Chapter 377: Bubble
Nervousness stirred in Charles as he stood on the Narwhale's bridge and studied the nautical chart laid out before him.
According to the intricate markings on the chart, the current location of their ship overlapped with the coordinates of the "door." Charles turned his gaze onto the sight outside of the window. It was an endless darkness; there were no signs of life or landmarks.
This shouldn't be the case The map clearly points us to this location. Could the map be inaccurate?
Charles contemplated if he should visit the Pope to discuss their follow-up plan. However, before he could make any move, the Pope had already levitated over to his ship.
"What's going on? Isn't this the location on the chart? Why is there nothing here?" The Pope questioned with a hint of displeasure in his voice.
"Maybe there's a mistake with the map's coordinates. We could explore the vicinity. If there's an island, it won't be far," Charles replied, his eyes fixated on the inky dark expanse ahead.
"No need for that hassle. I have a better way."
Shortly after, Charles spotted several entities circling overhead the massive white battleship in the distance. They were bats, a flock of white bats.
Hovering in mid-air, the bats rapidly dispersed in every direction to scout for land.
"Why haven't I been offered such resources?" Charles asked.
The Pope cast a glance at the blind vampire, Audric, who was standing next to Charles.
"Don't you already have one?"
Meanwhile, the entire Narwhale crew had assembled on the deck. Their anticipation was intermingled with traces of anxiety as they scanned the surrounding waters.
Their fate hung in balance at this critical juncture. Would they be able to return alive to collect their wages? Or would they perish in this desolate sea?
Soon, the white bats returned. They gathered in a certain formation above the massive ship and started circling overhead.
As the Pope observed their movements, a radiant smile slowly broke out on his wrinkled face. "Quick! They've found the marked location on the chart! Fifty nautical miles straight ahead! Full speed!"
Sparks emitted from the smokestacks of both the Narwhale and the white battleship. As if in a competition, the two vessels raced forward at their fastest speed.
Standing at the bow, Charles noticed a splash of color against the monochrome sea horizon. As they slowly approached it, the colored entity grew in size. When he finally caught a full view of it, he was left in sheer amazement.
It was a bubble constantly shifting through colors. Its colossal size stretched from the water's surface to the overhead dome.
"What is that? It's gigantic. Pope, do you know what it is?" Charles asked.
All eyes, including the Pope's, turned onto Charles with apparent confusion.
Bandages hesitantly pointed a finger at the entity ahead and answered, "That is an island"
"An island? How is that an island? Are you not able to see such a massive bubble?" Charles questioned once again.
At the sight of the crew's baffled expressions, it was then that Charles realized that he was the odd one here.
Could it be
A sudden thought flashed through Charles' mind. He quickly covered his good eye and used his spider eye to look ahead.
The scene before him changed instantly. Before him, a fragment of the dark island ahead was illuminated under the ship's spotlight. The massive, colorful bubble he saw had vanished.
Just what in the world is this thing that transcends the human vision spectrum?
With that thought in mind, Charles swiftly alternated between covering his left and right eyes to observe the two strikingly different worlds as if he were doing a vision test.
Despite hearing Charles' mention of the visual anomaly, the Pope remained undeterred. In fact, he was eager to proceed.
"This is the place marked as the 'door' on the map. We have to explore it."
"Alright then. Regardless, let's send in a reconnaissance team. I'll send the mice over," Charles offered.
However, the Pope shook his head and halted Charles. "That won't suffice. There's still a large difference between a mouse and a human. Some dangers on an island might not affect mice the same way they do humans. We need to send our men."
Soon, two boats filled with the Divine Light Order's disciples sailed toward the mysterious island enveloped by the colorful bubble.
Half an hour later, they returned with startling findings.
"Your Holiness, there are humans on the island," a young boy knelt before the Pope and reported with a hint of excitement in his voice.
"Humans? Really? Can you describe them?" Charles inquired, taking a step closer to the boy.
"We are not sure. It was too dark on the island, but we clearly saw human footprints and also indistinct silhouettes of humans moving in the forest," the boy replied deferentially.
Could they be natives? Remnants of the Foundation? Or maybe living relics like Tobba?
Many different possibilities raced in Charles' mind. However, he quickly suppressed his speculations. They needed to take concrete action now instead of doing guesswork.
The presence of humans on the island, as confirmed by the Divine Light Order's reconnaissance team, indicated that there was oxygen within the bubble.
Swiftly, the Narwhale's crew armed themselves with weapons, relics, and other essentials for the shore expedition.
Leading a group of twelve, the Pope cast a glance at the sailors, including Weister, who were carrying the supplies.
A smirk appeared on the Pope's countenance. "Are you planning to take those sailors along? My advice would be to leave them."
Charles turned to look at the twelve bald men clad in black coats standing in an orderly formation behind the Pope. Each of them carried a backpack and their bulging muscles were threatening to rip apart their clothes.
Both their demeanor and equipment showed that they were the elites of the elites within the Divine Light Order.
"Compared to your men, I have more faith in mine, even if they are mere luggage carriers," the Pope remarked.
Soon after, two landing boats were lowered into the water. The exploration teamsone led by the Pope and another by Charlesslowly advanced ahead and passed through the colorful barrier.
As soon as they set foot on the island, the fine, soft sand beneath their feet left a deep impression. The next thing that caught their eye was the array of lush greenery ahead. The flora here was distinctly unique, unlike any other species found in the other islands of this subterranean world.
However, they couldn't find the footprints and shadows the reconnaissance team had spoken of on the sandy shores.
Just then, Dipp nudged Bandages with his elbow and asked in a teasing manner, "So do you recognize this place? Have you been here before?"
Bandages remained silent as his gaze swept across the verdant landscape. Confusion filled his eyes as he tried to search his memory for any familiarity.
Meanwhile, Charles was discussing the next step with the Pope on the beach.
"Since we are embarking on this exploration together, let's make things clear first: who will be in command? I'd rather not spend our time on land in dispute," Charles said.
"If I insist on having the command, would you listen?" the Pope questioned.
"Of course."
"Really? Even if I instructed your crew to sacrifice themselves when needed, that would be alright with you as well?" the Pope asked and eyed Charles' reaction.
Seeing the hesitant look on Charles' face, the Pope let out a chuckle. "Never mind, you can take overall command for this exploration mission. Even if you were to instruct my men to sacrifice themselves, I would comply without hesitation."
Just when Charles was about to reply, he caught something in his peripheral vision and sharply turned his head toward a dark silhouette behind a dune.
"There's someone there!"
As soon as Charles pointed at the figure, it vanished into the darkness.
Woosh!
The Pope's white robes billowed behind him as he floated off the ground and dashed toward the disappearing shadow.
The twelve bald men followed suit without hesitation, dropping to all fours and sprinting after the Pope like cheetahs.
That old fart!
Fury surged within Charles. The old man had just agreed to follow his command, and yet he acted on his own accord the very next second.
Cosyjuhye's Thoughts
I take back what I said about things being chill.
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