Duncan knew that the arrangements he made today were bound to cause a commotion in the entire Boundless Sea - this "warning" was enough to shock everyone, not only because of the content of the warning, but also because of the source of the warning.

The civilized world will face a little "homeland shock".

"This is a big deal," Tirian said, breaking the silence. "The church doesn't need to worry. They are always sharp and professional in dealing with supernatural crises, and they will definitely pay enough attention to it. However, the situation in the city-states is complicated. I doubt whether everyone can establish an effective early warning mechanism."

"Before that, let's first consider how many people will treat this 'warning' correctly," Lucrecia's voice came from the crystal ball, "In this world, there are countless warnings about 'doomsday', and most of them come from those crazy cultists. Now the Lost Homeland has suddenly started to warn the whole world. Frankly speaking... many people's first reaction is probably similar to when they came into contact with those doomsday cultists, or even worse..."

Shirley muttered softly across the table: "After all, he's famous..."

"That's their business," Duncan looked at Shirley expressionlessly and shook his head. "The 'reputation' of the Lost Homeland is a good thing. Even if some people don't believe the content of the warning, they will at least take the 'warning' itself seriously. Even if it's out of fear of the Lost Homeland, they will be cautious. That's enough."

"I will contact the church as soon as possible," Agatha nodded and said in a hoarse and soft voice, "I believe that the Death Temple will definitely pay the highest attention to this warning from the Lost Homeland."

"After the Death, Deep Sea and Truth Academy receives the news, the Firebringer will definitely receive it as well," Vanna nodded and added, "I will confirm this matter directly with His Holiness the Pope."

"I haven't communicated with the Academy Ark for a long time. This time I just caught up with old friends." Morris took off his monocle and wiped it. "But I need to prepare some extra ointments and herbal powders for the ceremony. It's not easy to contact the Academy Ark from the vast ocean."

Listening to Morris's words, Duncan suddenly thought of something in his mind.

"Have you made any progress on the matter I asked you to investigate last time?" He looked at the great scholar. "Have you found the source of the Broken Cross Seal carried by the End Preacher?"

"I'm sorry, there has been no progress yet," Morris said with an apologetic look on his face. "I have written many letters to my academic friends and contacted several universities with which I have good relations, but I have not found any records related to the Broken Cross Mark. Currently, we can only confirm that they 'may' have appeared on some architectural ruins of the ancient Kingdom of Crete..."

"Is that so..." Duncan said with a hint of regret, but he knew that investigating a mysterious symbol without enough information was like looking for a needle in a haystack, so he didn't dwell on it too much and just said casually, "Then you continue to pay attention to this matter. If there is any progress, just tell me as soon as possible."

Morris immediately lowered his head: "Yes, Captain."

Duncan hummed, then thought for a short while to confirm if there was anything he had missed. Then he let out a light breath, stood up from the long table, and glanced at everyone present.

"Then today's meeting ends here. The general direction of the action has been determined. If you have any questions later, you can always confirm with me."

Lawrence, who was sitting at the end of the long table, breathed a sigh of relief subconsciously.

This gathering was not as eerie as he had imagined, nor was it filled with strange rituals or strict and bloody rules. But even so, the mere fact that he was "being watched by Captain Duncan at all times" made him feel a lot of pressure. As a "newcomer" here, he had been tense all over, and now he could finally relax.

But just as he was about to breathe a sigh of relief, he realized that the other people around the table had no intention of getting up and leaving. Instead, most of them, including the respected scholar Morris, looked like they were looking forward to the next step.

Is there still a process for the rally?

Lawrence had just had a hint of doubt in his mind when he heard Nina's voice coming from the other side: "Ah, we're finally done talking. Let's eat. I'm hungry."

"We're having a big dinner today! We're having a big dinner!" Shirley also shouted happily, "Today is the day of the gathering, there will be delicious food!"

"The soup is still simmering in the pot. The time is just right," Alice said as she stood up. "I'll push the dining cart over here~"

Lawrence looked at the scene in front of him in confusion, not understanding what was going to happen next. He turned his head to look at Agatha, who was closest to him, but saw that her expression was as confused as his.

At this moment, Duncan's voice suddenly came from the head of the long table, answering Lawrence and Agatha's doubts: "Now that we have finished our business, let's have a meal together. This is the rule on the ship."

After talking about business... let's have a meal together?

Lawrence listened in astonishment, thinking he had heard something wrong, but then he saw that the "living puppet" actually pushed a large dining cart back to the cabin. The slightly old dining cart creaked as it was pushed, and many containers on the cart were filled with hot...food.

Lawrence watched in amazement as Alice brought the food to the table, and as Shirley and Nina ran around to help set the plates and knives and forks. He smelled the aroma of food - fresh bread, vegetables and fruits, and meat.

It was normal food that he knew could be eaten by humans.

But of all the aromas, the most intense came from a pot of soup at the end of the long table.

The delicious fish soup was filled with slightly curled tender meat that was no longer recognizable in type. Hot steam was rising from it, and on the slightly swaying soup, the curled pieces of meat seemed to still have a little bit of life left, trembling and swaying in the swirling steam.

But when you look closely, the tremor and excitement seem like an illusion and never happened.

Lawrence stood up unconsciously, his eyes falling on the fish soup. He couldn't tell what kind of fish it was, nor could he detect any difference in this "food". However, a strong intuition was still beating in his heart. It was something he had accumulated over decades of traveling on the vast ocean. It was an "experience reaction" that allowed an "ordinary person" without spiritual talent to perceive some extraordinary things.

This was once an extremely dangerous thing, enough to kill people and bury ocean-going ships in the deep sea. It was...

"It's fresh fish," Duncan said with a smile to Laurence and Agatha, who were attending the gathering for the first time. "I caught it today. I went to a place quite far from Frost Island to catch it."

Fish? Fish caught in waters far from safe shipping lanes and far from the protection of islands?

Lawrence was in a trance for a moment, and suddenly some horrifying guesses emerged in his mind. Morris, who was not far away, nodded to him in a friendly manner: "It is what you think, Captain Lawrence, but relax, this is a necessary step to join us, and you don't have to worry about it. It is harmless - on this ship, it is indeed food."

Lawrence listened in confusion, and by the time he came to his senses, Alice had already placed a bowl of steaming fish soup on the table in front of him.

But when she came in front of Agatha, Alice stopped in confusion.

"I can't eat," Agatha said with a little embarrassment, "This body is already a dead shell. I can't enjoy delicious food anymore."

"It's okay," Duncan waved his hand magnanimously. "It's just the ship's rules, but it's actually no different from an ordinary party. Eat what you can, and chat with those who can't, which helps to build closer relationships."

As he spoke, he turned his head and glanced at the crystal ball in front of Tirian: "Lucy, don't forget your dinner."

"Yes, yes," Lucrecia replied hastily. "Lunie brought me some baked apple pie and bacon pie!"

Duncan nodded after listening, then smiled and looked towards both sides of the long table. He picked up the wine glass beside him and raised it high as the host:

"Then, for the days we are together here—"

※※※

The slight dizziness faded away little by little, and the faint green firelight at the edge of the vision gradually dissipated into the air. The fresh and cold sea breeze blew across the deck, bringing a momentary clarity to the mind.

The experience of attending the party on the Lost Homeland still seems like a dream, lingering in my mind with a sense of unreality.

Lawrence shook his head to make himself more awake, then walked to the edge of the deck and looked at the sea that was gradually sinking into the night.

The faintly glowing silhouette of the Lost Homeland was still floating on the sea not far from the White Oak.

“…It’s like a dream.”

Gather on the mysterious ghost ship, communicate with various "characters" including living puppets, sun fragments, and dark demons, deeply explore the secrets of the ancient gods and doomsday in the spirit world, and then share the flesh and blood of the deep-sea heirs under the watchful eyes and witness of the shadows of the warp.

When the rally ended, the wind of the real world blew across his cheeks again, when the tension and numbness in his mind gradually faded away, he was able to think with human rationality again, and when the relaxed and strange impressions during the rally dissipated, Lawrence finally and gradually realized the "essence" of everything that had just happened.

A kind of belated "enlightenment" came up to him, but he couldn't clearly explain what he felt in his heart at that moment.

A normal person should feel scared and terrified. At the very least, they should feel horrified when they recall the "fish" they ate.

Yet he felt nothing.

Only a strange sense of calmness and belonging could soothe his slightly restless mood.

Fish, it smells so good...