Shrouded Seascape

Chapter 444: Departure

"Captain, is my prosthetic really made out of the same material as our ship? It's really great; it's both light and sturdy," Planck said, hobbling over with his prosthetic leg. He looked like he had yet to become accustomed to it as he was walking with a slight limp.

Planck's manner of walking reminded Charles of Laesto lying in his grave.

"How's the prosthetic so far? Have you gotten used to it?" Charles asked.

"Used to it? I've gotten too used to it! There's actually a pulley inside, and I can slide with it as well, which is faster than walking! Honestly, if it weren't so expensive, I'd chop off all my limbs and replace them with prosthetics."

Planck's fawning and obsequious expression had vanished entirely as he showed off the additional attachments of his prosthetic to Charles. Clearly, Planck had truly become a crew of the Narwhale after surviving a crisis with everyone else.

Charles chatted with Planck for a bit before giving the new crew members a pep talk. Some things had to be made clear before they set sail. After all, it'd be too late for regrets once they were out at sea.

Time passed slowly, and the scheduled departure time grew nigh. As always, First Mate Bandages was the last person to arrive.

Squatting on the railing, Charles turned to Bandages and teased, "What? Your family didn't want to let you come here?"

Bandages clearly didn't want to talk about it, as he ignored Charles and made a beeline for the bridge.

Charles rubbed his nose awkwardly. Then, he turned to the crew on deck and waved at them to catch their attention before shouting, "Weigh anchor and set sail!"

The crew members rushed to their posts at the Captain's order.

"Wait, Captain! I'm still here! Don't leave me behind!" someone shouted from afar.

Charles turned and saw a green-haired man making a break for it toward the Narwhale. The green-haired man was none other than Feuerbach. Feuerbach was sweating profusely as he stood before the towering Narwhale.

"You've yet to recover from your injuries. You should sit this one out."

Feuerbach immediately expressed his protest by exposing his scarred wound, shouting, "Captain, look! I'm really okay now! I don't need more rest!"

Feuerbach didn't wait for Charles' reply as he jumped toward the ladder and started climbing up the ship. Just as he reached the summit, Charles appeared and stopped him.

"Sit this one out and go back. Take care of your son and fulfill your responsibilities as a father before anything else. Don't let him wander around. Otherwise, you wouldn't even know that he had gotten into a car accident," Charles said.

"It's fine, Captain. Really, my woman will take good care of him," Feuerbach said and was about to climb onto the deck when Charles blocked him again with his prosthetic.

"I said, 'you've yet to recover from your injuries.' Go sit this one out and rest well. Also, you better not follow the Narwhale with your own ship," Charles said, sounding calm, but his eyes were frosty.

Feuerbach was stunned. Then, he swept his gaze across the crew members before climbing down the rope.

The Narwhale's steam whistle fleeted across Hope Island, and the Narwhale left the docks under Feuerbach's desolate gaze. It was only when the Narwhale vanished into the distant horizon did Feuerbach turned around and walked away.

Feuerbach looked down at the ground, looking a bit dejected. "Why won't he let me come aboard?"

Feuerbach soon left the lively and bustling Hope Island pier, but instead of returning home, Feuerbach walked in the direction of Hope Island's Navy headquarters.

Feuerbach walked past the navy troops in a salute and made a beeline for his office.

However, he saw an odd scene inside the conference room. Feuerbach pushed open the door to the conference room and saw more than a dozen commodores seated at the oval table, seemingly discussing something.

"What are you guys talking about? How come no one notified me about an impending meeting?" Feuerbach asked, sounding surprised.

Commodore Ralph, dressed in his signature crisp, black military uniform, leaned over from the opposite side of the table and handed Feuerbach a document.

"Deputy Admiral Feuerbach, the Governor has decided to relieve you of your duties so that you can focus entirely on recovering. In the meantime, all naval affairs will be in the hands of us, Commodores," Commodore Ralph explained.

Feuerbach skimmed through the document with a gloomy face. Moments later, he exclaimed, "This is a mistake! What is the Governor doing? I'm one of his people!"

"My apologies, but we are soldiers. And soldiers must obey their superiors."

"Wait, wait, wait! Have you guys forgotten that we're in the same group? If Charles can do this to me, how can you say that he won't do the same thing to you all?" Feuerbach asked.

Commodore Ralph's expression was cold as he stared at Feuerbach. "We're not the same as you. Our origins can be tracedfrom our birth to our arrival here, but you're different. It's like you appeared out of thin air."

"Hahaha, so the Captain is suspicious of me?" Feuerbach said with a dry chuckle.

Just then, the hook-handed, muscular man on the other side of the table couldn't take it anymore and stood up. He then walked up to Feuerbach and leaned closer to the latter, whispering, "Come on, It's not like you're getting thrown into prison.

"What's yours is still yours. The Ministry of Finance will still deposit money into your bank account every quarter, so don't be too worried. I'll help you test the waters upon the Governor's return."

"What use is a bit of money to me? It's useless! Do you really think that I, Feuerbach, care about money as much as you do?" Feuerbach turned around and left the conference room, his features distorted in an angry scowl.

***

The Divine Light Grand Cathedral was the headquarters of the Divine Light Order, but it wasn't on an island. Instead, it was sitting on top of a massive stalagmite connected to the Subterranean Sea down below.

The entire stalagmite was once covered with strips of yellow cloth inscribed with the Divine Light Order's New Testament, and it once looked like a colossal yellow stick between heaven and earth.

Magnificent and expansive caves were hidden behind the strips of yellow cloth, and as the strips of yellow cloth swayed in the wind, a radiant light would peer through the cracks, making the stalagmite appear like a gargantuan lighthouse.

However, such scenery was no more, as the Divine Light Grand Cathedral had suffered devastating damage. A great fire had reduced the strips of yellow cloth to ashes, and the stalagmite had been scorched black by the same fire.

Cracks riddled the rock itself, making the entire stalagmite appear unstable.

The Pope's footsteps echoed incessantly within the largest cave at the summit of the stalagmite. All of a sudden, the footsteps vanished. The Pope bent down and picked up a piece of blood-soaked dried fish from the ground.

The Pope then put the palm-sized dried fish in his mouth and sucked on it. Then, he spat a glob of bloody saliva before gnawing on the tiny dried fish. "Mm, it's not spoiled yet. It's still edible."

The line of cardinals behind him remained calm and steady at the bizarre sight, seemingly accustomed to the Pope's thriftiness.

The Pope continued walking just then, venturing deeper into the spacious karst cave. Soon, they arrived at a semicircular hall the size of a soccer field within the walls of the cave.

The once majestic cathedral was now completely unrecognizable.

Everything had been destroyed, including the relief of the Divine Light Order's Book of Revelations. The glass windows had been shattered as well, and the chairs had been reduced to ashes.

The cathedral had suffered such extensive damage that it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that it lay in ruins.

A red-robed cardinal behind the Pope roared, "Those deformed monsters have gone too far! They must pay the price!"

However, the Pope's expression remained unchanging despite the destruction. He walked up to the window and looked out at the fleet that had surrounded the cathedral.

"We must leave and head north once we've restored the cathedral's defenses. We have more important things to do there," the Pope said, gulping down the dried fish that he had been gnawing.

"As you wish, Your Holiness!" the cardinals behind him echoed.

The Pope caught a glimpse of something just then, prompting him to grab the window sill with both hands and stick his head outside.

A radiant light shimmered in his eyes, and he saw a myriad of Deep Dwellers in the depths, swimming in the direction of the Divine Light Grand Cathedral.

However, the Deep Dwellers weren't what made the Pope feel nervous. It was a pair of eyes in the deep sea. The pair of eyes seemed to reflect the abyss itself, and it was gargantuan, seemingly bigger than the length of ten ships combined.

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