Soon, it was time for Charles and Kede's arranged meeting. Nearly fourteen exploration ships of various sizes crowded the dock.
With so many ships, the Explorer Association must have been completely emptied out. Those captains were all unfamiliar to Charles; he had never seen most of them before. It made sense, though—most of the familiar faces had already left with Elizabeth to conquer islands.
The large fleet clearly drew the curiosity of the Coral Island locals. Some crew members and islanders stood at a distance, whispering and speculating about which lucky explorer had discovered a new island this time.
"This many people would be more than enough to conquer an island, let alone explore one. We can definitely do it!" Standing next to Charles, Kede sounded as if he was trying to encourage Charles—or perhaps just himself.
Gazing at the ships ahead, Charles asked the critical question.
