224. Improving understanding
Chapter 224 – Improving Understanding
To be fair, Duncan was really sincere at this time – he admired this tough-minded and straightforward Judge, and appreciated her performance during the disaster, and even if this appreciation was put aside, he also treasured Vanna as a special “node”.
If it wasn’t for enough coincidences, it would not be easy to place such a “node” in the top ranks of the Church, and it would be even more difficult to establish a basic “friendship” with her.
Vanna is very straightforward, this straightforward instead decided that she will not deny Duncan’s merits in sheltering Prand, decided that even if she is personally twisted, she will also be fair on this “big favor”.
Only Duncan’s sincerity on this side sounds a little bit scary to others.
A curse like an unbreakable link, a sub-space shadow that can invade one’s mind at any time, and a higher being that is powerful enough to reverse the pollution of history but whose purpose is unknown – that is, Vanna’s will is firm, which is something that anyone else would be afraid of as a san check has already gone through several rounds.
Vanna fixed her mind, she did not avoid meeting Duncan’s line of sight, her heart is still full of vigilance, rationally, she still can’t believe every word this “ghost captain” said to herself, even if the other party did shelter Prender, there may be a more terrible conspiracy behind the act of sheltering! –Because similar conspiracies abound in history, but emotionally ……
her feelings were persuading herself not to put too much faith in reason.
“…… What exactly do you want.” Vanna inhaled softly, and once again she showed skepticism, but this time, instead of pure resistance and wariness, there was more seriousness in her skepticism – she wanted to talk to the legendary captain seriously, to listen carefully to what the other was trying to say, if not as a friend, then not as an enemy for the time being.
And after saying this she paused, and then added immediately after, “Stop talking about ‘the whole lot of fries’ …… I want to hear something serious.”
“…… Actually, ‘whole point fries’ is serious,” Duncan said with a bemused look on his face, “and plenty of ketchup if you can. ”
Vanna: “……?”
“I’m improving the food on my own ship, isn’t that obvious?” Duncan suddenly laughed, all of Vanna’s reactions not exceeding his expectations, and then he walked around in the mirror as if sitting on top of something, and continued in a very relaxed stance, “Vanna, what do you think a captain like me does on a regular basis?”
“What does one usually do?” Vanna froze, she hadn’t noticed that the conversation had gone from saber rattling to …… calming down, and after the figure in the mirror sat down, the subsequent conversation was as if it were two friends having a casual conversation, “I …… never haven’t thought about it ……”
“Yeah, you haven’t thought about it, of all people, because a scary ghost captain just has to be in charge of being ‘scary’, and I’d better be constantly concocting some world-shattering conspiracy twenty-four hours a day, so as to be more in keeping with the persona- -but in reality?”
Duncan said, spreading his hands.
“I’ve got a very, very large ship to take care of, and there are quite a few other headaches aboard that ship, my ‘crew’ often messes up and leaves the decks cocked up for half a day at a time, and the food aboard the Lost Country is another headache, but the bigger problem is supplying the hot water, and I’m have recently been considering installing a set of boilers into the ship, I wonder what you would recommend?”
“I don’t know much about boilers …… wait, no, not that,” Vanna subconsciously spoke, just halfway through her sentence she felt that something was wrong, she stared wide-eyed at the ghostly captain in the mirror who seemed to be smiling, and she always felt that the other party’s smile contained a sense of ‘s derision and …… teasing, “Why suddenly tell me this? And …… er …… are you serious?”
Duncan adjusted his posture, he looked at Vanna’s eyes, his expression gradually serious, “Vanna, notice – I’m not as scary as you think I am, the unknown is the source of fear, now, you have some understanding of me.”
Vanna didn’t say anything for a while, because she was already completely unable to keep up with this captain’s rhythm, and at the moment, she simply didn’t know what to reply.
But after a moment of silence, she still exhaled softly and tried to change the topic, “……You took away the sun shard, and also counted to clear another major hidden danger within the city-state of Prand, this matter I should also express my gratitude.”
The corner of Duncan’s mouth twitched imperceptibly, “…… A show of hands, I have a hobby of collecting.”
But what he actually wanted to say was that he had just returned the sun shard to Prand – although Nina was initially gung-ho about spending the night on the ship, she later realized that she recognized her bed and couldn’t sleep well until she was home ……
Duncan was afraid that the instant he said that there would be a jumping splat across the room ……
Vanna, however, did not notice the momentary change in the other party’s expression, she just gently nodded and continued, ”Now that order has gradually been restored in the city-state, the aftermath of the contamination caused by the final preachers has completely receded, and those evil cultists …… who summoned the Black Sun have become burned out, as they had hoped of firewood, I hope you are satisfied with the result.”
“It’s okay, they’ll pop up again sooner or later anyway,” Duncan said casually, “Heretical worshippers are the breath of the Evil Gods, and cultists can’t be wiped out as long as those ‘root causes’ aren’t eliminated –just keep cleaning it up next time you see it.”
Vanna listens thoughtfully to everything Duncan says, while her face shows only slight curiosity, “It sounds …… like you’re on bad terms with those heretic worshippers.”
“You wanted to pry for some information,” Duncan smiled up, “because this is one of the rare times in the last hundred years that you get to learn about ‘Captain Duncan’ and the Lost Country firsthand- -but you could have just asked.”
Vanna was a little speechless for a moment, and her face took on an awkward expression, but soon she heard that Spectre Captain’s frank reply coming through the mirror, “I don’t like the cultists, neither the Suns nor the Final Preachers, and as for the Annihilators who worship the Spectre’s Holy Lords …… don’t know much about them, but most of them most of them should be madmen who bore me too.
“So you could just report this and say that the Lost Country is an enemy to all three cults, and that Captain Duncan will gladly destroy any cultist that appears in front of him, conditions permitting – that information should be useful.”
“…… Thank you for your answer.” Vanna hesitated, but nodded thoughtfully.
“Is there anything else you would like to know?” Duncan asked again. Vanna pursed her lips.
Of course there was, but she wasn’t sure if asking this spectral captain across the room was the right thing to do when it came to her own faltering beliefs, when it came to subspace.
In the end, instead of talking about her own confusion and faltering at the moment, she side-stepped a question that concerned her, “…… I would like to know if Subspace responds to the wishes of mortals – and, for that matter of what the answer requires.”
Vanna deliberately mentioned “price” at the end, because she knew very well that this question was completely different from the conversation she had just had with the other party.
The conversation just now did not involve knowledge of the transcendent realm, whereas this question …… was seeking forbidden knowledge from a shadow returning from subspace, which was already a dangerous move.
She was not afraid to pay the price, but she wished to know what that price was.
“There’s no need to be so nervous, there’s no price,” Duncan in the mirror butted in and smiled, “because I really don’t know the TAs well.”
Vanna: “…… Huh?”
“Why does everyone think I’m going to know a lot of secrets about subspace,” Duncan rubbed his forehead a little helplessly, “I’ve been there no doubt, but it’s not like I’m doing a census in subspace – you live on the neighborhood and you know everyone on the block?”
Vanna nodded, “Recognize.”
Duncan: “……”
Vanna responds at once, adding with a bit of embarrassment and hindsight, “Of course, there may be less familiar …… Well, I see what you mean.”
“There’s no way to answer your question, but I can see that it has to do with the terrible state you were in just now,” Duncan resumed that serious and earnest look, “What in subspace did you get caught up in?”
Vanna looked at Duncan in the mirror with an odd expression.
Duncan thought for a moment and added, “I mean besides me ……”
“I don’t know.” Vanna shook her head, then she opened her mouth again as if to say something, but at the last moment it didn’t come out.
“Well, it seems you still have some concerns, and I can understand that,” Duncan was unconcerned, “but if it really is something in subspace that’s after you, you can ask me for help – at least in this area, I can help you a favor.”
Vanna fell silent, and nearly a dozen seconds passed before she suddenly broke the silence, “Why?”
“You’re asking why I’m willing to help you?” Duncan’s voice rang out from the mirror, it still sounded imposing and even a little somber to Vanna, but at the moment there seemed to be a little more gentleness and sincerity, “Perhaps it is because of having fought alongside each other in Prenland – Vanna, I admire your fortitude and bravery.”
The figure in the mirror stood up.
The spectral captain seemed ready to leave.
Vanna was instantly slightly relieved, she couldn’t actually say whether she was being wary and cautious or simply nervous at the moment, but the other’s intention to leave did make her steeply relax a little.
However, just as Duncan’s figure was about to completely dissipate from the mirror, she seemed to remember something again and suddenly spoke, “Wait, there’s one more thing.”
Duncan sidled his face slightly, “Hmm?”
“After that ……,” Vanna got a little stuck, organizing her words again before speaking slightly hesitantly, “I mean, if you’re still planning on ‘showing up’ if you still intend to ‘show up’, could you not always be so abrupt ……”
Duncan didn’t respond, his face shrouded in shadow in the depths of the mirror, unreadable.
It took a few seconds before Vanna heard the other man’s voice reach her ears, “Next time I knock.”
(End of chapter)