Deep Sea Embers

Alice doesn’t know much about this world, but at the very least, she had enough awareness through the whispering conversations from those who guarded her that “supernatural things” are to be vigilant of.

If an event was clearly irrational yet existed realistically, then the first rule of safety was to analyze the situation while maintaining a safe distance.

Since the goat head said there are only six crew rules, so be it. As for the seventh, nothing was stopping her from remembering it as well.

But she still had some doubts: “Just now, I tried pushing the door of the captain’s room. Why does it only open outwards and needs emphasizing in the rules?”

The goat head stared silently into Alice’s eyes, and after two full seconds, he spoke so sternly and concisely that it was shocking: “Sometimes, it can open inward.”

“That…”

“If you see the door open inward, don’t go in, for on the entire Vanished, only the captain is qualified to do so.”

Alice was startled by the other’s extraordinarily solemn attitude. However, the goat head’s tone briskly changed yet again in the next: “Alright, the necessary introduction for the new crew member has ended. Now let’s talk about something else… Oh yes, Lady, what’s your purpose in coming to the captain’s room? If you are unfamiliar with the facilities on the ship, then there is no need to bother the great Captain Duncan. But you came to the right place if you want someone to talk to. I am very good at finding topics and know countless great stories about this ship… Are you not interested in its great deeds? I can also introduce you to the most famous dishes on the Boundless Sea, and I know a little about cooking too…”

Alice tried several times to interrupt the goat head during his long spiel, and it was already too late when she realized something was wrong.

Anomaly 099, the puppet Miss Alice, faces the second greatest horror on the Vanished today besides Captain Duncan.

At the same time, in the bedroom, which was separated from them by only one wall, Duncan quietly listened to the movement coming from the mapping room.

He had just woken up when the conversation first began so he didn’t interrupt the pair. Thankfully so, otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to hear about the “crew codes” and the door to his bedroom opening outwards.

So…. The ship’s “real Captain Duncan” would have also pushed open the door to the captain’s cabin and headed for some mysterious “world”? And this happened more than once that the goat head presumed this as a matter of course?

The news was good for Duncan, which meant he didn’t have to worry about returning to the other side later. This way, it won’t look odd when more crew members arrive.

But on the other hand, Duncan also had an inevitable worry in mind—it had to do with the “6+1″ crew code that the goat head deliberately mentioned.

What exactly do these crew codes mean? From the surface, it sounded grotesque, dangerous, and even contradictory. However, the truth couldn’t be further from that. It’s clearly meant to restrict the crew’s behavior while on board so that they could survive in some dangerous environment.

Duncan frowned at the idea, trying to judge his own place among these codes. He’s undoubtedly the adjudicator of some of these risks and seemingly with the greatest freedom on the vessel…. But that’s under the premise he’s the real Captain Duncan.”

This was the most worrying part.

But he suddenly remembered his own exploration on the Vanished, and the fact that he was walking around the cabin at will. The goat head never reminded himself of the crew code and saw himself as the real Captain Duncan.

Based on this fact, the dangers mentioned by the goat head may not necessarily be true for himself.

Duncan exhaled softly and continued to listen in on the conversation, only to regret he couldn’t turn off his ears half a minute later.

Round one of the battles between the silly doll versus the annoying goat head commences; who’s going to overwhelm the other one? First, it was the doll’s nonsensical blabbing of the wind and waves from Alice; then, it’s the annoying yapping of the goat head in return. No matter how much Duncan wanted information, such an attack on his conscious wouldn’t be good.

However, right as he’s about to head out of his bedroom to stop the two, he stops. Duncan had just finished a miraculous soul journey, and there was plenty of intelligence he needed to sort and sum up. Why should he interfere when both parties were clearly enjoying each other’s company? This gives him an excuse to stay in his bedroom while not paying attention.

Silently saying sorry to Miss Doll, Duncan shifted his attention down to his right hand where he froze up.

The brass compass, which was slightly larger than a pocket watch, had disappeared at some point without him realizing it!

Duncan’s eyes were momentarily troubled, for this was the first time he eased up his awareness since arriving on this strange eerie ghost ship – a mistake that could’ve been lethal.

The next second, he flicked his finger to pop a puff of green flame out. He wanted to use his connection with the ship to scan for any abnormal entities hiding in his bedroom, but in the instant of getting up, a subtle connection suddenly emerged from the bottom of his heart. Out of reflex, he looked up and saw several illusory feathers falling down from the air.

Amazed by this finding, Duncan stared even harder and saw what it was – a phantom figure rapidly emerging from the void. It was about three or so seconds later, but the black phantom had become a snowy-white thing…

Specifically, a dove that had the missing compass hanging from its neck. There’s also a new obsidian knife lying quietly next to the bird’s feet.