Chapter 312. The Unbreakable Curse
Margaret walked out of the tavern and headed straight to Sottom, which had docked next to the main island.
It had been four years ago when she was abducted to Sottom. Life was truly strange. Years ago, the idea of working with the wicked pirates of Sottom was something she couldn't imagine, even in her wildest dreams.
"How's our island doing?" 134 asked.
Clad in an azure blue dress, 134 was kneeling by a small yellow wooden table and focused on pouring tea for her pink teddy bear. Clearly, she was in the middle of a tea party with her toys.
Margaret glanced at the plump man stuffing himself full in the corner before walking up to 134.
"The island clean-up is almost done. You'd best bring your men under control soon. They've already committed several robberies and rapes," Margaret said.
134 let out a chuckle reminiscent of a naive six-year-old girl, but the way her lips parted into a malevolent grin with sharp teeth erased all traces of that naivety and turned it into something dreadful.
"Hahaha, isn't it normal for pirates to do bad things? If you're unhappy, just kill them, no biggie," 134 replied.
"I'll have someone create a harbor at the east. You can go ahead and dock Sottom over there, and I'll have someone send supplies over to you periodically. Unless something important comes up, I want you to keep your men off of the island," Margaret said.
Dissatisfaction fleeted across 134's face, and she was no longer smiling. "I think we're going to be fine here. I don't like moving, and I also like the hustle and bustle of this place."
"Your men can't stay on Whereto. They cause too much trouble, and do you really want a chaotic Whereto as your backer?" Margaret replied.
134's eyes narrowed into slits. She stared deeply at Margaret, and a gray shadow popped out of the teddy bear next to her. The gray shadow manifested next to Margaret, and it pressed a bone flute against her throat.
"I suddenly thought of a better idea. I just have to kill you now, and Whereto will be mine."
Hearing 134's words, the plump man in the corner set the chunk of meat in his hand on the ground and cast an indifferent gaze at Margaret. Something began to squirm beneath his oily skin.
Margaret's elegant brows furrowed, and the scar marring her face became slightly more hideous as she coldly spat, "Great idea; try it if you dare."
Several shadows flickered behind Margaret.
The atmosphere grew so tense it became palpable, but it was vanquished in an instant by a little girl's hearty laughter.
"Pfft! I was just joking. Hahaha! If the nearby islands heard that the pirate king of Sottom had occupied the largest island in the Northern Seas, they'd definitely combine forces to deal with us. We'll do as you wish, then. East it shall be," 134 said.
Having accomplished her goal here, Margaret turned around to leave.
134 put her teacup down, and her adorable red pupils reflected not a single tinge of warmth.
Knock, knock, knock!
Knocking noises echoed from the ceiling, prompting 134 to look up. An elongated light green creature covered in what looked like thin arms was precariously clinging to the ceiling. The creature was faceless, making the scene look more eerie.
"There's no rush. We can't kill that naive woman yet. We can still use her identity as our cover. This island will soon belong to us, anyway," 134 said.
Meanwhile, Margaret looked back at the towering fortress behind her. Her eyes contained the same frigid light as 134's eyes as she walked down the harbor of Whereto.
"Rest assured, Father. The Isle of Whereto has always belonged to the Cavendish Family, and no outsiders can seize us from us," she muttered.
***
Charles waited anxiously outside the infirmary of the Narwhale. Just as he took out his pocket watch to check the time once more, the aloof Linda walked out of the infirmary.
"He's rotting away, and the medicine isn't very effective. I tried my best, but I barely managed to stop the bleeding and stave off the infections," Linda reported.
Charles' face darkened. He pushed past Linda and walked into the infirmary. He had just taken one step into the infirmary, but the stench of rot, along with the smell of medicine, had already assaulted his nostrils.
Bandages had become almost unrecognizable in just over ten days. His skin had sloughed off, leaving a blackened skeleton lying on the pristine white bed.
Charles walked up to the bedside and looked into Bandages' lifeless, half-open eyes.
"Hang in there, we're almost at Hope Island. I'm going to find someone who can break the curse for you as soon as we get back," Charles said, attempting to reassure his First Mate.
Bandages' slightly withered eyeballs turned slowly to Charles. Bandages' hand had lost all of its skin, revealing the blackened bones underneath, but he raised his trembling hand and held out a scalpel toward Charles.
"Captain... a patch of skin... on my back... hasn't... rotted yet... peel it for me..."
Charles took the scalpel and put it away before saying, "What was the name of the ritual you performed? Is there any way to break curses from God Fhtagn? Tell me anything; we need to buy more time..."
"There is... no...way... the curse of a Divinity... can... only be...removed by...visiting the Divinity's land, and... it's too... far..." Bandages muttered.
Charles felt as if a needle had been thrust into his heart as he stared at his First Mate. Bandages had been quietly supporting him all this while, and if it hadn't been for him, Hope Island would have long plunged into chaos.
Charles' heart felt weary. How come there wasn't anything he could do for his First Mate other than watch as he slowly withered away right before his eyes?
"You're not going to die. Let's try this. This might work," Charles said. He took out the Dark Blade and placed it in Bandages' hand. He then dug out the tiny black stones in his arm and attempted to insert them behind Bandages' bones.
However, Bandages pressed his hand on Charles to stop him. "It's useless... Captain... the curse of a Divinity... cannot...be...broken...by ordinary means..."
"Is God Fhtagn really that petty? We can just compensate Him for the missing offerings later!" Charles exclaimed, sounding frustrated.
"The Great One...is sleeping... I had...invoked... one of His...lesser...Divinities... Rituals are...very dangerous...Otherwise...the Fhtagn Covenant...would have...already taken...over the seascape..." Bandages muttered.
"What's the name of that lesser divinity?" Charles asked. He needed a lead to break Bandages' curse.
Bandages shook his head sluggishly. His eyes shifted past Charles' shoulder to the oil lamp hanging from the ceiling, which was swaying with the waves.
All of a sudden, Bandages' pallid and haggard visage improved dramatically. The light in his eyes inexplicably grew brighter.
"Captain, I actually feel like I'm not from the surface world, but I've never thought about abandoning this journey with everyone.
"I'm a man with no past, and I do not know who I was or what I was. However, there's one thing that has never changed. I'm Bandages—the First Mate of the Narwhale. I've really taken a liking to this identity of mine."
For the first time, Bandages spoke without any pauses. However, he moved no longer once his words pervaded the cabin. Charles froze and stared intently at the quiet Bandages.
Charles felt a shiver down his spine just then, and his breathing grew haggard in an instant as he roared, "Linda! Lindaaa! Come in here! Now!"
Linda responded immediately to Charles' roar, and she pushed him out of the infirmary before rushing toward Bandages.
Charles waited four hours outside the infirmary before Linda emerged.
Linda looked utterly exhausted as she walked up to Charles and said, "He only has a few days left at most. Are you going to give him a burial at sea, or are you going to bury him at Hope Island? If you want the latter, I'll go and ask the Cook for some salt to preserve his corpse."
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