Kronari took out several books he had prepared in advance. They were old, with red covers so worn they were illegible and pages that had yellowed with age.
Charles took them and flipped them open. The pages were filled with strange characters scrawled in coarse, scarlet ink. They were somewhat reminiscent of cuneiform, but the strokes were entwined. Beside the text were simple drawings of arrays and monsters.
Though he couldn't read them, it was clear from their structure that these books were some kind of record.
Could these be the Magic Books the little man used to summon those paper figures? The thought popped into Charles's mind and would not leave.
If this was true, then these books were worth far more than Gold. Once this Special Ability was learned, the Narwhal's combat power would increase immensely.
After thinking for a moment, Charles returned the books to Krona.
"Keep these books for now. Go to Sodoma and look for clues. If we can get them translated, we'll find someone to learn from them."
"Alright!"
"Then it's settled." Charles sat up from the bed, grabbing his coat and putting it on.
James's eyes went wide. He asked nervously, "Captain, what are you planning to do?"
"Did you think I brought you all to Sodoma for a holiday? I have very important matters to attend to here."
A panicked James spread his arms to block Charles's path. "You can't! Your wounds haven't healed yet. You can't get out of bed!"
Lily went even further, ordering her rats to swarm forward and pin Charles to the bed. The others also chimed in, trying to dissuade him.
Charles kept insisting that he was fine and that it didn't hurt at all, but no one listened to him.
The crew's pleading made Charles agitated. The whispers in his ears started again, and the crew members before him slowly morphed into various monsters.
"Enough!" Charles growled, shocking everyone. The rats on him shrank back instantly.
Charles pulled a backup gel from his clothes and shoved it into his mouth. All around him, everything began to return to normal.
"First Mate, go procure fresh water, food, and fuel. Second Officer and Audric, with me. The rest of you, back to the ship!"
Charles asserted his authority as Captain, and no one dared to disobey. They immediately complied with his orders.
Watching their retreating figures, Charles sighed. He knew the crew meant well, but they couldn't possibly empathize with his current state of mind.
The clue to his home was right in front of him. Every second was torture, and he truly did not want to wait any longer.
Leaving the doctor's messy room, he found himself on a bustling street outside.
Human creativity was formidable. Even though everything was built from ships, they had managed to cobble together an entire street from hulls and decks. The many gas and oil lamps gave the place the vibe of a ghost market.
Pirates in all manner of garb strode back and forth, each with guarded eyes. A tense air permeated the space.
Charles walked ahead and asked the Second Officer behind him, "Where did you find that doctor?"
"When we first arrived in Sodoma, you were barely breathing. The guys at the port told us there was an excellent doctor here, so we brought you to him."
Charles pondered for a moment, then looked at his officer and said, "Go and ask around. I need some intelligence on him—see if his background is clean."
"Alright, Captain. You can count on me," the Second Officer replied, hurrying away.
"Captain, what about me?" Audric asked from beside him.
"You've been here before, haven't you? Do you know the Anchor Bar? Take me there."
Audric nodded, and his cloak spread wide as he transformed into a bat and shot up into the air.
Seeing the bat orient itself in the sky and then head due east, Charles hurried after it.
Beyond the street lay a wasteland of piled-up ships, big and small, with nowhere to set foot.
Watching Audric recede into the sky, Charles swung his mask onto his face and, like a gymnast, bounded nimbly between the rusty vessels.
Following Audric, Charles witnessed the full spectrum of life in Sodoma. The city truly lived up to its name, Sin City. It overflowed with stolen goods, and even raggedly-dressed men and women were sold openly on the street.
Even worse evils occurred in the darkness where the lights could not reach. Compared to this place, the notorious port district seemed like a model community.
After running across most of Sodoma, the bat finally stopped in front of a neon-lit bar.
Charles came to a stop, sweating slightly. He reached into his clothes to check his wound and found that, sure enough, it had started to bleed again.
The clue to home was right before his eyes. Charles couldn't be bothered with his injury; he took Audric and walked straight inside.
Upon entering the bar, the dim environment instantly brightened. They were using electric lights, which weren't even common on Coral Island.
Several women in sexy, nearly transparent gauze danced to the music on top of the bar. The main hall was packed and boisterous, with waves of sound washing over the crowd. It's more of a nightclub than a bar, Charles thought.
Winding through the crowd, Charles reached the edge of the bar. A heavily made-up barmaid with a skull tattooed on her face leaned over. "Hey, handsome, what'll you have?"
"Seadog sent me. I have some questions," Charles said, leaning his elbows on the bar.
The woman with the skull tattoo didn't pause, her hands deftly mixing a cocktail. "Even if Seadog sent you, it still costs money. 5,000 Echoes per question."
"No problem. Do you know where I can find sunlight in Sodoma?" Charles's heart began to race.
"Sunlight? What's that? Never heard of it."
Charles's heart sank. Then, an idea struck him. He turned to Audric and said, "Draw the box that contains the sunlight."
Audric nodded quickly, taking out a pen and paper. He sketched rapidly, and soon a vivid drawing of a small, six-sided mirrored box appeared on the page.
Just as Audric was adding a few more details, the barmaid snatched the paper away.
"Ah, so that's what you're looking for! I know this thing. It's a weapon effective against dark monsters. But we don't call it 'sunlight' here; we call them mirror-boxes. Why would you call it sunlight? Who came up with that ridiculous name?"
"Where can I buy one?"
"The mirror-box business belongs to the King. Every fortnight, he ships a batch from the island for sale. I'll give you a heads-up, though: bring plenty of Echoes. A lot of people compete for them, and they sell for a fortune on other islands."
"I don't need a large amount. I just need one."
"Just one? Do you think you're buying a child's toy?" The woman with the skull tattoo gave Charles a strange look.