The dove tilted its head, seemingly sensing that Duncan hadn’t understood her clearly. She quickly repeated the name more loudly than before: “Ai!”
Duncan finally grasped what the bird meant: “So, your name is Ai?”
The dove nodded proudly and strutted around the desk, cooing, “Googoo!”
Duncan couldn’t help but rub his forehead, finding it odd to communicate with the dove. In his opinion, it was even more awkward than speaking with the goat head. “Do you know how you were born? Or rather… how did you end up here?”
The dove pondered for a moment before they both glanced in opposite directions: “Aiya, the page you’re looking for is missing. Try refreshing it?”
Duncan: “…”
It was nearly impossible to understand what was going on in the bird’s mind. However, one thing was certain – the bird was sentient in its own way and communicated earnestly. The issue was whether they both shared the same understanding of what “communication” truly meant.
Duncan persisted in his attempt to converse with the dove named “Ai.” Throughout their discussion, the bird occasionally provided relevant answers to his questions. Unfortunately, most responses were disjointed and unrelated.
Ultimately, little progress was made, leaving Duncan frowning: “What kind of messed-up thing is this….”
Unperturbed by the human’s displeasure, the dove nestled down on the table and began roosting, intermittently nagging for V50.
Duncan disregarded the bird’s chanting and instead gently rubbed his fingertips together. Observing the glowing green flame on his fingertip, he became certain of one thing – he could control the compass and dove, which together formed an “anomalous item.”
To test his theory, he increased the flame’s intensity. Sure enough, the fire surrounding Ai intensified, and the compass pointer began to slow down, as if attempting to point in a specific direction.
Despite being engulfed in flames, Ai remained unresponsive, simply preening herself in the ghostly fire and awaiting instructions.
Before the brass compass could be fully activated, Duncan chose to extinguish the flames and summarized his conclusions:
“First, the compass remains functional… It’s just that there’s now an additional peculiar ‘medium.’ For the time being, I can’t be certain of the effect this dove will have, and I shouldn’t embark on another soul journey until I’m fully prepared.”
“Secondly, there’s undoubtedly a connection between the dove and me, which becomes more apparent when the fire is involved. To some extent, I can control the dove… perhaps even exert more influence than just control….”
“‘Ai’ clearly possesses her own will and acts according to her thoughts. Consequently, my commands aren’t absolute for her, which sets her apart from the other items on the Vanished.”
“Capable of speech, possessing some ability to think, and able to judge problems independently… This dove’s nature seems more akin to the goat head than typical anomalies…”
Duncan reviewed the known information before finally shifting his attention to the cursed obsidian black dagger.
After brief contemplation, Duncan picked up the item, previously used by the priest in the underground sewer. The cold, solid touch confirmed its reality.
Once assured it wasn’t another illusion, Duncan released a bit more ghost fire, causing the flames to envelop the blade. From the lack of feedback, he determined that the extraordinary power within the ritual blade had indeed dissipated.
As he had previously assessed at the sacrificial site, this object wasn’t genuinely an “anomalous” item, but rather an extension of extraordinary power or a temporary vessel “infused” with energy artificially.
Though Duncan didn’t know the “anomalies” system, he surmised that this blade might not be a rare item—more like a mass-produced product.
“Is this what you brought back for me?” He looked at Ai and asked.
The dove stared directly into Duncan’s eyes with her reddish-bean irises, not responding.
Duncan: “…?”
He asked again, but the dove remained motionless, as if it had suddenly turned into an inanimate sculpture.
Duncan frowned at this unusual change, but just as he was about to use ghost flame to see if he could forcibly awaken Ai, the bird sprang to life, hopping twice in place and exclaiming, “Take this solar tomahawk, take this solar tomahawk, take this…”
“Okay, I understand. You don’t need to answer every question,” Duncan quickly waved his hand to silence the dove. He rephrased, “Do you know how you brought this dagger here? Or, more precisely, can you transport ‘physical objects’ through the space tunnel?”
The dove thought for a moment before pecking Duncan’s finger: “The whole place is full, and the chicken pieces are free of charge.”
Duncan: “I… I’ll pretend to comprehend.”
He sighed, feeling he had reached the limit of communication with this bird.
Then he rose from his desk and faced the door leading to the mapping room. He could still hear the ongoing conversation between the goat head and Alice outside, with the former discussing the seventeenth recipe for kelp stew.
At that moment, Duncan felt compelled to rescue his only (and most normal) crew member.
Additionally, he had spent too long in the bedchamber. It was time to show his face and reassure the goat head.
But before leaving, he hesitated, glancing at Ai, who was scampering around the table again.
Should I take this dove out, too? How will I explain her to them?
Duncan hesitated for a mere two seconds before decisively grabbing the dove and placing her on his shoulder.
If he planned to be active on the Vanished for the foreseeable future, Duncan needed to be more transparent about certain secrets. Besides, concealing a talking, walking bird on the ship would never end well. How would the other crew members perceive him if they unexpectedly discovered Ai one day?
So, he might as well openly bring the dove out and claim it as his new “prize”—he didn’t have to explain anything to the goat head in the first place. After all, the ship’s first mate would fill in the details on his own, regardless.
As for the peculiar stories that might arise from Ai’s occasional appearances (which the locals in this world would find baffling anyway), there was no need to explain those either.
The goat head and Alice could figure out a way to account for it.
With the plump dove on his shoulder, Duncan confidently straightened his posture and calmly walked out of the bedchamber.
“Authentic fine herbal tea, authentic fine voice, welcome to watch…” The dove proudly puffed out its chest as well, proclaiming its arrival as if announcing its presence.
