Chapter 341. Setting Sail
Seeing Charles deep in thought with his brows slightly furrowed, Handles leaned in slightly with a sly glint in his eyes, "Sir Governor, I believe that when it comes to weapons, you can probably acquire better ones than us. I recommend our relic storage optimization. It allows you to place smaller-sized relics into your prosthetic, making them readily accessible.
"Just like this," Handes said as he extended his white-gloved hand in front of Charles.
With a sharp sound of tearing fabric, the white glove instantly tore open to reveal a bronze-color metallic prosthetic hand before Charles.
The clicking sound of gears whirring into action continuously echoed as his metal index finger split down the middle. A glass dagger, as thin as a piece of paper, sprung out of the gap and landed in Handes' grip.
"See. Not only does it save you time from drawing the weapons, but it also makes surprise attacks possible. This customization service was quite popular with the soldiers of the Albion Isles," Handes said.
"Very well," Charles said and took out all his relics. "This is all. Put all of them into my new prosthetic limb."
Just then, a sudden thought struck Charles' mind. He pondered over it for a brief moment and then pulled out his cell phone.
"Place this inside as well," Charles instructed. He didn't have many relics left after all, so there should be more than enough space in his prosthetic limb.
Handes was somewhat surprised as he stared at the small black mirror in front of him.
The relics of the Governor of Hope Island are surely unique, Handes thought. However, they remained as mere thoughts. As a qualified merchant, he knew what to ask and what not to ask. His five fingers split open, and he began measuring the dimensions of the various relics.
"Of course, if you acquire any new relics in the future, feel free to notify us. We'll personally come over to refit your prosthetic to include your new possession," Handes replied.
As he watched Handes skillfully taking all the measurements, Charles couldn't help but feel a slight hint of curiosity toward the company, Gears and Magic.
"I heard your boss was from the Albion Isles?" Charles asked.
"Yes, but he's already dead. Speaking of which, Swann, the former Governor of the Albion Isles, had a stake in our company. But then, something like that actually happened. It caught us all off guard.
"The days ahead are going to be tough. The Yellow Robe Wizard Association in the Western Seas, which used to be our boss' business partner, planned to go solo. Don't they realize that given our current circumstances, we should unite no matter how big our differences are?
"If we were to go our separate ways, without any solid backing, all our assets in the various island branches would get completely seized by the greedy Governors on those islands.
"What's the big deal about knowing magic? You haven't seen how they act all high and mighty. We're in the era of steam engines and cannons! Those stubborn old fogies will be abandoned sooner or later," Handes complained.
But just then, he remembered that there was a governor right next to him. He hurriedly waved his hands and said, "Governor Charles, I'm not talking about you. I mean the other greedy governors."
"I know," Charles replied. "Just hurry up and do your job. I'm not here to listen to your complaints."
Seeing that Charles was truly not bothered by his unintentional remark, Handes stopped speaking and hurried up with his business.
Soon, a magic formation was drawn on the ground. With the help of so many people, the formation had become clearly much larger than before, and even the teleportation speed had increased.
Candles were placed within the formation and lit up. Soon, a pure black metal prosthetic limb appeared in the center of the formation. Intricate patterns adorned the black, glimmering exterior. Charles' fondness toward it grew as he examined it, starting from the left chest, upper arm, forearm, and palm of the hand.
Woong—
A conical tube protruded from the black steel prosthetic limb and pierced directly into Charles' stump. Trickles of fresh blood flowed through the gap between the machine and Charles' flesh.
After the pale cyan soul entered the prosthetic limb with a howling wail, Charles felt that his left limb had finally returned.
He opened and closed both his hands and instantly sensed something different. This new prosthetic was evidently better than the previous one by a few levels.
With a single thought, his metallic ring finger flicked upward, and a ring landed in his open palm. It was his Invisibility Ring; his body rapidly vanished from the spot.
Clank!
His Dark Blade sprang out directly from the palm of his prosthetic limb. And it all happened in less than a second.
"I'm very satisfied. How much is it in total? You may go to the Ministry of Finance to claim the payment," Charles remarked as he fondly stroked his new prosthetic limb.
"Governor, sir, as long as you like it. It's our honor to serve you. Also, our company is willing to cover all future replacement and maintenance of your prosthetics. However, we have just a small request. Of course, it's just a request, so sir, you're not obliged to agree," Handes said.
"What is it?"
"Please allow us to include your esteemed name when we advertise our prosthetics."
Charles couldn't help but be impressed by Handes
This guy really knows how to do business; he actually thought of using me as his spokesperson.
"Alright, you can give it a try," Charles then turned and walked out of the cafe. He couldn't wait to test out his new prosthetic limb.
The moment Charles disappeared from sight, the person next to Handes approached him with a worried expression. "Mr. Handes, are you really sure about this? We used seventy percent of this base's funds to make that prosthetic, and you've just given it away for free."
"What do you know? Money in the bank is just paper. We can only ensure our continued existence in this seascape by exchanging those papers for something else.
"The name of the Hope Island's Governor is one of those things. His immense strength is there for all to see; other forces would surely think twice before messing with us," Handes explained.
Five days flew by quickly. It was time for Charles to set sail again.
The harbor was bustling with activity as usual. Elizabeth gently held Charles in her embrace and whispered into his ear, "Can't you stay for a few more days?
"It's been a while since we last met. I'm really going to miss you," a hint of complaint laced Elizabeth's seductive voice.
"Sorry. I'll spend time with you properly once I've finished my business. Just not right now," Charles assured her.
"Alright, I'll wait. You better keep your promise, though," Elizabeth said and bent down to plant a red kiss mark on Charles' neck before releasing her hold on him.
Charles' gaze swept across the crowd at the dock. They were all officials on Hope Island. Regardless of what was on their mind, they had come to see him off voluntarily.
"Captain, First Mate Bandages hasn't returned. Are we setting sail with just us this time?" Second Mate Feuerbach asked from the back of a red shark he was riding in the sea.
"He probably won't make it back in time. Who knows where this Divinity's Land is? Let him rest for a little more. He almost lost his life, after all," Charles replied.
"Narwhale, weigh an—" Just as Charles was about to order their departure, he suddenly spotted a white dot on the distant, inky dark waters. As it drew nearer, he realized that it was a passenger ship.
Charles squinted his eyes and saw a figure standing at the ship's bow. The figure was covered in fresh white bandages from head to toe, and also signaling to them in flag semaphore.
Charles' face lit up with a smile as he let out a chuckle. "It seems like our First Mate made it back in time. Narwhale! Weigh anchor and set sail!"
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