Chapter 533. Quest for the Darkness
"Regardless of whether it's the truth or not, there's an issue that we have to handle sooner before anything else: the sea level is rising, and every single island will soon be submerged if we don't do anything about it!!"
Charles' face instantly became as grim as Julio and Harold's faces. The legitimacy of Julio's words could easily be confirmed, so he couldn't possibly be lying.
If the earthquake and the sea creature attacks were considered crises for mankind, then the rising sea level was a cataclysm that would wipe out humanity in the Subterranean Sea!
Islands were the foundation of human life in the Subterranean Sea. If every single island ended up being submerged, then human civilization in the Subterranean Sea would cease to exist!
"Time is of the essence, and we can't waste any of it. I propose that all three of us should mobilize our navies to defeat the Fhtagn Covenant and capture their high priests alive! Perhaps they know the reason behind the rising sea level," Julio's grim voice echoed once again.
"I agree, and we absolutely must do it as soon as possible. There cannot be any delays," Harold said, immediately expressing his agreement.
The two cast their gazes at Charles.
Charles shook his head and responded, "No, attacking them is meaningless, as this issue has nothing to do with them. They're not worthy of our time, and we won't be able to resolve that issue by attacking them."
Charles then lowered his voice and revealed the information he had just realized from Tobba's words.
"Darkness. The Light God has taken away the darkness of the Subterranean Sea, which is the reason behind these strange phenomena. We must retrieve the darkness for us to regain peace."
Julio and Harold stared wide-eyed at Charles. The information that he had just revealed was a bit too shocking for them. Was darkness even tangible? How could one steal that?
"I'm sure you two do not believe me at all, but what would I stand to gain from lying to you two at this critical juncture? It's not like my island will remain unaffected by the rising sea level."
"I believe you. So where can we find that darkness?" Harold asked in a hurry.
Charles looked up slowly and stared at the canopy up above. "Above us, on the surface."
Julio and Harold fell silent, trying hard to digest the information that they had just received from Charles.
A minute later, Julio spoke with difficulty. "But... didn't you say that the Light God was killed on the surface? What kind of entity do you think can kill a Divinity? What kind of entity is more powerful than a Divinity?"
Charles sighed. "I don't know either. That might be the case..."
"You don't know? Haven't you been saying that you're from the surface? How come you don't know what's on the surface?"
"The place above us isn't the surface where I'm from! This damned place might not even be the planet where I'm from!! What do you expect me to know?" Charles exclaimed unknowingly.
Julio's expression became unsightly, and he cursed inwardly before replying, "A Divinity has perished up above, which means there's an entity capable of killing a Divinity up there! Do you really want us to trespass on that entity's territory and look for something there?!"
Charles swept his gaze across the sand figures and said, "It doesn't matter what's above us; we have to go up. There are only two choices before us: either we drown, or we get murdered by whatever is above. We have no other choice.
"You two should immediately make a move after this meeting. Inform every single island out there via telegram about the ongoing situation. We have to gather all explorers for an expedition to the surface."
The three discussed their next course of action for a long time. They set aside all differences and talked about ways to save themselves. After all, they were facing an extinction-level catastrophe.
The three governors talked all day, and they finally came up with a preliminary plan after consulting their own intelligence groups.
First of all, Charles would gather all explorers on Hope Island to form the first expedition team that would serve as scouts for the surface.
Then, they would tally the total population of the three major sea regions and gather the strongest people within those regions. The three major sea regions would then send those people in batches according to the maximum number of people that Hope Island could accommodate.
Anna sitting sideways on the table listened to the entire discussion. She yawned and reached out, poked Charles' back.
Charles' heart stirred briefly, and he turned to the two sand figures before him. "It's decided, then. We'll discuss the specifics upon the return of the first expedition team."
Charles was about to leave, but Julio called out to him. "Wait, I have one more thing to discuss with Governor Charles. We're in the middle of a crisis, so I don't think it's appropriate for us to keep hiding our cards.
"The fastest way to retrieve the darkness and regain peace is to take advantage of each other's strength, don't you agree?"
"Just go straight to the point. Every second counts," Charles said, staring at Julio with his arms crossed.
"I suggest that Governor Charles should disclose information about the knowledge you possess. I'm talking about your so-called Relic Research Institute, which is the most important, as it seems to be related to your island's surge in overall strength."
A tentacle wrapped around Charles' right leg, and it trembled; it was Anna's tentacle, and the brief trembling was enough for Charles to understand that Anna was telling him to reject Julio's suggestion.
However, Charles had a different idea in mind.
"Sure, I can disclose them, but since I'm going to disclose important information, I think it's a bit insufficient for me to do it alone. How about you disclose your secrets as well, Governor Julio? I'm really curious. How did you go from an ordinary person to a figure possessing a strength equivalent to Level 15 on the power ranking system at sea?"
"Of course, I'm also curious about the Western Seas arcane magic. Let's do it; let's share resources and technologies."
"I want to make something clear," Harold chimed in, "The Western Seas has always been open when it comes to our arcane magic. Unfortunately, it is only available to those with talent; not everyone can learn to cast magic.
"If you think that's fine, then I can talk to the other families of the Western Seas and ask them to exchange their knowledge with you."
Charles nodded in agreement, which meant Charles and Harold held the same sentiments. With that, they turned their gazes to the representative of the Southern Seas.
Julio's sand figure seemed frozen. A few seconds later, it crumbled and fell to the ground.
Harold stroked his magic staff in hand with a helpless expression. "How unfortunate. Clearly, Julio does not like that kind of exchange."
"Let's leave it at that for now. I will have the first expedition team set out as soon as possible. If they discover any important clues, I will contact you immediately," Charles said, ending the meeting.
When the news of the rising sea level spread from the three major regions via telegram, a wave of extreme panic swept across the Subterranean Sea. It was so bad that governors who had just taken over an island were overthrown by the scared, desperate mobs.
Unfortunately, their reaction wasn't going to change the status quo. They had no choice but to follow through with the plan laid out in the telegram and reply with the current number of exploration vessels available at their disposal.
No one wanted to die, after all. Everyone wanted to live, regardless of whether they were good or bad people.
The darkness' disappearance had kickstarted a threat that mankind had to deal with as soon as possible, but there was a silver lining to all this. The death light's disappearance meant that black ryegrass could be planted once again, and people could finally stop using cloaks and umbrellas.
Unfortunately, this was the only good news among the deluge of bad news.
Hope Island started pouring resources into Annarles Island, and many buildings were rapidly constructed in no time.
The first expedition team was eventually formed, and it contained a total of seventy-three exploration vessels. The majority of the exploration vessels were explorers from Hope Island, and among them was the Narwhale; her bow had been patched up and was as good as new.
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