Shrouded Seascape

"Thank you." Looking at the gift that his daughter had bought for him on his wrist, Charles' heart swelled with emotion. A warm and fuzzy feeling filled his heart, and it was an unprecedented sensation for him.

Sparkle smiled slightly. "Daddy, Mommy has been waiting for your gift all this while. She hasn't said anything because she wants you to bring it up first."

"What gift?" Charles looked at her in surprise.

"You didn't forget it, did you? The diamond ring! You promised her that you'd get her a diamond ring. You couldn't have forgotten it, could you?" Sparkle asked with a face full of astonishment.

"No, I still remember it. How could I forget something so important?" Charles asked, glancing at his crystallized heart.

Sparkle felt helpless. She did not need to read Charles' mind to deduce that Charles had definitely forgotten it.

"Actually, I know that Mommy and you still have some issues that are unresolved, but Mommy doesn't really need much. She just wants to know your stance."

Charles looked down at the watch on his wrist. After pondering for a few seconds, he raised his hand and patted Sparkle's head. "Don't overthink it. Your mother and I are doing great. There are no issues between us."

Worry suffused Sparkle's face.

Sparkle grabbed Charles' steel fingers with both hands and shook them gently. She sounded concerned as she said, "Daddy, I know that you've never been good at expressing yourself, but it is simply impossible for others to know your feelings unless you state them explicitly. Moreover, trivial issues can easily be resolved through proper communication."

Sparkle had decided to take this opportunity to resolve the grudge that both Charles and Anna had been nursing against each other but were difficult for anyone else to notice.

It seemed that Sparkle was aware of the fact that Charles knew about what Anna had been doing behind his back, and he simply hadn't brought it up.

Clearly, the growing Sparkle was starting to grow concerned about her family, but she had never really taken any sides. She had communicated with both her father and mother.

Sparkle could still remember telling her mother how Charles was hinting at her to dial it back a bit, but her mother hadn't done any of that at all.

Charles nodded and patted Sparkle's shoulder. "Don't worry. I'll handle it. Anyway, I really like your gift."

Realizing that there was a chance, Sparkle was relieved. "Mmhm, as long as you like it. Now that your issue with the heart has been solved, you should be free tonight, right? Why don't we call Mommy and have dinner together tonight?"

"Sure, you decide."

Sparkle nodded, and she disappeared into thin air with a flash of light.

Left all alone, Charles raised his hand to look at the watch again and recalled Sparkle's words. After a while, he chuckled lightly to himself and walked out with a spring in his step.

As soon as he emerged from his office, Charles saw his steward with Lily's black cat in his arms. It seemed that his steward had been waiting outside for quite a while now.

"Esteemed Governor, please forgive me, but I've gotten too old. My strength and energy are no longer enough to manage the Governor's Mansion," Steward Charlie said solemnly, looking a bit haggard.

There were rumors outside about the Governor of Hope Island.

Apparently, the Governor of Hope Island was capricious, paranoid, and a madman, but as someone who had been quietly working inside the Governor's Mansion, Steward Charlie begged to differ.

Governor Charles was never tyrannical toward the servants and maids in the mansion.

If one had to use a word to describe Charles' attitude, then it would be the word "indifference."

Governor Charles was always too busy. He was always looking at the bigger picture and couldn't care less about such trivial matters. As a result, it would be more accurate for them to say that they were serving the Governor's Mansion with seventy-two rooms rather than the governor himself.

The Governor's Mansion was a laid-back workplace. If Steward Charlie hadn't felt like his body could no longer withstand the burden of working here, he wouldn't have retired.

Charles cast a surprised gaze at the old man.

"Do you have a replacement ready?" he asked.

"Yes. Steward Mark will take over tomorrow," Steward Charlie replied.

Charles glanced at the black cat in Steward Charlie's arms and nodded before walking toward the door.

"Where are you going, Esteemed Governor? If you want to go somewhere, then I recommend telling the driver. He's always waiting for instructions in the garage," Charlie said as he struggled to keep up with Charles' swift pace.

"You don't have to follow me. I'm just going out for a stroll."

Of course, Charles wasn't going outside to just take a walk. He wanted to visit his first mate, Bandages and check on the latter's injuries.

In no time, Charles found himself in the intensive care unit of Hope Island's Savitto Hospital. Bandages looked no different from usual, except that the bandages around him looked a bit fresh.

A young man was sitting next to Bandages, and he was busy peeling an apple with a knife. The young man was none other than Bandages' younger brother.

Upon seeing Charles, Bandages struggled to sit up, but the former hurriedly stopped him. "Don't move. Your injuries are too serious for you to make any moves right now."

"No… I'm... healed... Mother is just making me... stay here longer..." Bandages replied, sounding helpless.

"Captain... is something the matter? Bandages asked.

Charles nodded and took out his diary. He flipped it open and got ready to write down the details in Bandages' account.

"I heard from Linda that you saw 004. Is it true? And she also said that you recovered some of your memories about it? Apparently, it wasn't your first time seeing that thing."

Bandages nodded quietly and began his recount.

Once Bandages was finished with his recount, Charles looked down at his diary and frowned.

Project Number: 004

Project Name: (TBC)

Project Danger Level: Divinity.

Description: A bizarre serpent with its head and tail intertwined; its ever-changing scales are incredibly vibrant in color and would change as time passed.

According to the accounts of Bandages and what happened to the crew, it is capable of twisting time and phasing through any wall within a fifty-kilometer radius.

For now, its exact level of strength cannot be determined, but judging from the Foundation's fate, it must be stronger than ordinary Divinities. Bandages also told me that 004 is capable of devouring other Divinities.

Unfortunately, it is currently impossible to know whether it's one of Its special abilities or if it's a common trait among other Divinities.

"Captain... what are you… writing down...?" Bandages cast a curious gaze at the incomprehensible squarish characters in Charles' diary.

"Nothing. They're not that important," Charles replied. He then put the diary away, stuffing it into his chest pocket.

There was no need for Bandages to know why he was writing down information about a Divinity, so he decided to change the subject.

"Do you still have that notebook? Remember to jot down those memories; it'll be troublesome if you end up forgetting them."

"I jotted them down. Apparently… I used to be... a high priest of... the Giant Bird of Suffering..." Bandages tapped the drawer of the bedside table beside him.

"Wow, I really am in awe of what you've experienced. It feels like you've explored every nook and cranny of the Subterranean Sea," Charles joked. He had long gotten used to the changes in Bandages' background.

If Bandages were to say that he had once visited the surface world, Charles wouldn't be surprised by that revelation at all.

Charles sat next to the bed and chatted with Bandages for a while longer.

Eventually, he had to leave, so he stood up and covered Bandages with a blanket before walking toward the door. "Rest well. I'm leaving now. When you have time, come and look for me at the Governor's Mansion for a drink."

Bandages' gaze on Charles' departing figure seemed pensive. It appeared like he had many burning questions in his mind but had ultimately decided not to ask anything instead.

"Brother, the Governor saw that you're bedridden. Does that mean he's not going to make you work anymore?"

Bandages accepted the peeled apple and nodded. "He… probably won't... make me go out at sea anymore... He must be planning... to let us stay safely on the island, and… he probably no longer wants to take any risks..."

"Really?" The young man perked up.

"That should be... the case… I've been with him for a long time... I once thought I knew him well... but now I... don't know... what he actually wants... to do..." Bandages replied, and his eyes revealed a hint of confusion.

He understood Charles' reasoning behind his decision to hide a few things from him, but there was one thing he couldn't quite figure out.

Back then, Charles was a man of purpose. He had made quite a few crazy goals for himself, but he had always been straightforward, tackling them with determination, but this time was different.

Bandages could feel Charles' hesitation. Charles seemed to be hesitating, and it was probably because his goals were changing rapidly.

"Isn't it great that you no longer have to take any risks out there? When you and the Governor were working so hard up above, Mother and I were always worried about you.

"We were really afraid that a mailman would knock on the door and deliver a black letter to us one day. Recently, life has been getting better, so I think we should just live a great life on this island."

Bandages nodded wordlessly. He then opened his mouth and took a bite of the peeled apple. After chewing on it a few times, he swallowed and turned to look at his younger brother. "It's really sweet."

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