Shrouded Seascape

Charles' gaze swept over the faces of his crew. "If you guys still recognize me as your captain, then return to Hope Island after this meal. Don't tell anyone that you managed to find me, and don't come looking for me again."

Dipp felt anxious and relieved at the same time at Charles' remarks. At the very least, Charles was not in danger. Dipp was fine as long as Charles was fine.

"No! Since you're here, I want to stay here, too!" Lily exclaimed. She was the first one to express her disagreement.

Charles ruffled her hair and looked at her with gentle eyes. "Lily, be good. Everything must go back on track."

"I told you I'm not a child anymore! Why are you messing with my head again?!" Lily exclaimed and slapped Charles' hand away. Then, she plopped down in her seat with a pout.

The atmosphere became a bit heavy then.

Charles chuckled dryly and proceeded to chat with the other crew members, asking them about their plans for the future. The captain had already given his orders, so the crew said no more.

Time flew by as they talked, and when Sparkle teleported away the leftovers on the table, the crew knew that it was time to part ways.

"I'm not leaving! I'm staying here!" Lily exclaimed, hugging a table leg. She seemed very determined to stay here, but everyone knew that it wouldn't make any difference. Sparkle could easily send her away along with the table.

The dejected Dipp immediately sat up straight and exclaimed, "What is it?! Tell me! What do you need me to do? I will definitely do it!"

"Calm down. It's not something serious. I just want you to answer a question for me," Charles asked.

The crew members revealed bewildered looks, wondering what question the captain was about to ask them.

"Um, do you guys remember Anna?" Charles asked an unexpected question.

The crew members looked at each other and asked back, "Who's Anna?"

Charles nodded. He raised his hand, and a paper appeared in his hand.

There was a portrait of Anna's exquisite face on the piece of paper.

Looking at the drawing, his eyes showed a hint of confusion.

"My diary told me that she's my wife and that Sparkle is her daughter, but…" Charles trailed off, and his eyes reflected a hint of confusion as he stared at the portrait. Then, he sounded bewildered as he continued. "I know her name, I know what she looks like, and I also know that she should be my wife.

"However, all of my memories about her have disappeared. I... forgot her."

Hearing that, the crew members dug deep into their own memories in an effort to find a woman named Anna, but they couldn't remember having met such a woman in their entire life.

"As far as I can remember, the only woman by your side seems to be that giantess named Elizabeth."

"Mr. Charles, are you sure she even exists? How can memories suddenly disappear without us noticing it until now?"

"Wait," Linda said upon suddenly noticing a contradictory fact. "When did Sparkle even appear? She is Charles' daughter, right? Who is her mother, then?"

Linda's remark was like a bomb that exploded in the midst of everyone. They instantly realized that there was something wrong with their memories.

As far as they could remember, Sparkle seemed to have suddenly appeared by the captain's side, and they had no doubts, nor did they question Charles when he referred to Sparkle as his daughter.

There was something wrong here.

"Does that woman Anna really exist? How did she disappear?"

"Were our memories altered? Isn't this similar to what we experienced on that island?"

Charles revealed a helpless look at his crew's theories and debates. What they were doing wasn't helpful in his search for Anna.

"Forget it, forget it. If we can't find her, then so be it. It's getting late. You should all go back. If fate allows it, we'll meet each other again," Charles said. Then, Sparkle assisted him toward the leather sofa.

Sparkle revealed a complicated look as she stared at her father's side profile. It seemed like she wanted to say something, but she didn't say anything in the end.

At this point, the crew members knew that they had no choice but to leave, even though they were truly reluctant to do so. Fortunately, their expedition hadn't ended up in vain. Charles hadn't left the Subterranean Sea, so they would certainly meet each other again in the future.

They saluted Charles with solemn looks and turned around to leave, but someone among them had a different idea.

Second Mate Nico pointed at the mechanical watch on Charles' wrist and said, "Captain, look at the time. It's already midnight, and it will take us more than an hour to return.

"It took us forty days of voyage to find this island of yours, so we're really exhausted. We've finally come ashore after so many days, so can you at least let us stay here for the night?"

Before Charles could reply, Second Mate Nico added, "Captain, even if you don't care about us, I'm sure you care about Lily, right?"

Charles stared at Nico for a few seconds before nodding. "All right. This island is mine, and it's very safe. You can stay here for a few nights if you want, but we will eventually have to part ways. I believe you guys should keep moving forward."

With that, Sparkle led them to their own rooms. The rooms had amenities such as toothpaste, toothbrushes, and towels. Before leaving everyone to their own devices, Sparkle told them that they were free to walk around the house, but they couldn't go outside without her.

"Dipp, there aren't enough rooms. What do you think about sharing a room with me tonight?" Second Mate Nico asked.

Dipp instantly shuddered at the thought of sharing a room with Nico. He was about to refuse, but he felt Nico's finger rapidly tapping his shoulder in a certain rhythm.

"Fine, but I'll have to let you know that Aliya sleeps in the same bed with me at night. You will never get to do anything," Dipp said. He pretended to close the door, but Nico lunged forward and squeezed himself into Dipp's room.

Once the doors were closed, Nico's face instantly became grim. "I have a bad feeling in this place. I think that captain is fake."

"What nonsense are you talking about? I already probed him, and there's no mistaking it. He's the captain; Sparkle is even right next to him."

Nico shook his head vigorously and retorted, "How do you explain the drastic change in the captain's personality? Don't you think there's something really fishy about that?

"And what I'm really worried about is Sparkle. How come she suddenly appeared in our memories? And our memories of her background are full of contradictions. Is she really the captain's daughter? We must find a way to know for sure."

"I don't think that's a good idea. What if he's real?" Dipp asked.

"Wouldn't that be great? If he's real, then there is no way the two of us can do any harm to him. Besides, I don't believe he's going to get angry at us over such a small matter."