Chapter 320. Preparations for Battle
Inside the Governor's Mansion, Charles stood with his arms crossed with his gaze transfixed on Dipp. Dipp was recounting the details of the upcoming attack on Hope Island while Linda was tending to his wounds.
Dipp's left hand covered in green scales was cuffed to the couch next to him. A row of police officers armed with relics stood next to Dipp; they glanced surreptitiously at Dipp, ready to respond to any suspicious movement from the latter.
"That's all, Captain. I couldn't hear the details, but they're definitely planning on attacking Hope Island," Dipp replied.
"How many Deep Dwellers are living in that underwater city?" Charles asked.
"I don't know, but there seems to be at least a million of us there," Dipp replied, "My mother also told me that we aren't the only city of Deep Dwellers, but I'm not sure if they're going to recruit the others from other underwater cities for the upcoming mission."
"The tribal elders are also going to participate, and their strength is unimaginable," Dipp warned.
Charles' expression turned solemn. He knew that Dipp wouldn't lie to him, especially when it was such a grave matter. Charles also reckoned that those underwater fellows weren't so free as to mess with Dipp using false information.
"How many tribal elders did you say there were?" Charles asked once more.
"There were five tribal elders in the city, but two of them went on a journey to the Divinity's Land. I guess three tribal elders are going to participate in the attack, then," Dipp replied.
"How strong are they?" Charles asked.
Anxiety suffused Dipp's face in an instant. He scratched his head, unsure of how he could make Charles understand the strength of the tribal elders.
Linda looked up just then and said, "In the context of the power ranking system at sea, the tribal elders are at Level 10. The Fhtagn Covenant had sent them out to their divine wars against the Divine Light Order.
"Even the Pope had found it difficult to deal with their mind control abilities and their special ability to manipulate water."
Charles' face became a shade darker at Linda's remark. A Level 10 enemy meant that they were an enemy capable of shifting the tides of the entire battlefield.
The possibility of encountering multiple Level 10 enemies meant that Hope Island was in danger of utter destruction. They had to go all-out in the upcoming battle.
Charles turned to the police officers and said, "Tell everyone to gather at the Governor's Mansion as soon as possible."
Charles then started walking toward the conference room. Dipp struggled violently against his restraints and cried out, "Captain, let me help you! I can go underwater and perform reconnaissance!"
"Stay put!" Charles roared, "I'll chop your legs off if you attempt to escape!"
With that, Charles decisively ignored Dipp's cries and walked over to the conference room. The seats in the conference room were soon filled up. The upper echelons of Hope Island sat around the oval table and listened quietly to Charles' intelligence.
Upon hearing about the upcoming sea monster attack, each and every one of them reacted differently from the other. Some were afraid, some were anxious, but the upper echelons with positions in the navy weren't afraid.
The eleven commodores seemed eager to fight; it was a sight no one found strange, as these eleven commodores were captains of their own exploration vessels three years ago. Three years was too short a time to rid them of their fighting spirit.
"Leonardo, I want you to notify every single department on Hope Island. This is going to be a life-or-death battle, and every islander must contribute one way or another. Evacuate the residents on the shores to make room for the upcoming battle and to ensure their safety as well," Charles said.
The Minister of Administration, Leonardo, grinned and replied, "Rest assured, Governor. I'll put up the mobilization order right away. The companies on the island will be happy to help us as well in exchange for tax exemptions."
Charles then turned his gaze to the individual in charge of the navy. "How many sailors do you have at the moment, and how many ships can mobilize at any given time?"
In Bandages' absence, Deputy Admiral Feuerbach leaned back on his chair and placed his boots down from the oval table before responding, "We have a total of twenty thousand men ready to go at any time. I've expanded the navy to full capacity following your orders for expansion just in case Swann launches an attack on us."
"The fleet has four two-hundred-meter-long Sea Lion-class battleships, two destroyer detachments, four frigate detachments, two landing craft detachments, and a speedboat detachment to a grand total of seventy-four ships."
Charles started drumming his fingers on the smooth wooden table. The navy's numbers were impressive, but the revelation didn't make him feel safe. After all, they were about to fight sea creatures rather than human beings.
They needed more allies to reinforce them in the upcoming attack.
Having made up his mind, Charles sent telegrams to the Elizarles Shores, World's Crown, and Skywater Island.
The three islands' responses varied from one another.
Governor Elizabeth of Elizarles Shores immediately replied, saying that a mobilization order had been passed down to their navy and that they would set sail in three days with the goal of arriving at Hope Island at the fastest speed possible.
The Divine Light Order's response was even faster. The navy fleet of Skywater Island reached Hope Island in just three days.
Charles felt slightly at ease upon seeing the Divine Light Order's gleaming golden ships entering Hope Island's harbor. Actually, the Divine Light Order was more anxious than Charles. After all, their Light God was hanging above Hope Island. They'd become a laughingstock if it somehow got destroyed.
"Governor Charles, please rest assured. His Holiness is aware of the situation, and he will arrive soon."
The telegram from World's Crown baffled Charles. It took them five days to reply, and the response was a mere one word: noted.
Noted? What does that even mean? Charles was at a loss for words as he looked down at the paper in his hands. After learning of his plight, Charles believed that Anna would send troops to Hope Island.
However, he couldn't say for sure if she would come here in person. Personally, Charles hoped that she would come here. After all, Anna herself was a formidable fighter.
Time passed slowly, and a heavy, oppressive atmosphere weighed down on Hope Island. Aside from buying their necessities, the islanders of Hope Island dared not to go out.
The low horns of the navy fleet reassured them amidst the oppressive air. Perhaps they had been complaining about the noise earlier, but those horns had become their constant reassurance during these trying times.
Charles stood on one of the canopy tops while observing the pitch-black sea in the distance. The stray rays of sunlight filled him with warmth.
Charles' pencil danced across the paper in his hand, and a pencil sketch depicting a bustling street soon appeared on the piece of paper.
Anna was holding Charles' arm, and they were all smiles as they strolled down the bustling street with milk tea in their hands.
Charles was about to add some finer details to Anna's hair when he sensed a gaze from his left. Charles turned and saw a cloaked woman. The woman's figure beneath the cloak was covered in bandages.
Charles felt like she had seen her somewhere before. Unlike last time, there was a black cat with purple pupils in her arms.
"Who are you? Do you need something from me?" Charles asked.
The cloaked woman didn't respond; she remained unmoving as if she were a statue.
Charles frowned slightly. He put down his pencil and started walking toward her when a steel prosthetic arm grabbed him. Charles turned and found another version of himself.
"Bro, don't go. Black cats are bringers of misfortune. We should stay away from it."
"Richard?"
"I'm serious. Black cats are wicked, man! I stumbled upon one when I was little; it was wearing white underwear and was riding a tricycle. I heard a loud bang, and it killed a one-eared mouse with a single bullet. Really, black cats are scary."
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