"What's the speed now?" asked Charles, who was standing in the cockpit staring at the nautical chart.
"15 knots, Captain," after Krona finished his report, he asked Charles with shining eyes.
"Captain, now that this voyage is complete, you should have a long rest period, right? Since you have already occupied a living island, my goal has been achieved. I would like to ask for leave to go back to the volcanic island and bring my family over."
"Okay, when the Church of Light comes, you can go back with their ship. When I get up there and stabilize myself, I will send someone to pick you up." Charles agreed.
Krona gripped the steering wheel in his hand and looked at Charles' back, seeming to be hesitant to speak.
"If you have something to say, just say it now, don't hesitate."
"Captain, if there really is a Land of Light, you wouldn't stay with us on Hope Island, would you?"
Charles glanced at him without saying anything and continued looking at the nautical chart on the wall.
Krona smiled a little embarrassedly. "In fact, everyone can feel that you want to go back. The ship's doctor said that you don't have any attachment to this sea area at all. You are always trying to escape from here."
Charles checked the time with his pocket watch and drew another dotted line on the sea area on the wall with a pen.
After looking at Charles's face, Krona spoke again: "Captain, if you go up, you don't have to come to pick me up. Even if the Narwhal no longer sails, you will always be my captain."
"You're not going to the surface? Why?" Charles turned to look at the second mate in surprise.
"Captain, just as your world is up there, my world is in the Earthsea. I have fulfilled my wish, and I plan to spend my next life on Hope Island."
"Didn't you hear what I said about the situation above? Why do you have to stay in such a hellish place?"
"Because I have become a member of the island. I don't want to struggle anymore."
"Everyone above can live the life of an islander."
"This is why I don't want to go up!" Krona's voice suddenly became louder.
He breathed rapidly and shouted indignantly: "I have finally become a superior person, I don't want to go to a place where everyone is equal!! I want to enjoy the privileges of the islanders! I want to live the same life as other islanders! I can do whatever I want!! "
Charles looked at his second mate with some complicated feelings. He didn't expect that this was the reason why the second mate didn't want to go up.
"Am I just wishful thinking? Maybe the surface is a paradise for me, but it may not be that beautiful for them?"
The air in the cabin was somewhat dull. "Captain, why don't you just stay here and be the governor? You can have everything you want here. Why do you have to—"
"Okay, I don't want to discuss this with you. Move the boat closer to Monzi's boat and I'll see what's going on over there." Charles interrupted him.
Since he doesn't want to, then forget it. Everyone has their own aspirations, and he doesn't want to force it.
Krona swallowed the words in his mouth and turned the steering wheel silently.
When Charles saw the searchlight of Monzi's ship coming over, he walked out of the cockpit and raised his prosthetic limb towards the exploration ship not far away.
The anchor hook instantly hit the opposite ship. Charles' heart moved slightly, and the chain contracted and quickly pulled him over.
Watching the captain leave, Krona took out a pendant from his chest, stared at it for a long time, and then put it back. His eyes were slightly red. "Misha, don't worry, I am also an islander now, I can get you back."
Seeing Charles flying over, Monzi came over to greet him. "Governor, the crystal just lit up slightly for a while. I think if we move a little closer, we should be able to make contact."
"Will your relic not go wrong at the critical moment?" Charles said, pointing at the crystal with his index finger.
"Absolutely. This teleportation crystal is a family heirloom. My great-grandfather found it in the belly of a giant fish. It's been in use for nearly a hundred years. It has saved lives several times."
Charles stared at the crystal, and somehow felt as if the crystal was also staring at him.
After taking a look at Monzi's gloomy face, Charles moved a little further away. The side effects of this relic might be serious.
Just when Charles was about to ask what the price was for using the crystal, Monzi squinted his eyes and looked over there. "Governor, look over there, there's something."
Charles turned quickly and soon saw a hazy white color under the water in the distance.
"Don't look at it, pretend it doesn't exist, signal the Narwhal and ask them to bypass it." Charles immediately gave the most sensible order.
Whatever it was, Charles didn't want to cause any trouble at this time.
The bright yellow flag waved quickly, and the fleet began to turn quickly, away from the hazy cold color.
Just when Charles thought that this was just a minor episode and would pass, the white mass suddenly appeared again, this time much closer, so close that Charles could see the deck covered with barnacles.
It was a steamboat, a ghost ship sailing beneath the water's surface.
The hull, covered with thick barnacles and corals, emits the cold light of the moon, making the shipwreck very conspicuous underwater.
As expected, nothing good happens at the critical moment. Charles's face looked grim.
Charles knew at a glance that this thing was targeting him, so he didn't hesitate and immediately gave the order to attack.
As the sound of cannons continued, water columns more than ten meters high kept splashing, but when the water surface calmed down, the thing was not damaged at all, as if it was just a reflection on the sea surface.
Seeing that the cannonballs were useless, Charles took out his lightning staff.
At this moment, the ghost ship quickly floated to the surface of the sea, the disgusting stench of mud quickly spread, and a translucent green man walked out of the cabin of the ghost ship.
It seemed to be a ghost. He was not wearing the usual attire of the captain of Earthsea, but was wearing a smart navy uniform.
Just as everyone on the ship was looking at it with horror, the ghost politely saluted Charles not far away.
"Hello sir, I am the captain of the transport ship D134. I am lost now. Could you please tell me the location of Dongnode?"
Looking at the strange ghost, Charles thought quickly in his mind and slowly said, "I don't understand what Dongnode you are talking about."
Whatever it was, he didn't want to anger the spirit.
When Charles heard that he didn't understand, the ghost's translucent face showed a trace of doubt. "You don't understand? How could you not understand? There is an elevator leading to the New Territory City? Haven't you heard of it?"
(End of this chapter)