Alice didn't really understand much about the world around her. But at least, she had heard countless low conversations filled with fear and tension from the crew members and guards responsible for transporting unusual items. From them, she formed a basic understanding of certain "extraordinary things."
If something clearly defies logic but undeniably exists, the first step is to follow the existing safety rules. It's important to maintain a safe distance before considering any research or analysis. This is the way to survive.
Alice didn't feel much about being "Anomaly 099." She wasn't sure what she could do or what she had done to make humans so fearful and cautious of her. She didn't know how a sentient "anomaly" should think in a "normal" way—at this moment, she was just thinking like a person.
Since the goat-headed figure said there were only six crew rules, then there were six. And since he mentioned a seventh rule, she would remember that seventh rule.
But she couldn't help but ask, "I tried to push the captain's cabin door earlier, and it definitely opens outward—why emphasize such an obvious thing in the rules?"
The wooden goat head quietly stared into Alice's eyes. After a full two seconds, he spoke in a way that was unusually concise: "Sometimes, it can open inward."
"Then..."
"If you see a door opening inward, absolutely do not go in. Only the captain is allowed to do that on the Lost Homeland."
This was the first time the goat head spoke in such a serious, even intimidating tone, even more so than when he introduced the crew rules.
Alice was startled by his unusually solemn tone.
But right after that, the goat head's tone became cheerful again, as if the serious topic had never happened.
"Alright, the necessary introduction process for new crew members is over. Now, let's talk about something else... Oh right, miss, do you have business in the captain's cabin? If it's about using the ship's facilities, there's no need to bother the great Captain Duncan. If you just want to chat, you’ve come to the right place! I’m very good at finding topics and know countless great stories about this ship... Not interested in great stories? Then I can introduce you to the most famous dishes of the endless sea. I know a bit about cooking..."
Once the goat head started talking, he was in full swing. Alice tried to interrupt several times but couldn't find an opportunity. By the time she realized things were going wrong, it was too late.
Anomaly 099, Miss Alice the doll, faced the second greatest terror on the Lost Homeland, aside from Captain Duncan.
At the same time, just a wall away in his cabin, Duncan was quietly listening to the sounds coming from the chart room.
He had just woken up, his soul returning from a distant body to the Lost Homeland. He hadn't heard the initial conversation between the goat head and Alice, but he did catch the few "crew rules" and the talk about the "captain's cabin door opening outward."
Important information, an unexpected gain.
Duncan hadn't even finished digesting the information he collected from the cultists when he unexpectedly heard the conversation between the goat head and Alice. Both the strange and bizarre "crew rules" and the information revealed in the goat head's words were extremely important to him.
Sure enough, when he pushed open the captain's cabin door to return to the "other side," the goat head knew. For him, this action was like returning to his own apartment, but for the Lost Homeland, it seemed to mean "the captain has temporarily left."
The goat head had no doubts about this and considered it a normal action for Captain Duncan.
So... the original "real Captain Duncan" must have also pushed open the captain's cabin door and then gone to some mysterious "world"? And this had happened more than once, to the point where it not only became a matter of course in the goat head's eyes but even became part of the crew rules of the Lost Homeland?
This news was good for Duncan. It meant that when he returned to the "other side," he wouldn't have to worry too much. Even if new crew members joined, he could disappear from everyone's sight without any concern that someone might follow him and discover his "secret."
But on the other hand, Duncan couldn't help but have unavoidable worries—this was related to the "6+1" crew rules that the goat head had deliberately mentioned.
What did these crew rules really mean? What were these bizarre, dangerous, and even contradictory rules based on? Some of their items seemed to emphasize the captain's authority, but the real situation was clearly more complex. Those strict behavior restrictions seemed more like they were designed to help the crew survive in a dangerous environment, allowing them to avoid unseen dangers through established rules.
Duncan frowned slightly as he pondered his true position within these rules—judging by the content, he, as the "captain," seemed to be the only one with the greatest freedom and initiative. He didn't have to worry about "invisible risks" on the ship; in fact, he himself was a judge of many risk areas. But... all of this depended on him being the "real Captain Duncan."
That was the most concerning part.
But then he suddenly remembered his exploration activities on the Lost Homeland during this time, recalling how he had moved freely around the ship.
The goat head had never reminded him about the crew rules. He treated him as the real Captain Duncan, and he hadn't encountered any "bizarre dangers" while moving around the ship. There couldn't possibly be another "captain" jumping out to impose any restrictions on him.
From this perspective, the dangers mentioned by the goat head in the "crew rules" seemed indeed not to concern him.
Duncan let out a soft sigh and continued to listen to the sounds coming from the chart room.
Half a minute later, he hated that he couldn't just turn off his ears.
The chatterbox doll and the noisy goat head were engaged in a conversation, the latter clearly holding the upper hand. The stream of nonsense flowed through the chart room like waves on the endless sea, and even Duncan, hiding in his cabin, couldn't take it anymore.
He felt that he needed to hurry out and rescue that poor doll. Alice, lacking social experience, was clearly no match for the goat head. But after a moment's hesitation, Duncan stopped.
He had just finished a wonderful "soul journey" and had a lot of information to organize and experiences to summarize. He needed to figure out what had happened to him earlier and whether this process was controllable—so far, it seemed that this ability to project his spirit far away would be the best way for him to gather information on land in the future.
Normally, he would also worry that spending too much time in his room studying his new abilities might attract unnecessary attention from the goat head. But now, with Alice outside drawing that noisy creature's attention... it couldn't be better.
Silently apologizing to Miss Doll in his heart, Duncan looked down at his right hand, and the next second, his expression froze.
The brass compass, slightly larger than a pocket watch, had disappeared without him noticing.
He clearly remembered that just a moment ago, he had been holding that compass tightly in his hand!
Duncan's gaze turned cold as he realized he hadn't noticed the change in his hand at all. This kind of negligence was the first time he had experienced since coming aboard this strange ghost ship.
In the next moment, he flexed his right hand, and a ghostly green flame quietly appeared between his fingers. Then he stood up from behind the desk, ready to use the connection between the spirit flame and extraordinary things to check for any unusual traces in the entire cabin.
But just as he stood up, Duncan's movements suddenly stopped. A subtle connection emerged from deep within him, and he instinctively looked in the direction of that connection. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw several feathers, seeming real yet illusory, floating down from the air.
Duncan looked in surprise at where the feathers fell and saw a shadow quickly materializing and condensing before his eyes. In just two or three seconds, the shadow formed into a pure white...
Dove.
The missing compass hung on the dove's chest, along with a familiar black obsidian knife quietly lying beside the dove's feet.
(End of Chapter)