Chapter 243. The Main Island's Location
The vampire sailor soon returned and shook his head. Charles knew it then. Audric hadn't found anything.
"Start the ship and orbit this sector," Charles said.
The crew members obeyed Charles' order. The Narwhale moved and looked around the specified fifty-kilometer-wide sector only to find absolutely nothing.
Charles was at a loss. If an island were here, they would have found it the moment they arrived here. From Aaron's words, the Foundation's main island was several times larger than Hope Island.
Aaron had no reason to lie to him, so how come they couldn't find it? Where could such a huge island go?
Charles fell into deep contemplation.
Weister noticed that and turned to the cook. "What is the Captain looking for?"
"Don't ask; just listen to the Captain's orders. We're here to obey and get paid, so just let the Captain decide on our next course of action," the cook replied.
The crew members stood quietly on deck; they waited patiently for Charles' orders. The decision to continue searching or turn back was in Charles' hands. He was the Captain, after all.
Just then, Charles finally realized why they couldn't find the main island. However, it was so absurd that Charles couldn't quite believe it. He felt as if he were grasping at straws here, but it was better than nothing.
Charles pulled out a Mirrorbox and opened it before throwing it into the sea. The dazzling light that the Mirrorbox emitted illuminated everything within its reach underwater.
However, the Mirrorbox's light struck nothing but darkness. The darkness was so thick it seemed impenetrable. The Mirrorbox continued to fall into the abyss, and the moment its light was about to disappear, it briefly illuminated the letter H on a building.
Charles clenched his fists. He was right. The Foundation's main island was still here, and Aaron hadn't lied to him. The reason they couldn't see it was simply because it was underwater; the island had sunk!
Charles smiled wryly upon recalling Aaron's words about how the Foundation had prepared contingency plans against a variety of situations. Charles thought it was true at the time, but now, it became clear that the Foundation's contingency plans had been of no use.
The catastrophe had been more catastrophic than they could have imagined, and it ultimately led to the disappearance of the Foundation.
One of Charles' questions had been answered, but he soon faced a dilemma. What was he supposed to do knowing that the main island was underwater?
His plan was to visit the Foundation's main island and have them extract information from his subconscious before asking them for help to get to the surface world.
However, the main island had sunk to the bottom of the sea, which brought everything to a resounding halt. The main island was no more, and the members of the Foundation had to be deceased at this point; they were all beneath the waters, after all.
Should I go back and use the Pope's nautical chart to find the exit to the surface world like a blind man without his walking stick and relying only on luck? Charles was unwilling to do such a thing. He was so close—so close to reaching the surface. He couldn't go back now and postpone his return home.
Aaron had said that he had to submit an application to return to the surface world to the site members on the main island, which meant the main island contained information about the exit to the surface world.
But the main island is underwater, and it's completely inaccessible... Charles paced back and forth with knitted brows. Wait, maybe it's not completely inaccessible.
Charles' eyes fell on Feuerbach, and he asked, "How long can you stay underwater?"
"I can stay there for an hour without any issues. It's my special talent," Feuerbach replied.
"Great! Audric, you brought those black clothes capable of blocking sunlight, right? Lend it to me," Charles said.
The vampire sailor hesitated briefly before nodding. Of course, he had no idea why Charles wanted to borrow his clothing. Charles noticed Audric's confusion and explained, "The Divine Light Order made those clothes for the sake of underwater missions. It should be airtight."
The crew members erupted into an uproar upon realizing Charles' intentions. Fear painted their visages.
"Captain, are you crazy? Do you not know what's in the water?! Why are you going underwater?!"
"Captain! Rumors have it that the depths of the Subterranean Sea lead to the gates of hell. You really shouldn't go there."
The crew members were like ants on a hot pan, frantically trying to dissuade Charles. Even the epitome of indifference, Feuerbach, finally showed signs of fear for the first time.
"Captain, I'm a great swimmer, but I only stay in shallow waters. The sea doesn't have anything worth dying for, and going there is tantamount to suicide. I also heard that those bizarre creatures of the sea live in extreme depths," Feuerbach said.
Charles was well aware of the danger, but if Aaron's words were to be believed, Charles felt that it was worthy of a risk. Having made up his mind, Charles said firmly, "We don't have time to waste. Go and prepare what we need. That is my order as the Captain."
He had already come all the way here, so he had to attempt it. Otherwise, the voyage would be a waste.
"What about air? You're going to die without air, Mr. Charles," Lily chimed in.
"I can make a useable air cylinder. I'll make do with it," Charles replied. He then rushed into his cabin to gather what he needed for the upcoming dive.
Just then, Laesto limped over to Charles and handed over a bundle of round dark leaves.
"These will slow down your breathing, which will help you stay underwater for longer," Laesto explained.
"Thanks!" Charles was thrilled. These leaves would greatly extend his exploration of the sunken island. "How long do they last?"
"They're unstable, so I can't say for sure. However, they should last about an hour or two," Laesto said. His expression grew grim as he continued. "The side effect is that you'll lose strength once you consume this. It is dangerous to take them in the depths, but it is all up to you," Laesto said with a grim look.
Charles decisively accepted the leaves.
Soon, Charles' preparation was complete.
Armed with several air cylinders made out of soft leather bags and clad in a full-body suit, Charles popped Laesto's leaves into his mouth and started chewing them before jumping into the icy cold pitch-black waters.
The moment he entered the waters, he felt a chill embracing his entire self. It seemed colder here compared to other regions.
The herbs took effect, and Charles' breathing slowed down. However, it didn't mean that he could stay for a lot longer underwater. He didn't have an unlimited supply of air, after all, so he didn't dare to waste any time.
Charles grabbed the pectoral fin of the red shark ahead of him, and he shot downward and toward the seafloor. Soon, Charles saw the helicopter pad he had seen earlier. Indeed, the helicopter pad was on the rooftop of a high-rise building.
The glass fragments slowly rose upward, bestowing upon Charles the illusion that he was falling down the building. Visibility was extremely low, but Charles' night vision allowed him to see clearly in a ten-meter diameter around him.
The palpable darkness pressed onto him and Feuerbach, surrounding them with a stifling, oppressive atmosphere.
Charles made a sidelong glance into the building next to him and found that everything had been reclaimed by the sea.
There were aquatic plants and corals everywhere in the building, and if it hadn't been for the building's sheer size, Charles would have thought that he had come across a massive coral reef.
However, Charles still hadn't seen any creatures despite the depths.
Charles went deeper and deeper. The pitch-black seafloor seemed endless; it had been quite a while since Charles had decided to descend, but he still couldn't see even the silhouette of the seafloor.
Just then, Charles felt as though something in the darkness was staring at him.
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