Deep Sea Embers

Chapter 542: Alices Simple Theory

Since their reunion, this was the first time Lucretia had seen such a complex, heavy, and warm expression on the face of the man she knew as her “father”.

Before this, he had smiled at her and shown many human-like gestures. But for some reason, she always felt an underlying sense of discord behind those smiles and actions. It felt as if these were forced “familiar gestures” he put on after losing his memory due to some spatial vision. This unsettling feeling always lingered at the back of her mind.

Yet now, she could finally discern a genuine emotion from his face—a sense of remorse and a kind of regret that others might not understand.

However, she was uncertain if this regret was meant for her.

“I still don’t know enough,” the young witch sighed lightly, “I thought I had somehow caught up to your pace.”

“…The Vanished has ultimately fallen into subspace. It’s good that you haven’t caught up,” Duncan replied, shaking his head. He then took one last look at the quietly floating “moon” and turned to walk towards the bridge leading off the platform. “Let’s go back, Lucy.”

Lucretia looked surprised, “Aren’t you going to study it further?”

“I’m not a scholar. I don’t have the professional methods or equipment,” Duncan dismissed with a wave, “I just wanted to see it with my own eyes. The real task of uncovering its secrets will be left to the experts.” He paused for a moment before adding, “I’ll be staying in Wind Harbor for a while. I’ll keep an eye on your progress with the ‘moon’. Also, if something happens to any other beings like what happened to Taran El, inform me immediately.”

“I understand,” Lucretia nodded immediately. After a brief hesitation, she asked, “Can I inform Governor Sara Mel about your visit? Of course, I won’t reveal it to many…”

“Do as you wish,” Duncan nodded, “Whoever you tell—it’s none of my concern how they react.”

Lucretia bowed her head slightly in acknowledgment.

Moments later, on the Vanished which was anchored near a glowing geometric body on the sea surface, a spiraling flame door suddenly appeared on the front deck.

With a series of crackling flame sounds, the door opened, and Duncan’s figure stepped out. Alice, who was nearby energetically scrubbing the deck with a large mop along with several other mops, immediately ran over with joy, “The captain’s back!”

Duncan dispersed the flames behind him with a simple wave of his hand. He looked at the gothic puppet in front of him, her face lit up with a cheerful smile and a mop in hand, and gave a nod, “Yes, I’m back.”

“Was your trip successful?” Alice casually threw the mop aside and looked at the captain with excitement. “You were gone for so long. Did you have an extended chat with Miss Lucretia? Did you visit that ‘sphere’? What did it look like… Ah!”

The mop that Alice tossed aside suddenly sprang to life. It hopped up and smacked Alice squarely on the head with its wooden handle. Then, as if cleaning itself off, it jumped into a nearby bucket of water.

Rubbing her head, Alice looked at Duncan with a mix of confusion and hurt, “Why did it hit me?! It nearly knocked me out…”

Watching the emotionally transparent puppet—seeing her initial joy shift to bewilderment—Duncan felt a surprising lightness. Some of the weight and melancholy that had been accumulating in his heart seemed to lift.

Alice, however, still appeared aggrieved.

“…You might want to check if that mop is meant for cleaning the deck. Perhaps it ‘works’ in the dining area,” Duncan chuckled, patting Alice on the head. Then, out of curiosity, he asked, “I’ve always wondered, with mops and buckets on this ship capable of cleaning by themselves, why do you insist on scrubbing the deck?”

“I’m helping!” Alice declared proudly, puffing out her chest, “They get so tired doing it all by themselves!”

A twitch appeared at the corner of Duncan’s eye. He glanced over to see other mops and buckets hurrying to clean, seemingly afraid that if they were too slow, a particular puppet might catch them and “help”. After a brief silence, he shook his head and said, “As long as you’re happy… that’s what matters.”

Alice nodded in her typically oblivious manner. As Duncan turned to leave, seemingly heading back to his quarters, she called out, “Captain, are you going to rest now?”

“…Yes, I’m a bit tired.”

“Captain…” Alice approached with a hint of concern, tugging gently at Duncan’s sleeve, “Are you alright?”

“Why do you ask?” Duncan paused, looking curiously at the seemingly naive puppet.

“You’ve been sighing a lot lately, and you spend more time in your quarters than outside. Miss Nina thinks you’re troubled but is too shy to ask,” Alice answered earnestly, “Also, when you returned earlier, you looked pale, like you had a lot on your mind. Though, you look better now.”

Duncan stared at Alice, taken aback.

He hadn’t expected that the usually carefree and scatterbrained Alice would notice and care about these things. Moreover, he was surprised that she’d be direct enough to voice her observations and concerns.

Perhaps it was because her day-to-day thoughts were so straightforward that she didn’t grasp the concepts of hesitation and reservation?

Duncan’s mind was awash with peculiar analogies, but as he looked at the doll in front of him, still wearing a face filled with concern and confusion, he found himself at a loss for words.

After all, even when faced with the knowledgeable Lucretia, there were too many things he couldn’t quite articulate.

“You wouldn’t understand,” he finally said after a pause, shaking his head, “It’s complicated. So complicated that it’s almost impossible to explain to anyone. Not even Morris would probably grasp it.”

But Alice blinked, and without hesitation, she replied, “You can still tell me.”

Duncan chuckled with a hint of disbelief, “Didn’t I just say? You won’t understand…”

“But there are many things you’ve told me before that I didn’t understand either,” Alice responded matter-of-factly. “There’s so much I don’t get, but you still talk to me. I’m really good at listening, you know. Whether I understand or not, I’ll always listen…”

Duncan’s expression turned bemused. Hearing the doll’s straightforward and somewhat “proud” logic, he found himself unable to retort.

Alice continued to gaze intently at her “captain”. She didn’t find her frequent misunderstandings embarrassing, nor did she feel anything wrong with what she was saying now. She spoke because she was curious.

If you have something on your mind, just say it. In Alice’s uncomplicated world view, that’s how everything worked.

Suddenly, she dashed off to fetch a large wooden barrel, half her height, from nearby. She placed it close to the ship’s railings and then fetched another, setting it beside the first. Climbing onto one of the barrels, she beamed and beckoned to Duncan, “Captain, come sit! Miss Vanna said that when you feel the wind and watch the sea, it lifts your spirits.”

Hesitating for a moment, a smile crept onto Duncan’s face.

With her limited understanding and experiences, this doll was earnestly trying to find a way to brighten the captain’s mood.

Moving closer, Duncan took a seat beside Alice on the barrel.

His mood didn’t shift just because of the sea breeze – but sitting there, it indeed felt a bit lighter.

“Alice.”

“Hmm?”

Duncan pondered for a moment. Initially, he was trying to think of how to explain the concepts of the “moon” and “stars” to Alice. But now, he realized he didn’t need to delve into such complexities with her. “Suppose you lived in a place, and there was something unique to that place, something that could never come from or belong to anywhere else. Whenever you see it, you’d know instantly where it’s from…”

Alice considered this and then curiously remarked, “Like how I now live on the Vanished, and you are the only captain of the Vanished?”

Duncan paused, then cautiously replied, “Your analogy isn’t quite right… but it’s a somewhat similar idea.”

“Oh, so what’s next?”

“…And then, you left that place, unable to return,” Duncan’s tone suddenly grew somber. “You find yourself in a distant and unfamiliar land. Everything here is different from home. You’ve lived in this place for a while, always seeking a way back. But then, you unexpectedly encounter ‘that thing’ — an object that should only exist in your homeland and should never appear in a foreign place…”

As Duncan’s voice trailed off, Alice seemed lost in thought. But after a short while, her face broke into a bright smile.

“That means I must’ve returned to the Vanished!”

“Returned to the Vanished?”

“You said it yourself. Think about it — you’re the only captain of the Vanished. If one day I was taken far away from it and couldn’t find my way back, but then suddenly saw you, it would mean I’m home! After all, wherever you are, there’s the Vanished.”

The doll grinned confidently at Duncan, “You mentioned an object that could only appear at ‘home’. If it’s in front of you now, then you must be home!”

Alice proudly presented her theory. Then, she swiveled around on the barrel, leaning forward with her chin resting in her hands, her face lit up with a brilliant smile, “Captain, is this a riddle?”

Duncan was momentarily stunned.

He stared at the doll perched on the barrel across from him. As the sea breeze brushed past, Alice’s silvery hair fluttered like her perpetually cheerful spirit.

Then, he broke into laughter.

“Yes, it’s a riddle, and we’ve both figured it out,” he jumped off the barrel, smiling at Alice, “There’s also one more thing.”

“Hmm?”

“Your posture is quite unstable.”

Still leaning forward with her chin supported by her hands, Alice looked puzzled: “Huh?”

The next second, a slight ‘click’ sound emanated from the vicinity of her neck.

“Oops—”

With a couple of soft thuds, Alice fell in two parts to the deck. Following that, her signature stuttering voice called out:

“Captain, help, help… save…”