Chapter 77 The "Route" Itself

Abnormality 077 was the "route" itself – the key secret to the outer barrier, hidden from the very beginning within the bizarre characteristics of him as an "abnormality!"

In the upper layer of the spirit realm, the mirrored Vanishing Sail was still repeating the process of the sea collapsing and reforming. The scenery of a distant alien land flashed across Duncan and Agatha's vision like a faulty image. The obsession originating from the *Sea Song* was constantly driving this ship, trying to guide the Vanishing Sail to its "destination"...

However, within this relatively stable, closed-loop sheltered sea area inside the Eternal Curtain, the power of Abnormality 077 could not take effect correctly – so the route collapsed and shifted time and time again, accumulating enormous power in the process.

Once the Vanishing Sail actually underwent spatial transfer, this force would find an outlet in the real dimension, turning into a raging storm.

Duncan raised his arm towards the distance, and flames spread and rose from the sea surface. The power that was enough to brew a storm was ignited by him, rapidly dissipating in harmless combustion.

Then, he interrupted the "connection" with Agatha and returned directly to the real dimension.

The Sailor was still standing in front of the helm in the wheelhouse, tightly gripping the dark, heavy rudder, looking like he was tensed up to the point of "snapping" at any moment. Noticing the captain's gaze turning back to him, he immediately said, "Captain, about me..."

Duncan nodded, "You can let go now."

As soon as he finished speaking, the sailor on the bridge almost "bounced" away from the rudder, as if he had been holding not a rudder but a ball of scorching magma. In the blink of an eye, the dried corpse ran to the furthest point from the rudder in the wheelhouse, then clung to the railing at the edge of the platform while nervously looking at the nearby ropes and buckets, occasionally glancing at the rudder he had just held, his eyes filled with tension and even terror.

Seeing Abnormality 077 so nervous and wary, Duncan felt a very complex emotion in his heart – for some reason, he suddenly thought of Captain Kalani's figure standing in the chaotic mist, of the blurred phantom standing on the platform holding the rudder in the mirrored world just now, and of the *Sea Song's* long voyage in the misplaced flow of time...

The ugly, shriveled dried corpse cowered in the corner of the wheelhouse, nervously looking at everything around him – on him, the "first mate" who had persisted to the end in the spatial and temporal maze seemed to have been completely eroded, leaving only the log left by the *Sea Song's* captain, and the "route" that had merged with him.

Duncan stood silently for a long time, finally took a breath, and walked towards the sailor who was avoiding his gaze.

"Captain, I've completed my mission, right..." The sailor said cautiously, as if afraid that he had not done something well enough just now, and would have to "take the helm" again.

"This time, you've completed it," Duncan said, staring into the sailor's eyes, his expression particularly serious, "But this is just a test. After we enter the depths of the Eternal Curtain, I'll need you to take the helm again – the official helm, until we reach the place the *Sea Song* once reached."

The deep ravines on the sailor's face suddenly wrinkled up. He subconsciously shrank back, but had nowhere to hide because the railing was behind him – but soon, he noticed the solemnity in Duncan's eyes, which made him hesitate and stop his evasive movements.

"The Vanishing Sail needs your navigation," Duncan said in an unusually sincere tone, "Listen, you didn't lose Captain Kalani's 'route'. That route is in you. You are the route itself – your 'ability', the extraordinary phenomena you stir up, are actually all the influence of this route, and now we need it – I need your help."

The sailor hesitated. It was the first time he had seen this terrifying ghost captain like this, and this sincere attitude was directed at himself, which made him feel a kind of unspeakable... touch in his helplessness. It seemed like it had been a long time since he had felt this kind of touch.

"I... can I do it," the sailor muttered, not daring to raise his voice too much, "This ship is not something ordinary people can touch. I feel like it's going to eat me just by touching it..."

"You are qualified to take the helm," Duncan said calmly.

The sailor seemed a little surprised, dazed in astonishment.

"I know this puts a lot of pressure on you – I'm afraid you won't find many people in the world who dare to steer the Vanishing Sail and don't have psychological pressure, but you are the first mate of the *Sea Song*. You have completed a long voyage that mortals can hardly imagine. You are qualified to steer here," Duncan paused, then nodded solemnly, "If you are willing, I will, as the captain of the Vanishing Sail, grant you the position of helmsman during the border voyage."

Speaking of this, he suddenly stopped, as if thinking of something, and then added very seriously: "Of course, you can still refuse, without worrying about any consequences – I will think of other ways, and even if you want to return to the White Oak now, you can."

The sailor listened blankly. He understood the captain's intention, but needed a little more time to consider – there seemed to be many things he needed to hesitate about.

But after thinking for a long time, he finally made up his mind. After showing a smile that was almost terrifying, he slowly nodded, "Okay, then I'll do my best."

At the moment when he finished speaking, many subtle sounds suddenly came from all around –

The ropes near the wheelhouse were rustling, the wooden barrels stacked on the aft deck were shaking gently, the taut sail ropes on the mast were making creaking sounds, and deep in the cabin, some ancient and huge structures seemed to be whispering something –

All the sounds gradually converged, like... applause and welcome.

The sailor listened to the movements around him in surprise, looking a little dazed and helpless, but gradually, he seemed to understand everything – the wrinkled and pitted skin suddenly relaxed on his face, and he smiled, just like a long, long time ago, at the moment when he was first promoted on the *Sea Song*.

Duncan also smiled. He reached out and gently patted the sailor's shoulder, "Very good, just do your best – now go back and rest. We are still far from the assembly point on the border."

The sailor left the wheelhouse, and seemed a little dizzy as he walked towards the deck. After a while, his staggering figure gradually disappeared into the night.

Duncan shook his head, withdrew his gaze from the middle deck, and then saw the puppet squatting not far away out of the corner of his eye.

Alice was squatting on the edge of the wheelhouse, complaining to a ball of rope lying on the ground: "You didn't welcome me so much when I first came to the ship... You even applauded just now..."

The rope slowly wriggled on the ground, and a section of the rope head drilled out of it, patting the nearby railing with a *patta patta* sound, as if explaining something.

"A helmsman's induction ceremony? What's that?" Alice opened her eyes wide in surprise. "And what about this? Don't I have an induction ceremony... Was it held? When?

"...Ah? That time in the kitchen was it!? Why didn't you say so earlier! I thought you were blocking the door to fight... Good heavens, I almost tore down the kitchen that day, and even delayed dinner..."

Duncan had originally planned to talk to Alice, but when he saw this scene, he stopped. He looked expressionlessly at the puppet's back-and-forth communication with a section of the rope head, and after a long time, he turned his head stiffly.

The girl's communication with these things on the ship seems to be getting more and more outrageous...

And just then, his heart suddenly moved again, and then he heard the voice of the goat head ringing in his mind: "Captain, you have authorized a temporary helmsman?"

"Do you think it's inappropriate?" Duncan returned to the helm, and while controlling the Vanishing Sail to dive into the spirit realm, he responded in his heart, "Are you minding that an 'outsider' has taken over this position?"

"No," the goat head immediately replied, "The captain has the authority to appoint and dismiss any crew member and increase or decrease the positions on the ship. The helmsman recognized by you is the helmsman recognized by the Vanishing Sail, but... I am a little worried about what will happen to that 'sailor' after completing this task."

Duncan did not speak for a moment.

"It seems that you have already thought of it," the goat head said unhurriedly, "He is a person who should have disappeared in the torrent of time long ago, just like the ashes after the firewood is burned. On the day of returning to the Boundless Sea, he should have disappeared from this world – however, Captain Kalani's log turned into a shroud, binding his body, and the *Sea Song's* last mission turned into a 'route', fixing his humanity, and he became a tireless corpse...

"Now, he only has one last mission left to complete – the last mission that Captain Kalani left him.

"And now, Captain, you have granted him the duty of helmsman... He has the opportunity to complete his mission."

In the cool night sea breeze, Duncan looked at the dark sea in the distance, and it took a long time before he finally broke the silence: "I know – in fact, the 'sailor' himself also knows."

The goat head did not speak.

"We will eventually have a long voyage..."

Duncan suddenly said softly. He remembered a book he had just read, and remembered the sentences of the famous "mad poet" Pullman in the book –

"We will eventually have a long voyage

"When time comes to an end..."

...

The door of the room closed softly, and the dried corpse returned to the room, slowly sitting on his bed – the cabin was brightly lit and very warm, but from a long, long time ago, he could no longer feel these temperatures.

He slowly lay down in this cold and empty world, and messy and fragmented memories of the *Sea Song* swirled in his mind, a life that seemed like another person's.

He murmured softly, those were Captain Kalani's favorite verses – they shone brightly in the faded memories, like the beach under the night sky glimmering:

"...The dust-covered sails will rise again,

"Carrying us to a place long forgotten.

"On that most suitable day,

"Prepare to set off...

"We will all become sailors,

"And go to other lands when the wind rises."

The sailor turned over, and his dehydrated and deformed eyes slowly closed.

He still couldn't fall asleep.

But he had a smile on his face.

The day of return is approaching.

(End of chapter)