Shrouded Seascape

Chapter 795: Wish

"Yes, the Subterranean Sea is too dangerous, and we are no different from ants in their eyes. The reason we're still safe is that they can't be bothered to make a move just yet. Otherwise, we would have been annihilated long ago and without being able to resist at that."

Anna lowered her head and gave Charles' lips a gentle bite. "That's right. This cursed place is not suitable for human life at all! You agree with me, right?"

Charles didn't say anything as he imagined two gods covered in tentacles bursting out of the sea surface to kickstart the apocalypse. Charles closed his eye once more and wrapped his arms around Anna's slender waist.

"Let's sleep. I'll think over it carefully."

A hint of irritation flashed in Anna's eyes, but it disappeared as quickly as it appeared.

Moments later, a tentacle emerged from Anna's beautiful hair. It flicked the light switch, turning off the bedroom lights.

Just as the tiny tentacle was about to return to Anna's hair, Charles pinched it between his fingers and said, "Withdraw the navy that you sent out to the Sea of Mist. Let's postpone the exploration of the Sea of Mist.

"It's not that easy to take away the Foundation's legacy. If 004 is still there, we might go extinct," Charles said.

Anna didn't respond. She simply turned around and turned her smooth, fair back toward Charles.

When Charles opened his eye again, he found that Anna was no longer in his arms. Clearly, Anna had gone out early in the morning to deal with some affairs related to Hope Island.

There were many things happening all over the island these days. Charles hadn't been going out, but he could hear the loud voices on the streets.

Charles lifted the blankets and stood up to get dressed. As soon as he pushed open the door, he saw four maids standing outside with a table of lavish breakfast prepared just for him.

Based on how every single dish was still piping hot, Charles presumed that they had calculated the time he'd wake up to ensure that he'd get to eat freshly made food for breakfast.

"What is this? What's it made of?" Charles asked. A round pastry that looked like granite was in his hand, and he promptly stuffed it into his mouth before he could receive any answer.

It was soft, tender, and was surprisingly tasty as well.

"Governor, this is black cod tenders. It's a breakfast dish that Chef Cher had created just for you," a maid said, introducing one of the dishes.

Charles chewed on it for a while before swallowing it. He then looked at the maid in front of him, who appeared to be around eighteen years old, and asked, "If you could make just one wish, what would you wish for?"

The maid was stunned. Clearly, she didn't expect such a question from Charles, but she quickly fell into deep contemplation, pondering over the reason Charles had posed such a question.

The maid looked up and saw Charles staring hard at her. The sight seemed to have made her realize something, and excitement suffused her face as she exclaimed, "My wish is to become the governor's woman!"

Hearing that, Charles stood up and patted her on the shoulder. As he walked past her and headed toward the exit, he said, "You'd better forget about that wish if you want to live a long life."

Charles had taken just a few steps outside the Governor's Mansion when he spotted Dipp in his blue mist form floating around the rooftop. The fishman seemed to be inspecting the entire island from the lofty vantage point of the Governor's Mansion.

Dipp's ability was proving useful for reconnaissance, and the members of Hope Island Police Department's District 3 were following in his footsteps, fusing with a variety of relics.

An anchor hook shot out of Charles' prosthetic arm, and he scaled the rooftop easily to stand in front of Dipp.

"Dipp, if you could make a wish, what would you wish for?" Charles asked the fishman before him.

Dipp's heart skipped a beat and pounded wildly against his chest in the face of Charles' question. He couldn't help but become nervous as he fell into deep contemplation. After a while, he finally managed to say what was on his mind.

Charles thought that Dipp's wish would be to become human once again, so he was caught off guard by Dipp's reply.

"Captain, I-I heard about how some governors have invited painters to paint a family tree for themselves. C-can you include me in that family tree?"

A family tree represented members of a family in a conventional tree structure, and Dipp's request to become a part of Charles' family tree could only mean one thing.

Charles stared deeply at Dipp and saw the latter smiling at him with his razor-sharp teeth revealed unabashedly.

Charles smiled lightly and replied, "Sure. I've never done anything like that, but I can draw one if you want me to draw one."

"Really?! Can it be done today?!" Dipp exclaimed, looking delighted and thrilled.

It seemed that a family tree was of great significance to him.

Charles returned to the Governor's Mansion and quickly located the drawing board that had been doing nothing but collect dust all this while.

Charles quickly got to work and the portraits of Charles and Anna soon appeared at the very bottom of the drawing board. Then, he drew a tree trunk growing out from the top of them.

As the paintbrush grazed the drawing board, the tree trunk sprouted more and more branches. One of the branches depicted Sparkle, and another branch depicted Dipp and his wine-red-haired wife Aliya.

Under Dipp's name, Charles wrote down his own surname that he hardly used—Reed. Once he was done, Dipp's full name was now "Dipp Reed."

When Dipp received the family tree, tears flowed down his eyes as if they were broken faucets. Clearly, the drawing really meant a lot to him.

Just then, Dipp charged at Charles and hugged him tightly while crying like a child.

Stroking Dipp's fin, Charles asked, "Is this really your wish? Isn't it so easy?"

"Yes, this is my wish." Dipp nodded repeatedly. "I've been wanting to become a part of your family since you picked me up on the streets, but I've always been afraid that you wouldn't want me to become your family."

While the two were talking, Sparkle's portrait in the drawing moved slightly, and Sparkle emerged from her portrait moments later.

"Sparkle, Dipp is your brother from now on," Charles said, staring at Sparkle.

Sparkle seemed dumbfounded as she sized up Dipp from top to bottom.

"Sure, whatever you say—whatever makes you happy."

With that, Sparkle turned around to leave, but Charles grabbed her wrist.

"Stay here for a bit, Sparkle. I have a question—if you could make a wish, what would you wish for?" Charles asked.

Rather than responding, the young girl waved her hand lightly, and the two instantly found themselves in a building on top of the World's Crown.

There was a short but vast circular tank nearby, and Sparkle walked up to it, stretching out her tentacles to poke the tiny people inside before asking, "Are you asking me that because of the wishes that you got from 005?

"If I were you, I'd make the same wish as Mommy. What we need the most is absolute power."

Charles walked up next to Sparkle and looked down at the tiny people inside the tank. "No, don't think too much into it. It's just a simple question. If you could make a wish, what would you wish for?"

Sparkle's green cross-shaped pupils glimmered as she pondered over the question.

"I want to go back into Mommy's belly."

"Oh, is that so—huh?!"

"I'm convinced that if I actually come out of her belly and grow slower, preferably at the same growth rate as ordinary children, I wouldn't be in this quandary today. I'm learning many things, but I'm becoming less and less happy the more I learn.

"I want nothing but to enjoy a normal childhood."

Charles didn't expect Sparkle to make such a wish.

It seemed that growing up too fast was a bad thing in her eyes.

"Forget it. I was just talking randomly. I've grown up, anyway, so there's no point in talking about that at this point. You shouldn't waste your wishes on such a trivial matter.

"And you shouldn't ask others what they'd wish for, Dad. Everyone will eventually have to face the harsh reality after all, so becoming a god is the best wish to make based on our current situation.

"By becoming a god, you'll become powerful enough to establish a hegemony throughout the Subterranean Sea. You will attain eternal life as well."

Charles reached out to pat Sparkle's head and replied, "There surely is more to becoming a god than what meets the eye."