, red ruby lenses embedded in his eyes adjusting focus, “… I think, I’ll remember everything we’ve seen and heard along the way.”

Fenna glanced back at the old man: “Then it must be another series of discoveries and corresponding academic papers that will astonish the world.”

Morris paused for two or three seconds: “Nobody writes or reads papers now–the world has begun cooling, no discovery can shock those gradually cooling ashes.”

Fenna shook her head: “Then leave it for the distant future–when flames reignite and people start thinking again, seeking knowledge and wisdom.”

Sherry leaned over the railing, gazing into the distance for a while, then finally murmured to herself softly: “Ah, we are back indeed.”

Duncan stood behind everyone, now feeling gaze after gaze finally resting on him: his crew members were waiting for his orders.

Duncan was already prepared for this moment–when it really arrived, he simply took a breath and calmly ordered, “We dock next to the island with the temple, then everyone transfers to the Brilliant Starship to leave, and afterwards we can maintain contact through fire.”

Lucrecia opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something, but ultimately, she remained silent.

“Before that,” Duncan continued, “let’s go to the dining room for one last meal together.”

Footsteps came from not far away; it was Alice coming up the deck. The doll lady had finished her steering work and came here to find the captain and her companions.

“Alice, it’s time to showcase your culinary skills,” Duncan turned his head, smiling at the doll approaching, “We’re going to have a meal together next.”

Upon hearing this, Alice hesitated for a moment, but soon her face blossomed into a bright smile, brushing her head with happiness she nodded: “Ah! Great!”

“I’ll bring Luny and Niru along,” Lucrecia immediately said, “They can help in the kitchen–and by the way, there’s also fine wine stored aboard the Brilliant Starship.”

“I’ll help too!” Nina quickly spoke, her voice brimming with sunny enthusiasm and warmth, “With my help, the cooking will be fast!”

Alice looked somewhat at a loss at this scene, subconsciously waving her hands: “Ah, there’s no need for so many people, I can do it alone…”

Suddenly stopping, the doll seriously thought for a moment and sighed helplessly: “Alright, if you want to help, then come along…”

Thus, a special meal was quickly prepared. As Homeloss sailed through the archipelagos, through the haze, slowly approaching the black island with the towering temple, Duncan and his followers gathered in the ship’s dining room.

The long table that had hosted many meals and welcomed every visitor aboard was once again placed in the center of the dining room. Nina ignited every lantern on the adjacent columns with her brilliantly radiant flames, while Luny and Alice arranged the sumptuous food and wine on the long table. At the edge of all things, brightness and warmth briefly reappeared–as if to make one forget the endless long night above the Endless Sea and the piercing cold permeating the world outside the cabin.

Then, Duncan sat at the center of the table, with Nina to his left and Alice to his right position, and next to them, in order, sat Morris, Sherry, the dog, the sailor, Luny, Niru, and even the pigeon Ai Yi and Agatha in her phantom form, who did not need to eat, also had their respective places.

At the ends of the long table, three chairs remained vacant–Duncan had prepared these three spots, yet he did not mention for whom they were reserved.

As everyone took their seats, the tiny doll Niru climbed from her chair onto the table, hugging a huge wine bottle, she began running around, pouring the exotic fragrance-emitting, blood-red wine–from the Brilliant Starship mistress’s private collection–into everyone’s glasses, reflecting a sunlight-like radiance within the glass.

Duncan picked up the wine glass, but suddenly remembered something, stood up, and looked around, his expression becoming a bit subtle.

After a while, his lips twitched slightly, and he silently moved his chair to the opposite side of the long table.

Seeing this, Alice immediately followed without hesitation, naturally continuing to sit to Duncan’s right, while Ai Yi fluttered over, and the people on the other side of the table looked at the captain’s inexplicable actions with slightly bewildered expressions.

“That spot was unlucky,” Duncan tugged at his mouth, unsure how to explain the odd association in his mind to the others, then gestured to the people across the table, “Don’t move, it’s good to sit like this–this is lucky.”

The people across “blinks and blinks” as they listened to Duncan’s explanation, none able to follow the captain’s train of thought. Maurice realized that this seemed to be a long-lost, captain-only “Subspace joke,” while Nina, after blinking several times, suddenly burst into laughter.

Duncan glared: “What are you laughing at?”

“Nothing, just suddenly feeling relieved,” Nina looked at Duncan across the table with a grin, “You saying ‘unlucky’ so seriously at this moment reassures me more than anything you’ve said to me before.”

Duncan’s eyes twitched, understanding the implications of Nina’s words, but he didn’t say much, just coughing lightly, “Cough, as I told you before, this is the last supper on the ship. After it ends, we will dock at Leviathan Queen’s Sleeping Island, and then we will act separately, understand?”

“Yes, understood, Uncle Duncan,” Nina looked at Duncan across the table, her eyes gleaming, then she raised her glass with a hint of expectation, “So can I have some fermented grape juice or wheatfruit juice today?”

Duncan felt as if it’s been a long time since he last heard Nina say this to him.

A smile appeared on his face, and he gently nodded, “Today you can, Sherry, you too–today, no need to sneak around drinking.”

Sherry, who was swinging her wine glass in her hand, suddenly startled at the captain’s words, raising her neck unconsciously: “I have never sneaked a drink!”

Duncan looked at Sherry with a half-smile: “Didn’t you notice that the bottles, glasses, and liquor were all various ‘mirrors’ when you sneak drinks from the ship’s stash?”

Sherry was dumbstruck: “…”

Duncan shook his head with a smile and raised his wine glass: “Here’s to the journey.”

Thus, everyone with hands raised their glasses, those with mouths and throats drank, and those who couldn’t drink splashed the wine on the floor of Homeloss, toasting to the ship.

Even Ai Yi earnestly dipped its beak into the glass, appearing more solemn than ever.

Alice then stood up, beginning to serve soup and cakes to everyone around the long table–she opened the central soup pot, inside was a rich fish soup, a meal that everyone on the ship must eat after boarding. Beside the soup pot was a large plate of golden-brown sweet pancakes, a delicacy from Prand, and the captain’s favorite food.

After Alice served the food, Niru ran up to the table, holding bowls of soup and plates of cakes, and delivered them to everyone–this tiny doll, only as tall as an adult’s arm, was agilely running across the table, her recently birthed intelligence seemingly unable to comprehend “what this journey meant,” but she looked overjoyed.

“… I didn’t expect such a little one could do things now,” Sherry watched her curiously run around on the table, incredulous in her tone, “I remember when I first saw her she couldn’t move, lying in a wooden box, said to be Luny’s sister, lying in a doll shop for a hundred years…”

“Niru’s awakening was very successful, and the subsequent infusion of reason and humanity went unimaginably smoothly,” Lucy casually mentioned, “Perhaps it’s due to the special environment of the border along with Luny’s influence… this little one had a tendency to be ‘activated’ from the start.”

Niru ran to Lucy, happily placing down the soup bowl, stretching out her arms, making a tiny voice: “Tendency!”

Duncan watched this scene with a gentle smile, and after a while, he suddenly said: “Have you guys thought about the new world?”

Nina paused for a moment, seemingly not catching his meaning right away: “The new world… matters?”

“In the new world, what do you want? Or rather…” Duncan thought for a moment, seriously looking at each person across the long table, “What does the new world look like in your imagination?”