Shrouded Seascape

Charles sat in his seat and pondered over the information he had just learned. From the details, he began to piece together the rough imagery of 005.

As a "Divinity" from somewhere in outer space, 005 Tawil had come to Apart. Unlike other Divinities, She was an extremely rare case who was willing to communicate with humans and also share some knowledge with the foundation. Unlike the terrifying Divinities that the denizens of the Subterranean Sea feared, She resembled the gods of human mythology more.

However, for Her to travel all the way from elsewhere to Earth, She would surely have Her own purpose for being here.

From current information, She was present at the birth of the Light God. Along with Edikth and two other Divinities, they sealed the Light God, and Charles remained highly suspicious of Their motive behind it.

Charles glanced at Feuerbach's figure before him and voiced his doubts. "It's very highly possible that She was the one who annihilated the Divinity created by the Foundation of the previous generation. And yet, you are willing to communicate so freely with Her?"

The blue-eyed Feuerbach shook his head. "005 cannot be contained. Any attempt at containment is impossible. She had stayed in Site 9 for a short period of time, but that was only because she wanted to stay there and chat with 177. The only thing we could do was to communicate with Her and try to extract more valuable information.

"Also, Her act of sealing 007 was all for the sake of protecting humanity. The plan made by the previous generation of the Foundation was done in a haste. Creating a Divinity that belonged to humans with the power of 003 was as dangerous as giving a gun to a child who just learned to walk."

Hearing the explanation, Charles sneered inwardly. "In that case, do you believe that She is friendly toward us humans? Do you really believe that a Divinity that's friendly to humans actually exists?"

"We don't believe. We hope. Because apart from that, we have no other better option. If She decides to attack us, there's nothing we can do to stop Her." Feuerbach's voice was laced with apparent desperation, causing Charles to be momentarily speechless.

Charles took a deep breath and said, "Alright, we've discussed enough about 005. Let's talk about something else now. How much do you know about Edikth? What is His rank in your database?"

However, this time, the controlled Feuerbach didn't answer Charles' question. "Mr. Charles, the answer to your previous question is considered a free bonus to our cooperation. If you have more questions, you'll need to pay a price."

A hint of displeasure crossed Charles' face. "We're already in a collaborative relationship, yet a simple question comes with a cost?"

"We are cooperating, yes, but we're collaborating with all mankind in the Subterranean Sea. As for the current information you are enquiring, firstly, it doesn't aid with exploration, secondly, it's merely to satisfy your personal curiosity. We don't think it's unreasonable to request something in return."

The next moment, Feuerbach's eyes flickered with a blue flint and he switched to speaking fluent Chinese. "Moreover, when you asked for technological assistance to advance development in the Subterranean Sea, we agreed to it without hesitation. According to a Chinese saying, you owe us a favor."

Hearing the familiar yet alien language, Charles' guard immediately went up. "It seems like you know me quite well. Alright, state your condition. Surely, it's not an entire ship of Echos, right?"

"Mr. Charles, you sure have a good sense of humor. We have plenty of those. As for our condition, I believe it should have been made clear as per our previous conversation."

"Sparkle? That's my daughter. Don't you dare to even think about it!" A thought struck Charles and he quickly added, "And Lily is off-limits, too!"

"Don't be so quick to make an absolute statement. We are willing to agree to your previous request and let your people conduct the experiments on your territory. This is our greatest show of sincerity. If you agree to this request, you can access any archive and data within the Foundation."

This time, Charles didn't say a word. He lightly pressed the button on the metal disk and Feuerbach's projection vanished instantly.

Truth be told, Charles was desperate for answers. He wanted to know why he became Edikth's Chosen One, and what happened on the surface after he arrived at the Subterranean Sea.

But at the thought that he had to exchange his daughter for these answers, he felt that it was mission impossible.

Anna was right. His daughter was family. If he could put his family on the trading table, what kind of person would that make him? He hadn't lost his humanity just yet.

But the intelligence the Foundation holds is equally important. I need to find a way to get that information from them.

Charles rose to his feet, feeling the numbness in his legs. Then, he moved slowly toward the entrance of the tent.

Soon, the technological data from the Foundation arrived. The printed data was so overwhelming that the combined weight of the papers weighed several tons.

However, the documents were not particularly useful on the surface. They needed to be sent to the Subterranean Sea, as they desperately needed the technological boost to help the dwindling human population.

Charles had tried reaching out to Anna to discuss the logistics of this operation, but she refused to interact with him—be it through Sparkle or telegraph messages, Anna ignored them all. Fortunately, Leonardo, the Minister of Administration for Hope Island, was at the outpost, and the process was carried out without much significant delay.

As for Anna's cold attitude toward him, Charles resolved to do something to mend their relationship once he found some free time.

***

Lily opened her groggy eyes as she rose from her slumber. Rubbing her eyes, she realized that she wasn't nestled within the pages of her favorite novel. Instead, she was within her exquisitely crafted dollhouse castle.

"Did you guys do this? Thank you," Lily said with a radiant smile at the mice gathered around her.

Squeak~ Squeak squeeeeak.

"What? Mr. Charles carried me here? Really? Did he secretly kiss me?" Lily's golden mouse ears perked up in excitement.

Squeak~ Squeak squeak squeeeeak~

Hearing the mice's response, joy suffused Lily's furry face. She excitedly leaped out of bed and dashed to the adjacent room. Using her tiny paws, she knocked on the door. "Mr. Charles! It's me! Open the door, quick!"

Her voice was soft, but Lily knew Charles had sharp hearing and would definitely hear her.

Squeeeeeeak~ Squeak squeeeeak~

The mischief of mice in an array of colors seemed to be saying something.

Upon hearing their words, Lily helplessly lowered her paws. Her perked up ears drooped in disappointment. "He has gone out again? Isn't he supposed to rest now that we're back from an exploration? Why is Mr. Charles still so busy?

"To learn the systematic application of the implanted Origin Essence under the guidance of the Foundation? That sounds like a tongue twister. Doesn't one gain power once they've implanted a relic into their body? Now it can be further enhanced? So Mr. Charles is going to become more formidable?!"

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