Crew Code

Alice stopped outside the Captain's Cabin.

Miss Doll raised her head and looked at the dark Oak Door before her. She noticed a line of words written on the doorframe in elegant cursive: Gate of the Lost.

There was nothing strange about such words appearing on the doorframe of the Lost Homeland's Captain's Cabin, but Alice still frowned instinctively—what she was curious about was not the door itself, but why she could read "writing."

She had no memory of learning to read. In fact, she had no memories of "learning" anything at all, nor did she remember ever accumulating experience of moving about outside or conversing with people. Yet this knowledge existed in her mind as naturally as if it had always been there.

She could read the letters on the Captain's Cabin doorframe, and she understood the purposes of the various furnishings in the room. But it was impossible to learn such things merely by lying in a wooden box and listening to people talk outside—so where had this knowledge come from?

Before today, Alice had never considered this question. But for some reason, after speaking with that "Captain Duncan," the concept of "curiosity" had suddenly emerged within the mind that should have functioned in eternal calm.

She thought back carefully. The change seemed to have occurred after Duncan asked about the origin of the name "Alice"... In that instant, she had begun to question certain things in her mind that had always seemed self-evident. She began trying to recall where her name came from, and then something within her mind had loosened.

Alice did not know whether that loosening was good or bad, but she disliked the feeling of confusion. So she quickly shook her head, cast the doubt aside, adjusted herself outside the Captain's Cabin, and only then placed her hand on the Oak Door's handle and gave it a slight push forward.

The door did not budge.

Alice froze for a moment, then tried pushing again, only to find that the wooden door seemed as immovable as if it had been cast from solid steel.

Then, just as she was about to try once more, a voice suddenly came from within the Captain's Cabin—the voice was hoarse and low, as though it came from a rotting log: "The door opens outward, madam."

That was not Captain Duncan's voice. Alice jumped, but quickly realized what had happened. She hastily said, "Oh," before pulling the door outward—this time, it opened with ease.

Only then did she recall that when the captain had brought her here before, he did seem to have pulled the door outward.

It seemed that the "common knowledge of life" that had appeared from nowhere in her mind was ultimately only knowledge. Having slept in a wooden box for so long, she still lacked actual survival experience—after reflecting on this briefly, Alice cautiously poked her head into the Captain's Cabin.

The Captain's Cabin was empty. The conspicuous chart table sat quietly beneath the lamplight, the surface of its sea chart covered in a thin mist. The dark carved wooden Goat Head had turned its gaze from the table's edge, its hollow obsidian eyes staring at her.

"Please come in, madam. The captain is busy, so you may wait for him here," said the Goat Head, even more politely than Alice had expected. "Also, try to avoid peeking around like that. It makes certain overly sensitive fellows aboard the Lost Homeland think they are being disliked, and calming them down is troublesome—and it would be a problem if your head fell off again. I have no hands, so I cannot pick it up for you..."

It really could talk! That wooden carving was really talking!

Although Captain Duncan had told her before that the Goat Head on the chart table could speak, suddenly hearing a wooden carving rattle off so much at her still left Alice stunned. It took her a moment to respond instinctively, "Ah, all right, but my head does not come off that easily. And when it was installed last time, I specifically... Wait, you said some sensitive fellows aboard the Lost Homeland... Could it be that there are others on this ship...?"

Only then did Alice realize the information hidden in the Goat Head's words. Startled and nervous, she looked around. At that moment, it seemed to her as though everything in the Captain's Cabin—even everything aboard the entire Lost Homeland—was swaying in the darkness, becoming something as strange and uncanny as that bizarre Goat Head. Then the Goat Head's voice reached her ears again: "Is that so strange? It takes quite a few hands to keep such a massive ship running. Did you think the great Captain Duncan personally scrubs the deck?"

What the Goat Head said actually made a fair bit of sense. Though Alice's newly awakened mind was still not quite sharp enough and felt there was something wrong with it all, after thinking for a long time, she could only nod. "That makes sense... So there are many aboard the Lost Homeland like you..."

"The captain has only one loyal deputy. The rest are a bunch of dull-witted fellows, so you need not think about communicating with them—they have no interest in communicating with people either," the Goat Head interrupted before Alice could finish. "But since you are new to the ship, it is only natural that you do not understand many principles and rules. As Captain Duncan's most loyal first mate, second mate, and... I must tell you some common sense necessary for surviving aboard this ship. After all, the captain would not deign to explain such things to a newcomer... Madam, are you ready?"

Alice listened in a daze. She had already forgotten why she had originally come to the Captain's Cabin. Every time the Goat Head opened its mouth, it unleashed a long stream of words, and after only a few exchanges, the rhythm of the conversation was entirely no longer hers. Especially when it had suddenly rattled off a string of titles just now, she felt her entire head buzzing. When it finished speaking, she could only nod instinctively. "Ah, ah, all... all right?"

"Very good. Next are several rules every crew member of the Lost Homeland must know. They will help newcomers adapt to their environment more quickly and fully receive the protection of the Lost Homeland and the great Captain Duncan upon the dangerous Boundless Sea..."

The Goat Head was clearly very satisfied with Alice's reply. As it spoke, it shook its wooden head, its tone unmistakably smug—

"First, Captain Duncan is the absolute master of the Lost Homeland. Captain Duncan is always right. Even if reality conflicts with Captain Duncan's words, Captain Duncan's judgment takes precedence.

"Second, all crew members may only move about in areas permitted by Captain Duncan. You must never take even a single step into areas Captain Duncan has not ordered opened, because those areas do not exist.

"Third, if you enter an unauthorized area and are fortunate enough to remain alive for the moment, you must stay where you are and wait for Captain Duncan to bring you back, or peacefully await death—you must never return on your own, because what you return to will not be the Lost Homeland.

"Fourth, the Lost Homeland always sails upon the correct route. Do not question the captain's navigation plan. If you find that the scenery around the Lost Homeland differs from what you expected, or discover that the Lost Homeland has entered a 'deeper' sea, then that is part of the normal navigation plan.

"Fifth, the captain occasionally leaves the ship, but he will certainly return. While the captain is away, the Lost Homeland will continue sailing normally, but all crew members are forbidden from approaching the stern's helm station—the steering system lacks a sense of security when the captain is away, and the ropes at the stern will strangle any reckless fool who displays signs of 'usurping the throne.'

"Sixth, aboard the Lost Homeland, there are six and only six basic crew rules.

"Seventh, the Captain's Cabin door opens outward."

The Goat Head seemed to have explained this "common sense" to new crew members more than once. It recited these rules smoothly and naturally, but as soon as Alice heard the final two, she immediately sensed something was wrong. "Wait, Mr. Goat Head, your sixth rule just said..."

"Sixth, aboard the Lost Homeland, there are six and only six basic crew rules," the Goat Head immediately replied. Whenever it mentioned these basic rules, it did not hesitate in the slightest.

For a moment, Alice wondered whether something was wrong with her or with the "first mate" before her. "But just now, you also mentioned a seventh rule..."

"Seventh, the Captain's Cabin door opens outward," the Goat Head answered naturally.

Alice stared blankly at the pitch-black wooden Goat Head carving on the table. After doubting her ears, she began doubting her brain—but she quickly realized she did not have a brain, so she checked once more. "Are those two rules... not contradictory?"

"Not contradictory at all."

Listening to the Goat Head's certain reply and staring into its hollow black eyes, Alice opened her mouth, but suddenly swallowed all her questions.

Oh my god!