After lunch, Duncan watched Nina clean up the table. He wanted to help wash the dishes, but was stopped by Nina, saying, "Your uncle is in poor health and the doctor told you to avoid contact with cold water." So he had to lean against the stairs, reading the newspaper he bought in the morning while watching the girl busy in the kitchen.

This everyday scene that seemed like that of an ordinary family made him feel a little weird.

Just then, Nina's voice came from the kitchen: "Uncle Duncan, is there any news in the newspaper?"

Duncan glanced down at the newspaper. The first thing he saw was the date "August 14, 1900 in the New City-State Calendar", followed by the news that the church inquisitor led a team to arrest dozens of cultists: This should be the most important front-page news in the entire newspaper.

"It says here that the Inquisitor led a team to arrest dozens of heretics," he said casually, "and that this is the largest heretic gathering that the church has successfully cracked in the past four years. There are also some reminders for citizens to pay attention to nighttime safety and to be careful to identify heretical beliefs around them."

"Ah, I heard about it on the way here!" Nina put the washed dishes into the cupboard swiftly. "It's really scary. I've heard from teachers before that those cultists who worship the sun would even sacrifice living people to the sun god... Who would be so crazy to believe in such a sect?"

Duncan didn't know what to say for a moment, because no matter what he said, he felt that the matter was too subtle - should he say that he had immersively experienced the sacrificial meal on the altar not long ago, or should he say that your uncle is such a crazy cultist?

However, one thing is very obvious. From Nina's reaction, she obviously didn't know that her "uncle" was a sun heretic - she even had the same normal values ​​as ordinary people, and believed that the human sacrifice of the sun god belief was a terrible thing.

The "uncle" in her perspective was just a little bad-tempered due to illness, a little alcoholic, and had some "weird friends".

It was true that the body he occupied might have once been a bloody rotten person, but at least he had raised Nina to this day and had protected the girl from the belief in the sun god so far.

Perhaps one day in the future, a cultist named "Ron" will really fall to the last step and drag his last relatives in the world into this endless abyss, but at least before today, all this has not happened.

It won’t happen in the future.

"Uncle? Why are you suddenly silent?" Nina was curious about the silence behind her. She turned around and looked at him with concern in her eyes. "Are you feeling unwell again?"

"No, I was just distracted," Duncan reacted and shook his head. "You're right, that's really a crazy thing... The newspaper also mentioned that citizens should pay attention to safety and report any deviant behavior around them in a timely manner. You should also try not to run around outside of school and home for the time being."

Nina nodded, but then she said "ah" and looked a little hesitant and embarrassed: "But...but I have an appointment with my classmates to visit the museum in a couple of days..."

"Museum?" Duncan asked casually. "What museum?"

"It's the Ocean Museum near the school, close to the edge of the upper city," Nina explained. "I heard that they're currently exhibiting offshore mineral specimens... Is that okay?"

"Go if you want to," Duncan thought for a moment and nodded. "There are patrols of church guards and city sheriffs everywhere now. I don't think those cultists will be bold enough to jump out in the next two days."

Nina nodded happily: "Yeah!"

"Are you going to school this afternoon?" Duncan asked again.

"Well, there is history class in the afternoon. I don't want to miss Mr. Morris's class," Nina nodded and said, "He is a very famous expert in the field of history... But it's really strange, why doesn't such a famous old man like him give lectures in the university in the upper city, but in the public school in the lower city? Most of the students in the class don't like history class. They all sleep when the old man is teaching..."

Duncan shook his head calmly: "How would I know?"

What a joke! Not to mention Mr. Morris, the history teacher, he had only just met Nina. He had to rack his memory for hours to figure out where the public school Nina attended was.

And even the original owner of this body probably didn't know much more about his niece's current situation - when Duncan took over his life, he had obviously been trapped too deeply in the Suns' heresy for too long.

Nina had classes in the afternoon, so she didn't stay in the antique shop for long after lunch. She quickly packed her things, took the textbook she had left at home, and trotted out of the house. It was nearly an hour's journey from the antique shop to the public school in the downtown area, and she had to make good use of every minute to avoid being late for Mr. Morris's class.

Of course, there is public transportation in the city. Even in the more backward downtown area, steam-powered locomotives and trackless buses will pass through the streets, but these require tickets of four to six pesos.

Nina smiled and told Duncan that running more is good for health.

Her commute to school would be much easier if she had a bicycle - Duncan had seen people riding such a mode of transportation on the streets of downtown.

In a society that has developed steam machinery, an industrial product like bicycles is not so expensive that ordinary people cannot afford it, but it is definitely not cheap for residents in the downtown area. A most ordinary bicycle may cost a family of three half a month to a month's living expenses... It is considered a burden.

Duncan didn't know where his current identity would go in the future, but as he watched Nina jogging and disappearing around the street corner, he always felt that... if he had the energy to do so, he should be nicer to this girl.

Even if it's just for the vegetable soup and salty pancakes from before.

What's more, she is a diligent and studious student.

Maybe I should think carefully about ways to make money in this "civilized city-state".

With all kinds of thoughts running through his mind, he put down the newspaper in his hand, slowly walked to the end of the corridor on the second floor, opened the narrow window, and looked at the city streets under the sun in a trance.

In this world, "abnormalities" and "visions" have long been associated with the progress of civilization. Neither the authorities nor the church have concealed the affairs of the supernatural world from the people. Even a girl like Nina who is still in school can learn about abnormalities and visions directly from textbooks.

She even knew the classification standards for anomalies and phenomena left over from the ancient Kingdom of Crete that are still used today, and she also knew the public numbers and names of some anomalies and phenomena whose laws had been discovered.

Yes, some of this knowledge is even available to the whole society - although not all of it.

The authorities and churches of each city-state all recognize a list. On this list, the most famous or dangerous anomalies and visions have their own special numbers. These numbers are not permanent. Under special circumstances, some anomalies and visions will be eliminated or transformed for various reasons, and their numbers may also be transferred or vacant. But no matter how they change, one thing is certain in general:

Anomalies and phenomena that have independent numbers and names must have their own special dangers or powers.

The authorities have made public a list of some of the anomalies and phenomena. On the one hand, it is to ensure that every citizen is aware of these specific dangers and that everyone has common sense in self-protection. On the other hand... it is because some of the anomalies and phenomena are too close to people's lives.

These things have even penetrated into every corner of ordinary people's lives and every link in the operation of society. People can see them at any time. They cannot be concealed, and there is no need to conceal them.

Duncan raised his head and stared at the sky silently.

〖Vision 001, the sun.

The huge body of light moving in the sky, a great vision that dominated the sky in the deep sea era, was born in the early morning of the second day after the collapse of the ancient Kingdom of Crete.

The scope of influence is the whole world, the units affected are unlimited, it operates and moves independently and cannot be interfered with by human power, which meets the definition of an anomaly.

Historical records show that on the day the old kingdom collapsed, the sea surged, the city-state shattered, and all members of the first dynasty died heroically in the darkness. Their blood soaked the sea, and then Vision 001 rose from the sea. From then on, there was peace in the daytime on the vast ocean.

The Ancient Kingdom of Crete was the first city-state civilization established by the survivors after the Deep Sea Age began. It lasted only a hundred years, but it left behind countless legacies and benefits to this day.

The three words "Crete" mean "eternal night" in ancient language.

It was a night that lasted for a century.

All of this is written in Nina's history textbook.