Holding the echo bills in his hands, John turned to leave with a sneaky smile on his face. But as he pushed open the door, he hesitated and turned back with a troubled expression.
Looking at the shadowy figure standing in the interplay of light and darkness, he seemed to struggle with his words.
“Captain, I’m leaving now, and I’ll be honest with you. Maybe you should come ashore too. Even if you save up enough to buy an exploration ship, what then? The Land of Light doesn’t exist.”
“It exists.”
Charles’ tone was calm, but his eyes were filled with determination.
“How can something bigger than an island hang in the sky, selflessly providing us with light and warmth, dispelling darkness? It’s all made up by the Church of Light to deceive people.”
Seeing Charles remain silent, Old John sighed and continued to persuade him, “When I first saw you, you couldn’t even speak, but you were so full of vitality, so cheerful and confident. I thought what a fine young man you were. If I had a granddaughter, I would have introduced her to you.”
“You don’t have to hide it from me. I know you’ve been hearing the voice of the divine for many days now. If you continue like this, you really will go mad. Give up.”
Charles, with a blank expression, walked to the door and shut it with a loud “bang.”
“Kid, you’re too stubborn,” John’s footsteps gradually faded away, and the door outside returned to silence.
“Am I too stubborn?” Charles leaned against the door and muttered to himself, his expression slowly twisting.
“What’s wrong with wanting to go back?” Charles suddenly shouted in pain.
“I haven’t done anything criminal!! Why did this happen to me? Why!!”
“Eight years!! Eight whole years!! Why do I have to endure this ordeal!! I just want to go home, what’s wrong with that!!” Charles roared loudly.
The whispering sounds returned to his ears, causing immense irritation.
“I curse you!!” In a rage, he pulled out his gun and pointed it at his temple.
Just as his trembling finger was about to pull the trigger, a dull protest came from the neighboring wall.
“Shut up!! Keep it down!!”
The agitated Charles suddenly fell silent. He holstered his gun, picked up a cloth, and carefully wrapped the wooden knife in it.
That night, Charles dreamed of many things, but when he woke up again, he couldn’t remember any of it.
“Knock, knock, knock.” The door was knocked again.
When Charles opened the door, he found a bald man with octopus tentacle tattoos on his face standing in front of him.
“Are you Captain Charles of the Rat? My name is Hook. Pleased to meet you.”
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Charles eyed the man in front of him warily. His features were unremarkable, but his inwardly curved deformed ears indicated he was a local from the Coral Islands, and the octopus tentacles on his face signified his faith.
“What does a follower of Fotan want with me? Are you here to deliver me to your all-powerful god?”
Sensing the hostility in Charles’ words, Hook was not at all offended.
“To become an offering for the great one, you may not be qualified. I’m here for another matter, Captain Charles. I heard you’re in need of money, is that true?”
Charles was not surprised. This was not the first time someone like this had approached him.
“I don’t smuggle contraband.” Charles said as he was about to close the door.
Actually, he was lying. He did engage in smuggling when the profit was high enough, but he refused outright to avoid too much contact with these cults.
The only difference between a Fotan follower and a madman on the street was that the former could speak normally. No sane person would worship a monster from the depths of the sea as a god.
Just as the door was about to close, Charles suddenly heard a number float through the doorway. “One million echoes.”
Looking through the crack in the door, the bald Hook’s face broke into a confident smile.
“Mr. Charles, this reward is more than enough to cover your financial shortfall and allow you to purchase a top-of-the-line exploration ship. Just think about it, if you discover a new island, you’ll own your own land and become the governor of the new island. Women, power, and an endless supply of echo coins will all be yours.”
Charles didn’t know how these people knew about his goal, but he was tempted. With that much money, he could take a significant step closer to home.
He didn’t let his guard down, though. The Cult of Fotan was not a charity organization, and such a huge reward undoubtedly came with extreme danger.
“What do you want me to smuggle?” Charles asked cautiously.
“It’s not about smuggling goods. We want you to help us find something. Please come with me, and our high priest will explain the details to you.”
After a few seconds of consideration, Charles opened the door and followed Hook out.
The two of them left the port area, passing through the fishy-smelling docks and heading towards the residential area of the island.
The residential area of the Coral Main Island was less chaotic and more lively. If it weren’t for the gray-white coral buildings, Charles would have felt like he was walking the streets of London in the mid-18th century.
Banks, hospitals, clothing stores, theaters—all modern facilities were present on the island. If not for the deformed ears and pale skin of the people, everything would have seemed normal.
The island was like a city, with bustling streets filled with people of all walks of life, from the poor to the rich, each busy with their own affairs.
“Roasted spider crab legs, only 4 echoes each!”
“Dad, I can’t walk anymore, I can’t walk anymore.”
“Extra! Extra! Major news, Governor Nico is set to marry his sixth husband in six days!”
“Sir, can I have a moment of your time? Let me introduce you to our Father and Savior, the all-knowing and all-powerful great one, Fotan Savito.”
The peaceful scenery was not to Charles’ liking. Even if it was peaceful, what use was it? Everything here was as fragile as a bubble. Although rare, islands inhabited by millions of people had sunk before.
The two of them weaved through the gray-white buildings until they arrived at a massive church.
As they entered the church, the surrounding noise instantly fell silent. In the center of the hall stood a huge stone statue that barely resembled a human figure.
It was more like a standing, rotting octopus, with flipped scales and eyes covering its entire body, making it unbearable to look at.
Black-robed believers stood in neat rows, reciting some kind of consonant-free language in low voices. Charles found the words somewhat familiar, resembling the hallucinations he had experienced.
“The high priest is in the confessional. Please follow me.” Hook led Charles through the crowd and continued deeper into the church.
The security behind the hall became stringent, with a black-robed believer standing at every corner or room entrance. Although no one spoke, Charles could feel their eyes on him.
In a dimly lit room, Charles saw the high priest of the Fotan cult, a red-robed figure lying on the ground.
Hook respectfully performed a religious gesture and then backed out of the room.
The high priest slowly stood up, but did not turn around.
“Captain Charles, my cult needs you to find something. A sacred relic of our lord.”