Standing on the slightly shaking deck, Charles looked at the dim lights in the distance, a relieved smile appearing on his haggard face.
Anyway, they finally arrived at Heartbreak Island.
"This... is all... thanks to... the protection... of the Almighty... His servants... who saved us..." Bandage knelt on the ground, worshipping devoutly towards the sea.
On the other side, Linda put her hand on the white triangle on her forehead and muttered something. It was obvious that she had her own explanation for how to get out of the predicament.
Charles didn't think so. He learned from the giants that they were attracted by something, something that swam very fast underwater.
But they didn't see clearly what it was. But no matter what it was, it couldn't be a messenger sent by their God. The God of Earthsea had never been so kind.
As the Narwhal approached the island, Charles finally understood why this island was called Broken Heart Island. This island was not like any of the previous islands that were a whole. It was a group of islands composed of various small islands.
It was like a whole ceramic plate falling to the ground and breaking into pieces.
The Narwhal entered a dock, badly damaged and in need of repairs.
The dock on Broken Heart Island is obviously different from other places. First and foremost, the most special thing about it is that it is big. Not only is the dock big, but the stools, tables, blueprints, and various machines, any normal things are almost doubled in size here, including people.
Fortunately, whether it was the boatman carrying the huge bones or the engineers holding the blueprints, they all ignored Charles, which made the crew members feel relieved.
Inside the dock, these giants no longer wore their robes, exposing their bodies completely.
Apart from their height, they have several other differences from ordinary humans. Their skin is light blue, their chins protrude forward, and their eyebrows are connected, giving them a prehistoric ape-like look.
Charles also discovered that the dock here did not have many mechanical things and seemed so primitive, which was almost impossible on other islands.
As Charles was observing the dock, a giant with a pencil behind his ear came over and asked, "You want to repair the boat?"
"Yes, can you repair a steamship? It's mainly a problem with the hull."
The giant circled around the Narwhal and said that there was no problem repairing the steamship. Normal repairs would take 30 days, and expedited repairs would take as little as five days.
Of course Charles chose to expedite it, he didn't want to waste time on such things.
But when he was about to pay, trouble arose. The giants did not accept bank checks or echo coins.
Just when Charles was feeling embarrassed, the Hick boatman told Charles not to worry, he had a solution.
Soon he came in with a shriveled man.
The man opened his mouth to Charles, revealing an ugly smile with several missing teeth.
"Hello, my name is Gordon. Don't worry. I have the lowest price for exchanging echoes for gold clones in the entire dock. I will only charge you two levels of handling fees."
"What is a gold clone?" Charles asked.
"You don't even know this, and you dare to come here to pan for gold?" He took out a fist-sized golden round plate from his arms, which seemed to be a gold coin.
"See? This stuff is the hard currency here. These guys all take it. Echoes are not popular here."
Looking at the lines on the gold coin, Charles was about to take it to have a look, but Gordon took it back. "Do you want to exchange it?"
"Of course, not only do I live on these islands, but I was also born on this island. I am very familiar with Heartbroken Island. You can come to me for purchasing goods. I have connections for everything." Gordon's tone was full of confidence.
Charles thought for a moment and said to him, "I can agree to exchange with you, but I am not very familiar with this island. I need you to be my guide. 300,000 echoes are the reward."
Hearing this, Gordon couldn't hide his joy on his face. "No, no problem!! Dear sir, please bring the reply out and we will exchange it on the spot."
Just as Charles was carrying out the boxes of Echoes, Gordon next to him looked even more excited than he was.
Gordon acted quickly. The echo coins on the ship were quickly exchanged for gold clones, and the Heike boatmen immediately took action.
Charles and an excited Gordon walked out as they chained the Narwhal to the bridge.
Outside the dock is the port area. Like the dock, everything on this road is so huge that the crew members are amazed. Standing here, it feels like walking into the land of giants.
After looking at these huge buildings in front of him for a while, Charles felt a sense of awkwardness.
Soon he felt something was wrong. Compared to his own Hope Island, the buildings here were more primitive.
If the technological level of the islands in the North Sea is at the level of the 18th and 19th centuries, then the Broken Heart Island has regressed several centuries, and industry has left no trace here.
"Sir, please follow me this way. I will take you to the inn to settle down first."
"Are there many humans on this island?" Charles asked.
"There are still a few thousand people. After all, the Heike people always need to communicate with the outside world." Gordon said as he smiled and greeted the giants walking by, even if the other party ignored him.
The orderly environment around him gave Charles a very unreal feeling. Was this really the dangerous place that Elizabeth mentioned
Elizabeth once said that they were a group of disgusting lunatics, a group of beings crazier than the Church of Light and the god Futan. But now it seems that apart from their tall stature and somewhat cold expressions, there is nothing abnormal about them.
Even the dock area is much cleaner than other islands.
When Charles asked Gordon about the Heike people, he answered immediately.
"Well... there is indeed a rumor that they are humans who have interbred with the indigenous people, but whether it is true or not, it has nothing to do with us. As long as we can make money, that's all."
"Dangerous? Nonsense. They have been in contact with humans for hundreds of years. How could it be dangerous? Besides, they prefer to be vegetarians. Can you, an out-islander, stop judging people by their appearance? Of course, don't walk too close to them. You might accidentally step on them."
"The religion of the Haik tribe? I don't know much about it. Their beliefs are very mixed, but I feel like they are not very devout to the gods."
"Before, a guy accidentally smashed their idol. If it were any other sect, he would have no chance of coming back alive, but those guys just made him pay double the money, buy a new idol, and continue to worship it every day."
As Gordon told his story, Charles learned a lot. When the mystery of the Hek people was revealed, he was less wary of these big guys.
Indeed, if what Elizabeth said was true, these guys were completely crazy and it was impossible for them to build such a neat city.
(End of this chapter)