A crisp bell rang as the door opened, and the afternoon sun poured into this old store that was almost filled with all kinds of dolls. The elf store manager, who was concentrating on adjusting a set of doll skeletons behind the counter, heard the noise, looked up, and saw a tall, black-haired man wearing an eye patch walking into the store.

The old elf woman looked at this "customer" who didn't look like he was coming to the store to buy dolls with some confusion, but after a moment of confusion, she still smiled and greeted him - after all, she didn't recognize that the tall one-eyed man in front of her was the child who had brought his sister to buy things in her store a century ago: "Ah, welcome to the Rose Doll Museum, come and take a look."

Then she paused and added casually, "It's not common to have a guest like you."

Tirian's eyes slowly scanned the surroundings.

There are all kinds of dolls, shelves and carved stairs that look quite old, a warm and peaceful atmosphere, and the smiling old lady.

The yellowed fragments of memory gradually pieced together, turning into a familiar picture, and gradually overlapping with the scene before my eyes.

It is indeed here. The road Lucrecia pointed to is correct.

It was normal that the elf shopkeeper didn't recognize me - I had changed so much compared to a century ago.

Tirian adjusted his expression slightly, trying to make his face look softer. Half a century of wandering and plundering on the cold sea had turned him into a cold-faced man. He knew that there was always a kind of temperament around him that made ordinary people uncomfortable, and this temperament had obviously affected the kind old lady who was the shopkeeper. The other party was smiling and greeting him, but there was confusion and a little vigilance in her eyes.

"I want to ask you something," Tirian didn't know if his expression was in place. He could no longer remember what expression and tone he should use to speak like a normal person when he walked into a store. "Have you ever sold a doll called 'Nilu'?"

He thought for a moment and added two more sentences: "A three-point doll, about this tall - classical court style, with a very gorgeous skirt."

The elf shop owner was stunned for a moment, then hesitantly said, "Indeed... there was a doll like this, which had been in the shop for many years, and was bought by someone a while ago. But why are you asking about this?"

"Who bought it?" Tirian felt his heart beat faster. He didn't expect to find the clue so easily. His father actually bought the doll from the store openly. "About when?"

The old lady who owned the shop was obviously startled by Tirian's overly excited reaction, and became even more alert: "Sorry, I can't disclose information about my customers. This is our business rule."

Tirian was stunned. He did not expect the other party to respond in this way. He thought quickly and hesitated for two or three seconds, as if he had made up his mind: "... Didn't you recognize me?"

"Recognize..." The old lady who owns the shop frowned, and looked up and down at the strange human in front of her in confusion. "I don't remember receiving customers like you. Most of the people who come to my shop to buy dolls are women, or young men who are looking for gifts for their lovers, and fathers who are looking for gifts for their daughters."

"That's because it was a long, long time since I last came here," Tirian said with a strange smile. "Do you remember that a hundred years ago, a brother and sister took a doll called 'Lune' away from here?"

The old lady who owned the shop was stunned for a moment, then she slowly opened her eyes and looked at Tirian in disbelief: "Ah, you are..."

"I know you may not believe it, but I have something that can prove my identity." Tirian's thoughts were working quickly. As he spoke, he took out something from his arms. "Elves like you are well-informed. You should have heard about me... Take a look at this."

The old elf lady took the paper handed over by the other party with doubt while listening. She opened it and saw a big head portrait printed on the paper. Below it was the text of the wanted order, the bounty, and the official seal of the Frost City-State...

"I should be somewhat famous," Tirian said seriously. "Strictly speaking, my family is famous... although it may not be a pleasant one."

The old lady who owns the shop: “…”

After a long while, the old elven woman finally controlled her expression, looked up at Tirian, and said in a strange tone: "It's really you."

Tirian seemed to have noticed something was wrong and smiled awkwardly: "It's me."

The old lady thought for a moment and said, "It's been so many years since we last met... There are already so many zeros after your name..."

Tirian curled his lips. "The bounty... is indeed a bit high, but it's just a formality. They add a zero every four or five years. No one will claim the bounty anyway."

"...This is the first time I've seen someone carry his wanted poster as a proof of identity, and he's a big pirate." The old elf lady's expression finally became a little more normal. She folded the wanted poster and returned it while muttering, "I heard about the Sea Mist docking, and I was thinking about going to the port to see what's going on when I have time. I didn't expect you to come here first. Is your sister okay?"

"She... lives a more carefree life than I do," Tirian said, and then glanced at the old woman opposite with a strange expression, "I thought you would be scared. Most ordinary people would react this way when they see me - even outside the Frigid Sea."

"I've seen so many strange things, and you're not the only big pirate. Moreover, the city-state has issued a statement that the Sea Mist is a guest invited by Pland, and the affairs of the northern waters have nothing to do with us," the old lady muttered as she walked towards the counter, and then her mumbling turned into nagging, "But I still have to talk about you. Being a pirate is not a serious thing. It's not a long-term business, and it's not good to tell others about it. Look at your sister, she can at least get a lifetime honorary title in the Explorers' Association. Of course, I've also heard that your relationship with those northern city-states seems to be quite complicated..."

Tirian's mind immediately began to buzz. He felt that he had finally witnessed the calmness and composure of the long-lived race. He had to quickly interrupt the old lady's muttering: "The Sea Mist Fleet is already changing. The revenge and looting of the northern city-states are a thing of the past. Now we mainly rely on collecting protection fees..."

Then, without waiting for the old lady to respond, he ended the topic neatly and pulled the topic back: "Can you tell me now who bought the doll?"

"Oh, it's a middle-aged man who looks about the same size as you... maybe even shorter. He looks quite thin and seems to be in poor health," the old lady said without hesitation this time. "But I don't think it's possible for you to find it. There are so many people in Plande. Do you want to bring the other doll that you couldn't buy back to your sister? Oh, that's a pity, if you had come earlier... Wait, I just realized, how did you know someone bought 'Nilu'?"

Tirian did not answer the other party's question, but frowned subconsciously.

A man shorter than himself, thin and in poor health...this can't be his father.

Could it be... that they are my father's subordinates? !

After regaining his humanity and sanity, he even began to look for new subordinates? What did he want to do? Was he trying to rebuild the Lost Home Fleet?!

Tirian thought about a lot of things for a while, until the old elf lady called his name twice beside him and woke up. Then he thought of something else and asked immediately: "Besides buying the doll, what else did the customer say? Did he take anything else?"

"We just had a normal chat," the old lady owner recalled. "It seemed like he was a customer who really liked dolls. He was very concerned about the restoration and maintenance of dolls. He learned a lot from me. Oh, and he also bought a wig and matching hair accessories, which seemed to be for his own doll."

Tirian was stunned. "... wig? What kind of wig?"

"Long straight blond hair, one-to-one size, I have a deep impression of it," the old lady owner said, and suddenly remembered something, "Oh, I have another one that's similar here, you can take a look."

As she spoke, she turned around and went to the storage room under the stairs to search.

Tirian wanted to say that there was no need to go through so much trouble, but he didn't have time. At this moment, another strange knocking sound suddenly came from not far away, attracting his attention.

It sounded like someone banging on the window outside.

Tirian turned his head in surprise and looked in the direction where the sound came from.

He saw a beautiful lady with waist-length blonde hair standing outside the window, tapping gently on the window.

Tirian did not react at first, but when he saw the lady's face clearly, he froze in his place as if struck by lightning.

That lady’s appearance… is exactly the same as that of the Frost Queen Lenore from half a century ago!