Chapter 62: Chapter 66 A Beautiful Morning on Homeloss
“Alice! Get your head together!”
The wonderful morning on the Homeloss started with the captain roaring energetically on the deck.
Duncan stood outside the captain’s cabin, pointed at a doll’s head hanging from a nearby beam, and, after twitching the corner of his eye for quite some time, finally spotted a doll’s body dressed in a deep purple gothic gown frantically standing up and taking down the hanging head.
With a crisp “pop” in the air, the doll lady put her head back on and then trotted over, giggling, “Hehe…”
“Hehe what hehe? What are you doing hanging your head by my door so early in the morning?” Duncan glared at the cursed doll, who made mischief every now and then; honestly, who wouldn’t be startled by a head swinging in the wind at the door when you open it first thing in the morning? It’s also lucky that he had spent a long time on this ship and had tougher nerves than before. Otherwise, he might have been scared breathless, “Don’t tell me you were on lookout—there are pigeons for that!”
“I washed my hair this morning…” Alice said cautiously, shrinking her neck, “My hair never dries, so I thought hanging it higher might catch some wind…”
Duncan: “…”
Alice cautiously glanced at Duncan, “Captain… are you angry?”
“You… make sense.” Duncan struggled for a while and could only squeeze out these words from his bronchi, trying to control the twitching of his facial muscles while having to admit, at least from Alice’s “anomaly 099” lifestyle perspective, hanging her head up higher to catch some wind made perfect sense—on this ship, the winch even took a nap out of habit, and the bucket for swabbing decks rolled to the stern to bask in the sun every afternoon. Living on this ship indeed required an open mind.
From this perspective, Alice, a doll adapted to life on the ship, had really become one with the Homeloss…
“As long as you’re not angry, Captain!” Alice immediately brightened up with a grin. She seemed to have adapted to, or perhaps even understood, the captain’s temperament. She still respected the formidable ghost captain, but no longer had the pure fear she initially harbored. She seemed much more open now, even daring to haggle with the captain, “Then can I still hang my head…”
“Not at all—anywhere but by the door of the captain’s cabin works. Find your own spot,” Duncan glanced at the doll, “I don’t want to see a crew member’s head hanging or a headless body floundering in front of the door every time I open it.”
Alice could only humbly bow her head, “Oh, okay.”
Duncan still looked at her, thoughtful.
“Captain?” Alice felt a bit uneasy under his gaze, “Why are you staring at me…”
“I just suddenly thought of something,” Duncan pondered and then said, “You lose hair, right? Do you also lose it when you wash it? Then… does it grow back?”
Alice was stunned for a moment, her expression like that of the pigeon Ai Yi when suddenly stuck.
After a long while, her eyes suddenly widened, looking at Duncan in astonishment, “I… I… I never thought about that! Captain, you…”
Her latter words almost sounded like a sob, and she dared not finish her question, which was essentially asking “Are you a devil, Captain?” She feared saying such a thing might invite a scolding from Mister Goat-Head, on the grounds of underestimating the captain’s authority while excessively glamorizing the image of the foremost marine disaster…
Duncan was unconcerned about what Alice had hesitated to say; his mind had already drifted: “You see, although you can walk, jump, and talk, your body is still like a real doll’s, not needing food or water, and limbs can be forcibly popped back on. So, can I assume that your hair is a non-renewable resource, that if washed too much, you’d go bald… or even brushing it too much could cause the same?”
Alice was nearly in tears: “Captain, why would you think of such scary things…”
Duncan: “Actually, I’ve wanted to ask ever since you cooked that fish head soup.”
Alice, despite her sadness, paused at that remark, “But all I cooked was fish soup…”
Duncan declared confidently, “Nonsense, if it’s got fish, a head, and broth, why shouldn’t it be fish head soup?”
Alice, “…Captain, you make sense.”
A beautiful morning aboard the Homeloss began with everyone agreeing on what was reasonable.
Miss Doll seemed distracted as she left; she appeared to suddenly have a significant life decision to ponder. Duncan’s mood brightened. He breathed the sea breeze and then had a simple breakfast—consisting of fish slices Alice made yesterday, chopped cheese, and strong liquor from Plunder City-State. It might not have been delicious, but it was currently the best meal available on the Homeloss.
Inside the chart room of the captain’s cabin, Goat Head curiously looked at the cheerful Duncan, “Captain, what happened to Miss Alice? I noticed she was distracted when she returned to her cabin. She even bumped into the door twice… She seemed deeply troubled?”
“She’s facing a significant challenge in her life. I think for a long while you won’t have to worry about her fighting with the weird things on board,” Duncan swirled his wine glass with a mischievous smile, “But I’m really curious about something…”
“Ah? What are you curious about?”
“Do cursed dolls really become bald if all their hair falls out?” Duncan seriously discussed with Goat Head, “Such supernatural beings, shouldn’t they have some transcendent power to ensure… well, a certain state? Unfortunately, I didn’t get to discuss this with Alice before she ran off.”
Goat Head, “…”
Duncan curiously glanced at his usually noisy companion, “Why aren’t you speaking?”
Goat Head struggled for a bit, finally squeezing out, “You truly are the most terrible calamity of the Endless Sea… I couldn’t dare ask such a question.”
Duncan shrugged his shoulders and stood up from behind the navigation desk.
“I need to take another leave,” he told Goat Head, snapping his fingers. A burst of green flame erupted, and the spectral bird-shaped Ai Yi descended from the flames, landing on his shoulder, “As usual, you will take the helm.”
“Understood, captain. Your loyal subordinate will not disappoint you!” Goat Head immediately replied with rising intonation and curiously added, “Captain, you seem… quite interested in traveling to the Spirit Realm lately? Is there something on land that caught your interest?”
Duncan didn’t immediately respond but pondered for a moment before speaking, “I have recently discovered that, after a century of development, this world has become a bit more interesting.”
This was his calculated response: the statement didn’t reveal any specific details and didn’t expose his lack of knowledge, while reasonably setting the stage for him to show more frequent interest in the terrestrial world, which could also serve as a “justifiable motivation” for the Homeloss to return to civilized society if needed.
And this answer should not overly contradict “Captain Duncan’s” image.
The greatest calamity of the Endless Sea could also be a fun-loving person—because a fun-loving person accommodates everything.
Goat Head showed no unusual reaction, as if whatever decision Captain Duncan made was to be expected, “Oh, you are right. After so many years, those weak City-States must have developed something interesting enough to pique your interest and alleviate your boredom… In that case, should Homeloss make preparations? Are you planning to invade Plunder, Rensa, or perhaps the northern Frost?”
Duncan had been nodding along with the first part of Goat Head’s words, appreciating his top minion’s effort to flatter and support him. However, hearing the latter part, his blood ran cold—this cooperation turned into fanning the flames, and he had to quickly interrupt, “When did I say I wanted to invade City-States? It would be a pity to destroy such interesting developments.”
“Ah… Yes, you are right. My suggestion was too rash,” Goat Head immediately altered his tone, “I thought you were planning to take the ship for a spin there… Since you have no such intentions, my suggestion should be disregarded. Actually, that’s also good. After all, the big City-States do have some strength; getting too close would be somewhat risky…”
“In the future, do not bring up invading City-States casually,” Duncan looked at Goat Head with a lack of trust, adding another layer of caution, “We’ve been off-track with the world for a hundred years. Now, I want to reacquaint myself with the changes in civilized society, which may involve many long-term adaptations—do not make any superfluous plans until I give a direct order.”
“Your command will be diligently followed, captain.”