Chapter 79. Collaboration
Gradually, a savage joy twisted Kord's features. He turned around and stared at Charles' face with an intense gaze.
"Captain Charles, how very kind of you to share the nautical chart so readily. Thank you so much..."
A Divine Light Order follower standing guard in the hallway entered the room with an expressionless face. He had his gaze on Charles.
In the face of the veiled threat, Charles was seemingly unbothered as he looked at Kord with a calm, indifferent face.
"So? You plan to take down all the remaining thirty-three islands all by yourself?"
"As long as I have the nautical chart, I can get other captains to collaborate with me! I must be the first to discover the Land of Light!" Kord declared, and the followers reached into their robes and pulled out firearms.
In response, Charles' left hand suddenly moved on its own and reached for the lightning staff hidden inside his coat.
"Stay down, it's all bluster," Charles said in his mind, effectively halting Richard from retaliating in aggression.
Charles looked at Kord once more and said, "Are you afraid that I would discover the Land of Light first and abduct your Sun God? Don't be so narrow-minded. We share the same goal in this respect."
Charles extended his right hand and looked at the old man before him with a calm gaze.
Kord lunged at Charles, his hands frantically grabbing Charles' collar. With his neck veins bulging under his skin, Kord questioned, "Why should I collaborate with you? To complete the task you requested, I've marshaled all the power I could access! If the Archbishop and his men discover what I did, I will surely be dragged to the Divine Light Grand Cathedral to face judgment!"
"Are you possibly afraid?"
A hint of panic flashed across Kord's eyes, and his expression cracked under Charles' question.
An understanding smirk appeared on Charles' face, and he suddenly changed the topic, "In that case, wouldn't you need an experienced Explorer Captain even more? After all, there's no real bad blood between us, do we? You tricked me once, I tricked you once; we're even."
The wrinkles on Kord's face twitched, and he abruptly released his grip on Charles. His gaze fell back onto the nautical chart drawn on the diary pages.
"I currently have three exploration ships at my disposal. Including your ship, that's four in total. If each ship explored one island every two months, we could locate the stairway to the Land of Light within two years at the quickest!"
Watching the disciples of the Divine Light Order lower their gun barrels, Charles walked to the other side of the table and sank into the seat.
"No, it's not as simple as you think. Exploring an unknown island is plagued with dangers. Are you sure your three exploration ships can survive until the end? Apart from us, 'King' of Sottom knows of that place as well," Charles retorted.
"It has to work out no matter what! I've risked it all! Even if I were to die, I would die in the Land of Light. Only by dying there can I enter the kingdom of our divine Sun God!!" Kord roared with a trace of madness in his eyes.
Hearing Kord's words, Charles couldn't help but feel a pang of pity toward the old man. The old man was a complete lunatic.
"Isn't there anyone else in your Order? Perhaps they can lend us a hand," Charles proposed to Kord, hoping that he could seek outside help.
"Didn't you hear what I said earlier? If they find out what I'm doing, I'll be dead! Also, those obstinate old men at the main cathedral wouldn't believe a word of your nonsense!" Kord barked, his voice laced with apparent irritation.
Letting out a sigh, Charles leaned forward and tapped a finger on the nautical chart.
"Regardless, let's start the exploration. Tell me the target of your three ships. We wouldn't want to waste our time on the same island, would we?"
Kord pulled out a quill from a nearby inkwell and circled three islands on the map.
"We shall meet back here in two months to exchange intelligence," Kord said before turning on his heel and heading toward the door.
"Hah! This dumb twat doesn't seem to be having it easy either," Richard remarked sarcastically in Charles' mind.
"Ignore him. The more pious these cultists are, the easier it is to manipulate them." Charles responded before his eyes scanned the map on the table. He then circled one of the islands on the chart.
"This will be our next target."
With the help of Lily the mouse, the crew was rapidly gathered. After going through three months of maintenance, the Narwhale was once again ready to take on the waters.
Their voyage this time was slightly different because James' wife, Mosicca, had personally come over to send them off. After the true identity of his job had been revealed, James no longer had the reason to hide anything from his wife. Watching the couple affectionately bidding their farewells incurred the envy of the group of bachelors on board.
Laesto staggered toward Charles and fished out the same jelly-like slime. "Let's see how you fare after all this time."
With a frown on his face, Charles tilted his head back and swallowed the gel. The ringing in his ears sounded once more, but it was much softer than before. At least, Laesto hadn't distorted into a complete monstrosity before him. He could still make out some humanoid features of the old man.
Three minutes later, the anomalies disappeared. This time, Laesto nodded in satisfaction as he fervently jotted down notes in a small notebook.
"Whatever you've been doing, continue with it. It's helping to purge your mental contamination. If you keep it up, I assure you that you'll make it to 30 despite the divinity's curse."
Charles ignored the old doctor's assurance that sounded like a curse, "Did you manage to repair the black mirror? Better not to use electricity on it directly. That thing's delicate."
Without even raising his head, Laesto replied, "That thing is mine now, I have my way. You don't have to bother."
"If you manage to turn it on, let me know," Charles said. He was also curious about the contents of the tablet.
Without giving any response, Laesto turned on his heel and left.
Life at sea was as uneventful and dull as ever. They hadn't encountered any anomalies. Yet.
The door to the bridge swung open with a thud. Second Mate Conor was on duty to helm the ship at this time.
"Captain, don't worry. We're still on a safe route. What could possibly happen?" Conor assured.
"Don't let your guard down. Even things can happen on a safe route at times," Charles retorted as he peered at the distant navigational buoy. Fortunately, the buoy was a normal one this time that steadily approached their position as the Narwhale steered ahead.
"Captain, have you ever heard of Volcano Island in the Southern Sea? I was born there," Conor tried to engage his captain in a conversation.
"I see," Charles responded nonchalantly as he examined the nautical chart pinned to the wall. He really found his second mate to be rather chatty.
"Have you heard of the island's specialty? Apart from its iron and copper mines, the place's famous for its leviathan whale oil. Besides its usage as a lubricating oil, it can also be used to manufacture candles and soap. The leftover residual can even be a source of fuel. Perhaps, the fuel we are burning in our turbine chambers now is from my hometown," Conor continued with a hint of pride in his voice.
Charles was aware of the things Conor mentioned. In the early days of Earth's Industrial Revolution, whale oil, especially from the sperm whales in the Pacific Ocean, was an essential industrial material before the discovery of petroleum.
"Then how did you end up in the Northern Sea? It's at least a half-year journey from Volcano Island to the Coral Archipelago, isn't it?" Charles questioned.
A helpless look appeared on Conor's face as he replied, "Actually, my father was the captain of a whaling ship, and he had wanted me to inherit his ship. But I didn't want to. Leviathan whales are at least a hundred meters long. Every year, there would be ships capsizing because of the whales and sailors perishing within these creatures' bellies.
"So you decided to venture out because of the potential dangers? Honestly, coming aboard my ship wasn't the best choice, then," Charles commented wryly.
Conor shook his head. "I'm not afraid of danger, but I fear for my children to have to follow my footsteps in such dangerous work. I wanted to change."
Brimming with hope, Conor continued, "You know, Captain, on my tenth birthday, my father took me to the central island as a birthday treat. That trip changed my life. I realized that the central islanders were really happy. Every one of them owned their land and didn't have to work at all. They merely live on collecting Echo from those who rented their land. They lived in bliss merely because they were sailors on the governor's ship when the governor first settled on the island."
"Don't worry, one day, you'll have your own land," Charles assured Conor.
"When that day comes, I will bring over my entire family and let them become central islanders." Suddenly, Conor seemed to be reminded of something, and a shadow of pain flickered in his eyes.
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