There was a slight storm on the sea.

The cold night wind blew across the sea, and the rising and falling waves hit the solid hull of the Lost Homeland. However, this huge ship still maintained a stable posture, and continued to sail north at full speed as if ignoring the wind and waves.

The translucent spirit sails were hoisted high in the night, and the occasional creaking sound of tension between the ropes and the masts was heard. The living ghost ship sighed happily in the wind and waves, but the new member on the ship seemed to be a little worried at the moment.

Vanna learned from Duncan the truth about the Frost Rebellion half a century ago, and the extremely bizarre Abyss Plan, as well as the lingering shadow of that terrible plan half a century later.

Compared to the devastating fire that Pland had encountered before, the Abyss Plan that occurred in Frost was a horrific disaster on another level - dark, cold, invisible and terrifying things were surging in the abyss. The disaster might be about to happen, might have already happened, or even has ended, and in the cold night, no sound could describe the outline of the invisible horror.

The Black Sun incident in Plande was a blazing and dazzling war, but what happened beneath the Frost Abyss was a silent and twisted nightmare.

"According to Tyrian, the Abyss Project has ended, and all subsequent effects of the past have ended with the death of the Frost Queen. But in fact, we have no evidence to prove that the extraordinary phenomenon under the frost has really stopped working - we don't even know what it is. The whole thing is completely shrouded in a fog from beginning to end. And now Morris has received another letter from the frost. That letter is a signal, reminding us that something wrong is happening in that northern city-state."

Duncan's deep voice rang out in the night wind. He paused for a moment and suddenly turned to look at Vanna: "Did Helena tell you about the 'strange movement' in the northern seas?"

"Your Holiness?" Vanna was stunned for a moment and shook her head gently. "She didn't say that. She only told me to board the Lost Homeland, but she didn't actually tell me what I should do specifically."

"Didn't she say that..." Duncan muttered softly, but didn't dwell on the topic. "Then don't think too much about it. Just adapt to the life on the ship. Don't worry, I won't give you a task that will embarrass you."

He raised his head and took a look at the deep night and the mist over the boundless sea in the distance.

"It's late at night, it's best not to blow too much cold wind on the deck - the sea breeze at night is not very friendly to the body and mind."

Vanna looked at Duncan in surprise—she had shown such surprise often throughout the day—before she realized and nodded: "Oh, okay, thank you."

As she spoke, she fumbled around her body and pulled out a small piece of wood from her shirt pocket - it was a wave amulet carved from sea-breath wood. She put the amulet to her lips, whispered a few words of prayer, and then threw it hard into the sea outside the ship's side.

Duncan looked at Vanna's actions curiously: "What are you doing?"

"That's a wave amulet that I carved with sea-breath wood. Followers of the Storm Goddess pray in this way when they go out to sea," Fanna explained casually. "Sea-breath wood is considered to be the favorite of the Storm Goddess. Throwing its amulet into the sea symbolizes an ancient act of sacrifice. Praying while throwing the amulet also makes it easier to establish a connection with the goddess."

At this point she suddenly stopped, then hesitated: "Do you mind these actions?"

"Oh, of course I don't mind. I've said before that the atmosphere on the Lost Homeland is more relaxed than you think." Duncan immediately smiled and shook his head. "Morris usually prays to the God of Wisdom."

As he said that, he waved to Vanna, turned around and slowly walked towards the captain's room: "I'm going back first, you should get some rest."

The sound of the waves roared, and Vanna watched the tall figure gradually go away. Suddenly, she seemed to remember something and shouted behind Duncan: "Captain!"

Duncan stopped and didn't look back: "Anything else?"

Vanna opened her mouth and hesitated for two or three seconds before finally speaking: "I apologize to you - for my previous recklessness..."

"I don't care." Duncan said casually, then waved his hand and walked away without looking back.

Vanna was still standing on the deck, seemingly distracted.

Behind her, in the surging sea, the wave amulet carved from sea-breath wood had been stirred up and down by the waves for a long time, until this moment it was suddenly caught by a cluster of waves and was swept into the depths of the sea in an instant.

※※※

In the captain's room, the goat head creaked and raised its head, looking at Duncan who was walking into the room: "Ah, Captain, have you finished pacifying the new crew members? Today is really an incredible day. A high-ranking priest who follows the goddess of storms has become your crew member. This can also be regarded as some kind of trophy, I think..."

Duncan raised his eyelids and glanced at Goat Head: "Say this in front of Vanna next time."

“…I can’t beat him.”

"Then stop talking nonsense," Duncan said casually, glancing down as he walked across the chart. "Where are we now? What's the situation with the Sea Mist now?"

"The Sea Mist is still sailing at full speed, but it has made two minor adjustments to its course recently. Judging from its location, it may be close to the secret home port of the Sea Mist Fleet," Goat Head replied immediately, "We should be able to enter the Frigid Sea before dawn, and then sail north for four to five days to reach the vicinity of the Frost... Should we go directly there, or operate covertly in the nearby waters?"

"Don't expose yourself for now," Duncan said, "I don't plan to have 'passionate contact' with the Frost City Guards."

"Yes, Captain."

Duncan thought for a moment and said, "Also, after the Sea Mist stops, let's go over and take a look - without exposing ourselves, we can investigate the location and surroundings of the secret port in Tirian. This shouldn't be a difficult task for the Lost Homeland, which can lurk in the spirit world for a long time."

"Oh, of course, that's easy," Goat Head agreed immediately, "But...what do you want to do by investigating that secret port?"

"If something really happened to Frost, and it's related to the secrets under the sea, I think Tirian will take action. Keeping an eye on him is the same as keeping an eye on Frost. If the conditions there are right, we can lurk near the Sea Mist."

The goat head immediately obeyed the order: "Understood."

Duncan nodded and walked towards his dormitory.

"I'm going to try to 'probe' the situation in the direction of Frost. If it's not necessary, don't disturb me."

"Yes, Captain!"

The dormitory door closed behind him.

Duncan exhaled lightly, walked to the table and sat down, stretching his slightly stiff shoulders and neck.

Ai, who was resting with his eyes closed by the window, woke up with a start, fluttered his wings and jumped onto the table, tilted his head and looked at his master: "Are you going to have a meal or stay at the hotel?"

Duncan glanced at the pigeon and said, "Walking in the spirit world."

As soon as he finished speaking, the brass compass hanging on Ai's chest opened with a "click", and a dark green flame rose from the compass. In an instant, the scene in Duncan's vision changed!

He once again came to the boundless chaotic and dark space filled with countless stars and lines.

Ai's figure emerged from the darkness, and a skeleton bird wrapped in spiritual fire circled and danced around him.

However, he did not move or touch a nearby cluster of starlight immediately. Instead, he calmed down first, carefully observing the lights flickering in his field of vision, and sensing the breath faintly revealed in those lights.

Sure enough... as the Lost Homeland continued to move away from Pland and approach Frost, the starlight he saw in this space also changed!

Duncan raised his head and sensed his body in Plande. He followed his perception and looked into the depths of the darkness, and saw a hazy light in the far distance.

He withdrew his gaze from the distance and looked at the bright, twinkling "stars" in front of him.

After a little thought, he approached some of the light spots and cautiously touched a few of them.

He did not directly occupy the bodies represented by these light spots, but read the superficial information behind the light spots in this way - emotions, perceptions, and even fragmented superficial consciousness.

Cold, tension, fuel prices, steam supply, town hall, frost...

After touching a few spots of light, Duncan withdrew his will.

Continuing to touch these light spots representing "living people" might cause panic on a larger scale, and then might attract the attention of the city-state's defenders. He didn't want to deal with the strange church yet.

The intelligence we have access to so far is sufficient - just from the information read from those few points of light, it can be confirmed that this starlight is the inhabitants of Frost.

At least some of it.

Duncan's eyes swept across the dazzling starlight, searching for individuals whose light was dim and weak, and whose vitality had disappeared.

He needs a body with a connection to act as an outpost for gathering intelligence.

After a moment, an unusually flickering light suddenly caught his attention.

"It's you!"