Shrouded Seascape

Chapter 48. Releasing the Sunlight

"You do know that thing is just like a bullet, don't you? It's gone after a single use."

"I only need one. Can you get one?" Charles' voice was laced with urgency.

The skull tattoo bartender folded her arms across her chest and contemplated. "Hmm...If you only need one... Let me think..."

A few seconds later, she clasped her hands together. "Ah, I heard that Sharky intercepted a shipment recently and there were Mirrorboxes among the goods. If you urgently need one, I can sell you one at a marked up price of 40,000 Echo. Don't think that I'm trying to cheat you, these things aren't cheap to begin with."

"Not a problem! Please get me one immediately."

Seeing Charles agreed so readily to the price, the bartender cursed inwardly. She should have quoted an even higher price.

"Luna, keep our friend company. I'll be right back." The moment the skull tattoo bartender turned to leave. A young woman in a gauzy outfit crawled across the bar counter top toward Charles.

As tempting and alluring the woman before him was, it was anxiety that occupied most of his mind. He was consumed by unease.

Normally, only sunlight could incinerate vampires into ashes. However, sunlight was not a matter that could be contained in a box. The illogicality in this subterranean world had presented Charles many surprises. Now, he wasn't too sure about the facts of the surface world anymore.

"Hey~ Why are your legs trembling so much? Are you...restraining yourself?" The woman in sheer garments cooed as she leaned in closer, aiming to lie in his embrace.

In his annoyance, Charles lifted his hand with the tentacle ring and pushed her away.

Seeing the opportunity, Audric swooped in and ensnared her in his cloak. With a hand over her mouth, he revealed his vampire fangs and sank them into her fair neck. Her bare feet outside the cloak writhed nonstop.

The waiting game felt like an eternity to Charles. He felt like every passing second was like days.

The skull tattoo bartender returned half an hour later with a Mirrorbox in her hands. It was an exact replica of the sketch on the parchment paper.

Charles couldn't wait to open it.

"Wait! Captain! Let me get out of here first!" With his lips stained with blood, Audric bolted toward the exit.

With trembling hands, Charles held down the lid of the box as his breathing grew rapid.

"You want to open it now? Are you really treating a treasure worth 40,000 Echo as a plaything?" The skull tattoo bartender widened her eyes in surprise.

Swoosh!

The box was opened, and a blinding light filled up the pub. The light within was not like the harsh sun of summer. Rather, it felt like a winter's sun, warm, comforting, and bathed people in drowsiness.

The moment he was bathed in the light, Charles' anxiety melted away and serenity took over. He enjoyed the feel of the sunlight caressing his skin. He had never felt so close to home before.

The piercing light came and went. It lasted for a mere three seconds. The brightness in the pub then returned to its previous state.

Silence engulfed the room for only a split second before the noisy atmosphere returned.

A faint smile appeared on Charles' lips as he took a whiff of the scent of dead dust mites on his clothes. A drop of tear trickled from the corner of his eye.

Indeed, the box contained genuine sunlight, light sourced directly from the sun itself. It was also the guiding beacon for Charles' homeward journey.

"Seadog's friend is sure rich to treat a Mirrorbox as a toy. Hey, do you need a woman? How about you consider me?" The skull tattoo bartender returned to her spot and continued mixing cocktails.

With the Mirrorbox in his hand, Charles sniffled and asked, "Where is this from?"

"Didn't I answer that earlier? 'King' would release a batch of them every fortnight."

"No, I mean, where does the thing inside the box come from?"

The bartender halted the rocking of the shaker in her hand as a somber look crossed her face. "What are you planning to do? Those who had tried to snatch 'King's' business were skewered and fed to sharks."

"I don't wish to snatch his business. I just want to know the source of this sunlight," Charles explained.

"Isn't that the same? Would you tell others if you were in his shoes? Do you know how much money 'King' made from this business? Since you are Seadog's friend, I advise you to not seek death."

However, Charles was unyielding and asked, "When does he usually appear?"

The skull tattoo bartender signed and answered. "'King' usually makes an appearance at the auction. The next one is a fortnight later."

Charles' fingers drummed rapidly against the counter top. "Is he the king of Sottom? Does he own all of Sottom?"

"Yes. And not just Sottom. His influence is vast. He owns a dozen large ships of over a hundred meters, and even the pirates of the Northern Sea must obey him. Even island governors have to tread carefully around him."

With a serious expression on his face, Charles was lost in his thoughts.

"Stop dawdling and pay up," the skull tattoo bartender demanded with her hands on her hips.

***

Assisted by Audric, Charles was back on his bed. The pain from his wound was not enough to distract him from his doubts.

If this "King" really had a way to the surface, why didn't he go up? Why did he choose to stay in this sunless subterranean world? Was he trying to exploit the resources from the surface to easily become one of the upper echelons in this subterranean world? Or perhaps, that sunlight didn't actually originate from the sun itself?

Regardless of what it was, Charles decided to meet up with "King". After all, that was his only clue now.

Just as his mind was consumed with various thoughts, Second Mate Conor burst into the room.

"Captain, I've obtained some intel about the old man from the locals!" Conor exclaimed.

"What did they say?" Charles propped himself on the bed.

Conor hesitated for a moment before speaking, "Captain, digging up this information cost me quite a bit. Could you possibly reimburse me?"

"Not an issue. Speak."

"Alright. The locals said that the old man has been here for a long time. No one knows when he arrived. When most pirates got here, he was already here healing the sick and injured. He can cure all injuries no matter how severe they are. That's all there is to him. He's a doctor and none of the pirates dare to mess with him. After all, no one can be certain that they will never get injured."

"I see..." Charles mused.

"Captain, why are you investigating his background? Isn't he just a doctor?" Conor asked out of curiosity.

"Don't you think that we are missing a ship's doctor aboard the Narwhale?"

Conor's mouth fell open in surprise. "You mean you want to—"

The sound of the door being pushed opened interrupted Conor from completing his sentence. Laesto limped into the room and instructed in a flat tone, "Undress. Time to change the dressing."

Receiving Charles' hint through his gaze, Conor swiftly left the room.

With his iron hand, Laesto clamped down on the bandages around Charles' chest to reveal his wounded torso. Blood was seeping from the wounds that should have been healing.

"Running around with such severe injuries. Are you trying to help the grim reaper out?"

Laesto evenly spreaded a black powder over the wound. He then pulled off the iron hand to reveal a tool that resembled a stapler. He pressed the tool against Charles' wound.

Pop! Pop! Pop!

The wound was stapled shut. Charles didn't feel any pain. His eyes only held a strange fascination as he watched his flesh being bound together by metallic staples.

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