The sun is very bright.
If that glowing object high in the sky is really the sun, then its "sunlight"... is indeed very bright.
Duncan didn't know how long he had been staring at the sky. It was not until his eyes became sore and unbearable that he finally withdrew his gaze from the clouds. However, the posture of the "sun" was still deeply imprinted in his retina and deep in his mind. Even with his eyes closed, he could still clearly recall its appearance - the sphere emitting a faint golden light, the twisted and dissipated light flow around the sphere, and the concentric ring structure running quietly around the sphere.
The sun was not like this, it shouldn't be like this - in the world he was familiar with, even under the sky of an alien planet, the stars hanging high in the sky would not look like this.
But now he has to accept the fact.
He was in a foreign land, a land farther away than he had imagined.
Even the sun changed into something he couldn't understand.
Duncan subconsciously turned his head and looked at the door in front of the captain's room.
Pushing the door inward, he could return to the room where he had lived for many years, to his bachelor apartment.
But outside that room, thick fog had already obscured the entire world. In a sense, the "hometown" he was familiar with was only left with the last 30-square-meter hut.
The "home" that seems to be accessible by simply opening the door is actually just another boat sailing alone on the sea.
In the long silence, Goat Head's voice suddenly reached Duncan's ears: "Captain, where are we going next? Do you have any sailing plans?"
A sailing plan? How could Duncan have such a thing? Although he wanted to immediately formulate a complete plan to explore this world and finalize the next voyage, he didn't even have a normal sea chart, let alone any land or forces in this world, or whether this endless ocean had an end.
He had only learned how to fly the Lost Homeland a few hours ago.
But he still pondered, and after a few minutes he asked in his mind: "Where did the ship that collided with the Lost Hometown come from?"
"You want to go to those city-states?" The goat-headed man sounded a little surprised, and then he tried to dissuade them. "I suggest that you don't go near the waterways controlled by those city-states... at least not now. Although you are the great Captain Duncan, the current state of the Lost Homeland... is not as good as it used to be, and the garrison navy and the Vatican Guard of those city-states will definitely do their best to resist your... attack."
Duncan was speechless for a moment. He suddenly wanted to know what kind of things the "Captain Duncan" he replaced had done in the past that were so infuriating that it seemed that just showing up in the world could instantly stimulate a group of 25 people...
Moreover, after hearing the euphemism in Goat Head's words, Duncan also realized that the current status of the Lost Homeland and himself as the "captain" did not seem to be as good as it usually flattered - so the reason why Captain Ghost and his ship were so dominant in the ocean was actually that they dared not return to the port of the civilized world
Another way to say exile is a journey to the end of the world!
Duncan was a little distressed. He urgently needed to find a way to understand this world. He had to find a way to contact the "civilized society" of this world. Whether it was to survive here for a long time or to solve the mystery and return to the "hometown" he was familiar with, he could not continue to drift in this endless ocean. The problem was -
The "civilized society" of this world doesn't seem to think so.
In the eyes of the locals, "Captain Duncan" is a world boss that hangs around outside the main city. Once he appears in the field of vision, you must pull a 25-man group to fight him...
Duncan sighed - if there was a book to read on the "Lost Homeland", he would not be so passive. His only source of information here was the mysterious Goat Head, but he did not dare to reveal too much of himself in front of the Goat Head at this stage.
But then again... How come there isn't even a single book on such a huge ship
A long and lonely sea voyage is an extremely stressful environment for people living at sea. People always need some means to relieve stress. Ordinary sailors may not have much time to read for entertainment, but the dignified "Captain Duncan"... can't be illiterate, right
You know, "captain" is a technical job that requires a very high level of knowledge. Even the most rude and barbaric pirates must at least have a captain who can read nautical charts, understand astrology, and calculate routes.
Duncan was confused, so he asked casually. He asked very carefully, trying to make it sound like he was just saying it casually. However, Goat-Head answered without hesitation:
"Books? Reading books at sea is a dangerous thing. Those guys in the Deep and the Warp are always waiting for loopholes in the minds of mortals. The only safe reading materials are the "classics" published by the Church. Those things are safe, but they are so boring to read that you might as well go wash the decks... Haven't you always been uninterested in the Church's things?"
Duncan immediately raised his eyebrows.
How can reading a book at sea be life-threatening? And only the "classics" of the Vatican can be read safely? What is wrong with this endless sea
It felt like he had gained a little more knowledge about this world, but with it came new doubts. Duncan had to force these new doubts to stay in his heart. He came to the end of the ship's side and looked at the endless sea and sky in the distance.
The golden "sun" sheds brilliant light, and the reflection on the sea surface is like the undulating waves of tiny gold foil - if you ignore the overly strange appearance of the sun, it is indeed a beautiful sight.
"I want to hear your advice," Duncan said to Goat Head cautiously after careful consideration. "I am a little tired of this aimless voyage. Perhaps..."
He had just said half of his words when a strange "feeling" suddenly came from the bottom of his heart. This feeling came from the connection between him and the "Lost Homeland", as if some "foreign object" suddenly touched the ship. Then, he heard a "bang" from the stern, as if something heavy had hit the deck.
Duncan frowned, then drew out the loaded flintlock pistol from his waist, drew out the one-handed longsword with his other hand, and then ran quickly towards the direction where the sound came from.
A moment later, he arrived on the stern deck, and something lying quietly on the deck stunned him.
It was the gorgeous wooden box that looked like a coffin.
It's that weird puppet.
A creepy feeling surged into Duncan's heart. He stared at the box, whose surface was still wet, as if it would suddenly open by itself in the next second. Then he noticed that the nails around the lid of the wooden box had disappeared.
Those were the nails he hammered into the box before throwing it into the sea, so they should have been extremely strong.
After standing vigilantly beside the box for several minutes, Duncan finally made up his mind. He held the flintlock tightly in one hand and used the other hand to reach into the gap of the lid of the wooden box with his sword, and then pried it open with force.
The gorgeous box lid creaked open, and the lifeless Gothic doll was still lying quietly inside, surrounded by red velvet lining, like a sleeping princess.
Duncan stared at the puppet for several seconds, and spoke in a serious tone (he believed that he showed enough majesty at this moment): "If you are alive, then get up and talk to me."
After saying it twice, the puppet still didn't move.
Duncan looked at her seriously, and finally said calmly, "Very well, then I can only send you back."
After saying that, he put the lid back on without hesitation, then took out the tools and nailed a circle of coffin nails on the box in a criss-cross pattern. After hammering in the nails, he found an iron chain and used the original hooks on the box to secure the lid firmly.
After doing all this, Duncan stood up and clapped his hands in satisfaction. He looked at the "coffin" that he had tied up and nailed with a circle of coffin nails and nodded slightly: "You probably won't be able to open the coffin and get up this time."
After saying that, he kicked the box into the sea again without hesitation.
Watching the box fall into the water, and then watching it rise and fall with the current and gradually drift away, Duncan breathed a sigh of relief, then turned and left the stern.
But when he was halfway there, he suddenly turned around and looked again in the direction where the box was floating away.
The wooden box was still drifting on the sea.
Duncan nodded, turned around and continued walking away, then suddenly turned back.
The box was still floating on the sea, and had drifted very far away.
"Maybe I should put a cannonball in it or something, so it will sink..."
Duncan muttered something, then actually turned around and slowly walked towards the captain's cabin.
"You were a bit harsh on that lady." The goat-headed voice came from his mind.
"Shut up—you call a cursed doll 'madam'?"
"It does look like a cursed doll... But what curse on the vast sea can be greater than the Lost Town and the great Captain Duncan? Captain, the lady is actually quite gentle and harmless..."
Duncan: “…”
Why was this goat-head so proud when he spoke of the Lost Homeland and Captain Duncan's curse and infamy
Perhaps sensing Duncan's bad mood during the silence, Goat Head immediately changed the subject: "Captain, you said before that you wanted to hear my advice, specifically..."
"Let's talk later. I need to rest for a while. Driving the Lost Homeland in the spirit world has exhausted my energy. You stay quiet from now on."
"Yes, Captain."
Goat Head quieted down, and Duncan returned to the captain's room. He came to the navigation table and glanced casually at the nautical chart.
The next second, his gaze suddenly froze.
There seemed to be a subtle change in the nautical chart - the gray-white patches that originally covered the entire chart and kept wriggling as if they had life seemed to dissipate a little, and the sea surface around the Lost Hometown was becoming clearer!
This thing... is it updating information about the surrounding waters in real time as the Lost Hometown sails
Duncan immediately came to the navigation table and paid close attention to the subtle changes on the nautical chart.
But his concentration was soon interrupted.
Deep in his mind, the Lost Homeland once again sent a signal of "contact with a foreign object", and soon after, Duncan heard a "bang" coming from the deck behind the captain's room.