Chapter 282. Returning to Hope Island
Sunlight. The blinding sunlight reappeared before Charles as he stood on the deck with his gaze fixated on his island.
As usual, Hope Island was bustling with activities. A constant stream of fishing and cargo ships entered and left the docks, each vessel spotting different designs.
A majority of them were steamboats, but there were also other peculiar types. There were even sailboats, which piqued Charles' curiosity since there wasn't much wind in the Subterranean Seascape.
The colossal ship docked, and Charles moved toward the sunlight. Yet, he hesitated to step into it.
With a flick of his tongue, he could feel that his saw-offed tooth had regrown.
The fact that even his teeth could regenerate was proof that Charles' regenerative capabilities were beyond that of a normal human. However, this was not entirely a good sign. Lately, he had been plagued by an unsettling thirst for blood.
Would I turn to ash in the sunlight? Charles pondered to himself.
"Mr. Charles, what are you doing?" Lily called out from behind with a tilt of her head.
Seeing no response from Charles, Lily went forward and even tugged at the hem of his pants, but she was still ignored.
After a few moments of hesitation, Charles steeled his heart and stretched his index finger into the sunlight.
To his relief, the sunlight was still warm and inviting as usual. His finger hadn't erupted in flames; it remained unscathed.
Good, that's good. The unease in Charles' heart dissipated, and he stepped fully into the sun and bathed in its warmth.
A longer and sharper tooth doesn't matter. As long as I remain unfazed under the sun. Charles' heart was completely at ease now.
Though his appearance leaned toward the more terrifying side, he didn't really care too much about it. After stepping out of the sunlight, Charles saw that his crew members were already waiting for him on the docks. The officials from Hope Island's Governor's Mansion stood beside them, too.
Bandages took a step forward with a questioning look.
Charles approached him and patted him on the shoulder.
"It's alright, it's settled now."
He didn't wish to dwell on the events that had transpired on Hope Island.
Without sparing a glance at the others, Charles headed toward the opened car door. He was a little tired and really wanted a good rest. Just as he bent down to enter the car, he spotted several vehicles speeding over toward them through the glass. They seemed to be in an urgent rush.
He noticed the distinctive white triangle on the vehicle and stepped back out of the car again. What was the urgent matter driving these zealots?
Soon, Charles got his answer as a person alighted from one of the vehicles.
"Governor Charles, have you seen His Holiness?"
"What? Your Pope didn't return?" Charles' voice was tainted with surprise.
He was genuinely taken aback by the unexpected question. He recalled that when he fled with Anna, the Pope was standing right next to the distorting Swann and made no movement.
Seeing his calm demeanor, Charles had thought that the Pope would surely escape unscathed. Had that old, cunning fox really been left behind in the Albion Isles forever?
"Mr. Charles, I'm the head of the Hope Island Explorers Association. Can you tell us what has happened on the Albion Isles?" a man with a top hat and a sleek mustache stepped forward.
As if seemingly aware of his lack of authority, he added, "I'm asking on behalf of the Chairman as well. The latest update we got was that Swann had activated Ronker. However, we had no idea what happened after. Even the vessel that we had sent over hadn't returned. Perhaps you were the only person to have emerged from the island, Governor Charles."
Charles cast a sweeping glance over the crowd before he turned and boarded the car.
"The docks aren't a suitable place for that conversation. Come to my Governor's Mansion; I'll tell you everything there," Charles said.
Meanwhile, on the fringes of the bustling crowd, Weister stood on tiptoes with a signboard in his hands as he strained to see and hear what was going on in the center. However, he was just too far and couldn't hear a single word the Governor had said.
Even after the Governor drove away, the crowd still lingered as rumors and speculations started to emerge about the man's potential encounters.
The Albion Isles was the hottest issue right now and it was akin to an island's sinking. The innate gossip ability had been triggered in everyone as they chatted in excitement over the possibilities that might have happened.
Weister felt the urge to join in, but he restrained himself. He had another purpose at the docks.
His brass pocket watch opened with a click, and Weister glanced at the time before he turned and ran toward the passenger ship terminal.
Mother and my siblings are reaching soon. Weister thought to himself.
Soon, ship after ship arrived at Hope Island, and throngs of people were unloaded like flocks of sheep. Weister held up his large sign with three names written on it and waved it tirelessly.
Despite his aching arms, he had no intention of putting down the sign.
As another ship docked, a woman accompanied by two children and numerous bags alighted from the ship. They seemed to have been overwhelmed by the island's unique sights upon disembarking from the vessel.
Spotting them, Weister tossed the sign aside and rushed toward them with palpable excitement.
"Mother! I'm so glad you're finally here!" Weister exclaimed as he embraced the woman tightly.
It had been a long while since Elena, Weister's mother, had seen him. She parted her lips, wanting to say something but struggled to find the suitable words. In the end, she couldn't hold back her tears any longer and allowed them to flow.
All this time, she had been haunted by nightmares that her son would be lost to the sea just like his father. Every second that she was awake, she feared for her son's life.
But in order to support the family, she didn't dare to vent out her feelings. The moment she saw Weister alive and well, the tight tension in her heart could finally be eased.
Affected by their mother's emotions, Weister's siblings also joined in the embrace, and their cries mingled with Elena.
"Mother, don't cry. Look, I'm fine and in one piece, aren't I?"
Weister continuously reassured them in a gentle tone, and the trio's emotions gradually calmed down.
Taking the belongings from his mother, Weister led them forward.
"Why did you bring the old stool? Didn't I say in the telegram that you only needed to bring yourselves? Everything else is available on the island."
With reddened eyes from her earlier crying, Elena asked, "Weister, is what you said in the telegram true? Do you really work alongside the Governor now?"
"Of course," Weister replied with a hint of pride in his voice. "I'm earning big money now."
"Is the job dangerous?" Elena pressed on.
"How dangerous can it get when the Governor is around? Look, that's a pineapple. You surely haven't tried it before. I'll get some for you," Weister said.
He then approached the roadside stall and brought half a pineapple for each of them.
Weister's skinny sister held the pineapple in her hands and cautiously gave it a lick. Instantly, her eyes lit up with delight at the sweet and tangy taste. She really liked the fruit.
"It's good, isn't it?" I heard that they improved the cultivation using some relic. When the Governor had first arrived on the island, these fruits weren't this sweet," Weister explained.
Noticing his sister only taking a small bite and wrapping the remaining pineapple in a handkerchief to save for later, Wester felt a pang in his heart.
"Eat up, don't save it for tomorrow. I'll buy as much as you want," he assured her.
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