Chapter 234. Turn of Events

Charles visited the church of the Divine Light Order on Hope Island and came face-to-face with the Pope. Charles scrutinized the statue before him before asking, "The technology used to build Swann's mechanical city must have come from Newbound City. At least the power system and those laser weapons must have come from there, am I right?"

"I thought you didn't care about those things? Those aren't directly related to the surface's exit that you seek," the Pope replied.

"Of course, they're related. It is a complete waste to use such a huge mechanical city to conquer islands. Why not give it to me? I'm sure I'll find the exit to the surface world faster using that thing."

The statue of the Pope chuckled. "Haha, do you really think that using such an enormous thing in uncharted waters won't inadvertently awaken those unique existences in the sea?"

𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

Charles went silent at that. Indeed, the seascape contained a vast amount of inscrutable mysteries. Piloting such a massive city on uncharted waters was tantamount to seeking death.

In the eyes of the islanders, the Ronker was an invincible behemoth made out of steel, but if it attracted the attention of the Divinities...

"My child, this is part of the plan. Don't worry, our goals are the same. Your task at the moment is to find the exit to the surface world. As for the rest, I will handle them for you," the Pope said.

However, Charles didn't truly believe the Pope.

This guy's definitely lying to me again. He wouldn't have erased the main island on that nautical chart if he really wanted me to find the exit to the surface world.

Just then, the statue of the Pope frowned. The statue's gaze fell on Charles, seemingly puzzled. "What language was that? I've never heard of it. Is it a language from above ground?"

"I just realized that I haven't been using it for quite a while. I'm afraid I'll forget how to speak that language by the time I reach the surface," Charles responded. Of course, it was just an excuse. He was aware that the Pope could read minds, so he deliberately used his mother tongue while thinking so that the Pope wouldn't know that he already knew the location of the Foundation's main island.

"I repeat, you don't have to worry at all. We're allies. Be rest assured and do your job; we'll eventually reach the win-win outcome we've been aiming for. Please believe in me."

Charles nodded at that and walked out. As soon as he emerged from the church, he issued orders opposite to the Pope's wishes. After all, Charles believed in his own navy fleet more than the Pope.

Charles' orders spread quickly, and every shipyard on Hope Island was requisitioned by the navy to build ships at the fastest speed possible. Compulsory conscription was also imposed on males within a certain age range. Charles contacted Elizabeth using telegram and told her to prepare for war.

The resources of the two islands seemed insufficient against Governor Swann's Ronker, but Charles was aware that he wasn't the only one dissatisfied with Swann's recent actions. Hope Island didn't belong to Charles alone; it belonged to his crew members as well, so he had to protect it.

Charles established contact with the Governor of the Coral Archipelago. The preparations were going swimmingly, but an unexpected news brought him to a complete stop.

BREAKING NEWS!

Governor Julio of Cat Island's invincible fleet has made a beeline for the Northern Seas!

Governor Julio has declared that Governor Swann's massacre of the members of the Explorers Association was tantamount to trampling on the rules of the sea, and his conquest of other islands is fueled by his shameless greed!

Governor Julio has decided to lead his fleet against Governor Swann. He has vowed to avenge those who have perished! Let us cheer for Governor Julio's noble spirit!

Charles frowned deeply at the news. He had everything planned out. The governors of the Northern Seas just had to gather and establish an alliance against Governor Swann. Charles had already accounted for either defeat or victory.

However, Governor Julio's appearance had just made the situation appear more delicate than it should have been. Charles was certain that it wasn't whatever bullshit noble spirit that motivated the so-called strongest governor's to make a move. Was Governor Julio afraid that Governor Swann's Ronker would threaten his position, or was it because he had a share in the loss incurred by the Association?

"I think it's not yet time for us to appear in this drama. What do you think? Am I right?" Charles asked Bandages sitting on a stool in front of him. However, Bandages was both unmoving and silent; he seemed unwilling to speak.

Charles pondered briefly before continuing, "I have no plans of revoking the naval expansion order. I'll have the financial department cooperate with your side. No matter the turn of events, I want you to keep our bottom line in mind."

Bandages nodded at that and stood up. He turned around and started walking away.

"Wait," Charles called out and said, "I'm not done yet. I want you to ask our intelligence department to look for someone. She's probably still in the Northern Seas at the moment, and she's beautiful, so it shouldn't be that difficult to find her."

Charles handed over the photos that Jack had sent over to him in a letter to Bandages.

"Your... woman?" Bandages muttered.

"No, but I owe her one, and I don't want to keep on owing others," Charles replied.

Bandages stuffed the photos underneath his yellowed bandages before turning around to leave.

The preparations were going smoothly, but the situation was both delicate and unclear, so Charles had no choice but to postpone his goal of finding the exit to the surface world.

He had to make sure that Hope Island was safe before anything else. Of course, he was also afraid that if he were to go on a voyage, Hope Island would have a new master by the time he returned.

Charles took advantage of the momentary respite to do his job as the Governor of Hope Island by dealing with the island's affairs. It didn't take him long to realize that being a governor was as hard as exploring unknown islands. He was clumsy at his work, but he was getting things done, which was what mattered the most.

At the same time, Charles paid much attention to the upcoming naval battle that would surely be one for the history books. He couldn't go out of Hope Island and watch it for himself, but he could send someone to gather information.

As long as there were any developments, Charles would immediately receive a telegram with details about the events. The governors of the other islands had also made contact with Charles, but the frequency of their telegrams soon decreased; clearly, they were all waiting for something.

Charles was on the same boat as them, and that was when a letter from an unexpected individual was handed over to him.

The letter had come from Anna, and it was accompanied by a photo depicting a haggard-looking Anna showing the middle finger to the camera with a disgruntled expression.

Does this mean that she's mad at me? Why?

Charles opened the envelope and started reading the letter.

Ahem, Gao Zhiming, it's me. It's been a while. Have you been missing me? I'm back on the island, and I heard that you came to pick me up? Don't bother; distance makes the heart grow fonder, you know?

You'll miss me a lot if you can only see me a few times a year, and I'm sure you'll soon get tired of me if you were to see me eat people in front of you every day. Anyway, I have a question that I want you to answer. You're looking for the exit to the surface world because you want to reunite with your loved ones on the surface world, is that right?

Then, I want you to answer this: what if you have gained loved ones here in the dark Subterranean Sea? How would you choose then?