Shrouded Seascape

Chapter 72. Taking a Break

Inside the captain's quarters of the Narwhale, Charles had his full focus on the nautical chart spread out on the table. He had already marked out the locations of the islands that housed the Subject Exchange Interaction project and Laboratory Three, as well as jotted down the anomalies of these two places. His eyes remained fixated on the two as he tried to figure out the connection between them.

"Could it be that they brought down the humans that now existed in the Subterranean Sea?" Richard suggested.

Charles shook his head in response, dismissing the possibility. "If that was the case, why would there be no traces of them in historical books or even legends? Even the Book of Revelation in the Divine Light Order's religious text only mentioned the Sun God that reigned supreme in the sky. There wasn't even any mention of an apostle or divine messenger."

"Who knows? I would just ignore them. Who cares about their identity? They are dead anyway," Richard retorted.

"This doesn't make logical sense. The Foundation possesses advanced technology and also a large number of relics. It couldn't have possibly lived silently. I have a strong feeling that the entrance to the surface world must be somehow related to them."

"Well, if we go by your lines of thoughts, why not imagine something crazier? For example, a disastrous, world-ending catastrophe happened in the surface world, and they brought the remaining humans with them underground as their last thread of hope to survive. Sounds familiar, ain't it? Ah-ha! Noah's Ark from the Bible!"

Charles could feel the annoyance rising with him. Coupled with that, the long-forgotten chanting started ringing in his ears again and was growing increasingly louder.

Just then, the door was pushed open with a creak as Dipp carefully poked his head in with a plate in his hands.

"Captain, the sailors and I caught a phosphorescent giant crab. I brought you the best meat from its pincers."

Pieces of elongated white strips were placed in a pile on the plate in Dipp's hands. Indeed, the crab meat looked extremely tender.

"Place it on the table. Knock before entering next time," Charles instructed, his gaze remained fixed on the nautical chart.

Just as Dipp was about to leave silently after placing the food down, Charles called out to him. When Dipp saw Charles handing a mask toward him, his breathing grew rapid.

"Didn't you want a relic? Take this," Charles said as he extended the now motionless Clown Mask to the young lad.

A look of ecstatic joy appeared on Dipp's face. He had seen the power of this object and had never expected the captain to actually give the relic to him.

In his excitement, Dipp was about to receive the mask from Charles when the latter retracted his hand. With a solemn gaze, he looked at Dipp and explained the rules of using the mask. He wanted a capable assistant, not a psychopath with his head clouded with multiple personalities.

After hearing Charles' words, Dipp appeared visibly hesitant. But eventually, he stretched out his hand to receive the mask. Holding 096 in his hand, Dipp assured him, "Captain, I'll be careful."

"Good. You may leave. Also, call Doctor in," Charles instructed as he massaged his temples.

"Hey, you are giving the mask to that kid just like that?" Richard asked as he seized control over his body, grabbed a piece of crab meat and stuffed it into his mouth.

"That item is not of any use to us anyway. Giving it to him can increase our collective strength," Charles said as he swallowed the crab meat in his mouth and continued staring at the nautical chart.

Not long after, Laesto staggered in with his prosthetic leg.

"You looking for me?" Laesto asked in his gruff voice.

"Give me some more medicine. The auditory hallucinations worsened again," Charles looked up at the old man.

"Worsened?" Laesto muttered under his breath. With a puzzled expression, he proceeded to do a series of checks on Charles.

The checks lasted but quite a while, and finally, Laesto placed his metal hand on the table. He pondered for a brief moment before he spoke, "You know that I can only suppress the curse of the divinity, don't you?"

"Of course, you've mentioned it before," Charles responded.

Laesto then continued, albeit hesitantly. "I do have a medicine that can eradicate your hallucinations. However, it would significantly shorten your lifespan by a huge extent if I used it."

"Aren't there any other ways?"

"You can either stay on an island and rest for a couple of months, and I will help you recuperate with different drugs, or you can find someone to undo the curse of the divinity," Laesto answered immediately.

Before Charles could utter a word, Laesto continued, "I advise you to choose the first option. I've been in this seascape for years and never encountered someone who could undo the divinity's curse. Also, your current affliction is an amalgamation of the curse and the mental corruption caused by the sea. The easiest way to alleviate the symptoms is to recuperate on land."

Staring at the marked islands on the nautical chart, a hint of hesitancy appeared on Charles' face. The entrance to the surface was hidden amongst these islands. Calling him to pause his mission now felt worse than death itself.

Laesto seemed to have read Charles' mind and leaned closer. His horrifying features shadowed in the dim light as he said. "I know you aren't afraid of death and would risk even your own life for your goal. However, can't you spare a thought for your crew members? The Chief Engineer came to me that day for treatment a few days ago over his auditory hallucinations as well. It is rather severe, but he was afraid of causing delays to your mission and chose not to tell you."

Charles' heart sank as he asked, "Apart from James, who else is suffering from the auditory hallucinations?"

"Apart from the handful of fresh recruits, nearly everyone is affected to varying degrees. I can treat their auditory hallucinations, but I can't relieve the stress and tension they are experiencing. Don't you feel that we've been pushed too hard recently? I've never seen an Explorer Captain this diligent."

Charles' finger rhythmically drummed against the table as he fell into silence. After a few seconds, he lifted his head and said, "Understood. Once we return this time, I'll let everyone have a break for a while."

A rare smile appeared on Laesto's face as he patted Charles on the shoulder.

"Remember, when I mean to rest, I mean to really relax. You're still young. Don't push yourself too hard," Laesto advised. With that, the sound of his metallic leg hitting the floor echoed as he limped out of the room.

Their journey back to the Coral Archipelago was normal and without any incidents. About a fortnight later, the light from the lighthouse of the island swept across the Narwhale, illuminating the dark expanse above them. They were home.

At the sight of the familiar bright harbor lights, an excited smile appeared on all the crew members' faces. All except Charles.

After they had docked, Charles gathered everyone on the deck and notified them of the temporary halt of their exploration voyage.

"Take this chance to rest up well. When we resume our voyage, I'll get Lily's mice to inform everyone. Dispersed for now."

The unexpected news lit up the crew member's faces as a wave of joy washed over them. Although they earned quite a fair amount of wages being part of the Narwhale, time ashore was scarce. This time, they could finally have the chance to rest and take a break.

After the crew left, Charles alone steered the Narwhale to the shipyard for maintenance and repairs. Just as those onboard needed a break, the ship needed one as well.

Charles watched as the shipwrights diligently stripped off the barnacles clinging to the ship's hull. After a brief moment, he turned to the hoisted Narwhale and raised a hand in farewell before he turned to leave.

Heading out of the shipyard, Charles made his way straight to the Explorers Association. There was still one thing left undone.

The moment he stepped into the hall of the Association, he was greeted by a hubbub of noise and activity. Groups of Explorer Captains were engaged in conversation, exchanging relics and also intelligence.

Charles' days at sea had him lose track of time. It was a Saturday. He delved into the ground as his eyes rapidly scanned the sea of faces in search of one woman. Very soon, he found Elizabeth with her arm over a young maiden. She was happily chatting away with a group of familiar-looking captains.

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