Bab 15: Chapter 15 Touching the Flame
Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
After taking the helm himself, Duncan gained true control of the Homeloss and could sense any movement on board—but even so, out of caution, he still ordered Goathead to keep an eye on the "cursed doll" at all times.
He knew he was no expert in the field of mysticism and had little knowledge about the supernatural forces of this world, and a doll that could walk and talk was certainly beyond his understanding. Alice's behavior might be harmless, but if that Miss Doll had some kind of... "influence" invisible to the naked eye, he was very likely to overlook it.
In this regard, Goathead was more professional than him.
Moreover, even setting that aside, Duncan knew he could not keep an eye on the Homeloss all the time—even though he had now decided to survive in "this side" of the world, there might still come a time when he had to return to the world "on the other side" of the door. And when that time came, he might not be able to sense what was happening on board the Homeloss.
At the thought of the latter, Duncan's eyes suddenly showed a slight change. He glanced at Goathead by the edge of the navigation desk without any noticeable reaction. The Obsidian eyes of the latter met his gaze with a hollow stare.
When he returned "to the other side of the door," when he went back to his own bachelor apartment... Did Goathead notice anything? What was the situation on the Homeloss when he departed?
This sudden question made Duncan somewhat irritable, but under Goathead's hollow gaze, he showed nothing and instead diverted a fraction of his attention to check on Alice's situation.
Of course, he had no interest in voyeurism—even if the other party was a "non-human existence." Therefore, he merely sensed the situation below deck in a general sense. If only through the connection with the Homeloss, he could at least confirm Alice's current location and whether she was attempting to damage anything.
After all, beneath that harmless and graceful exterior of the Miss Doll lay the nature of a cursed doll, a dangerous individual known as "Anomaly 099" by the common people of this world.
She was still in her room, possibly genuinely examining the room's furnishings and arranging a place to rest.
Duncan breathed a little easier. Meanwhile, Goathead suddenly spoke up, "Captain, what are your next arrangements? If you're feeling bored, your loyal..."
"Shut up," Duncan glanced at Goathead, then placed both hands on the edge of the navigation desk. As his thoughts shifted, the sensation of holding onto the wheel returned, and the green flames once again flowed like water.
In the burning flames, Duncan's body once again transformed into a Spiritual Body. The flowing fire spilled out along the navigation desk, spreading outside the captain's quarters, up to the upper deck, crawling up the masts and the rigging, causing the half-transparent sails of spiritual substance to billow with the wind.
With the main sails, staysails, and jibs deftly adjusting to the sea breeze, the huge three-masted ship began to accelerate slowly across the vast ocean. Duncan's gaze fell on the navigation map before him, and as expected, he saw that the grey-white mist on the map also changed instantaneously—the silhouette representing the Homeloss was moving forward, and the surrounding mist dissipated with it.
After a short contemplation, he began to try focusing his attention on the chart. A greenish fire enveloped the navigation desk, conveying the captain's will like an extension of Duncan's limbs. In this subtle "connection," Duncan faintly realized the secrets of this obviously Transcendent nautical chart.
With a thought, the silhouette representing the Homeloss on the chart instantly enlarged a bit before shrinking back to its original size.
Duncan was "zooming in" on the map, and this whimsical act proved successful. Although currently, no matter how much he zoomed, all he could see at the edge was a mist. But Duncan was now certain that the chart was capable of recording and presenting every inch of ocean explored by the Homeloss, and it displayed the details around the Homeloss precisely and in real-time!
Under Goathead's hollow stare, Duncan's face remained expressionless, as if a true captain was seriously observing the chart with a stern expression. However, a faint excitement emerged within him.
His eyes swept over the flames ascending from his body, while his consciousness sensed the state of the Homeloss and the changes happening on the chart.
This eerie green flame indeed was the key to controlling the Homeloss, and it was also the key to controlling many odd items onboard the ship!
Perhaps... this was the "captain's" authority?
Duncan pondered the power of the flame. He understood that if he wanted to truly control this ship and use it as a base to survive well in this strange world, he would have to figure out his abilities.
First was to fully master this flame.
As for the "next arrangements" Goathead mentioned earlier...
Duncan looked at the chart before him, which was slowly changing, at the white mist that was slowly dissipating around the silhouette of the Homeloss, his own plan was quite simple.
If he didn't know enough about this world, if the map was shrouded in mist, then opening up the map was definitely correct.
After all, setting sail is all about seeking adventure on the open sea.
Anyway, Captain Duncan's image in the hearts of the locals of this world has always been that of a world boss who roams the wilderness. Even if he and Homeloss simply stayed at sea, it wouldn't improve their reputation.
As for whether aimlessly sailing the ocean would pose any risks, Duncan thought this—if the ship had been drifting around before his personal "steering," and since Homeloss had never anchored, where would "additional risks" come from?
Compared to the previous blind drifting, navigating under "full sail" could at least disperse the fog on the nautical charts, thus putting an end to the wholly passive, fog-enshrouded state.
Duncan stood up from behind the navigation desk, the green flames on his body gradually dissipating. However, in his perception, the translucent spiritual sails on the mast of Homeloss had not disappeared. A portion of the green flames that clung to the mast and ropes continued to burn, carrying out the will of the captain.
Combining this with the observations made during his time at the helm, a realization gradually dawned on Duncan.
Although it was after he "took the helm" that the spiritual sails had risen amid blazing flames, both the massive sails and the many automatic operations on the ship did not rely on the strength of the "captain" himself—the Ghost Ship had its own source of power.
Even though he didn't yet know what the "energy" that set the ship in motion was, it was clear that all he had to do as the captain was to "issue commands."
Then the ship would loyally execute the captain's orders.
Duncan left the navigation desk and turned to look at the small door at the far end of the captain's cabin.
Behind that door lay his private chamber as captain, which he had used as a rest base during the initial days of exploring the ship.
Now, he needed a quiet environment to properly research what else he could accomplish as captain of Homeloss.
But before that, someone needed to watch over the ship, which was now under full sail.
He looked at the wooden goat head at the edge of the navigation desk and said in a matter-of-fact tone, "You take the helm."
"Ah?" The goat head paused, sounding a bit surprised, "But Captain, you…"
"I'm busy with something. Do not disturb me during this time." Duncan, seemingly indifferent to what the goat head was about to say, gave his orders as a matter of course. Meanwhile, through his other senses, with the green flames spreading along the ship's exterior deck, he could clearly perceive the various... connections hidden deep within the ship.
The masts, the ropes, the sails, the rudder, the cannons...
All were invisibly linked, a network akin to nerves or blood vessels threading through the ship, and all these "connections" ultimately converged in the captain's quarters.
The goat head was implicitly linked to all of this.
Perhaps this mysterious and eerie goat head was "Homeloss" itself? Or was it some sort of "control mechanism" for taking over the entire ship in emergencies?
Since Duncan was not the ship's builder, naturally he did not know the principles behind its operation, but he thought that if he were the real Captain Duncan, he would surely know what the goat head could do.
On the other hand, the goat head, which always claimed to be the "First Mate," should naturally be capable of steering in place of the captain when needed.
Duncan needed to take a slight risk, to make arrangements he had never made before, but which as the true captain he must know and would inevitably have to arrange.
After all, even captains need to rest sometimes.
A second later, the goat head issued a cheerful and nagging sound: "Ah, very well Captain, go ahead with your business. Your loyal..."
Duncan ignored it, simply waved his hand dismissively, turned, and walked into the bedroom at the far end of the captain's cabin, casually closing the door behind him.
Hadiah
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