By the time the Narwhal returned to Coral Island, a month had passed.
With new clues about the Earth's surface, Charles was eager to set out for the Chaotic City Sodoma right away, but the crew couldn't take it anymore.
Giant butterflies, Gods, vampires—the exhaustion from their journey was written all over everyone's faces.
Charles didn't force them; he knew no one was made of iron. The crew needed rest, and so did the Narwhal. The makeshift turbine was on its last legs, and sonic waves had damaged the hull. The Narwhal was in desperate need of a complete overhaul.
Standing on deck, Charles stroked the ship's rail tenderly and murmured, "You've been through a lot, partner."
"Mr. Charles, it looks like your voyage didn't go so smoothly. What kind of trouble did you run into? How did the ship get so damaged?"
The speaker was Wood, the man who had sold Charles the ship.
Wood was surprised. He hadn't expected to ever see this ship again; he'd assumed it had sunk to the bottom of the sea long ago. Suddenly, he had a hunch. Perhaps this young man really did have a shot at becoming Governor of the Island someday.
"How much is the total?" Charles had no time for small talk.
Wood quickly handed over the bill. "To replace the turbine and reinstall the armored deck, the total repair cost is 1,210,000 Echoes."
As Charles signed the bill, he mentally calculated his remaining funds. After deducting the repair costs and the crew's salaries from his initial 1,600,000 Echoes, he only had 150,000 left.
It might sound like a lot, but for an exploration ship's budget, it was a dangerously low figure. If the next voyage brought in no income, the Narwhal would be completely grounded.
His next voyage was to Sodoma, a trip that was guaranteed to have no reward. This put him in a very difficult position.
Deep in thought, Charles walked out of the shipyard. Just as he stepped outside, he saw Audric standing by the road in sunglasses, seemingly waiting for him. "What are you doing here?"
"Mr. Charles, do you have any openings on your crew? Please, let me join you as a sailor." Overly eager, Audric bowed his head in the direction of Charles's footsteps.
"Sorry, my crew is full," Charles replied bluntly, brushing past him and heading for the distant pier.
It wasn't that he was discriminating against him for being a vampire. Rather, no ship would ever hire a blind man. What could a blind painter do on board? Sketch portraits for the crew?
Before he had taken more than a few steps, an anxious Audric stumbled after him. "Captain Charles, I'm not a burden! I've advanced! I have a new ability!"
The black cloak on the blind vampire's body squirmed, and two seconds later, a black bat was darting up and down in front of Charles.
"Captain Charles, I'm a Baron now! I have the ability to transform. When I'm a bat, I can see without using my eyes!"
Looking at the bat, which was only half the size of his forearm, Charles shook his head. With a flick of his right hand, a revolver appeared in his grip.
BANG!
The bat fell to the ground, transforming back into the blind vampire. He clutched his wounded left shoulder, his face twisted in agony.
"If you want to live, stick to being a painter."
Hearing the footsteps fade away, Audric hesitated for two seconds before suddenly shouting, "Captain! Aren't you going to Sodoma to find the sunlight? I was there forty years ago—I can be your guide!"
"I don't need your help. I have my own way."
Audric's face filled with anxiety, and he quickly added, "Mr. Charles! I can be a powerful combatant for you! Even though I'm blind, I'm still a vampire. My combat prowess is greater than any of your crew members!"
After a long silence, Charles's voice drifted back to him. "Aren't you afraid of sunlight? Why do you want to follow me?"
A bitter smile appeared on Audric's face. "You might not believe this, but your sailors earn more from one mission than I can in several years. I envy them. I'm not asking for much anymore. I just want a steady job and a quiet life."
Looking at the vampire, Charles's expression was strange. This was the first time he had ever seen such a pathetic vampire.
"Captain Charles? Are you still there?"
"You're hired. You're now a sailor on the Narwhal."
"Thank you, Captain!"
「Eighth Year, August Third Since My Crossing」
Three days ago, my crew and I arrived safely at Coral Island.
The blind vampire joined my team. His personality is somewhat cowardly, which I'm not pleased about, but he should be fine as a sailor. In a pinch, his ability to transform into a bat will be useful as a lookout.
Vampires have strong healing abilities. My last batch of sailors all died; I need crew members who are harder to kill.
Next, I plan to head to Sodoma to find that "sunlight in a box." If it's truly sunlight, then there must be a path to the Earth's surface.
CLICK. The door was pushed open.
Charles, who had been writing in his diary, turned to see a drooping-eared Lily enter with her mice.
"Where have you been?" Charles asked.
Dejected, Lily crawled up the bedsheet and onto the pillow, looking utterly listless as she flopped down. "I'm not telling you…"
Charles shook his head, closed his diary, and stood up. "I'm going out. Watch the house."
A mouse head popped up from where it was buried in the soft pillow. "Mr. Charles, where are you going?"
"It's Saturday, so all the captains should be gathering at the Explorer Association. I'm going to see if there's any news."
"That sounds fun! Take me with you!"
"Watch the house." Charles's reply was cold as he opened the door and walked out.
Watching the door shut mercilessly, Lily pouted and punched the pillow. "Mr. Charles, you're so mean!"
After punching it a few more times, she flopped back onto the pillow. "Hmph! If you won't take me, fine! I'll just go to sleep. When you try to sleep tonight, I'll annoy you to death."
Time passed. Lily, half-asleep, was startled by a sudden knocking at the door.
Seeing the door banging loudly, Lily panicked. "Who—who is it?! No one's home!"
CRACK! The lock was violently twisted off, and a hideous, terrifying tentacle monster appeared in the doorway.
At the sight of the twisted tentacles and its furious, giant eye, Lily screamed. The brown mice immediately formed a protective circle around her, baring their sharp teeth at the intruder.
Seeing the squealing mice, the grotesque tentacle monster's body shifted rapidly. A sexy, voluptuous woman materialized in the room.
Lily's eyes went wide as she stared at the beautiful woman before her. She recognized her—it was the woman from the blind painter's drawing.
"Oh, it's just a mouse. That gave me a scare. I heard a woman's voice and thought Gao Zhiming was fooling around behind my back."