A Harmless New Crew Member

The Lost Homeland was huge—astonishingly huge. As a sailing ship, its size had almost exceeded what Duncan considered necessary.

Such immense size meant larger cargo holds, more cannons, a sturdier structure, and greater stability against wind and waves—all of which meant it could face the harshest challenges of long-distance voyages.

But Duncan currently had no plans for any so-called long voyage. This extraordinarily large ghost ship brought him nothing but loneliness, so having one more "crew member" to talk to was hardly a bad thing.

Besides, this big ship had plenty of vacant "guest rooms."

Footsteps broke the silence in the corridor. Duncan led the Gothic doll down the wooden stairs and into the cabins beneath the stern deck. This place was directly below the Captain's Cabin and, judging by its layout, should have counted as the "premium living quarters" aboard this great ship. Compared with the dark, gloomy lower levels that carried a faintly eerie air, this place was at least fairly bright and tidy.

Duncan stopped before a crew cabin, then casually pushed open the half-closed wooden door.

Inside was a single room with sparse furnishings.

There were several such single cabins aboard the ship, but they had all been vacant for a long time, with no signs that anyone had ever used them.

After his initial exploration of the Lost Homeland's upper areas, Duncan had noticed these empty rooms, though he had not thought much of them at the time. But now that he had personally taken command of this ghost ship and understood the secret of how it could sail on its own, a question naturally arose in his mind.

If this ship did not need crew members at all... then who were these crew cabins prepared for?

The single rooms in the upper cabins were clearly intended for senior sailors such as the First Mate, Second Mate, and boatswain. The lower levels also contained shared berths for ordinary crewmen, and there were dining halls and card rooms obviously meant for multiple people. Unlike the sails and rigging that required no human control, the very existence of these facilities meant they had been prepared for "people."

But this ship did not need crew members.

Duncan frowned slightly. He had realized that this ghost ship, now sailing alone upon the sea, must have had a crew during some period in its history...

At the very least, when this ship had first been built, it had been designed with suitable living facilities for sailors.

So what had happened to turn the ship into what it was now? Where had its original crew gone? Had the real "Captain Duncan" been the ship's master from beginning to end? And what inside information did that strange Goat Head possess?

"Captain?" A puzzled voice suddenly came from behind him.

Duncan's thoughts were abruptly interrupted, and he was startled. Only then did he realize it was Miss Doll speaking—he had actually forgotten Alice's presence for a moment.

Over the past few days, Duncan had grown accustomed to being the only living person aboard this ship. He had also become used to that noisy Goat Head's voice. Now that there was suddenly an Alice aboard, he felt a little unaccustomed to it.

"My name is Duncan. You may call me Captain Duncan—of course, calling me Captain directly is also your choice," Duncan said, swiftly composing his expression before turning to look at Miss Doll behind him. "This empty room will be yours from now on. Go in and have a look."

"Ah, all right!" Alice nodded. She first craned her head past Duncan's shoulder to look into the room, then turned and grabbed the wooden box that had been floating behind her the entire time. Hoisting it onto her shoulder, she carefully carried it into the room.

Whenever Duncan saw the "coffin" that never left Alice's side, he had to suppress the urge to twitch at the corner of his mouth. He watched Miss Doll carefully place the "coffin" beside the bed, then inspect the velvet lining within it with exceptional care before finally looking around at the room's furnishings. At last, he could not help asking, "Are you going to keep carrying that box around?"

"Of course," Alice replied matter-of-factly. "Where else would I put it?"

"That box used to be your seal. I thought you would mind that," Duncan said with a frown. "But it seems you cannot bear to part with it."

"The people who sealed me were at fault, not the box," Alice said as she sat on it and patted the wooden lid. "Would you like to come in and sit for a while?"

Duncan shook his head. "No need. How do you feel about this room?"

"Ah, it's very nice." Alice looked quite happy. She surveyed the room's simple furnishings as though she were standing in a magnificent palace. "Is that a wardrobe? I do not have any spare clothes, so I probably will not need it... but it is nice to have a cabinet. Oh, and there is a table too. I can put things on it in the future, though I do not seem to have anything to put there... Perhaps I could put my head on it? It would be more convenient when brushing my hair..."

"As long as you are satisfied." Watching a Gothic doll sit atop a coffin and make plans for her life was a rather strange sight, especially when those plans included some highly suspicious details. Yet a faint smile slowly appeared on Duncan's face. Then he stepped back half a pace, and his expression returned to normal. "You can rest here for a while and get used to the surroundings.

"Other than the stairs leading to the lower levels, you may move freely around this floor and the deck. The layout here is not complicated. You should quickly learn where all the rooms are on your own.

"I will be in the Captain's Cabin. If you need anything, come find me there—if I am not around, there is a talking Goat Head on the Navigation Table. He is my First Mate."

Alice had been nodding as she listened, but when she heard those last two sentences, her eyes suddenly widened. "A Goat Head?! That pitch-black carving?!"

"So you already noticed it."

"I did notice it... but you said it can talk?! And it is your First Mate?" Alice looked astonished. "I thought it was just a... That is unbelievable!"

"...You are a doll that can speak and walk," Duncan said expressionlessly as he looked at Alice. "And you find a talking Goat Head unbelievable?"

Alice froze for a moment, lowered her head to look at her hands, then muttered as if she had only just realized it, "Ah... I suppose that is true?"

Duncan shook his head and turned away. "That is all. Rest here. Come find me if you need anything."

Alice's voice came from behind him. "All right, Captain."

After leaving, Duncan did not go anywhere else. He returned directly to his own Captain's Cabin, sat down beside the broad Navigation Table, and the carved wooden Goat Head on the table immediately stirred, creaking as it turned its head toward Duncan.

"Ah! The Captain has returned! It seems you have settled that lady in—you see, just as I said, she is a gentle and harmless lady. She will be no hindrance at all to your voyage, and she can keep you company when you are bored. I see you have decided to keep her aboard. What tasks do you plan to assign her? The Lost Homeland does not really need people. The deck cleans the deck, the cannons polish the cannons, the water tanks maintain the water tanks... Perhaps she could manage the kitchen? You have never seemed very satisfied with the food aboard... Ah, speaking of food, we seem to need to replenish our ingredients first. The salted meat and hard cheese in the storeroom may be somewhat old. Though rough sailors do not complain about food at sea, the great Captain Duncan surely..."

Duncan felt as though his brain were about to boil. At that moment, he became certain of one thing again: with this noisy Goat Head around, he truly needed a "normal conversation partner" like Alice!

"Shut up," he said, glaring fiercely at the Goat Head. Only after it fell silent did he continue, "You were quite well-behaved while Alice was there. I thought you had finally learned how to keep quiet."

"A Captain must not be interrupted while interviewing a new crew member. That is the rule of the sea, even if I am your loyal First Mate, Second Mate, boatswain, and..."

Duncan did not wait for the Goat Head to finish—indeed, if he did not interrupt it, this Goat Head would never finish. "Keep an eye on that doll over the next few days."

"Ah... Huh? Keep an eye on that lady? Are you still not at ease about her? Oh, oh, that makes sense. Necessary caution is part of being a Captain..."

"She has many secrets, and she has not told us everything. Perhaps she truly does not know herself, or perhaps... she is deliberately concealing things for some reason. In any case, she is still a 'Cursed Doll,' and bears the designation 'Anomaly 099,'" Duncan said flatly. "The people on that previous ship used layer upon layer of seals to prevent Alice from leaving that wooden box, yet now the sealed doll is freely walking around aboard my ship. I need to take a little time to confirm that Alice truly is a harmless doll... Even if she is only harmless aboard the Lost Homeland."

(Dear heavens!)