Chapter 41. Zhao Jiajia
The sailors around the duo quickly backed away and formed a circle around them. The hall buzzed with excitement as everyone looked forward to a duel.
Just then, a man dressed in a tailored suit that resembled the staff uniform of the Explorers Association hastily ran toward the two men.
"Both captains are contracted Explorers of the Association," the man reminded them. "Committing any act of violence within the Association will not only lead to expulsion, but also a bounty on the perpetrator's head issued by the Governor himself."
Sonny nodded with a smile and the semi-transparent gooey fluid on Charles receded into his robe.
"Mr. Charles, I mean no harm," Sonny tried to offer pacifying words.
"What do you want?" Charles' brows were pressed together. He had an intuition that if he didn't settle things with Sonny today, that man would persistently pester him in the days to come.
Sonny pointed to the edge of the hall and gestured for Charles to follow him.
Getting away from the revelry and raucous laughter and into the quiet corner of the hall, Sonny flashed Charles a smile and said, "Captain Charles, how much do you know about us?"
"Only rumors. For example, I heard that to be part of your church, there's an initiation ceremony where steel needles are pushed through the initiate's temples and glabella into their brain. Supposedly, that's how one can receive the blessings of the Sun God," Charles answered in an icy tone.
"Mr. Charles, don't you think such rituals are practical? In this cursed sea, humans' greatest danger is the fear within our own minds. As long as we received His blessings within the church, we would no longer feel fear. That's the reason why the followers of the Sun God have the highest survival rate among all Explorers."
"Then why don't you talk about the mortality rate of the ceremony itself? Is it actually a blessing or a curse? And your Sun God... I'm asking you, do you even know what the Sun looks like?"
"Of course." Sonny pointed at the marking on his forehead. "That's the appearance of our Lord."
Staring at the white triangle, Charles struggled to not let out a laugh. "Are you telling me that the Sun is triangular?"
"How could it not be? That's the answer from the religious text," Sonny was quick to retort.
"The Sun is a fucking circle, you idiot!" Charles' volume went a notch higher.
"Have you seen it? How are you so certain?" Sonny challenged the authenticity of Charles' words.
"I..." Charles opened his mouth, wanting to reveal his origin but managed to swallow the words at the tip of his tongue back into his stomach.
Sonny dismissed Charles' argument with a wave of his hand. "It's fine. Since you are not one of us, I don't want to debate with you over our teachings. I came to offer you a mission."
"A mission?" Charles raised a brow.
"It won't take too much of your time. Since you are heading to Sottom, I hope that you could also help me to deal with some people. They are also followers of the Divine Light Order but they share different ideals from us."
"How do you know that I'm heading to Sottom?" Charles' voice was laced with annoyance. He didn't like the feeling where his every thought and plan was being out in the open.
Sonny merely smiled. "Unique individuals would certainly receive more attention. If you are willing to show your sincerity, Mr. Charles, there will be more chances for us to cooperate in the future. I'm sure you could use some extra funds now, don't you?"
"What if I refuse?" Charles retorted with a sneer.
"I believe that you will agree, Mr. Charles. After all, you were willing to take a commission from those freaks of Fhtagn Covenant. This is a win-win situation for both of us, so why would you turn down our proposition?"
"Ha. Ha." Charles let out a derisive laugh and touched his nose. "At the very least, the Fhtagn Covenant has one advantage over you—they know how to show some respect."
Throwing down his final words, Charles then turned and left without sparing a backward glance.
Rationally speaking, he should have accepted the deal; he really needed the extra funds. However, one, he found the guy's attitude distasteful, and two, he wanted no involvement in the internal strife of a cult.
The moment Charles returned to his lodgings, his sharp senses were quick to pick up that someone had entered the room when he was away.
A suspicion bloomed in his mind and he dashed to the drawers and retrieved his diary. Flipping through the pages, indeed, someone had tampered with it.
"Lily?" Charles called out to the white mouse. There was a hint of nervousness in his voice. "What happened after I left?"
"Not long after you left...she came..." A tear-choked voice sounded from under the bed.
Feeling slightly relieved, Charles asked, "What did she look like? Was there a marking that resembled an inverted triangle on her forehead?"
Lily wriggled out of her hiding place, looking visibly shaken. The fur over her body was tousled.
"It's that big sister you are acquainted with."
"Which big sister?"
"The one from the painting in your diary."
"Anna?!" Charles' pupils shrunk to the size of a needle's tip. He quickly approached Lily and held her in his palm.
"Are you sure it's her or it's just someone who looked like her?"
"It's really her. She even left you a message on the back of the painting. Mr. Charles, why didn't you tell me that that big sister in the painting is a monster and not a human?"
Charles threw the white mouse onto the bed and darted back to his diary on the table. He retrieved the painting and turned it over to see neat rows of Chinese characters on the page.
I never thought you'd draw a portrait of me. I already told you I'm not real, but yet you're still thinking of me.
Actually, I was rather pleased to see this portrait. To know that the man I love was still thinking of me, even after my death...
Gao Zhiming, I'm not real. The feelings between us are not real as well. All the memories were created by the Diois tribe.
I know what you are thinking. You don't care that I'm not real and will think of a way to free me from the monster's control, am I right?
But you are wrong about this. I'm the monster, and the monster is me. We are one entity.
The Monsters of the Diois blood have no brains. We survive entirely on instinct. When we need to think, we create a consciousness, and I am the consciousness that I created.
I miss you so much, and wish to always stay by your side. I believe that you feel the same. But we both know that even these feelings of longing are not real.
I came here today, hoping to have a passionate breakup sex with you but it's a pity that you aren't around.
I don't wish to be controlled by false emotions. I plan to travel the sea to seek the meaning of my existence. Don't look for me, focus on finding your way back to the surface world.
Zhao Jiajia
P.S. By the way, if you fall in love with another woman, don't even let me find out. Else, I really won't be able to stop myself from eating them.
With his mind thrown into a chaotic mess, Charles hurled the paper to the side. With his eyes burning red, he turned to the white mouse, "How long ago did she leave?"
"About half an hour ago."
Without uttering a word, Charles dashed out of the room. He bit hard on his thumb and smeared the blood on the round mirror in his other hand. His body rapidly transformed as he morphed into a bat, flying out through the tavern's window and glided across the air.
Meanwhile, in a gloomy alley, Anna in a dazzling red dress looked up at the giant bat in the sky. Yellow-green tears dripped down from the corners of her eyes.
Just then, a burly arm slung over her fair, exposed shoulders. "Pretty, how much do you charge for a night?"
Wiping the tears off her face, Anna turned to face the drunken lout. "Two hundred Echo for a round, eight hundred for the entire night."
Mesmerized by Anna's angelic face, the drunken man was stupefied. He soon returned to his senses and fumbled with his belt excitedly. "Eight hundred it is! I'll have you for the whole night!"
Anna approached him with a gentle smile etched on her face. As she moved, the fair skin on her back had split apart as black tentacles gradually extended.
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