Shrouded Seascape

Chapter 644: Whereto

Margaret's brows were furrowed as she listened to her subordinates' reports while sitting in front of a round table in the Governor's Mansion of the Isle of Whereto.

Margaret's scarred face showed weariness and fatigue. However, it wasn't just her; the officials of Whereto around the table looked exhausted, too.

It was difficult to manage a group of people living under the threat of the end of the world. Beneath the threat of rising sea levels, even the slightest spark could ignite the people's inner turmoil, transforming them into mobs.

They had to make sure that the people's emotions were in check, or they'd easily cross that line. In fact, there were quite a few bad actors tempting the people to cross that vital line.

"The resettlement of the islanders from the harbor district was completed yesterday. Navy troops are stationed in every street, taking over law enforcement duties. We're under martial law at the moment."

"The issue about personnel transfer is still ongoing. According to the Ministry of Administration, reducing the number of young adults can drastically lower the rate of violent crimes and—"

"Governor!" an aged voice interrupted the middle-aged woman, who was in the middle of her report. "The most valuable resource in the Subterranean Sea is manpower. Sending our young adults to the dangerous surface world is essentially sending away our island's future!"

Margaret cast an indifferent gaze at the old man covered with age spots. "The Subterranean Sea itself takes precedence over anything else. Whereto is not going to have any future if the explorers above end up failing their mission.

"I hope you haven't forgotten that Ebony Mist Island is already submerged."

"But—!"

"There are no buts. The plan is done. Is there anything else? Otherwise, today's meeting is over," Margaret said.Geett the latest novels at novelhall.com

The old man looked like he wanted to say something, but he sat back down, looking defeated in the face of Margaret's resolute demeanor.

Silence reigned in the hall for over a few seconds until a man's voice shattered it.

"Governor, our plan to use faith to stabilize the people's minds has shown great initial results. The people are joining a variety of religions, but most religions on the island are new, so they lack cohesion.

"The priests of the Eye of Truth have expressed via telegram that they're willing to cooperate with us and establish their presence on Whereto."

"Without the spiders, the special spider silk of the Spider Islands will disappear; Whereto will eventually be unable to meet the surface's clothing demand. We must make those spiders stay," Margaret muttered to herself.

Margaret was eventually engrossed in her own thoughts.

After a while, a series of knocks at the door disrupted her from her train of thought.

Margaret looked up to see a smiling Anna leaning against the door. The knocking had come from Anna's fingers, which were tapping the door. "Long time no see, darling. How come you haven't sent even a single telegram to talk to me?"

Margaret put down the document in her hand and stood up. "Has there been anything new on the surface?"

"I didn't come here to discuss the affairs of the surface world with you nor to talk about Charles with you. I just wanted to see you, so I came here," Anna said. She gracefully approached Margaret and put a hand on her shoulder, pushing her back to her chair.

"You wanted to see me? For what?" Margaret asked, slightly taken aback.

"There's no need to hurry. I'll take you somewhere, and you'll understand once we're there," Anna said. The space next to her suddenly distorted, and Sparkle appeared a few moments later.

Sparkle was slightly over 1.3 meters, but it wasn't just her height that had changed; her appearance had changed significantly as well. Sparkle was in her childhood stage not too long ago, but now, she was a tween. Sparkle's face had changed a bit as well, becoming slightly more mature. It was unknown whether it was deliberate or not, but her looks were starting to resemble Anna.

Margaret stared at Sparkle's green cross-shaped pupils, and she seemed unable to recognize the latter as she muttered, "Is she...?"

"She's Sparkle, of course. Haven't you met her already? She's my daughter with Charles. Don't you think she's changed a lot? It's normal, as she's not really a child anymore. After all, she's already three years old."

Sparkle grabbed the hem of her skirt and crossed her legs to curtsy to Margaret.

Margaret was stupefied. Sparkle's growth rate was beyond her understanding.

"Margaret, can you curb your surprise? I'm really busy. I have to study many things every day."