Kede, sporting two dark circles under his eyes, shook his head hard. "No, I only found some dead islands. My people suffered heavy losses. What about you?"
Charles raised his empty left sleeve. "The island I explored wasn't it, either."
Agitated, Kede cast his gaze once more at the sea chart on the table. "So these few islands are all that's left. I'm sure one of them has the Heavenly Ladder to the Land of Light, or it's an island the King uses for resupplying."
Beside him, Lily hopped onto the map, stamping her feet on the chain of islands furthest out. "Mr. Charles, do you think maybe they've got a huge, huge ship and can go straight to those islands without needing supplies?"
Kede shoved Lily aside, irritation flaring. "You don't get it. That's impossible. Look at the distance between here and here—no model of Abyss-Sea steamboat can cover that distance, not even the Royal Giant. They must have resupply points."
