Chapter 8 “The Sun”
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An exquisitely crafted doll, strikingly resembling a living human, was nestled within a grand and intricately carved wooden box. Duncan found himself mesmerized by the doll’s supernatural realism. The details etched into her facial features were so lifelike that Duncan nearly mistook her for a real person. She lay in peaceful repose, her pose reminiscent of a noble lady asleep in her coffin, caught in a moment of serene anticipation as if awaiting someone to break her timeless silence.
Duncan was so captivated by the doll’s startling realism that he could almost see her coming to life, her eyes opening in the next moment.
Yet, this was only an illusion. The doll remained lifeless, indifferent to the world outside her wooden sanctuary.
With extreme caution, Duncan examined this unusual artifact. The doll wasn’t peculiar in itself, but her human-like appearance and her coffin-like resting place stirred unease in him. The mysterious sudden appearance of the box on his ship, the Vanished, only deepened his apprehension.
After carefully scrutinizing the doll for some time, Duncan finally convinced himself that the intricately crafted gothic doll wouldn’t suddenly spring to life. This brought him a moment of relief. He took a deep breath, his eyebrows furrowed in thought, as he turned to his odd companion, Goathead, and asked, “What do you think is going on here?”
“The previous ship must have treasured this as important cargo,” Goathead replied immediately. Although it had initially pretended to know nothing about the enigmatic wooden box that had appeared seemingly out of nowhere on the deck, it was clear that Goathead knew more about maritime matters than Duncan, who was only posing as a captain. “The symbols on the box suggest it’s related to divine beings, and the anchor nails for chains around the box suggest it was securely sealed at one time. Transporting such objects across the Boundless Sea involves great risk, indicating that the original ship may have had significant influential connections.”
“A seal?” Duncan’s eyelid twitched involuntarily. His gaze shifted to the box’s lid, which was already damaged when found on the Vanished. He had opened it easily. Despite his lack of expertise in seals, he was quite sure that the seal on this box had been broken a long time ago. “Could this object be dangerous?”
“This object might pose a risk, especially to those in frail health, but I highly doubt it poses any real danger to you. I firmly believe that no ‘anomaly,’ no matter how cleverly sealed, can withstand the formidable might of Captain Duncan,” Goathead assured him confidently.
Duncan chose to remain silent, keeping a stoic expression as he pondered the situation.
Goathead’s flattery was undoubtedly pleasing to hear. Had he truly been the famous “Captain Duncan,” he might have been inclined to believe it. However, as merely a stand-in for the legendary captain, a deep-rooted unease continued to disturb his peace of mind.
Goathead’s enigmatic statement had made it clear that the doll, lying still and lifeless within its coffin-like box, posed a potential danger. Yet, it seemed to present no direct threat to the rightful captain.
Even though Zhou Ming had taken on the title of Captain Duncan, giving the impression he had assumed the original’s role and some authority, he harbored no illusions about his true identity. He knew that the body exchange had not transformed him into an exact replica of the ‘real Captain Duncan.’
His understanding of this strange world, the ship he was on, and even his own physical body was limited.
Importantly, he had noted a particular term Goathead had used—’anomaly.’ It suggested something out of the ordinary. While the term might appear common, the emphasis Goathead placed on it suggested it held a deeper significance in this context.
Perhaps, in this alternate reality, ‘anomaly’ held a more profound meaning. It might not just refer to something ‘supernatural,’ but could indicate a specific type of entity, like a doll in a coffin.
Regrettably, he lacked a credible reason to explore the meaning of this term further, which should have been considered ‘common knowledge’ in this world.
After considering the need to gather information cautiously and build his knowledge gradually, Duncan furrowed his brows and glanced sideways at the doll, his expression resolute. “I should consign it back to the ocean’s depths,” he declared.
This statement was followed by a moment of uncertainty that briefly overwhelmed him. It was a distinct unease, particularly strong when he looked at the doll. The discomfort stemmed not just from the doll’s captivating beauty, but also because it resembled a living being, peacefully resting in a wooden casket. The idea of casting it into the ocean’s depths evoked a sense of guilt, almost as if he were discarding a living creature.
Nevertheless, Duncan’s brief hesitation only served to solidify his determination.
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Duncan had learned enough to understand that this world was filled with a variety of peculiar and unnerving phenomena. Despite his relatively short time aboard the Vanished, he had already encountered a talking goat head, a mast that could hoist sails by itself, a perpetual ship light, the ominously treacherous sea, a terrifying spiritual realm, and an endless shroud of sea fog…
Adding to this was his recent encounter — a battle with a mechanized ship on these ominous waters. A ship that had been carrying sealed objects, which had inexplicably ended up on the deck of the Vanished.
Being a man of practical reasoning and caution, Duncan realized he could not risk keeping an object that might harbor a strange and menacing force, despite its aesthetic appeal.
With a pang of regret tugging at his heart, Duncan firmly closed the lid of the makeshift “coffin” again. Overwhelmed with unease, this feeling compelled him to search the cabin for nails and a hammer. With methodical precision, he hammered a new set of iron nails into the casket, striving to secure it once more.
After finishing this task, he pushed the wooden “coffin,” containing the disturbingly lifelike doll, towards the edge of the deck.
“You’re at liberty to discard your spoils as you see fit, but I would be remiss if I did not offer a simple suggestion,” the voice of Goathead reached him, its tone a curious blend of gentle mockery and advice, “You needn’t exercise such extreme caution. The Vanished hasn’t had the fortune of acquiring spoils in quite some time…”
“Quiet,” Duncan sharply interrupted Goathead’s rambling monologue.
Goathead fell silent immediately. Duncan then gave the “coffin” a forceful kick, sending it flying off the deck and into the vast sea.
The heavy wooden box tumbled over the ship’s edge, plunging into the sea with a resounding splash. It briefly vanished beneath the surface before bobbing back up, slowly drifting towards the stern of the Vanished.
Duncan watched as the waves carried the box further away until it was completely obscured by the ship’s stern. He sighed with relief at this sight. As he scanned the horizon, he noted that the spectral sea mist had entirely cleared, revealing the expansive, deep blue ocean surrounding the Vanished.
The ship had successfully left the “spirit realm,” re-entering the realm of the tangible.
On the adjacent sea surface, there was no trace of the mechanical ship that had briefly shared their course.
Duncan’s brow furrowed slightly as he quickly calculated the time elapsed since they had crossed paths with the other ship and the speed at which each vessel had been moving.
Given the current sea conditions, the ship should not have vanished from sight so quickly.
“Is this a consequence of the peculiar sea, or is it somehow connected to the supposed ‘spirit realm sailing’?” Duncan wondered aloud, though his thoughts quickly drifted elsewhere.
He had spotted a streak of golden light breaking through the seemingly impenetrable layer of dark clouds that perpetually enshrouded the sea. Bright, golden sunlight gradually filled the sky as if an unseen hand was parting the dense curtain of clouds. The gloomy sea, which had been shrouded in darkness for an undefined period, slowly began to shimmer under the sun’s warm rays. Duncan stood at the bow of the Vanished, his eyes wide as he observed the gradual transformation of the clouds. A wave of unexplained emotion swept over him at that moment.
Several days had passed since he first encountered ‘this side’ and began exploring the mysterious ship. During this time, a relentless shroud of gloomy clouds had blanketed the vast ocean. The persistent darkness had nearly convinced him that this world was devoid of sunlight, forever hidden under a heavy cloud cover.
The comforting warmth of sunlight felt like a distant memory. Even on the other side of the ‘door,’ within the confines of Zhou Ming’s isolated apartment, an engulfing fog had long smothered any remnants of the sun’s radiance.
However, the atmospheric conditions over the Boundless Sea now appeared to be changing.
After what seemed like an eternity enveloped in darkness, he was finally basking in the daylight on ‘this side’ of the world.
Instinctively, Duncan took a deep breath, stretching his arms wide toward the emerging sunlight. In response, the ominous cloud cover seemed to relent, swiftly breaking apart and evaporating. As the sky reached its brightest state, a colossal sphere enveloped in myriad twisted golden streams of light pierced his line of sight.
At that moment, as he opened his arms to embrace the glow of the sunlight, all of Duncan’s expressions froze in place.
His eyes widened in awe, utterly captivated by the supernatural scene unfolding above. The sunlight was resplendent, yet it was not as overwhelming as he remembered from his own world. His gaze was fixed on the celestial object suspended in the sky—a sphere resembling a shell, ornately adorned with a myriad of complex designs. He observed the brilliant filaments of light emanating from it, and against this elaborate backdrop of light, he noticed two concentric rings rotating steadily around the central sphere.
Blinking against the radiant backdrop, Duncan could just make out that these circular formations appeared to be made up of countless intricate and sophisticated runes. It was as though some divine power had engraved eternal chains within the heavens themselves, incarcerating the ‘sun’ in its exalted position.
The soothing warmth of sunlight, which he had longed for, remained tantalizingly out of reach.
Because, in this alien world, the sunlight as he knew it simply did not exist.
“What is that?” he murmured under his breath, his tone unusually cold and quiet.
“That, Captain, is none other than our sun,” Goathead replied, its voice maintaining its customary calm and unruffled tone.
Thanks for the chapter! Aww man, he just tossed it away? A pity…
Why did he just toss it away? idiot
Tf do you mean idiot, would you keep a random ass possessed doll with you. Not only does this subvert the common cliche, but is also the most rational decision ever. You however, are a dumbass.
Good job. No need to keep any unknown things until you know more. Though i think he should start looking through his treasure room that the goat head talked about.
shoulda tossed the goat away too then you dummy, might as well toss himself away since he’s not sure what tf he is
Obviously that would blow his cover and he needs someone to explain to him everything…
The goat already told him it possesses no threat to him. What’s more throwing it away is clearly at odds with his assumed identity and conflicts with his foolhardy desire to remain ignorant to act more like what he feels a captain should act like.
Possess no threat to “a real Captain Duncan” Not the impersonator named “Zhou Ming / MC”. Read the chapter again
You’re in idiot yourself. Why bother keeping an unknown thing that can cause harm to yourself? In this unknown world, the most rational and best choice for MC, when he doesn’t know ANYTHING about it, is to distance himself from anything and observe, at least until he understand this world better. And the Goat already said it that this thing has the POSSIBILITY to cause harm.
he be like “begone thot, I will guard my virginity forever”
Novel is already ruined, great.
Drop it then
Rereading this… I hope the sun is like Nona and becomes a girl as well… for sex.