In the end, Duncan still never figured out what exactly these "Offspring" were.
Goat Head had been vague on the subject, and it seemed that even it did not know the true nature of these ancient beings that roamed the fringes of the civilized world. As for Duncan, he could only piece together a rough idea from the limited clues—
The Offspring were products of ancient times and harbored hatred toward the modern world. They possessed strange and dangerous powers, lurking in secrecy and obscurity. Apart from the Children of the Sun, the other "Offspring" almost never appeared in the civilized world, instead threatening explorers in the borderlands.
And among all this information, one point was particularly concerning:
The Children of the Sun seemed capable of disguising themselves as humans—only the Church's extraordinary individuals could distinguish disguised Sun Offspring from ordinary people.
Duncan thought of the recent changes in Pland City-State, of those "Sun worshippers" who had suddenly begun making a spectacle of themselves after lying low for years.
Was the cultists' high-profile activity... driven by orders from the "Offspring"? What were those ancient, strange beings plotting in Pland City-State?
Duncan stood at the edge of the Lost Homeland's deck, gazing for a long time at the restless waves below.
There were also Offspring in the deep sea—ancient beings unlike the Sun Offspring. "They" threatened the safety of long-distance fleets traveling between the various city-states.
Duncan was both wary and curious about those things in the depths.
He believed that although he had never dealt with them before, as long as the Lost Homeland continued wandering the sea, he would encounter those strange things sooner or later. It never hurt to make more preparations beforehand.
Whether gathering intelligence, gaining further control over his own power, or uncovering the Lost Homeland's