Chapter 241: Chapter 245 Big Trouble Ahead
Duncan fell silent in deep thought.
It was the first ti that Goat Head had revealed so much about the secrets of Subspace to him, and it was the most open and straightforward communication they had ever had.
Before today, Goat Head had always shown a great aversion to Subspace, avoiding the topic whenever possible and never directly answering Duncan’s roundabout questions. At that ti, its attitude seed to stem not only from concerns about the stability of Holoss but also from worries about the stability of “Captain Duncan.”
But today, its attitude had softened—after the captain had run to the Subspace, shut the door, and then returned as if nothing had happened.
It seed that Goat Head had finally put its mind at ease and dared to share what it knew.
Goat Head claid to know only a little and didn’t guarantee the accuracy of the intelligence. But for Duncan, even the information it shared now was enough to ponder for quite a while—it had not only exceeded his current understanding of Subspace but perhaps also surpassed the depth of research by scholars of the civilized world.
...
After a long period of thought, Duncan finally looked up, his gaze contemplative as he stared into Goat Head’s eyes, “…You knew so much.”
“Sowhat…but I never intended to deceive you,” Goat Head’s voice sounded sowhat nervous, “When it cos to things related to Subspace, the less you know, the better because often, knowledge is contamination. But now it seems, the great Captain Duncan obviously does not need to worry about this…”
“I’ll take that as a sincere complint,” Duncan said offhandedly. He then scrutinized Goat Head again, not content, “Is this really all you know? Are there more details, like the identity of the pale one-eyed giant…”
“You really put in a difficult position,” Goat Head replied with a sense of helplessness, “to be frank, my mory…has had so issues. Much has been forgotten ‘on the other side,’ and I’m left only with these superficial impressions.”
Duncan silently observed Goat Head’s eyes for a long ti before finally looking away.
Goat Head indirectly admitted to sothing else—it was not an original “crew mber” of the ship but ca from “the other side,” from Subspace!
Had Holoss brought sothing out of Subspace in the process of disengagent, which then turned into Goat Head? Or had Goat Head intentionally caught a ride, escaping Subspace of its own volition? Was it a trade?
For so reason, Duncan’s mind once again conjured the image of the pale giant who had died on the edge of celestial debris.
Subspace was filled with remnants of the shattered old world, but those remnants seed to be more than just debris… Goat Head appeared to have co from Subspace, and it possessed cognition, the ability to think, and even to communicate. Were there other beings similar to it within Subspace? Or, if it returned to Subspace, would Goat Head transform into sothing else, becoming… sothing like the pale giant? Was that why it so resisted the idea of “going back”?
Many questions surfaced in Duncan’s mind, but ultimately, he did not directly ask them.
Because he knew that questions directly targeting Goat Head and potential questions regarding “Captain Duncan” would be absolutely unanswered—this involved the stability of Holoss in the material dinsion.
So he let out a gentle breath, stood up, and gestured for a temporary end to the topic.
Bright sunlight filtered through the window, falling on the gracious, classic furnishings of the captain’s quarters, emitting a hazy luster amidst the dust.
“I missed the sunrise today,” Duncan suddenly said, “Did the sun rise as usual today?”
“Yes, the sun rose on ti at sunrise,” Goat Head imdiately responded, “It seems the delayed sunrise before was just an anomaly, Anomaly 001 is still functioning normally.”
“… Once a problem occurs with an entity like Anomaly 001, the fear will be forever imprinted on people’s hearts. Those who noticed the ’15 minutes’ probably won’t welco the sunrise as easily as before,” Duncan shook his head gently, and then, as if suddenly rembering sothing, “Wait, do you rember when the sunset was yesterday?”
“Sunset?” Goat Head thought for a mont, then uncertainly began, “The sunset was on ti and wasn’t affected. What is this quest—Ah!”
“You’ve realized,” Duncan shifted his gaze away from the window, “Yesterday’s sun delayed its rise by fifteen minutes but set on ti. This indicates sothing.”
“… It traversed the sky at a faster pace than usual yesterday,” Goat Head belatedly realized, “Anomaly 001… can consciously adjust its trajectory?”
Duncan spoke gravely, “At least, it consciously sped up yesterday to ensure ‘sunset’ occurred at the correct ti.”
Goat Head sounded hesitant, “Is that… a good thing? This ans Anomaly 001 has a certain self-repair function, even though there was a small glitch, it’s consciously ensuring that the world runs smoothly…”
But Duncan did not speak again.
While Goat Head’s attitude seed optimistic, Duncan felt no relief from Anomaly 001’s “self-adjustnt.” Instead, he felt greater tension after confirming that the sun had intentionally sped up for a day.
Because he knew a principle—when a vast, ancient system that no one was guarding suddenly began to use its own reserves to self-repair, it oftentis didn’t an the problem would be solved; instead, it was a signal that issues had accumulated to a dangerously critical point!
Duncan couldn’t help but co to the window, completely opened it, and looked up at the sky to observe the imnse luminary that illuminated the world, as well as the two rings of runes that encircled the body of light.
Anomaly 001 emitted a bright light, but it wasn’t blinding, and Duncan could even stare at it with so difficulty.
But suddenly, Duncan’s gaze froze.
He was staring intently at the sun, at the runes on the edge of the ancient anomaly, carefully discerning, until he finally confird that he was not mistaken.
On the outer ring of the double runes, under the brilliance that obscured less intense rays, there seed to be a faint… gap.
…
Inside the antique shop in Prand, Duncan, who was sitting behind the counter overseeing Sherry, Alice, and A-Dog’s copying of letters, suddenly lifted his head and then, under the astonished gaze of three “students,” quickly walked out of the shop door and stepped onto the open ground in front of the antique shop to look up at the sky.
After a good while, when his fragile human body began to feel a bit dizzy and his eyes hazy, Duncan closed his eyes and lowered his head.
Nina, who had been helping to teach Sherry and the others letter recognition, ran out worriedly, “Uncle Duncan, what’s wrong?”
Duncan lifted his head and gently ruffled Nina’s hair.
“It’s nothing, just ca out to check the weather.”
“Check the weather?” Nina looked up doubtfully at the clear sky, “Can’t you just glance outside from within the shop on such a sunny day… Ah, is sothing going to happen again?”
As she spoke, Nina suddenly lowered her voice and sneakily moved closer, clutching Duncan’s sleeve, “Did you think of sothing aboard the ship? Are we going to have an adventure?”
“… Adventure, adventure, where are there so many risks to seek?” Duncan, unable to help but laugh at the girl who had been obsessed with the idea of an “exciting new life” ever since learning about Holoss, said, “Wouldn’t you rather the world was at peace?”
Nina embarrassedly stuck out her tongue, and Sherry, who had co to the door out of curiosity, stood dumbfounded after hearing Duncan’s words. She remained stunned for a while, then turned her head to mutter to A-Dog, hiding in the shadows, “The captain says he likes world peace.”
A-Dog gave no response.
Sherry frowned and repeated herself, then, at an angle blocked by the doorfra, she tugged at the chain that seed fused with her arm, “A-Dog, didn’t you hear what I said?”
At last, A-Dog’s voice ca from the shadows, “I’m morizing the alphabet, don’t interrupt my learning.”
Sherry: “… You actually took your studies seriously?!”
“Nonsense, Mr. Duncan will check our work later… Miss Alice is even more diligent than you!”
Sherry paused, “Howork? What howork?”
However, A-Dog didn’t answer her.
Because Duncan had already returned to the door with Nina, and Sherry’s last muttering fell upon the forr’s ears.
“Howork is sothing that if you don’t do, I’ll be quite upset,” Duncan said, smiling at Sherry, who had suddenly beco stiff, “Go back and copy the alphabet ten tis.”
Sherry almost cried out, “Then… how about you just beat instead…”
“Really?”
Sherry shivered, “No, no, no, I’ll go copy the alphabet now!”
Duncan shook his head, then temporarily arranged for Sherry, A-Dog, and Alice to self-study and instructed Nina to supervise, while he pondered once more in front of the display window while gazing at the sky outside.
Anomaly 001… serious trouble might indeed be afoot.
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