Through a layer of illusory mirror and flame, Duncan could still clearly observe Tirian and Lucretia's reactions from beginning to end - nervous, vigilant, and vaguely fearful.

From the perspective of "family reunion", this atmosphere is really not good.

But he didn't mind it, as this was something he had expected - being able to meet Tirian ahead of time while the situation was under his control had already achieved his goal for today. Laying the foundation by meeting him now might help him avoid being in a panic when they suddenly met again in the future, not to mention... today was a "buy one get one free" deal.

Unexpectedly, Lucrecia was there too.

Moreover, just now when he was hidden in the mirror, he also heard the communication between Lucretia and Tirian, and knew that his last attempt to call the other party through "Nilu" was not ineffective. Although he did not receive any feedback, there was movement from Lucretia's side. This information was also an unexpected gain.

Duncan calmed down and maintained his usual calm expression. He slowly glanced at Tyrian and the crystal ball on the table next to him. "I don't think a father needs any special reason to look for his children."

Tirian's eyes widened slightly for a moment, but he quickly suppressed this momentary hesitation. He lowered his voice and looked at the person in the mirror warily: "You should know that this is a cathedral - even you should at least consider the gods behind this sacred place."

"Yes, this is the cathedral. Of course I know it. I witnessed it being burned down by fire and rebuilt from the broken history," Duncan said calmly. "If the god behind this cathedral is watching, then He owes me a thank you."

Tirian didn't know what to say next.

But he was no stranger to the feeling of suddenly not knowing what to say when talking to his father.

Because even a hundred years ago, when the name Abnomar had not yet been entangled with a curse, he often remained silent in front of his father - his father was always too majestic and obsessed with those mysterious and terrible things, and Tirian at that time... was not a man who was good at speaking.

And at that time, whenever there was an awkward silence between father and son, it was always the more lively Lucrecia who broke the deadlock.

"Have you...your mind escaped the influence of the warp?" The voice of the "Sea Witch" came from the crystal ball. Just like a hundred years ago, she broke the awkwardness between her father and brother. "Are you coming back this time to continue...your exploration plan?"

Duncan looked at Lucretia. Beneath his calm appearance, he was thinking wildly in his heart.

This was a crucial meeting, in which he had to lay a foundation for the future, to cover up or explain in advance the many "suspicious points" that might be exposed, and if possible, to make all the changes in the Lost Hometown and himself from now on become "natural" for the brother and sister.

Fortunately, he already had a draft before he came.

"The subspace has left a profound impact on me. Perhaps I will never be able to completely get rid of this influence in my lifetime," he spoke slowly, controlling his speech speed and expression. "I can no longer remember many things, even my understanding and... way of cognition of the real world. I am trying to understand this world again, and after knowing your existence, I think this may be a key step in rebuilding my cognition."

He paused for a moment before continuing, "But as you said, Lucy—at least, my sanity has returned."

This was the most effective way he could think of to solve hidden dangers and prepare for the future.

In order to maintain the stability of the Lost Homeland, he must play the role of "Captain Duncan" well. He cannot give up this identity even if he has reached a tacit understanding with Goat-Head. So he must continue this "performance" in front of Lucretia and Tirian. But no matter how good the performance is, there will be loopholes. What's more, he knows almost nothing about the brother and sister. The most effective way is of course to prepare a pot in advance.

Then put the blame on the subspace.

Anyway, all the weird things in this world are related to the subspace. That place is simply the cauldron of all pots, so he doesn't need to take a bite...

He also deliberately emphasized that his problem was not only with his memory, but also with his understanding and cognition of the real world - this could almost explain everything that was wrong with him.

The rest is left to Tirian and Lucretia's imagination.

Lucretia in the crystal ball was obviously startled after hearing Duncan's words. She seemed to be carefully observing the changes in her father's expression to confirm the truth of his words. Tirian next to her suddenly asked after a brief silence: "So, your previous actions in Plande were just to save this city-state?"

Duncan smiled: "It's all out of kindness."

"...But the bishops and inquisitors in the city don't seem to be so credulous," Tirian said in a deep voice, "especially the inquisitor...she is very wary of you."

"Oh, I can sense that," Duncan nodded. "She tried to jump-slash me twice in a row, but both times she failed."

Tirian suddenly didn't know how to continue the conversation.

Duncan paid no attention to Tirian's silence, but turned his gaze to his "daughter" in the crystal ball, and asked casually, "Is Luni with you?"

"She's here." Lucrecia nodded, then waved to the side, and soon, a clockwork doll dressed in a maid's costume appeared in the crystal ball.

Duncan looked at the clockwork puppet that appeared in front of him with some surprise. No matter how you looked at it, it didn't match "Nilu". "...Why does she look like this?!"

"I made a little bit of... transformation to Luni," Lucrecia said with a strange expression, while trying to guess the reason why her father suddenly changed the subject. "Why are you asking about her all of a sudden?"

"...I found Nilu," Duncan said calmly, "In a doll shop. You didn't take her away that year, and she has never been sold."

Lucrecia couldn't help but let out a cry: "Ah..."

Some long-lost memories seemed to surface in the mind of this "sea witch", and the expression on her face suddenly became complicated.

The subtle change in her face did not escape Duncan's eyes.

That’s about it—the groundwork has been laid, and continuing might affect the effect.

Duncan's voice came from the mirror: "I'm leaving."

Lucretia and Tirian didn't react for a moment, Tirian asked subconsciously: "Leave?"

"I still have a lot of things to do," Duncan said calmly, his eyes finally falling on Lucrecia, "Leave Nilu with me for now. If there is a chance in the future, I will give her to you."

As soon as he finished speaking, his figure began to dim rapidly, and the dark green flame on the edge of the mirror also quietly dissipated like a phantom, leaving no time for Tirian and Lucretia to continue speaking.

The room fell silent again, and for several minutes neither Lucretia nor Tirian spoke.

In the end, it was Lucrecia who broke the silence: "Just now...it really happened, didn't it?"

"It's not an illusion," Tirian shook his head with a wry smile, "Have you ever thought that this would happen?"

"...I have never thought of it in my most bizarre dreams," Lucrecia said, and then suddenly asked a little nervously, "What do you think of this matter?"

"You mean ..."

"What he just said," Lucrecia said with a serious face, "Do you think it's true? Father said that he has lost most of his memories and even needs to re-recognize this world. He also said that the influence of the warp is profound and cannot be completely eliminated... But he also said that he has regained his sanity..."

"...Frankly speaking, I don't believe any of it, even the words 'regain sanity'," Tirian said in a deep voice, "Before there is more evidence, I would rather believe that this is a conspiracy of the Warp."

"There are no conspiracies in the Warp," Lucrecia said calmly, "Only humans understand conspiracies."

"...What about a human who has been baptized by the Warp?" Tirian took a breath and shook his head. "When the Chaos in the Warp has wisdom, it will be more terrifying than pure Chaos... Of course, the situation may not be so bad. I also hope that a miracle will really happen, but for now... Let's wait and see and be vigilant. You have been active in the border for many years, so you should know the necessity of this vigilance better than me."

"I understand," Lucrecia said after a few seconds of silence, then nodded slightly. But then she raised her eyes again and her gaze fell on the oval mirror again, a little nervously, "...Is he really gone?"

Tirian thought about it, took a few steps forward, took down the mirror, and placed it upside down on the table.

"I have a feeling that my father makes me more nervous than before." The famous pirate couldn't help but mutter to himself.

Lucrecia's voice immediately came from the crystal ball: "That's because you were just beaten by him, so you must be deeply touched..."

Tirian looked back, expressionless: "Pay attention, you never know when Luni will suddenly speak, and speak in her father's voice."

The crystal ball went out directly.

※※※

In the captain's bedroom of the Lost Homeland, Duncan breathed a long sigh of relief and sorted out the communication he had just had with the pair of "children".

There shouldn't be any omissions.

After finishing the sorting, he picked up a pen and paper from the side and began to sketch on it according to his memory.

After a few strokes, a strange hexagonal emblem appeared on the paper.

That was the strange symbol that Tirian had shown to Vanna and Bishop Valentine before. It was the same emblem carried by those strange "ascetics" that Captain Duncan had received a hundred years ago.

Through Vanna's eyes, Duncan obtained this unexpected information!

Putting down the pen in his hand, Duncan looked thoughtfully at the strange hexagon and the fragmented cross structure inside it, wondering where he should start to decipher the secret of this symbol.

But suddenly, his eyes froze.

He saw a wet mark suddenly appear on the edge of the paper, as if an invisible stream of water had soaked a corner of the paper. Then, in the middle of the wet mark, a vague line appeared!

That's a word -

〖Thank you〗