Shrouded Seascape

Chapter 224. Return

"Captain, they went into the waters yesterday. They seemed to have caught something, and they brought it back up with them when they returned," Audric said. He didn't sound garbled despite the blood bag in his mouth.

Charles was staring at the nautical chart. Upon hearing Audric's report, he asked, "Did you see what they caught?"

"Based on the feedback I received from my sonar, it seemed to be a humanoid. I think those guys are catching sea creatures to feed their Apostle," Audric replied.

"Hm, it's good news if that's the case," Charles said. He sounded like he was in a good mood, but nothing worthy of celebration had happened. He was in a great mood simply because they were nearing the Shattered Heart Isles.

It seemed the ambush that Charles had been worried about didn't and wouldn't happen, and the Haikors on the turtleshell ship were still on their best behavior. The eerie noise they had once heard had disappeared as well.

This was great enough news for Charles, and it would be great if either side remained amicable, causing not a single trouble to each other.

Just then, a commotion from the outside reached the Captain's cabin. Charles' heart clenched almost immediately. Did those guys really make a move, even though they were at the last leg of their journey?

Charles walked out of the Captain's cabin with Audric, and they saw an incredulous sight. Dozens of skeletal ships and turtleshell ships had surrounded the Narwhale, baffling the crew members on board the vessel.

The Haikors standing at the bow of every ship that had surrounded the Narwhale abruptly fell to the ground and prostrated in Charles' direction. Of course, Charles instantly realized that their respectful gesture wasn't aimed at him.

He turned around, and his gaze fell upon the turtleshell ship. Soon, the turtleshell ship's entryway was opened, revealing Aguino waving excitedly at his tribesmen.

The skeletal ships and the turtleshell ships drifted over to Aguino, and the Haikors went over to Aguino and the other crew members of the derelict turtleshell ship.

They hugged each other tightly before entering the inner space of the turtle shell.

"Mr. Charles, where are they going?" a blue Lily asked with a hint of curiosity tainting her voice.

"They're probably going to visit their Apostle. I'm sure it's an esteemed creature in the eyes of the Haikors," Charles replied while stroking Lily's furry head. It wasn't that difficult to deduce. It was an Apostle, so it had to be a clergy of the Haikor's religion, which meant that it had a high social status.

Charles noticed something amiss, and he made a sidelong glance at Lily. He held her gently in his palm and tugged at her blue fur with his other hand. He sounded surprised as he asked, "Where are you getting your dyes, and why are you changing colors so often? I'm pretty sure I've been seeing you change colors every day."

"Hehe," Lily sniggered. She sounded proud as she explained, "I bought these dyes with my own salary. They are special dyes from the distant Western Seas.

"They're very easy to use, they dye fast, and they make me smell nice, too. I bought many boxes of the same dye, just in different colors."

Just then, the Haikors emerged from the derelict turtleshell ship and returned to their ships. More than a dozen worm-like creatures that resembled giant pythons were tied at the bow of the derelict turtleshell ship.

Incredibly, it became capable of moving once more with the help of those strange worm-like creatures.

Aguino stood at the helm of the turtleshell ship next to the Narwhale. He walked over to Charles and patted the latter's shoulder with a smile.

"Mr. Charles, the Apostle is thankful that you have decided not to abandon us. Otherwise, we would have been forced to take drastic measures for the sake of preserving our lives," Aguino said.

Charles' heart skipped a beat at that remark. The Apostle knows that I'm wary of it? Did it really just sense me, or was I visible in its eyes despite my invisibility?

Aguino noticed Charles' surprise, but he didn't say anything. Soon, he departed along with the other Haikors.

Tranquility returned to the sea once more, and the Narwhale was left all alone.

Charles pondered over Aguino's words. The fact that the Apostle hadn't made a move despite being aware of Charles' wariness made it obvious that it was quite intelligent.

If the Apostle had injured him at the time, Charles' crew wouldn't have let it go. It seemed the Apostle was aware of that as well, as it only sent a warning shot in Charles' way.

Charles had been a bit skeptical of Elizabeth's words, but now, he was starting to get convinced. If the Apostle were just a simple creature of the sea, it wouldn't have taken into account so many variables at once before making a decision.

Minutes later, Charles set aside the messy thoughts in his mind. The matter was over, and there was a high chance that they wouldn't see each other once more.

The Apostle's origins were irrelevant to his goal.

"Wake up. They're gone, so we should go as well. Chief Engineer, burn as much fuel as possible; we're going full speed ahead," Charles said. He carried Lily with him as he walked toward the Captain's cabin.

A day later, the Narwhale finally returned to the Shattered Heart Isles' docks. The anchor was dropped, and Charles could finally look around the docks. He saw the derelict turtleshell ship in the distance. It seemed the Apostle had returned before them.

Seeing the exhausted demeanor of his crew members, Charles instantly knew what they needed the most—they needed rest. The crew members had been under immense pressure while they were exploring uncharted waters.

"Three days. We'll stay here and rest for three days. Afterward, we'll embark on a return journey to Hope Island. Rest well, and I'll see you then," Charles said.

The crew members broke out into excited grins at Charles' remark.

After checking in to their accommodations, Charles looked out the window of his room and saw the crew members walking shoulder to shoulder toward a certain place. It seemed that they were planning on enjoying the Shattered Heart Isles' special services.

The recent two encounters he had with the Haikors made Charles look at them in a new light. His wariness of them had lessened drastically, so he wasn't all too worried about something untoward happening to his crew members.

"Mr. Charles, we should go out and play as well. Just now, I caught a whiff of grilled meat, and it smelled really great!" Lily said.

Charles pondered briefly before nodding. "All right. Let's take a walk around the island and take a look at their local specialties and delicacies."

He had already recovered, and he wanted to relax as well. Of course, it wouldn't just be for enjoyment's sake; it was also to prevent any relapse.

Charles brought the thrilled Lily out of the inn. Lily's keen nose was Charles' guide as they walked down the streets and eventually found themselves before a street stall.

Charles stepped on a stool as a booster to take a look at what the vendor was selling. Quite a few things were for sale. Slices of what looked like white jelly on top of ice cubes were on one side, while on the other side were tiny pieces of meat resembling ribs. The meat smelled great and appetizing while it was being grilled.

"It looks like you're an outsider. You've never seen these before, right? The white ones are the fin cartilage of the Leviathan Whale, while the meat I'm grilling here is from its lower body. Do you want a taste? I can cut it into bite-sized pieces for you," the Haikor vendor said.

Charles ordered a serving of each and ate them with Lily. Unfortunately, they didn't taste as great as they looked. The fin cartilage tasted like wood ear mushroom, which meant that it was almost flavorless.

Meanwhile, the red meat smelled great, but its texture was hard and dry. Charles felt like he was eating overcooked duck.

"You're not supposed to eat them separately," the Haikor vendor said. He took a few pieces of the fin cartilage and meat before dunking them in the black sauce served on the side. He then proceeded to eat the cartilage and meat at the same time.

"It's like eating both ice and fire at the same time..." the Haikor vendor muttered, seemingly enjoying the combination.

Charles decided to do the same and was surprised by the mouthfeel that both the cold cartilage and the freshly grilled red meat bestowed upon him. However, the black sauce had surprised Charles the most, as it turned out to be spicy.

A cacophony of flavors burst in Charles' mouth, and Lily's contented whimpers next to him made him rate the meal a ten out of ten.