Chapter 770: “The Helmsman”
Chapter 767: “The Helmsman”
Anomaly 077 was the “route” itself – the key secret to the outer barrier was hidden deep within the odd characteristics of the “anomaly” from the very beginning!
On the upper level of the Spirit World, the process of the sea collapsing and reorganizing itself is still repeating itself around the mirrored Lost Country, and the scenery of the faraway foreign land keeps flashing through Duncan and Agatha’s vision like a poorly-contacted image, and the obsession originating from the “Sea Song” is constantly driving the ship, trying to steer it to the “destination” of the Lost Country. Destination” ……
However, in the relatively solid, closed-loop sheltered waters inside the Eternal Curtain, the power of Anomaly 077 could not take effect correctly – so the route collapsed over and over again, misaligned, and in the process of collapsing, a huge amount of power was built up.
Once the Lost Country really shifted spatially, this power would find a vent in the reality dimension and turn into a violent storm.
Duncan raised his arm into the distance, flames spreading and rising from the sea, enough power to brew a storm ignited by him, quickly dissipating in a harmless burn.
He then breaks the “connection” with Agatha and returns directly to the reality dimension.
The sailor was still standing in front of the steering wheel on the bridge, gripping the black rudder tightly, his body tensed to the point where he was ready to “crunch” again at any moment – when he noticed that the captain’s gaze had turned back to him, he immediately spoke up: “Captain, look at this ……”
Duncan nodded, “You can let go now.”
This side of the words just fell, the sailor on the bridge will “Teng” a moment almost from the rudder “pop” out, as if just now holding the wheel is not a steering wheel but a hot lava, that dry body in the blink of an eye ran to the bridge on the farthest from the rudder place, and then While grasping the railing at the edge of the platform, he nervously looked at the nearby ropes and buckets, and occasionally swept a glance at the steering wheel he had just held in his hand, but his eyes were full of nervousness and even panic.
Seeing Abnormality 077 so tense and guarded, Duncan’s heart but suddenly sprang up very complicated emotions – for some reason, he suddenly thought of Captain Kalani’s figure that stood in the chaotic mist, thought of the hazy vision of the rudder that he had just held tightly on the platform in the Mirror World, as well as the Seaglide’s in the dislocated time flow The Long Lost Voyage ……
All the voices gradually converged, like …… applause and welcome.
“This one’s done,” said Duncan, staring into the sailor’s eyes with an extraordinarily serious expression, “but it’s just a test, and I’m going to need you to take the helm again-formally-after we’re in the depths of the Curtain of Eternity. Until we reach the place where the Sea Song once arrived.”
The sailor listened in stunned silence, having understood the captain’s intentions, yet needing a little time to think about them – there seemed to be a lot for him to be hesitant about.
The ugly, shriveled dryad cowered in the corner of the bridge, looking around him nervously – in him, the “first mate” who had lasted to the end of the time-lost voyage seemed to have eroded away, and all that remained was the logbook left behind by the captain of the Song of Songs, as well as the message that the captain of the ship had left behind. The only thing that remained was the logbook left behind by the captain of the Sea Song, as well as the “route” that had been fused with him.
Duncan also smiled, he reached out his hand and gently patted the sailor’s shoulder: “Very well, just do your best – now go back and rest, we are still far away from the rallying point on the border.”
The moment his words fell, many subtle noises suddenly came from all around – the
Ropes rustling near the bridge, barrels stacked on the aft deck swaying gently, the tightly stretched halyards of the masts creaking, and deep in the bowels of the ship, certain ancient and massive structures seeming to whisper something softly –
At that, he paused abruptly, as if thinking of something, and added thoughtfully, “Of course, you can still refuse without fear of any consequences – I’ll go and think of something else, or even if you want to go back to the White Oak now, that’s fine.”
The sailor seemed a little taken aback, a little dazed in his surprise.
Duncan stood in silence for a long time, finally exhaling softly and walking towards the sailor whose eyes were averted.
The sailor hesitated, it was the first time he had ever seen the appalling spectral captain look like this, and this sincerity was directed at himself, which made him feel an unspeakable …… touch in the midst of his bewilderment, which he had not felt for what seemed like a long time.
“The Lost Country needs your navigation,” Duncan said in an extraordinarily sincere tone, “Look, you haven’t lost the ‘course’ that Captain Kalani left behind, that course is in you, you are the course itself — your ‘powers’, those transcendent phenomena you set off, are in fact the effects of this course, and now we need it — I need your help. ”
The sailor listened to the movement around him in surprise, looking a little bewildered and bemused, but gradually he seemed to understand it all – those wrinkled and pitted skins suddenly stretched across his face, and he smiled, as he had done so long, long ago, the moment when he himself had first received his promotion aboard the Sea Song.
“Captain, I have completed my task, right ……,” the sailor spoke cautiously, as if he was afraid that he would have to “take the helm” again because of something he had not done correctly just now.
“I know it’s a lot of pressure on you – there aren’t many people in the world who would dare to take the helm of the Lost Country and not feel the pressure, but you’re the first mate of the Sea Song, and you’ve made voyages unimaginable to mere mortals, and you’re entitled to be at the helm…” Duncan paused for a moment. “Duncan paused for a moment, then nodded with a solemn expression, “If you are willing, I will grant you the position of helmsman for the duration of the border voyage as captain of the Lost Country.”
Those deep furrows in the sailor’s face crumpled at once, and he subconsciously ducked back, but had nowhere to hide because the railing was behind him – but soon he noticed the solemnity in Duncan’s eyes again, which caused him to hesitantly stop his ducking.
“You are qualified to take the helm.” Duncan said calmly.
“Can I …… do it,” the sailor muttered, not daring to be too loud, “This ship is not for ordinary people to touch, I touch it and I feel like it’s going to eat me… …”
But after thinking for a long time, he finally made up his mind, and after giving a smile that was almost a little appalling, he slowly nodded, “Okay, I’ll do my best then.”
The sailor left the bridge, seeming to be a bit groggy as he walked towards the deck, and it took a while before his staggering figure faded into the night.
Duncan shook his head and withdrew his gaze from looking out onto the middle deck, before out of the corner of his eye he caught sight of the mannequin that was crouching a short distance away.
Alice was crouched on the edge of the bridge, complaining to a ball of rope coiled on the floor, “You guys weren’t even this welcoming when I first arrived on the ship …… you were just clapping ……” The ropes wriggled slowly on the floor, and a head of rope came out of it, snapping and slapping against the railing next to it as if explaining something.
“An initiation ceremony for a helmsman? What’s that?” Alice’s eyes widened in surprise, “And this? Then I don’t have an initiation ceremony for that?…… It was held? When was it?
“…… Ah? That time in the kitchen was it! Didn’t say so earlier! I thought you guys were blocking the door to fight …… Good man, you almost tore the kitchen down that day, dinner was delayed ……”
Duncan had intended to speak to Alice, when he saw this scene he stood still, he watched expressionlessly as the mannequin exchanged back and forth with a head of rope, and after a long time turned his head away a little stiffly.
The communication between this girl and these things on the ship seems to be getting more and more outrageous ……
And just then, he had another sudden movement in his mind, and right after that, he heard Goathead’s voice ringing in his head, “Captain, you’ve authorized a temporary helmsman?”
“Think not?” Duncan responded mentally as he returned to the helm, controlling the Lost Country as it dived down towards the spirit world, “Are you minding that an ‘outsider’ has taken over the position?”
“No,” Goathead replied immediately, “the captain has the authority to appoint and dismiss any crew member as well as add or remove positions on the ship, and the helmsman you approve of is the helmsman the Lost Country approves of, except …… I’m a little concerned about that ‘sailor’ is going to happen after this task.”
Duncan didn’t speak for a moment.
“It seems to have occurred to you,” Goathead said nonchalantly, “that he is one who should have disappeared into the torrents of time long ago, like ashes after the firewood has burned out, on the day of his return to the Boundless Sea- -and yet Captain Kalani’s log turned into a shroud that bound his body, and the last mission of the Sea Song turned into a ‘course’ that fixed his humanity, and he became an unending corpse ……
“Today, he has only one last mission left to accomplish – the last mission left to him by Captain Kalani.
“And now, Captain, you have granted him the duties of helmsman …… He has the opportunity to fulfill his mission.”
In the cool nighttime sea breeze, Duncan looked out over the dark, heavy sea in the distance, and it was a long time before he finally broke the silence, “I know – in fact, ‘The Sailor’ himself knows.”
Goathead didn’t say anything.
“We have a voyage to make at last ……”
Duncan suddenly whispered, remembering a book he had just read, remembering the famous “Mad Poet” Putman’s lines in the book– “We have a voyage ahead of us.
“We’ve got a voyage ahead of us.
“At the end of time comes the end of time ……”
……
The door to the room closed softly, and the Dryad returned to the room, slowly sitting on his bunk – the cabin was brightly lit and warm, but from a long, long time ago, he hadn’t actually been able to feel those temperatures.
He lay down slowly in this cold and empty world, the messy and broken memories of the Sea Song hovering in his mind, distant as if it were another person’s life.
He cooed softly; they were Captain Kalani’s favorite verses – they shone through the faded memories like a beach shimmering in the night:
“…… dusty sails will rise again.
“Carry us on to places long forgotten.
“On that most opportune day.
“Fully loaded for the road ……
“we’ll all be sailors.
“Going to other lands when the wind picks up.”
The sailor rolled over, his dehydrated, deformed eyes slowly closing.
He still couldn’t sleep.
But he wore a small smile on his face.
The day of return was near.
(End of chapter)