Shrouded Seascape

Charles was long aware of the fact that the special abilities of relics could be combined to create a synergistic effect. A great example of this was his invisible tentacles and lightning. Charles could imbue his invisible tentacles with lightning to electrocute someone without warning.

However, this was only useful against humans. Unfortunately, their enemies on the surface weren't humans. In fact, Charles did not even know just what exactly his enemy was. Thus, he needed more powerful relics.

"Do you need this relic, Governor Charles? My captain greatly respects you, so I'm sure that he'll give this relic to you if you want it," the one-eyed explorer said respectfully.

Charles shook his head. The relic up for barter was an offensive-type relic, and he had enough offensive-type relics.

"What do you need, Esteemed Governor?" a staffer of the Explorers Association clad in the Association's signature uniform said, walking up to Charles, "You can just tell us what you need, and we will help you find one."

Charles stood up and looked around, noticing that everyone's gaze was on him.

Their eyes glimmered in curiosity, envy, and even admiration.

It was a treatment and privilege that only the hero who had found the darkness could enjoy. Most importantly, he was one of the people here—he was an explorer as well.

Charles' identity as the Governor of Hope Island was useful sometimes, at least among the explorers.

"Ahem." Charles cleared his throat and said, "Everyone, I need a life-saving relic, preferably one that can resist the Divinities."

Everyone's expressions changed instantly at the remark. Everyone here knew just what the word "Divinities" meant.

"Governor Charles, are you saying that there's a Divinity near the darkness?" Someone's trembling voice echoed from the crowd.

"I don't know, but we can only assume the worst. What? Are you afraid? Don't worry; I'll lead the exploration to the darkness."

Charles' words left some people feeling wronged. "Afraid? What's there to be afraid of? Isn't it just death? Don't stand in my way, guys. I must be one of the first people to reach the darkness."

"That's right, that's right. You really know how to jest, Governor. How could I be afraid?"

The explorers responded one after another, saying that some damned Divinity wasn't worth taking seriously.

However, Charles could see a hint of fear in some of their eyes. They were just putting on a tough front, afraid of being looked down on; they were actually scared of the Divinities.

Charles turned to look at the Association staffer beside him and said, "Your president actually decided to hide the message I sent? What's there to hide at this point?"

The man lowered his head, and his voice sounded apprehensive as he said, "I'm sorry, I don't know anything about this. It's beyond my responsibility. Please just ask the president directly. The telegraph is at your service at any time."

Charles couldn't be bothered to make things difficult for a mere staffer.

The Explorers Association had deliberately concealed the possibility that there could be a Divinity near the darkness. Charles didn't take long to deduce that the association wanted to give the explorers the illusion that the journey to the darkness wasn't that dangerous.

It made sense, as explorers weren't like moths to a flame. They were unafraid of death, but they weren't dumb enough to go on an expedition that would undoubtedly kill them.

"Let's talk about that later and get to the main topic. Who in here has what I need? The Relic Research Institute on Hope Island has quite a few decent relics, and I can use those relics to barter," Charles said.

The words of Hope Island's Governor were too attractive, and the explorers wasted no time, rushing toward Charles with their relics in hand.

One strange relic after another was neatly laid out in front of Charles, but Charles couldn't find an appropriate one among them. However, this wasn't strange. Relics capable of resisting the Divinities weren't supposed to exist, after all.

Just as Charles was feeling a bit discouraged, a masked figure holding a steel box the size of a grapefruit walked up to Charles.

"Governor Charles, this relic should be what you're looking for. Of course, that's if you're willing to pay the price that it demands." The masked figure's voice was soft, gentle, and pleasant to the ears. Moreover, their voice sounded a bit familiar.

Charles sized up the masked figure for a while before becoming certain that the latter was a man. Charles then gestured at the masked man to open the steel box.

A palm-sized triangular display stand was inside the box, and a bizarre-looking skeleton was nailed to the stand by rusty nails.

Charles couldn't identify the composition of the skeleton. It seemed to be made out of interweaving corals in a variety of colors as well as the skeleton of a mouse. Overall, the relic looked ancient, and it appeared like a bad artist's random work.

"Can it resist Divinities?" Charles asked.

"It cannot, but it can allow you to escape the gaze of a Divinity. Of course, as long as you're willing to pay the price."

"How do you use it?"

"An operation is necessary. This relic must be buried inside your heart while you're awake."

Charles was startled. It seemed that the relic before him was strikingly different from any run-of-the-mill relics out there. After all, it had to be buried in one's heart before one could use it.

"Once the operation is done, you'll become immune to any mental contamination."

"Hmm..." Charles stared thoughtfully at the relic before him. Immunity to mental contamination sounded nice, but no matter how he looked at it, burying this relic in his heart didn't seem like a good idea. "What are the side effects?"

"Part of the relic's fur will sprout and expand along your blood vessels. Once it has fully expanded, it will take over your body. That process generally takes about ten years."

Hearing that, Charles no longer felt like using the relic. It was just too risky of an endeavor. However, he had to admit that the relic's special ability was too useful—it was so useful that he was a bit reluctant to let it go.

"What do you need in exchange for this relic?"

The masked man shook his head slightly and said, "I don't need anything. Isn't your ship in need of more crew members? I want to become a crew member of your ship."

"No can do." Charles decisively rejected the masked man's request. He couldn't let a person of unknown origin become a crew member of the ship. He couldn't allow a second Feuerbach to become his crew. In addition, who would know where the man had come from when his origin was unknown?

"Governor Charles, I'm not someone suspicious. Actually, this is not our first meeting. Do you still remember me?" the masked man asked before taking off his mask.

The masked man's heavy, flamboyant makeup allowed Charles to instantly recognize him as Governor Nico, the Governor of Coral Archipelago. Nico preferred men for partners, and he never went out without his heavy, flamboyant makeup, so it wasn't that hard to forget him.

Nico revealed a charming smile at Charles' shocked face. "You look stupefied, Governor Charles. Are you wondering why I'm here?"

"There are too many people here. Let's talk outside," Charles said, pointing toward the door with his chin.

Soon, the two found themselves in a quiet room inside the Explorers Association.

Charles looked at Nico, who was holding a cup of coffee in front of him, and asked, "Why did you come up here? Aren't you supposed to stay on Coral Archipelago to stabilize the situation there?"

Nico took a silver spoon and gently stirred the white sugar in the black coffee. Then, he smiled bitterly as he explained, "My husbands took advantage of the chaos caused by the death light to seize control of Coral Archipelago. I am no longer the Governor of Coral Archipelago. I've become just an ordinary explorer."

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