Chapter 142. Sunlight
Watching Kord's crazed antics, Charles couldn't concern himself with the elderly man. He turned and approached the others who stood rooted to their spots like wooden stakes.
He snatched the telescope from his second mate, Conor, and lightly tapped him on the head with the tool. "Well, what a brilliant lad. You are surely the first to try staring at the sun with a telescope," Charles remarked sarcastically.
"Captain, wh-what's that thing?" Conor asked in a stammer as he pointed toward the sky.
"The sun. What else could it be?" Charles replied nonchalantly and pushed the telescope into Conor's arms. He crouched down and picked the frozen white mouse up from the ground. Placing her in his open palm, he patted her head and commented, "Stop staring, or you'll turn into a blind mouse."
"Mr. Charles, is your home up there? Is that the place with the televi or was it a computa?" Lily's voice trembled with excitement as she popped her head out between Charles' fingers.
Charles smiled slightly and playfully tossed the white mouse into the air. He caught her once more amidst her squeals.
"Little Lily, you've guessed correctly. That's my home."
In a joyous mood, Charles had barely finished speaking when a heavy thud from behind him indicated something had struck the sand.
"Hmm?" He turned around to see Kord, who had been seated upright moments ago, was now lying face-first in the sand. Chart your course back to the origins of this substance at n0v^lbin
Charles instantly felt that something was amiss. Grabbing Lily with him, he rushed toward the elderly man and pulled Kord back into a sitting position.
"Hey, what happened? Speak to me!" Charles roared.
However, Kord seemed unresponsive to Charles' cries. A placid smile remained frozen on the elderly man's visage.
A cold dread consumed Charles, and he gradually extended a finger and placed it under Kord's nose. Kord was no longer breathing.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
"Perhaps the humans here have dwelled in the darkness for too many generations that they have evolved and can no longer survive under sunlight," Charles mused to himself.
After standing in the sunlight for a few more moments, Charles started gathering the lifeless bodies on the beach. Doing a swift tally, he counted seventy-nine deaths, including one of the captains, Kord.
It was a tragic loss.
Previously, Charles had been perplexed as to why hadn't the Sottom pirates claimed this paradise even when their leader, “King,” knew of this place. But now, his question had been answered.
With a heavy heart, Charles gently closed Kord's widened eyes. Glancing at the piercing sun rays for the last time, he turned and swam toward the Narwhale.
The moment he climbed aboard the Narwhale, he saw that the remaining captains and crew from the twelve ships had already gathered and were awaiting him. No one uttered a word, but their eyes were fixated on Charles.
A mix of emotions filled their gazes. Wasn't this the Land of Light? Why had so many perished? Why was Charles unharmed? What was the true nature of their mission? A flurry of questions swirled in their minds.
Taking the towel from Dipp, Charles briskly wiped his body before he turned to address the crowd. "I won't dwell on unnecessary words. As you guys have seen for yourself, Kord hadn't been lying. Our mission had been to seek the Land of Light from the very beginning. But this isn't the legendary land. The true Land of Light is beyond that fissure in the sky.
Whispers erupted among the group, but they ceased the moment Charles continued with his speech.
"And I’m from there... the very fact that I remained unharmed from the sunlight is proof of it."
Charles had made the same claim countless times for the past nine years in this subterranean realm. However, this was the first time that no one responded with a mocking laugh.
"Our next goal is to find a way to get up there."
"But the divine light from the Light God will kill us all. Why should we get up there? The Divine Light Order's tales were deceptive lies! It's nothing but lethal light up there. There's no way anyone can live in the Land of Light!" A voice from the crowd retorted Charles.
"No, no, no. You lot still don't get it. Yes, the sun is lethal; it's indeed a tough obstacle to overcome, but there's surely a way to resolve it. If we can't find answers down here, there are plenty of smart people above, and they will find a solution.
”Even if it means wearing protective suits around the clock or only being able to venture out in the night, the world up there is still way better than this cursed realm. Tenfold, hundredfold, thousandfold better!" Charles tried to appeal to the group as he swept his gaze across them.
"Every one of you is surely aware of the sinking of Shadow Island. Do you plan to live in perpetual fear of these islands sinking at any moment? Let me tell you—up there..." Charles pointed at the radiant crack in the sky. "In that legendary Land of Light lies a continent greater than the entire subterranean seascape. Not only are the lands incredibly fertile, but they also never sink!"