Chapter 257. Radio
Weister looked around and realized that the men around here were mere sailors and kitchen helpers.
"I see. No wonder I felt like there were two factions on the ship."
"Yep, they're not the same as us. Those who were on the voyage that had discovered Hope Island are no longer mere sailors; they've become big shots of Hope Island, central islanders, to be exact.
"If Audric weren't a vampire, he would have quit sailing and stayed on the island," said the kitchen helper next to Weister.
Weister's face suffused with excitement as he said, "If I had known that it was so easy to become a member of an exploration vessel, I would have joined earlier. I remember there was an Explorers Association on the Isle of Whereto where I once lived."
"It's not that easy. We just got lucky for this voyage because we only had to stay on the ship. Our previous voyages were each more dangerous than the last, and Dipp even—" the sailor stopped upon noticing the gazes of the other sailors. He scratched his nose and went silent.
The crew members weren't allowed to talk about any details of their voyages, and he had almost violated that rule.
Planck's double chin jiggled as he turned to Weister and said, "The contract we've signed prior to becoming a crew member isn't just for show. We have to abide by the non-disclosure agreement that we've signed, or we'll face the consequences."
The atmosphere in the car turned strange, and Weister went quiet. He didn't dare to ask any more questions as he waited patiently for their arrival at their destination.
It didn't take long. Soon, the crowded car reached the Ministry of Finance's building. Weister looked around and felt a bit nervous upon seeing the crystal clear and pristine floors, along with the beautiful chandeliers attached to the ceiling.
The other crew members looked like they had all gotten used to the sight as they walked toward a side door while following a woman in a bodycon short skirt. Weister didn't dare to lag behind, and he followed them closely.
"Would you like it in cash, or would you like it to be transferred to your bank account?"
Weister was jolted awake by the words of the golden-eyed man standing behind the desk in front of him.
"Cash, I want it in cash," Weister replied.
The bespectacled golden-eyed man cast a surprised gaze on Weister. He took out a piece of paper and started writing on it.
"Please claim your cash at the dedicated counter number nine of Albion Bank in the east district."
Weister felt lightheaded upon seeing the series of numbers on the piece of paper, and he remained dizzy all the way to the bank until a huge bag of the green-colored Echo was placed in front of him.
Weister fell into a daze. He was staring at an amount he couldn't possibly earn even if he were to work for an entire lifetime as a manual laborer back at the Isle of Whereto.
Weister's heart almost jumped out of his throat when the unique smell of seaweed struck his nose. Weister hugged the bag of Echo tightly as he made his way out of the bank through its grandiose foyer. He seemed at a loss.
"I have to send a telegram to my mother. I'm going to tell them that I struck it rich, and I'll soon bring them over to Hope Island!" Weister rushed over to the nearest telegraph office. He couldn't wait to tell his family the great news.
Meanwhile, Charles was lying on a soft sofa in the Governor's Mansion. The sofa was so soft that Charles' figure was seemingly sinking into it. The sensation it brought upon Charles made him feel like staying on the sofa for an eternity.
But he also knew he had many things to do. He had to contact the Governor of the Albion Isles to inquire about how much he would have to pay if he wanted a custom-made submarine.
However, Charles didn't feel like doing anything today. He was missing Anna, and he wished to hold her hand and whisper sweet nothings to her.
The decadent mood got to Charles, and he unknowingly fell asleep. When he opened his eyes once again, it was already morning of the next day. He would have slept until noon or late afternoon if it hadn't been for the noises around him.
Charles looked around and saw a group of mice in a variety of colors. They seemed to be fighting each other over something.
"Lily?" Charles muttered.
The mice abruptly came to a halt and turned to look at Charles at the same time.
However, Charles didn't see Lily among them.
"What are you guys doing?" Charles asked.
The mice dispersed in a hurry and pushed a small wooden box toward him.
A long rod was attached to the wooden box along with a familiar knob. Charles' interest was piqued as he recognized the wooden box's identity with just a single glance.
"Is this... a radio? Hm, let me see."
Charles twisted the knob gently, and a cacophony of noises emerged from the wooden box. The radio noise was more prominent than the human voices, but Charles was sure of it—the wooden box was a radio.
Charles disassembled the wooden box and discovered that it had no power source. It was a simple crystal radio that used the power of the received radio signals to produce sound, which meant that it didn't need external power.
Charles reassembled the radio and twisted the knob until he could hear the cacophony of noises once more. The human voices were unclear and intermittent, but Charles could still make out what they were saying.
"Friends... the world is full... of suffering. Do you have no food... no clothes, and no partners in life? Controlled by desires... come and join us! You'll have enough food and clothing... you'll also get a wife or husband so long as you join us..."
The Divine Light Order? A question mark popped up in Charles' mind. He was honestly not surprised by the radio's appearance. The Subterranean Seascape's technology level was already at that level, so it was about time it appeared.
However, Charles was astonished by the contents being broadcast on the radio.
He turned the knob and found that the radio only had three channels. The other channel contained nothing but vilifying remarks about the Fhtagn Covenant. The last remaining channel was all about songs, but they were all hymns praising the Light God.
"Where did you guys get this?" Charles asked the mice.
The mice dispersed, and they dragged over a newspaper to Charles.
Charles took the newspaper and started reading it. Soon, a glimmer of surprise fleeted in his eyes.
Governor Swann of the Albion Isles has announced that in order to show everyone that he was better than the so-called failures, all denizens of the Albion Isles will be provided with the latest products of the Albion Isles' major research departments. All means all, which means everyone will receive such products for free, even if they were a beggar on the street!
This is big news! Everyone must be aware that Governor Swann has always sold the products of his Albion Isles at the highest price possible, but this time, he has become even more generous than ever. Perhaps this is a move to stabilize the hearts of the islands he has conquered; who can say for sure?
No one will refuse an offer of a free lunch! He'll become the most generous governor in history if he truly keeps the end of his deal. I'm looking forward to what he's willing to give us for free.
Charles put down the newspaper and walked over to the balcony. He looked down and discovered that the islanders below were holding crystal radios and were enthusiastically playing with them.
His voyage lasted for a mere two months, but Hope Island's technology had already risen to such a degree.
Upon recalling the content being broadcast to the crystal radios, Charles was convinced that the Divine Light Order had a hand in the creation and propagation of these crystal radios.
Charles was also certain that the technology the Divine Light Order had acquired from Newbound City was not limited to the media sector. In fact, those things were certainly miles better than the crystal radios.
However, they had chosen to propagate only the crystal radios, which Charles found to be quite interesting.
If they had released more than just crystal radios, they would have earned more funds to offset their expenditure toward the propagation of crystal radios alone.
After all, crystal radios wouldn't work without radio stations, and it had to have been expensive to build radio stations across the Northern Seas. However, they had chosen not to do so, which piqued Charles' interest.
"They're brainwashing the people using radios as a medium. They want more people to join the Divine Light Order," Charles muttered to himself. He felt a shiver down his spine upon recalling the Pope's signature smile.
It seemed the hundred-year-old fossil was far more scheming and sinister than he had imagined.
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