Accompanied by a wave of spray and rippling sea water, the submersible rushed out of the water.

The afternoon sun was shining on the sea, and the thick outer shell of the submersible was glowing coldly in the sun. Then the disposable smoke-generating device on the top of the hull was activated, accompanied by a flash of fire and a slight explosion, and a column of orange-yellow smoke rose straight into the blue sky.

After a period of attitude and power adjustment, the submersible's floating state became stable. With a creaking sound, the locking device on the side of the hull opened. With the rotation of the handle, Duncan opened the submersible's hatch from the inside.

Fresh air hit my face - even for two "corpses" that didn't need to breathe, the fresh and cold wind above the sea seemed particularly comfortable and pleasant.

The illusion of being chased, entangled and trapped by the indescribable things in the deep sea finally faded from her mind. Agatha held the handrail tightly, went out of the cabin with Duncan, climbed onto the top shell of the submersible, and looked at the endless sea in the distance.

Duncan tilted his head slightly and looked at the gatekeeper: "How does it feel to be back in the sun?"

"It's like returning from the gate of the realm of death again," Agatha said softly. "I never thought that the sunlight and air would bring me such a shock of rebirth - but it was after I could neither feel the warmth of the sun nor enjoy the smooth breathing."

"What about 'her'?" Duncan asked again, "During the submersible voyage, the other Agatha never showed up, but she should have been watching the whole time, right?"

"We feel the same way, but she said she has something to think about for a while and is silent now - do you want to talk to her? I can ask her to come out..."

"No need. Let her think. This deep dive will be a reshaping and baptism of the three views for everyone. We have a lot to consider." Duncan waved his hand gently, then raised his head and looked at the distant horizon. "Oh, the 'recovery ship' sent by Tirian has found us. It seems that we don't have to rush to the city-state by ourselves."

The silhouette of a steamboat appeared on the sea, heading rapidly towards the direction where the submarine signal smoke was rising...

The submersible returned safely, and his father and the "gatekeeper" lady were safe and sound and on their way back. When this "quick message" was delivered to his desk through a pressure pipe, Tirian, who had been waiting for news in South Port, couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

But then, a strange feeling emerged from the bottom of my heart.

He stood up from behind his desk and slowly walked to the window, looking absentmindedly at the sun setting outside the window. In the silence, Lucrecia's voice suddenly came from the crystal ball not far away: "Is there any news about father?"

Tirian looked back at the glowing crystal ball on the desk and said in a strange tone, "You can see that... am I being very obvious?"

Lucrecia in the crystal ball was holding a piece of bread in her mouth. One hand was writing and calculating quickly on a piece of draft paper floating in the air beside her. The other hand was busy adjusting the experimental equipment on the table. She looked up at her brother and said vaguely, "Three parts nervousness, three parts hesitation, three parts comfort, and one part fear and helplessness - that must be my father coming back."

"...Are you scholars used to talking to people like this? I sound like a pie in the sky..." Tirian frowned, then couldn't help but sigh, "I just feel a little emotional. If it were not long ago, I would never have thought that I would be comforted by my father's safe return. When I first knew that he was 'back', I didn't feel this way."

"Yes, your legs almost cramped at that time. You didn't sleep for three days after commanding the Sea Mist to fight with my father. You woke me up in the middle of the night to describe your nightmare and insisted that I shiver with you..."

"Stop! Don't make up details that don't exist!" Tirian quickly interrupted his sister on the other side of the crystal ball, "And this is not what I want to express to you!"

Lucrecia calmed down. She finally put down the research work that seemed to never end and the unfinished bread in her hands, raised her head and looked into Tirian's eyes seriously.

When this gaze almost gave Tirian goosebumps, she finally broke the silence: "When I was young, my father often left home for a long time. At that time, whenever the bell rang in the direction of the dock, we would climb to the roof of our house to see if it was the flag of the Lost Homeland. You always asked me to be more steady like a lady, and then take the opportunity to grab the highest place."

"...It's been many years." Tirian was silent for a few seconds, and then he sighed softly as if talking to himself. "I still remember that the roof was blue. When the sea breeze blew, the weather vane on the corner of the house would whistle. You tied a windmill next to the weather vane and said you wanted to show it off to father - so our secret climb up the roof was exposed."

"Now we are higher than the roof, and we have seen the scenery that father saw," Lucrecia said gently, "but we still haven't caught up with father's footsteps - he went to the deep sea, to a depth that even the dive plan back then could not reach... What do you think he will discover in this expedition?"

Tirian did not speak for a moment. In the next second, a crackling sound suddenly came from the mirror behind him, and then Duncan's voice came from the mirror: "I have discovered a very shocking secret - I am about to tell you."

Tirian almost jumped out instantly, all his muscles tensed up, and the "sea witch" on the other side of the crystal ball reacted even more violently than him - he only heard a scream and a burst of rustling sounds from Lucretia's side, and then a burst of smoke and flashes rose from the crystal ball, and the picture was interrupted.

Tirian turned his head tensely and saw a green flame burning in the mirror behind him. In the dark mirror, Duncan leaned his head to look behind him: "...Is your sister okay? Was she scared by me?"

"Could you please not use such scary methods every time you appear..." Tirian muttered subconsciously, but he felt something was wrong as soon as the words came out, and quickly confirmed Duncan's reaction - there was no change in the expression on his father's face.

"I considered using a friendlier way to show up, such as knocking on the door in advance or delivering a letter of advance warning, but Vanna told me that it's not the way I show up that's scary, but my appearance itself is scary," Duncan looked at Tirian calmly, "I think she's right, so I just didn't change it - at least it would be more interesting to watch other people's startled reactions this way."

Tirian's eyes twitched. He was stunned by his father's calm attitude towards "having fun". However, he quickly forced himself to calm down. While restoring his expression, he looked at his father in the mirror curiously: "Have you returned to the city-state? I will look for you now..."

"The avatar I used has returned, but you don't have to go there," Duncan interrupted Tirian, "Pack your things and go directly to the Lost Homeland."

Tirian was stunned: "Huh?"

"I have made a major discovery in the deep sea," Duncan said with a serious expression. "The information should not be made public and may point to the ancient gods, so everyone needs to be summoned to the Lost Homeland for discussion. I have sent Agatha over and my followers have also gathered. You are the master of the Sea Mist and the new Archon of the Frost, so you must also be present."

Tirian instantly realized the seriousness of the situation from his father's expression and tone, and immediately suppressed his laxity: "Okay, I'll leave a note for Aiden to explain the situation."

"Yeah." Duncan nodded, then swept his eyes across the room and his gaze fell on the complex crystal ball lens device.

"Bring your crystal ball with you when you come to the ship," he said to Tirian. "Lucy would do well to hear about it, too—the secrets of the deep will interest her."

Tirian, who was writing a note, immediately raised his head upon hearing this. He first glanced at Duncan in surprise, and then nodded instantly: "Okay, I will definitely bring the crystal ball - where is the Lost Homeland now? I'll have a speedboat ready..."

Before he finished speaking, Duncan in the mirror waved his hand: "No need, Ai will take you there."

The sound of knocking came from outside the window.

Tirian turned his head to look in the direction of the sound and saw the fat white dove that always followed his father.

The pigeon was pecking at the window glass of the harbor office with its beak. At this moment, it tilted its head and said, "Want to get in the car? There's a big seat! It's driven by an experienced driver, so it's stable!"

Tirian: "......?"

※※※

The dining room of the Lost Homeland was a gathering place for the crew.

The wide, long dining table had been wiped clean until it sparkled. A bright oil lamp hung on a pillar near the table. The captain's followers gathered on both sides of the table - Vanna and Maurice sat upright, Shirley and Alice were daydreaming, Nina and Agou were studying hard with their books, and in addition to them, there were two new figures here today.

Agatha, dressed as a blind nun, sitting quietly at a long table and praying silently, and Lawrence, wearing a white coat, holding a pipe, looking nervous and uneasy.

The latter was looking at the situation in the cabin nervously.

Lawrence's ship was currently parked on the nearby sea. The first mate was helping to manage matters on the ship, while the captain was summoned to the "chief flagship" by an order. When he arrived, no one told him what the specific matter was, which made the old captain very nervous.

This was the first time he actually set foot on the "Lost Homeland", this legendary ghost ship returning from the Warp. Duncan Abnomar's followers gathered in this ancient and solemn cabin, waiting for orders from Captain Duncan under the lights.

He already knew the identities and origins of these people——

Moving puppets, shattered suns, spiritual demons, sworn exiled judges, legendary scholars on the edge of madness...

Now, he is in the middle of it.

Even in his wildest dreams and hallucinations in the past, Lawrence had never imagined that he would experience such a scene.

He was a captain of an expedition ship who was about to retire... why did he end up here?