Shrouded Seascape

Chapter 488: Hope Island

"Minister, only three of the merchant ships that were supposed to arrive today have arrived. We can't contact them via telegram either. Trade on the island has come to a complete halt as well. At this rate, Hope Island's economy will soon be in complete disarray."

Leonardo, the Minister of Administration, frowned deeply upon hearing his secretary's report. Of course, he wasn't exactly thinking about Hope Island's economy. Instead, he was thinking about something bigger.

"Hmm" Leonardo stood up slowly and walked up to the window. Pushing it open, the distant coastline of Hope Island unfolded before his eyes. Leonardo looked up and saw that the pitch-black horizon had become a radiant white.

It seemed that the ongoing crisis was going to affect not just the trade between islands but the entire Subterranean Sea as well.

"Are we still unable to contact the other islands?" Leonardo asked, casting a sidelong glance at his secretary.

The secretary flipped through the documents in his hand and shook his head regretfully. "We've sent telegrams using every single route, but there's been no response at all.

"It feels like the telegram system of the entire Subterranean Sea has collapsed. I think the sunlight that suddenly appeared on the horizon is probably..." the secretary trailed off.

"What happened to the exploration fleet that departed for Skywater Island? Have they discovered anything?"

"We did receive some intelligence report from the Navy, and it says that the entire Skywater Island is desolate. Everyone has seemingly vanished into thin air, and not even a single ship of the Divine Light Order is docked at its harbor district."

Leonardo frowned deeply, considering every single possibility. Skywater Island was a habitable island with its own supply of fresh water and high-quality fuel.

In other words, it was strange that the Divine Light Order had abandoned the island so decisively. There was something fishy about it.

Leonardo paced back and forth with his hands behind his back, thinking of many different things. It was only until night "fell" on Hope Island did he made up his mind and started walking toward the door.

The secretary followed closely behind Leonardo and cautiously asked, "Where are you going, Minister?"

"I'm going to pay Chief James a visit."

Soon, the car drove onto the road. Leonardo sat in the back seat with his arms crossed and his fingers tapping his arms. He could still remember the gamble that he had made when Hope Island had yet to develop to this extent. His gamble had paid off at the time, earning him his current position.

After much consideration, Leonardo decided to gamble once again.

When Leonardo opened his eyes once more, he saw the familiar jet-black walls of Hope Island's police department. The driver parked the car and alighted before respectfully opening the door for Leonardo.

Leonardo stepped out of the car and made a beeline for James' office. With his identity as the Minister of Administration, no one dared to stop him or question his purpose for coming here.

The door was slightly ajar, so Leonardo didn't even bother knocking. He pushed it open and barged in.

Leonardo saw an elderly woman with a bed of gray hair holding James' hand. The elderly woman seemed to be pleading for something. Leonardo listened for a bit and learned that the elderly woman's son was a crew member on the Governor's ship.

It had been such a long time since the Governor's recent voyage, so the elderly woman was starting to get worried about her son. Eventually, the elderly woman could no longer withstand it and decided to ask for James' help.

She wanted James to send a ship that would locate the Governor's ship. James remained patient and consoled the elderly woman for quite a while until her worries were assuaged.

The elderly woman eventually left, and James saw her out personally.

When James returned to his office, he saw Leonardo drinking his coffee.

"Hurry up and tell me what you need. I have many things to do here. The unemployment rate is skyrocketing, so many people have decided to stray from the right path," James said as he sat down.

Leonardo waved his hand lightly. The secretary next to him nodded and walked out, closing the door behind him.

Leonardo took a sip of coffee before staring at the large-framed James. "It's been a while since the Governor is gone. I checked his supply list, and according to the records, it's been a while since he ran out of fuel and food."

"What exactly are you trying to say here?" James asked in a low voice, staring intently at Leonardo.

"I'm just the Minister of Administration, while you're just the Chief of Hope Island's Police Department. However, we both know that without the Governor, the two of us are the ones holding power.

"I manage the island's administrative affairs while you manage Hope Island's Navy and the Relic Research Institute."

"Are you suggesting that we betray the captain?" James asked coldly.

"I know that you're loyal to him, but what use is loyalty if he's dead? Have you not seen what's going on outside? We have been unable to contact the islands outside. The situation is changing rapidly and in such a monumental way that it won't be a surprise if Governor Charles is already dead.

"Think about it. He doesn't have any successor, so what's going to happen to Hope Island if he never comes back? Isn't it only reasonable for us to inherit the entire Hope Island?

"It's going to be a big change, and that is exactly why we have to make a decision as soon as possible. Otherwise, problems will arise if the problem drags on for too long.

"And you don't have to worry about the split at all; I've come up with a solution for it. Your daughter happens to be around the same age as my son. A marriage alliance between us will ensure that Hope Island will belong solely to us even in the distant future."

Hope Island will belong solely to us? James pondered briefly over it, but then he recalled the arm that Charles had sacrificed just to save his life. The next moment, he looked up at Leonardo and said, "Please leave. The captain is going to be fine.

"Mark my words: Hope Island will belong to no one else but Charles Reed as long as I'm still here!"

Leonardo's expression changed drastically at James' remark, and he stood up in a huff. "If you're willing to wait, then go ahead and wait. However, I want you to think that I'm not doing all this just for myself.

"Hope Island needs a governor. If Governor Charles has truly perished out there, then there will soon be a struggle to claim the position of Governor. If neither of us takes the position for ourselves, someone else will take it away!

"And I'm not just going to sit down and wait until that happens!"

As the footsteps in the corridor faded away, James sighed and took out an old, black-and-white photo from his wallet. He stared at himself with an arm around the much younger Charles standing in front of the old S.S Mouse.

"Captain, just where are you?"

The denizens of Hope Island grew even more restless as time went on, and it couldn't be helped. Trade between islands had effectively ceased, so the economy had stagnated. The denizens had also noticed the ongoing changes beyond the island, and most importantly, Governor Charles seemed to be missing.

Prices fluctuated wildly, and the unemployment rate climbed sharply, affecting everything from the grassroots level to the upper echelons.

There were even some outrageous rumors about how the end of the world was nigh, which led to a spike in Hope Island's crime rate. The crime rate rose so high that Chief James had to employ the Navy to push it back down.

Unfortunately, Chief James' action was just a band-aid solution. It wasn't going to stop rumors from spreading as well. Soon, the nerves of everyone in Hope Island seemed to be stretched taut, and the air grew so oppressive that it was suffocating.

Just as an explosion was imminent, a strange ship slowly approached the docks of Hope Island. It was an odd-looking ship. The bow was distorted and unsightly, looking like a confused mixture of iron and mechanical casings that had been welded together to resemble a ship's bow.

However, the ship's smokestack, the position of its deck cannons, and its familiar steam whistle told everyone that the ship was the Narwhale. In short, Governor Charles was back.

The news spread like wildfire throughout the wildfire, and the oppressive air that hung above Hope Island dispersed instantly.

Everyone set aside their schemes for the time being and rushed toward the docks, and by the time the Narwhale managed to dock, the docks were already full of people.

Everyone cast curious gazes at the ship while muttering to themselves.

No governors were created equal. In fact, some governors were too incompetent to matter to their islands, but there were a few governors whose identities were absolutely crucial to the existence of their islands.