Chương 27: Chapter 27 Insufficient Storage of Common Sense Knowledge

Biên tập viên: Nyoi-Bo Studio

In a certain sense, the starless, moonless sky with only a scar had impacted Duncan even more than the "sun" that was confined by the Rune Circle.

Because no matter how unusual the sun was, it still only shined upon the earth beneath Duncan's feet, and in Duncan's mind as an Earthling, the so-called "sun" was merely one among billions of celestial bodies.

All the distorted phenomena were confined to the realm lit by the sun, and beyond the realm of sunlight lay a sky that could contain infinite possibilities—a sky filled with stars. Although, for a creature bound by gravity, this realm illuminated by the sun equated to the entire world, at least Duncan could comprehend and accept the scale of these phenomena.

But at that moment, in the night sky, Duncan saw no celestial bodies that could be called "stars"—no stars, no moon, no distant star rivers.

There was only a tearing scar, covered with a pattern of light and shadow that Duncan could not comprehend, endlessly diffusing pale mistlike light over the dome of the sky.

The entire Endless Sea was enshrouded in this pale, snow-like night.

Beyond even the sun was the distant void, and even larger anomalies.

Duncan didn't say anything, he just stared intently at the sky, while countless questions and conjectures circled in his mind.

Where were the other planets? Had they never existed to begin with? Or was it that the celestial body beneath his feet lay in a vacuum zone of the universe, so far from other stars that its night sky was pitch-black without stars? What was that pale scar spanning the dome of the sky? A rift torn in space? A touchable celestial structure? Or merely an illusion floating in the perilous expanse of the Endless Sea?

"Captain?"

Finally, a voice roused Duncan from his silence. The android Alice looked anxiously at the Ghost Ship captain, who had suddenly stopped walking. Seeing his expression darken and become more solemn than before, she was frightened, "Are you alright? Could it be that the heavenly bodies are changing? Is there a big storm coming? I once heard sailors outside the box mention this…"

"… Nothing."

Duncan whispered softly, then suddenly withdrew his gaze from the sky and looked placidly at Alice as if replying, yet seeming to repeat to himself, "Nothing at all."

"So we…"

Duncan took steps forward, his expression calm as if nothing had happened, "Let's go, I'll take you to the cabin—you can also wash up there if you need to."

Once again, this world presented its bizarre and strange nature to the foreigner, and it appeared that the strangeness was far from over.

Duncan had realized that there might be countless more astonishing anomalies waiting for him in the future, and if he was surprised or scared every time, he feared his life would consist solely of surprises and scares.

If his decades of life experience on Earth had taught him anything useful, it was this:

If a problem truly exists, then find a way to solve it. Denying it doesn't make the problem disappear, just as questioning this bizarre sky wouldn't transform it into one studded with stars.

There must be reasons behind this world presenting such a posture; if anything can exist here, then it is an undeniable fact. No matter how absurd or queer phenomena might be, they are objectively real—his inability to understand them at the moment was his problem, not the world's.

As the current captain of the Homeloss, Duncan felt he might have a long time to slowly understand this world.

Alice didn't know what accounted for the captain's silence along the way; she only sensed the suddenly oppressive atmosphere around Duncan, which surprisingly faded after they reached the targeted cabin.

Duncan led the doll lady to the bathing area, designated for upper-level sailors—a kind of "luxurious" facility for a classic sailing ship like this which, under normal circumstances, would not be intended for ordinary sailors.

In the ancient eras, living conditions aboard long-voyage sail ships were actually quite harsh: limited fresh water, spoiled food, poor medical care, and chronic psychological issues plagued every explorer who dared the seas. On Earth, many of these problems hadn't been solved even by the early industrial era.

Duncan knew that early deep-sea sailing ships on Earth often lacked proper toilets for the common crew; personal matters were usually handled on the boards facing the sea (mindful of the wind direction), and bathing was a challenging affair—using spare sails as makeshift tubs and washing with seawater was a crude solution for many undemanding sailors, while many others in the age of sails chose simply not to bathe for weeks or even months.

After all, compared to scurvy, the plague, and the immense mental strains leading to mass hysteria, minor hygiene issues seemed the least important.

But it was almost ironic that on a Ghost Ship everyone feared, those terrible survival problems were actually resolved.

The freshwater tank on Homeloss would replenish itself, the food stored in the warehouse showed no signs of decay, the ghost captain never fell ill, and Alice's cervical spine problem wasn't even caused by sailing.

Apart from frequently feeling her blood pressure rise when dealing with the goat-headed figure, the ship was actually quite habitable...

"The pipe next to the bathtub leads to the freshwater tank, just fetch the water directly, and the bathtub plug is hung over there—don't lose it," Duncan was introducing the facilities in the cabin to Alice. These mundane experiences were all discoveries he had made over the past several days.

"Being able to rinse off the saltwater is enough," Alice wasn't picky at all, she looked around the cabin with curiosity and excitement, nodding as she listened to Duncan's introduction, "I'm just a doll, I don't chase after hot baths."

Duncan nodded, but his expression turned a bit strange immediately after. He glanced at Alice, his voice slightly hesitant, "Speaking of which, do you know how to bathe? Do you have that kind of... 'life experience'?"

Alice was truly stunned for a moment, then, thinking seriously, she said, "It should... work? Just take the joints apart, rinse them, and put them back together..."

Duncan: "…?"

He looked at Alice, and Alice looked back at him innocently.

"Have you considered how you'll manage to put them back together by yourself after taking them apart?" Duncan knew his casual query was indeed a necessary reminder, as this doll that had never left its box truly lacked such experience, "I can't help you with that."

Alice: "... That makes sense, actually."

"Moreover, I highly advise against frequently disassembling your joints," Duncan added earnestly, "even if your body structure allows it."

Alice was a bit puzzled: "Why?"

"They'll become loose if taken apart too often," Duncan finally sighed, having never imagined staying on a ship with a cursed doll would involve so many "detail problems." The novels, movies, and TV shows never mentioned this, "I don't want to witness you scattering into pieces on the deck one day; nobody on board knows how to maintain a doll's joints."

He paused, then added, "Your neck issue is already severe enough."

Alice imagined the scene and immediately shrank back, "Ah, okay, okay, I got it... I think I know what to do..."

"That's for the best," Duncan said, though he glanced at the inexperienced doll worriedly before preparing to leave, "I have a lot of other things to take care of—don't cause too much trouble."

"Okay, Captain. Thank you, Captain," Alice cheerfully replied. But just as Duncan was about to step out of the cabin, she suddenly spoke again, "Ah, right, Captain…"

Duncan stopped, slightly tilting his head, "What else?"

"Captain... I suddenly feel like you aren't that scary," Alice watched Duncan's back and chose her words carefully, "The goat-headed figure said you are the most terrifying captain on the Endless Sea, the most unpredictable disaster on all routes, but..."

"But what?"

"But I think you seem quite approachable and a bit like a caring parent..."

Duncan didn't turn around but after a brief silence suddenly asked, "Where did you get the concept of family... do you have a family?"

Alice hesitated for a moment, slowly shaking her head, "I don't think so."

"Then let's not discuss the topic of parents anymore. Just stay put on the ship, and I will arrange your life here."

"Oh, okay, Captain."

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