Shrouded Seascape

Chapter 407: The End Has Yet to Come

Upon climbing up the rope ladder and onto the airship, Charles finally got his first close-up look at one of the Divine Light Order's colossal airships.

The colossal airship had three gasbags, each measuring nearly five hundred meters long, while there were two submarine-like hulls beneath the gasbags. A narrow steel bridge connected the two hulls, and the Pope, clad in his magnificent white robes, stood on the swaying bridge.

Charles' heart thumped, and he felt a sense of foreboding upon seeing the Pope's haggard face the moment he arrived on the swaying bridge.

A wry smile appeared on the Pope's wrinkled face. "I'm sorry. I tried everything, but the door won't budge."

"You couldn't open it? How come? You bought so many people and ships. What did you guys do over there? Sightseeing?" Charles asked, frowning slightly.

"I really tried everythingexplosives, spells, relics, and arcane magicsto no avail. Everything was ineffective, and I'm not exaggerating here. All the explosives we've thrown at the door didn't leave even a single scratch on it," the Pope replied.

"It's that sturdy?" Charles was dumbfounded and curious at the same time. He was curious about the material that the Foundation had used to create that colossal door. How could it be so sturdy? As far as Charles knew, the surface world didn't have such a sturdy material.

"Do we really have to open the door? Have you tried creating a new entrance next to the door?" Charles asked.

The Pope sighed helplessly and replied, "How could we not come up with that idea when there were so many of us? It was useless. There's also a huge tunnel behind the door. I guess they must have thought that someone would attempt to create a new entrance next to the door.

Charles made a few guesses in his heart before asking, "How long did you guys even stay at Containment Site V4? I mean, think about it. It's a door, so there has to be a way to open it, and I reckon that you guys simply haven't found it yet."

"Sorry, I don't have time for this," the Pope said, sighing. "The Divine Light Grand Cathedral has been occupied, and I have to direct manpower there to support our brothers rather than waste it on that island."

Charles knew the likely culprits behind the occupation of the Divine Light Grand Cathedral, but he still decided to ask, "Who would do such a thing?"

"Who else but those disgusting abominations worshiping deep sea monsters? I left enough people to defend against ambushes, but who would have known that dumb mortals would join hands with the Fhtagn Covenant?

"I must summon all of my brethren to reclaim the Divine Light Grand Cathedral. It is our holy land. We have to be decisive, as we are already staring at the entrance of the Land of Light. We are about to reunite with the Light God, and we cannot falter here.

"The Divine Light Grand Cathedral must be reclaimed. Otherwise, the Divine Light Order will suffer a tremendous blow; the followers will lose confidence in the Divine Light Order," the Pope replied.

"Wait, what about the door? What are we going to do about the door to the surface?" Charles asked.

The Pope merely smiled at Charles.

Charles revealed a contemptuous look as he said, "Are you saying that I should go back to that island and look for clues myself? You've been there for quite a while, but you actually couldn't find even the slightest clue?"

"No, we found some clues that are going to be helpful to you," the Pope replied, taking out a few photos for Charles to see.

Charles took the photos and saw that the photos were close-up images of the colossal door above the island. A few photos were pieced together, showing a massive keyhole. Without any reference objects, Charles couldn't estimate the size of the keyhole. However, one thing was for sure: the keyhole was definitely huge.

"We'll accomplish our goal as soon as we find the key. I remember you telling me that the Foundation must have been sending people to the surface periodically. In that case, I think the key isn't that far.

"It should be on an island somewhere near Containment Site V4. You should start exploring those islands. The key is definitely on one of those islands, as it must have been too troublesome to move around, considering its size."

"There were so many of you, so why did you not tell your men to explore those islands in passing?"

"Haven't I explained myself earlier? We have no time to waste. We immediately left the island as soon as we heard the news," the Pope replied.

Charles frowned while staring at the photos in his hand. He thought everything was over, but it seemed that the end had yet to come; he still had many things to do.

"Are you not going to accompany me to look for the key?" Charles asked upon emerging from his deep contemplation.

"No, of course not. As I said, the Divine Light Grand Cathedral is our holy land, and I have to return to suppress those disgusting abominations. Also" the Pope trailed off, and his face was ugly as he continued, "I hate to admit this, but even though I'm strong, I don't think I'm going to be of much help exploring those bizarre islands."

Charles cast a disdainful gaze at the fleet down below.

"All right, but I'm not going to explore by myself and just my crew. I'll have to mobilize the entire Hope Island to look for that key," Charles said.

The Pope frowned slightly. "Are you not afraid of other people stumbling upon the terrifying remnants of the Foundation? Your years of experience should be enough for you to know that some things are best kept secret lest they cause a calamity."

"I'm not afraid at all. At this rate, I'm more afraid of dying from exhaustion if I were to look for this key by myself," Charles replied.

A calamity could indeed happen, but Charles felt like he could simply handle those issues the moment they appeared. He no longer wanted to waste any more time.

Charles had also realized that exploring island after island by himself was just too much of a slog when he had Hope Island's Navy as well as the Explorers Association at his beck and call.

The Pope revealed a slightly dissatisfied expression as he said, "Charles, you're being too selfish here. You know many people would die if you were to do something like that, right?"

Charles stared indifferently at the old man before him and replied, "I'm being selfish? You're joking, right? If so, then it's not funny at all. Anyway, if you have nothing else to discuss with me, then I'm going down.

"A crew of mine has gotten married today, and the reception is still ongoing."

"Wait, wait, wait!" the Pope exclaimed to stop Charles. Then, he stretched both hands and the photos in Charles' hand took to the skies before folding up together to reveal a nautical chart.

It was the same nautical chart they had found on the Ropelings' island.

"Look, there are only five islands near Containment Site V4 where 010 is contained. The key is most likely on one of these five islands. How about you explore these five islands by yourself? Just these five," the Pope suggested.

Charles stared intently at the Pope. "What trick are you trying to pull here?"

"Do you really think that I can pull any tricks here? I'm just trying to find the key to the surface world here. Wait, have you already forgotten that contract we signed with that relic of yours? It would have already punished me if I really were trying to pull a trick on you.

"It was your relic; you made that contract, and you signed it as well. Don't tell me you forgot?"