Chapter 75. Break
The oyster shells hitting against the sizzling iron plate resulted in ongoing clinking sounds. Very soon, a cup of piping hot cream oysters was served before Charles.
Charles was about to fish out his Echo to pay for the meal when Old John waved him off dismissively. "This round be on me, matey. The Landin' Festival's been bringin' good fortune to me business. I can shoulder this one."
Charles took out an Echo bill from his wallet, and with a flick of his left hand, the money flew straight into the cash box.
"Next time. I happen to have some spare change."
Before Old John could utter another word, Charles had picked up his cup of creamy oysters and rapidly disappeared into the crowd.
"Blimey, that young lad's all flush with gold now, ain't he? If only I'd stayed aboard that ship..." Old John lamented as he reached his hand into the cash box and fumbled around. Much to his surprise, he found that the bill Charles had thrown had half a gold piece neatly wrapped inside it.
As Charles savored the creamy richness of the oysters, his gaze wandered around at the roadside performances. In an attempt to gather a crowd, the nearby theater had set up a stage on the main street itself. Dressed in an array of costumes, the actors were delivering an enthusiastic performance of a new play. It seemed to be a love story of the Coral Archipelago's Governor.
The audience watching the show by the side shook their heads in disappointment after several minutes. Every local was all too aware of Governor Nico's reputation for being fickle and insincere in love, and he chased after one pretty boy after another. He would never ever have to come to a life-or-death decision for love. The portrayal of him being a man like this seemed ludicrously far-fetched.
As he meandered through the festive crowd, Charles gradually blended in with the cheerful islanders.
"Daddy! Look! That's the uncle who slashed me that day!"
Hearing a child's voice, Charles swiftly turned around to see Lily's family standing across the street and staring at him with terrified expressions.
How coincidental to see them here. Charles thought to himself. Infected by the cheerful atmosphere, Charles nodded at them in greeting.
The sight of Charles seemed to spook Oliver and his wife. Without uttering a word, they quickly scooped up their daughter and rushed toward the makeshift police station nearby.
Charles let out a light chuckle as he continued ahead. A circus troupe welcomed him. The rarely-seen lions let out a ferocious roar within their cages, sending the islanders into frenzied screams.
A variety of performances unfolded before Charles. There were acrobats swinging in the air, clowns on unicycles, lions leaping through hoops of fire and other performances. It was only then that he realized the diversity of entertainment available on the island.
Although he didn't know if his day out had any actual effects, Charles found his spirits significantly lifted after participating in these festive celebrations.
Spending his entire day outside, he had amassed various delicacies, from the inexpensive grilled spider crab leg to the expensive roasted beef knuckles. He carried the treats in his hands as he headed home.
The food was all meant for Lily. He might have eaten his fill at the festival, but there was still a mouse back at home waiting to be fed.
"Lily, I brought you some—" Charles' sentence was abruptly cut off when he opened the door to find an unexpected visitor in his room.
Dressed up specially, Elizabeth threw herself at Charles the moment he entered the room.
Charles wanted to say something, but his lips were promptly hushed as Elizabeth's soft lips stopped him. Her enthusiasm was far beyond his expectation.
"Wait... the mice," Charles mumbled between gasps.
"I've chased them out," Elizabeth whispered. Their faces were so close that as she spoke, her sweet, delicate scent wafted over to Charles. He felt like he was intoxicated on fine wine as he turned light-headed and dizzy.
With a swift kick of his left leg, Charles closed the door behind him with a loud thud.
Some time later, Charles lay in bed as he stared up at the ceiling. Feeling the soft curves of Elizabeth's naked body pressed against him, his head was starting to ache again. He thought that things were over between him and her, but to think they had entangled themselves into a complicated situation again.
"Elizabeth, actually I—" Before Charles could complete his sentence, a soft hand covered his mouth.
Elizabeth gazed deeply into Charles' eyes and said, "This doesn't mean anything. I have no intention of clinging to you. Go and do what you need to. Come back whenever you feel tired. You'll always hold the rights to half of the Governor's seat on my island."
Currently, Elizabeth didn't display her usual domineering person. Rather, she exuded a gentle, girlish charm. Hearing her words, Charles felt like he had no reason to refuse her any longer. If he were to continue to turn her down, he would look down on himself as well.
After planting a lingering wet kiss on Charles' lips, Elizabeth left reluctantly. She was the new governor of a livable island, and she needed to gather a fleet to conquer the island.
Charles exhaled as he got out of bed and headed for the washroom.
When Charles emerged from the washroom feeling refreshed, he spotted the white mouse, Lily anxiously scurrying around the room in circles.
"That lass has got a keen nose. She hasn't sniffed out something, has she?"
Charles hurriedly walked to the windows and opened them. Just when he turned around and wanted to speak, the sight of a torn red brassiere on the floor had him wincing, and his words were caught in his throat.
Lily seemed oblivious to all that as she rushed up to Charles and urgently cried out, "Mr. Charles! Big Guy's been arrested by the police!"
Charles' face turned solemn instantly as he asked, "James has been arrested? What happened?"
"A tall lady gave me many Echo to buy myself some food. So I went to the grilled fish stall, but the fat guy wouldn't sell it to me and even hit me with a broom. Then I—"
"Get to the point!" Charles instructed as he threw on his coat, grabbed Lily and jumped out of the window.
"I went to the bakery where Big Guy's wife was, wanting to buy bread. But when I arrived there, there was so much blood. That lady was sobbing on the floor. I asked what happened, and she told me that Big Guy had been arrested by the police."
"Do you know which district?"
"Yes. District 7. My friend snuck into the place where they held people captive. Big Guy was inside, and someone was hitting him with a stick."
Taking a steam vehicle, Charles soon arrived at District 7's police station. The ebony-colored, four-story building stood out among its surroundings. Men and women dressed in their signature black uniforms moved in and out of the building.
Charles entered the building and quickly found his way to the Chief's office.
Pushing the door open, he was met with the sight of an elderly man dressed in a police uniform. His head was bowed as he scribbled on paper.
Charles pulled a chair and sat directly across from the elderly man. "Have you just arrested a man called James?"
Judging from the young man's attire and the distinctive smell of the sea emanating from him, Chief Reynold's face turned a shade darker.
He had always dreaded dealing with sea folk. Regardless of their status, they seemed to treat life lightly. They completely disregarded the law or the police. If they committed murder, they would flee to other islands in their ships afterward.
Reynold waved a hand, and the armed policemen at the door retreated.
"May I know who you are?" Reynold asked.
"Charles. You arrested my crew member. How much do you want for you to release him?"
"Your crew member was arrested for murder. How could I just release him?" Reynold's eyes widened in shock.
"Do you think this is my first time on the Coral Archipelago? How many times have you guys apprehended Small Ears from the Sea Serpent Gang, only for him to pay his way out? Name the price. Of course, I have my ways to resolve this if you remain insistent on not releasing him."
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