Chapter 25: “Communication is Impossible”
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The dove curiously tilted its head, apparently sensing the confusion on Duncan’s face. It repeated its statement more emphatically, declaring “Ai!” with greater force.
A moment of realization came to Duncan as he pieced things together. “Oh, your name is Ai, is it?” he asked, his voice tinged with surprise.
The dove nodded proudly, strutting back and forth across the desk, occasionally cooing softly and puffing up its chest.
Duncan rubbed his temples, overwhelmed by the challenge of communicating with this peculiar bird, which was even more perplexing than his conversations with the talking goat head. This was largely due to the dove’s unpredictable language patterns. “Do you have any idea how you came to exist? Or how you ended up here?” Duncan asked, trying to grasp the bird’s origin.
The dove paused, its small eyes becoming distant and vacant as if it were deep in thought. Then, absurdly, it responded, “Oops, page not found. Refresh and try again?”
Duncan was left speechless by the dove’s nonsensical answer.
Slowly, he began to understand the formidable task of deciphering the bird’s thought processes. The random phrases it uttered seemed unrelated to their conversation.
Nevertheless, it was clear that Ai, as the bird had named itself, was genuinely interacting with him.
However, the dove’s communication style was exceptionally unique, presenting a significant challenge.
As Duncan tried to communicate effectively with Ai, their conversations felt disjointed, like two parallel lines that never meet. If there was any relevance to the bird’s responses, Duncan could not see it. Yet, Ai seemed to earnestly reply to each of his questions, occasionally seeming to address his inquiries directly.
The whole interaction lacked clarity, leaving Duncan with more questions than answers. All he could do was murmur, “What an odd situation this is…”
It was becoming apparent to him that establishing meaningful communication with this unusual bird might be a lengthy and challenging endeavor, possibly even more difficult than adjusting to the constant chatter of Goathead.
Meanwhile, Ai sat calmly on the desk, blinking innocently and intermittently mumbling something about craving V-Points.
Duncan decided to ignore the dove’s nonsensical chatter, focusing instead on the green flame that flickered at his fingertip. Despite the strange fusion of the brass compass with Ai, he could still manipulate this “aberrant object.”
As the green flame rose, it ignited a similar flame among Ai’s feathers. With a soft “click,” the brass compass hanging from Ai’s chest swung open. Beneath its transparent cover, the spectral pointer slowly stabilized under Duncan’s intense gaze, while the dial, adorned with numerous cryptic symbols, gradually filled with green flame.
Throughout this, Ai remained unaffected, basking in the glow of the ethereal flame as if awaiting Duncan’s next command.
Before the brass compass was fully activated, Duncan extinguished the flame.
While testing the compass, Duncan silently reviewed his findings:
“The compass is operational, albeit with a peculiar ‘interface.’ The purpose of the dove remains unclear… it might function as a type of assistant…”
“The true nature of the compass remains a mystery. It would be reckless to attempt another ‘transit’ without proper preparation and understanding… In future experiments, I must monitor any changes in both the compass and the dove.”
“There is a tether, an invisible bond between the dove and me. This connection becomes more apparent whenever the ghost flame is ignited, granting me some control over the dove’s actions… but that’s as far as it goes…”
“The dove, or Ai, evidently has its own will and tends to act on its personal impulses. There’s no certainty that it will obey all commands, which distinguishes it from other ‘items’ on the Vanished.”
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“Its ability to speak, along with some level of cognitive function and the capacity to make independent decisions… These features make the dove’s personality remarkably similar to that of Goathead…” Duncan pondered these thoughts, processing the information.
His gaze then shifted to an obsidian dagger lying on the table.
The dagger was unique, with a dry, twisted handle and a smooth, black blade that caught the faintest light.
This artifact had once belonged to a robed priest who wore a mask resembling a golden sun and had led a sinister sacrifice in an underground gathering place. Given its history, the dagger appeared to be a “ritual instrument.”
Duncan had projected his consciousness to the alleged underground site in “Pland.” Returning from this mental journey, he found it surprising that the ritual dagger now physically existed before him.
After a brief moment of thought, Duncan picked up the dagger.
The cold, solid feel of the dagger confirmed its physical reality.
Duncan released a small burst of ghostly fire, enveloping the dark blade. The empty, void-like response verified that any supernatural essence once contained in the ritual dagger had been completely depleted.
As he had hypothesized at the sacrificial site, this item was not an authentic “anomalous object.” It was likely a temporary conduit, endowed with supernatural energy through artificial means.
While still unsure of the classification system for “anomalous objects” in this world, Duncan suspected that this dagger was not particularly unique. It seemed almost mass-produced.
“Is this something you managed to bring back?” He asked Ai, who was perched quietly on the table, motioning with the obsidian dagger. “Did you fetch this specifically for me?”
Ai met Duncan’s gaze with its deep red eyes but remained silent and motionless.
Silence fell over Duncan.
When he tried to repeat his question, Ai continued to be unresponsive, resembling a lifeless statue.
This sudden shift left Duncan perplexed. Just as he was about to use the ghostly fire to rouse Ai from its apparent dormancy, the bird suddenly became animated. It hopped excitedly in place and loudly squawked, “Take this solar energy battle axe, take this solar energy battle axe, take this…”
“Alright, alright, I get it. There’s no need to repeat all my earlier questions,” Duncan quickly interjected, trying to soothe the overly excited dove as he collected his thoughts. “So, can you tell me how you brought this dagger here? Are you able to transport ‘physical objects’ on your travels?”
After a moment of what seemed like deep thought, the dove turned its attention to Duncan’s finger, gently pecking at it before responding, “Free shipping for the entire store, everything’s delivered for free.”
Duncan sighed, deciding to accept this baffling reply as an answer, despite not fully understanding it.
Standing up from his desk, he glanced towards the chart room.
Outside, Goathead and Alice were deeply engaged in a friendly conversation.
Miss Doll had been quiet for a while, as Goathead enthusiastically recounted his seventeenth recipe for savory seaweed stew.
Duncan felt it was time to check in on his crew, especially since he appeared to be the most normal among them. He assumed his prolonged absence might have caused some concern. It seemed fitting to show up, if only to alleviate any worries Goathead might have.
Just as he was about to leave, he hesitated, his gaze landing on Ai, who was fluttering about the table.
Should he take the dove with him? How would he explain its presence?
After pausing for a mere two seconds, Duncan decisively picked up the dove and placed it gently on his shoulder.
Given that he was expected to spend a considerable amount of time on the Vanished, and anticipating Ai’s ongoing presence, hiding the bird—an “anomalous object” capable of thought and communication—would be a significant challenge.
Instead of trying to conceal Ai, Duncan opted to openly introduce the dove as his latest “acquisition.” He felt no need to explain this to Goathead, and as the captain, he wasn’t obligated to justify his actions to his first mate.
As for Ai’s occasional odd phrases, phrases that likely made no sense to anyone in this world, he felt no urge to explain them either.
He would let Goathead and Alice puzzle that out themselves.
With Ai comfortably perched on his shoulder, Duncan straightened up, maintaining a composed demeanor as he started towards the chart room.
With its chest puffed out as if in pride, Ai seemed to declare, “Authentic herbal tea, authentic voice. Welcome to the show…”
Truly incoherent ramblings… Thanks for the chapter!
This is getting weird.
Its bumblebee!
I wonder if it’s just me but the header are too big
The comments the dove makes aren’t always complete nonsense, though. They’re at least tangentially related to the questions he asks. Like, it’s able to give its name, Ai, and when he asks where it came from it says ‘page not found’.
He asks if it brought the knife back and if it was for him, and the bird says ‘take this solar powered battle axe’ over and over. It may not be a battle axe, but it IS a weapon related to the sun.
He asks if it’s able to transport things, and it says the ‘free shipping’ thing, and so on. I wonder if it can only use phrases the earthling has heard before to communicate, or some other sort of limitation. Though repeating phrases that it has heard before is a very parrot-like thing to do, and what better pet for a pirate than a parrot?
oh, you are getting real close to the truth there. so close, just inches away from a major plot point
Hopefully no admin tho