Chapter 157: Chapter 161 Another Connection
In the eyes of the “Rose Doll House” shopkeeper, the world’s greatest puppeteer was a human nad Lucresia Abenomar, the daughter of the fad “Captain Duncan.”
As soon as the old lady let out these words, the entire shop fell silent for several seconds, followed by Captain Duncan’s earth-shattering coughing fit, “Cough cough, cough cough cough…”
“Are you all right, sir?” The shopkeeper was imdiately frightened by Duncan’s reaction, just like any elf who has long dealt with short-lived races, her face instantly expressed concern that the human before her might drop dead on the spot, “Do you need a doctor?”
“Cough cough… I… cough, I’m fine,” Duncan finally managed to stop his coughing, but it still took him a mont to wave off the old lady—because at the sa ti, he also had to calm down the Cursed Doll who had been startled by his coughing aboard the Holoss, “I just got choked on so saliva. What were you saying again? Lucresia…”
“Lucresia Abenomar, the lady of the Brilliant Starship, one of Captain Duncan’s children,” the shopkeeper said with a face that read “this is all recent news, why do you humans make such a big fuss over it,” “the world’s greatest puppeteer…”
Duncan, who had just managed to catch his breath, suddenly choked on his saliva and into his lungs again upon hearing the old lady’s words: “Pfft—”
At the sa ti, on the deck of the Holoss, the doll Alice, who had just been frightened by Captain Duncan’s severe coughing, was startled again by his exclamation “Holy shit,” and the puppet lady, holding a large basket of vegetables and fruits, looked stupefied at the captain, who was acting strangely today, “Are you all right?”
“I’m fine,” Duncan took a breath, slowly calming his emotions. Having mastered dual-body control over ti, he almost panicked again at this mont. To avoid acting too bizarrely back in the City-State, he had no choice but to wave at the doll before him, “You go on to the cabin for now, I have sothing to deal with.”
“Are you sure you’re all right?” Alice still looked at him suspiciously, her pale violet eyes reflecting Duncan’s face, “Do you want to check your body, maybe give you a back tap or help you catch your breath…”
“Do you know how?”
“I don’t.”
“Off you go!”
“Oh.”
After finally sending away the naive doll, Duncan quickly refocused his attention on Plunder City-State. He lifted his eyes and looked seriously at the slightly plump elf old lady, “That famous Captain Duncan… the legend of the Holoss…”
“Shh, don’t just blurt out that na!” the shopkeeper hastily interrupted Duncan’s words, “An ordinary person like you doesn’t know, but carelessly uttering the na of such a grand terror and curse could bring misfortune upon you! Be careful, or that ship might co to you in your dreams!”
“…You’re right,” Duncan choked for a mont and nodded with effort, holding back the odd feeling in his heart, “So, that captain… Not only has a daughter nad Lucresia, but he also has a son, right?”
“Yes, from a hundred years ago, I’ve even t them both. The son is Tirian Abenomar, who later beca so sort of general for the Frost Queen, but didn’t last long before a rebellion broke out in Frost, and he gathered a group to beco pirates. The daughter is Lucresia Abenomar, the world’s most outstanding puppeteer…”
The old lady prattled on, then paused, and started to reflect, “But these are all events from many years ago, at least they are for humans… In Plunder, few people bring up their stories anymore, even in the elven city-states, people don’t dare to discuss matters related to that ship, but what’s the harm, really? The siblings aren’t insane like their father, they’re still capably fulfilling their roles as captains…”
“Hold on!” Duncan imdiately widened his eyes, “You’re saying they’re still alive?!”
“Alive, indeed. It’s said they were cursed by the Subspace, granting them eternal life,” the old lady lanted, “They might live even longer than …”
Duncan: “…”
“Are you really all right, sir?” the shopkeeper finally couldn’t help but ask again, “You’ve been looking pale since a while ago, you don’t like this topic? It’s normal, most humans don’t seem to enjoy hearing about this, they’re afraid even in broad daylight…”
“I dare to listen, I dare to listen,” Duncan said, imdiately snapping to attention at the ntion. He quickly composed his expression and posture, nearly staring fixatedly at the shop owner. “Could you tell a bit more about the siblings? And you said just now… you’ve seen them both?”
“A century ago,” the old woman began with a reflective tone, “I had my shop on this street back then. The siblings ca here to shop. Lucresia bought a one-third scale Magic Doll, and Tirian paid for it. They were still young then, and their father… he was still a normal human being. Oh, but I shouldn’t ntion him. Mustn’t speak of him.
“And then another decade or so passed, and on my way to Rensa to exchange ideas with colleagues, I t Lucresia again, by herself. By then, she had beco an outstanding Puppeteer and chanic Master… the automaton-driven Magic Dolls she created were even beyond what I could make…”
The shop owner rambled on, sharing tales that would be considered historical to most humans but were rely personal mories for her.
It seed that no matter the race, the elderly enjoyed reminiscing and chattering away; as long as soone initiated the topic, there was never an end to such conversations.
Duncan’s turbulent thoughts had yet to settle, but his face had regained composure. He perked up his ears, absorbing every word the old woman said, capturing the astonishing intelligence without missing a single detail.
For the ordinary people of the City-State, the story of the century-old cursed captain and his cursed children was just a distant tale; but to an Elf who had lived here for several centuries, many so-called “secrets” were just part of her earlier experiences—she spoke a lot about Lucresia, and also ntioned Tirian and his “Sea Mist” a few tis.
However, her knowledge about Tirian and the “Sea Mist” was clearly less than it was about Lucresia.
“Tirian Abnormal pledged loyalty to the Frost Queen, which was half a century ago, not too far from today. So of the older humans have heard of it,” the shop owner comnted casually, “but that’s all they’ve done—heard. The City-States around the Chill Sea were more closed off decades ago, and their interactions with Plunder were limited…”
Duncan’s heart thumped in his chest. Of course, he knew who the Frost Queen was; his family even had a life-sized Frost Queen doll that hopped around all day. But he had never imagined that the queen executed by rebels half a century ago would establish another connection with him—in the form of an “eldest son” whose existence he himself had only just learned of.
“The Frost rebellion, half a century ago…” he chose his words carefully, striving to appear as a casual custor fascinated by gossip, “I’ve read about it in history books, but they’re rather vague…”
“That affair was indeed vague,” the shop owner waved her hand dismissively, “It is said to be connected to ‘that ship,’ who would dare to record it clearly?”
“Did Tirian Abnormal beco a pirate after the Frost rebellion, leading his crew?” Duncan asked again, “Is he still active around the Chill Sea?”
“He seemingly is,” the shop owner recalled, “Anyways, more than twenty years ago, a compatriot of mine who did business on the seas said so.”
“And… do Tirian and Lucresia still communicate?”
“How would I know that?” The shop owner waved her hand again. “I’m just an ordinary old woman with a shop here on the streets of Plunder. At most, I t them once in earlier years and happen to rember a bit more than what you humans do. How could I know everything?”
“Well… that makes sense.”
Duncan smacked his lips, realizing he might have shown a bit too much interest in the matter, and wisely refrained from asking further.
At that mont, however, the old woman opposite him seed to suddenly rember sothing. She stood up from behind the counter, “Ah, right, speaking of Lucresia, I just rembered sothing. I’ve had it for quite a few years now, don’t know if you’d be interested?”
While speaking, the shop owner walked toward a short door in the corner near the stairs. Opening the door, she rummaged through a storage room for what seed like ages before pulling out a box over half a ter long from the deepest part and placing it on the counter.
“This is…” Duncan looked at the item she brought out with curiosity.
“A doll,” the old woman revealed with a kind smile, carefully opening the lid, “Her na is Niru—rember what I just ntioned? Many years ago, Lucresia and her brother bought a doll here in my shop. That doll, in fact, was one of two sisters. She took the older sister, nad ‘Luny.’ This one left here, her na is ‘Niru.’”
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