Chapter 340. Gears and Magic
The Governor's Mansion.
Charles looked up at the massive nautical chart pinned on the wall in front of him. Invisible tentacles emerged from his back and touched the ground to slowly lift him off the floor.
Charles maneuvered toward the target area for his upcoming voyage and carefully examined the details on the chart. The archipelago that the Pope had specified was rather interesting. Seven islands were densely packed together in an area of a mere hundred square miles. The island density was considered incredibly crowded, even according to the Subterranean Sea's standards.
Unless it were an archipelago, standalone islands would not be this close to each other.
They are not far from each other. Maybe I can explore a couple of them at once to save time, Charles thought as he stroked his chin.
After pondering for a moment, he reached out a finger to tap on one of the islands in front of him.
"Feuerbach, our target destination is this foremost island. If we successfully explore the island without any significant damage to the ship and casualties in our crew, we will continue to explore the upper-left island."
Seated at the office table, Feuerbach nodded. Taking the ruler he had been biting on, he picked up a pen and started to sketch and make notes on the smaller sea chart in front of him. He was plotting the most optimal route for the upcoming voyage and also calculating the ideal amount of fuel and supplies the Narwhale would need.
Charles descended and retracted his invisible tentacles. He then joined Feuerbach in the world of charting the course. Under the combined efforts of the Narwhale's Captain and Second Mate, the sailing route was swiftly planned out.
"Captain, the voyage this time should be relatively easier. The Explorers Association has already charted safe routes for hundreds of miles in this direction. They've placed navigational markers along the way, too," Feuerbach commented.
"Why are they exploring that region?" Charles took the nautical chart from Feuerbach and carefully scrutinized it for the details that he had missed earlier.
"Of course, it's to search for new islands! Hope Island is the northernmost point in the entire Subterranean Seascape that has been explored. Anything beyond that is uncharted territory. High risks, high returns. Your achievement has inspired many explorers, and they are all eager and enthusiastic to find a habitable island like you."
"Then, did anyone find anything worthwhile?"
"Well, surprisingly, apart from the various wretched and dangerous islands, an explorer by the name of Luvlyn discovered an interesting island. Although that island lacks freshwater and is very barren, the waters around that island resembled slow-moving whirlpools, and various floating debris in that region would slowly be pulled in and accumulate on the shore.
"Don't pay them any attention. A dead island without fresh water is useless. Keep an eye on the information that I had ordered your Naval Intelligence Department to gather. That information is very crucial to me."
Feuerbach immediately kept away his jovial expression and said, "Are you referring to the gathering of the clues related to the Divinity, Edikth? No problem. Our major island bases in the Northern Seas have already received the task, and they will do their best to gather the required intelligence."
"Dispatch our men to the other sea regions too. The journey may be long, but there might be clues in those places," Charles instructed.
"Understood. But Captain, may I ask why you are looking for clues about Edikth? I personally feel that it's better to know as little as possible about the Divinities. There had been many curious folks about the Divinities, and those people either ended up dead or turned into crazy lunatics like those Fhtagnists."
Charles decided against telling the entirety of the circumstances to Feuerbach. Instead, he simply ordered Feuerbach to report any clues as soon as they were found.
Judging from the situation with Sparkle and also being one of the Chosen Ones like Swann and the Pope, Charles was now certain that there was a tremendous power lying dormant within himself. However, it was not a power that he desired.
Since the Pope couldn't offer any solution, he couldn't just sit idly by. He had to find his own way to deal with it. Even if he couldn't find a method to revoke his status as a Chosen One, finding a way to control the power within him would be an alternative solution. Regardless of which, he had to gain an understanding of this Divinity first.
Charles really didn't like the feeling of having no control over his circumstances. It was akin to carrying a ticking time bomb without knowing when it would explode.
"Alright, Captain, I'll be leaving first," Feuerbach said and rose to his feet.
Just as Feuerbach was about to push the door open, the door swung open and Linda entered the room. Her expression was as indifferent as ever as she knocked on the door to signal her entrance.
"Captain, Teacher asked me to inform you that those people are ready to make a new prosthetic for you."
Charles' spirits lifted considerably upon hearing the news. It had been uncomfortable and inconvenient all this while without his left hand. Even though he had tentacles as substitutes, decades of habit were hard to break.
He eagerly left the Governor's Mansion with Linda.
"Have they already decided on who will be taking over their company?"
"Not yet," Linda replied. "It's just that they heard that it was the Governor of Hope Island who requested a prosthetic. So they decided to put aside their disputes for now and prioritize your needs first."
"Oh? My name carries that much weight?" For the first time ever, Charles felt that his identity was proving to be quite useful.
As Linda got into the car, Charles suddenly noticed the two circular wounds on her neck.
"What happened to your neck? Did you lose to Audric in poker, too?" Charles asked.
Linda remained silent and settled down into her seat. Seeing that she didn't want to talk about it, Charles didn't press further.
At the very least, he was certain that Audric definitely didn't attack her. That blind vampire had a somewhat meek personality and was even a little afraid of Linda.
Soon, the car pulled up before a luxurious cafe located in the heart of the island. However, the place was empty without any customers. The tables and chairs had been moved to both sides of the room. It seemed like the owner had deliberately emptied out the place to accommodate Charles.
A row of men stood neatly at the door to welcome Charles. As Charles entered the car, a middle-aged man dressed in a business suit and wearing square glasses stepped forward to greet him with a smile.
"Esteemed Sir Charles, Gears and Magic welcomes your arrival. I'm Handes, the head of the Hope Island branch."
"Enough with the pleasantries; let's get started," Charles said and removed his captain's uniform to reveal his missing left portion.
"Oh? Governor, it seems like you're missing yet another section compared to the previous round," Handes remarked.
With a wave of his hand, the young man next to him held a peculiar hemispherical mechanical device and attached it to Charles' stump.
As the young man wound the spring on the machine, various disks extended from the hemispherical mechanism and lightly pressed against Charles' stump, seemingly taking precise measurements for the best fitting.
"Why is the procedure this time different from the last?" Charles asked out of curiosity.
"Of course, it's different. This time, we are making a prosthetic for you, an esteemed Governor. Our company will certainly do our very best. By the way, sir, aside from the chainsaw and grappling hook, do you need anything else installed in your prosthetic? Rest assured, as long as we have it, we will provide you with the best we've got."
Thinking back about his previous voyages, Charles looked at the expression of ingratiation on the middle-aged man's face. "How good is its capability in withstanding water pressure? I might use the prosthetic in the deep sea."
Handes was momentarily taken aback by Charles' question. However, he quickly composed himself and nodded, "That's certainly not a problem. We will use the finest alloy to make your prosthetic to ensure that it has no issues working under immense water pressure. Aside from that, is there anything else you need?"
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