Chapter 704: Dolls and Dolls and Dolls

In the elegant and formal dining room on the upper deck, Duncan and Lucretia sat close to each other, both wearing stern expressions. Across from them, the two headswappers who had just reversed their earlier head-switching experiment faced them. Luni seemed anxious and uncomfortable, her eyes shifting nervously, while Alice radiated a natural brightness and appeared almost regretful that their unusual adventure was over.

A deep silence had settled over the room until Duncan, unable to stand it any longer, initiated a conversation with a simple question: "Enjoying yourselves?"

At this, Luni looked down at the floor and started twisting her fingers together nervously, clearly embarrassed. In contrast, Alice responded with an enthusiastic nod, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "It was fun, Captain! You don't understand, our neck joints are the same size, it was like they were meant to switch!"

Duncan twitched slightly at Alice's remark, his reaction more to Luni's anxious behavior, which strangely reminded him of something. He turned to Lucretia, whom he affectionately referred to as the "Sea Witch," and asked with a curious tone, "When you were a child and found yourself in trouble, did you also fiddle with your fingers like that?"

Lucretia, taken aback by the shift in the conversation, widened her eyes slightly, a mix of surprise and nostalgia flashing across her face. "Uh... That was when I was very young..." She stammered, her severe demeanor briefly faltering, "You... You remember that?"

Duncan shook his head slightly, a subtle smile appearing on his lips. "Not really, but it seems like a familiar gesture," he confessed before clearing his throat and redirecting his attention to the two adventurers. "So, who came up with the idea for this escapade?"

Both Luni and Alice spoke up at the same time, their voices blending in a guilty but spirited confession: "Shirley!"

Duncan frowned in confusion, "?"

As the scene unfolded, the atmosphere in the dining room remained tense. Duncan and Lucretia continued to look serious, but now, in addition to the headswappers, Shirley had been called to join the group. Seated across from the captain and Lucretia, she was joined by Dog, who lay on the floor next to her. Dog seemed to wrestle with guilt, muttering, "Don't look at me, it's not my fault, I tried to stop them but couldn't..."

Duncan gave a brief, sharp glance at the mumbling Dog before focusing intently on Shirley. He remembered her past mischiefs, like convincing Alice to pour super glue into her neck, and he sighed internally, aware of the need to be constantly vigilant around this troublemaker.

"You had nothing better to do than give them such reckless ideas," Duncan sighed, his gaze softening slightly as he looked at Shirley, who braced for a scolding. "We're navigating through the spirit realm; this isn't like being on solid ground. If they had become disoriented and fallen into the sea, would you have taken responsibility for retrieving them?"

Shirley looked contrite and ready for her reprimand, but then her eyes lit up mischievously at Duncan's words. "So, does that mean we can do it on land?!" she asked, hope in her voice.

Duncan, exasperated, responded, "Do you even listen to yourself?"

Shirley smiled sheepishly, then her expression shifted to a cunning grin as she leaned in and whispered conspiratorially. "You can't really blame me, Captain. Think about it, when you first saw them like that, didn't you find it intriguing? Two dolls capable of detaching their heads, with compatible joints. It's about exploration, isn't it? According to Morris's philosophy... Don't you have a bit of curiosity yourself?"

Her words, teetering between temptation and curiosity, hung in the air like an enticing whisper from another dimension. Duncan felt a twitch in his eyebrows, a sign of his internal conflict, but before he could articulate his thoughts, a soft murmur beside him broke the silence: "It does make some sense..."

Duncan's face displayed a complex mix of emotions as he turned toward the source of the murmur—Lucretia, who seemed slightly embarrassed by her own admission, quickly tried to backtrack: "Of course, such behavior isn't commendable. Experiments must be conducted with caution and safety in mind..."

Despite a brief moment of amusement, Duncan quickly composed himself and sternly addressed the two headswappers with a fatherly tone, "Don't play like this anymore, at least not on the ship—it's unsafe. Got it?"

Their responses were swift and respectful: "Aye, Captain!" "Yes, Old Master."

He then turned to Shirley, his voice softer yet still authoritative, "You go back to your room. If you don't want to do homework, you can read a book, even a picture book," he instructed, waving Shirley off as he added, "We're about to leave the spirit realm and enter the Eternal Veil. Don't cause any more trouble before then."

Subdued but compliant, Shirley nodded, "Oh, alright, Captain..."

As the dining room settled back into calm, Shirley and Dog exited. Left behind, Alice gently pulled Luni to a corner of the room where they began to whisper and chat about their recent adventure, thankfully each with their own head properly attached.

Duncan watched them leave, letting out a sigh. Despite the burden of responsibility, a strange sense of contentment settled in his heart, reminiscent of feelings he hadn't experienced since the events at Wind Harbor.

But then, Lucretia's slightly anxious voice interrupted his contemplation, "Are you... angry?"

Duncan replied nonchalantly, still looking off into the distance, "Why do you say that?"

"...We're about to head to the border to investigate the cultists' holy site. It's a dangerous and serious matter, and Luni is causing trouble at this time..." Her voice trailed off, incomplete.

Interrupting with a thoughtful question, Duncan asked, "Is that what you were like as a child?"

Caught off guard, Lucretia faltered, "...Pardon?"

"Luni," Duncan raised his hand, gesturing towards the automaton chatting animatedly with Alice in the corner, "Was that what you were like in terms of personality when you were a child?"

Lucretia hesitated, her expression contemplative and slightly pained, as she softly confessed, "Luni was the first doll I made. I... sealed some parts of my soul that tend to make me err in her. Most of the time, these sealed parts don't affect her functioning, but occasionally, they might cause her to behave strangely."

"So most of the time, Luni appears calm and reliable, but when she's with Alice, she becomes lively?"

"...Yes, it seems that leads her to make mistakes—at least it increases the likelihood."

Duncan turned his gaze back to Lucretia, his expression thoughtful and probing: "Is this level of 'mistake' really a problem?"

Lucretia remained silent for a few moments, the weight of the conversation pressing down on her. Then, in a voice barely above a whisper, she acknowledged the harsh reality of their situation: "On the border region, mistakes can easily lead to death."

Duncan absorbed her words in silence, his gaze lingering on the distant figures of the two dolls engaged in lively conversation. Time seemed to slow as he contemplated their innocent interaction. Finally, he offered a gentle reassurance, "When you're with me, it's okay to make mistakes."

Lucretia appeared momentarily taken aback by his words. She opened her mouth as though to respond, then closed it again without speaking. Instead, her eyes drifted to follow Duncan's gaze. Alice was enthusiastically explaining some quirky feature of the ship to Luni, who listened with evident fascination. It was a rare sight; Alice didn't usually share her thoughts so openly, and Luni, as the First Mate and the so-called Sea Witch's servant aboard the Bright Star, likely had few opportunities to engage so freely with another like herself. The scene before them was one of unexpected camaraderie and understanding.

As they watched, Duncan's mind wandered to a task he had long postponed. "Oh, there's something I've been putting off..." he mused aloud. With a casual wave of his hand, Ai, who had been quietly enjoying her fries at another table, disappeared from sight. In her place, a swirling green fire ring materialized beside Duncan. He reached into the ring with a practiced motion and withdrew an object, placing it on the table before him.

Lucretia turned her attention to the newly revealed item, a beautifully crafted wooden box about seventy centimeters in length, unassuming yet clearly made with great skill. As she observed it, a sense of warmth and familiarity, long forgotten, began to emanate from the box.

"This is Nilu," Duncan announced as he opened the wooden box. Inside lay a delicate third-sized doll, which he presented to Lucretia with a sense of ceremony and nostalgia. "I said a long time ago that I would give this to you, but I've been too caught up with other matters. Now, seeing Alice and Luni together... take it, consider it a reunion for the 'sisters.'"

Lucretia's expression changed, a mix of emotions playing across her face as she carefully lifted the doll named "Nilu" from the box and placed her on the table, leaning her against the box as if to give her a moment to acclimate to her new surroundings. Her mind traveled back in time, carried on the currents of memory—

She recalled a distant afternoon, the air filled with the delicate tinkling of wind chimes. She and her brother had walked into a doll shop, where, in the display window, Luni and Nilu sat bathed in the warm glow of sunlight, their delicate hair and dresses shimmering. At that time, she could only choose one to take home.

That memory, one of the few warm moments from her childhood, was from a time when the "sun" was taken for granted, a constant presence that would surely rise again the next day.

Momentarily disoriented, Lucretia regained her focus and noticed the tiny doll that had been propped against the box on the table. It slowly turned its head in a rather eerie manner, its face breaking into a vacant smile that sent a chill down her spine.

Regaining her composure, Lucretia observed the doll more closely. It remained in a peaceful position on the table, its head cocked to one side as if listening intently, yet clearly, the doll was nothing more than an inanimate object, lacking any sign of life or soul.

With a sense of purpose, she extended her hand and gently tapped the doll's forehead, whispering firmly, "Go back to sleep." To her amazement, the doll responded as if touched by an invisible force, its body quivering briefly with a semblance of life. It then awkwardly rose to its feet and clumsily made its way back into the ornate wooden box from which it had come. The doll struggled with the lid, its small form lacking the strength to close it completely.

That's when Duncan, who had been quietly observing the scene, lent a helping hand. With a simple nudge, he helped the doll secure the lid. A faint "Thank you" emanated from the now-sealed box, followed by silence.

Clearly intrigued by the event, Duncan remarked, "Very odd," looking up at Lucretia with a mixture of curiosity and awe.

With a knowing look, Lucretia responded, "We are nearing the border; many entities are beginning to stir." She explained how imbuing certain objects with a semblance of a soul can act as a deterrent to unwanted spirits or 'stowaways.' She reminisced about Luni, who had awakened in a similar manner years ago.

Duncan acknowledged the gravity of their situation, noting that it was also time for them to resurface for some air. He slowly stood up, and as he did, the Vanished began its ascent from the deep and mystical spirit realm. Outside the dining room's portholes, the first light of dawn was starting to break, painting the sky with hues of early morning. Meanwhile, the ominous shadows that had been lurking in the spirit realm were now retreating, disappearing into the unseen corners of their mysterious world.