Chapter 4. Fhtagn Covenant

Holding the stacks of Echo bills in his hand, Old John was visibly elated. He turned and headed for the door. However, just when he pushed the room door open and was about to step out, he pondered for a moment before turning around again, seemingly experiencing emotional distress.

Staring at the man standing before him, who was only partially illuminated by the dim light in the room, Old John hesitated but eventually spoke.

"Capt'n, I be leavin'. To be honest, why don't ye come ashore too? Ye've scraped enough money to buy yerself an explorin' ship, but what good will it do ye? The Land of Light... it doesn't exist."

"It does," Charles retorted in a calm tone, but his eyes were shining with resolute faith.

"There be somethin' hangin' in the sky, bigger than any bloomin' island. It gives us light and warmth just like that, drives the darkness away. How in blazes is that possible, eh? It's all made up by them Divine Light Order to fool folks like us."

Charles' silence prompted Old John to let out a sigh. "Back when I first laid me eyes on ye, even though ye couldn't speak a word, ye had such spirit, such confidence. I thought to meself, what a fine young lad ye be! If I had a granddaughter, I'd surely introduce ye to 'er.

"No need to keep it a secret from me, Capt'n. I know ye been hearin' the voice of the divine for days now. Carry on like this, and ye'll be drivin' yerself mad, I tell ye. Give it up."

Charles remained expressionless as he walked to the door. He gently pushed Old John out and closed the door on the latter with a "thud".

"Boy, yer too obsessed." Old John grumbled. His footsteps gradually faded away down the corridor, and silence returned.

"

Am I

too obsessed?" Charles leaned against the room door and mumbled to himself. His expression slowly distorted.

"What's wrong with wanting to go back?" Charles suddenly shouted with a pained expression.

"I haven't done anything wicked or unlawful! Why do I have to deal with all this shit! Why!!"

"Eight years! It's been a whole eight years!! Why do I have to endure this kind of torment?! I just want to go home, is that too much to ask?!" Charles roared loudly.

"glui mglw...na..." The murmurs in his ear rang again, adding to his annoyance.

"Fuck you!!" In a burst of rage, Charles whipped out his revolver and pressed it against his temple.

Just as he was about to pull the trigger with his trembling fingers, a muffled protest from the guest living in the room next to him interrupted.

"What's with that noise! Keep it down!"

The agitated Charles suddenly calmed down. He holstered the revolver back at his waist and carefully wrapped up the blade in a piece of cloth.

That night, Charles dreamt of many things, but when he woke up, he could not remember a single thing.

Knock, knock, knock.

Someone was knocking at the door.

Charles opened the door and saw a bald man with an octopus tentacle tattoo on his face.

"Are you Captain Charles of S.S. Mouse? They call me Hook. Pleased to meet you."

Charles cautiously assessed the man before him. His face was rather ordinary and had deformed ears that curved inward. It was an indication that he was a native of the Coral Archipelago. The octopus tentacle tattoo on his face was an evident display of his faith.

"What do the followers of Fhtagn want from me? I don't suppose you are trying to get me as a sacrifice to your almighty god, do you?"

Despite Charles' hostility, which was readily apparent in his words, Hook remained unfazed.

"You might not have the caliber to become a worthy offering to the Great One. I came for something else, Captain Charles. I heard that you are in need of money."

Charles was not surprised. This was not the first time that someone like Hook had come to look for him.

"I don't smuggle illegal stuff," Charles replied and was about to close the door on the man.

Actually, Charles was lying. As long as the money was enticing enough, he would occasionally take on smuggling jobs. However, in this case, he had firmly declined as he did not want too much involvement with these cults.

To him, the only difference between the Fhtagn cultists and the madmen on the streets was that the former could speak coherently. No sane person would actually worship a sea monster as their god.

Just as the door was about to close fully, Charles heard a number being whispered from the other side of the door.

"One million Echo."

Looking at the captain's dark eyes through the crack of the partially open door, the bald man flashed a confident smile.

"Mr. Charles, this compensation is more than enough to aid your financial situation. With it, you can buy an exploration ship with state-of-the-art equipment. Think about it, if you discovered a new island, you'd become its governor, with the land at your disposal. Women, power, money—they would be all yours."

Charles had no idea how the Fhtagn Covenant knew of his plans but his firm determination was wavering. With that amount of money, he would be a large step closer to returning home.

However, he did not let his guard down. The Fhtagn Covenant was no charity organization, and such a massive reward surely meant extreme danger.

"What do you need me to smuggle?" Charles asked in a cautious tone.

"We don't need you to smuggle goods. Rather, we would like your help in finding something. Please come with me. Our high priest will give you the details."

After a few seconds of contemplation, Charles opened the door and followed Hook out onto the streets.

The two men walked through the fishy-smelling port, leaving the port district and heading further inland to the residential area of the island.

The residential area was slightly less chaotic, with an added sense of vibrancy. If not for the grayish-white coral rock buildings, Charles felt as if he was walking on the streets of mid-19th century London.

Banks, hospitals, clothing stores, theaters, and various modern facilities—the island had it all. If not for the locals' deformed ears and ghastly white skin, everything would have appeared perfectly normal.

The island was like a city itself, and the street was bustling with activities. There was a mix of both the rich and the poor, as evidently seen from their clothing. Though, everyone seemed busy with their own affairs.

"Grilled spider crab leg! 4 Echo!

"Daddy, I'm so tired. I can't walk anymore...."

"Extra! Extra! Major news! Governor Nico is set to marry his sixth husband in six days!"

"Excuse me, sir. Could I have a moment of your time? Let me introduce you to our Heavenly Father and Savior, the All-knowing and All-powerful Great One, Fhtagn Sawito."

The serenity and peace did not sit well with Charles. No matter how peaceful everything appeared, they were just as fragile as a bubble. Though extremely rare, there had been instances of an island inhabited by millions of people simply sinking into the depths one day.

The duo maneuvered through the gray-white buildings until they eventually arrived before a massive cathedral. As they entered the cathedral, the bustling sounds from the streets instantly quietened down.

A colossal stone sculpture that could be vaguely considered a humanoid stood upright in the middle of the hall.

Rather than a human, mutated or otherwise, its features resembled more of a decaying octopus standing upright. Its flared scales and the countless eyeballs covering its entire body sent creeps and discomfort to those who lay their eyes on it.

Devotees clad in black robes stood in neat lines as they softly recited in a language devoid of consonants. Charles found the chants oddly familiar; they reminded him of the auditory hallucinations he had experienced.

"The high priest is in the confessional. Please follow me."

Hook then led Charles through the crowd and further inside.

The security behind the main hall got increasingly stricter. At every corridor turn and doorway, there would be a black-robed follower standing guard. Even though none of them spoke a word, Charles could clearly sense their gazes on him.

They arrived at a dimly lit room, and Charles finally got to meet the high priest of the Fhtagn Covenant. The figure donned in a crimson robe was in prostration.

Hook performed a religious gesture before he took a step back and left the room.

The high priest slowly stood up. Without turning back to look at Charles, he spoke, "Captain Charles. Our covenant needs you to find something. It's a sacred artifact that belongs to our Lord."