Duncan opened the door of the captain's room and walked in. The black goat head on the chart table immediately turned its eyes away in silence and stared at the door in the slightly dim light.
"Duncan Abnomer—I'm back," Duncan said casually, waving his hand, and then glanced out the window, "Where are we now?"
Before entering the captain's room, he had already noticed that the Lost Homeland had passed through the dark fog. Now the thick fog in the nearby sea had turned into its normal grayish-white color. Under the light, the thick fog was silently rising and falling in the distance.
"We have reached the six-mile threshold fifteen minutes ago, and the fleet is now waiting for your order," the goat-headed man said, while turning his head with a creaking sound, as if he was still carefully looking at the captain who walked into the room. "You... seem to have been to a very far place, or left for a long time. I almost didn't recognize you for a moment."
Listening to Goat-Head's slightly uneasy muttering, Duncan just waved his hand gently. Then, instead of walking towards the chart table as usual, he slowly turned around, as if looking for something around - his eyes fell on the lantern hanging on the wall next to him.
The simple-looking brass lantern hangs quietly on the hook. It looks ordinary and seems to be just an ordinary object when it is not lit.
He reached out, took the lantern from the wall, and held it before his eyes to examine it carefully.
"Are you going to the bottom cabin?" The goat-headed man's voice came from behind, with a hint of doubt, "The bottom cabin is very calm now, there should be no need to comfort it, and we are at the critical point..."
"No, I'm not going to the bottom cabin," Duncan interrupted the goat-headed man, then took the lantern to the chart table and placed it on the table. "How much do you know about this lantern?"
The goat-head was obviously stunned for a moment, not understanding why the captain would suddenly ask such a question after returning from an "outing", but it soon reacted and said while thinking: "If you are asking about the use of this lantern, then I have already told you, but if you are asking me about its origin... Then I can only say that it was already here when I came here."
"So, this lamp was originally on the Lost Homeland," Duncan frowned and said thoughtfully. Then he suddenly thought of something he had never asked before. "Wait, how did you know the use of this lamp? Who told you its function? And there are many other things on the ship..."
"... This ship told me," Goat Head hesitated and said in a serious tone, "I know what everything on this ship is used for. Most of the information comes from the ship's own 'memory', and the remaining small part comes from..."
It hesitated for a few seconds, its eyes falling on Duncan.
"A long time ago, when the 'Captain' could still occasionally think and communicate."
Duncan nodded, without further questioning, and turned his attention back to the lantern.
Goathead couldn't help but become curious. He carefully looked at the familiar lantern and noticed the serious expression on the captain's face: "Is there any problem with this lantern?"
"… There's nothing wrong with it," Duncan hesitated, realizing that he couldn't risk discussing what was "on the other side" of the door in front of Goat Head, so he could only ask indirectly, "I'm just curious, does this light have any other uses besides providing comfort when patrolling the bottom cabin?"
"As far as I know... this is its only function," the goat-head thought for a moment and answered seriously, "It is something the captain carries with him when he patrols the dark places, and the ship itself remembers this as well... Perhaps you can ask Miss Lucrecia?"
Duncan thought about it, and at this moment, a shadow suddenly surged in the mirror not far away, and then Agatha's figure emerged in the shadow: "Captain, we received a signal from the lighthouse, asking if there is any situation."
Duncan exhaled, stood up and temporarily hung the lamp back on the wall - the Brilliant Star and the three church warships that were responsible for escort and guide missions were still waiting for his orders.
At this stage, the task of border exploration is more important - after all, this is not a safe "internal waters", and wasting time on the six-nautical-mile critical line is not a good idea.
"Let Vanna contact her compatriots and have those church warships approach the 'lighthouse'. Tell the 'sailor' to go to the stern and wait for orders - we are preparing to 'cross the border'."
"Yes, Captain." Agatha immediately lowered her head and obeyed the order, her figure gradually disappearing in the mirror.
Duncan then left the captain's room, strolled across the misty deck, and walked up the stairs on the side of the captain's room to the towering stern deck.
The gray fog shrouded the endless sea. The sea surface was as calm as a mirror and the sky was dark, but there was a uniform "glimmer" that was different from the sunlight and the creation of the world, which permeated the depths of the clouds and fog, preventing the entire sea area from being completely plunged into darkness.
This "glimmer" is a phenomenon unique to border waters, and it still exists even on days when the sun disappears.
“So many wonderful sights, so many secrets waiting to be revealed…”
A voice suddenly came from not far away. Duncan looked in the direction of the voice and saw Morris standing on the edge of the stern deck, staring at the fog in the distance in a trance.
The old scholar was wearing a somewhat worn windbreaker and holding an unlit pipe in his hand. He had an emotional expression on his face. After noticing the captain's gaze, he turned his head and showed a somewhat self-deprecating smile.
"It's just that I feel a little sad, Captain. When the world is about to end, I have seen so many things that are worth studying for several more lifetimes. I can't help but feel a little regretful."
Duncan said nothing, but silently came to the old scholar's side and looked in another direction.
A towering lighthouse stands quietly in the thick fog.
Strictly speaking, it is a complex structure consisting of a lighthouse, a church and a steam-powered platform. A large power port driven by a steam core is its base. A towering church with a deep-sea style is built on the power floating island. The central part of the church serves as the base of the lighthouse. The solemn black structure winds up along the main tower to form a spiral outer tower. Sacred steam pipes can be seen between each spiral, and at the top of the entire structure is the burning "torch".
It was a blessed flame, and amid the prayers of the church, it burned brighter than any ordinary lamp—even in the boundless fog of the Border Sea, its light was bright enough to penetrate the thick mist.
But it is still difficult for it to penetrate the chaos six miles away that no longer obeys "order".
"That's the 'lighthouse' set up by the Deep Sea Church on the eastern border. There are three similar lighthouses, each controlled by the other three major churches," Vanna's voice came from not far away. She had come to the stern deck without knowing when. "I heard Her Majesty Helena say that these lighthouses are the best results that the churches have been able to produce in border operations so far - they can maintain communication and navigation for a period of time after the ship crosses the six-mile critical line, that's all."
The sound of whistles echoed in the nearby sea. The three church warships responsible for the navigation mission broke away from the formation, slowly passed by the Lost Homeland and the Brilliant Star, and headed towards the lighthouse standing in the thick fog.
They have completed their duties - the subsequent "cross-border" actions are no longer something they can participate in.
The mission of the living people is completed, and the next thing is for the "ghost ship" to do.
The hesitant footsteps gradually approached. Duncan looked in the direction of the sound and saw Anomaly 077 walking towards him hesitantly.
He was wearing a "navy uniform" that he had found from somewhere, covering the ragged rags on his body. The size of the uniform was not quite right and it looked loose on the shriveled and wrinkled body.
"This was sent by someone from the church..." Anomaly 077 noticed the captain's gaze and immediately raised his hand, "I think I should dress more formally... There's no harm in being more formal."
Duncan nodded and asked casually, "Are you ready?"
"… Actually, I'm still a little nervous." The sailor subconsciously pulled at the buttons on his chest, but soon straightened his body and tried to look reliable, "But I'm ready."
Duncan didn't say anything else, but just looked up in the direction of the Brilliant Star and called out in his heart: "Lucy".
"I'm here, Dad."
"The sailor will take the helm. You must get as close to the Lost Homeland as possible," Duncan said seriously. "Next, I will no longer suppress the influence of 'Anomaly 077' and spread its power further. If everything goes well, the Brilliant Star will be affected as well - we will enter the 'correct route' and sail to the place where the Storm Goddess sleeps."
Lucrecia's voice sounded calm and firm: "I understand. I will follow."
Duncan nodded, took a deep breath, and looked at Abnormal 077 who had come to the rudder.
“… Helmsman, do your duty.”
"Yes, Captain!"
The sailor shouted with all his might and volume, using his signature cracked voice, then took a step forward and grabbed the dark steering wheel tightly with both hands.
Almost instantly, the dark green flames that were rising around the Lost Homeland flickered visibly, and then began to spread outward, enveloping the Brilliant Star!
With a sudden creaking sound as if space itself was being squeezed, the figures of the two ships suddenly began to become illusory - then they gradually adjusted their posture and began to accelerate towards the deeper part of the thick fog.
And just as he crossed the border, Duncan heard the sound of a whistle.
First came the three church warships that had performed escort missions, followed by the church lighthouse standing at the border of the thick fog, and then, came the large and small ships belonging to the Deep Sea Church that were docked near the lighthouse.
The sound of whistles rose and fell at the end of the world—the Homeland Lost and the Brilliant Star accelerated again in the farewell of the mortal world and leaped over the curtain.
(End of this chapter)
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