Shrouded Seascape

Watching the distant figures at the pier, Charles subconsciously licked his parched lips. "Let's dock first, we can ask the locals when we get off."

The moment Charles and his crew disembarked from the Narwhale, a crowd had already surrounded them. The onlookers stared at them with an intense gaze and didn't even blink.

Charles was starting to feel uneasy from the constant stares when two middle-aged men dressed in what seemed to be the uniform of custom officers pushed through the crowd and approached them.

One of the men with deep smile lines on his face asked, "Who is the captain? Where did your ship come from? Don't you know foreign vessels are not allowed to dock here?"

Charles stepped forward and explained the situation in detail. He also enquired about the presence of a shipyard on the island.

After Charles finished his piece, a long moment of silence followed. The two middle-aged men before him seemed to be frozen as their intense gazes were fixated on him.

After a few seconds, they finally came around and their expressions grew visibly more amicable than before. "Yes, there is, sir. If you steer your ship to the east, you will find a shipyard there."

Second Mate Conor leaned in to Charles and whispered, "Captain, don't you feel that the reactions of the people on this island are a little slow?"

Charles wasn't sure either, but it was just a minor issue. The crisis for them was finally over.

When Charles steered the Narwhal into the shipyard, he was informed that it would take a month to replace the turbine. Despite the long wait, they had no other choice. After all, the turbine was akin to the heart of the ship. Without well functioning turbines, the Narwhale wouldn't be able to make it back to the Coral Archipelago.

Upon paying the deposit and walking out of the harbor, Charles noticed that the locals were still staring at them as they remained motionless.

Charles and his crew were too preoccupied by their parched lips to pay much attention to the locals and their weird intricacies. They hurriedly made their way into a desolate inn and indulged in a hearty meal.

After ensuring that his crew was full as judging from their satisfied expressions and contented belches, Charles then addressed them, "It'll take a month to replace the turbines. The locals don't seem welcoming so please take care and avoid unnecessary troubles."

The crew members leaned back against their chairs and replied with nods and affirmations.

However, the moment Charles said he was going to distribute their compensation for this trip, everyone perked up with renewed vitality.

Holding the stack of Echo bills in his hand, James hesitantly said, "Captain, the mission was a failure and the Narwhale even needs her turbines replaced. Why don't you for—"

"It's alright. Everyone deserves their pay, so enjoy this time off and rest well," Charles interrupted.

Charles was frugal before to save up to buy an exploration vessel. Now, he couldn't care less about money. After experiencing such a catastrophe, if some banknotes were enough to pacify the crew, it was considered a worthwhile investment.

With the money in their hand, the crew members couldn't sit still anymore. Smiles spread across their faces as they walked out, shoulder to shoulder.

Seeing their expressions, Charles knew exactly where they were going. For men who made their living at sea, this was the customary way to unwind whenever they got on an island. On the contrary, Charles was considered an oddball but not indulging in it and remaining thrifty.

That night, Charles had a weird dream. He dreamed that he was sinking into the deep waters again, and that colossal and horrifying humanoid creature turned to face him. He screamed and shouted and finally opened his eyes. He was completely drenched in cold sweat. There was no underwater abyss nor monster, but only the slightly peeling ceiling of the inn before him.

"Mr. Charles, did you have a nightmare?" Lily asked as she jumped onto his chest.

Charles set up and took out his pocket watch. He realized he had slept for a solid eleven hours and that had never happened for him before.

Just as Charles got up to go to the washroom, he noticed an envelope at the doorstep. He opened it and found beautiful cursive characters on the paper.

Mr. Charles:

Life on an exploration vessel is too dangerous for me. I can't take it anymore. I decided to stay on shore. Please forgive me for not being able to bid you farewell in person.

Your Former Sailor,

Sniffler

Charles let out a sigh as he crumpled the letter into a ball and tossed it into the nearby garbage pile.

"It seems like money alone can't buy their loyalty. Some of them are completely scared out of their wits."

Charles didn't experience any sort of emotional roller coaster. After all, he had anticipated that some of his crew members would leave after going through such an experience.

Calculating the time, Charles figured that it should be night time now and he headed out with Lily.

The difference in the harbors between islands weren't that apparent but the moment Charles entered what the locals named the Crown's District, he immediately noticed a stark contrast.

From the architecture down to the locals' fashion, everything was different from that of the Coral Archipelago. Every man they passed by on the streets wore tailored suits with leather collars and carried canes. Meanwhile, the ladies were dressed up in fancy garments and exuded elegance in their every action.

Charles wondered if it was just his own illusion but it seemed like the island's residents seemed to score higher on the visual appearance scale, with many more handsome men and beautiful women compared to the average island.

However, regardless of their attractive appearances, their habit of staring at others remained.

Feeling bothered that he was being treated like an animal in an enclosure, Charles stopped a man and asked, "Excuse me, may I know where's the Explorers Association? I couldn't find it in the harbor area."

"Explorers Association? What's that? I've never heard of it," the man answered.

He hasn't heard of it? Charles looked visibly surprised. According to his knowledge, most islands in the subterranean world were discovered by Explorers.

Although the Association was a loosely organized group, it was the network of symbiotic relationships between governors of the various islands and had a major influence in human settlements.

If this island didn't even have an Explorers Association, could it be that this island had no contact with other islands and was an isolated island?

While Charles was consumed by his thoughts, the person he had questioned had already turned and walked away.

After pondering for a brief moment, Charles headed for the library nearby. Soon enough, he found various nautical maps within the books and after comparing them with each other, Charles managed to pinpoint the position of the island.

Drawing a line with his finger on the nautical chart, Charles had a relaxed expression as he remarked, "Great. Although this place is not recorded, it's not too far from the Coral Archipelago. Once the ship is repaired, at the fastest speed, we will be able to get back in 15 days."

Charles then purchased various new and old nautical charts and left the library.

Standing on the bustling streets, he momentarily froze. The ship had been sent for repairs, their coordinates had been confirmed. Now, Charles was at a loss on what to do.

If it was previously, Charles would have probably continued training his physical fitness in preparation for his future adventures. However, the thought of his increasingly severe hallucinations made him wonder if he had pushed himself too hard all these while. After all, he hadn't rested a single moment since arriving here in this subterranean world.

I should learn to relax. It might be helpful in relieving those hallucinations.

At this thought, Charles turned to Lily who was perched on his shoulder and said, "Let's explore the island."

"Yay!" Lily perked up as soon as she heard that they were going to play.

Towering spires, vivid reliefs, and stained glass windows caught their attention. Though Charles might be lacking in the artistic aspect, he could still appreciate the exquisite craftsmanship of these buildings. They were not something that a new island like the Coral Archipelago could compare with.

"Mr. Charles, what's that? It looks delicious!"