Shrouded Seascape

Chapter 140. Kord's Secret

In the desolate plains, Charles staggered forward without any sense of direction. His crew members were nowhere in sight. He was utterly alone.

He no longer had a grasp on time. How long had he been walking? How much longer did he have to walk? He had absolutely no idea. All he felt was some mystical force compelling him to continue onward.

All of a sudden, a red door appeared before him. An inverted Fu character was prominently displayed in its center. He instantly recognized it—the door to his home.

Excitement spread across Charles' stiff face as he lunged at the door.

"I'm going home! I found it!" Charles exclaimed.

The door swung open, but there was nothing beyond it. Not even an expanse of darkness. Only an endless void stared right back at him.

A terrifying shudder ran through Charles' body, and he was jolted out of his nightmare.

Waking up, he found a book placed before him, and his hand was clutching a fountain pen while furiously scribbling away on the pages.

"Bro, another nightmare? Hold on. Let me finish up this chapter, and I'll return the body to you," Richard remarked.

When Charles regained control of his body, Charles pushed open the door of his cabin and headed toward the deck. Staring at the dark, inky expanse, there was still no sight of any life or land. They were still on their journey toward the Land of Light.

Charles let out a deep sigh. He understood the root source of his nightmare. He hadn’t felt any dread during the countless dangerous encounters he had experienced. But now that he was getting close to his home, an unexplainable fear was stirring within him.

What if there was no exit at the location that was indicated on the chart? What if a whole new world lay beyond the exit? Various thoughts flitted through his head, further escalating his stress and distraught.

"Shtunggli grah. Nn fhhui Y!"

An abrupt whisper sounded in his ears. The acute pain in his eardrums caused by the chanting distracted Charles from his thoughts.

"Fuck!" Charles cursed.

His veins on his forehead were bulging from the intense pain. He violently pounded his forehead with his prosthetic fist, hoping that the physical pain could negate the illusionary pain and his frustration from the chanting.

After just two consecutive strikes, a gash appeared on his forehead, and blood trickled down from the wound. Just as he readied to land another blow on his forehead, an iron hand reached out from the side and held Charles' fist in its grasp.

It was Laesto's prosthetic hand.

Laesto handed him a cup filled with a dark green liquid.

Without uttering a word, Charles tilted his head back and downed the concoction. The extreme bitterness had Charles' face scrunching up in response. However, the medicine was effective. The whispers in his ears had gone softer.

"Thank you," Charles said as he returned the empty cup to Laesto.

"Just a word of reminder. This is the last dose that I can concoct for you. Your sanity is breaking down. I’m a doctor, but your condition is beyond my knowledge. I don't know how much longer you can hold on," Laesto said with a solemn expression.

"Our journey is ending soon. Just three more days. Three more days, and I'm saying goodbye to the ocean."

"Hmph," Laesto snorted in disbelief. "I don't care even if you set sail again. Some of the crew are showing mild signs of scurvy. If that wretched island you are looking for doesn't have any supplies, everyone on this ship will perish.

”Don't forget that you are a Captain. You are responsible for the lives of your crew."

Before Charles could say a word, Laesto limped away into the ship cabins.

Suppressing the unease in his heart, Charles started his routine inspection of the Narwhale. The crew could sense their captain's evidently tense emotions, so they worked diligently at their tasks in fear of the wrath of their leader.

One day passed...

Two days passed...

Three days passed...

As they inched closer and closer to their supposed destination, there were no visible changes. It was still a never-ending darkness that they were sailing in. With each passing second, Charles felt his patience wearing thin.

On the final day, Charles was in his resting quarters and drawing a landscape painting. However, the more he drew, the uglier the canvas seemed to him. Charles' face twisted in frustration.

Clank!

The easel was hurled against the wall. The various paint colors on the palette splattered and stained the floor with their vibrant hues. He snapped his paintbrush in two and threw it violently on the floor.

With his brows furrowed, he stood up and loaded his revolver. He planned to do another round of patrol. However, his plans were interrupted by a certain individual.

"Have a drink with me?" Kord proposed and held up the two bottles of alcohol in his hands. The deep shadows beneath his eyes and his wearied expression spoke of his exhaustion.

Charles and Kord were never friends, to begin with. Their relationship was one of mutual benefit. Yet, if there were anyone on the ship who could truly empathize with Charles, it would be this elderly man standing before him.

"Alright," Charles replied and took a bottle from Kord.

As they stood on the deck and gulped their drinks, Kord broke the ice.

"Charles, do you know? I've barely slept the past few days. I'm feeling rather uneasy."

"I can see that."

"The Land of Light... it exists, right, Charles?" Kord's bloodshot eyes carried a hint of doubt.

"Why are you asking that question? That doesn't seem like something a devout believer would doubt."

Kord parted his lips to speak but paused as though he was taken aback by his own thoughts. After much deliberation, he finally said in a low whisper, "What if there's no Land of Light? What if there's nothing there? What if the nautical chart is a ruse?"

"It exists," Charles responded with his gaze fixed on the dark expanse ahead of him. "I've been there. In fact, I come from that very place."

Kord stared at Charles' profile for a good moment before he erupted into a hearty chuckle. "Charles, I believe you. Cheers!"

Charles tipped his head back and downed another mouthful of alcohol. The burning sensation dulled the chaotic thoughts in his mind.

The pair traded swigs, and soon enough, each had emptied half of their bottle. No one knew if Kord was truly inebriated or feigning it for other purposes, but looking intoxicated, he leaned toward Charles and clumsily tapped his hand on Charles' prosthetic limb.

"Charles, I have a secret," Kord slurred. "I'm telling you, but you can't tell a soul."

"Speak."

Kord leaned conspiratorially close. His breath reeked of alcohol as he whispered into Charles' ear, "Actually, thirty years ago, I saw so many people die during the Blessing Ceremony at the Divine Light Church. I was scared, so I found a way to hide, and I never went through the ritual."

Charles remained silent and took another swig from his bottle. Kord took it as the signal for him to continue.

"Just imagine. The pain when three thick steel nails are driven into the skull. Those screams... they still haunt me to this day. Say, only a fool would submit to such torment, no? I'm clever, and cleverness among fools has its advantages. Why would I ever want to become a fool?"

Charles tapped Kord's bottle with his own before remarking, "You didn't have to confess. I knew it for ages."

"Impossible!" He waved his bottle in denial, but in his stupor, he almost struck Charles. "I-I've kept this secret hidden for years. How could you have possibly—burp—known!"

"How many times have you deceived me ever since we met? Ever since you first lied to me in Sottom, I've found it suspicious."

From his peripheral vision, Charles noticed a writhing dark shadow in the distant waters. He naturally averted his gaze.

Kord slid down the sides of the deck and collapsed on the ground like a drunkard. His boisterous voice echoed far and wide in the open sea.

"No matter how devout those fools are....What good do their disgusting ceremonies serve? In the end, I—a commoner untouched by their blessings—discovered the Land of Light! When I return, I'll pry open the eyes of those obstinate old zealots and make sure they have a good look at who is the most devout disciple of the Light God!!"

1. Fu(福) means blessing. In Chinese beliefs, the Fu is pasted upside down because fu dao(福倒 lit. blessing upside down) is a homonym for fu dao (福到 lit. blessings are here).

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