John, with the echoes in his hands and a pleased look on his face, turned around to leave, but as he pushed open the door and was about to go, he hesitated for a moment and turned back with a look of indecision.
Looking at the figure behind him, intertwined in the light and darkness, he hesitated to speak.
"Captain, now that I'm leaving to be honest, why don't you come ashore as well? Even if you've saved enough money to buy an exploration ship, what's the point? The Land of Light doesn't exist."
"It does exist." Although Charles spoke calmly, there was a firmness in his eyes.
"How could there be something bigger than an island hanging in the air, selflessly providing us with light and warmth, dispelling darkness? It's all made up by the Divine Church of Light to deceive people."
Seeing Charles remain silent, Old John sighed and continued to persuade him, "When I first met you, even though you couldn't speak a word, you were so full of energy and confidence. I thought to myself, what a fine young man! If I had a granddaughter, I would have introduced her to you."
"You can’t hide it from me. I know you've been hearing the voice of the divine for many days now. If you keep going like this, you'll really become a madman. Give it up," Old John said, trying to reason with him.
Expressionless, Charles walked to the door and with a "bang" he closed the door.
"Child, you are obsessed with your unrealistic dream," John's footsteps slowly faded away, and the outside of the door returned to calmness again.
"Am I obsessed?" Charles muttered to himself, leaning against the door of the room. His expression slowly twisted.
"What's wrong with wanting to go back?" Charles suddenly yelled with a pained expression.
"I haven't done anything illegal or immoral!! Why is this happening to me! Why!!" Charles exclaimed, his expression filled with frustration.
"Eight years!! It's been eight whole fu**ing years!! Why do I have to suffer like this!! I just want to go home, what's wrong with that!!" Charles roared hysterically at the top of his voice.
“glui mglw……na……”The whispers in his ear returned, causing him to feel unusually agitated.
"I fu**ing had it!!" He erupted in anger and pulled out his revolver, pressing it against his temple.
Just as his trembling finger was about to pull the trigger, muffled protests from other guests of the inn came from the adjacent walls.
"What's all the noise about!! Keep it down!!" A man shouted.
Suddenly, the agitated Charles fell silent. He sheathed the revolver back into his waistband and carefully wrapped the saber he was holding in a piece of cloth.
That night, Charles had dreamt of many things, but when he woke up again, he couldn't remember anything.
"Knock, knock, knock." The door was knocked on again.
As Charles opened the door, he found a bald man with octopus tentacle tattoos on his face standing in front of him.
"Are you Captain Charles from the ship - Rat? My name is Hook, nice to meet you," said the bald man.
Charles cautiously scrutinized the man in front of him, whose features were rather ordinary except for the deformed ear that bent inward, indicating he was a local of Coral Islands. The octopus tentacle tattoo on his face showed his religious belief.
"What brings a Fhtagn follower to me? Are you here to offer me as a sacrifice to your almighty god?" Charles asked, suspicion in his voice.
Despite sensing the hostility in Charles' words, Hook remained unperturbed.
"If you're hoping to become a sacrifice to the Mighty One, im afraid you're not qualified. I'm here for something else, Captain Charles. I heard you're in need of money, is that true?" Hook replied, unfazed by Charles' attitude.
Charles wasn't surprised, as this wasn't the first time someone had approached him for help with money.
"I don't deal with contraband," Charles said, about to close the door.
In fact, Charles was lying. Sometimes, if the profit was lucrative enough, he did engage in smuggling. However, he refused in this case because he didn't want to have any further involvement with the cult.
The only difference between Fhtagn cultists and the crazy people on the street was that they could speak normally. Normal people wouldn't consider the monsters from the deep sea as gods.
Just as the door was about to close, Charles suddenly heard a number drifting in from the doorway. "One million echoes."
Looking at the black pupils through the crack in the door, Hook’s face revealed a confident smile.
"Mr. Charles, this reward is more than enough to make up for your financial shortfall and enable you to purchase a top-of-the-line exploration ship. Just think about it - if you can discover a new island, you will become its governor-general and all the endless echoes and power that come with it will be yours," said Hook, with the same confident smile on his face
Charles didn't know how these guys knew about his goals, but he felt a little tempted. With so much money, he could bring his journey back home a big step closer.
Charles didn't let his guard down. The Cult of Fhtagn was not a charitable organization, and there was sure to be extreme danger behind such a huge reward.
"What do I need to smuggle?" Charles asked cautiously.
"We're not asking you to smuggle anything. We're asking you to help us find something. Please follow me, and our High Priest will explain the details to you," said Hook.
Charles thought for a few seconds and then opened the door and followed Hook out.
The two of them walked out of the port area, crossed the fishy-smelling port, and headed towards the residential area of the island.
The residential area of the Coral Main Island was less chaotic and more lively. Without the gray-white coral buildings, Charles would have felt like he was walking through the streets of London in the mid-18th century.
The island had all kinds of modern facilities, such as banks, hospitals, clothing stores, and theaters. Everything was so normal if it weren't for the people's deformed ears and pale skin.
As they made their way through the island, it felt as if the area was more like a city, the busy streets were bustling with people. The lights in the shops on both sides of the street were exceptionally bright, and one could tell from the clothes they wore that there were both poor and rich people. Everyone was busy with their own business.
"Grilled spider crab legs, only 4 echoes per piece!" shouted a street vendor.
"Daddy, I can't walk anymore. I can't walk anymore," whined a tired child, tugging at his father's sleeve.
"Newspapers! Breaking news, Governor-general Nico is set to marry his sixth husband in just six days!" shouted a newsboy on the street corner, waving the latest edition of the local newspaper.
"Excuse me, sir. Can I have a moment of your time? Let me introduce you to our Heavenly Father and Savior, the Mighty One, Severt Fhtagn, who is all-knowing and all-powerful," said a zealous evangelist, trying to hand Charles a pamphlet.
The quiet and peaceful scenery didn't appeal to Charles, even though it was tranquil, everything here was as fragile as a bubble. Although it was rare, islands where millions of humans lived had sunked before.
The two of them swiftly shuttled between gray-white buildings and eventually arrived in front of a solemn black pointed tower church.
As they entered the church, the surrounding sounds instantly quieted down. The light provided by the gray candles around seemed to cast a veil of grey over the interior. In the center of the hall stood a huge stone sculpture that could barely be considered humanoid.
While it could be considered humanoid, its physical characteristics resembled more that of a standing, decayed octopus. Its scales flipped outwards, and the numerous eyeballs covering its entire body made one feel uneasy at just a glance.
The believers, dressed in black robes, stood in neat rows, reciting a language devoid of any consonants in hushed tones. Charles listened closely, and the words seemed vaguely familiar, reminiscent of the whispers he had heard countless times.
"The High Priest is in the confessional. Please follow me," Hook said as he led Charles through the crowd, further into the church.
As they moved further into the church, the security measures grew increasingly stringent. Black-robed believers stood guard at every turn and in front of every room. Although none of them spoke a word, Charles could feel their collective gaze fixed upon him.
Inside a dimly lit room, Charles caught sight of the High Priest of the Fhtagn cult, a figure clad in a red robe prostrated on the ground.
After performing a reverential gesture, Hook stepped back and exited the room.
The High Priest slowly stood up, but did not turn around.
"Captain Charles, our church needs you to find something. One of my Lord's sacred artifacts," said the High Priest.
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