Charles threw off his blanket and had just gotten out of bed when a sharp ringing pierced his ears, and an overwhelming tide of whispers surged forth.
This time, it was far worse than ever before. Charles even started to hallucinate. The crew's bodies began to rot, and bizarre, deformed tentacles burst from their flesh until they all had turned into monstrosities of flesh and blood.
Ignoring everything else, Charles frantically pulled out the box Elizabeth had given him and swallowed a large chunk of green gel. The whispers in his ears quickly diminished, and the crew's appearance finally returned to normal. Drenched in a cold sweat, Charles stood a short distance away, gasping for breath.
Ignoring the concerned voices around him, Charles spoke, "Notify everyone. Assemble in the Captain's Room."
Soon, the rest of the Narwhal's crew gathered in the Captain's Room for an emergency meeting.
"Where are we?"
"Uh… I can't confirm our position right now. That tidal wave threw the Narwhal way off course. Thankfully, the first mate is experienced, so the ship didn't capsize."
"What are our crew losses?"
"We've lost two sailors, probably swept into the sea. The Second Chief Engineer was stabbed to death by that butterfly's claw, and Frey, the chef, has a dislocated left arm."
As Second Officer Krona finished speaking, the Chief Engineer chimed in.
"Captain… that monster's foreleg went straight through the turbine room. We've patched the hole, but the turbines are damaged. The Narwhal's speed is down to a fifth of what it was."
One piece of bad news followed another, and Charles could feel the weight on his shoulders growing heavier.
He took a deep breath and said, "First Mate, adjust the crew's shift schedule to cover the vacancies. Cancel their previous assignments. For now, set a course south. Most of the human-inhabited islands are to the south, so our chances of encountering one are higher."
The crew accepted their orders. After being paralyzed for half a day, the Narwhal finally began to move again.
Once the crew had left, Charles grabbed a bottle of liquor from below and took a hard swig. The calm captain was gone, his eyes filled with outright terror.
That arm, bigger than a mountain… was it the giant's from my dreams? What in the world was it?
He had heard of the gods of the Abyss-Sea before, but he'd never cared whether they were real. Today, however, after truly seeing one, he finally understood for the first time just how insignificant humanity was.
"Is this really still Earth? There's no way a creature that large could exist on Earth! Gravity alone would crush its body!"
For a moment, Charles felt the urge to sell the ship and live out the rest of his days on an island. But a hazy image of his family flashed through his mind, and his eyes slowly grew determined. "I can't give up. Not even a god can stop me!"
Charles raised the bottle, took another furious gulp, and then stowed it away. His expression turned cold once more as he strode outside.
Time passed little by little. Under Charles's command, a sense of calm returned to the Narwhal. Although they weren't out of danger, the crew's morale had stabilized. Some crew members even had the leisure to collect the yellow snow, planning to brag about it when they returned.
But when it came to the giant hand that had reached out of the depths, everyone remained silent by tacit agreement, as if the thing were taboo.
"Mr. Charles, Deep is bullying me!"
In the mess hall, Lily, the white mouse, came charging over to Charles, who was eating, ready to tattle.
"He said that if there's nothing to eat later, he's going to eat my friends!"
Seeing the mouse ratting him out, Deep, who had been suppressing a laugh, looked up. "Captain, I was just teasing her. Besides, rats don't even taste good."
"Can you stop being so childish? We aren't out of danger yet," Charles chastised the sailor chief before looking down at Lily on the floor.
"There's enough food. And if there isn't, we can cast nets for fish. There will be no need to eat your friends."
Hearing this, Lily was finally reassured and hopped over to confront Deep.
Though there was no sign of tension on Charles's face, he was inwardly anxious. There's enough food, but there isn't enough fresh water. If we don't find a place to make landfall before the water runs out, everyone on this ship will die of thirst.
As if reading his mind, the first mate, Bandage, approached him while chewing on a piece of bread. "Captain… I have a way out of this…"
Charles's heart skipped a beat. "What is it?"
"A sacrifice… just three… souls, and the Futan God will guide us…"
Charles's face twisted in disgust. "Forget that revolting nonsense."
Bandage was silent for a moment, then looked at the sailors in the distance. "The fresh water onboard will last another month. If we draw straws to commit suicide… the survivors could drink the blood of the others. In an extreme scenario, the last three people could survive for another half a year…"
Charles spun his head around, his pupils contracting as he stared at Bandage as if seeing him for the first time. This man was not as harmless as he appeared.
"Sorry… It's an emergency protocol. I've been in this situation before… I ate my captain…"
"ENOUGH! EAT!" Charles suddenly raised his voice, startling everyone.
「The next day」
The crew discovered that the fresh water on the Narwhal was now being rationed. No one objected, but as the realization settled in, the smiles faded from their faces.
Day by day, the water allowance shrank. Even Charles's liquor was distributed among the crew.
When it got down to just one cup of water per person per day, someone finally snapped. They tried to jump into the sea in despair, only to be held back by the other crew members.
Bandage suggested the sacrifice again. Just as Charles was beginning to waver, a hazy white beam of light split the darkness in the sky—it was a lighthouse.
Standing among the cheering, ecstatic crew, Charles let out a heavy breath. The weight on his chest finally lifted. That hellish scene he had dreaded would not come to pass after all.
As the Narwhal slowly drew nearer, a strange island appeared before them. If other islands were like pancakes, this one was an egg. There was an opening at the base of the egg, with all manner of steamboats flying red flags sailing in and out.
Having lost his bearings, Charles didn't know the island's name. He was sure this island wasn't on any sea chart in his memory.
Still, since it was a human island, communication should be possible. The Narwhal followed the other ships into the giant egg.
Inside the egg was a colossal city with Gothic architecture arranged in perfect order. Perhaps because it was a cavern, bats often flew overhead.
"Sailor Chief, ask them if they have a shipyard. The Narwhal needs its turbine replaced."
"Aye, aye!" Deep grabbed two small green flags and, standing at the bow, began to signal swiftly.
A short while later, Deep ran back, his expression perplexed. "Captain, their flag signals are completely different. I can't make heads or tails of them."