Chapter 136. Departing Again
"The enemy ship's approaching! Be on guard! Beware of pirates boarding!" Dipp shouted to his subordinates on the deck.
He had no choice but to raise his voice as the seascape had turned into a chaotic battlefield. As expected, their fleet had been bogged down by the faster pirate ships. The only reason they were still alive was the lack of a leader on the pirates' end.
The sight of the Sottom pirates swarming in on them felt as though their imminent doom had been destined. However, due to some unknown reason, the leading vessel had halted in its tracks.
As the pride of the remaining pirates didn't allow them to bow down to each other, Dipp and the rest got a breath of respite.
Suddenly, the looming bow of a vessel charged toward them. Manning the deck cannon, Lily let out a frantic shriek. The cannon swiveled and aimed at the approaching ship.
Boom!
The cannon fired at point-blank range. Due to the proximity, the resultant shockwaves caused the Narwhale to sway violently.
Despite having their immediate threat averted, tense expressions painted the faces of the Narwhale's crew. After all, they hadn't gotten out of their dangerous situation. Meanwhile, Bandages expertly steered the Narwhale to avoid incoming projectiles.
All of a sudden, Audric swooped down and landed on the deck. Folding his wings behind him, he exclaimed with apparent anxiety, "The encirclement to the east has been breached. The other vessels are evacuating in that direction!"
Surrounded by some translucent goo, Kord responded with excitement, "Great! Let's quickly follow them!"
"No! Captain is not back yet!" Dipp voiced his objection immediately.
"If he could return, he would have returned by now! Why are we still waiting for him?!" The moment Kord's words fell, he could feel the sudden hostile gazes from around him.
Dipp retorted with a murderous look on his face, "If you dare say another ill word about our captain, I'll throw you overboard, your identity be damned!"
"Are you going to wait for your doom here if he doesn't come back?! Open your eyes and see what's happening around us!"
Swoosh—
A whistling cannonball flew overhead and crashed into the sea, sending a column of water skyward.
"I'm not going anywhere without Captain!" Dipp roared.
"YOU...!!!"
Kord was now silently regretting his decision to remain on the Narwhale.
Just then, a crimson shark head emerged from the waters. On its back was Charles, who was on the verge of death.
"It's the captain!"
Without a moment of hesitation, Dipp jumped overboard and dived into the water. He swiftly hoisted Charles onto the deck. Charles' abdominal wound was no longer bleeding, but the circular gash had turned pale from the seawater.
"Doctor! Where's the doctor!" Dipp cried out desperately as he stared at Charles' abdominal wound. There was nothing he could do.
"Spread out! Don't crowd around him! Give him some air to breathe!"
With a limp, Laesto pushed his way through the crowd with an array of pre-prepared potions and salves. He had foreseen this scene when he saw Charles charging recklessly toward the ship where 134 was located.
"Move... Move out now..." Charles spat out with all the strength he could muster.
"Move out!! Quick! Your Captain is back!!" Kord shouted and gestured frantically toward Bandages, who was manning the helm.
Black smoke billowed out of the Narwhale's smokestacks as the ship's speed picked up rapidly.
Hearing the deafening echoes of cannon fire around him, Charles looked up at Laesto, who was attending to his wounds and asked, "Do you have a potion that can restore my strength to battle?"
Laesto glared at Charles in return. "Restore your strength? You still want to be a hero in your current state? Do you want to die that badly?"
With that, Laesto pressed down harder on Charles' wound, ignoring the latter's wince. "I need two men to carry him in. I need to perform surgery on him!"
Dipp knelt down on one knee and looked at Charles. An unwavering resolve burned fiercely in his eyes. "Don't worry, Captain. Leave the rest to us."
Charles was placed on a stretcher, and two sailors swiftly carried him into the cabin. Even as he was fading in and out of consciousness, he could hear the rallying cry of Dipp from the deck. "My brothers! Captain Charles has done his part! It's our turn to protect him!"
A unified affirmation echoed across the deck.
While Lateso performed surgery on Charles, the sound of roaring cannon fire and deafening explosions continued relentlessly. But true to their words, the crew blocked all danger from entering the surgery room.
As the chaos and cacophony of cackling flames and explosions began to dwindle, Charles' wound had also been completely stitched up.
When Charles was placed in a wheelchair and wheeled out by Laesto onto the deck once more, he realized that the pirate ships were nowhere to be found—they had retreated.
The moment the captains of the other vessels spotted Charles on the deck, they removed their tricorn hats and saluted him with utmost reverence.
They had all witnessed how Charles had singlehandedly thwarted the advance of that monstrous ship. If it hadn’t been for his bravery, they couldn’t have made it out in time.
Charles had used his actions to earn the respect of everyone in the fleet. On the other hand, Kord couldn't contain his excitement and rushed toward Charles. Rubbing his hands together in glee, he said, "Charles, we did it! We can now head toward the Land of Light!"
The corners of Charles' lip curled up to form a radiant smile. It was genuine joy from the bottom of his heart—a feeling that he hadn't experienced ever since he ended up in the Subterranean Seascape.
"Yeah, we did it," Charles echoed Kord's words.
***
On the inky dark waters, a three-story luxury cruise set forth from the Isle of Whereto. Within one of the cabins, Anna lounged on a plush couch as she enjoyed a soothing massage from her maidservant, Martha, while she casually read the day's newspapers.
April 30th
BREAKING NEWS
In an alarming development from Whereto, Finance Minister Pitt was recently reported paralyzed and confined to his bed. Significant assets from the national treasury have been siphoned off under suspicious circumstances. Mounting evidence suggests the involvement of Anna, Pitt's daughter-in-law and a former socialite of the island's high society. An outraged Governor Daniel has issued a ten million Echo bounty for her apprehension. In tandem with this, the local police department has drawn connections between Anna and a concerning series of disappearances. The police believe that...
Anna tapped the picture of herself in the newspaper. "The drawing captured my likeness quite well. I might have to wear a veil whenever I go out now."
A look of curiosity appeared on Martha's face as her fingers continued kneading away at Anna's shoulders. "Mistress, didn't you mention that you have the ability to change appearances? Why don't you change to a new face?"
Anna tilted her head and pondered briefly over Martha's suggestion before she responded, "Hmm... I don't fancy that idea."
Martha cast a knowing glance at Charles' portrait by the side. She then continued massaging Anna's shoulder without uttering another word.
Flipping through another few pages of the newspaper, Anna's left hand subconsciously reached out to Charles' portrait. Picking it up, she studied it for a short moment before she slammed it downward on the table in a fit of irritation.
"Martha, put it away."
Martha nodded obediently and kept the portrait away in a nearby cabinet. She knew that it wouldn't be long before Anna would request for it to be taken out again. After all, it had already happened multiple times.
"Mistress, why are we heading to World's Crown? Even if we can no longer stay on Whereto, there are still other bigger islands we can go to. I heard that despite the island's grandiose name, they have a small population, and the island isn't particularly hospitable. Some even call it a backwater village."
"In larger places, there would be too many eyes belonging to the countless powers. We would need to be very mindful of our every action.
”On the contrary, a small place meant less attention and far less scrutiny. Now that the money's secured, it's time for me to do something grand," Anna responded with a smile.
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