Dark purple tree trunks stretched out from under the dark green sea and intertwined above the boat. A turtle-shell boat, half the size of a football field, slowly passed through the forest.
The turtle shell with some moss on it was opened, and several Haik sailors looked nervously at the strange scene around them. It was very quiet in there, and there was no other sound except the sound of the ship crashing into the waves.
"Boss, have you been to this place before? Is this really our destination? There are no living creatures in the water. It shouldn't be dangerous, right?" Cindy, looking very timid, asked the boatswain next to her.
"This is our gods' territory. What do you have to worry about? Although this route was newly opened a month ago, this is my third time running it. There is no danger at all."
At this point, the boatswain's eyes showed a hint of contempt. Although this guy in front of him was diligent, he was also timid. He always asked questions out of fear. When he got back and got off the boat, he would kick him away directly. Why would he run off the boat if he was so timid
"New route? Is the destination they are delivering the goods to a new place this time?" Charles thought to himself.
"Don't look at it. There's nothing to see here. Go and carry the goods to the deck. We'll be there soon."
After hearing the boatswain's words, Cindy followed the other sailors to the lower level of the cabin. At the bottom of the turtle shell cabin, Charles saw the goods, a group of humans with terrified expressions.
These humans, with disheveled hair and dirty faces, were crowded together in cages. Most of them were adults, with no elderly or children. It was obvious that this batch of goods must have been specially selected.
Although it is not known what the Foundation wants these outsiders to do, it is certain that their final outcome will not be a good thing.
Amid the humans' exclamations, a five-meter-long stick passed through the top of the cage. Cindy squatted down, put the stick on her shoulders, and walked towards the hatch with another Heik tribe member, carrying the cage.
There was a lot of "cargo" in the cargo hold, and the sailors took half an hour to lift it all. When they finished their work, they finally reached their destination.
It was an island woven from purple tree trunks. The dark purple trunks not only covered the sea surface, they also formed a giant circular net that held the entire island upside down. The sea forest that Charles and his friends had just seen was obviously scattered from here.
This forest island has no normal light, only a flashing red spot on the web. The hazy red light makes the whole island flicker.
Charles had seen these red dots when he was on the surface. Most of them were located on the tops of tall buildings and used as signal lights to prevent planes from crashing into them.
The ship slowly approached the shore and moored at the dock woven with black tree trunks. The moment it docked, the crew members instantly became nervous, even the boatswain who had been there before.
Charles learned from Elizabeth's grandfather that the Foundation did not explain in detail the purpose of these islands to the Hik people. Among the Hik people, these islands are synonymous with being extremely mysterious and dangerous.
A clergyman wearing colorful cloth slowly walked onto the dock under the gaze of other crew members and walked along an alley towards the inside.
This walk lasted for several hours. Just when the others were getting impatient, the man came back and said, "The gods have already known about our arrival. Leave the goods at the dock and we can go back."
Everyone who heard this breathed a sigh of relief, and everyone present, including the captain, began to move the "goods". They didn't want to stay here any longer.
The people on a ship worked quickly. After a while, the "cargo" was placed on the dock. Soon, the vines on the ground began to move, and swept them down amid the screams of the humans.
"Weigh anchor! Let's go back!" Following the captain's order, everyone on the ship performed their duties.
Fresh water is a very important substance on the ship. If a person does not drink water for three days, he will die of thirst. The same is true for the tall Haik tribe. Of course, Charles instructed Cindy to do this. It is not so easy to return home. If the goal is not achieved, it is not certain to return.
On the deck below the turtle shell, the bald captain looked at the crew in front of him with an uncertain mood. He tried to find out who did it. Looking at his companions who had been with him day and night, his eyes turned to the new sailors. These were the only newcomers.
The captain's eyes swept from Cindy's face to the other sailors, "You rubbish, don't think you can get away with hiding in there. If you provoke me, I'll throw you all into the sea! I don't care about hurting innocent people!"
The sailors were terrified when they heard this. They rushed to express their loyalty to the captain, saying that they were not traitors. Cindy performed the most enthusiastically among them.
However, the captain knew that the most important thing now was to find fresh water. Without fresh water, everyone would die regardless of whether the spy was killed or not.
He snorted at the sailors and turned to the clergyman, "Pastor, is there fresh water on this island of God? Can you go and ask them for some?"
The man looked embarrassed, but he finally nodded and said, "Okay, I'll go ask. You come with me."
The captain nodded and was about to leave when he looked at the sailors beside him, "Wait, take them with you."
Having said this, he suddenly paused and turned to look at the other crew members. "No, everyone come together."
He was afraid that there was more than one enemy mixed in. It would be interesting if he came back after getting fresh water and found that the boat was gone.
The crew members all got off the captain's boat and followed the priest uneasily, heading deeper into the purple vines on the island.
The road was easy to walk on, but the further you went in, the lighter everyone's breathing became, as if they were afraid of disturbing something.
Finally they stopped in front of a wall of plants, and the pastor bent down and lifted a purple leaf with his hand.
Behind the leaves was a small white flower, pure white like a lotus, very beautiful. Suddenly the white flower moved, its stem quickly moved back, and the bud opened and stuck directly to the pastor's right eye.
This sudden change shocked everyone, but the clergyman was not surprised at all.
When the flower was retracted, the pure white quickly faded and turned into a sky-like blue.
The priest said to the flower with respect, "Sir Servant of God, the fresh water on our ship has been polluted. Can you give me some from the island?"
(End of this chapter)