Shrouded Seascape

Chapter 601: Joy

The southern semi-desert region remains extremely desolate, but we found signs of human activity at the very least.

One car after another, loaded with railway sleepers and steel, have set off toward the outpost. The sight of the construction site in full swing was stunning.

The commotion is probably going to attract just about everything on the surface, but we can't afford to worry about that.

We're approaching the coordinates of the darkness' last known location. This damned place has never given me anything good, but I sincerely hope that we'll be safe throughout this exploration and that we'll be able to bring the darkness back to the Subterranean Sea.

Charles stared at the drying ink on the paper. Once it was sufficiently dried, he closed the diary and walked out of the Captain's Cabin.

Upon entering the bridge, Charles turned to Nico, who had his pinky finger raised, and asked, "Are there any issues, Second Mate?"

"No issues at all. We're not out at sea, so there aren't that many issues," Nico replied before revealing a charming smile at helmsman Norton.

Norton tensed up at Nico's gaze.

"I haven't asked you yet, but what did your vessel encounter during your last exploration here? How come you're the only survivor?"

Death was not a big deal in the surface world, and it was common to see exploration parties getting annihilated, so survivors were a big deal, especially when there was only one survivor.

The majority of the vessels on the surface weren't animated vessels like the Narwhale.

It seemed that Nico was indeed not someone to be trifled with. As an explorer who had discovered a habitable island, he had to have some tricks up his sleeves.

"Ah~ honestly, I don't want to talk about what happened on that day. That thing was just too disgusting. I've reported the details to the Explorers Association. If you're interested, you can just go ahead and ask them for it.

"By the way, what happened to your face?" Nico asked, reaching out his hand to touch Charles' face.

Charles cast an indifferent gaze at Nico without saying anything. The atmosphere in the bridge became a bit oppressive.

"Do you really think that I won't throw you overboard?" Charles asked.

Nico covered his mouth with his pale fingers and chuckled. "Well, you're lucky compared to those who have sunk to the bottom of the sea."

Charles didn't respond to his words, as he had noticed something strange. His gaze pierced the transparent windows before him as he tried to peer through the purple mist. The next moment, he saw a black plume of smoke coming their way.

"Sound the whistle and warn the crew members! Something is approaching us!"

The shrill cry of the steam whistle echoed across the semi-desert region, and everyone's nerves immediately stretched taut as they prepared to face any oncoming attacks.

Everyone took on solemn expressions; their hearts pounded with anxiety as they stared intently at the black plume of smoke in the distance. Soon, the source of the black smoke was revealed. It was coming from the smokestack of an exploration vessel, which was rushing toward them at breakneck speeds.

"Give me the telescope," Charles said. He then closed his left eye and looked through the monocular with his right eye.

Within the circular vision, Charles saw a crowd on the deck of the oncoming ship. The crowd seemed extremely excited, and their faces were flushed red out of excitement.

"Lily, get your mice ready. Blow that ship to pieces as soon as you see any signs of them trying to attack us," Charles said to his gunner.

The oncoming ship seemed harmless, but Charles dared not let his guard down for even a moment. There was a chance that those people on deck had been attacked by something and were currently under mind control.

"Mmhm! Got it! Leave it to me!" Lily exclaimed. She jumped down Charles' shoulder and led her mischief of colorful mice toward the deck cannons.

Under everyone's tense gazes, the two ships finally got close enough for everyone to see each other's faces clearly without any telescopes.

"Governor Charles! Is that you, Governor Charles?! I have great news! We've found the darkness! You're going to keep your promise, right? I'm about to become a governor!!"

Charles' eyes widened at the man's unbridled joy. He leaned forward, and over half of his figure was beyond the gunwale as he exclaimed, "The darkness?! Did you really find it?! What about the place, is it dangerous? And where is it? Is it at my coordinates?"

"It's not too far, just three days' worth of journey ahead, but it's not at the coordinates that you've reported. The deviation is massive; I think the darkness can move, just like the wind."

The Narwhale's crew members seemed to have been infected by the agitation and excitement of the other vessel's crew upon hearing their words.

However, it wasn't strange at all. No one wanted to die, after all. Moreover, they had achieved one of their goals, which was to locate the darkness. Now, they just had to retrieve it, and the Subterranean Sea would be saved!