Deep Sea Embers

Unlike in the novels, real life was different.

Do cursed dolls need joint maintenance?

Will Alice’s frequent joint disassembly suddenly cause her to scatter when she walks in the future?

Have the bacon and dry cheese on the ghost ship expired?

Can’t the superheroes who fight with the evil forces during the day find sleep during the night?

Do the evil forces who fight with the superheroes go to the supermarket to buy things?

The story never tells you this; instead, the people in the story are always dressed perfectly in every episode.

Duncan sighed, realizing the fact that surviving on this ship would require far more than just determination on his end.

He also had to consider many other practical questions, especially after the crew had increased while the many materials needed for living remained stagnant.

Thankfully, the ship had an unlimited supply of fresh water, but only fresh water, the ingredients stored in the food warehouse were not automatically replenished after consumption. Then again, the bacon jerky and hard cheese could hardly satiate his appetite anyways. Nevertheless, he will not complain when they’re not rotted after being stored on board for over a century.

On top of this, there’s also an inadequate supply of alternative clothes for Alice. (Though the cursed doll hadn’t mentioned it) Nevertheless, this won’t do for him. At the very least, he needed more stuff to pass the hour during the down times.

Sure, the Boundless Sea was vast and plentiful, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy for the Vanished to procure new supplies. For one, there’s no port they could dock for repairs and supplies, let alone open communication with civilized society.

Drifting so blindly on the sea forever was an inefficient means of exploration. Obtaining Information about this world must be from the land; this was Duncan’s deepest impression after “walking through the spirit world”.

Putting that aside, even if it’s for his own physical and mental health, he had to try to get more in touch with the “city-states” and civilized society of the world. Otherwise, he worries he might truly become twisted and gloomy like a real ghost captain.

Thinking of this, Duncan turned his head slightly and looked at Ai, the dove who was obediently roosting on his shoulder and combing her feathers. His main focus remains on the compass hanging around the bird’s neck.

The dove tilted its head to look at its “master” and coldly said, “Set up the base! Spread the pores! Hey, do you know how to operate or not?”

Duncan went silent for a moment over those words. The bird usually spouted unrelated nonsense, but she does occasionally utter some useful helpful stuff like right now.

Although spirit walking does come with the risk of uncertainty and accidents like “Ai” tagging along in the return, Duncan knew he must do so soon nonetheless. Not only to gather intelligence but also to verify and master a useful ability.

If she can bring back the ritual blade, can she bring back more? What are the rules and restrictions on what this bird carries? Can this process be controlled artificially?

After pondering for a moment, Duncan decided to ask the bird directly: “Do you know how you brought that dagger back?”

The dove thought for a moment and said in a deep tone, “Insufficient crystals mines.”

Duncan: “…”

That’s enough. He’s giving up on communicating with the bird for the time being. It’s too much of a headache. Besides, what could be better than to personally test the theory out on his next trip?

……

Inside the cabin, Alice finally figured out how to use the pipe for fetching water. She also managed to learn how to wash with the cold water. But for a doll, the cold temperature wasn’t a problem at all.

However, before jumping into the tub, Alice decides to greet everything in the cabin first.

She patted the huge oak barrel, knocked on the pillar that supported the cabin, tapped the floor under her feet with her toes, and tiptoed up to pull the ropes and hooks hanging from the roof.

“Hello, my name is Alice,” she greeted the inanimate things happily, the same way she greeted the goat-headed gentleman from before, “I’m going to live on this ship from now on.”

Nothing in the cabin responded to her greeting, but Alice didn’t care in the slightest.

The goat head said the Vanished was a living vessel, including the many things aboard.

Although none of them seemed to have true “intelligence” like that of the goat head, or the ability to communicate, this did not prevent Alice from treating the entire Vanished as a “neighbor” who needed to be greeted.

The Vanished was a living object, and so was she.

Convinced that her greeting was polite and decent, Alice’s mood became more pleasant, and then she shed her ornate dress and awkwardly climbed into the oak barrel that had been filled with water.

The first step was to remove her head and rinse it since the joints around her neck aren’t very strong. It’s a reasonable choice in Miss Doll’s mind, removing her head….

……

The late pale night has finally descended upon the City-State of Pland, bringing an end to the hustle and bustle of the city. It’s time to sleep for this this prosperous “pearl of the sea”.

But in the quiet darkness, the night watchman remains on alert, watching and protecting those who slumber.

On the “Big Clock Tower”, the tallest building in the city, a tall young woman with long grayish-white hair stands in front of the window overlooking the city.

The lady’s facial features were top-notch, but a noticeable scar across her left eye marred her beauty. As a woman, she’s definitely on the tall size, higher than most men around here, and she was obviously well trained with healthy-proportioned muscles in that armored dress. Also, the lady brandished quite the sword on her waist. Inscribed with runes symbolizing the waves, the blade embodied her faith.

Meanwhile, the sound of mechanical operation could constantly be heard behind the lady. Steam engines, the grinding of rods, and the pumping of pistons, these are all the mechanical marvels running this magnificent clock tower overseeing the entire settlement.

Judging by the sound, this large and sophisticated machine was in good working order, and no evil forces were invading the sacred steam core tonight.

But a faint uneasiness still plagued Inquisitor Vanna’s heart. She believed something terrible would happen for some reason, and she was doomed to failure in stopping it.

Eventually, footsteps from the direction of the stairs caught the lady’s attention. It’s a priest carrying a copper incense burner to replace the already used one hanging up on the guardrails. Once done with his work, the faithful made sure the smoke from the incense floated smoothly into the air and around the gears before whispering the name of the storm goddess.

Then turning to face Vanna, “Good evening, Your Honor, are you personally taking the night watch again?”

“I keep having this bad hunch over the past few days, especially tonight.”

“Bad hunch? In what direction? The priest looked up, his heavy eyes concerned, “The storm goddess gave you an omen?”

“Not a clear message,” the young female inquisitor shook her head, “I vaguely feel… that there’s something close to the city.”