Holding the Echo Notes in both hands, John turned around with a smug look on his face and was about to leave, but when he pushed the door open and was about to leave, he thought for a while and turned back in embarrassment.
Looking at the figure behind him intertwined between light and darkness, he seemed to be hesitant to speak.
"Captain, I'm leaving too. To be honest, why don't you go ashore? Even if you save up enough money to buy an exploration ship, what good will it do? The Land of Light doesn't exist."
"existing."
Although Charles spoke calmly, his eyes were firm.
"How is it possible that something bigger than an island is hanging in the sky, selflessly providing us with light and warmth and dispelling darkness? That's all a lie made up by the Church of Light."
Seeing Charles remained silent, Old John sighed and continued to persuade him, "When I first met you, even though you couldn't even speak, you were so energetic, cheerful and confident. I thought at the time what a good young man you were. If I had a granddaughter, I would definitely introduce her to you."
"You don't have to hide it from me. I know you've been hearing the voice of God for many days. If you continue like this, you will really become a madman. Give up."
Charles walked to the door with an expressionless face and closed it with a bang.
"Kid, you are too persistent." John's footsteps slowly faded away, and the outside of the door returned to peace.
"Am I too persistent?" Charles muttered to himself as he leaned against the door, his expression slowly distorted.
"What's wrong with me wanting to go back?" Charles, with a painful expression, suddenly shouted.
"I have never done anything criminal! Why did this happen to me? Why?!"
"Eight years!! Eight whole years!! Why do I have to endure this kind of suffering!! What's wrong with me just wanting to go home!!" Charles roared hysterically.
“glui mglw… na…” The whispering voice in the ear sounded again, making people extremely irritated.
"Fuck your mother!" He was so angry that he took out a pistol and put it against his temple.
Just as the trembling fingers were about to pull the trigger, a dull protest from the neighbor came from the wall next to him.
"What are you making so much noise for! Keep your voice down!"
The excited Charles suddenly fell silent. He put the pistol back into his waist, picked up a piece of cloth and carefully wrapped the wooden sword in his hand.
Charles dreamed a lot that night, but when he woke up again, he remembered nothing.
"Knock, knock, knock." The door was knocked again.
When Charles opened the door, he found a bald man with an octopus tentacle tattoo on his face standing in front of him.
"Is that Captain Charles of the Mouse?? My name is Hook, nice to meet you."
Charles looked up and down the guy in front of him warily. He had a very ordinary face, and his deformed ears that bent inwards indicated that he was a native of the Coral Islands. The octopus tentacles on his face proved his faith.
"What do the followers of Futan want from me? Are you planning to hand me over to your Almighty God?"
Hook felt the hostility in Charles' words, but he was not angry at all.
"You may not be qualified to be a sacrifice to the powerful. I came to you for something else, Captain Charles. I heard that you are short of money, right?"
Charles was not surprised, because this guy in front of him was not the first one to come to him.
"I don't smuggle contraband," Charles said, and was about to close the door.
In fact, he lied. He sometimes engaged in smuggling as long as the profit was high enough. He refused decisively because he did not want to have too much contact with these cults.
The only difference between the Futan believers and the crazy people on the street is that they can speak normally. Normal people would never regard the monsters in the sea as gods.
Looking at the black pupils in the crack of the door, Bald Hook showed a confident smile on his face.
"Mr. Charles, these rewards can completely fill your financial gap and allow you to buy a top-level exploration ship. Think about it, as long as you explore a new island, you will own your own land and become the governor of the new island. At that time, the inexhaustible Echo Coins of Woman's Power will all be yours."
Charles didn't know how these guys knew his purpose, but he was somewhat tempted. With so much money, it would be a big step closer to returning home.
He did not let his guard down. The Futan cult was not a charity, and the huge reward must be accompanied by extreme danger.
"What do you want to smuggle?" Charles asked warily.
"We are not asking you to smuggle goods, but to help us find something. Please follow me, and our high priest will explain the details to you."
Charles thought for a few seconds, opened the door and followed him out.
The two walked out of the port area, passed through the port area full of fishy smell, and headed towards the residential area on the island.
The residential area on the main coral island is less chaotic and more lively. If it weren't for the gray-white coral buildings, Charles would seem to be walking on the streets of London in the mid-18th century.
Banks, hospitals, clothing stores, theaters, and all kinds of modern facilities are available on the island. If it weren't for people's deformed ears and pale skin, everything would be so normal.
An island is equivalent to a city. The streets are bustling with people coming and going. The lights from the shops on both sides make the streets exceptionally bright. From their clothes, one can see that there are both poor and rich people, and everyone is busy with his own affairs.
"Grilled spider crab legs, only 4 Huiyin coins each!"
"Dad, I can't walk anymore. I can't walk anymore."
"Newspaper sellers! Breaking news! Governor Nico is going to marry his sixth husband in six days."
"Sir, may I take a moment of your time? Let me introduce you to our Heavenly Father and Savior, the Almighty One, the All-Knowing and All-Powerful One, Fotan Savito."
Charles couldn't appreciate the quiet and peaceful scenery. No matter how peaceful it was, everything here was as fragile as bubbles. Although it was very rare, islands with millions of people living on them had sunk before.
The two quickly shuttled between the gray and white buildings, and finally they came to a majestic church with a black spire.
As I walked into the church, the noise around me suddenly quieted down. The light provided by the gray candles around seemed to cover the inside with a layer of gray gauze. In the center of the hall was a huge stone sculpture that was barely in human shape.
It's said to be human-shaped, but its appearance is more like a standing rotten octopus. The turned-out scales and eyeballs all over its body make people feel uncomfortable at a glance.
The believers in black robes lined up neatly and whispered a language without consonants. Charles found it familiar, and the words were somewhat similar to what he had heard in his auditory hallucinations.
"The high priest is in the confessional, please follow me." Hook led Charles through the crowd and continued inside.
The security behind the hall became tight, with a black-robed believer standing at every corner or door. Although no one spoke, Charles could feel that they were all staring at him.
In a dimly lit room, Charles saw the high priest of the Fortan religion, a red-robed figure lying on the ground.
Hook bowed respectfully and stepped back.
The high priest slowly stood up, but did not turn around.
"Captain Charles, I need you to find something. A holy relic of my Lord."
(End of this chapter)