Alice came to a halt at the door of the captain's cabin.
The puppet lady raised her head, looking at the dark oak door in front of her, and noticed a line of words written in elegant script on the doorframe: The Door of the Dispossessed.
It wasn't strange for such a line to appear on the doorframe of the captain's cabin on the Dispossessed, but Alice subconsciously frowned. What she found curious wasn't the door itself, but why she could recognize the "letters."
She had no memory of learning to read, nor any recollection of acquiring experiences interacting with others or being active outside. However, this knowledge seemed to naturally exist in her mind.
She could understand the letters on the doorframe and the purposes of various furnishings in the room, yet these things couldn't be learned merely by lying in a wooden box and listening to people talk outside. So, where did this knowledge come from?
Before today, Alice had never considered this question, but for some reason, after conversing with "Captain Duncan," the concept of "curiosity" suddenly emerged in the puppet's previously eternally calm mind.
She thought back carefully, and the change seemed to have occurred after Duncan asked about the origin of the name "Alice." At that moment, she began to question some of the things she had taken for granted in her mind, trying to recall the origin of her name, and then something within her mind loosened.
Alice didn't know if this loosening was good or bad, but she didn't like the feeling of confusion. So, she quickly shook her head, cast her doubts aside, and adjusted her mindset at the door of the captain's cabin. Then, she placed her hand on the oak door handle and gently pushed.
The door remained unmoved.
Alice hesitated for a moment, and tried pushing again, but the wooden door felt as unyielding as if it were cast from solid steel.
Immediately as she was about to try again, a voice suddenly came from within the captain's cabin. The voice was hoarse and deep, as if emanating from a rotting piece of wood: "The door opens outward, ma'am."
This wasn't Captain Duncan's voice. Alice was startled, but she quickly reacted, hastily uttering an "Oh!" before pulling the door outward. This time, the door opened with ease.
Only then did she recall that when the captain had brought her here before, he had indeed pulled the door open outward.
It seemed that the "life knowledge" that appeared in her mind out of nowhere was just knowledge after all. Having slept in the wooden box for so many years, she was still sorely lacking in real-life experience. Alice reflected on this for a moment, then carefully peeked into the captain's cabin.
There was no one in the captain's cabin. The conspicuous navigation table stood silently under the lamplight, its surface covered with a thin layer of mist. The dark, carved wooden goat head turned its gaze from the edge of the table, its empty eyes, made of obsidian, staring at her.
"Please come in, ma'am. The captain is busy at the moment, but you can wait for him here," the goat head spoke, more politely than Alice had imagined. "Also, try to avoid peering like that; it might upset some overly sensitive beings aboard the Dispossessed, and calming them down can be troublesome. Moreover, if your head were to fall off again, that would be a problem too. I don't have hands, so I wouldn't be able to help you pick it up..."
It really was talking! The carving was actually speaking!
Although Captain Duncan had mentioned earlier that the goat head on the navigation table could talk, hearing the wooden carving chatter so much still took Alice aback. She responded after a moment: "Ah, alright. But my head isn't that easy to fall off. When I last installed it, I specifically... Wait, you mentioned some sensitive beings aboard the Dispossessed... Are there others on this ship?"
Alice belatedly realized the information revealed in the goat head's words and looked around with surprise and anxiety. At this moment, it seemed as if everything in the captain's cabin, and even aboard the entire Dispossessed, was swaying in the dim light, turning into strange objects like the eerie goat head. The goat head's voice then followed: "Is that so strange? To keep a ship of this size running smoothly, a lot of hands are needed. Did you think the great Captain Duncan would personally scrub the decks?"
The goat head actually made a good point. Although Alice's newly awakened and not-so-sharp mind felt that something was off, after pondering for a while, she could only nod in agreement: "That's true... So, there are many on the Dispossessed like you?"
"There's only one loyal first mate to the captain, and the rest are a bunch of not-so-bright beings. You don't need to think about communicating with them, as they have no interest in interacting with people," the goat head interrupted Alice before she could finish. "But considering you're new aboard the ship, it's normal not to understand all the rules and customs. As Captain Duncan's most loyal first mate and second mate and... I need to inform you of some essential knowledge to survive on this ship. After all, the captain wouldn't stoop to explain these things to newcomers... Are you ready, ma'am?"
Alice listened in bewilderment, having forgotten her initial purpose for coming to the captain's cabin. She felt that every time the goat head opened its mouth, it rattled off a long string of words. After speaking a few times, the conversation's pace was entirely out of her control, especially when the goat head suddenly threw out a long list of titles. Her head felt like it was buzzing, and she could only nod subconsciously: "Ah, uh, alright... I'm ready?"
"Excellent. Now, here are a few essential rules for the Dispossessed crew members. These will help newcomers adapt more quickly to the environment and fully embrace the protection of the Dispossessed and the great Captain Duncan on the perilous boundless sea..."
The goat head was clearly satisfied with Alice's response. It swayed its wooden head as it spoke, its tone laden with obvious self-satisfaction.
"First, Captain Duncan is the absolute ruler of the Dispossessed. Captain Duncan is always right, even if reality conflicts with his words. Trust Captain Duncan's judgment above all else.
"Second, crew members may only move within areas permitted by Captain Duncan. Do not step into areas that he has not ordered to be opened, as they simply do not exist.
"Third, if you trespass into a forbidden area and are fortunate enough to still be alive, you must stay where you are and wait for Captain Duncan to bring you back or resign yourself to death. Do not attempt to return on your own, as you won't be returning to the Dispossessed.
"Fourth, the Dispossessed is always sailing on the correct course. Do not question the captain's navigation plan. If you find the scenery around the Dispossessed differs from your expectations or the ship enters 'deeper' waters, know that it is part of the normal navigation plan.
"Fifth, the captain may occasionally leave the ship, but he will always return. During his absence, the Dispossessed will continue to sail as usual. However, no crew members are allowed to approach the helm and steering system at the stern. During the captain's absence, the steering system will lack a sense of security, and the ropes at the stern will strangle any reckless soul who dares to 'usurp' the captain's place.
"Sixth, on the Dispossessed, there are only six fundamental rules for the crew.
"Seventh, the door to the captain's quarters opens outward."
The goat-headed figure seemed to have recited these "common sense" rules to new crew members more than once, speaking them smoothly and naturally. However, Alice noticed something wrong when she heard the last two rules: "Wait, Mr. Goat Head, you just said the sixth rule was..."
"Sixth, on the Dispossessed, there are only six basic rules for the crew," the goat head immediately answered, not mincing words when it came to these fundamental rules.
Alice was momentarily unsure whether she was the one confused or if the "first mate" before her was: "But you just mentioned a seventh rule..."
"Seventh, the door to the captain's quarters opens outward," the goat head answered very naturally.
Staring at the dark goat head carving on the table, Alice doubted her ears for a moment before doubting her own mind. Soon, she realized she didn't have a mind to doubt, so she double-checked, "Aren't these two rules... contradictory?"
"No contradiction whatsoever."
Hearing the goat head's confident response and looking into its hollow, dark eyes, Alice opened her mouth to voice her doubts but suddenly swallowed them all back down.