Fish

This breakfast tasted like chewing wax—and had an even worse texture.

After finishing a less-than-satisfying breakfast, Duncan's mood did not improve in the slightest just because his stomach was full. Instead, certain information Goat Head had mentioned in passing stirred up a whole mess of chaotic speculation, leaving him somewhat irritated.

He looked at Pigeon Ai Yi, who was strolling leisurely along a nearby shelf, and felt the wild thoughts in his mind becoming increasingly absurd.

He had always believed that this pigeon, which spoke a mouthful of "Earth language," had come into being because he possessed the soul of an Earthling. He believed that when he performed Spirit World Walk, the individual known as "Zhou Ming" had reacted with the Brass Compass, thus giving rise to this strange bird called Ai Yi.

But what if... that was not really the case?

What if, as Goat Head said, this pigeon was merely some phantom that had emerged from a "deeper" place, and had happened to take shape beside him?

Then the occasional "Earth language" that Ai Yi blurted out would have nothing to do with Zhou Ming's memories. Instead, it would become a projection of some piece of history recorded by this world itself...

The possibilities behind this left Duncan deeply unsettled.

Alice stood up, her voice interrupting Duncan's wandering thoughts. "Do you need me to wash the dishes?"

Duncan looked at Miss Doll in surprise. She awkwardly scratched her hair. "I just thought that since I'm already aboard the ship, I ought to find something to do. Otherwise, I'd seem like I'm just here for free meals..."

"But you do not eat at all," Duncan reminded her. "Still, it's good that you're willing. Take the plates to the washroom and discuss it with the sink. If it does not mind, then wash them."

After saying that, he rose without waiting for Alice to answer. As he walked toward the Captain's Cabin door, he casually said, "I'm going to inspect the deck. Do not disturb me unless it's important."

The pigeon that had been walking on the shelf immediately fluttered onto Duncan's shoulder and left the room with him, leaving Alice and Goat Head staring at one another across the chart table.

"Is the captain in a bad mood?" After hesitating for a moment, Alice cautiously asked Goat Head.

Goat Head spoke in a grave tone. "The captain's mood is like the weather on the Boundless Sea. Do not speculate. Just accept it."

Before Goat Head could continue, Alice hurriedly asked, "Oh, right, the captain said I should discuss it with the sink... How am I supposed to discuss it?"

"Simple. Go wash something. If you get splashed all over, that means the sink does not like you. Come to think of it, do you know how to wash dishes? If not, I have some theoretical experience..."

Before Goat Head could finish, Alice had already quickly gathered the tableware. Then, as she rushed toward the door, she shouted, "No need, I'll learn! Thank you, Mr. Goat Head, goodbye!"

The Captain's Cabin suddenly fell quiet, leaving only the pitch-black Goat Head sitting on the table, watching in the direction everyone had departed with hollow eyes.

After a long while, a sigh finally came from the chart table. "If only I had legs..."

Then its gaze returned to the sea chart.

The fog around the Lost Homeland was still slowly dispersing. It still had to properly carry out the helm duty the captain had assigned it.

Under precise control, the massive and "living" ghost ship nimbly adjusted the angles of its sails and continued sailing across the Boundless Sea. Goat Head began humming a sea shanty whose origins were unknown—the rough, hoarse "humming," like noise itself, echoed through the Captain's Cabin:

"Raise the sails, raise the sails, the sailors far from home press onward;

"Through wind and waves, through clamor and noise, only a plank separates us from death;

"Furl the topsails, spread the mainsail, cast off the ropes, hold fast to the rail! We have reached the heart of the sea!

"Stay away from fish, stay away from fish, sailors must cross the routes where those offspring gather;

"Stay away from fish, stay away from fish! We must reach shore safely—strong liquor and warm hearths lie ahead..."

Duncan made a round through the supply hold, then another through the kitchen, before finally returning to the deck amidships on the Lost Homeland.

No matter how many times he searched, he could not find anything on this ship more palatable than jerky and cheese.

The good news was that he did not have to eat maggot-infested biscuits like sailors of Earth's Age of Sail. The bad news was that this ship did not even have maggot-infested biscuits.

He temporarily put aside his earlier wild thoughts and brought the quiet Ai Yi to the edge of the deck.

Gazing out over the boundless ocean, he continued to calculate in his heart:

...No matter what, I need to find a way to replenish the Lost Homeland's daily necessities... Though one cannot be too particular about quality of life aboard a ghost ship, I cannot truly live like a ghost...

Alice may need a change of clothes too. There are no dresses suitable for her aboard this ship.

I must establish contact with a city-state on land as soon as possible... The Lost Homeland has drifted at sea for far too many years. During that time, the city-states on land may have developed beyond even Goat Head's expectations. From what I saw in that sewer before, at least Pland City-State is a powerful and advanced metropolis. The revolvers those cultists carried also prove how far human technology has progressed...

An ancient ghost ship may not remain so invincible before a civilized society that has developed for a century. The Lost Homeland's lingering might remains, but it would be troublesome if only that lingering might remained...

Duncan glanced at Ai Yi on his shoulder.

Perhaps... after resting and recovering today, it would be time to try another Spirit World Walk.

"Coo?"

Ai Yi tilted its head, finally making a sound more appropriate for a normal pigeon.

Duncan could not help but smile. At that moment, however, the corner of his eye suddenly caught what seemed to be a glimmer on the nearby sea surface.

The movement drew his attention. He subconsciously looked over the rail a few more times, then noticed that something really did seem to be swimming beneath the water nearby.

After hesitating for a moment, Duncan suddenly slapped his forehead.

"Hey! What am I thinking? We're at sea! Aren't there fish in the ocean?"

This sudden possibility immediately lifted Duncan's spirits. He realized that establishing contact with the city-states on land and securing a stable supply of provisions for the Lost Homeland could not be accomplished overnight, but could the vast, boundless sea itself not offer some help?

There were fish in the sea—and he had had enough of the ghost ship's jerky and cheese!

Duncan's enthusiasm was stirred. He remembered that one of the storage rooms beneath the deck contained heavy-duty rods for sea fishing, and that there were places along the rail where rods could be secured. As for bait... he wondered whether the jerky and cheese would work.

Thus, the Cursed Doll washed dishes in the washroom, the talking Goat Head focused on steering the ship, while the captain of the Lost Homeland busied himself between deck and cabin.

Duncan quickly found what he needed. Carrying three heavy-duty fishing rods and the "bait," he returned to the deck. Somewhat awkwardly, he secured the rods along the rail, baited them, and cast the lines. Then he brought over an empty bucket from nearby to serve as a chair while he waited.

Duncan actually had no experience with sea fishing—his fishing experience was limited to ponds and a small river near his hometown. He did not know whether this impulsive attempt would truly catch anything, but he had nothing else to do anyway. What if it worked?

He could treat it as rest and recuperation before his next Spirit World Walk, while also allowing himself some hope for improved meals in the future.

Duncan sat down among the fishing rods, and over the long wait, his mood gradually returned to calm.

The sea was fairly calm today. The sky held quite a few clouds, but there was no sign of a storm.

Sitting on the wooden bucket with his back against a winch used to secure cables, Duncan narrowed his eyes slightly as the ship gently swayed.

At some point, he drifted into a half-dreaming state.

He dreamed that he was walking barefoot across a calm sea. The water was azure, and the sunlight was warm.

That familiar and "normal" sun from his memories hung high in the sky, bright but not scorching.

He heard splashing and looked toward the sound, only to see fish suddenly leap from the calm waters nearby.

They were a school of small golden fish, each only palm-sized. They blew bubbles in the air and swished their tails as though swimming in water, slowly circling around Duncan.

The fish swimming through the air gradually drew nearer. Zhou Ming curiously watched them—their round, bulging eyes, their fine scales, their mouths opening and closing, and the faint ripples drifting out behind them like waves on water.

Zhou Ming suddenly thought these fish were beautiful, and...

Very fragrant.

They must be very, very fragrant.