"What's up?" Charles looked at the so-called border guard in front of him, Norden Wright.
The Marine in front of him looked only eighteen or nineteen years old, his muscles making his uniform push up high.
"I have three years of experience in sea combat! I am physically strong, and I am now applying to join the Governor's exploration ship!"
Norden's voice was so loud that all the boatmen in the dock looked over.
Charles was indeed a little surprised by this sudden situation.
Before he could say anything, James, who was standing next to him with a gloomy face, spoke first. "Soldier! What is your mission today? Leaving your post without permission is a dereliction of duty."
"Director! Today is my day off. I have not neglected my duty! Even if I have, I am not a police officer under your command. You have no right to interfere! Governor! Please allow me to join the exploration ship!"
When he said the last sentence, a burning light ignited in Norden Wright's eyes.
Charles found it a little funny to see James being humiliated. He looked at Norden and asked, "Why did you want to board my ship? There are rumors on the island recently that my ship is cursed by the sea. This ship will never sink, but will only bring the lives of sailors into the sea. Aren't you afraid?"
"Don't be afraid!" Norden Wright answered firmly.
Charles smiled. He turned to look at James and said, "Hey, buddy, do me a favor and check his background."
"Captain, are you really going to let him on board?"
"Let's check it out first, but two sailors did die in the last adventure." Charles waved to the Narwhal, turned and left the dock.
Hearing Charles' words, Norden clenched his fists excitedly.
Charles walked out of the dock and returned to the Governor's Palace. Sitting in his office, he looked at the nautical chart in front of him.
The island where the key was kept in his memory was the farthest of the five islands. He used a ruler and a pen to quickly plan the next voyage.
As the captain, he must calculate the route that saves the most time and materials, as well as the material situation at each time point.
"If we rush, the ship can probably be repaired within two months. I must first find all the missing crew members. The second mate is seriously ill and counts as one. The second engineer died, and the third engineer Audric can take his place. I also need to recruit another third engineer. The turbine group has a lot of replacements..."
Charlton was thinking about these things, when he suddenly felt his legs go weak. He lowered his head and found that while he was thinking, a pure black cat jumped onto his thighs and squatted down.
That's Heihei, one of the two kittens Lily had raised before. Ever since Lily stopped raising it, it has settled down in the Governor's Mansion.
The kitten ate well and slept well, and before he knew it, it had turned into a big fat black cat.
Charles' hand stroked across the soft cat hair, and he suddenly felt that there was not much difference in feel between cat hair and mouse hair.
Suddenly, all the things in Charles' mind disappeared, and he felt a little like the little mouse that always chirped.
After looking at the sea chart in front of him, he stood up and walked out the gate holding the black cat.
When he arrived at Lily's grave, in addition to the black cat, there was also a bouquet of white flowers in his arms.
In front of Lily's tombstone, there were some remaining candles and a few bouquets of dried flowers.
It was obvious that besides Charles, there were other people who came to pay tribute to Lily.
Charles put down the flowers in his hand. He looked at the stone tablet in front of him that he had carved with his own hands. His lips trembled slightly, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he said nothing.
Heihei jumped out of Charles' arms and walked to Lily's grave, wandering back and forth. She seemed to smell something.
After smelling for a while, Heihei showed his claws and started digging the soil.
Charles walked forward and gently wiped away the layer of dust on the tombstone with his hands.
"Some people say that black cats are psychic and that corpses touched by black cats will come back to life. Lily, can you wake up and show me?"
Charles waited quietly, but to his disappointment, there was no sound of knocking on the coffin under the soil.
Charles looked at the doctor's grave, which was lit by the sun, and Lily's last words flashed through his mind.
Charles thought for a moment, took out his revolver, and kept pulling the trigger at the ceiling.
"Bang bang bang bang!" A hole was soon gouged in the shed by bullets, and warm sunlight fell on Lily's grave and Charles' body.
But now Charles did not feel any warmth from the sunshine.
"Lily, are you okay over there? Did the God of Light really take your soul?" Charles' voice was filled with sadness.
"Sometimes I dream about you, but in my dreams you seem to become less talkative and just look at me quietly."
"Several people died on the ship recently. Have you seen them? Is Tuba's spirit with you?"
"Recently, Anna and I had a conflict because we were arguing about our search for the surface. To be honest, I have been thinking about this issue recently."
"Do you think that if I had not thought about going home when I first came to the surface, and had lived on the underground island peacefully, would the situation have been better?"
"I thought about it for a long time, but I don't think so. The dangerous experience took away a lot from me. In addition to my right eye and left arm, there are also your life and the lives of the other dead crew members."
"But it was because I went to look for the surface that I met Anna, met you, met Bandage, Dipper, James, and Winky."
At this point, the corners of Charles' mouth rose slightly.
"My daughter, Winky, is very cute. I told her your story and she wants to meet you one day. I hope that day comes."
Following Lily's words, Charles felt his body warm up.
He stood up and turned around, running his hand over Lily's gravestone.
"Lily, I don't believe in any god, but if you can hear me now, please bless me, and bless me on this voyage to find the key to the surface."
"May there be no gods walking the earth, no corpses scattered all over the mountains, and nothing that shouldn't be there."
"May the God of Light keep his promise and bring you back to life."
"I know this world is full of despair, and it always ruthlessly knocks my hopes to the ground, but ah, there must always be some hope in people's hearts."
"I'm leaving, Lily. I feel much better after talking to you. I will come to see you again in the future."
After Charles finished speaking, he turned around and prepared to leave. Just after he took a few steps, he suddenly remembered something. He turned around, walked to the doctor's tombstone, and took out a bottle of wine from his arms.
"Tons~Tons~Tons~" The liquor in the bottle was spilled in front of the doctor's tombstone.
40-1=39
(End of this chapter)