Chapter 18 Dream of the Nameless

"Dream of the Nameless?"

Hearing the strange term suddenly thrown out by the captain, Agatha and Goat Head looked at each other in dismay.

"Where did you hear that term?" After a moment of thought, Agatha asked, "Is it part of the 'intelligence' you just received?"

"The Annihilation Cultists refer to the 'dream' Heidi and Lucretia previously fell into as such," Duncan slowly nodded. "The original source of the information may have come from the Doomsday Evangelists, and then the Annihilation Cultists and Sun Cultists responded to some kind of 'call' from those evangelists. If the information is correct, this so-called 'Dream of the Nameless' should be something like a 'phenomenon.' It massively covers many dreams, and elves...seem to become 'channels' for entering the Dream of the Nameless under specific conditions."

He paused at this point, then continued: "Those cultists each seem to be searching for something deep within the Dream of the Nameless with their own purposes. The goal of the Sun Cult is temporarily unknown, but the target of the Annihilation Cult seems to be a so-called 'Original Blueprint.'"

Agatha's expression visibly became serious. "I have indeed never heard of this so-called 'Dream of the Nameless,' but logically speaking, a 'phenomenon' of this scale..."

"...It's impossible that no one has known about it for so many years. You just said that elves can become 'channels' under specific conditions?"

Duncan nodded slightly. "According to those Annihilation Cultists, there seems to be some kind of 'defect in the blueprint stage' on the elves, which causes their minds to establish a connection with the 'Dream of the Nameless.' It should be related to the Abyss Lord's theory of creation again, but the specific intelligence is insufficient."

"...I'm sorry, Captain, it seems we have no way to give you any useful answers," Agatha thought seriously for a moment, and finally shook her head apologetically. "But since this matter directly points to the 'elf' race, we can just launch an investigation in Serenehaven. This is a city-state of elves – and, an elf here has just fallen into that dream."

Duncan hummed, adjusted his sitting posture, leaned back in the chair, gently tapped the armrest of the seat with his fingers, and his gaze fell on the gradually clearing sea chart: "It's indeed necessary to have a good chat with that Talan Eile... Go see the Radiant Star, it's time to say hello to Lucy Angell."

Considering that this was the first visit to the Radiant Star, Duncan chose to come alone to avoid on-site chaos.

This was a warning that came suddenly from spiritual intuition, the instinctive tension of a "scholar" who had dealt with various dangerous items and secret knowledge for many years when the truth was approaching. Talan Eile instantly broke out in a cold sweat, and then heard some kind of low, muffled sound like the breathing of a giant beast entering his ears.

Outside Serenehaven, in a certain open sea area near the "glowing fallen object," the Radiant Star was slowly circling. The diffuse sunlight covered the sea surface, making the ship seem to be wandering on fine golden sand.

"Dad, you've been out for too long this time..."

However, while greeting him like this, a faint emotion that permeated directly from the bottom of his heart quietly emerged in his mind. In this shallow and vague emotion, he once again felt a trace of longing and...regret.

"I get exposed when I relax, so I always avoid putting myself in a relaxed situation. That's also why the 'Sea Witch' is always in a hurry, appearing particularly independent and self-willed..."

This time, Lucy did not try to control or ignore this feeling, but allowed it to slowly flow through her heart, and then slowly dissipate.

Talan Eile instantly closed his mouth, staring tensely at the small ship burning with ghost flames. At almost the same time, he saw a flame appear out of thin air on the deck of the Radiant Star – the flame rose rapidly, forming a rotating portal, and then, a tall figure stepped out of it.

Duncan couldn't help but recall some of the information Tyrion had revealed to him after leaving Frostwind—

"Lucy gives outsiders the impression of being indifferent and eccentric, with unpredictable emotions, but in essence, that's because she's not good at socializing and doesn't know how to properly express her emotions..."

A cold voice with a hint of warning suddenly came from not far away, interrupting the scholar's shouts. Talan Eile quickly turned his head to look, only to see Lucy Angell had somehow already arrived on the deck, standing calmly beside him, while elegantly supporting her forehead and staring at the prow of the Vanishing Line.

The next moment, thick fog and terrifying light and shadow suddenly filled his vision.

Then, the great scholar gradually came to his senses. He regained his ability to speak and quickly turned his head to look at the place where the "witch" had been standing: "Ms. Lucy Angell! Your father..."

Talan Eile stood on the deck like a stone sculpture. He heard a "thump" from a certain direction, but didn't even have the courage to turn his head to look. After a few more seconds, he regained his ability to breathe and felt his heart beating strongly – the potion that Ms. Lucy Angell had given him earlier was still exerting a strong protective effect, allowing his nearly failing internal organs to continue operating reliably under the intense impact.

Lucy Angell said expressionlessly: "Father said he wants to talk to you."

"Long time no see," after a moment of adjustment, Duncan showed a faint smile and walked towards the "Sea Witch," "Lucy, I'm back."

"Don't shout, I'm here."

"Gift?" Lucy Angell looked up a little blankly.

"Why would I relax about something like this? This is my..."

Now, he finally stepped onto this ship – one of only two remaining escort ships of the former Vanishing Fleet, the Radiant Star.

After a while, she seemed to take a light breath.

The stern sea breeze blew in his face, carrying the unique salty atmosphere of the southern sea – but Talan Eile, standing on the deck, always felt a little cold from time to time. He couldn't help but tighten his coat in the wind, turned his head to look at the "Sea Witch" who was standing on a mast behind him, and shouted, "Are we just waiting here?"

When he was in Frostwind, Duncan always maintained his image of "amnesia due to subspace influence" in front of Tyrion. Thanks to this, he could openly inquire about many things related to Lucy Angell, and now this information could obviously come in handy.

He had finally met Lucy Angell in reality, the daughter of "Duncan Abnomal."

The "Sea Witch" was wearing a white dress with an adventurer style, hesitated and walked a few steps towards him, but stopped a few meters away. She had been looking over here, but her expression was complicated and uneasy – although she tried to hide it, this hesitation and reluctance couldn't be concealed at all.

Next to the Radiant Star, within easy reach, on the sea surface that was still calm and peaceful a second ago, a thick fog suddenly appeared like a tall wall. The chaotic light and shadow brought about by the spirit realm inversion seemed to swarm out of this fog, and a huge shadow floated up from the spirit realm and descended from the thick fog—

He was already familiar with this feeling – every body he occupied would have a similar reaction when encountering important people or things from its "previous life."

"Can I go back?" Talan Eile shouted again, "This touching moment of your father-daughter reunion, it's not good for an outsider like me to be present!"

Duncan reached out his hand and slowly opened his palm.

"Shut up," Lucy Angell interrupted the scholar with a bad attitude, "Father is not someone who shouts loudly during meetings."

Talan Eile was stunned for a moment, subconsciously looked around, and shouted loudly: "Ms. Lucy Angell! Lucy..."

Lucy Angell lowered her head and glanced at the scholar on the deck. Her voice was not loud, but it clearly entered Talan Eile's ears: "We're waiting here."

"...Ms. Lucy Angell, you wouldn't be nervous too, would you?!"

A small silver hairpin with a wave and feather design lay quietly in his palm.

"Thank you."

He followed the rehearsed performance, according to his own understanding, trying to play the role of "Duncan Abnomal" well.

"Ah, where did you just go? As soon as I turned around, you..."

Lucy Angell was a little dazed. She stared blankly at the small hairpin, and after a while, she seemed to suddenly wake up, blinked her eyes, and hesitated to reach out her hand.

There was no sign of the witch on the mast.

"When I'm too embarrassed, I completely don't know how to take the initiative to speak, which gives people a very impolite, arrogant and eccentric impression, but if someone is willing to take the initiative to talk to me and break the silence at this time, I will be very happy..."

The voice from the mast suddenly stopped. Talan Eile was startled, and was about to ask what was going on, but was suddenly interrupted by a strong palpitation.

The hairpin was real, with a soft touch and a slight warmth – the warmth of a living person.

The expression on Lucy Angell's face changed slightly several times. No one knew what the "witch" was thinking in those short few seconds. She was stunned for a while, and finally, all the memories and once calm emotions were only precipitated into a very soft sentence:

Duncan was silent for a while, then reached into his arms: "I brought you a gift."

Lucy Angell looked at him condescendingly: "You are an adult, and a highly respected scholar. You should learn to relieve your own stress."

Talan Eile raised his hands with a sad face: "Then can you come down and accompany me? I...I feel a little nervous!"

Holding the gift, the "witch" seemed to show a little smile after a long time, and said very softly: "...You brought it too late. It's outdated. It's been outdated for a century..."