The door closed behind him, blocking the hollow gaze of the goat-headed figure. Yet, Duncan could still clearly sense the Lost Homeland, feeling every subtle shift on the ghost ship. In that shared sensation, he "saw" the sails of the Lost Homeland adjusting their angles in the sea breeze, while the black steering wheel at the stern turned slightly, stabilizing the ship against the waves.
As he expected, the goat-headed figure had temporarily taken the helm, diligently carrying out the duties of the first mate. However, Duncan knew he could take control of the ship at any moment.
Compared to when he was steering directly, the Lost Homeland was a bit less agile and slower now. But since his main goal was to clear the fog on the nautical chart, and there was no clear destination or route, he didn’t mind the reduced performance.
After confirming that the goat-headed figure was not acting strangely and that the Gothic doll below deck was staying put, Duncan let out a gentle sigh and looked around the not-so-large room.
This was his private cabin as captain, the most comfortable and well-appointed room on the Lost Homeland. Aside from a soft bed, there was a classic wardrobe against the wall directly opposite the door and a shelf filled with various odd items. Across from the bed was a dark brown writing desk, but there were no books on it, just a few decorative items and tools for writing and drawing.
Next to the desk was a window that offered a view of the distant sea, and on the wall beside the window were several hooks—Duncan's pirate sword and flintlock pistol had been hanging on these hooks.
Duncan approached the desk, placing his sword and pistol in a convenient spot. He opened the drawer to check the gunpowder and lead bullets stored in a wooden box.
Next to the lead bullets and powder bag lay a small brass compass. Duncan picked it up and saw the needle spinning wildly under the glass cover, as if it were being pulled by an invisible chaotic force. The bottom of the compass was engraved with tiny letters—"We are all lost souls."
Duncan casually toyed with the compass, watching the needle spin around like it was drunk.
He had already checked everything in this room multiple times. He discovered it during his initial exploration, and the items here, including that message, must have belonged to the real Captain Duncan.
After reviewing the information he had, Duncan sighed and placed the compass on the desk. He raised his right hand and gently rubbed his fingertips together.
A small cluster of green flames ignited at his fingertips. Under the light of the flames, half of Duncan's palm appeared almost transparent and ghostly. However, under his conscious control, the flames did not spread like before but hovered like a candle flame above his fingers.
Once the flames stabilized, Duncan brought his other hand close to feel the heat and then picked up a feather quill from the side, touching the flame with its tip.
He felt no heat, and the quill did not catch fire; only a faint green hue spread along the quill's shaft, giving it a ghostly glow.
Duncan did not feel any feedback from the quill, which was completely different from when he had touched the nautical chart and the ship's helm with the flames.
Duncan silently noted this new experience—this "spiritual fire" had no temperature and did not ignite things. It likely only connected with the "abnormal" items on the Lost Homeland and would not respond to ordinary objects.
So, what about "abnormal" things from outside the Lost Homeland? Would this fire react to them?
Duncan pondered, and for a moment, the image of a certain Gothic doll flashed in his mind—Alice, who seemed to be an "abnormal" from outside the Lost Homeland?
Would she be affected by this spiritual fire?
But he quickly dismissed that fleeting thought.
Even if Alice was not human, even if she was the cursed "Abnormal 099," she was still a talking, walking individual with her own thoughts, and now she was part of the crew of the Lost Homeland. Duncan had unconsciously begun to see her as a "person."
He couldn't accept using a living being to test his flames—after all, he was still uncertain about the profound effects this fire might have on the affected "abnormal" and whether it was harmful.
Next, Duncan tested the flames a few more times, checking their nature while determining if there were any extraordinary properties behind the various items in the cabin.
Finally, his gaze fell on the small brass compass with the "message."
The compass lay quietly on the desk, the needle still spinning wildly. But perhaps it was just his imagination; as Duncan maintained the flames and focused his "unfriendly" gaze on the needle, it seemed to suddenly freeze for a moment.
Then it continued spinning as if nothing had happened.
Duncan thought, "..."
That thing definitely reacted to his gaze!
He had been somewhat wary of the compass, worried that the late Captain Duncan might have left some kind of power or "trap" on this personal item to prevent thieves. That's why he had avoided testing the flames on it. But after seeing that reaction, he suddenly made up his mind.
Duncan reached for the compass, feeling its cold touch on his fingers. After glancing at the still-spinning needle, he placed it in his right hand, which was maintaining the spiritual fire, and slowly tightened his grip.
The ghostly green flames flowed like burning oil, spreading between his fingers. The surface of the compass quickly ignited with a faint fire, and countless illusions flickered and vanished within the flames. In the next moment, the needle that had been spinning wildly suddenly stopped and pointed straight towards a direction in the vast sea.
Duncan's heart stirred. At that moment, he clearly felt the "feedback" from the compass, confirming that it was indeed an "abnormal item" that could be controlled by the spiritual fire. But before he could carefully sense the details of this feedback, a sudden "pull" hit him!
Duncan felt his body sway, and the next second, everything in the captain's cabin vanished into nothingness, along with the walls and ceiling, which crumbled and dissolved like snowflakes. In the swirling light and shadow, an endless darkness filled his vision.
Duncan stood in the center of this darkness, alarm bells ringing in his mind. His first instinct was to reach for the pistol and sword at his side, but the next second, he realized he was left only with the brass compass—it was still tightly held in his hand.
Duncan blinked. Suddenly, countless thin strands of light spread around the compass.
These lights spread and intertwined in the darkness, expanding like a web. Amidst the intertwining lights, countless tiny points of light appeared, some drifting apart while others gathered like rivers, creating a dazzling scene reminiscent of a galaxy.
Duncan watched the strange sight before him, feeling alert and uneasy. Yet, for some reason, he did not sense any danger, even…
In this dark web of light and stars, he felt a long-lost sense of comfort and safety.
In the next second, a strange feeling washed over him. Duncan's gaze was involuntarily drawn to a cluster of starlight woven into the light web. He looked at the starlight, feeling as if it was about to fall into darkness at any moment.
He instinctively reached out his hand toward the starlight.
A tremendous pull came at that moment—Duncan felt as if his soul was flying. He couldn't help but rush toward the starlight on the verge of falling into darkness, while the dense light web woven by the compass quickly receded from his view. The star river formed by the starlight suddenly began to swirl and writhe!
As he sped through, he instinctively looked at his right hand, which was tightly holding the compass, only to find that it had vanished without a trace. At the same time, just as he was about to touch the dim starlight, he caught a glimpse of a shadow forming in the darkness out of the corner of his eye.
That shadow seemed to appear naturally, as if it had always been by his side, and it quickly fell alongside him toward the dim light.
Duncan could barely make out that the shadow resembled a bird spreading its wings. Before he could see the details clearly, everything went dark.
A heavy sensation from the real world flooded his limbs, accompanied by the foul stench of decay and the harsh sound of heavy chains dragging on the ground.
(Motherf***er!)
(End of Chapter)