This issue that has been ignored by everyone has finally been put on the table.
There is no airtight wall in the world, and Frost is not a city-state closed to the outside world. The abnormal changes of the White Oak itself - especially its reflection in the sea, of course cannot be hidden from the eyes of other captains and ports.
Even without the most special identity of "member of the lost fleet", it is now a "ghost ship" possessed by extraordinary powers and in a strange state.
The city-states have always adopted the strictest safety standards to treat ships and people entering the boundless sea. A ship that is temporarily lost on the sea will undergo extremely strict quarantine inspections when it returns to port, and even the slightest abnormality will cause it to be quarantined.
Being refused entry to the port, let alone a ship that had been transformed into an "extraordinary object".
I am afraid that except for Purander and Frost, no other city-state dares to accept the current White Oak.
What's more, the owner of the Lost Home may not necessarily allow his "servants" to leave the fleet and continue to move freely in the civilized world. On this basis, what will the future of the White Oak and its crew look like?
Living with anomalies, living in visions, staying away from the civilized world, wandering in fog, storms, strange lands and the depths of strange seas, passing through the sea like ghosts during the day, and sinking into the cracks of subspace at night - anyway, it is related in the book
This is what the records of Lost Hometown say.
Lawrence looked worried. After wandering on the boundless sea for most of his life, he seemed not ready for this change.
After all, he is not "Captain Duncan" who has long been away from the civilized world, nor is he a big pirate like Tirian who has a fleet that can separate the sea areas. He also has a ship of sailors, and they all have their own families, friends, and...
A family needs to be taken care of.
Leaving the legal channel on the boundless sea, he didn't know how to support his crew of sailors, let alone how to face their relatives and friends - after all, the lost fleet seemed to have neither "salary" nor any such thing.
Perfect employee care system...
Duncan broke the silence after a brief thought: "To be fair, even without the connection of the Lost Fleet and the reflection of the changes brought by the Black Oak, your future business will not be much better..."
Lawrence didn't react for a moment: "Ah? Why do you say that?"
Duncan spread his hands: "Think about the previous anomaly 099, and then think about the current anomaly 077..."
Lawrence's expression suddenly became stiff. He held it in for a long time before he said with a strange expression: "Occasional cargo losses are inevitable. The White Oak has purchased high-level insurance, which is enough to compensate the employer's losses and subsequent liquidated damages..."
"Can current marine insurance even cover this?" Duncan raised his eyebrows, "Then you don't have to worry about these two shipping losses..."
When he said this, he paused, and seemed to suddenly think of something: "Wait a minute, how much will you pay if you encounter the Lost Home? How much will you pay if it is transformed into a Lost Home Fleet?"
"This is not compensable, it is a 'force majeure'. In fact, the previous Anomaly 099 out-of-control incident was also covered by the denial of insurance, because the loss of the doll's coffin was related to the Lost Home, and then I looked for it..." Lawrence said, with a slightly expression on his face.
He was sluggish, probably because he didn't expect Captain Duncan to suddenly ask such a question, but then he reacted, "Why...why do you ask that?"
As soon as Duncan heard the other party's reply of "No compensation," his face showed disappointment, and then he waved his hand: "It's okay, I'll just ask."
Lawrence thought for a while, and seventy or eighty classic cases of insurance fraud came to mind, but he did not dare to speak.
Duncan was silent for a few seconds, and then changed the topic: "In addition, you may not need to worry too much about the future of the White Oak - even if you become a member of the Lost Home Fleet, you may not necessarily stray away from the legal waterway from now on.
and legal ports.”
Lawrence was really surprised this time. He looked at Duncan in astonishment, as if he didn't understand the intention of this "subspace shadow" for a moment.
Duncan looked at him with a half-smile: "Do you think the Lost Home will stay away from the civilized world forever?"
"what do you mean……"
Duncan smiled: "I have recovered my humanity. You should have heard rumors about this. Now that I am human, I will of course be interested in the civilized world again. During this time, I have been actively interacting with the civilized world.
The city-states came into contact, first with Purand, and then with Frost, and in the process they also came into contact with the Church of the Deep Sea and the Church of Death. To be fair, I think the results were quite fruitful."
Lawrence subconsciously recalled all the events surrounding the Homeless Ship's "return trip" during this period, and his expression gradually became subtle.
Duncan noticed the change in the other party's expression, the corners of his eyes trembled slightly, and then tried hard to control his expression and tone: "Of course, I admit that the noise during these contacts may be a bit loud."
Lawrence: "..."
"This is not important," Duncan waved his hand, "What is important is that the Lost Fleet will return to civilization. You and your crew may be the bridge that allows the Lost Fleet to further establish a communication bridge with civilized city-states.
"
Lawrence understood Duncan's intention, and surprise appeared in his eyes - this unfolding method seemed different from what was said in the book?
But soon, he woke up from this brief surprise, and more practical questions came to his mind: "I understand what you mean, you want to 'normalize' the relationship with the city-states, so the first step is to let us
'Fleet members' have returned to normal shipping lanes, but... you have also seen the White Oak today. Most city-states may not accept a ship infected by extraordinary power..."
"But as far as I know, there are still some 'mutated' ships that are special cases, and city-states and legal waterways allow them to dock and pass."
Lawrence: "...Huh?"
"The Sea Mist and the Brilliant Star are almost second only to the Lost Home in terms of extraordinary transformation. The former has now become the flagship of the Frost Navy again, and the latter is an honorary member of the Explorers Association.
, enjoy unlimited rights of passage in the border waterways," Duncan spread his hands, "I have also heard of some legendary expedition ships with surnames. They were eroded and transformed by extraordinary powers, and they have more or less weird and terrifying characteristics.
But their captains hold certain special documents and rely on the endorsement of major powers, so they can still travel on the boundless sea."
Speaking of this, Duncan paused and continued with a serious face: "And strictly speaking, every 'Church Ark' of the Four Gods Church is a ship that has been eroded and transformed by extraordinary power. Otherwise, it can still sail at will."
Really? Facts have proved that on the line of 'supernormal alienation', the standards of the church and the city-state are very flexible."
Lawrence was stunned by Duncan's words, and almost got entangled in them. Fortunately, when he finally heard about the Church of the Four Gods, he suddenly came to his senses, and the expression on his face became complicated: "This... Church Ark
It certainly cannot be generalized, the gods protect them, they are different...but other situations are indeed as you said, there are special cases."
When the old captain said this, he licked his dry lips and tried to organize his words: "But the reason why special cases are special cases is because they are difficult to achieve - your children have spent half a century to make the world gradually
Accept them, and even so, there are still many city-states that are cautious or even hostile towards the Sea Mist and the Brilliant Star. As for the other legendary exploration ships you mentioned...
"Well, of course I know about them, such as the 'Tulip' that wandered in the spiritual world for twelve years, and the 'Dust Song' that once passed through the sea of anomalies and all the crew survived... They did return to civilization in the end.
world, but the process of their acceptance is not much easier than that of your children.
"Extremely strict inspections, lengthy surveillance, and church approval. The Four Gods Church must use the highest safety standards to confirm whether a ship that has experienced 'extraordinary alienation' is safe. The rigor and difficulty of this process are unimaginable.
——Even if they pass a series of assessments, those legendary expedition ships will always be under the supervision of the church and will be rechecked every once in a while. The passes in the hands of those legendary captains... are not so easy to obtain.
"
Lawrence couldn't help but let out a long sigh at the end, but Duncan looked thoughtful when he was halfway through the sentence. When the other party finished speaking, he asked curiously: "In other words,
Is it enough to have a church as a guarantee? What are the requirements for this pass?”
"In short, the 'protector god' behind the force to which the ship belongs needs to be recognized. The White Oak belongs to the Explorers Association, and the Explorers Association is protected by the Church of the Deep. The Storm Goddess Gmorna is the protector of sea explorers -
- If the White Oak wants to return to the waterway legally, there must be at least one deep-sea saint willing to swear an oath in front of the goddess to guarantee this, and after receiving the oracle, he must personally conduct an inspection of the ship in question, and finally a city-state
The Inquisitor issues the pass."
Speaking of this, Lawrence sighed again: "Strictly speaking, the 'gatekeeper' Ms. Agatha actually meets the identity standards. She is both a saint and the 'gatekeeper' of the city-state, and because of a series of
incident, she became your messenger, but unfortunately...she is not from the Deep Sea Church..."
Duncan looked at him: "I also have saints from the Deep Sea Church."
Lawrence: "...Huh?"
"Saints of the Deep Sea Church, right?" Duncan looked at the frowning Lawrence seriously, "The saints are responsible for inspections, and the inquisitors issue passes - can the saints and the inquisitors here be the same person?"
Lawrence suddenly felt that his head was stuck, and he just answered subconsciously: "It seems... there is no restriction in this regard..."
"Oh, then go and do your own business first. I'll go ask you about the pass."
Lawrence blinked and didn't respond.
And when he was about to ask something, Duncan's figure had already disappeared from the deck along with a flame rising into the sky.