Alice and Vanna hid in the dark corner of the street, where they would wait for instructions while paying attention to the movements around the building.

Duncan and Morris came to the building with the black door.

The building was very quiet - this was natural, after all, the sun had not risen yet, and the night in this world was not suitable for ordinary people to move around. Most normal people did not have much of a nightlife after dark, and it was normal for them to go to bed early and wait for dawn.

But will the “replica” returning from the deep sea also have the same daily routine as ordinary people?

Duncan looked up, noticed the eye-catching button on the corner of the door frame, and reached out and pressed it twice.

Faintly, one could hear the sharp and rapid sound of an electric bell ringing inside the building - in this quiet night, the sound of the electric bell seemed particularly abrupt.

"Maybe we shouldn't visit during curfew," Morris touched his forehead, with a hint of hesitation in his tone, "It would arouse suspicion if we alert the neighbors."

"But your friend probably can't wait too long, so it's better to wait earlier," Duncan said calmly, "Don't worry about anything else. Arousing the suspicion of the church or alarming the city-state authorities is part of life. You should adapt to your identity as a member of the Lost Homeland."

Morris opened his mouth but said nothing. At this time, Duncan reached out and pressed the doorbell twice.

Finally, they heard hurried footsteps coming from inside the building, followed by the sound of something being knocked over - then the lights in the living room were turned on, and soft light shone onto the street through the windows next to it.

The door lock clicked, and the black door opened a crack. A vigilant eye looked out through the crack, and a young and nervous voice came at the same time: "Who is it?"

That sounds like a young woman.

Duncan and Morris looked at each other, the former was a little surprised, while the latter seemed to be thinking about something.

"Is that Galloni?" Morris asked tentatively. "Is Mr. Brown Scott home? I'm a friend of your teacher."

Then he turned to Duncan and said quickly in a low voice, "It might be Brown Scott's student. I heard him mention it."

Duncan nodded in understanding. At the same time, the owner of the young voice behind the door hesitated for a while after hearing Morris' words, and then hesitantly said: "Sorry, it's too late, and the teacher is sleeping. Can we talk about it tomorrow morning?"

Morris frowned. The situation was different from what he had expected. He did not expect that six years after Brown Scott's death, his student would still live in this house. But after a brief thought, he organized his words: "We arrived too late and have not found a place to live yet. Besides, your teacher wrote me a letter before, inviting me here."

The old scholar paused and continued, "My name is Morris Underwood. Your teacher should have mentioned it to you."

The voices from the door fell silent. The "Garoni" seemed to be recalling and thinking. After several seconds, her voice was heard again: "Then... wait a moment. I will open the chain buckle."

The sounds of metal colliding and chains rubbing rang out in the night. The person inside the door opened the safety lock hanging on the inside, and the door finally opened. In the warm and bright light, Duncan saw a... tall and somewhat weird figure.

The figure was only a few centimeters shorter than Vanna, and her height of nearly 1.9 meters was particularly eye-catching. And unlike Vanna, who was tall but still slim, the young lady standing at the door had strong and powerful muscles all over her body - but what was more concerning was not just her height, but her skin with a grayish-white luster like rock, and the faint light golden lines on the surface of her skin.

But apart from these striking non-human features, her face was no different from that of an ordinary young human woman, and even looked a little... pretty.

Because she was awakened in the middle of the night, this stone-like young lady was only wearing a loose nightgown, and her long brown hair was slightly messy and draped behind her head. She held the door frame and looked at the two uninvited guests standing at the door with cautious and scrutinizing eyes.

Just as Duncan was looking at her curiously, she was also looking at Duncan curiously - a burly visitor wearing a black windbreaker and a wide-brimmed hat. No facial features could be seen between the gaps in his clothes, only layers of bandages.

Even though the Frost People were used to "bandages", the appearance of this visitor was a little too oppressive.

Her muscles were visibly tense.

"Oh, I forgot to mention it," Morris' voice suddenly sounded, breaking the awkward and tense atmosphere in time. He turned to Duncan and said, "Brown's student Garoni is a Sen'jin - it is indeed not common in the northern city-states."

Then he looked at Galoni who was standing at the door: "This is Mr. Duncan, he is..."

"A friend of Mr. Morris, a traveling explorer, was very interested in Mr. Brown Scott's research, so he stopped by to visit," Duncan volunteered. "I hope this doesn't cause any trouble to you."

"…The teacher is resting. I don't know when he will wake up, but he did mention that Mr. Morris might come to visit," said Galoni. In sharp contrast to her tall and strong figure, her voice always sounded a little thin and hesitant, and she also had a sense of fear and lack of confidence. When she spoke, she didn't even dare to look Duncan and Morris in the eye. She just muttered and stepped aside, "Come in first. It's cold outside."

Morris thanked him and entered the house with Duncan.

The sound of the door hinges turning broke the silence of the night, the black door closed, and the street became quiet again.

After entering the door, the first thing you see is a rather simple living room. The furnishings in the living room look like they have been used for 10 to 20 years. One side of the living room is connected to the kitchen and dining room, and on the other side there is a staircase leading to the second floor. Under the stairs you can see a narrow door, which may lead to the basement or wine cellar.

Under the bright light of the electric lamp, there are no suspicious dark corners in the living room. Everything that can be seen is very warm and... ordinary.

Duncan and Morris did not show excessive curiosity. They just looked around briefly and sat down in the living room under the guidance of Galoni. Then the tall Senjin lady walked into the kitchen and began to busily make tea and prepare snacks.

"Would you like some sweet pancakes and sausages? This is all we have now..." Galoni shouted to the two guests in the kitchen, with a hint of apology in her voice.

"A cup of hot water is enough. No need to bother," Morris waved his hand. When Galoni came over, he asked casually, "By the way, have you always lived here?"

"Yes, I have been living here all the time," Galoni nodded. "The teacher was away for a while before, and he gave me the key and asked me to help him take care of this place. So I simply moved here from my previous rental place, and have lived here ever since. He came back recently, and I continue to live here and take care of him."

"He was away from home for a while?" Morris frowned subconsciously. "When was it?"

"...Five or six years, I guess." Galoni thought for a moment and said uncertainly, with a somewhat ashamed expression, "I always forget the time, and my teacher always scolds me."

Morris and Duncan exchanged glances.

"When did Mr. Brown come back?" Duncan asked casually.

"About a month," Galoni didn't seem to think much about it, and just answered the guest's question as if chatting casually, "He came back suddenly, saying that he was tired from traveling and wanted to rest for a while... Oh, it was after that that he mentioned inviting Mr. Morris to visit our home."

"I was also very surprised when I first received his letter," Morris continued, "He hasn't contacted me for many years. The last time I heard from him many years ago was when I heard that he was going to sail on a ship...ah, it seems to be a small cruise ship called 'Obsidian'?"

As he spoke, he calmly watched the reaction of the person in front of him.

However, when Galoni heard the name "Obsidian", she did not react at all. She just recalled it and shook her head: "I don't know about that. He didn't tell me much when he left..."

There was nothing wrong with the female student's tone and expression when she answered.

Yet there was something clearly wrong with her answer itself.

She didn't know which ship her teacher took when he went out!

If it was an ordinary master-disciple relationship, this would of course be nothing, but the relationship between her and the folklorist was obviously beyond that of an ordinary master-disciple - Brown Scott could hand over the keys of his residence to this student, and the latter lived here for six years and took on the responsibility of taking care of his teacher without hesitation after he "went home". With such a close and mutually trusting relationship, it was impossible for Brown to leave without informing Galoni of his itinerary.

Galoni met the visitor's gaze calmly, with a calm expression on her face.

It seemed as if everything that happened around her was as it should be.