Chapter 102. Nautical Chart
"Captain Charles, you must take this to the Sacred Acolyte. We've found the map. Look, here's the resupply island and here is the location of the Land of Light!!"
Hearing the man's words, Charles' breath almost came to a halt. He snatched the piece of skin out of the man's hands and scanned the details on it with his eyes wide in excitement.
Charles examined the markings on the map. The marred holes represented the location of the islands. It was a nautical chart that was far more comprehensive than any map he had ever come across on “King's” ship.
Two of the holes on the island chain had also been deliberately enlarged.
The bald man pointed at the furthest hole and explained, "Look, the further one is the Land of Light." He then pointed at the one closer and continued. "And this is the resupply island. We just need to stock up our supplies here, and we can continue on our way to the divine realm of the Sun God!”
Charles swallowed a dry gulp with much difficulty, and with a trembling finger, he caressed the round hole that represented the Land of Light on the piece of skin.
"A-are... are you sure?" Charles stammered in disbelief.
The Divine Light Order believer nodded vigorously. "We can't understand the monsters' written language, but the map is self-explanatory. On their map, the area surrounding this island is significantly brighter, and there are many notes scribbled next to it. This is definitely the entrance to the Land of Light."
Charles' mind raced. This was the Foundation's Laboratory 2. The real map must have gone missing after so many years. The map they found is surely a duplicate that the Meeh'eks have replicated. That means it's highly reliable.
With this conclusion, Charles' heart pounded strongly against his ribcage.
They had finally found their target destination.
The door outside was abruptly swung open with a loud clank, snapping them back to the harsh reality of their captivity.
Charles could hear the cacophony of hurried and frantic sounds produced by the Meeh'eks from outside the room. However, the murmurs in his ears had faded, and he could no longer discern what they were saying.
Charles turned his gaze from the iron door back to the bald man before him.
"What's your name?" Charles asked.
"Salin. My name's Salin."
"Salin, is the scale of this map accurate?" A nautical chart was unique, and even a single mistake could mean thousands of miles of difference in reality.
"Captain Charles, don't worry. Those of us in the Divine Light Order who have been chosen to be part of an exploration ship have received extensive training at the Nautical Academy. We’re skilled in cartography. Look at this. We have drawn the scale on the edge, so the proportions are definitely correct."
As the clamor outside the door grew increasingly urgent and near, Charles controlled his limb to eject the grappling hook out. He handed it to Salin and turned his uninjured back toward the latter.
"Quick, carve this map into my back. Hurry!" Charles instructed.
Without a moment of hesitation, Salin used his elbow as a makeshift ruler and started etching the map into Charles' back as fast as he could.
It was painful, but the pain sent a wave of joy throughout Charles.
Each painful sting represented a signpost guiding him back home.
The pounding noises from outside the room intensified, becoming both louder and more relentless. Simultaneously, Charles noticed that the sharp stings on his back seemed to focus increasingly on one particular area.
"Don't panic. You must be precise. They won't come in that soon."
"I know," Salin replied.
Cold sweat dripped down from their faces, but both men had no time to be concerned over such a thing.
"How did you guys find this map in the first place?" Charles tried to divert his attention away from the pain.
"My crew and I tried to break out. We were eventually caught, but my boatswain saw this map in a room filled with books. We each made a copy so that it didn't matter if the rest of us died. As long as one of us manages to survive and get out of here, our mission is considered a success."
Charles was taken aback by the unwavering resolve that laced Salin's words. Indeed, only a true heretic with no fear could speak of death with such disconcerting nonchalance.
"Break out? How did you manage to do that?"
"We were kept together with various sea creatures. We set them loose to cause a commotion and tried to escape when it was chaotic, but there were too many of those humanoid creatures, so our escape plan failed."
"Bro! That's a brilliant idea. Why didn't I think of that when I was escaping? If I had set all those sea creatures free, it would have been pandemonium in the lab!" Richard's voice echoed in Charles' mind.
As Charles nodded in agreement, beads of sweat rolled down his forehead and splattered softly against the floor. It was indeed a plausible strategy against a large number of Meeh’eks.
Bang!
The iron door burst open, and the white-robed Meeh'ek from before stormed into the room with a group of black-robed Meeh'ek in tow.
"&@#*!!" The white-robed Meeh'ek barked exasperatedly.
"They are here. How much longer?" Charles asked anxiously as he remained still.
"Almost done, almost!" The pain in Charles' back significantly intensified.
The moment the white-robed Meeh'ek finished its words, it raised its withered hand and gestured with a wave. The black-robed Meeh-ek standing next to it immediately approached Charles, seemingly intending to separate them.
Splat!
A semi-transparent substance that resembled plasticine shot out from behind Salin and pounced on a black-robed Meeh'ek, engulfing the creature completely.
Charles recognized it almost instantly. Sonny had used something similar before. It appeared to be a combat tool utilized by followers of the Divine Light Order.
"@';@**!" The white-robed Meeh'ek shouted with apparent rage.
A group of black-robed Meeh'ek charged into the room with various peculiar relics in their hands. Under the successive assault of their relics, the plasticine-like blob soon liquified into a stagnant puddle on the floor.
As the Meeh'eks closed in on Charles with menacing gazes, Charles let out a sigh of relief. The pain had subsided; the map was now etched into his back!
"Captain Charles, may our Lord protect you!" Salin proclaimed. He then picked up the piece of skin, crumpled it and swallowed it whole.
"If we make it out alive, come on my ship. We need more hands," Charles smiled at Salin and patted him on the shoulder.
For the first time, Charles saw the followers of the Divine Light Order in a new light. They were zealous and fanatic about their faith, but it turned out that there were still decent people among them.
Just as Salin responded with a warm smile and a nod, the black-robed Meeh'ek closed in on Charles. They seized him by the limbs and dragged him toward the door.
Just then, the sound of tearing flesh and breaking bones resonated from behind Charles.
Charles' pupils shrank to the size of a needle tip as he struggled and quickly turned around to find a horrible sight. The lower half of Salin's body remained on the floor while his upper half was flung into mid-air. Salin's eyes were wide in shock and disbelief.
Thump!
Salin's bloody upper body landed on the ground like a torn sack. A fragment of the map, which he hadn't been able to fully swallow, protruded from his mouth. His eyes, wide and unyielding, remained locked onto Charles.
There seemed to be a hint of lingering in Salin's gaze, but as his pupils slowly dilated, the sort of emotions hidden within those eyes gradually faded.
The weapon that killed Salin was a sharp, fang-like relic in the hands of the white-robed Meeh'ek. The Meeh'ek swung the relic once more, and Salin's remains were torn into smaller pieces.
"@#*#@!!" The white-robed Meeh'ek shouted angrily as it stood next to the bloody remnants of Salin. Livid, it delivered a savage kick at the lifeless corpse.
Charles realized that the relic designated as 704 hadn't laid a hand on 134 even in the past.
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