Chapter 75. Break
The oyster shells hitting against the sizzling iron plate resulted in ongoing clinking sounds. Very soon, a cup of piping hot cream oysters was served before Charles.
Charles was about to fish out his Echo to pay for the meal when Old John waved him off dismissively. "This round be on me, matey. The Landin' Festival's been bringin' good fortune to me business. I can shoulder this one."
Charles took out an Echo bill from his wallet, and with a flick of his left hand, the money flew straight into the cash box. Embark on a quest to the commencement at n0v#lbin★
"Next time. I happen to have some spare change."
Before Old John could utter another word, Charles had picked up his cup of creamy oysters and rapidly disappeared into the crowd.
"Blimey, that young lad's all flush with gold now, ain't he? If only I'd stayed aboard that ship..." Old John lamented as he reached his hand into the cash box and fumbled around. Much to his surprise, he found that the bill Charles had thrown had half a gold piece neatly wrapped inside it.
As Charles savored the creamy richness of the oysters, his gaze wandered around at the roadside performances. In an attempt to gather a crowd, the nearby theater had set up a stage on the main street itself. Dressed in an array of costumes, the actors were delivering an enthusiastic performance of a new play. It seemed to be a love story of the Coral Archipelago's Governor.
The audience watching the show by the side shook their heads in disappointment after several minutes. Every local was all too aware of Governor Nico's reputation for being fickle and insincere in love, and he chased after one pretty boy after another. He would never ever have to come to a life-or-death decision for love. The portrayal of him being a man like this seemed ludicrously far-fetched.
As he meandered through the festive crowd, Charles gradually blended in with the cheerful islanders.
"Daddy! Look! That's the uncle who slashed me that day!"
Hearing a child's voice, Charles swiftly turned around to see Lily's family standing across the street and staring at him with terrified expressions.
How coincidental to see them here. Charles thought to himself. Infected by the cheerful atmosphere, Charles nodded at them in greeting.
The sight of Charles seemed to spook Oliver and his wife. Without uttering a word, they quickly scooped up their daughter and rushed toward the makeshift police station nearby.
Charles let out a light chuckle as he continued ahead. A circus troupe welcomed him. The rarely-seen lions let out a ferocious roar within their cages, sending the islanders into frenzied screams.
A variety of performances unfolded before Charles. There were acrobats swinging in the air, clowns on unicycles, lions leaping through hoops of fire and other performances. It was only then that he realized the diversity of entertainment available on the island.
Lily seemed oblivious to all that as she rushed up to Charles and urgently cried out, "Mr. Charles! Big Guy's been arrested by the police!"
Charles' face turned solemn instantly as he asked, "James has been arrested? What happened?"
"A tall lady gave me many Echo to buy myself some food. So I went to the grilled fish stall, but the fat guy wouldn't sell it to me and even hit me with a broom. Then I—"
"Get to the point!" Charles instructed as he threw on his coat, grabbed Lily and jumped out of the window.
"I went to the bakery where Big Guy's wife was, wanting to buy bread. But when I arrived there, there was so much blood. That lady was sobbing on the floor. I asked what happened, and she told me that Big Guy had been arrested by the police."
"Do you know which district?"
"Yes. District 7. My friend snuck into the place where they held people captive. Big Guy was inside, and someone was hitting him with a stick."
Taking a steam vehicle, Charles soon arrived at District 7's police station. The ebony-colored, four-story building stood out among its surroundings. Men and women dressed in their signature black uniforms moved in and out of the building.
Charles entered the building and quickly found his way to the Chief's office.
Pushing the door open, he was met with the sight of an elderly man dressed in a police uniform. His head was bowed as he scribbled on paper.
Charles pulled a chair and sat directly across from the elderly man. "Have you just arrested a man called James?"
Judging from the young man's attire and the distinctive smell of the sea emanating from him, Chief Reynold's face turned a shade darker.
He had always dreaded dealing with sea folk. Regardless of their status, they seemed to treat life lightly. They completely disregarded the law or the police. If they committed murder, they would flee to other islands in their ships afterward.
Reynold waved a hand, and the armed policemen at the door retreated.
"May I know who you are?" Reynold asked.
"Charles. You arrested my crew member. How much do you want for you to release him?"
"Your crew member was arrested for murder. How could I just release him?" Reynold's eyes widened in shock.
"Do you think this is my first time on the Coral Archipelago? How many times have you guys apprehended Small Ears from the Sea Serpent Gang, only for him to pay his way out? Name the price. Of course, I have my ways to resolve this if you remain insistent on not releasing him."