Holding the Echo Paper Currency in both hands, John, wearing a sly smile, turned to leave, but just as he was about to push the door open, he hesitated and turned back with difficulty.
Looking at the figure interwoven between the light and darkness behind him, he faltered.
"Captain, I'm leaving too. To be honest, why don't you come ashore as well? Even if you save up enough money to buy an exploration ship, what good will it do? The Land of Light doesn't exist."
"It does exist."
Though Charles spoke calmly, his eyes radiated determination.
"How can something bigger than Biao Island hang in the sky, selflessly providing us with light and warmth, driving away the darkness? That's all a fabrication by the Light God Sect to deceive people."
Seeing that Charles remained silent, old John sighed and continued to persuade, "When I first met you, although you couldn't even speak, you were so vibrant, so cheerful and confident. I thought to myself, what a fine young man, I would definitely introduce him to my granddaughter if I had one."
"You don't have to keep it from me, I know you've been hearing the voice of God for many days now. If this continues, you'll truly go mad. Just give up."
Charles, expressionless, walked to the door and with a "bang," shut it.
"Son, you're too stubborn." John's footsteps slowly faded away, and the outside returned to silence.
"Am I too stubborn?" Charles murmured to himself, leaning against the door, his expression slowly contorting.
"What's wrong with wanting to go back?" Charles suddenly roared in pain.
"I've never done anything evil!! Why must this happen to me! Why!!"
"Eight years!! A whole eight years!! Why must I suffer this ordeal!! What's wrong with just wanting to go home!!" Charles screamed hysterically.
"glui mglw…na…" The whispering in his ears returned, causing immense irritation.
"I fucking hate this!!" In a rage, he pulled out a pistol and pressed it against his temple.
Just as his trembling finger was about to pull the trigger, a dull protest came from the neighbor through the wall.
"Stop the noise!! Keep it down!!"
Startled, Charles fell silent and reholstered the pistol, then carefully wrapped a wooden knife he held in a piece of cloth.
That night, Charles dreamed a lot, but when he woke up again, he couldn't remember anything.
"Knock, knock, knock." The door was knocked on again.
When Charles opened the door, he found a bald man with octopus tentacle tattoos on his face.
"Are you Captain Charles of the Rat? My name is Hook, pleased to meet you."
Charles eyed the man warily, his average-looking face and inward-bent deformed ears indicated he was a native of the Coral Islands, and the octopus tentacles on his face declared his belief.
"What do Futan believers want with me? Surely you're not planning to offer me to your omnipotent god?"
Feeling the hostility in Charles's words, Hook wasn't angered at all.
"To become a sacrifice to the Great Power, you're not necessarily qualified. I'm here for something else, Captain Charles. I heard you're in dire need of money."
Charles was not surprised, this fellow wasn't the first to have approached him.
"I don't smuggle contraband." Having said that, Charles was about to shut the door.
He had lied, it was just that if the benefits were enough he sometimes did smuggle too, decisively declining was just because he didn't want too much contact with the cults.
The only difference between Futan believers and the madmen in the streets was that they could speak normally. What sane person would consider a sea monster a god?
Just as the door was about to close, Charles suddenly heard a number drift in from the doorway. "One million Echo."
Staring at the black pupils in the crack of the door, the bald man with a hook nose flashed a confident smile.
"Mr. Charles, this reward can completely cover your financial gap, allowing you to buy a top-tier exploration ship. Think about it, if you discover a new island, you will have your own land and become the Governor of the new island, by then the women, power, and endless Echo Coins will all be yours."
Charles didn't know where these guys had found out about his intentions, but he was somewhat tempted; with so much money, the journey home would be much closer.
He didn't let his guard down though, the Futan Cult was no charity—massive rewards meant extreme dangers.
"What are you smuggling?" Charles asked warily.
"We are not asking you to smuggle goods, but to help us look for something. Please follow me, our High Priest will explain the details to you."
Charles thought for a few seconds, then opened the door and followed him out.
The two walked out from the harbor area, through the fishy-smelling port, towards the residential area of the island.
The residential area of Coral Main Island lost a bit of the chaos and had more liveliness. If it weren't for the grayish-white coral structures, Charles felt like he was walking down the streets of mid-18th century London.
Banks, hospitals, clothing stores, theaters—all modern facilities were available on the island. If it weren't for the people's deformed ears and pale skin, everything would seem normal.
An island was like a city, bustling with people on the main streets; the lights from the shops on both sides brightened the streets. From their clothes, one could tell there were both rich and poor, everyone busy with their own affairs.
"Grilled spider crab legs, only four Echo Coins each!"
"Daddy, I can't walk anymore, I can't."
"Extra, extra! Big news, Governor Nico is marrying his sixth husband in six days."
"Sir, can you spare me a moment? Let me introduce you to our Father and Savior, the all-knowing and all-powerful Great Power, Futan Savito."
The quiet and peaceful scenery however didn't quite appeal to Charles; no matter how peaceful, everything here was as fragile as foam. Although very rare, islands housing millions of humans had sunk before.
The two quickly maneuvered between the grayish-white buildings and eventually arrived in front of a solemn black spire church.
Stepping into the church, the sound around immediately hushed, the gray candlelight seemed to shroud the inside with a layer of gray gauze; in the middle of the main hall stood a barely human-shaped giant stone sculpture.
Called human-shaped, but it looked more like a standing, rotten octopus with inverted scales and eyes covering its entire body which was disturbing at a glance.
Devotees wearing black robes neatly lined up and recited some consonant-free language in a low voice, Charles listened, finding the words eerily familiar in some way.
"The High Priest is in the Confession Room, please follow me." The Hook led Charles through the crowd and proceeded further inside.
The security behind the main hall tightened, a black-robed believer stationed at every corner or room entrance. Though no one spoke, Charles could feel their eyes on him.
In a dimly lit room, Charles saw the High Priest of the Futan Sect, a figure in a red robe lying on the floor.
Hook respectfully performed a ritual salute and then withdrew.
The High Priest slowly rose to his feet but didn't turn around.
"Captain Charles, my sect needs you to find something. A Holy Relic of my lord."