Homeloss was huge, surprisingly huge — its scale seemed to surpass necessity in Duncan's eyes, for a vessel powered by sail.
Such magnitude implied larger cargo holds, more cannons, a more robust structure, and a steadier stance before the wind and waves — all of which meant it was well-equipped to face the harshest challenges of long voyages.
But the current Duncan had no plans whatsoever for a distant voyage; this unexpectedly massive Ghost Ship brought him nothing but a sense of solitude. Surely, having an additional "crew member" capable of conversation on board wouldn't be a bad thing.
After all, this large ship had plenty of vacant "guest rooms."
Footsteps broke the silence in the corridor. Duncan, carrying the gothic doll, descended the wooden stairs to the lower deck at the stern of the ship. This area, located directly beneath the captain's quarters, could be considered the "upper-class residential area" of the great ship. It was somewhat bright and tidy compared to the eerier and darker levels below that exuded a hint of strangeness.
Duncan stopped outside a crew cabin and casually pushed open the slightly ajar wooden door.
Inside was a spartan single-person room.
There were several such single cabins on the ship, but they had been vacant for a long time, showing no signs of anyone having used them.
After initially exploring the upper areas of Homeloss, Duncan had noticed these vacant rooms but hadn't given them much thought; now that he had taken personal command of the Ghost Ship and discovered the secret of its ability to sail autonomously, a sense of curiosity naturally arose.
If the ship really didn't need a crew... then what purpose did these crew quarters serve?
The single rooms in the upper deck cabins were obviously designated for officers such as the first mate, second mate, and bosun, while lower levels had dormitory-style cabins prepared for the common sailors. There was also a dining hall and a card room, clearly intended for multiple people. These facilities, unlike the self-operating sails and ropes, were meant for "humans."
But this ship needed no crew.
Duncan frowned slightly, realizing that this Ghost Ship — now sailing alone on the sea — must have had crew members at some point in its history.
At least when it was first built, it had been designed with adequate facilities for a crew to use.
So what exactly had happened to turn the ship into its current state? Where did the original crew go? Was the "real Captain Duncan" the owner of this ship from beginning to end? And what did that enigmatic goat head know?
"Captain?" A puzzled voice suddenly came from behind.
Duncan's thoughts were abruptly interrupted, and he jumped in shock before he realized that it was the doll speaking — he had momentarily forgotten about Alice's presence.
In the past days, Duncan had grown accustomed to being the only living person on board, and the incessant babble of the goat head had become a norm for him. Now with Alice suddenly in the mix, he was a bit unaccustomed to having another presence.
"I'm Duncan, you can call me Captain Duncan — of course, calling me Captain is also your prerogative," Duncan quickly composed himself and turned around to face the doll trailing behind him, "This empty room will be yours from now on. Go in and take a look."
"Ah, okay!" Alice nodded, peeked over Duncan's shoulder into the room, then turned around to grab the wooden crate that hovered behind her always. She hoisted it onto her shoulder with caution and carefully carried it into the room.
Watching Alice's inseparable "coffin," Duncan couldn't help but suppress a twitch of his lips. He looked on as the doll meticulously placed the "coffin" beside the bed and carefully inspected the velvet lining inside before starting to survey the room's furnishings. Eventually, he couldn't help but ask, "Are you planning on keeping that box with you all the time?"
"Yes," Alice said matter-of-factly, "where else would I put it?"
"This box was once your seal; I thought you would care about that," Duncan frowned, "But it seems you can't leave it now."
"It was the people who sealed me, not the fault of the box itself," Alice sat on the box, patting its lid as she spoke, "Would you like to come and sit inside with me?"
Duncan shook his head, "No need, how do you feel about this room?"
"Ah, it's very nice," Alice seemed quite pleased, looking around the room at the simple furnishings, as if she were in a grand palace, "Is that a wardrobe? I don't have any clothes to change into—I probably won't need it... But it's nice to have a wardrobe. Oh, and a table, I could put things on it in the future, but it seems I don't have anything to put on there... Maybe I could put a head on it? It would be more convenient when I comb my hair..."
"As long as you're happy," Duncan thought the sight of a Gothic doll sitting on a coffin planning her life was quite bizarre, especially with some suspicious content in her planning, but a smile slowly appeared on his face as he took a half step back and his expression returned to normal, "You can rest here for a while, get used to the environment.
"Apart from the stairs leading to the lower level, you're free to move around this deck and the main deck. The structure here isn't complicated; you should be able to master the layout of all the rooms quite quickly.
"I'll be in the captain's cabin. If you need anything, you can find me there—if I'm not there, there's a talking goat head on the navigation table; he's my first mate."
Alice had been nodding along, but at the last sentence, her eyes widened, "A goat head?! That dark wooden carving?!"
"It seems you've already noticed it."
"I did notice it... but you say it talks?! And it's your first mate?" Alice looked astonished, "I thought it was just a... That's incredible!"
"...You're a doll that can talk and walk," Duncan said expressionlessly, looking at Alice, "And you find a talking goat head unbelievable?"
Alice paused, looking down at her own hands as if she had just realized something, and muttered, "Ah... I suppose so?"
Duncan shook his head and turned to leave, "That's it, then. Rest here, and come find me if you need anything."
Alice's voice followed from behind him, "Alright, Captain."
After leaving, Duncan didn't go elsewhere but returned straight to his own cabin. He sat down at the large navigation table where the wooden goat head immediately came to life, creaking and turning its head towards him:
"Ah! The captain has returned! It looks like you've settled in that lady—See, just like I said, she's a gentle and harmless woman. She wouldn't hinder your voyage at all and could even keep you company, alleviate your boredom. It looks like you've decided to keep her on board; are you planning to assign her any duties? The Homeloss doesn't really need people; the deck cleans itself, the cannons polish themselves, the bilge maintains itself... Maybe she could manage the kitchen? You seem to have always been unsatisfied with the food on board... Ah, speaking of food, we probably need to stock up on some provisions first, the salted meat and hard cheese in the store might be a bit outdated, although the rough sailors wouldn't pick at sea fare, but the great Captain Duncan surely..."
Duncan felt his brain was about to boil, confirming once again that with this noisy goat head around, he truly needed a "normal conversation partner" like Alice!
"Shut up," he glared fiercely at the goat head. After it had stopped talking, he continued, "You were quite well-behaved when Alice was here; I thought you'd finally learned to keep quiet."
"A captain can't be interrupted when interviewing new crew members, that's the rule at sea, even if I am your loyal first mate, and also the second mate, and the boatswain, and..."
Duncan didn't wait for the goat head to finish (in fact, if he didn't interrupt, the goat head would never finish), "Watch over that doll's movements in the next few days."
"Ah... Ah? Keep an eye on that lady? You're still not at ease with her? Oh right, necessary caution is a captain's..."
"She has many secrets, and she hasn't told them all. Maybe it's because she really doesn't know, or maybe... she's deliberately concealing something for some purpose. Anyway, no matter what, she's ultimately a 'Cursed Doll,' and carries the name 'Abnormality 099,'" Duncan said indifferently, "The people on that previous ship used multiple seals to prevent Alice from leaving that wooden box, but now the sealed doll is moving about on my ship boldly. I need a little time to affirm that Alice truly is a harmless doll... even if only harmless aboard the Homeloss."
(Dammit!)