Breakfast was tasteless—worse than chewing on wax.
After finishing a rather unsatisfying meal, Duncan's mood didn’t improve with a full stomach. Instead, some information casually mentioned by Goat Head stirred up a bunch of chaotic thoughts in his mind, making him feel a bit restless.
He glanced over at Ai Yi, the pigeon, casually walking around on a nearby shelf, and felt that his wild imagination was getting more ridiculous.
He had always thought that this pigeon, who spoke “Earth language,” was born because he had the soul of an Earthling. He believed that during his spirit journey, the individual known as "Zhou Ming" reacted with the brass compass, which led to the creation of this strange bird, Ai Yi.
But what if… that wasn’t the case at all?
What if, as Goat Head said, this pigeon was just some kind of illusion that came from a “deeper” place, and it just happened to take shape next to him?
Then the “Earth language” Ai Yi occasionally spoke would have nothing to do with Zhou Ming’s memories, but rather be a projection from some part of history recorded in this world…
The possibilities behind this made Duncan feel uneasy.
Alice stood up, interrupting Duncan's thoughts with her voice: “Do you need me to wash the dishes?”
Duncan looked at the doll-like girl in surprise. She awkwardly scratched her head: “I thought since I’m already on the ship, I should find something to do, otherwise I’d just be a freeloader…”
“But you don’t eat,” Duncan reminded her, “But it’s nice that you want to help—just take the plates to the water room, and if the sink doesn’t mind, you can wash them.”
After saying this, he didn’t wait for Alice to respond and stood up, walking toward the captain’s cabin while casually saying, “I’m going to check the deck. Don’t bother me unless it’s important.”
The pigeon, who had been wandering on the shelf, immediately flapped its wings and flew onto Duncan’s shoulder, following him out of the room, leaving Alice staring at Goat Head with wide eyes.
“Is the captain in a bad mood?” After a moment of hesitation, Alice cautiously asked Goat Head.
Goat Head replied in a deep voice, “The captain’s mood is like the weather of the endless sea—don’t speculate, just accept it.”
Before Goat Head could continue, Alice quickly asked, “By the way, the captain just said I should talk to the sink… how do I do that?”
“Simple, you go wash the dishes. If you end up soaked, it means the sink doesn’t like you—by the way, do you know how to wash dishes? If not, I have some theoretical experience…”
Before Goat Head could finish, Alice quickly gathered the dishes from the table and shouted as she rushed toward the door, “No need! I’ll learn! Thank you, Mr. Goat Head! Bye!”
The captain’s cabin fell silent, leaving only the dark Goat Head at the table, staring blankly in the direction everyone had left.
After a long while, a sigh came from the navigation table: “If only I had legs…”
Then it turned its gaze back to the nautical charts.
The fog surrounding the Lost Homeland was still slowly dissipating, and the steering task left to it by the captain still needed to be completed properly.
With precise control, this large, “living” ghost ship skillfully adjusted the angles of its sails, continuing its journey across the endless sea. Goat Head began to hum an old sea shanty that had been passed down through the ages—its rough, hoarse voice echoed in the captain’s cabin:
“Raise the sails, raise the sails, the sailor leaves home and moves forward;
“In the wind and waves, amidst the noise, we are just a plank away from death;
“Fold the jib, unfurl the mainsail, untie the ropes, hold on to the rail! We have reached the middle of the sea!
“Stay away from the fish, stay away from the fish, sailors must cross the lines occupied by those offspring;
“Stay away from the fish, stay away from the fish! We must reach the shore safely—the strong drink and the fire are just ahead…”
Duncan wandered around the supply warehouse and then the kitchen before finally returning to the middle deck of the Lost Homeland.
No matter how many times he searched, he couldn’t find anything more edible than jerky and cheese on this ship.
The good news was he didn’t have to eat maggot-infested biscuits like sailors from the sailing era back on Earth; the bad news was there weren’t even any maggot-infested biscuits on board.
He temporarily pushed aside his chaotic thoughts and, with the quiet Ai Yi, made his way to the edge of the deck.
Looking out at the vast sea, he kept thinking:
“…No matter what, I need to find a way to replenish the essentials on the Lost Homeland… even though living on a ghost ship doesn’t allow for high standards, I can’t really live like a ghost…
“Alice might need some clean clothes; there aren’t any dresses suitable for her on this ship.
“I must quickly establish contact with the city-states on land… the Lost Homeland has been drifting at sea for too many years. The city-states on land might have developed to an extent that even Goat Head can’t predict. From what I saw in that sewer, at least the Prand City-State is a strong and advanced city. The revolvers carried by those cultists also show the technological advancement of human society…
“The ancient ghost ship might not be so invincible in front of a century of civilized society. The Lost Homeland still has some power, but what if it’s only left with remnants of that power…”
Duncan glanced at Ai Yi on his shoulder.
Perhaps… today would be a good time to rest and prepare for the next “spirit journey.”
“Coo?”
Ai Yi tilted its head, finally making some normal pigeon sounds.
Duncan couldn’t help but smile, and just then, he noticed a glimmer on the nearby sea surface out of the corner of his eye.
His attention was drawn to the movement, and he instinctively looked over the ship’s edge a few more times, soon realizing that something seemed to be swimming just below the surface nearby.
After hesitating for a moment, Duncan suddenly slapped his forehead.
“Hey! My reaction… we’re at sea! Isn’t there fish in the sea!”
The sudden realization lifted Duncan’s spirits. He understood that establishing contact with the land and stabilizing supplies for the Lost Homeland wouldn’t happen overnight, but couldn’t the vast sea itself lend a hand?
There were fish in the sea—and he was tired of the jerky and cheese on the ghost ship!
Duncan’s enthusiasm was ignited. He remembered that there was a heavy fishing rod for sea fishing in one of the warehouses below deck, and he could find a spot on the ship’s edge to secure the rod. As for bait… he wondered if the jerky and cheese would work?
So, while Alice was washing dishes in the water room, and Goat Head was focused on steering the ship, the captain of the Lost Homeland busied himself between the deck and the cabin.
Duncan quickly found what he wanted. He carried three heavy fishing rods and some “bait” back to the deck. A bit clumsily, he secured the rods to the ship’s edge. After baiting and casting, he also grabbed an empty barrel nearby to use as a seat while waiting.
Duncan didn’t actually have any experience with sea fishing—his fishing experience was limited to ponds and a small river back home. He didn’t know if this sudden whim would actually catch him any fish, but since he had nothing else to do, why not give it a try?
He treated it as a way to rest before his next spirit journey, while also holding onto a bit of hope for improving future meals.
Duncan sat down between the fishing rods. During the long wait, his mood gradually returned to calm.
The sea conditions today were relatively stable, with some clouds in the sky, but no signs of a storm.
Duncan sat on the barrel, leaning against a winch used to secure ropes, and slowly squinted his eyes as the ship gently rocked.
He didn’t know when, but he drifted into a half-dreaming state.
He dreamed of standing barefoot on the calm sea, the water a deep blue, the sun warm.
In his memory, that familiar and “normal” sun hung high in the sky, bright but not scorching.
He heard splashing sounds and turned to see fish suddenly jumping out of the nearby still water.
A school of small golden fish, only about the size of his palm, leaped into the air, blowing bubbles and wagging their tails as if swimming in water, circling around Duncan slowly.
These fish swimming in the air gradually approached him. Zhou Ming watched them curiously, taking in their round eyes, their fine scales, their mouths opening and closing, and the delicate ripples behind them that looked like water waves.
Zhou Ming suddenly thought these fish were beautiful, and…
They smelled really good.
They must be incredibly delicious.
(End of Chapter)