Shrouded Seascape

Chapter 508. Solution (1)

Charles' heart skipped a beat upon hearing that the Fhtagn Covenant had a method to restore his crew members' sanity.

"Let's make a deal. I'll give you the location, and you give me the method," Charles proposed. As the sole witness, only he knew where the door leading to God Fhtagn was located.

Of course, Charles held back a bit here; he only promised to tell them the location of God Fhtagn, not to personally guide them there.

The Dark Abyssal Trench was vast, and he planned to let them search blindly. Putting aside the complex ritual needed to open the door, only Edikth's Chosen One could locate the door, and that itself was a monumental hurdle.

Charles had no intentions of truly letting these zealots locate God Fhtagn. If they accidentally woke the Divinity up from His slumber, the joke would be on him.

"Tell me the location first. Once we behold the true form of the Great One, we'll naturally share the method with you," the water figure demanded.

The corner of Charles' lips curled up into a cold smirk. "Do you take me for a fool? If you really wish to close the deal, then show some sincerity first. Cure two of my crew members first, and then I'll give you a general direction."

In the face of Charles' counteroffer, the writhing jellyfish-like figure fell silent and hovered motionlessly in place.

Just as Charles was speculating if the other part was deliberating on the cost, he suddenly felt a tense pull inside his skull. It was as if something was tugging at his brain—It was Anna's tentacles!

Bang!

The door flew open with a thunderous kick, and Anna strode in with her elegant brows slightly creased.

"Be careful; he's prying into your memories. That thing has never intended to deal fairly!"

"Fuck!" Consumed by rage, Charles whipped out a tentacle covered with white arcs of electricity. With a swift motion, he struck the water figure and shattered it into a spray of droplets that scattered across the room.

The black water droplets swiftly writhed and converged once again.

However, Anna gently flicked her finger, and the pool of dark water fell to the ground, reverting into a harmless puddle of clear, fresh water.

"What's going on here? Why did you end up making contact with the Fhtagn Covenant? I thought you swore to bring an end to them after they sent the Deep Dwellers to attack Hope Island," Anna remarked.

Charles quickly explained the situation to her as he resettled into his leather chair. His brows were furrowed in thought as he mulled over what had transpired earlier.

"If you plan to engage with them again, make sure that I'm around. Those fanatics always play dirty; I've dealt with them before," Anna advised.

Charles lifted his gaze and looked at Anna. "You've dealt with them before? When?"

Anna approached him and settled onto his lap before wrapping her arms around his neck. "I've dealt with many things. So what do you plan to do next? They don't seem eager to help you."

Charles instinctively wrapped his arms around Anna's waist. "The conversation wasn't fruitless. At least, Feuerbach was right. The Fhtagn Covenant does hold a method to reverse the crew's insanity. Now, we just need to figure out how to get our hands on it."

"This isn't the same as exploring an island. They are a centuries-old cult with countless followers entrenched in the Subterranean Sea. Do you plan to storm into their lair alone and force them to hand the method over? Do you think you are the protagonist of some movie?" Anna retorted.

"I'm aware of that. But don't forget. Apart from being the Captain of the Narwhale, I'm also the Governor of Hope Island. We can use that as leverage."

"Will that work? Relying on Hope Island, which was only discovered five years ago? They have countless followers, and their connections with the native tribes that worship Fhtagn are unclear," Anna said with skepticism etching her features.

"Yes, they have countless followers. But don't forget that the Light God's light spares no one. Under the sunlight, the Fhtagn Covenant must have lost many followers. They can feign arrogance all they want earlier, but they can't fool me.

"They've also just had a tough battle with the Divine Light Order before they had to face the Light God's wrath. It's unlikely that the Fhtagn Covenant would start a war now unless they want to face extinction."

Anna pondered over Charles' words for a moment before nodding in agreement. "Hearing you lay out the facts like that, you might actually have the strength to compete with them. Should I recall the Navy from Annarles Island first?"

Charles thought for a brief moment before he spoke slowly, "Yes. Have the Navy be prepared. If a war ends up breaking out, then we need to eliminate this threat once and for all. If we're going to be enemies with them, we might as well go all out and nip them in the bud."

However, Anna seemed to have her own thoughts on the situation.

"Charles," Anna began. "If there's no rush, you might want to consider waiting. You've seen it yourself—thanks to the Relic Research Institute, technology on Hope Island is advancing rapidly.

"Time is on our side. Due to the Light God's radiance, at least eighty percent of the Subterranean Sea's population has been wiped out. Cults are also considered religions. Without humans, putting followers aside, they won't be able to gather enough sacrifices for their rituals.

"As for weaponry, given some time, we would have no issues reaching the technological level of World War II within a few years. Coupled with the various relics in the Subterranean Sea at our disposal, those lunatics won't stand a chance against us.

"By then, you can just stomp into their lair with a large army. What choice would they have but to give you the cure for the madness?"

Charles furrowed his brows as he contemplated Anna's suggestion. Her approach would take a longer time to execute, but it would minimize the damage to Hope Island. After all, a war was definitely going to cost lives.

He hated to admit it, but despite the Light God's radiance killing many, Hope Island hadn't been affected. This was an undisturbed opportunity for growth.

??After a moment of careful consideration, Charles said, "Let's first send someone to check on their situation. Before we decide on our next move, we need a clear understanding of their actual strength."

Anna cast a glance at Charles' side profile before letting out a soft sigh. "Do you know why I insisted on letting the giantess accompany you?"

Charles was taken aback by the question and looked toward Anna, waiting for her to continue.

"It's because you have finally let go of your obsessions and I really wanted you to have a good rest. However, it seems you couldn't even take a break for a few days without stirring up more trouble."

"As long as you are alive, you are bound to be troubled by issues. Only the dead are free from troubles. We've finally found a breakthrough for the crew's insanity, which is good news. And then, we still have the issue with Lily."

The image of the adorable little mouse surfaced in Charles' mind. "Even though they went crazy, they won't die. But a mouse only lives a few years. In fact, Lily's situation is a more pressing matter."

He had already made a mistake, so Charles resolved not to repeat the same mistake. This time, he wouldn't wait until Lily was near the end of her lifespan before making a move.

"Lily..." Anna muttered as she cast a doubtful glance at Charles.

Noticing that Anna's gaze on him was a bit strange, Charles raised an eyebrow and asked, "Why?"

"I was just thinking... Considering your taste, a mouse is plausible, right?"

"Are you out of your mind?" Charles retorted, and the corner of his mouth twitched as if he was unsure whether to be amused or annoyed.