Having one will while focusing on two perspectives and controlling two bodies to do completely different things was a rather new experience for Duncan. It was also an extremely difficult challenge. He felt that he could no longer consider himself an ordinary person, but even so, managing two bodies without feeling burdened was not easy. He worked hard to get used to this dual focus, but after a long time, he could only barely control the body in the antique shop to crawl back onto the bed and continue lying there like a corpse.
However, based on the feedback from deep within his consciousness, he believed that he would eventually master this dual focus technique—it would just take a long time of getting used to and training.
After settling the body in the antique shop and leaving a bit of attention there, Duncan finally let out a gentle sigh of relief. Ensuring contact with the "remote body" right after finishing his journey in the spirit world was the most important thing. This directly affected whether he could maintain his foothold in the civilized world, which he had worked so hard to find. Once that was settled, he felt much lighter and had the energy to focus on other matters.
At that moment, a flapping sound came from nearby. The pigeon Ai Yi hopped over to Duncan, puffing out its chest with a proud look in its eyes and voice: "Delivery successful!"
Duncan's gaze passed over the pigeon and landed on the table behind it. There lay a pale golden sun emblem and two bottles of strong liquor, quietly waiting there. A smile slowly appeared on Duncan's face, which then grew brighter. This worked! It was possible to have this pigeon carry "goods" during its journey in the spirit world! And it wasn't limited to extraordinary items; even ordinary things could be delivered!
With a satisfied smile, he got up and picked up the items from the table. First, he checked the sun emblem, confirming that this extraordinary item still had a faint flow of power. That was the power he had completely occupied and transformed with his spirit fire. Then, he picked up one of the bottles of liquor, removed the cap, and brought it to his nose, instantly greeted by a strong smell of alcohol.
Duncan glanced down at Ai Yi, who had started strutting around on the table. Efficient, high quality, and free shipping—he was beginning to like this quirky pigeon.
The pigeon quickly noticed its "master's" gaze and ran over to Duncan's side, pecking at the table and loudly demanding, "Get some fries! Get some fries!"
"There are no fries on the ship right now, but I think that won't be a problem for long," Duncan said cheerfully, holding the pigeon in his hands and looking into its green bean-like eyes. "I just don't know what the limit is for how much you can deliver each time, whether it’s limited to inanimate objects, and if there might be any 'lost packages'... We need to test this a few more times..."
The pigeon thought for a moment, tilting its head back. "Lost packages? Oh no, the page is gone..."
"… Yes, that’s what I’m worried about. Your name always makes me feel a bit unreliable," Duncan mused. The fact that the pigeon had successfully delivered more items to the Lost Home made him excited. It sparked more ideas for practical attempts, not just limited to transporting supplies to the ship. However, the pigeon’s unpredictable intelligence and faulty logic made him hesitant. After thinking it over, he decided to conduct a few more tests before truly establishing a "supply line" between the Lost Home and the land.
With a temporary plan in mind, Duncan finally stood up from his chair and walked toward the door leading to the chart room. But just as he took a couple of steps, he stopped. He moved his joints around and stretched his legs, feeling the sensations in his limbs.
Flexible, strong, and without any fatigue or sluggishness, it was as if he had only been sitting at the table for a short while. However, he was very aware that he had been "away" from the Lost Home for over a day. While he walked in the spirit world, his body had remained in the captain’s quarters, maintaining the posture of sitting at the table.
Duncan carefully sensed his limbs and body. With precise awareness of his physical condition, he could almost confirm that this body was completely maintaining the state it was in when he walked in the spirit world, as if… at the moment his consciousness left, this body fell into a kind of "stasis."
Was this also a special power of "Captain Duncan"? Or was it because he was essentially half a ghost now, making him feel tireless like a ghost?
He pondered curiously but had no clue. He had begun to understand the history of this world and the rise and fall of civilized city-states, yet he couldn’t unravel the secrets within himself.
But in any case, this didn’t seem like a bad thing. This body didn’t require much "maintenance," which meant he could more confidently divide some of his energy into other areas.
Duncan was a person who could see things clearly, or rather, he was good at setting aside those temporarily unsolvable puzzles. After coming to terms with it in his mind, he reached the door and pushed it open to the chart room.
Captain Duncan was back.
The oak door creaked softly, breaking the silence in the chart room. The next moment, the wooden goat head at the edge of the navigation table suddenly made a cracking sound. It quickly turned its head toward the source of the noise and, with its hollow gaze, slowly spoke: "Name?"
"Duncan Abnomar," Duncan glanced at the goat head. "I’m back."
"Ah!
The great Captain Duncan has returned to his loyal Lost Home! Sorry, Captain, your journey in the spirit world took a bit longer this time. I need to double-check… after all, it’s your rule.
How do you feel? How’s your mood? How’s your body?
What did you gain from this long journey in the spirit world? Did you find anything interesting? Would you like to share your journey with your loyal first mate and the rest?
Did you notice that I just used 'the rest'? Miss Alice said this makes things more concise, and you might prefer it this way..."
"Shut up. All those concise words you used are just made up for with the nonsense that follows," Duncan shot a glance at the noisy thing. "Did anything happen on the ship while I was gone?"
"Ah, Captain Duncan's sternness and humor remain as always. What you’re saying is—everything is normal on the ship. Your loyal 'the rest' perfectly completed the steering tasks you assigned. Also, Miss Alice visited twice, but it wasn’t anything major. Once she had a tussle with the ropes, and another time with the anchor..."
Duncan had been about to walk through the chart room to check on the deck, but upon hearing the goat head’s words, he stopped, looking confused. "Why was she fighting with the ropes and the anchor?"
While he could sense what was happening on the Lost Home during his journey in the spirit world, he hadn’t focused too much energy on it. He only vaguely felt that Alice was "exploring" the ship... Why was it so lively on board while he was away?
"Oh, actually, Miss Alice had good intentions," the goat head quickly replied. "She thought it was bad to do nothing on the ship, so she wanted to find something to do. She went to organize the ropes and maintain the winch—but I forgot to tell her that the ropes are ticklish and the anchor needs a nap..."
Duncan: "…"
"Are you angry, Captain?" The sudden silence from Duncan made the goat head nervous, shaking its wooden head back and forth. "It’s really not a big deal. Besides, a new member on the ship always needs some time to adjust to get along with the old sailors—now they’ve entered the 'fighting' phase, which means Miss Alice is integrating into the group quickly. In fact, she’s quite popular on the ship, most of the Lost Home..."
Just as the goat head was halfway through its sentence, a sudden flurry of footsteps came from the deck outside. Then the captain's room door was yanked open, and Alice rushed in hurriedly: "Mr. Goat Head, why are the cannonballs in the ammo room rolling around and not letting me..."
Duncan silently glanced at Alice.
Alice also noticed Duncan standing by the navigation table and froze awkwardly, staring at him.
"Well, this is the third time," the goat head let out a sigh. "This time she’s fighting with the cannonballs... I admit that Miss Alice's adjustment process on the ship might have been a bit too lively..."
Alice shrank her neck (possibly to reinforce her joints) and nervously looked at Duncan, who had a blank expression: "Captain, you’re back..."
"Yeah," Duncan nodded, looking indifferent. "Looks like you’ve been having a great time on the ship while I was away?"
Alice: "…"
(End of Chapter)