Chapter 55 “Soup for Dinner”
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The surprise was clearly visible on Vanna’s face, and Heidi, ever observant, immediately sensed that something was wrong. Given their long history of collaboration with the church, Heidi understood that the matter could be of significant importance.
Pausing to gather her thoughts, Heidi carefully asked, “Considering everything that’s happening, is this incident something serious?”
Vanna nodded solemnly, confirming the serious nature of the situation.
Taking a moment to think it over, Heidi began to reply as she methodically arranged her medical equipment, “Since I have a day off tomorrow, I might not be available…”
“Heidi, I’m afraid you’re already involved,” Vanna interrupted, her eyes fixed intently on her friend. “I’m sorry to say that everyone at the site, myself included, experienced some kind of mental interference. The same abnormalities you identified in the cult members likely affected all of us too. Thankfully, by the grace of our goddess, we managed to avoid severe exposure, which helped us recover.”
Overwhelmed by a sense of impending trouble, Heidi stopped packing her medical tools and covered her face with her hands. “I should have listened to my father’s suggestion to become an antique appraiser or followed my mother’s advice to teach history at a local school… It would have been much less dangerous than dealing with cultists.”
“Calm down, your current job provides a comfortable life in one of the city’s better districts,” Vanna reassured her, her voice unusually warm and friendly. This showed her deep friendship and peer relationship with Heidi. “Let’s focus on your findings. They might help the Storm Church and City Hall better understand what’s happening.”
Heidi sighed and admitted, “It’s quite clear, really. There was a massive anomaly. On the night of the ritual, the sacrifice went awry when the sun totem intensified, overwhelming the priest in charge. From the evidence we collected, it appears that the ‘sacrifice’ was actually a ‘corpse’ that had been killed earlier, correct?”
Vanna nodded, confirming Heidi’s conclusion. “Yes, I remember it clearly.”
Heidi then posed another question, “So, why didn’t any of the cultists, or even the priest himself, recognize the sacrificial victim? How could they not identify him?”
This inconsistency made Vanna frown in puzzlement. “It seems they were presented with a person who had been sacrificed before, yet no one realized this oddity until it was too late. Their memories must have been tampered with, and their perceptions altered beforehand.”
“Exactly,” Heidi agreed, her rueful smile showing through her hands. “We too failed to spot this glaring inconsistency at the time, didn’t we? It was only an hour ago, after you brought it up, that I finally noticed our oversight.”
Vanna sat silently for a moment, her eyes resting on the cultist who was still recovering from the powerful combination of neurodrugs and the thick scent of incense that filled the room.
Suddenly, she asked, “Do you think the violence that broke out after the ritual could also stem from their mental confusion?”
“Absolutely,” Heidi confirmed. “I’ve seen fleeting glimpses of vivid images in their memories. These images seemed to exert a powerful influence, convincing them that all the other participants were under the control of evil forces, possibly possessed by malevolent spirits. They believed they were driving out evil spirits from their fellow cultists, rather than attacking and killing their peers.”
This Translation is hosted on bcatranslation.com
“These reactions are like distress signals from their souls,” Vanna speculated with a logical tone. “Even as cultists, they are devout believers and receive what they consider ‘blessings’ from the Black Sun they worship. When faced with a great and unfamiliar threat, it’s likely these blessings allow them to sense it. Their frenzied visions partially revealed the truth. Unfortunately, these unprepared followers couldn’t understand these ominous signs, and it led to a collective breakdown.”
Heidi turned to Vanna, her expression serious, and after hesitating for a moment, she cautiously asked, “So… what do you think is the real force behind all this? Is it something more sinister than just the ancient sun?”
Vanna paused to think, then slightly shook her head. “I would advise against investigating further, Heidi. Your involvement in this matter is quite limited, but digging deeper could irreversibly entangle you.”
“If you think that’s best. I value my life too much, so I’ll trust your judgment,” Heidi responded, picking up her neatly arranged medical kit. “I plan to take some time to rest… Don’t worry, I’m not running away. I’m actually looking forward to the exhibition at the museum in two days. It should be interesting.”
“That sounds like a perfect way to unwind,” Vanna nodded approvingly. “The exhibits there are indeed blessed by the goddess.”
With a smile, Heidi moved toward the door. Just as she was about to leave, she stopped and turned back, looking concerned. “I mean… are you sure the contamination has been fully contained?”
“Be at peace, it has been,” Vanna assured her, waving her hand dismissively. “What we encountered were merely lingering ‘echoes’. You’ve spent enough time in the underground church that any corrupt elements would have been purified by the goddess’s power by now.”
“That’s reassuring,” Heidi sighed, her anxiety easing as she left the room. “Until next time, Inquisitor Vanna.”
Vanna remained alone in the interrogation chamber, surrounded by the residual smell of incense and the fading effects of the nerve potions, with only the cultist for company. Unbeknownst to her, the image she projected was not as sanctified in the eyes of the cultist. Behind her authoritative figure loomed a faint, semi-transparent phantom with a green flame flickering ominously above, casting a nearly threatening aura around her.
…
In the mapping room of the Vanished, Duncan sat with an impassive expression, his gaze intently focused on the doll holding a tray adorned with shiny utensils and a large bowl of steaming fish soup.
It seemed that after adapting to life on the Vanished, Alice, dubbed Miss Doll, had devised a unique way to “serve the captain in her own special style.”
“Dinner?” Duncan quirked an eyebrow and gave Alice a puzzled look as he surveyed the contents of the tray. “What motivated this?”
“While tidying up the kitchen pantry, I discovered a bucket full of… ‘fish’,” Alice said, her face lighting up with pride. “I may not be equipped to help with many tasks on the ship, but I can certainly manage cooking duties. From now on, I’ll take care of the meals.”
“I commend your initiative,” Duncan replied, his tone mixed with curiosity and a hint of uncertainty about how to interact with this unconventional doll. Despite his reservations, he found it difficult to dismiss Alice’s eager smile and enthusiasm. “But as a doll, are you sure you have the ability to cook?”
“I can learn. It seems quite simple,” Alice confidently asserted. “The most important first step is to seek advice from Mr. Goathead. He has already shared a lot of cooking knowledge with me…”
Duncan glanced at Goathead, who was positioned nearby, and then back at Alice.
A wooden sculpture and a doll crafted from some unknown material were attempting to master the art of cooking, despite neither having the need to eat. The very thought was both audacious and slightly absurd.
Unsure of what to feel in such an unusual situation, Duncan reached for the soup spoon and began to stir the soup.
At least it smelled delicious…
But his action paused abruptly when he noticed a long, silvery-white hair tangled around the spoon.
“There’s hair in the soup,” Duncan remarked in a flat tone.
“Oh no, I assure you I didn’t shed any hair,” Alice quickly gestured with her hands in denial, eager to explain. “It’s just that my head accidentally fell in… But don’t worry, I managed to retrieve it right away, and I did it all by myself!”
All Duncan could muster in response was a bewildered silence: “…?”
I…
Thats worse..
It really is…
It truely is worse… poor Duncan. All he wanted was some nice fish soup.
So basically duncan have passive AOE Kotoamatsukami with doing an astral projection?
That’s OP as f*ck…
worst of all he himself doesn’t realise it, the reason noone recognized the corpse he possessed was because the corpse was “Duncan” same as Ron turned into “Duncan”, possession creates or replaces an identity, and also messes with everyone around minds to make them think that what is happening is normal
I’m starting to wonder if the captain Duncan of the vanished was originally a Duncan, or if he ran into something in subspace that overtook him.
The real Duncan was the friends we made along the way.
Duncan might actually be Zhou but he forgot his own identity as a Captain due to some problem.
I guess Duncan Abnormar isnt any one person but a persona of the captain of the vanished