Ashes Of Deep Sea

Chapter 14: Harmless New Crew Member

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

The Lost Home was huge, unbelievably huge. According to Duncan, its scale had exceeded the necessary limits as a sailing vessel.

A ship of this scale would have more cargo space and cannons. It would also have a more solid construction and stability in the wind and waves. This meant that it was more than capable of challenging the most arduous voyages.

However, Duncan currently had no plans for long voyages. This huge ghost ship gave him a sense of loneliness. Hence, having another crew member on board to talk to was not a bad thing.

After all, this ship had plenty of empty guest cabins.

The sound of footsteps broke the hallway’s silence as Duncan brought the goth doll down the wooden stairs and to the cabins on the lower deck near the stern. They were right under the captain’s quarters. From its construction, it was considered one of the vast ship’s upper-class living quarters. Compared to the dark lower levels where a strange aura lingered, this place was comparatively brighter and tidier.

Duncan stopped before a crew member’s cabin and casually pushed open the wood-covered door.

There was a poorly furnished single room inside.

There were several single cabins like this on the ship. However, they had been unoccupied for a long time. There was no sign of them ever being lived in.

During his preliminary exploration of the upper decks of the Lost Home, Duncan noticed these empty rooms. Back then, he did not think much about them. Now that he was personally in control of this ghost ship and knew that this ship could sail on its own, a sense of doubt began to grow in him.

Since this ship did not need crew members, who were these cabins for?

The single rooms in the upper decks were clearly for senior crew members like the first mate, second mate, and boatswain. As for the lower decks, there were large cabins with wide beds for regular crew members. Aside from that, the ship was also clearly equipped with a dining area and game area for a large number of people. Unlike the sails and rigging, it did not need people to control. These facilities were prepared for humans.

However, this ship did not require crew members at all.

Duncan frowned slightly. He believed that this ghost ship, which sailed independently on the sea now, should have once had crew members.

At the very least, when the ship was first built, the designer included many facilities meant to be used by sailors.

What exactly happened that resulted in this ship being in its current state? Where did the original crew members of this ship go? Had the real Captain Duncan always been the owner of this ship? What secrets did the goat head know?

“Captain?” a doubtful voice suddenly came from behind him.

Duncan’s thoughts were instantly interrupted as he had a scare. He then realized that it was the voice of the doll. For a moment, he had forgotten about Alice.

Over the past few days, Duncan had already gotten used to living alone on this ship. He was accustomed to the voice of the noisy goat head. Now that Alice was here, he was not used to it.

“My name is Duncan. You can call me Captain Duncan. Of course, you are free to address me directly as captain as well,” Duncan replied as he quickly adjusted his facial expression. Then, he turned around to look at the doll and continued, “This empty room will be your room from now on. Have a look.”

“Ah! Okay,” Alice replied while nodding. She poked her head out from behind Duncan and took a peek at the room. Then, she turned around and grabbed the crate which had been floating behind her. She placed it on her shoulder and carefully moved into the room.

Duncan’s mouth twitched when he saw Alice’s coffin, which had been following her. He watched as the doll gently placed the coffin beside the bed. She meticulously checked the coffin’s velvet lining before finally examining the room. Duncan couldn’t help but ask, “Do you have to carry this crate everywhere?”

“Yes,” Alice replied as a matter of course. “Where else can I put it?”

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“This coffin was once your seal. I thought you would be bothered by it,” said Duncan as he frowned. “From the looks of it now, it is you who cannot leave it.”

“The people wanted to seal me up. The coffin did nothing wrong.” Alice sat on the coffin. She tapped it while asking, “Do you want to have a seat as well?”

Duncan shook his head and said, “I’ll pass. What do you think about this room?”

“Oh, it’s very nice,” replied Alice. She seemed quite happy as she looked around the poorly furnished room. She looked as though she was in a luxurious palace. “Is that a wardrobe? I don’t have any clothes to change into, so I most likely won’t have any use for it… but having one is nice. Oh, there is also a table. I can put things on it in the future, but I don’t have anything to put on it… Maybe I can put my head here? It would be easier to comb my hair that way.”

“As long as you are satisfied,” said Duncan. He watched the bizarre scene of the goth doll sitting on her coffin and planning out the usage of her room. She even mentioned some questionable use cases. Duncan slowly revealed a smile on his face. He then took half a step back, and his expression returned to normal as he said, “You can rest first and get used to your new room.

“Aside from the stairs heading down to the lower decks, you may freely access this and the main deck. The place is not complicated. You should be able to figure out the layout of all the rooms quickly.

I will be in the captain’s quarters. You can find me there if you need anything. If I’m not around, there is a goat head that can speak on the nautical table. He is my first mate.”

Alice was nodding at first while listening to Duncan’s introduction. When she heard him mentioning the goat head, her eyes widened in surprise as she exclaimed, “A goat head? Is it that black woodcarving?”

“It seems that you have noticed him.”

“I did notice it. But you said it could speak? And it is your first mate?” Alice was astonished as she mumbled, “I thought it was just a… This is unbelievable!”

“You are a doll that can move and talk,” Duncan said as he stared expressionlessly at Alice. “Yet you find a talking goat head unbelievable?”

Alice was momentarily stunned. She lowered her head to look at her hands. She seemed to have just realized the absurdity as she muttered, “Ah… you’re right.”

Duncan shook his head. Then, he turned around and left. “That’s it for now. You may rest here. Find me if you need anything.”

Behind him, Alice’s voice rang, “Aye, captain.”

Duncan did not wander around the ship after leaving her room. Instead, he returned to the captain’s quarters right away. He sat beside the enormous nautical table. The wooden goat head on the table immediately came to life. Creaking sounds could be heard as it turned its head towards Duncan.

“Ah! The captain is back. It seems like you have helped the lady to settle down. You see, she is exactly like I have described. She is a harmless lady. She will not pose any threat to your voyage. Moreover, she can chat with you and liven up your mood. I see that you have decided to keep her on the ship. What jobs do you plan to make her do? The Lost Home doesn’t really require any crew. The deck will clean itself. The cannons will dust themselves. The water tank will fill itself. Perhaps she could be in charge of the kitchen? You always seem dissatisfied with the food here onboard. Ah, speaking of food, we must first replenish some ingredients. The hams and the cheese in the store might be too old. Even though tough sailors will not be picky about what they get to eat on the sea, the great Captain Duncan will surely…”

Duncan felt as though his brain fluid was about to boil. Right then, he confirmed another matter: with this noisy goat head around. He indeed needed an ordinary person to talk to like Alice!

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“Shut up.” He snapped as he glared at the goat head. After the latter shut up, he said, “Just now, when Alice was around, you were very well mannered. For a moment, I thought that you had finally learned how to keep quiet.”

“One must not interrupt the captain when interviewing a new crew member. This is the law of the sea. Even as your loyal first mate, second mate, and boatswain…”

Duncan did not wait for the goat head to finish speaking. The latter would never stop talking if he did not interrupt the goat head. He said, “Remember to monitor the doll’s movements for the next few days.”

“Ah… ah? You want me to monitor this lady? Are you still worried about her? Oh, that’s right, a captain must be cautious.”

“She has many secrets and has not revealed all of them. It might be that she truly doesn’t know herself. She might also be hiding them intentionally for her own reasons. Regardless, she is still a cursed doll and has the designation of Abnormality 099,” said Duncan plainly. “The crew of the previous ship used multiple seals to prevent Alice from leaving her coffin. However, the sealed doll is now walking freely on my ship. I need some time to determine that Alice is truly a harmless doll. It is fine even if she is only harmless while aboard the Lost Home.”