Chapter 5 Sailing

Since personally taking the helm, Duncan had gained true control over the Vanishing, and could sense any activity on the ship—but even so, out of caution, he ordered the Goathead to keep a close eye on the "cursed doll."

Because he knew he wasn't an expert in the field of mysticism, and knew very little about the extraordinary powers of this world, and a walking, talking doll was simply beyond his knowledge. Alice's words and actions might be harmless, but if that doll had any... invisible "influence," he would likely not see it.

The Goathead was more professional than him in this regard.

And even aside from that, Duncan knew he couldn't keep an eye on the Vanishing at all times—although he had now decided to survive in "this" world, he might still have to return to the world "on the other side" of the door when necessary, and at that time he might not be able to sense the activity on the Vanishing.

Thinking of this last point, Duncan's eyes suddenly changed slightly. He glanced at the Goathead at the edge of the navigation table without showing any emotion. The Goathead's obsidian eyes returned a hollow stare.

When he returned to "the other side of the door," when he returned to his own bachelor apartment... did the Goathead notice anything? What was the situation on the ship when he left the Vanishing?

These suddenly emerging questions made Duncan feel a little annoyed, but under the Goathead's hollow gaze, he didn't show anything. Instead, he spared a little attention to Alice's situation.

Of course, he didn't have a hobby of peeping—even if the other party was a "non-human being." Therefore, he was just roughly sensing the situation below deck, but even if it was just through the perception transmission between him and the Vanishing, he could at least determine Alice's current position, and whether she was trying to destroy anything.

After all, beneath that doll's harmless, elegant, and beautiful appearance was the essence of a cursed doll, a dangerous individual that ordinary people in this world called "Anomaly 099."

She was still in the room, probably really studying the furnishings and arranging a place to rest.

Duncan breathed a sigh of relief. At the same time, the Goathead next to him suddenly spoke, "Captain, what are your plans next? If you're feeling bored, your loyal..."

"Shut up." Duncan glanced at the Goathead, then put his hands on the edge of the navigation table. With a change of mind, the feeling of holding the helm again came to his mind, and green flames flowed over him like water again.

In the burning flames, Duncan's body once again transformed into a spirit body, and the overflowing flames spread along the navigation table, all the way to the outside of the captain's room, to the upper deck, climbing the mast, climbing the cables, and causing the semi-transparent spirit sails on the mast to billow in the wind.

As the large mainsail, side sails, and jibs flexibly adjusted their angles in the sea breeze, the huge three-masted sailing ship slowly began to accelerate on this vast and boundless sea. Duncan's gaze fell on the nautical chart in front of him. As expected, he saw the gray-white mist entrenched on the nautical chart instantly changed—the silhouette representing the Vanishing was slowly moving forward, and the mist around the silhouette dissipated accordingly.

After a brief moment of thought, he began to try to focus his attention on the nautical chart. The ghostly green flames enveloped the navigation table, conveying the will of the captain like an extension of Duncan's limbs. In this subtle state of "connection," Duncan finally vaguely realized the secret of this nautical chart, which was obviously also an extraordinary item.

With a thought, the silhouette representing the Vanishing on the nautical chart instantly magnified a little, and then immediately shrunk back to its original size.

Duncan was "zooming" the picture presented on the nautical chart, and this whimsical move was successful—although no matter how he zoomed, all he could see at the edge of the nautical chart was a fog, Duncan had now determined that this nautical chart was enough to record and present every inch of the ocean that the Vanishing had explored, and to present the details around the Vanishing accurately and in real time!

Under the Goathead's hollow gaze, there was no change in Duncan's expression, as if a real captain was seriously observing the nautical chart with a stern expression, but a faint excitement floated in his heart.

His gaze swept over the flames rising from his body, and his consciousness sensed the state of the Vanishing, sensing the changes in the nautical chart.

This strange green flame was indeed the key to controlling the Vanishing, and also the key to controlling many of the strange items on this ship!

Perhaps... this was the power of the "Captain"?

Duncan pondered the power of this flame. He understood very well that if he wanted to truly control this ship, and use it as a foundation to survive well in this strange world, he had to understand his own abilities.

First of all, to completely master this flame.

As for the "next arrangements" that the Goathead had just said...

Duncan looked at the nautical chart in front of him, which was slowly changing, and at the white mist slowly dissipating around the Vanishing's silhouette. The plan in his heart was also very simple.

Since he didn't know enough about this world, and since the map was full of fog, then opening the map first was definitely the right thing to do.

After all, sailing was for wandering around.

Anyway, the image of "Captain Duncan" in the minds of the local people in this world was originally that of a world boss who wandered around in the wild. Even if he and the Vanishing stayed honestly at sea, it wouldn't improve his reputation in any way.

As for whether there would be any risks in just randomly sailing on the sea without any goals, Duncan thought this way—before he personally "took the helm," the ship was originally wandering around everywhere. The Vanishing had never dropped anchor and stopped, so where would there be "additional risks"?

Compared to the previous situation of blind wandering, sailing under "full sail" could at least dispel the fog on the nautical chart, which could be regarded as ending the previous state of complete passivity and being trapped in the fog.

Duncan stood up from behind the navigation table, and the green flames on his body gradually dissipated, but in his perception, the semi-transparent spirit sails on the mast of the Vanishing did not disappear with it. Some of the green flames entrenched on the mast and cables were still burning, continuing to execute the captain's will.

Combining the situation he observed when "taking the helm" before, Duncan vaguely understood something.

Although the ship only raised its spirit sails in the flames after he "took the helm," both the large-scale sails and the many things on the ship that operated automatically did not rely on the power of the "Captain" himself—this ghost ship had its own power source.

Although he didn't know what the "energy" that made the ship move was, it was clear that what he, the captain, had to do was just "give orders" to the ship.

Then, the ship would naturally faithfully execute the captain's instructions.

Duncan left the navigation table and turned to look at the small door at the deepest part of the captain's room.

Behind that door was his independent bedroom as the captain. In the first few days of exploring the ship, he had always used that room as a base for rest.

Now, he needed a relatively quiet environment to study what he could do as the captain of the Vanishing.

But before that, someone had to guard the ship, which had already entered a state of sailing.

He looked at the wooden Goathead at the edge of the navigation table and said in a matter-of-fact tone, "You take the helm."

"Ah?" The Goathead was stunned for a moment, his tone a little surprised, "But Captain, you..."

"I have things to do. Don't disturb me during this time." Duncan didn't seem to care what the Goathead was going to say. He just ordered it very naturally, and in his other sense, in the information conveyed by the green flames spreading along the deck outside the cabin, he could clearly see the various... connections hidden deep in the ship.

Masts, cables, sails, rudders, cannons...

Everything was connected invisibly. Some kind of "network" like nerves or blood vessels ran through the ship, and all these "connections" eventually converged in the captain's room.

The Goathead was vaguely connected to all of this.

Perhaps, this mysterious and strange Goathead was the "Vanishing" itself? Or perhaps it was some kind of "control mechanism" used to take over the entire ship in an emergency?

Duncan was not the builder of the ship, so he naturally didn't know how the ship worked, but he thought that if it was the real Captain Duncan, he would definitely know what the Goathead could do.

From another perspective, the Goathead, who had always called himself the "first mate," should naturally be able to take the helm in place of the captain when the situation required it.

Duncan needed to take a little risk and make some arrangements that he had never made before, but that a real captain must know and would inevitably make.

After all, the captain always had to rest.

A second later, the Goathead made a cheerful and noisy sound, "Ah, okay Captain, please feel free to get busy, your loyal..."

Duncan ignored it, just waved his hand casually, turned around and walked into the bedroom at the deepest part of the captain's room, and closed the door behind him.