Shrouded Seascape

Seeing the hint of gentleness in Charles' eyes, a twinge of envy stirred within Margaret.

"Alright, enough with it. How long more do you plan to comfort your pet? There are more important matters at hand," Julio's deep voice echoed in the room.

Charles carefully lifted Lily off his neck and handed her to Sparkle before turning to address Julio.

"I know who She is. She is Tawil At-Umr, the mistress of the Feaster. The Foundation refers to Her as 005. According to the intelligence they had sent us, She doesn't seem to hold any malice toward humans."

"I don't need you to remind me of that. My power originates from the Ancient One. The important matter I'm talking about is not about Her but the Pope."

"The Pope? If 005's target was him, could he even escape?" Charles asked with a puzzled expression.

Julio shook his head hard. "No, If the Ancient One weren't around, the Feaster would take the Pope away. But now that She is around, She will not allow the Feaster to do so."

Julio added, "To her, we are merely a beautiful and exquisite oil painting. She enjoys spending time admiring and appreciating us. Once in a while, She would add details to the painting, but yanking someone out of the painting would be too crude of a move. That's not Her style."

Both Charles and Sparkle regarded Julio with the same look of confusion. "How do you know so much about 005? How did you come to know Her back then? And why did 005 bestow power upon you?"

A hint of annoyance surfaced upon Julio's face at Charles' series of questions. He lifted his right hand and pointed the index finger at the strange tattoo on Charles' neck. "It's none of your business. In the same way, I have never asked you about your connections with the Fhtagn cultists."

Charles instinctively reached up to touch the tentacle tattoo on his neck; he had almost forgotten of its existence.

Realizing belatedly that his tone of voice could have sounded too harsh, Julio softened his voice slightly and added, "According to your pet's description, the Ancient One is probably just curious about your pet. Once Her curiosity is satisfied, She will let the Pope go. That's why the Pope is still a threat."

Margaret suddenly interjected, "I feel that we can set aside the issue with the Pope for now. We know well of his intentions and strength. This Ancient One might be a bigger problem than him."

Julio let out a mocking laughter at Margaret's ignorance. "Women should stay quiet when men are talking. You have no idea what you're talking about. If She wanted to make a move on us, even the entire human population wouldn't be able to stop Her.

"Also, if She harbors ill intention toward us, why would She help seal the Light God away in the first place?"

Before Margaret could come up with a retort, Charles replied, "Then what do you plan to do about the Pope?"

Julio's brows furrowed in deep thought. After a few moments, he said, "Since he's already back here in the Subterranean Sea, then just leave him to me. I have my ways. The Pope without the Divine Light Order is no match for us.

"Your task is to continue exploring the surface. As long as we can save the Subterranean Sea, everything else is just a trifle matter."

Seemingly feeling that his previous statement wouldn't be able to let Charles recognize the weight upon him, Julio added, "You are the strongest explorer, and every action of yours is under scrutiny by everyone. Staying down in the Subterranean Sea for too long would dampen the morale up there."

A wry smile appeared on Charles' face. "The strongest explorer? Who came up with that title?"

"It doesn't matter who did. Just know that you are now a symbol to all the explorers. As long as you remain steadfast, they have no reason to waver."

Charles nodded in understanding and turned toward Lily, who had just returned. "You're right. It's time for me to head back up."

Now that the Pope had returned to the Subterranean Sea, the threat of a potential ambush during his surface exploration was no longer there. In addition, Lily had returned; everything seemed to be falling back into place.

However, Sparkle clearly had a different opinion. Her voice was laced with sadness and reluctance as she remarked, "Mommy is not going to be happy about your decision."

"I know," Charles said as he let out a soft sigh. "But some things have to be done."

With that, he took Lily from Sparkle's arms and walked toward the door.

With Sparkle's help, the crew on respite were quickly rounded up and gathered at the airport of Annarles Island. They were making preparations to board the airship and head back to the surface.

When everyone was done with their preparations, Charles had also finished penning his letter. He handed it over to Sparkle and instructed, "Give this to Mommy. Tell her not to tear it up first. She can tear it up once she's done reading it."

With that, Charles turned and began walking toward the airship parked in the distance. Before he could even take more than two steps, he noticed another set of footsteps trailing him. The lightness of the steps told him that they didn't belong to Sparkle.

"Thank you for everything you've done for the Subterranean Sea. Some things can only be done by you," Margaret's voice sounded from behind Charles.

"There's no need to thank me. I live in the Subterranean Sea, too. If the islands are no more, I will not have anywhere to go, either. I'm just saving myself."

"It's not the same," Margaret retorted, "You are a noble person. Back then, I thought I had fallen in love with the wrong person, but it turns out that it wasn't the case at all."

"Aren't you working for Anna right now?" Charles asked.

He turned around to face Margaret standing before him. Reaching out a hand, he brushed aside the bangs covering her face to reveal the scar that ran across her features. He could still see traces of the innocent and carefree girl she once was.

"No," Margaret replied, taking a step back to allow her hair to fall back into place to cover her right eye and most of her scar. "I'm working for the Governor of Hope Island. Whereto is being flooded as well. Saving the Subterranean Sea means saving Whereto."

Charles lowered his gaze and let out a soft chuckle. He then reached out to grab her right hand. Eyeing the metal bracelet on her wrist, he commented, "Nice bracelet. Did Elizabeth give this to you?"

"I bought it. It's a special customized item from the Gunther Family on Elizarles Shores."

"Wearing something that guards against mind control… Does Anna really not mind?" Charles asked; he knew the effects the bracelet served.

"She hardly comes by. She's usually on Hope Island."

The moment Margaret's words left her lips, Charles suddenly extended his arms and pulled her into a warm embrace. Then, Charles swiftly whispered something into her ear, which made Margaret's cheeks flush a deep red.

Meanwhile, on the ladder of the distant airship, the crew was watching the scene. A satisfied grin crossed Dipp's face as he extended his webbed hand toward the others.

"See! I told you guys I know the Captain best! Pay up, fair and square!"

One by one, packs of cigarettes were slapped into his hand. Dipp was overflowing with joy, and it was evident from the radiant smile on his face. It wasn't that he was lacking cigarettes; he simply enjoyed the thrill of winning a bet.

Just then, a wrinkled hand reached out from the side. "Don't forget about me! I guessed it right, too."

Dipp turned toward the voice to see Tobba staring at him while cradling a bunch of mice. "What do you want? You don't even smoke."

"Why can't I get my share?! I guessed right! I get a share of those papers, too! Give me!" Tobba said and lunged at Dipp.

While the two were engaged in their playful tussle, Charles came on board. The moment his gaze fell upon them, the two went silent.