Shrouded Seascape

Chapter 32: Locals

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Charles licked his cracked lips as he looked at the few people on the pier in the distance. "Let's go to the shore first and ask the locals directly when we get there."

When Charles and the others got off the boat, there was already a group of people gathered outside, staring at them without blinking.

Just when Charles was feeling a little uneasy because of being stared at, two middle-aged men in customs uniforms pushed through the crowd and walked over.

One of the men with wrinkles on his face started to ask questions. "Who is the captain? Where is your ship from? Don't you know that foreign ships cannot dock here?"

Charles stepped forward, explained the situation in detail, and asked if there was a shipyard on the island.

After Charles finished speaking, he didn't get a response for a long time, and then he saw the two middle-aged men in front of him staring at him motionlessly as if petrified.

After several seconds, they came to life, their expressions clearly showing enthusiasm. "Yes, sir, please drive the boat east, there is a shipyard there,"

Second mate Krona leaned over to Charles' ear and said, "Captain, are the people on this island a little slow to react?"

Charles didn't know, but these were minor problems. Maybe the islands were causing special troubles.

When Charles drove the Narwhal into the shipyard, he was informed that it would take a month to replace the turbine.

Although it took a long time, there was no other way. The turbine was the heart of the steamship, and without it, the Narwhal would not be able to return to the Coral Island.

When Charles paid the deposit and walked out of the dock, he saw the islanders still staring at them motionlessly.

Their dry lips made them unable to care about the strange local customs. Charles led the crew into a deserted hotel and had a hearty meal.

Looking at the crew members who were burping and looking relaxed, Charles said, "It will take a month to replace the turbine. The people here seem a bit xenophobic. Everyone, please be safe and don't cause trouble."

The crew members leaned back in their chairs comfortably, agreeing in groups of two or three.

But when Charles distributed the rewards for this mission, everyone became excited.

Holding the Echo Coin in his hand, James said hesitantly: "Captain, this mission failed, and the Narwhal needs to replace the turbine. If it weren't for this salary -"

"It's okay. You still have to get the money you deserve. Everyone, take a good rest during this time."

Charles used to be frugal in order to buy a boat, but now he doesn't care about these things. After encountering such a disaster, it would be a good deal if he could simply rely on some paper money to gather people's hearts.

As soon as they got the money, all the crew members could no longer sit still. They walked out arm in arm with smiles on their faces.

Looking at their expressions, Charles certainly understood where they were going. For men who made a living on the sea, this was basically a routine. On the contrary, Charles, who had always been frugal, seemed like an oddball.

That night Charles had a nightmare. He dreamed that he was sinking into the water again, and the huge and terrifying humanoid monster turned around and looked at him.

He kept shouting and finally opened his eyes in a cold sweat. There was no seabed or monsters. In front of him was the hotel's ceiling with some paint peeling off.

"Mr. Charles, did you have a nightmare last night?" Lily said, jumping to her chest.

Charles sat up and took out his pocket watch, and found that he had slept for 11 hours, which had never happened before.

Just as Charles got up and went to the bathroom, he found an envelope at the door.

When he opened it, a beautiful cursive handwriting appeared in front of Charles.

Mr. Charles:

Life on an ocean exploration ship is just too dangerous. I can't stand it any more. I've decided to return to shore. Sorry I can't say goodbye to you in person.

"Hey..." Charles crumpled the envelope into a ball and threw it into the trash heap next to him.

"It seems that money alone cannot keep people's hearts and minds. Some people are scared out of their wits."

Charles' emotions didn't fluctuate much. It was understandable that some people left in that situation.

It should be evening now, so Charles took Lily out.

The difference in the port area was not so obvious, but when Charles walked into the so-called Crown District he immediately noticed the difference between the islands.

Both the clothing and the architectural style here are completely different from those on the Coral Island. Every man on the street is dressed in a suit and tie, holding a cane in his hand, and the ladies wearing various gorgeous costumes look very elegant.

I don’t know if it was Charles’ illusion, but the islanders on this island were all upper-class in appearance, and the handsome men and beautiful women were much more numerous than those on other islands.

But no matter how good-looking he is, his habit of staring at people has not changed.

Being treated like a monkey was not a good feeling. Charles stopped a man passing by and asked, "Excuse me, where is the Explorers Association? I can't find it in the port area."

"The Explorers Society? What is that? I haven't heard of it."

Never heard of it? Charles was surprised. As far as he knew, most of the islands in the Earth Sea were discovered by explorers.

Although the association is a loose organization, it has a symbiotic relationship with the governors of the islands and has a great influence in places where humans live.

If there is not even an Exploration Association in this place, does that mean this island has no contact with other islands and is an isolated island

While Charles was stunned, the guy being questioned turned around and left.

After thinking for a moment, Charles walked directly into a library next to him. He quickly found various nautical charts inside. After comparing them with each other, Charles quickly found the current location of the island.

He drew a line on the chart and said with a relaxed expression, "Fortunately, although this place is not recorded, it is not too far from the coral island. If the boat is repaired and sailed quickly, it will only take 15 days at most to return."

After buying various nautical charts, new and old, Charles walked out of the library.

He stood on the busy street and was stunned for a moment. The ship was being repaired and the current coordinates had been confirmed. Now he didn't know what to do.

If he were the Charles of the past, perhaps he should continue to train his physique and marksmanship to prepare for future adventures.

But when he thought of the increasingly severe auditory hallucinations, Charles wondered if he was too tense and had not had a moment's rest since he came here.

"Try to relax. Maybe it will be good for your auditory hallucinations."

Charles thought of this and turned to look at Lily on his shoulder, "Let's go around the island."

"Yeah!" Lily's ears immediately pricked up when she heard about going out to play.

There are towering spires, vivid reliefs, and long windows of stained glass.

Although Charles did not have much artistic talent, he could still see that these buildings were extremely exquisite, and a new island like Coral Island, which did not have much heritage, could not compare to them.

"Mr. Charles, what is that? It looks delicious!"

(End of this chapter)