Chapter 216. Comfort Zone
He wasn't sure how much time had passed when Lily's worried voice sounded in his ears. It sounded hazy at first, but it grew clearer as time went on.
"Mr. Charles, Mr. Charles, are you okay? Please wake up; you're scaring me."
Charles' mind was a blur, but he soon came to his senses upon hearing Lily's voice. He opened his eyes and saw the canopy of a big tree above him. He looked around and found that his crew members had surrounded him and were staring at him worriedly.
"Look at my hand; how many fingers am I putting up?" The cold-faced Laesto held up two fingers and waved them in front of Charles.
Charles struggled to sit up. He was about to say something when he abruptly froze and muttered, "Why did we come here?"
Laesto cast a doubtful gaze upon Charles. "Didn't you say that there's a way to eradicate the curses of the Divinity here? Have you lost your memories?"
"Ah, right. I remember now," Charles slapped his forehead and stood up. "I'm here to eradicate the curses of the Divinity."
He had just stood up when he froze and went quiet. Charles had just discovered that a huge chunk of his memory was missing.
He could still remember that he was from the surface world, but he could no longer remember what happened after the old captain had rescued him. It felt like a huge void had appeared in his brain.
Likewise, he could no longer remember what happened after his fight against the giant butterfly. A massive chunk of his memory had gone missing as if an eraser had gone over it.
Charles turned to look at the giant tree next to him, and that was when he understood—the giant tree had cast its ability on him and erased his memories of encountering the Divinities.
The Divinity's Curses were broken just like that?
Charles turned to Laesto and said, "Doctor, help me check if there's still something wrong with my brain."
Laesto handed over a ball of smelly, viscous slime.
Charles ate it and experienced nothing. It felt like he had just eaten an ordinary piece of jelly.
Laesto examined the giant tree next to them. He sounded surprised as he said, "It actually did it? There's actually an existence that can break the Divinity's Curses?"
The reality finally struck Charles upon hearing Laesto's words, but it still felt too surreal. He couldn't quite believe that the curses of the Divinity that had been following him for over a decade now were finally gone.
Charles wasn't sure whether it was just an illusion or not, but he felt like his mind had become much clearer than before.
"Hahaha! Let's go! We're going to celebrate!" An overjoyed Charles rushed into one of the island's most luxurious restaurants. His crew members followed suit.
"Mr. Charles, do we really have to eat to celebrate?" Lily asked while holding a fork.
"That's just how celebrations are done on the surface." Charles ruffled Lily's furry head.
A variety of dishes were soon laid out on the table. Charles couldn't recognize some of the dishes, but they all looked very tempting.
Charles picked up a knife and fork before skillfully cutting himself a piece of what looked like a tender steak in front of him. The meat was covered in a glistening black sauce, and Charles' eyes widened when the meat finally entered his mouth.
Charles wasn't someone with a discerning palate, but he still couldn't help but be awed by the taste of the steak. It wasn't strange at all. It was his first time eating such a delicious dish, after all.
The fragrant aroma of food pervaded the air above the dining table. The crew members sat next to each other; their dinner plates produced loud clinking noises as they boisterously chattered and laughed with each other.
Everyone looked so relaxed; their mission was finally complete.
"Waiter! Do you have any alcohol there? Bring the best that you have here!" Laesto slammed his prosthetic limb on the table and ignored the strange looks that had converged on him.
Charles gulped the food in his mouth and shouted, "I want alcohol as well! I want the strongest!"
"Me, too!"
"I want alcohol as well."
Bottles of alcohol were quickly served. Charles cracked open the lid and downed a bottle of liquor. The strong alcohol made Charles feel as though his stomach was on fire, and the heat sobered him up. All of a sudden, he felt like this wasn't the time for them to celebrate.
"Mr. Charles, try this one. Their pickled fish roe is really delicious." Lily pushed a small plate over to Charles.
The alcohol belatedly struck Charles, and he felt ecstasy all over him.
We've come all the way here, and we're already eating. I can't just be a wet blanket. I'll just wait for them to finish eating, and then we'll leave immediately.
At that thought, peace returned to Charles, and he continued feasting and drinking. He drank until his consciousness grew hazy and eventually faded to black.
When Charles opened his eyes once more, he found himself lying in an unfamiliar room of an inn.
Charles stood up and stretched lazily before checking his pocket watch. A quick glance told him that it was already afternoon.
I actually slept that long? No wonder I feel so energized. Charles collapsed to the bed. He knew that it was about time for him to leave, but he didn't feel like doing anything today.
"Mr. Charles, I think the restaurant where we ate last night can deliver food to us. Can we eat their food again today? Their food was so delicious," Lily said. She was curled up into a ball of fur on the pillow, and her voice sounded languid.
Charles licked his lips. "Sounds great. I'm hungry as well. Let's just leave once we're done eating."
The pair proceeded to partake in a sumptuous meal. Charles lay on his back on the comfortable bed while leisurely picking at his teeth with a toothpick. He had never felt so at ease.
He turned and found a ball next to him. The ball was Lily, and he gently squeezed her with his left hand.
"The food is great here, so why don't we stay for a few days? We're still going to rest once we're at Hope Island, anyway. It feels more comfortable to relax here than elsewhere," he said.
"Mmmhm! I'm willing to stay here for the rest of my life. It feels great to stay here," Lily said while nodding repeatedly.
Both human and mice revealed peaceful smiles, and their smiles were no longer much different from the smiles of the other islanders.
A strong wave of drowsiness abruptly struck Charles, and he slowly crawled beneath the covers with his arm around Lily. He wanted to take a nap.
Just as he was about to enter dreamland, the diagonal scar on Charles' face throbbed sharply.
The pain was so intense that it vanquished all traces of sleepiness in him. Charles gnashed his teeth and covered his face before running toward a nearby mirror. There was nothing wrong with his face; his face was still marred by a scar born from a wound that had healed long ago.
But why does it hurt so much? Should I go to Doctor and have him take a look?
The thought had just come to Charles' mind when he was struck by a more powerful wave of pain. It was excruciating; the pain was so extreme that Charles' figure quivered involuntarily.
Charles flipped his right hand over, and the Dark Blade appeared in his hand. He raised the Dark Blade and cut open the diagonal scar on his face.
However, Charles saw not blood but a bright purple light from the wound he had carved open. A beautiful purple light poured out of the wound, and the light was only getting stronger. Soon, a fist-sized translucent jellyfish burrowed out of the wound. It was the Prophet.
There wasn't any water, but the jellyfish seemed to be swimming as it hovered in mid-air before rapidly orbiting Charles.
"You have to go, Charles. Stay here for too long, and you'll be stuck here forever."
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