On the dark sea, the body of the monster drifted with the waves. Just as it was about to fall to the bottom of the sea, a steamship that was two-thirds larger than the Mouse passed by it.
A large net with barbs was thrown down from the deck and easily covered it.
"Boss, look, I caught a giant squid! Its tentacles are moving."
"Squid? Pete, are you blind, boss? It's a starfish!"
"Spread out, what's so nice about a big octopus? Hmm~ It looks delicious, Pete, send it to the kitchen and let the chefs prepare it."
"No problem, boss!"
When Charles woke up again, he felt a sharp pain in his head. His hands loosened and the empty bottle fell to the ground and broke into pieces.
Charles didn't bother to even look at the broken glass all over the floor. He just opened the door and walked out.
When the crew of the Mouse saw Charles with a cold expression coming back again, they all breathed a sigh of relief. They felt safe seeing the captain with this expression.
"Captain, we have returned to the safe route. At the current speed of 15 knots, we will reach the port soon." Dipper, who was at the helm, reported to Charles.
"How's the bandage?"
"His wounds are healing quickly, and he doesn't have a persistent fever. Although he's still in a coma, he should be able to pull through."
Charles's gloomy mood lifted slightly after hearing the news.
"Don't let your guard down. I'll go check on him."
On the entire Mouse, only the captain had a private bedroom, and the first mate lived in the crew lounge like everyone else.
When Charles came into the cabin, he saw Bandage slowly opening his eyes, and he took a few quick steps to rush over.
"Don't move, lie down, your injuries haven't healed yet." Charles held him down as he struggled to sit up.
"Captain... Anna is a monster... She's going to eat me..."
Charles felt a pain in his heart when he heard this. He forced a faint smile on his face and comforted him, "Don't worry, that thing is dead, everything is over."
"That...that's good..." Bandage heaved a sigh of relief and slowly lay back down.
"Get some rest. We'll be home soon, and you'll be able to complete your mission."
Glancing at the empty trouser legs beneath the bandages, Charles knew that his sailing career was probably over. No matter how good his steering skills were, no ship would want a first mate with only one leg.
"Oh..." Bandage stopped talking.
Charles wanted to comfort her, but he was not very good at it. Finally, he patted her on the bandaged shoulder and walked out.
There were no more problems on the rest of the voyage, and the Mouse returned safely to the Coral Islands.
It seemed that the followers of the Futan religion had some ability to predict the future. Before the Rat entered the port, Charles saw Hook and a large group of followers standing there waiting.
"Captain Charles, have you got the holy relic?"
When he saw the golden statue of Futan coming out of the wooden box, he was instantly excited and couldn't control himself. He danced with joy and then led his believers to kneel down and worship the statue.
"Where's my money?" Charles asked.
Excited, Hook quickly stood up and took out a piece of paper from his arms tremblingly.
"This is the original contract. Quick! Give me the holy object!"
Charles took the paper, confirmed it was correct, and threw the golden statue over.
Seeing Hook holding the golden statue and leaving with a look of ecstasy, Charles frowned. "Hey, did you forget something?"
The tall and strong James came up from behind with a bandage.
"Master Deacon... I have... completed the mission..." Weak Bandage reported to the hook.
As if he didn't hear Bandage's words, Hook's eyes fell on his legs. "What's wrong with your legs?"
Hook raised his chin with a look of disgust, and the two believers behind him walked towards the bandage, wanting to bring him back.
"Well done, Bandage. You will have the honor of being the sacrifice on the next prayer day."
"Thank you very much, Mr. Deacon..."
"What? Sacrifice?!" All the crew members of the Mouse showed expressions of horror on their faces.
Charles suddenly raised his hand and stopped the two believers. He stared at the hook and asked, "Is this how you, the Futan Church, treat your own people?"
Charles didn't want to get involved in the affairs of these lunatics, but after all, he had been through life and death with Bandage, so this slow-moving guy could be considered a semi-friend. He couldn't bear to see his friend being thrown into the sea to feed the fish.
"Captain Charles, being a sacrifice in our religion is an honor in itself."
"Why don't you want this honor? Bandage is my first mate. He can't leave for the time being. He needs to hand over things." Charles gave James a look, and the big man retreated holding the bandage.
Hook looked a little anxious, as if this statue was more important than anything else. After looking at Charles deeply, he hurried back.
"Well, a cripple, if Captain Charles wants it, I'll give it to you."
Seeing them leave the dock, Dipper was the first to run up to Bandage and yell.
"Mr. First Mate, what are you thinking about? He was planning to throw you into the sea to feed the fish, and you actually thank him?!"
The bandage remained silent.
"Do you know what it means to be sacrificed to the god Ftan? Why did you agree?" Charles walked up to him and asked.
If Bandage tells the lies in the Ftan doctrine, Charles' next step is to send him to a mental hospital for treatment.
"I... I don't know, I seem to... I long to be sacrificed, I have forgotten a lot of things... I don't remember..." Bandage gave an unexpected answer.
After pacing back and forth for a while, Charles stopped, looked at the eyes hidden behind the bandages and said, "Don't say anything. My new ship needs a first mate. Are you coming?"
Bandage was silent for a few seconds, "But I don't have legs..."
"It's just one less line. It's not a big deal. I can steer the ship just as well by pressing a chair."
When Charles saw the bandage nodded, a relieved smile appeared on his face.
After recruiting a new first mate, he looked up at his crew, and after a moment's deliberation, he said, "You know even without me telling you that we're going to have an exploration ship, a much bigger one than the Mouse!"
Hearing the captain's call, everyone's face was filled with excitement. Not to mention the benefits of exploring an inhabited island, just in terms of salary, there is a world of difference between a cargo ship and an exploration ship with the same duties, which differs by nearly 3 times.
As for the dangers that match the huge profits, the men who make a living from the sea have never been afraid of them.
"Then Captain, shall we go to the shipyard now?" Dipper asked and saw his captain shook his head.
"I will take care of the ship's problems. You have your own things to do. James, you are the chief engineer of the new ship. During this period, find a way to recruit the chief engineer and the second engineer."
The muscular man shook his head repeatedly as if frightened, "No, Captain, I can't... I really-"
"Don't tell me you can't find one. There are special job agencies at the port. You just need to go and pick one. This is your mission."
Charles didn't listen to James' explanation at all, and said to the restless boy: "Dipper, you are the boatswain, go recruit four sailors."
Hearing that he would be in charge of so many sailors, the boy was not at all nervous, but very excited.
"Now I can manage five people! This is really exciting!"
"Frey, there are so many people in the kitchen. You can't handle it by yourself. Go find a kitchen helper."
"No problem, my Captain."
(End of this chapter)