Chapter 12

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

On both ends of the wide nautical table, the captain of the Lost Home, Duncan, and the cursed doll, Alice, sat across from one another.

The atmosphere between these two people was not harmonious, even though they could not be considered human.

The doll, who called herself Alice, still appeared a little nervous. Even though the ghost captain in front of her had already guaranteed her temporary safety, when faced with Duncan’s naturally imposing +10 appearance, even the cursed doll could not calm down.

She was now maintaining her dignified manner as she sat on her coffin. However, her fingers that were slightly pinching her skirt betrayed her insecurity.

Duncan fell silent for a moment. As he was lost in his thoughts, he observed the “lady” before him.

She was a doll that was powered by an unknown energy source. Her body was not one of flesh and blood. Yet, she could walk, talk, and even had a supernatural body that could maintain a specific body temperature. If this were in his old world, she would be featured on the show Approaching Science and at least appear in three or four episodes.

Duncan did not know what sort of existence a doll like Alice was considered as in this world. However, after interacting with the goat head over the last few days, he had obtained lots of intel on the side. He knew that even though there were supernatural phenomena in this world, they were not familiar sights. As for the doll before him, Duncan speculated that she was a special existence even in this bizarre world.

His conjecture was not baseless. The machine-powered ship that crashed head-on with the Lost Home was very new. The crew was also well-trained. He had witnessed this firsthand. Despite facing great terror, the sailors continued to man their stations. The ship also had many cabins and goods that Duncan could not figure out their functions. Many goods were labeled with complicated markings. The style of those markings was very similar to that of the markings on the surface of Alice’s coffin.

In other words, it was highly likely that such a cutting-edge ship was sent on an escort mission. It was sent to deliver this cursed doll, Alice.

Duncan shifted his posture in his armchair. He stared at Alice with a soothing yet stern gaze. There was another incredible guest on his ship. This was undeniable.

From a different perspective, this doll did not seem like a frightening figure. She appeared very timid.

After all, when they first met and before he had said anything, her head had already fallen off in shock.

“May I ask…” Alice finally asked. She must have been forced to speak up as she could no longer stand the pressure from Duncan’s prolonged silence and stare. “Also…”

“Where are you from?” asked Duncan in a gentler tone. He finally retracted his stare that made her feel pressured.

Alice was stunned for a moment. She seemed to be pondering the meaning behind Duncan’s question. After a few seconds, she gently knocked on the beautiful coffin she was sitting on and replied, “From here.”

Duncan’s expression instantly stiffened as he struggled to respond.

“Of course, I know that you were previously lying in the coffin,” he finally said after gently clearing his throat twice. “However, I am asking where you are from. As in a location, do you understand? Do you have a hometown? Or a thing you can call your origin?”

Alice thought about it carefully. She shook her head calmly and said, “I can’t remember clearly.”

“You can’t remember clearly?”

“What hometown does a doll have?” Alice asked as she placed her hands on her legs. In a dignified manner, she replied thoughtfully, “Most of my memories are of me lying in this coffin. I was transported from one place to another by other people. Occasionally, I could faintly sense people walking outside my coffin or guarding it. Ah, I also remember some hushed conversations. The people guarding my coffin were discussing some matters with terrified, nervous tones.”

Duncan raised his eyebrows and inquired, “What were they discussing next to you?”

“Just some boring stuff,” said the doll.

“I am curious about what they were discussing,” Duncan said very seriously. He believed that they were truly talking about some boring stuff, but currently, he needed to know everything he could about this world. Even some casual chatter between ordinary people of this world was good information.

“Alright. The most common name I heard was Abnormality 099. They seemed to use this designation to refer to me and my coffin. I don’t like it as I already have a name,” said Alice as she tried to recall. “Aside from that, I have occasionally heard them discussing seals and curses, but it is all a blur. When I was in the coffin, I would sleep, so I didn’t pay too much attention to the movements outside.”

The doll spoke at a steady pace. Then, she suddenly recalled something and added, “However, I still remember the most recent conversation I overheard. It was before I came to your ship. The voices outside my coffin kept mentioning a place, the City-state of Pland. It seemed to be their destination… I suppose it should also be my destination?”

“The City-state of Pland?” Duncan repeated as he retracted his gaze. He committed this name to memory.

He finally obtained some helpful intel, even though he did not know when such information would come in handy.

He then raised his head and stared at the doll before him. He continued asking, “Was there anything else aside from that?”

“Aside from that, I spent most of my time sleeping, Captain,” replied the doll seriously. “If you were sealed in a coffin and kept hearing dull murmuring around you, what else could you do aside from sleeping? Should I have done sit-ups in the coffin?”

The corner of Duncan’s mouth twitched slightly.

She was an elegant beauty when she was dignified and had her head on. However, in reality, she could not only ride the waves by rowing on a coffin but could also talk crap that caught people off guard.

He was rapidly forming a new impression of Alice.

Nevertheless, on the surface, he still maintained the image of the steady and stern Captain Duncan. He merely hummed noncommittally and continued, “So, aside from sleeping in the coffin, you know nothing about the outside world. You cannot tell me anything about the changes in the current world nor where any port or city-state is roughly located.”

“That seems to be the case, Captain,” the doll said as she thoughtfully nodded. Next, she seemed to realize something as her eyes widened. She looked at Duncan nervously and asked, “So, do you plan to throw me overboard again because I am worthless to you?”

Before Duncan could speak, Alice continued, “Alright. I understand. This is your ship, after all. However, this time can you not stuff my coffin with cannonballs? Seriously, eight cannonballs are too much.”

Duncan could tell that the doll was not in a good mood. However, she didn’t dare to throw a tantrum.

He was somewhat embarrassed. When he stuffed the cannonballs in the coffin, he hadn’t anticipated that he would later have to discuss the situation calmly with the person involved. When he first saw Alice lying in the coffin, he assumed she would be a cursed doll like those portrayed in typical horror movies. His brain was packed with scenes of cursed dolls from the movies. He hadn’t expected that this cursed doll before him did not seem like Ju-On; instead, she looked like she was from a noble quadrangle.

Therefore, all of Duncan’s preparations to fight against a horrifying curse had caused him embarrassment now.

Luckily, Duncan was thick-skinned. Moreover, he had always looked solemn and grim, as though his serious expression was carved onto his face. Therefore, as long as his nerves worked fine, he could hold a perfectly stern expression. He ignored the embarrassment he felt from putting eight cannonballs in the coffin while he shook his head indifferently and said, “I have not decided whether I should throw you off the ship. After all, you seem always to have a way of returning to my ship. I am just curious. Why do you keep returning to the Lost Home? I can tell that you are afraid of me and my ship. Since that’s the case, why do you not stay away?”

“Is this ship called Lost Home? Alright, I am indeed somewhat afraid of you and your ship. Yet, compared to this, isn’t the ocean’s depths even more dangerous?” asked the doll as she quietly stared at the ghost captain before her. From her point of view, there was an endless dark void behind this tall, burly man. The void overlapped with the actual scene in the cabin. It was as though two worlds were being forcefully overlaid. Nevertheless, compared to this vast, suffocating darkness, the things that came from the depths of the boundless sea made Abnormality 099 feel threatened. She murmured, “In this world, is there anything more terrifying than the deep ocean?”