Keen-Eyed Agatha

After leaving the Border Veil and embarking on this long "journey to the end of the world," the crews of the Lost Homeland and the Brilliant Star had gradually formed a new, tacit connection. Sometimes people from the two ships visited one another; sometimes they exchanged supplies. Most of the time, Ai served as the bridge of communication between them—and these connections, and the "daily life" built upon them, seemed to be quietly becoming anchor points that preserved the "humanity" of everyone aboard.

Having left civilization, crowds, and society behind, travelers needed human connection all the more. When the mist at the end of the world shrouded everything, being able to confirm one another's existence within it became especially important.

Nina, Shirley, and the others who had been gathered in the dining hall scattered almost in the blink of an eye, all taking their forks, bowls, and cheerful moods with them. Shirley, steadfast as ever, had even taken her large food basin. The room quickly fell quiet, leaving only Duncan seated at the table, wearing a helpless smile as he looked at the basin of thick, bubbling "soup" and the pile of charred, food-like objects left behind.

After a while, he shook his head and muttered, "I wonder how Morris handled meals when he was off adventuring in his younger days... Did he just make his digestive system tough it out?"

The moment the words left his mouth, Agatha's figure suddenly appeared reflected in a gleaming soup spoon at the edge of the table. "I've actually heard him talk about that—one-third of the time, he gnawed on rations; one-third of the time, he ate whatever he could find; and the remaining one-third, he transformed himself into a forged form, drank engine oil, and chewed boiling gold, leaving the fleshly parts