Chapter 149. Transmission
Escalator? Newbound City? Is Eastford referring to my claimed land, Hope Island?
Charles was deeply engrossed in his thoughts. Studying the ship's model, he had reasons to believe that the ship had been from the time when the Foundation still existed. In that case, the specter's questions made sense.
All these years, the vessel had been wandering in the ocean's depths in search of a lost city.
After a moment's consideration, Charles slowly lifted his hand and pointed the specter in the opposite direction of Hope Island. His eyes remained fixated on the apparition, wary that it would make any sudden aggression.
Surprisingly, the ghost showed no signs of attacking. He politely expressed his gratitude and then started making his way to the helm.
"Did that thing really come to ask for directions?" Charles muttered to himself as a whirlwind of thoughts stirred in his mind.
Just as the specter was about to enter the ship's cockpit, Charles suddenly spoke again. "How are things on the surface now?"
The ghostly man turned around. Confusion was evident in his translucent eyes. "What do you mean? The surface is just... the usual old?"
Thinking back of the perpetual sunlight shining through the fissure overhead, Charles pressed on. "Did Earth stop spinning? Or has some catastrophe befall upon us?"
Charles held his breath in anticipation. Every muscle in his body tightened as he fixed his gaze on the spectral figure. If there were anyone in this subterranean space who held the knowledge of the surface world's state, it would undoubtedly be this ghostly figure from a bygone era.
"What bullshit are you spouting? I'm sorry, but I'm on a tight schedule. I've got to leave now." Seemingly frustrated, the apparition then turned and moved toward the ship's bridge.
He then lifted his hand in the direction that Charles had pointed out. "Cargo Vessel D134, full speed ahead! We must reach our destination and deliver this batch of cargo by the sixteenth!"
An eerie horn sounded in the air as the ghastly ship rapidly submerged.
Its luminescence fizzled out like bubbles being consumed by water. In a mere couple of seconds, the sea around the fleet returned to its usual pitch darkness.
The waters had regained tranquility, but Charles' mind was far from that.
"What does he mean by usual old? So what is it like?"
"Bro, didn't you see his reaction? He didn't show any signs of sorrow. If the Earth had stopped spinning, that'd be considered a global calamity. There's no way he would have been so nonchalant about it." Richard chirped.
Seeing no response from Charles, he continued. "That means everything's fine up there! The Earth hasn't stopped spinning, and there's no global disaster! We can return home!"
"Perhaps..." Charles' brows were pressed together. A growing, worse suspicion was clawing at his mind. Perhaps Earth had really stopped spinning, and the surface world was no longer habitable for humans.
As such, the Foundation relocated people to this underground seascape, just like how Noah's Ark had saved the animals in the Bible.
It was a theory that would explain the strange expression of the ghost captain earlier if proven true.
"Captain! The crystal is glowing!" Monti's voice jolted Charles out of his thoughts. Charles turned around to see a faint purple glow emanating from the crystal.
"Quick, send them over!" Charles instructed as he hurriedly walked toward Monti. He had completely put aside the ghost's words.
Regardless of what had happened, his current goal was to get through the fissure in the terrain overhead. To get up there, he had to make contact with the fanatics from the Divine Light Order.
For a test, Monti took out a piece of white paper and carefully placed it above the crystal. The paper hovered over the crystal on its own accord. Then, he positioned his hands on either side of the crystal and rhythmically moved them.
A tangible beam of purple line shot out from within the crystal. The moment it came into contact with the paper, the paper instantaneously turned into dust. The next moment, the dust swiftly retracted into the crystal and vanished without a trace.
Monti emphatically nodded. "The transmission is successful. That was the test paper. Now, we just need to wait for confirmation from my father's end. After that, we can start sending the photos."
Moments later, a cluster of dust congealed above the crystal before it rapidly formed a tangible paper ball. Monti grabbed the paper ball and unraveled it with hurried movement.
Upon laying their eyes on the item within, their gazes trembled.
A severed finger was wrapped within the piece of paper. Right below the Divine Light Order's triangular emblem on the top left corner of the paper was a line of text written in blood.
Where is the traitor Kord?
"This..." Monti's voice trembled as he muttered, "This is my father's finger."
Upon seeing the white triangle emblem, a grim smile surfaced on Charles' visage. Clearly, Kord's doings were no longer a secret, and the Divine Light Order was already hot on their trail. That was better news for him, as it eliminated an intermediary step in relaying the message.
"Governor, this is my father's finger," Monti reiterated with an indecipherable emotion in his eyes.
"Quickly, send the photos over, quick!" Charles urged.
Monti kept the finger away, and with his trembling hands, he selected a few photos from the ready-prepared stack and placed them on the crystal relic.
However, the situation turned out differently this time. The moment the crystal's light touched the photos, a sudden burst of flames incinerated the photos with a loud pop sound.
"Did it fail? It's okay, try again," Charles encouraged Monti.
Monti forced himself to calm down and took a few photos in his hands. But before he could place the photos on the crystal, another tightly wound paper ball was transmitted over.
Charles hurriedly unraveled the ball to find a bloodied partial palm with a missing finger.
Captain Monti, tell your employer that it's over. The Cardinal knows of his deceit. No matter where he tries to hide, he will be dragged back to the Divine Light Grand Cathedral to face final judgment!
"Continue," Charles instructed.
Without uttering a word, Monti's lips were pressed together in determination as he once again attempted to send the photos. They finally succeeded this time. The light shot out from the crystal, and the photos vanished seamlessly.
After the photos had been successfully transmitted, the response from the other end seemed to have ceased. No more human fragments were being sent over.
Their messages had ceased, but Charles had no intention to stop. He ordered Monti to send all of their photos.
Charles paced anxiously on the ship's deck. He knew that the news of the sun would be enticing for these zealots, but at this critical moment, doubt started to claw at his heart. What if they didn't believe him?
The tension in the air lasted for several minutes before it was shattered by a sudden flutter of paper that had been transmitted over.
From the crooked script on the paper, Charles could clearly feel the writer's turbulent emotions.
Esteemed Sacred Acolyte, your spirit's radiance rivals that of the Sun God's rays. Your valiant deed will be etched on the walls of the Divine Light Grand Cathedral. The news that you have found the Land of Light has been dispatched to the main island at the fastest speed. We implore you to wait patiently!
As he read the message contents, a triumphant smile appeared on Charles' countenance, and his eyes sparked with hope.
It worked.
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