Lawrence walked into the bridge and was immediately greeted by the first mate Gus. Many crew members stood behind the first mate, looking at their captain with some anticipation.

Lawrence looked at these subordinates and friends who had followed him for many years. After a long while, he took a deep breath and smiled: "We can go home now. Let's set off now."

The first mate's expression visibly relaxed, but he couldn't help but ask, "Then...what about the Lost Hometown?"

"The Lost Homeland will embark on another journey," Lawrence nodded gently and said to everyone, "Captain Duncan will go south to do more important things. He ordered the White Oak to return to the normal route of the civilized world according to the original sailing plan. According to the plan, we will first go to Cold Harbor for supplies and complete purchase orders, and then return to Plande."

"What about the future?" First mate Gus listened to the captain's words, but he still looked uneasy. It was obvious that like everyone else on the ship, this frost journey was too unexpected and too long for him. When the news of returning home came, he still couldn't believe that everything would really return to the way it was before, "We..."

"We will still make a living on this sea. The White Oak has obtained permission to pass, and the waterways of the civilized world will continue to be open to us. The only change is... from now on, Captain Duncan will always be watching all of us," Lawrence said calmly. "When the Lost Homeland sends an order, as a member of the fleet, we must respond - but at least not now, sailors, we can go home now."

The bridge was quiet for more than ten seconds, and then someone finally started clapping. Gradually, more people started clapping, and then there was a long-overdue cheer.

The news that they could go home spread throughout the ship in an instant and reached the ears of every sailor.

This long and unexpected journey has finally come to an end. A thrilling and bizarre adventure will be deeply engraved in everyone's mind. The joy of returning home has diluted all worries about the future. New boiling gold catalysts are sent into the steam core, the machinery room begins to roar, and the whistle resounds throughout the boundless ocean, as if even the entire ship has begun to cheer for the upcoming journey home.

Lawrence came to the edge of the front deck and quietly looked out at the wavy sea in the distance. The lack of reference points on the endless sea even gave people the illusion that the ship was still there, but the direction of the waves and the breeze blowing in his face told him that the White Oak had already set sail.

He looked down at the side of the ship and saw the dark cloud-like silhouette of the Black Oak reflected on the heaving sea. The front of the ship was shrouded in darkness, and the sparse lights looked shadowy.

Martha's voice came from the small mirror on her chest: "Everyone is very happy - it seems that the day to go home has come, and the familiar life will come back with it, but you should remind them that not everything will go back to the past. We have established a connection with the Lost Homeland. No matter how much freedom Captain Duncan gives us, this connection with the warp is bound to change many things... We should prepare for this curse and blessing."

Lawrence was silent for a moment, then spoke softly, "Like the changes that happened to the Brilliant Star or the Sea Mist?"

"They will no longer age and die, but they will gradually deviate from the category of living people. This ship will slowly transform into a living thing. Some parts of it will suddenly seem to learn to think and start to operate automatically. The existence of the Black Oak, this 'weird reflection', will gradually cause the White Oak to be tainted with all kinds of terrifying rumors and strange stories. Soon, people will be afraid of this new 'cursed ship', and the pass issued by the church cannot solve this problem..."

Martha spoke slowly, as if she was not predicting the future for Lawrence, but narrating the past that had already happened - in her huge and complex clustered memory, she outlined the fate that the White Oak would inevitably face next.

But Lawrence just listened quietly until Martha finished speaking, then he whispered: "Maybe your deduction is right, those changes will happen gradually, but at least not today, today is the day for the girls and boys to go home -

"They will return to warm Plande before the end of this year, embrace their families and friends, and tell them about this incredible adventure as humans. I will do everything I can to keep the White Oak active on all busy routes, to contact the church, the Explorers' Association, and the city-state caravans - not only to complete Captain Duncan's orders, but also to make this ship a respected symbol before it becomes a dreaded curse."

There was no response from the small mirror.

But Lawrence felt a breeze blowing beside him - in the small area of ​​mist that suddenly spread, a hazy shadow walked out of the mist and gently hugged him from behind.

The touch was so ethereal and soft, like a dream.

"Old man—"

"What's wrong?"

“So handsome!”

※※※

Chaotic clouds as thick as lead covered the sky. The bright and warm sunshine was replaced by turbid and dim light. The hazy mist covered the entire sea as far as the eye could see. On the sea surface shrouded in this mist, dark, hair-like wisps of shadows were rapidly gathering and eventually turning the entire sea into darkness.

The world turned into a strange phantom that had lost its color, and the Lost Homeland raised its spiritual sails in the dark sea. The invisible "wind" puffed the sails, causing the ship to begin to pass through the sea at a speed far exceeding that of the real world.

On the platform at the rear of the Lost Homeland, Duncan personally took charge of the steering wheel, and the voice of the goat head came into his mind: "It has sunk safely into the spirit world. The Lost Homeland is currently sailing steadily in the shallow area."

Duncan hummed, turned his head and nodded to Nina who was standing not far away and curiously watching him steer the boat. "We have safely sunk to the spirit world."

Nina nodded in confusion. To her, navigating a ship - and a sailing ship from a century ago - was something completely incomprehensible.

Vanna, who was standing on the other side, couldn't help but cover her forehead after hearing Duncan's words: "Well, no matter how many times I hear it, I still feel that it's weird to put the words 'safe' and 'spiritual world' together. There is really such a thing as 'safely sinking into the spiritual world' in the world..."

Duncan just smiled and said, "It takes some skill, but in the spirit world, we can sail at a very fast speed, and we don't have to worry about hitting most obstacles in the real world. After all, it's a long journey to get from Frost to Breeze Harbor."

"Breeze Harbor... I've only seen this place in books," Nina said with a trace of yearning in her eyes. "The books say it's a city-state built by elves, and it's also one of the most important 'parishes' of the Academy of Truth, second only to 'Moko'. I heard that there are the most advanced differential engines and steam cores in the world, and mechanical technology and mathematics are very advanced..."

"What the books say is true, but books often overlook one point - Breeze Harbor is not only ahead in technology, it is also one of the important bases of the Explorers' Association," Morris said to Nina with a smile, "Because the entire city-state is close to the border of civilization, countless pioneering fleets and explorers use Breeze Harbor as a supply point and a hub for information exchange - and those explorers who come and go bring a variety of food from the entire civilized world to the city-state, so Breeze Harbor is also known as the food capital..."

Nina listened to this knowledge that she could not find in books with full curiosity and thirst for knowledge. At the end, her eyes suddenly lit up: "Are there sweet pancakes over there?"

"There should be," Morris thought for a moment and nodded. "Pland has a developed business, and many merchants have established routes from the central sea to the south. The food of Plande will naturally spread there."

Nina became happy. She climbed onto a large wooden barrel next to Duncan and sat on it, swinging her legs back and forth on the edge of the barrel. "It's great... There are delicious food and the most advanced machinery. I'm looking forward to it..."

Duncan glanced at Nina who was swinging on the barrel, and then glanced at the deck around the barrel - several ropes were trembling slightly in the space between the rudder and the barrel, looking embarrassed and humble.

Apparently, the ropes thought that Nina, the "crew member", was too close to the "rudder" at the moment - but they were afraid of the sun's brightness.

It is a 6000° Dabidou after all.

"Don't swing on the barrel, be careful not to fall off," Duncan shook his head and said to Nina, "Also, don't get so close to the rudder, it's not safe."

Nina reacted immediately, said "Oh", jumped onto the deck and retreated to a safe distance.

The ropes around the rudder slackened—they were safe.

Nina was quiet for only a short while before she suddenly thought of something else.

"We're going to meet that... Ms. Lucrecia, right?" She leaned against the fence at the edge of the driving platform, blinked at Duncan, and asked nervously, "Is she easy to get along with?"

"...It should be fine," Duncan said with a subtle expression. When he tried to think about this problem from Nina's perspective, the subtle feeling became more and more serious. "Lucretia is a scholar who is devoted to research. Other than that, there seems to be nothing difficult to talk about. She is always like this when she is in front of me, but I don't really know what she is like in normal times."

"Actually, I'm a little nervous," Nina stuck out her tongue. "I heard that she is called the 'Sea Witch'. Captain Lawrence said that she is a cold and eccentric witch who will curse those who disturb her research. Many famous adventurers are very afraid of her..."

Duncan held the steering wheel and turned his head to look at Nina.

"Tirion is still a feared pirate - don't you think he is polite in your presence?"

“…That seems to be the case.”