Shrouded Seascape

Chapter 525. The Crew

"Linda. Linda, are you in there?" Vampire Audric called out softly as he gently knocked on the cabin door with his pale hand adorned with razor-sharp nails.

Yet, silence was the only response as if no one existed within the room. But Audric knew better that the ship's doctor, Linda, was indeed inside.

After hearing Charles recount that all members of the Divine Light Order had gone to the surface, and the Light God met His demise there, Linda retreated into her cabin and locked herself in. When she walked away, Audric had caught the hint of desolation in her eyes and he was worried.

"I've left some food and fresh water at your door. Bring them in when you're feeling hungry. I'll replace them again in the evening," Audric spoke again.

Still, he received no reply. Letting out a helpless sigh, he wrapped his dark cloak tighter around himself and slowly made his way down the corridor.

The blind vampire slowly turned the corner and just as he passed another cabin, Dipp, who had been engrossed in a game of Fish with the other crew members, poked his head out. "Hey, bud, how's doc doing? Is she feeling any better?"

Audric slightly adjusted the sunglasses sitting on his nose bridge before stepping into the room. "It's not looking too optimistic," he answered. "The death of the Light God seems to have hit her hard. I'm thinking of bringing her to a psychologist once we return to Hope Island."

"That's the thing with all religious folks," the Chief Engineer chimed in with a cigarette dangling from his lips. Laying down a pair of seals, he continued, "I mean look at me. I only believe in money and never cared much for all that divine nonsense."

Audric turned toward the Chief Engineer. His voice was laced with evident displeasure as he spat, "Are you feeling happy about the situation?"

When they were in the Dark Abyssal Trench, Chief Engineer Paul had been flung toward the overloaded turbine, and half his face had been stripped of skin from that incident. Though his injury had healed, his flesh and sinews were knitted grotesquely over bone.

Yet, Paul was unfazed by his gruesome appearance, and his scarred lips curled up into a grin.

"Of course I'm happy! The captain had declared that he would be doubling our payout. I now have money, a house in the heart of the island, and women! I'll be a central islander just like you lot soon enough!" Paul boasted and let out a hearty laughter.

Second Mate Conor had been watching the card game from the side, but he caught the growing displeasure on Audric's face. He subtly kicked Paul's shin under the table to silence the latter.

"Third Engineer, don't worry," Conor reassured. "Linda has been through hardships and hell with us. Better days are imminent. She just needs some time to find her peace."

With a heavy sigh, Audric turned and left the cabin clouded with cigarette smoke, his lonely silhouette receding into the shadowy passageway.

"Hey, do you think there's something going on between that vampire and Linda? I don't think that's how you would react over a fellow crew mate," Cook Planck whispered softly.

"Do you even need to ask? It's obvious to anyone with eyes. I wonder when they started getting so chummy," another crew member chimed in.

"Hurry up... Play your card..." Bandages interrupted. Yet the evident annoyance in his voice barely did anything to suppress the other's gossipy speculations.

"Women are such trouble. Now that I've money, I'm gonna buy a house right next to the red-light district," Chief Engineer Paul boasted. "Imagine going out every day and bringing a new girl back every time. Never sleep with the same face twice."

"And that's all you can think of? Wait till you catch something that has you oozing pus down there," another chided as he shook his head disdainfully.

"Fuck you, Fourth Engineer! How dare you talk to me like that. Just wait till we're back on board the Narwhale! I'll have you sweating through month-long night shifts in the turbine room!" Paul slammed his hand down on the table.

"It's Eddie now. Didn't you hear what the Captain said? The Narwhale has been decommissioned. I'm not under you anymore," Eddie retorted with a smirk.

The room instantly returned to its previous jovial atmosphere as laughter and friendly insults filled the room. The crew's spirits were high as they no longer needed to risk their lives at sea. As the Governor's trusted crew members who had gone through life and death with him, they knew he would surely take good care of them.

Whether they wanted to revel in newfound wealth or join the inner circles of Hope Island, they were all easily fulfilled; the future looked promising.

They had seen it with the previous batch of crew that the Governor was generous to his own. This was also why volunteers were plentiful for the Narwhale despite the high mortality rate.

However, there was one crew member who didn't share in the excitement. He was Sailor Norton.

"Kid, you are surely lucky to have fortune rain down on you on your first voyage. The rewards are practically free pickings. I'd wager all your life's luck has peaked right here," Dipp commented as he stealthily changed out his cards.

"This isn't what I signed up for. I wanted to go on adventures alongside the governor, discover uncharted islands, and battling ferocious, grotesque sea monsters. If we are not even exploring islands anymore, can we still call ourselves explorers?"

Norton's words drew everyone's attention to him.

"Kid, are you still out of your mind? We've finally gotten a break from seeking Death, and you're whining about missing it?" Second Mate Conor replied, his voice a mix of surprise and frustration.

"The governor wasn't always like this. Even after he became a governor, he still continued to explore relentlessly. He was the only one who did that in the entire seascape. But I feel like he has changed; he seems to have lost his edge," Norton replied.

Dipp shot a sidelong glance at Norton. "It's not your place to question the captain's actions. Just follow his orders, that's the drill."

"Explorations.... and adventures... are means... not the goal..." Bandages added.

Feeling that his dreams had been utterly dashed, Norton stood up with his shoulder slumped in defeat and walked out of the cabin.

Amidst the sharp scent of tobacco and the faint clatter of playing cards, the crew's hearty conversation continued in the cabin.

"Speaking of which, I haven't been seeing Lil' Lily around lately. I heard that she came back to life but I haven't run into her myself yet. I really miss that little mouse after such a long time," a crew member commented.

"Captain has taken her away. There's probably something they need to deal with. After all these years of contributing lives to the sea, he actually managed to save one from Death this time. It's a miracle. If the Light God were still alive, I might just start praying to Him, too."

Meanwhile, in the first-class cabin of the battleship, Charles and Anna were closely examining Lily, who was placed on the table. Charles reached out a hand to gently stroke Lily's golden fur and muttered to himself, "Is the power of the Light God really in Lily? Why would He do this?"

Feeling Charles' affection, Lily nuzzled against Charles' palm with her fluffy cheeks, her eyes twinkling with happiness.

Previously, I definitely saw a burst of white light from her, but why is there no sign of it now? If we can somehow harness the power within her and control it, that would be a significant aid in our battles. Charles thought.

Just then, Anna reached out and grabbed Lily's tail in an attempt to lift her up. However, Lily turned around swiftly and snapped playfully at Anna's hand with her tiny white teeth.

"I've been wondering," Anna said, "why did the Light God choose to revive only Lily? Now, it seems like He has left some sort of backup plan for Himself."