Chapter 526. Faded

"This is truly interesting," Anna mused with a playful chuckle. "Perhaps, this little mouse has replaced the Pope as the Light God's new Chosen One." Anna then reached out a hand to pet Lily, but the nimble mouse dodged her touch once again.

"Lily, after you died, did you encounter the Light God? Have you spoken with Him?" Charles asked.

"Nope. I didn't feel anything. I was just sleeping in this warm environment."

Charles carefully lifted Lily up in his hands and examined her as he pondered over his gunner's current enigmatic condition. He wasn't sure whether this was a blessing or a curse.

"It could be considered a good thing," Anna interjected. "If the little mouse is the Light God's contingency plan, He would certainly protect your mouse and keep it alive for at least another five years."

Charles' brows furrowed in thought. He then set Lily down gently on the floor before turning toward the cabin door.

"Anna," Charles called out. "Let's take a walk outside on the deck. It's getting too stuffy here."

As soon as the two left the room, Lily picked up a pen in anger and hurled it across the table. "I'm so mad!! Mr. Charles doesn't even care about me at all now! Even though we had kissed previously!"

Being on the spacious deck, Charles peered outward at the expansive sea, noting the boundary line that separated the seawater by color. Once they crossed that boundary, they would finally be out of the Eastern Seas.

"Don't overthink it. This might really be a good thing. After all, the mouse is on your side," Anna said, breaking the silence.

"Hopefully," Charles said with a sigh. "But once Divinities are involved, it always turns out complicated."

"What do you plan to do next?" Anna asked as she leaned her head against Charles' shoulder and gazed toward the bright horizon of the sea.

The Fhtagn Covenant is a persistent thorn in our side. The feud between us is also too deep to ever be resolved. We need to stay vigilant and monitor their every action. Those cultists will surely try everything in their power to destroy Hope Island."

"Both sides suffered great losses, and the distance between them and Hope Island is far. Even if they intend to start another conflict, that would be a couple more years again. It's too early to worry about that now," Anna replied softly.

"It's never too early to make preparations. If we wait to act only after they are fully prepared, it might be too late," Charles countered.

"Don't worry too much about it. Though they call themselves followers of God Fhtagn, their god does little to protect them. If we were to talk about recuperation capability, we would be much stronger than those lunatics. Given time, we might have even developed aircraft carriers with the rate technology progresses on Hope Island."

"That would be the most ideal situation. Hopefully, there won't be more deaths. This seascape has seen enough of those," Charles concluded, his heart growing heavy at the thought of his fallen navy soldiers.

Just then, he sensed movement behind him. Turning around, he saw that the medical staff had escorted Tobba up onto the deck for some fresh air.

Anna studied Charles' expression and contemplated for a few thoughtful moments before she reignited the conversation again. "If, I mean if, you managed to resolve the thorn being Fhtagn Covenant permanently and somehow managed to turn the little mouse back into a human, what do you plan to do after that?"

Charles mulled over the question for a long while, uncertainty clouding his eyes as time ticked by. After a full five minutes, he finally replied, "If all of those troubles have been resolved, then I would live out a peaceful life with you and Sparkle on Hope Island, just like a normal human being until my time is up."

Anna's elegant brow arched at Charles' response. "Is that all?"

"That's all. I don't care whether this wretched place is the Earth we're from or who killed the Light God, I..." Charles paused as he gathered his thoughts. "It's been so many years, I'm tired."

"Charles, there are still many things you could do. Don't you want to find a way to prolong your life or even greater power? You are now the overlord of the Northern Seas! Can't you harbor some greater aspirations?" Anna urged.

"What's the use of a longer lifespan? To end up like Bandages? As for more power... indeed, we need a little more, but not my own—rather, Hope Island needs a boost in its collective power. That's our foundation to maintain our position in the Subterranean Sea."

Anna shook her head slightly in disapproval. "Those are fleeting. Only the strength you possess yourself will never betray you. Since you've decided to stop searching for the surface world, then you should set your eyes on seeking greater power!

"Don't forget what you have once told yourself: the Subterranean Sea is never safe. Any island could sink anytime and that includes Hope Island.

"Only by possessing true power that can rival Divinities can we truly—"

"Anna!" Charles cut off Anna's ambitious speech abruptly. His fatigue was apparent in his gaze.

"Anna, I'm not made of iron. I'm just flesh and blood. For the whole of the past fourteen years, I've been so tensed up and pushing myself to my limits. Each hardship I've been through left me riddled with scars, physically and mentally. I'm really tired now. Give me a break. Can we talk about this again after I've rested enough?"

Anna swallowed the remaining words she had planned and flashed a gentle smile. "Sure, I respect your decision."

"Thank you." Charles fell silent as he stood on the deck and let the salty sea breeze wash over his face.

Anna rested her stunning visage against Charles' shoulder, and together, they gazed at the same view of the expansive sea ahead.

"After all these years at sea, this is the first time I felt that the sea is really beautiful," Charles mused. But just then, a hint of uncertainty crossed his features. "Anna, do you feel that—"

"The light is dimming?" Anna completed Chales' sentence.

Charles took a few steps forward, out of the shade of the overhead canopy, and allowed the sunlight to pour over him. While the warmth remained, there were indeed subtle changes to the slight.

It felt as though the burning sun at noon had turned back to its position at eleven thirty in the morning. It hadn't been a figment of Charles' imagination. He just happened to notice it first due to his acute sensitivity to light.

"Could it be that the light is slowly fading with the death of the Light God?" Anna brought up a highly plausible theory. "If that's the case, it might not be bad news. At least the people of this seascape no longer need to hide under their umbrellas and thick robes all the time. After all, sunlight doesn't have a place here anyway."

Charles shook his head in disagreement. "This is a significant change and will have major influences. If the sunlight is really fading, every island out there should reserve some black ryegrass seeds for cultivation. Let's go; we need to send a telegraph to the governors of all islands immediately."

The two turned toward the cabin and stepped back into the shade. Just as Charles walked past Tobba, the latter suddenly lunged at him and clung on desperately.

"The light took away the darkness.... The light took away the darkness!!" Tobba cried out loud, his voice trembling with fear. Everyone was startled as this was the first time Tobba had spoken ever since the incident in the trench.

"Tobba, have you come around?" Charles asked in surprise but was met with no response. Tobba had reverted to his listless and vacant state, his eyes clouded without lucidity.