Chapter 123: Chapter 127: Dinner Together
Some things are simply not meant to be discussed in front of Nina.
Listening to A-dog describe the scene, Duncan felt his heart skip a beat.
Ashes floating around him… lots of ashes… what did that imply?
In that factory shrouded by curtains, everywhere was filled with hidden ashes—ashes were the traces that flames had once burned, the proof that a great fire had existed, symbolizing that which had been destroyed. Then the ashes by Nina’s side…
He raised his head, looking toward the staircase leading to the second floor.
Nina was busy in the kitchen on the second floor, and the faint sounds of cooking could be heard from here—the clink of utensils sounded cheerful as the optimistic girl, who had been through a lot that day, still managed to stay in a good mood.
He withdrew his gaze and looked at Sherry, sitting across from him.
“So, after A-dog told you it had found a very suspicious target, you found a way to sneak into the school, and tried to find clues around Nina. Meanwhile, you also began approaching those Sun Cultists active in town, trying to find clues from them, to uncover the secret of the fire that happened eleven years ago…”
Sherry gently nodded, “Yes.”
“I’m guessing what you’re actually looking for isn’t the Sun Shard, right?”
“…What’s the point in finding the Sun Shard?” Sherry retorted, “To find a flame and then demand why it burnt? What I’m looking for… is the person who set the fire that year.”
“It’s not just an ordinary flame,” Duncan said quietly, gazing intently into Sherry’s eyes, “If that really was a shard of the Sun… its power could do more than merely burn down a factory. Sherry, you’re doing something very, very dangerous.”
“I’ll be honest and don’t get mad,” Sherry thought for a moment and said humbly with her head down, “I feel that sitting in front of you is dangerous enough…”
“…Haha, maybe,” Duncan was momentarily taken aback and couldn’t help but laugh. Then he got up from behind the counter and slowly walked toward the staircase leading upstairs, “I’m just giving a friendly reminder, of course, it’s up to you to decide what to do.”
“Wait,” Sherry suddenly stood up, but hesitated, pausing for two seconds before continuing, “By your attitude… Did you not know about Nina’s special situation before?”
Duncan stopped in his tracks and, after a moment of contemplation, raised his hand to point at his eyes, “It seems the ‘vision’ of this body I’m using now isn’t that great. Indeed, I haven’t noticed some things.”
This body…
Sherry keenly picked up on these few words but dared not ask anything. She just curiously watched as he continued to walk upstairs, wondering, “What are you doing now?”
“Doing what? Of course, I’m going upstairs to eat,” Duncan glanced down as if it were a matter of course and stated, “You guys come up too. It’s time for dinner.”
Dinner time.
What’s it like to have a meal at the house of a Subspace big shot?
Sherry didn’t know how to describe to people the myriad of bizarre thoughts that had flashed through her mind while following the big shot upstairs. She was nervous yet expectant, curious yet fearful, knowing well this could very well be just an ordinary meal, yet she couldn’t help but guess what astonishing and bizarre items might appear on the dining table.
In this seemingly ordinary antique shop lived a Subspace Shadow, a nest of the Subspace Shadow—the collapsing crevice between the real world and the deepest layers. And in such a nest… even if the spawn of the Evil God appeared at the dinner table, it would seem quite normal to her.
With all these wild guesses and an anxious heart, Sherry went upstairs and arrived at the slightly cramped kitchen, then saw what was on the table.
It was nothing more than a plate of freshly heated hard bread, a bowl of vegetable soup most common in the Lower City District, and some tomato and mushroom sauce.
The most eye-catching thing on the table was just a bowl of fish soup—the pale soup was dotted with pieces of cut and processed fish that were unrecognizable in their original form; the aroma wafted over, enticing Sherry’s stomach to growl.
“I made some soup out of the leftover salted fish,” Nina said with a smile to Duncan and then looked at Sherry, “This fish was bought by uncle, try it, it tastes really good!”
Sherry sat down at the table somewhat dazedly, her gaze sweeping over the common dishes, prompting Duncan beside her to chuckle, “What, the food is too ordinary, and that takes you by surprise? Or does it not suit your taste?”
“Ah, no, no, no… it’s much better than what I usually eat…” Sherry replied reflexively and then quickly added, “But I really didn’t expect it to be so ordinary.”
“This fish looks kind of strange,” A-dog also peered over at the food on the table and muttered in a muffled voice, “I feel like… I sense something familiar?”
“What do you know about gourmet food?” Sherry glanced at it and said, “You, who normally nibble on stones as if they were crackers…”
“Mr. A-dog isn’t eating?” Nina asked in surprise upon hearing this.
“Profound Demons don’t eat human food—in fact, they don’t need to eat at all,” Sherry nodded, “Only occasionally when they feel the need to gnaw they’ll crunch on stones and steel plates.”
Upon hearing this, A-dog immediately started shaking its head with a grunt, “You’re making me a little sad saying that, you’ve forgotten how I managed to steal food to feed you outside? Occasionally I also eat a bit of…”
As it spoke, A-dog leaned close to the edge of the table, peering into the bowl of fish soup. However, after staring at the soup for two seconds, the rest of its statement abruptly stopped.
“`
The next second, the Abyssal Hound abruptly withdrew its gaze, zipping back to its original spot, where it lay motionless.
Sherry was puzzled by this reaction, “What’s the matter, Doggie?”
Doggie’s first instinct was to look at Duncan, but what it saw was his mild smile.
“Don’t you like fish?” asked the indescribable vortex of light and shadow with a laugh.
Doggie’s head swiveled from side to side, and suddenly, it felt that the seemingly kind and friendly conversation, the gentle and amiable smiles, and the camaraderie of the cooperative investigation were all just illusions. Within the depths of that indescribable twisted light and shadow, there was nothing but terror!
A “Deep Sea Offspring,” a being of a higher rank than itself, had been chopped up and stewed into a soup, even its very essence had truly become “food”… This horrifying act was unfolding right there, at the dining table!
“I… don’t like to eat fish.”
The Abyssal Hound muttered gruffly.
In the corner of its eye, that freshly prepared fish soup still steamed, emitting a scent that humans would find delightful.
It knew that the contents of that bowl were indeed “fish,” no matter what it had once been; it was now fish.
The essence of the offspring had been twisted and altered long ago; if not for the pair of eyes the Saint of the Abyss had blessed it with, even it wouldn’t be possible to recognize what those chopped-up pieces of meat used to be.
Nowadays, it was indeed harmless food, even if Sherry consumed it, there would be no problems.
But Doggie was adamant that it wouldn’t go anywhere near that dining table today!
Duncan was unaware of why Doggie had such a strong reaction to the fish soup, but he presumed it had something to do with the peculiar diet of the Profound Demons; he didn’t give it much thought.
His attention was on Nina.
There seemed to be nothing out of the ordinary with Nina, though she may carry a few additional concerns, this sensible child had chosen a way to handle her feelings that wouldn’t make anyone uncomfortable.
On the other hand, Duncan already knew that Nina had something “hidden” around her.
Or to put it another way, the immense and invisible “curtain” that lay within the factory was also invisibly spreading, enveloping her.
He dared not jump to conclusions yet, nor could he be certain of what the ash swirling around Nina truly meant, but there was no doubt, she must have been in an exceptionally unique position during that devastating fire eleven years ago.
Just as unique as that factory was.
Yet Nina knew nothing; she had been living in ignorance for eleven years.
“Uncle?” Nina finally noticed Duncan’s gaze and looked puzzled, “What’s wrong?”
Duncan didn’t reply but merely reached out, gently stroking the top of Nina’s head.
Nina froze for a moment, then began shaking her head from side to side, “I’m not a little kid anymore!”
“I know, you’re not a little kid,” Duncan smiled as he said this, tiny specks of a ghostly green light flashed and disappeared within her shaking hair, “but you’re still a child.”
Nina puffed out her cheeks slightly.
“Uncle, are you going to keep going on ‘investigations’ with Sherry?” she finally couldn’t help asking.
“Within safe bounds,” Duncan answered very seriously.
“…Can’t you not go?”
Duncan shook his head: “No.”
Nina fell silent for a moment before asking, “Then what can I do?”
“Eat well,” Duncan revealed a slight smile, pointing at the dining table, “then sleep well, study well, and most importantly, take good care of yourself, and trust your Uncle Duncan.”
Nina stuffed a piece of bread into her mouth, her cheeks bulging.
“Mhm, I got it.”
“`