After Duncan opened his eyes, everyone came over instantly.
The translucent dark green spiritual fire was still burning quietly between the folds of the shroud. Duncan blinked and extinguished the flame before it completely burned the shroud. Then he calmed down and sorted out the information he had just seen while fixing his eyes on the "sailor".
The mummy was standing a little further away, keeping a distance while unable to help but peeking over here curiously, looking hesitant.
"Uncle Duncan, what did you see?" Nina came over and pulled Duncan's arm, then looked up and asked with a worried and curious look on her face.
"...Captain Kalani's memories," Duncan exhaled softly, without leaving any suspense, "It records the experiences of the Sea Song after the voyage and the process of returning home..."
The "sailor" immediately pricked up his ears and unconsciously took small steps towards this side.
Duncan told everything he saw in the vision without hiding anything.
As soon as he finished speaking, all eyes at the scene instantly fell on the "sailor" who had moved to the side of the coffee table in small steps.
Anomaly 077 was still listening a second ago, and suddenly heard Captain Kalani handing over the route to the outer barrier to him. His expression froze immediately. After noticing that everyone was looking at him, he immediately took a half step back, staring and waving his hands: "Hey, don't look at me, I don't know about the route, what route... I'm confused too!"
"You don't know?" Helena frowned and looked at him suspiciously. "Captain Kalani said that he gave you that route... You don't have any impression of it?"
“I didn’t!” The mummy opened his hands, looking even more confused than when Ai threw him out of the portal. “I only remember the log, and I remember it vaguely... You know, I can’t even remember the details of my return trip that year!”
The tall and silent Frame stared at him for a long time, and then suddenly asked: "What do you remember? After returning to the Infinite Sea, don't you have any other more impressive things?"
The sailor thought hard and clapped his hands, "Yes, I remember that when I opened my eyes, I was lying in a box. Two people in blue and black robes were muttering to me while sprinkling ashes and spices on me. There was also a Senjin man as stone-like as you who was about to nail the coffin lid on my head. I didn't let him, so he hit me with a hammer. When I opened my eyes again, it was fucking 1864."
Frame: “…”
The living room was silent for two seconds. The atmosphere seemed a little awkward, but Alice didn't seem to notice it at all. Seeing that no one else was talking, she asked curiously, "Ah, then what?"
"Then? I just sat up when I heard someone yelling next to me. I didn't hear what they yelled, but I saw a girl rushing up and hitting me with a hammer again. When I opened my eyes again, it was 1901. Captain Lawrence and a group of angry sailors wanted to press me on the bridge. I didn't resist... You all know what happened afterwards..."
Everyone in the living room looked at each other in bewilderment. Helena coughed awkwardly, while Duncan spread his hands helplessly. Everyone began to try to divert their attention away from this topic...
Only Alice, who was not very smart, was still mumbling to the "sailor": "Hey, then how do you know it was in 1864? Weren't you stunned as soon as you opened your eyes?"
"I later asked Captain Lawrence about it, and he said that was the only time in history that I almost lost control... In addition, I actually woke up several times, but I have no memory of those..."
"Let me tell you, I also slept in a box before, and there were people mumbling next to the box, scattering things, and hammering nails..."
"Really? How's your sleep quality?"
"It's OK. The noise they make when chanting is not too loud. But now I don't sleep in the box half of the time. The captain gave me a bed..."
The "sailor" sighed from the bottom of his heart: "I really envy you for being able to sleep like this..."
The two anomalies suddenly started discussing a very weird topic without paying attention to anyone else. Duncan couldn't help but interrupt their conversation with a dry cough. "Ahem, this is not the time to talk about this."
The "sailor" shut his mouth instantly.
"First of all, I believe what you said. You must have forgotten about the 'route'," Duncan adjusted his expression and said to Anomaly 077 seriously, "But what is recorded in Captain Kalani's log must be true. The 'route' is with you."
The "sailor" opened his mouth and pointed at himself: "What if I don't remember..."
"I haven't finished yet," Duncan waved his hand. "Whether you remember it or not may not be important - because this important route may not have been simply 'remembered' in your mind from the beginning. Captain Kalani mentioned in the log that she 'gave the route to you'. This sentence really concerns me... She seems to regard the route as some kind of 'object', or... some other 'entity'. Perhaps when she left the log, she realized that there would be such a day."
Duncan paused here, thought for a moment, and then his eyes fell on the "shroud" again.
"Just as her diary passed through the border in this form, she may have used other methods to leave you information about the 'route'. Even if the border distorts that information and interferes with your memory and even self-awareness, this 'route' will not disappear - it is still in you, in a 'form' that we don't understand yet."
The sailor was stunned as he listened, and seemed to be gradually convinced, but he suddenly became a little skeptical: "... Could Captain Kalani really do such a thing? I thought it was just some kind of 'accident' that her log became like this... After all, she is just a mortal..."
"But she has faced our Lord directly before," Helena suddenly broke the silence, "After any mortal has faced a god directly... it is difficult to regard them as purely 'mortals' anymore."
The Sailor fell silent.
"We need some time to consider how to arrange the next action, including verifying whether you really have the information about the 'route'," Duncan said seriously, looking into Anomaly 077's eyes. "But no matter what, you must stay with us for a while. If necessary, you must sail with the Lost Homeland. Be prepared for this."
When the "sailor" heard this, he trembled visibly: "Ah? I thought I was just coming here to deliver some information..."
Duncan looked at him silently.
The Sailor's expression suddenly changed: "Of course, you know that I have been a loyal member of the Lost Home Fleet from the beginning. It is my lifelong wish to board that legendary exploration ship..."
Duncan relaxed and nodded with a smile. Others also smiled at the "sailor". Shirley even stepped forward and patted his skinny arm: "Don't be nervous. The captain is actually very nice! And it's not boring to stay on the ship. There are all kinds of excitement every day..."
She was too embarrassed to say that she was also one of the biggest "lively" people on the ship...
Everyone was happy at the scene, except Helena, who was watching the scene with a complicated expression.
She still couldn't help but think of those warriors who came to the Ark to accept her blessing not long ago when the Sea Song was preparing to set off, and thought of those positive, determined and faith-filled faces.
She still found it hard to believe that those warriors had disappeared in the vast time - even the only one who returned to this world had become like this.
"We should leave now," the Pope sighed softly, "We have been disturbing here for too long - there are still many things waiting for me and Frame at the church."
Duncan glanced up at the mechanical clock on the opposite wall of the living room and saw that the day was over.
"Then I won't see you off," he said casually, "I also have some things to arrange."
Helena nodded, and after saying goodbye to the others, she and Frame turned and walked towards the door - but just as she was about to leave, she suddenly stopped and looked back at Duncan.
After a brief hesitation, she said, "The Deep Sea Church's border assembly point is located at the southeastern border, near the sea where you reunited with the Tide last time."
"Got it," Duncan nodded gently, "I will contact you before I leave."
The two popes left, and a moment later, two cars were seen outside the window driving into the distant night.
The living room suddenly became quiet again. Shirley was the first to stretch herself: "Yawn... I'm sleepy. I'm going to go back to bed first!"
Vanna and Morris also left the living room.
"There are still many empty rooms here," Lucrecia, as the hostess here, began to arrange accommodation for the 'new member'. She glanced at the mummy in front of her and said, "Do you have any requirements for the room? In terms of floor level or ventilation?"
“No, no,” the mummy waved his hands repeatedly, looking quite nervous, “Just find me a place to stay, I don’t sleep anyway…”
His eyes suddenly fell on the railing of the stairs not far away.
"Hey, this railing is great. Give me a rope and I'll hang here. It's facing the sun, so I can get some sun in the morning... Oh, although there's no sun lately..."
"Are you sure?" Duncan raised his eyebrows. "Let me remind you that Nina is the first one to get up every day, and she tends to get groggy when she gets up. If she comes down the stairs groggy and looks up to see you hanging on the railing, it won't just be a simple shock - you'll really see the sun."
"You have to stay in the room!" Lucrecia, who was standing nearby, became anxious when she heard this and immediately said to the mummy, "Don't really scare Nina - I'll lose my house if that happens."
Nina whispered behind Duncan: "Actually, I'm in control now..."
The "sailor" blinked his eyes, listened to what Captain Duncan and Miss Witch said, and looked at the "sun fragment" who was muttering with a wronged look on his face. Suddenly, he felt that... the atmosphere here seemed different from what he imagined.
not bad.
He pulled the corners of his mouth and revealed a somewhat scary smile.
"Okay, I'll follow your arrangements."
(happy New Year to all!)
(End of this chapter)