"Yo, Charles! Long time no see. Where've you been lately?" William, looking worn out, raised his glass.
Charles glanced at the plain-looking girl beside Elizabeth. "And this is...?"
"That's Charlie's daughter. Charlie's dead. She took over her father's ship to become the new Exploration Ship Captain," the fat man nearby answered enthusiastically.
Charlie? Richard instantly recalled the sallow-faced, hook-nosed middle-aged man.
"How did he die?" Charles asked, looking a bit stunned. Even after all this time as an Explorer, he still couldn't get used to people dropping dead so suddenly.
William let out a drunken burp and chuckled. "Dead is dead. Who cares how?"
Charles felt a pang of sadness. Back then, it was Charlie who had provided the connection for him to get the information about sunlight in Sodoma. He had planned to thank him, but he never imagined that would be their last meeting.
