Deep Sea Embers

“The fishes are struggling real hard today. Fortunately, I am better in arm strength,” Duncan explains with a smug grin that somehow fits his achievement. He also wiped his forehead to remove the sweat – although there was none. “Let’s take a look at the catch today. You all mustn’t miss out on this opportunity. It’s not often the specialty of the sea is displayed like this. Oh, don’t judge because of their ugly appearance. Looks can be deceiving. The taste is actually quite good… Um, why do you all have that expression on your faces?”

Duncan’s gaze then shifted away from his “catch” and onto the shivering trio of Shirley – Dog, and Morris – hiding in the back corner of the cabin. Except for the dark hound’s difficult-to-understand skull, the other two were obviously not quite right.

“Uncle Duncan!” As usual, Nina ran over and greeted her uncle.

Then the upbeat niece looked at the fish with a curious glint. In her view, these are indeed fish, only uglier and weirder than the ones brought home by her uncle.

“They’re really so ugly,” Nina sighed in amazement, “even worse than when they’re dried. Are these the same fishes we had before? How did they end up like this…”

“Why do they all look like that?” Duncan points at the trembling trio.

“They were frightened by the way you were fishing,” Nina explains with a chirp. Then, recalling another thing, she got all embarrassed, “Actually, I was also taken aback by your commotion… your way of catching fish is huge…”

“Do I make a lot of noise when fishing?” Duncan frowned suspiciously, seeming to catch onto the truth that’s been evading his perception. “Did something happen just now?”

Only then did Morris carefully get up from the chair and cautiously approached. After eyeing up the creature and confirming it’s dead, he hesitantly spoke: “Mr. Duncan, you… do you have a bad relationship with the heir offspring of the Deep Sea? So much so that they can be twisted into this form…?”

Duncan was stunned momentarily and finally realized what was happening with this situation. He slowly turned to Nina and asked: “So… what I caught isn’t a fish in your eyes?”

“Now it is, but not earlier,” Nina stuck her tongue out like a kid. “You were wrestling with a huge thing just now, like this and this…”

Nina stretched out her hand vigorously and waved it around to demonstrate what they saw. According to a human’s eye, the monster resembled a squid with numerous tentacles. The only difference would be the countless eyeballs planted across the body, making it look creepy and hideous.

“That’s pretty much it,” Nina finally finished and turned her sight onto the strange fish again, “we never expected it to really become a fish…”

Duncan got quiet for a while, muttering what he could relate to in the animal kingdom: “That sounds like a huge octopus…”

Shirley, who had hidden on the side without interjecting, finally poked her head over and boldly asked: “Octopus? What is that?”

“Actually, you can eat it too,” Duncan explains. “It may look scary, but it tastes okay and can be stewed due to its chewy texture.”

As soon as these words came out, Shirley and Morris’s expressions got all wonderful again.

Duncan didn’t care about their fireworks reaction; he was occupied with the new knowledge. This needs to be taken into account for future ventures.

So I didn’t catch a “fish”, but an heir offspring of the Deep Sea, the kind that brings fear to a sailor… But why did it change to a fish after I caught it? What caused it to change?

Duncan felt like he’s catching onto another truth, but with so little detail, he soon converged the questions into one fundamental point: Can this fish still be eaten?

Duncan felt tied inside. A part of him want to keep eating the bounties of the ocean, and the other got weirded out, knowing he was consuming some sea monster. However, the fact remains that these ugly fishes tasted good, and he’s already eaten some on the dining table before the truth came out.

In the end, the desire to fill his tummy won out. If worse comes to worse, he could always have Alice cook the flesh longer.

Just like that, Shirley and Morris watched as the expression on Duncan’s face go from unhappy to happy again: “Anyways, I’ll first send these to the kitchen.”

Shirley couldn’t be cautious anymore and cried: “Do you really want to eat these?!”

“Haven’t you eaten them before? Why act so strongly against it?” Duncan glanced at the girl with a strange expression, “It went well last time, didn’t it?”

Shirley: “…”

No matter what the mentality of the visitors, the special dinner of the Vanished was finally served on the table, and for Duncan, today was destined to be a special day.

After being deserted for so long, the Vanished finally ushered in a day that could be considered “lively”. In the cabin in the middle of the deck, the long-closed dining room was reopened, and the bright whale oil lamp dispelled the darkness in the room. It was dim, and a long table was wiped and shining with the most decadent meal this ship had to offer displayed before it – freshly baked bread, vegetable soup, pea stew, jam with mashed potatoes, two low-alcohol liquors, and one spirit. There’s also FISH!

Oh right! Let’s not forget Ai’ fries and ketchup hauled over from Pland. The bird’s literally in heaven right now.

Duncan sat at one end of the long table, Nina sat beside him, Alice on the other side, and Shirley, Dog, Morris, and Ai each took a seat along the table as they pleased.

To be fair, compared to this huge room, the few people dining here could hardly be called “lively”. Strictly speaking, there’s not even a normal human in here either, the only exception being Morris, but even then, the old scholar was a cleric of knowledge.

Morris stared down at the dinner plate before him as Alice hand-cut the grilled fish. The heir’s flesh and blood smelled fantastic in truth, and the terrifying elements were gone, giving the dish a true aroma.

I’m sitting on the Vanished, coexisting with a shadow of subspace, and sharing a meal comprised of the meat from a Deep Sea heir…

Out of reflex, Morris almost started to chant the name of Lahem, the god of wisdom – he only stopped because he was more afraid of seeing something he didn’t want to see again.

The atmosphere at the table appeared a little strained, and Duncan noticed this of course. So, he raised a glass for a toast like any good host would: “First of all, I want to welcome all of you. Although the process is a bit unexpected, you are now members of the Vanished. So, let’s use this glass of wine as a welcoming ceremony.”

The entanglement and nervousness in his heart quickly gave in, and Morris hurriedly raised his glass, followed by Shirley and Nina, who were quick learners – but Duncan quickly glanced at the two girls: “You two can drink juice.”

“I’m almost an adult!” Shirley protested subconsciously.

“I… I’ll just take a sip,” Nina muttered, “fruit wine is okay…”

“…… Then you two are only allowed to drink a little,” Duncan looked serious, “I’ll have Alice watch over you two from the side.”

“YAA! Uncle is the best!”

Morris watched the exchange between Shirley, Nina, and Duncan with a hint of surprise. Nevertheless, the scene seemed so grounded like any ordinary family, which relaxed his tense nerves somewhat.

Then came the coughing fit from Nina after she took a sip from the wine. The silly behavior instantly dispelled any gloom and doom in the air, bringing the party into full swing.

Pleased by the good mood, Duncan began to go over his plans. “After dinner, I’ll arrange for Ai to send you back to the city-state,” he said in a relaxed and calm tone while looking around the table. “Mr. Morris, you can go straight home. As for you three, Shirley, Dog, and Nina can return to the antique shop.”

Nina was still recovering from the coughing fit when she heard this: “Umm… Uncle… what about you?”

“Of course I’ll be waiting for you over there,” Duncan chuckled, his gaze falling on Shirley. “Actually, it’s always been like this – I’m both here and in the city-state.”

“Eh…” Shirley was a little dazed by the news, blinking her eyes before connecting the dots. “I thought… After solving the matter in Pland, you will stop paying attention to the city, just like in the stories. The captain will continue his adventures…”

“You’re right, the captain will continue to embark on their adventures. The Vanished is still sailing on the Boundless Sea, you see?” Duncan spread his hands to point at the vessel, “But the captain still pays attention to the civilized world, and as the crew of the Vanished… you will get to return to your familiar land life. The only difference now is you may be required to re-board the ship when the situation requires it.”

“…… We still have to come back?!” Shirley was shocked and blurted this out.

Nina also reacted: “Can we still come back!?”