Chapter 59. The Doctor's Item
"Can you tell me everything about this device now?" Laesto asked in a low, husky tone.
Charles nodded as he said, "Come in." He then stepped aside for Laesto to enter the room.
Sitting opposite Laesto, Charles slowly shared everything he knew about a smartphone. Laesto listened in silence as his right hand traced circles on the phone.
"This device can be used for communication, entertainment, and also work. I couldn't live a day without it in the surface world..."
As Charles recounted his life story, images of his peaceful past filled his mind. He had always taken the mundane comfort of those times for granted, but the chaos of his current life in this subterranean sea had him yearning and cherishing those times even more.
"So that means this device is a tool for communication, like a telegraph?"
"You could say that."
Laesto remained silent for a brief moment before he spoke, "Actually, I have something like this too."
Charles nearly choked on his water from the unexpected revelation. Did he actually hit the hammer on the nail? That old man really had another smartphone?
Laesto reached into the insides of his worn-out coat and retrieved a cloth-wrapped rectangular object. Upon laying his eyes on the item beneath the fabric, Charles stood up in astonishment. It was a flat, black device that resembled a tablet.
The device's back cover had been removed, and its internal green circuit board laid bare under their gaze.
Looking at the item that was definitely not of this primitive subterranean world, Charles blurted, "Is this yours? Are you from the surface world too? What year was it when you ended up here?"
The first thought that entered Charles' head was that Laesto was just like him—a man from another place and time.
"This is not mine. It belongs to my great-grandfather," Laesto answered, his hideous features softening as he recalled memories of the past.
"I know nothing about him. He passed on early, and this was the only thing he left behind for me. My father told me to keep it safe. But he had never told me what this was. The mystery behind this item had always been gnawing at my heart. I've asked many, but no one knows what it is."
Could it be that his great-grandfather was transported into this place like me? Charles immediately dismissed the idea. Given Laesto's age, his great-grandfather would certainly be even older. The advent of tablets and mobile phones was relatively close in time, so it seemed unlikely they would have been transported here at the same time.
With these thoughts in mind, Charles took the tablet from Laesto and closely examined it. Very soon, he noticed the stark differences between this device and the sleek, lightweight tablets he was familiar with from the surface world. This device was bulky and crude by comparison.
With a weight of two pounds, Charles was certain that this item was not manufactured from the surface world that he knew of. Any manufacturer who had made a device like this would surely go out of business.
"Do you have a way to fix this? I probably won't have a child to pass this on to, neither do I want to pass this on. All I want is to know what my great-grandfather intended us to keep." Laesto's gaze remained fixated on the tablet.
"I'm sorry, I can't be of much help." Repairing electronic devices was not Charles' expertise.
"You mentioned earlier that this black mirror could light up again with electricity. Does that mean we could charge it, and it would work?" Laesto asked, his voice tainted with a tinge of hope.
"I'm not sure about the voltage used on the Coral Archipelago, but I'm very certain that it wouldn't match the tablet's needs. A reckless attempt might destroy it beyond salvation," Charles warned.
A trace of disappointment flickered across Laesto's face.
However, Charles was pulled further into his thoughts. If this tablet didn't originate from the surface world, then it must have been created by the people of the subterranean world. Since they already have the technology advanced enough to create tablets, then why was the current level of technology in this subterranean world akin to that of the 18th or 19th century? It didn't make any logical sense to Charles.
Suddenly, Charles was reminded of the island that housed Laboratory 3. If there were someone in the subterranean world capable of creating a tablet, it would be the humans from Laboratory 3. After all, they had already created and used fingerprint recognition technology.
Could Doctor's great-grandfather be an ex-staff at the lab?
However, the same questions remained unanswered. Those humans possessed advanced technology and also a large number of powerful relics. But where were they now? The mystery in Charles' mind deepened.
"No matter what, thank you," Laesto voiced out, breaking Charles' train of thought. "I finally know what my great-grandfather left behind. I will try to make it light up again. Our agreement still stands." He picked up the tablet and headed toward the door.
As the room door swung open, Margaret, who had been eavesdropping from outside, was visibly startled. She hurriedly ran toward Charles and hid behind him as she stole a timid glance at Laesto.
Laesto turned to look at Charles and asked, "Do you need her to forget everything she had just heard? I have a method for that."
"It's okay. Forget it."
Charles had previously recounted his story of how he came from the surface world to every person he had encountered. However, everyone had taken him to be a lunatic, and no one believed him.
Charles finally understood when he saw the Divine Light Order cultists describing their Sun God to be a triangle. Humans wouldn't believe the truth unless it was placed right before their eyes. However, humans could also be so ignorant at times that they only believed what they chose to believe.
Laesto turned and limped his way down the hallway and down the dimly lit stairs.
With only Margaret and Charles left in the room, Margaret said in a trembling voice, "Sorry, I didn't mean to eavesdrop. I thought my father had arrived."
"He won't be here so soon. I've sent your letter and the fishbone token to Whereto. The earliest they would reach him would be two weeks later."
Margaret pondered over Charles' words before her head drooped down, and she absentmindedly scuffed the wood beneath her with her toes.
"Sir, can I stay in your room? The other room is too dark, I'm a bit scared..."
"Suit yourself, just keep quiet," Charles responded in a nonchalant tone. He pulled out his diary and started jotting his latest entry.
A rosy blush appeared on Margaret's cheeks as she watched the young captain before her, engrossed in writing.
Compared to life on land, Charles preferred life at sea. Despite the dangers and hardships, he felt as though he was making actual progress toward his goal. While he was on land, he felt as though he was wasting every passing second.
Now that he had the nautical chart and his vessel, Charles still couldn't embark on his journey. His wounds had not fully healed, and he was still waiting for Sonny's head and that reward of five million Echo.
Over the next couple of weeks, Margaret and Charles spent their time together. Since Margaret lived next door, if she made any attempt to escape, the mice would report it to Charles. However, the young girl showed no sign of wanting to escape. On the contrary, she seemed to be enjoying her new circumstances and even going as far as expressing her desire to stick right next to Charles.
However, such peaceful days didn't last for long. One early morning, Charles spotted the Coral Archipelago's governor's cruiser chasing away fishing boats from the nearby waters. It was a sign that a huge event was happening today.
The gates that connected the port and the inner city were rarely opened. But this day, it swung wide as a grand procession of vehicles rolled out from the inner city.
With his excellent vision, Charles caught a clear glimpse of the man sitting inside one of the vehicles. After all, his heavy, flamboyant makeup was hard to miss. Charles had seen his photos in the newspapers—Nico, the governor of the Coral Archipelago.
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