Chapter 577

Chapter 577: Goathead’s Memory

Out at sea off Lightwind Harbor, near the edge of the area lit by the glowing geometric body, fog gathered over the water. A huge ghost ship hid within the mist and slowly patrolled the ocean.

A streak of ghost-green flame flashed through the thick fog.

A doorway of fire burst open on the deck of the Vanished, and Duncan and Alice stepped out through it.

The familiar deck, the familiar masts, the familiar spirit form sails. Even though he had been away only a short time, Duncan still felt a wave of relief when he returned to the Vanished. As he looked at these familiar sights on the ship and felt the salty sea breeze over the deck, he slowly let out a breath and felt his mood calm down bit by bit.

At the same time, he instinctively remembered the “vision” he had seen last night while probing that huge vine. He remembered that eerie Vanished sailing through dark, thick mist—

The scene in his memory overlapped naturally with what was before his eyes now, as if there was no difference between them.

“…They really were exactly the same…” he muttered under his breath.

“Huh?” Alice’s voice sounded from beside him at once: “What’s exactly the same?”

Duncan shook his head and glanced at the silly doll who had followed him even though she did not know what she was going to do. A smile appeared on his face.

“I’m going to the captain’s cabin to talk with the First Mate. You go do your own things first.”

“Oh, okay!” Alice nodded at once: “Then I’ll go to the kitchen and take care of the fish and dried meat we salted earlier. Shirley and Nina said they wanted to eat them~~”

As she spoke, the doll waved to Duncan and walked happily toward the kitchen. It was clear that as soon as she returned to the Vanished, her mood improved right away.

Then again, she usually seemed cheerful anyway. She was happy on the ship and happy in the city as well—inside Alice’s head, it seemed there were only two moods: “happy” and “even happier.”

Watching the doll’s light steps as she left, Duncan’s lips also curled up a little. Then he shook his head, straightened his expression, and turned to walk toward the aft deck.

The door of the captain’s cabin appeared before him. Duncan stopped in front of it and looked up at the doorframe.

The words “Door of the Lost Ones” came into view. The carved letters looked old and powerful, their grooves sunken as if they carried the weight of countless ages.

Duncan quietly cast his gaze over the words on the doorframe. The only difference between the eerie Vanished that sailed in dark mist and the ship now under his feet seemed to be this line of words on the captain’s cabin door.

Of course, there might be other differences between the two ships, and those differences might hold more clues. But their last contact had been too rushed for him to find them. For now, the only thing he was sure of was that the Door of the Lost Ones showed different details on the two ships.

The Door of the Lost Ones was extremely special—even on the Vanished, which was full of anomalies and strange powers, this door was still extraordinary.

It was the only “path” Duncan had to return to his small apartment. It was also a checkpoint this ship used to verify the captain’s authority. The words on its doorframe did not belong to any known language, but anyone who looked at them could still read their meaning, even someone like Alice, who had been illiterate at first, or a native from some remote city-state who only knew obscure local characters.

On different “versions” of the Vanished, this door also showed different states. In the Mortal Realm, it led to that apartment. In Subspace, behind it lay a strange dark space. In the mist, the words on the door changed to “May He Wander in the Dream”—and a familiar yet strange Goathead slept within that door.

…Just what was this so-called Door of the Lost Ones?

With that question and many thoughts in his heart, Duncan reached out and opened the captain’s cabin door.

In the swaying lamplight, the familiar chart table and shelves came into view. Goathead, perched on the edge of the table, creaked and turned its head this way. When it saw Duncan, its obsidian-carved eyes seemed to light up, and its cheerful, noisy voice rang in Duncan’s ears: “Oh! The great captain has returned to his loyal Vanished! Your loyal—well, you know the rest—salutes you! I didn’t expect you back so soon. Was life in the city pleasant? Were you worried about the ship, or did you come back because…”

“I have something I want to talk to you about.” Duncan walked to the chart table and spoke in a very serious tone.

The captain’s solemn words instantly cut off Goathead’s chatter. The eerie black wooden idol gave a creak and straightened its neck like someone snapping to attention, as if trying hard to look serious. Its voice could not help but carry a hint of tension: “Captain, what happened? Did something happen in Lightwind Harbor too?”

Duncan sat down at the chart table. His eyes first fell on the enchanted sea chart on the table, on the familiar fog and the route. Then he heard Goathead’s words and frowned: “Why did you say ‘too’?”

“Because Pland and Frostholm both had incidents before…”

Duncan stared into Goathead’s eyes: “The way you put it makes me sound like a walking calamity.”

Goathead seemed a little stunned: “…Aren’t you?”

“I’ve been working hard to improve the Vanished’s official image on the Boundless Sea, and I’ve had great success in Pland and Frostholm. The leaders of both city-states are very friendly to me now, and I haven’t received any complaints from any city-state so far. As my First Mate, I hope you can look at our work with a more forward-looking eye,” Duncan said, waving his hand. “Of course, that’s not what I came to talk about today. I want to know what you were doing last night.”

“Last night?” Goathead paused, not understanding why the topic suddenly shifted this way, but still answered quickly: “Last night I was watching over the ship, just as you ordered. We stayed in waters far from the official route and kept ourselves hidden in the fog, so we wouldn’t scare those easily spooked fellows…”

Duncan was not surprised by this answer.

From the conversation he had last night with that “eerie Goathead,” it was clear the other one did not know him. The two Goatheads were obviously not the same.

But there had to be some other connection between them.

After thinking for a moment, he broke the silence again: “I want to learn more about you—your origin, your past, and your… nature.”

His tone was extremely serious. His expression was unusually solemn, and his slightly leaning body seemed to give off a silent pressure.

He chose to address this with his First Mate in the most direct way, rather than hiding his intentions or probing with roundabout questions.

He did not need those methods—at least not on this ship. He already knew the rules by which the Vanished operated, and he had worked out his own “code of conduct” here. He already understood that as long as he did not take that overly dangerous step, both Goathead and the Vanished itself would remain in a kind of “stable” state. It was something like… a form of containment.

Visions could not be “contained” the way anomalies could. But in this world there were always anomalies and manifestations that went beyond the usual rules. Vision 005 – the Vanished was actually already in a kind of contained state now—Duncan himself was the containment condition for this ship.

Goathead seemed frightened.

It was used to the captain’s usual mild and friendly manner. It knew that although the captain had a very terrifying side, he was always reliable and kind when dealing with his own people on the ship. The way Duncan was acting now, and the questions he was asking, filled it with a kind of… unease.

“…Why are you asking this all of a sudden?” it asked without thinking.

“I never asked before because there was no need,” Duncan said slowly. “But now some things have happened. In Lightwind Harbor, a strange phenomenon appeared that is connected to you. So I have to ask you about it.”

Goathead’s neck swayed slightly from side to side, as if it were trying to ease its nervousness.

Duncan kept staring into its eyes and slowly pressed his hand onto the chart table.

Threads of ghostly green flame spread from his palm, seeping into the floor and walls of the captain’s cabin, and into every seam of the ship. A low creaking sound came from deep within the hull, and it seemed as if the very “mood” of the ship was quietly changing.

“I am Duncan Abnomar, the captain of this ship,” Duncan said. His voice was deep, as if he had gone back to the day he first took the helm, declaring his identity to the whole ship. “I command this ship and make it sail on the Boundless Sea. As the captain, I am asking my First Mate some questions. This is only a conversation—because of it, this ship will not sink back into Subspace, and nothing else will change. Because—I am Duncan Abnomar, the captain of this ship.”

Blazing ghostly green flames rose from every part of Duncan’s body. In the fire, his figure turned into a terrifying, hazy spirit form. His voice seemed to echo through the whole ship—

“My First Mate, where exactly did you come from?”

Goathead lifted its head and calmly met Duncan’s gaze: “I came from Subspace.”

“Details,” Duncan said. “Subspace is too vague a concept. You know that’s not what I’m really asking.”

“Subspace is a vague concept, and also the only concept. There are no ‘places’ in Subspace, Captain, and the beings in Subspace have no past or future,” Goathead replied. It suddenly seemed to lose all hesitation, and there was no more doubt or fear in its words. “I don’t know my origin. I don’t know what happened in the past. You want to know my ‘nature’—but even I don’t know my ‘nature’. I… don’t remember.”

“Then what do you still remember?”

Goathead suddenly fell silent. Under Duncan’s gaze, it became as still as a real wooden carving. After who knew how long, it suddenly moved again, and a hoarse, deep voice came from its throat: “‘Remember them.’”

“Remember them?” Duncan was startled, and his brows drew together: “What does that mean?”

Goathead shook its head slightly: “I don’t know, but this is the only sentence I remember. I have to remember them. I must remember them. But… I don’t know who they are. I really… don’t remember.”