In the lobby of the Governor's Mansion, Charles folded his arms across his chest, looking at Dipper, whose wound was being bandaged by Linda, and listened to him describe the details of the whole incident.
Dipper's left hand, covered with green scales, was handcuffed to the sofa beside him. A row of guards were staring at him with various relics in their hands.
"Captain, this is what happened. I didn't hear the details clearly, but it is definitely true that they are going to attack Hope Island."
"How many divers were there in the underwater city where you were before?" Charles asked.
"I don't know, but I estimate there are over a million. My mother told me that there are more than just our group of Deep Ones. I don't know if they will look for other groups."
"And most importantly, the elders of the clan will also participate this time. Their strength is beyond your imagination."
Charles looked at the boatswain in front of him with a serious expression. He knew that Dipper would not lie to him about this matter.
Because if this is fake news, it would be a shame for him to make such a fuss. Those guys in the sea can't be so bored.
"How many members of the clan are you talking about?"
"Five, two of them went to the Land of Gods, and I estimate that three of them came here."
"How strong is the clan?" Charles asked again.
Dipper was a little anxious, he scratched his head and didn't know how to explain.
Linda, who was standing next to him, raised her head and said, "If we use the analogy of the sea, their strength is about level 10. In the previous holy war, the Futan Church also sent them out. Their mental control ability and special sea water magic caused the archbishop to suffer a lot."
Charles' expression turned ugly when he heard Linda's words. This was a powerful enemy. Such a powerful individual could already affect the changes in the entire battle situation.
This is a tough battle, and Hope Island must go all out. "Pass the order down, have everyone gather at the Governor's Mansion."
Charles turned around and prepared to walk towards the parliament hall. Dipper behind him was struggling fiercely. "Captain, let me help you. I can go to the sea to find out the enemy situation!"
"You stay still! If I hear that you dare to escape from prison, I will cut off both of your legs!"
Soon everyone on Hope Island sat up at the oval table and listened to Charles talk about the latest information.
When they learned that a group of water monsters were about to attack Hope Island, each of them had a different expression, some were panicked, and some were terrified.
However, everyone in the navy had a very high morale, and none of the eleven brigadiers were afraid. After all, they were all desperate criminals who had explored the island before, and just three years had not completely worn out their morale.
"Leonardo, have your people notify the departments below. This is a life-and-death battle. Everyone on the island must contribute. All those near the beach must evacuate to leave depth for the fierce battle to come."
The administrative minister said with a confident smile on his face: "Don't worry, I will issue a pre-war mobilization immediately. As long as we provide appropriate tax exemptions, all the companies on the island will be happy to help us."
Charles cast his eyes towards the navy. "How many people are there in the navy now? How many ships are there?"
Bandages were gone, and the navy was led by Admiral Feuerbach. The green youth put his feet down from the table and answered, "A total of 20,000 people. You said before that in order to prevent Swan from attacking the island, you ordered us to expand the navy, so the navy is now fully staffed."
"Among them, there are four 200-meter Sea Lion-class warships. The other various scattered ships have been reorganized. Now there are two destroyer squadrons, four frigate squadrons, two landing ship squadrons and one speedboat squadron, with a total of 74 warships."
Charles' fingers kept tapping on the flat wooden table. Although the navy had an astonishing number of troops, he still felt unsure. After all, the enemy this time was not human, but alien creatures in the seabed. He needed to find more foreign aid.
Charles quickly sent telegrams for help to Icha Island, Crown of the World, and Tianshui Island.
The response of the Church of Light was even faster. In just three days, all the navy of Tianshui Island had arrived at the port.
Charles felt a little relieved when he saw the three golden ships entering the port.
No matter what, at least at this time, these cultists must be more anxious than himself. After all, the thing hanging in the sky is their "God of Light". If this God is destroyed by others, it would be a big joke.
"Governor Charles, don't worry, the Pope has already known the details, and he is rushing over as soon as possible."
The World Champion's response surprised Charles. Five days after he sent the telegram for help, the other party finally responded. "Got it."
"What does it mean to know?" Charles was speechless holding the telegram.
However, since Anna knows the predicament here, she should send troops over, but I don’t know whether she will come herself.
Charles personally hopes that she will come, as Anna is a powerful fighter in her own right.
As time passed, a thick cloud began to spread over Hope Island. Except for necessary food purchases, the islanders no longer went out for activities.
Fortunately, the sounds of various naval sirens on the surrounding seas put their hearts at ease.
Maybe before they might have complained about why it was so noisy, but now this sound is protecting them.
Charles stood on top of the shed that blocked the sunlight. Standing in the warm sunshine, he silently looked at the dark sea in the distance.
The pencil in his hand trembled rapidly on the drawing paper, and a busy pedestrian street gradually appeared on the paper.
Anna, holding a cup of milk tea, held Charles's wrist and walked down the street with a smile on her face.
Just as Charles was adding some details to Anna's hair, he suddenly felt a gaze coming from his left.
He turned his head and saw a woman in a cloak with black bandages wrapped around her body.
Charles remembered that he seemed to have seen her somewhere, and this time was different from the last time. The woman was holding a black cat with purple pupils in her arms.
"Who are you? Do you want to talk to me about something?" Charles asked the woman.
In response to Charles' question, the woman holding the black cat did not intend to answer and stood there like a sculpture.
Charles frowned slightly, put down his paintbrush and walked towards him.
He had just taken two steps when a steel prosthetic limb beside him pulled him back. Charles turned around and saw that it was another him.
"Dude, don't go. Black cats are very evil. Let's hide from them."
"Richard?"
"I'm telling you the truth. Black cats are really evil and we can't afford to offend them. When I was a kid, I saw a black cat wearing white long johns and riding a tricycle. It shot a mouse with only one ear to death with just one shot. It was really scary."
(End of this chapter)