In the captain's room of the Narwhal, Charles was concentrating on looking at the nautical chart on the table. The Project Experiment Interaction Island and the Third Laboratory were marked on it, and the anomalies of the two places were written next to them. He wanted to find the connection between the two.
"Do you think it's possible that the people from Earthsea were brought down by them?"
Charles shook his head. "Then why is there no trace of them in Earthsea? In history books, myths, and even the Book of Revelation of the Sun God Cult, there is only the almighty Sun God, not even the messenger of God."
"Who knows? I would say just ignore them. Love them, they are all dead now anyway."
"This doesn't make sense. The Foundation is not only technologically advanced, but also possesses a vast number of relics. It's impossible for its existence to be so silent. I always feel that our search for the entrance to the surface is related to them."
"If you really want to think so, why don't you guess bigger? For example, there is a devastating catastrophe on the surface of the earth, and then they take the remaining humans to escape underground to survive. I think I have seen this plot in the Bible, Noah's Ark!"
Charles felt inexplicably irritated, and the whispering sound that he had not heard for a long time became louder in his ears.
"Squeak~" The door was pushed open, and Dipper carefully poked his head in with a plate of food.
"Captain, the sailors and I caught a giant fluorescent crab. I brought you the best meat from its claws."
On the plate in Dipper's hand were long strips of white meat that looked very tender.
"Put it on the table and knock before you come in next time." Charles' eyes never left the nautical chart.
Dipper quietly put it down and was about to leave but was stopped by Charles. When he saw Charles holding a mask and handing it to him, the boy's breathing suddenly became a little rapid.
"Don't you want a relic? This is for you." Charles handed over the clown mask in his hand, which was motionless again.
Dipper's face was suddenly filled with joy, he had seen how powerful this thing was, but he didn't expect the captain to give it to him.
Dipper was about to take it excitedly, but Charles shrank back. He looked at his boatswain seriously and told him the rules of using this thing. He wanted a capable helper, but didn't want a head filled with psychopaths with various personalities.
Hearing what Charles said, Dipper hesitated a little, but in the end he reached out to take it. He held the 096 and said, "Captain, I will be careful."
"Go out. By the way, call the doctor over." Charles rubbed his forehead with his hand.
"Hey, are you just going to give it to that guy?" Richard controlled his body, grabbed the crab meat with his hands and stuffed it into his mouth.
"We have no use for that thing anyway, and giving it to him will increase our overall strength." Charles swallowed the crab meat in his mouth and continued looking at the nautical chart.
Not long after, the doctor came in, shaking his iron leg. "You looking for me?"
"Give me some more medicine. My auditory hallucinations are getting worse again." Charles looked up at him.
"Is it serious again?" The doctor performed a series of tests on Charles with some confusion.
After a long time, he placed the iron hand on the table and thought for a while before saying, "You know, I can only suppress the curse of the gods, right?"
"Of course, you said that before."
The doctor said again: "I do have a medicine that can eliminate your auditory hallucinations, but if you really use that medicine, you won't live long."
"Either you go back to the island and rest for a few months, and I'll use other potions to help you recover, or you find someone else to remove the curse from the gods."
Before Charles could speak, the doctor said again: "I suggest you choose the former. I have been at sea for so many years, and I have never seen anyone who can cure the curse of God. Moreover, your current abnormality is the result of the curse of God plus the spiritual pollution brought by the sea. If you want to ease it, the easiest way is to go to the island for recuperation."
Looking at the islands on the nautical chart, Charles showed a hint of hesitation. The exit on the surface was among these islands. Asking him to stop now would be more painful than killing him.
The doctor seemed to know what Charles meant. He leaned closer with his terrifying face and said, "I know you are not afraid of death and you are willing to sacrifice your life for your goal, but can't you consider your crew members? The chief engineer asked me to treat him a few days ago. His auditory hallucinations are very serious. He didn't tell you because he was afraid that it would affect your business."
Charles' heart skipped a beat. "Besides James, who else has auditory hallucinations?"
"Except for a few new guys, everyone else has some. I can cure their auditory hallucinations, but I can't cure their tense mental stress. Don't you think this period of time is a bit too urgent? I have never seen such a diligent exploration captain."
Charles tapped his fingers rhythmically on the table and remained silent.
After a few seconds he looked up. "Got it. After I go back this time, I'll take a break from flying for a while."
The doctor showed an ugly smile on his face. He patted Charles on the shoulder and said, "Pay attention. When I say self-cultivation, I mean complete relaxation. You are still so young. Don't work so hard."
After saying this, he lifted up his iron leg and limped out.
The journey back to the island was as normal as usual. Ten days later, the light of the Coral Island Lighthouse swept over the sky above the Narwhal, and they were home.
Looking at the brightly lit port, every crew member had an excited smile on his face, except Charles.
Back at the dock, Charles called everyone to the deck and announced a temporary suspension of navigation.
"Everyone, take this time to rest. I'll have Lily's mouse notify everyone of the resumption of flights. Now, disband."
Every crew member's face was filled with joy at the news. Although they made enough money on the ship, they had too little time to rest on shore. Now they could finally have a good rest.
After the crew left, Charles drove the Narwhal into the shipyard for maintenance alone. People needed rest, and so did the ship.
Watching the layers of barnacles under the ship being peeled off by the boatmen, Charles waved to the hoisted Narwhal and turned away.
After walking out of the shipyard, Charles went straight to the Explorers Society. He still had one thing to do.
As soon as he walked into the lobby of the Explorers Association, Charles found it very lively inside. Captains of various exploration ships were chatting in groups of three or five, exchanging relics and information with each other.
Life at sea blurred the dates, and he realized that today was Saturday.
Charles walked into the crowd, his eyes scattering to search quickly, and soon found Elizabeth who was hugging a young girl. She was sitting with those familiar-looking captains and chatting happily.
(End of this chapter)