Chapter 256. 372
"Charles, what on earth is recorded in here?" Laesto said with a hint of perplexion while lying on the bed.
"Who knows? But it must be something important. Otherwise, your family wouldn't have instructed each generation to protect it so well. Anyway, get some rest. I'll be on my way," Charles said.
Charles turned around to head to inspect the fuel and water holds, but Tobba's silly-sounding laughter echoed behind him.
"372, why are you clinging to Charles?"
Charles froze upon hearing that. He tensed up, but he quickly came to his wits and took off his clothes. He looked down at himself and found what looked like a tattoo on his abdomen.
The tattoo depicted a figure with a face upside down; its limbs were knotted like braids, while needles and thread riddled the figure's body aside from its mouth, which was wide open in agony.
"Mr. Charles!" Lily shrieked and exclaimed, "What is that? It looks so scary!"
Charles' expression turned ugly. He truly didn't expect that 372 would stick to him.
"Why haven't you leave? I've already brought you up," Charles said while staring at the abstract graffiti on his body.
372 was silent and unmoving in the face of Charles' inquiry.
Meanwhile, Tobba beamed with excitement as he ran over to Charles and crouched. He put his lips closer to Charles' abdomen and started whispering toward it.
Tobba seemed happy as he conversed with 372, and he even let out a boisterous peal of laughter.
"Stop laughing. I want you to ask it to get off me," Charles said. It felt horrible knowing something so terrifying was stuck to him, and he didn't want it to stay on his skin for even a second longer.
Tobba nodded repeatedly and whispered to 372.
A few seconds later, Tobba looked up and said, "It said that it can't go away and can only follow you around since the contract you signed with it using 241 still hasn't been completed."
"What do you mean?"
"You used 241 to sign a contract with it. You've fulfilled your end of the deal, so it must fulfill its end of the deal as well by guiding you to 319, the Soul Printer.
Hearing that, Charles recalled what the marker pen had written.
Conditions: 1. Find a container; 2. Attach the Wailing Graffiti to it; 3. Take the Wailing Graffiti above water.
Reward: Guide the Captain to the Soul Printer.
So the marker pen isn't just to communicate with relics? The thought led Charles to recall something. He reached into his pocket and retrieved a black marker pen.
"Is this 241?" Charles asked Tobba.
"I can't believe you brought it up here, too. It's been so long since I last saw it!" Tobba exclaimed. He reached out to grab 241, but Charles moved his hand away.
"Tell the marker pen to cancel the contract. I don't need 372's help," Charles said.
"Charles, have you gone mad?" Tobba asked, casting a confused gaze on Charles before saying, "241 is just a pen. How can I talk to a pen?"
Tobba looked like he was staring at a lunatic as he stared at Charles. A corner of Charles' lips twitched. It wasn't the first time he felt this way, but sometimes, he would wonder whether Tobba was truly a nutcase or not.
"Is there going to be any danger with this thing on my body?" Charles asked, changing the topic. 372 seemed like it was just a moving graffiti relic, but Charles believed that it had more than sticking to people up its sleeves.
Otherwise, the Foundation wouldn't have contained it.
"372 won't hurt you for now; it needs you to stay alive to find 319. If you fail to find 319, and 372 has to go against the contract established by 241, it'll be in big trouble," Tobba replied.
It was bad news, but Charles was more concerned about something else. He noticed that Tobba hadn't actually answered his question. Tobba had only said that 372 wouldn't hurt him for now; he hadn't said anything about whether 372 was dangerous or not.
Charles pondered briefly for quite a while before taking out the marker pen and asking, "Can you tell me more about this thing? How do you write a contract with it?"
"It's easy. You just have to do what you've written down using it. You really have to do it because you'll vanish into thin air if you violate the contract.
"Also, I suggest that you don't use it often. It's best to use it only once a month. You'll disappear if you use it too often as well. It can't talk, but it tricks people into using it, so you'd best be careful," Tobba warned.
Charles' brows furrowed as he looked down at the marker pen in his hand. It seemed that he had obtained yet another troublesome relic.
With his brows knitted deeply, Charles picked up his clothes and quietly walked outside.
***
Aside from Audric, the dazzling light coming from Hope Island in the distance brought smiles to the faces of the crew members of the Narwhale. It wasn't strange; they were almost home, after all.
Weister was especially thrilled. He was about to return home after his first successful voyage on the Narwhale. His heart was already beating madly against his chest at the thought of the salary that the Governor had promised them.
The voyage hadn't been too different from his previous voyages on other ships, but there was a massive difference in the remuneration.
Just then, the door of the captain's quarters swung open, and a gloomy-looking Charles walked out.
Weister and the other sailors stood at attention upon seeing Charles.
"Why does the Captain look so unhappy?" Weister whispered.
"Shhh!" the old sailor next to him gestured at him.
Weister hurriedly closed his mouth and watched as the other crew members slowly walked out of the captain's quarters. It had been over two months since the voyage started, but Weister still wasn't familiar with most of the crew members apart from those he had to work with on a daily basis.
The Narwhale soon pulled over to the docks. Weister seized the windlass and spun it rapidly to drop the heavy anchor, and with that, the voyage was finally over.
The people of the Governor's Mansion had heard about the Narwhale's return, and several cars were already waiting for Charles even before the Narwhale could dock.
Weister was about to follow them toward the cars, but the plump cook stopped him and said, "Those cars are going to the Governor's Mansion. Are you going there as well?"
Weister smiled awkwardly and explained, "Sorry, Mr. Cook, this was my first voyage, so I'm not really sure where to go to receive my pay. Do you know where I can receive my salary?"
"We get paid at the Ministry of Finance. I'm going to their building in a bit, so you should just come with me," the cook said with a smile while patting his belly.
"Thank you so much, Mr. Cook. My name is Weister Carl, may I know how to address you?" Weister asked. This was the first time the two had exchanged so many words.
"My name is Max Karl Ernst Ludwig Planck. Just call me Planck. You can also call me Cook or Fatty. I don't really care."
Weister stared wide-eyed at Planck. He had never seen someone with such a long name, and he couldn't help but think about which island had such a strange culture.
The captain soon got into his car while the other sailors rented their own cars and rushed toward the Ministry of Finance building where they would receive their remuneration.
Weister noticed the unmoving Audric and was about to call out to him, but Planck stopped him.
"Don't call out to him," Planck said before explaining, "He's different from us."
"Different? Is it because he's a vampire?" Weister asked.
"No, he's an old crew member who had discovered Hope Island with the Captain. He owns an entire street in the central district," Planck replied.
The sailors' eyes flashed with envy upon hearing that.
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