Chapter 490: Alcohol Indulgence
Now that the true master of Hope Island had returned, the island's situation began to slowly stabilize. Any thoughts or feelings people harbored, if not entirely dissipated, were carefully concealed in the deepest recesses of their hearts.
Very few knew what the Governor had encountered at sea. The only knowledge they had was that apart from the captain, everyone aboard the ship had gone utterly mad.
The deranged crew members were housed in a large villa for centralized treatment; their families had also received generous compensation.
Many secretly called the extravagantly decorated house located in the heart of the island a madhouse. Rumors circulated that all of its residents were subjected to the Divinity's Curse.
As for the Governor, he had secluded himself within his residence and never made another appearance ever since his return. He turned down all requests for an audience and even dismissed the servants and maids responsible for the upkeep of the mansion.
Within the desolate bedroom, Charles sat among the scattered wine bottles. He listlessly raised a bottle in his hand, only to find it empty; there was not even a single drop left.
He reached out a shaky right hand to grab a new bottle. Yet with a quick buzz of his chainsaw and extreme precision, the bottle cap was sent flying.
As he gulped down mouthful after mouthful of the strong booze, the closed door slowly creaked open.
"Get lost!"
Charle's angry roar resonated through the room. Lily, who had merely peeked her head in trembled in fright. However, she didn't leave. Instead, she darted among the empty bottles and stood before the disheveled Charles. Having been drowning his sorrow with alcohol, Charles' beard had grown long and was untidy from neglect.
Tears welled up in Lily's eyes. "Mr. Charles, did I do something wrong?" Lily asked, her tiny voice laced with hurt. "Why are you so unhappy? Do you not like it that I'm back?"
Lily's careful and pleading expression softened Charles' heart. He gently placed the wine bottle down and picked her up to cradle in his palm.
"You did nothing wrong. It's all my fault It's all me" Charles stammered as his facial features twisted into a look of pained anguish.
Sensing Charles' raw emotions, Lily leaped onto Charles' shoulder and used her tiny paws to embrace him gently. "Mr. Charles, please pull yourself together. Everyone needs you; you're the captain."
Charles shook his head helplessly. He picked up Lily and set her down beside him before grabbing the bottle and taking another swig.
"Not anymore," Charles said.
Before Lily could respond, the distinct sound of high heels clicking against the floor resonated from the doorway.
"Let him drink."
The little mouse turned to look at the door to see Anna standing there, arms crossed and wearing a composed expression. Her beady eyes darted between Charles and Anna before she swiftly scampered away on all fours.
After that, Charles continued drinking while Anna silently watched him. An oddly peaceful atmosphere surrounded them.
But just when Charles reached for a new bottle, Anna lifted her right hand; it morphed into a black tentacle and shot out like a whip toward Charles.
The glass bottle, filled with amber liquid, shattered against the wall.
"The countless deaths in the Subterranean Sea aren't your fault! The deranged state of your crew isn't your fault!! What the hell are you blaming yourself for?!"
Charles let out a bitter chuckle.
"Really? Is it really not my fault? Maybe I have been doing it all wrong from the start. If I had just stayed content upon arriving in this subterranean place, perhaps things would have been different," Charles said, his voice laced with evident exhaustion.
"Is this all it takes to know you down? How can you still call yourself a man!" Anna dashed forward, her two tentacles reaching out to pull Charles away from the bottles.
Charles' bloodshot eyes turned onto Anna, his gaze so intense that it seemed to pierce through her. "Then what should I do? Everyone on the Narwhale has gone crazy! They are my companions, my family! Bandages, Dipp, Conor, Linda, Audric, Planck, and Norton They've lost their minds!
"I'm not a robot; I have feelings, too! I'm a living person! I can feel sadness and pain, too!"
"If that's the case, then find a solution! Find a way to cure their madness! There's no logic in this seascape. Maybe someone on another island has a way. Pull yourself together and find the cure!"
At Anna's words, Charles' face twisted into a bitter smile filled with myriad emotions.
"Someone on another island? Is there still anyone besides those on Hope Island in the entire Subterranean Sea? They are all dead! They are killed by the warm sunlight!"
"What about the surface then? Sparkle went to have a look just now. The door to the surface is now open. Are you not going to check it out? You've been waiting for this day for years," Anna replied.
Charles froze at the newly learned information.
"The surface the surface" he muttered to himself.
"What's there on the surface?" Charles asked Anna a strange question.
"Your family that you've been longing for and the modern life you've always wanted."
"Is that so? But why is my mind so cluttered," Charles asked. He suddenly rose to his feet and rushed to the nearby easel before starting to paint with fervor.
A portrait of a family of four rapidly took shape on the canvas, but the figures representing his parents had only half a head each, and the depiction of his younger sister had only her lower body. Irregular squares sliced through their bodies, shattering what was supposed to be a realistic family portrait into an abstract piece of art.
Charles wrecked his brain hard, digging through his memory in an attempt to fill in the blanks. However, no matter how hard he tried, nothing came up.
Eventually, he gave up and cradled his throbbing head in agony.
Anna walked toward him and pressed his head against her body. She gently massaged his temples and consoled him, "It's okay, everything will get better, don't worry..."
As the minutes trickled by, Charles began to feel slightly better. Lying in Anna's embrace, he gazed at the opulent mural before him and remarked. "My identity of being Edikth's Chosen One has vanished along with my shadow. At the same time, I feel like something in my head has vanished along with my shadow too. I can no longer feel that intense desire for the surface world."
Anna looked toward the floor and realized that Charles' shadow had indeed vanished. Her man was now a human without a shadow.
"Anna, I read my diary entries after that incident. I suddenly realized how frighteningly obsessed I used to be. Why was I so obsessed?" Charles questioned in a low, somber tone.
"Pull yourself together! No matter what, you have to go to the surface! Not just for the years and effort you've spent working toward this goal but also to find a cure for your crew's insanity. Think about it, there are over six billion people up there!
"If this subterranean realm has no answers, surely someone on the surface does, especially after they learn about this mysterious underground world we are in.
"Also, do you think hiding down here will keep you safe? With the Light God causing such a stir, those surface people are bound to come down here. No matter which country it is, if they gain the upper hand, it won't bode well for us later on."
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