Chapter 546. Reinforcements

"Help? We're done gathering the explorers. What help can you provide us? Free weapons?"

"No, that's not going to impact the bigger picture, and our weapons are nowhere near as useful as Hope Island's weapons," Jax answered. "I'm talking about helping you talk to the indigenous people of the Subterranean Sea and asking them to contribute to the search for the darkness."

"Indigenous people?" Charles was taken aback. The word "indigenous" made him remember the various bizarre creatures he had encountered so far. "What do you mean? Are you acquainted with many of them?"

"Of course, for example, the Haikor Tribe. Those giants are willing to help us. The death light hasn't affected them, but they also live on islands. The rising sea level will drown them to death as well."

"The Haikor Tribe..." Charles' brows knitted. His experience with the Haikor Tribe in the Eastern Seas had left him with a not-so-good impression of the latter.

"And it's not just the Haikor Tribe. Other indigenous groups of people are willing to help as well. The Subterranean Sea is also their home, after all.

"More and more people are willing to help. We need manpower to manage all of them, or things are only going to become chaotic."

"If you don't mind, we can lend you a hand. We're professionals at managing, and I'm sure we can handle it," Jax said with a smile.

Charles cast a surprised look at Jax. It seemed that the other party was genuinely here to help, and Charles honestly thought that they had made the best decision, as there was strength in numbers.

Charles' conversation with Jax ended on a pleasant note. Charles had agreed to immediately start constructing an Explorers Association branch as soon as Jax and his people arrived at the Colossal Hole Fortress.

The presence of an Explorers Association branch would make it convenient for explorers to exchange information, so it was a win-win deal for both Charles and the association.

Jax had also told Charles that the Explorers Association was willing to mobilize all of its staff for the exploration.

A steady stream of workers arrived at Annarles Island, and they were sent to the Colossal Hole Fortress in batches. With their help, the Colossal Hole Fortress and Annarles Island underwent rapid changes, and every single building would have its own little changes every day.

More and more explorers came up to participate in the next round of exploration.

However, Charles had yet to join in the exploration personally. Cars were just not efficient enough in exploring such a vast land, and he was also waiting for something.

On the fifteenth day of Charles' return from the first exploration, the airship ascended once again. In addition to more explorers, an exploration vessel was brought up to the fortress as well.

Hooonk!

The Narwhale's steam whistle sounded cheerful as she seemingly greeted her crew.

As soon as the airship landed, the Narwhale's tracks moved, and she advanced slowly to Charles and the others. The Narwhale's animated ropes then grabbed her crew, carrying everyone onto the deck.

The deck looked pristine and brand new; the confused mixture of iron and mechanical casings that had been welded together to resemble a ship's bow had vanished.

The Narwhale looked as good as new.

"Buddy, you're finally here. I've been waiting for you," Charles said, smiling as he stroked the ship's railing.

Hooonk!

The steam whistle sounded once again, seemingly responding to Charles.

The staffers of Hope Island's shipyards had been extremely meticulous and attentive. It couldn't be helped; they were working on the governor's vessel, after all. In addition to repairing the Narwhale, they also retrofitted it according to the conditions and terrain on the surface.

The steel plates that had been used to ensure that the Narwhale would remain airtight while submerged had been removed, and two retractable tracks made out of the same material as those steel plates had been added to her underside.

Moreover, a rear cannon was added to the Narwhale's aft deck; the rear cannon's black muzzle looked extremely intimidating.

However, what surprised Charles the most was that the Narwhale now had a fire-control system. It was crude, but it undoubtedly enhanced the Narwhale's firepower.

Charles instantly deduced that the birth of the fire-control system was all thanks to the analytical engine, which had to have been immensely helpful in programming such a system. It seemed that the Relic Research Institute was slowly uncovering the analytical engine's true potential.

The excited Charles was familiarizing himself with his new ship when a graceful figure climbed up the Narwhale's deck via the rope ladder.

"Governor Charles, long time no see."

Charles' hands were on the helm, and he looked up when he heard the voice. Through the spotless glass windows, he saw a beautiful woman whose face was marred by a scar.

"Margaret, what are you doing here on the surface world?" Charles asked, calling out the woman's name.

The lips of Margaret's mouth curled up slightly in a light smile. "It's been a few years, right? I didn't expect that you still remember me, Governor. It seems that your memory isn't as bad as I had imagined."

With a complex expression, Charles walked out of the bridge and down the steel ladder to reach the deck. Staring at Margaret's beautiful face marred by a scar, Charles reiterated, "What are you doing here?"

"I've come here to help you. The rising seawater threatens not just your islands but Whereto as well. I need to protect my island," Margaret replied calmly.

"This place is vastly different from the Subterranean Sea. Go back to Whereto. You won't be of much use here," Charles said. He wanted to grab Margaret's arm, but she dodged it easily by stepping back.

"I know that I won't be useful here, so I asked the others to help me," Margaret said. She walked over to the ship's edge and looked down.

Charles followed her and saw the "King" of Sottom looking up coldly at him on the ground.

"Charles, it's been a long time—a

very

long time." 134 holding a teddy bear revealed a mouthful of hideous-looking sharp teeth.

The chubby man next to her was still seated in a wheelchair. The chubby man's eyes seemed glazed over as he ate meat in large mouthfuls. There was someone else next to them—no, something else. It was a roughly five-meter-long pale green humanoid monster that resembled a centipede.

The bizarre monster attracted the attention of the guards stationed at the Colossal Hole Fortress.

Charles waved his hand, signaling them to withdraw. Looking at 134, Charles said, "I'm really surprised that you'd come here to help."

"Is Tobba with you? Hand him over," 134 said coldly.

Charles ignored her and turned to look at Margaret next to 134. "I'm sorry about what happened between us at the time; I really had no idea that you were the one who took care of me when I was a lunatic.

"Anna didn't tell me either..."

"Governor Charles, please don't talk to me about irrelevant matters. Right now, the top priority is stopping the rising sea levels of the Subterranean Sea," Margaret said. The smile tugging at her lips vanished at Charles' remark.

Charles took a deep breath and said, "All right. Let's have a good talk once we've handled this ongoing issue. Let's get to business, then. How many people did you bring over here?"

"I brought every single valuable person from Whereto. Even Sottom is going to be docked at Annarles Island down below," Margaret replied.

"The tent over there is the Explorers Association. You can bring your people over there to receive missions.

"I advise you not to go on a mission yourself. The surface world is extremely dangerous. Without ample exploration experience, it's only a matter of time before you die out there."

In response, Margaret lifted her skirt lightly and curtsied toward Charles with a smile before turning around and jumping down the Narwhale.