Chapter 146. Photos and Charcoal
The soft click of the camera rang out in the room. Linda emerged from under the black cloth that shrouded her and the camera and handed the freshly captured photo to Charles, who was waiting by the side.
Unprocessed, the raw image was a vast expanse of white and had nothing to be seen.
Charles turned over the photo to reveal the black side on the back. Taking out a ruler and pen, he sketched a detailed nautical map using the Coral Archipelago as the anchor point.
A small pile of photos was already stacked up on the table next to him. Each and every one of them had the same detailed map drawn on the back. As long as anyone from the Divine Light Order got their hands on any one of these photos, they would be able to find this island of hope bathed in sunlight.
While he could delegate the task of drawing the map to someone else, Charles preferred to do it personally since he trusted his own hands above all.
"Captain, we're running out of film," Linda remarked in a calm tone.
"Hold on." Charles picked up the sunglasses next to him and swiftly removed both lenses. He then layered them atop one another and placed them over the camera's lens.
"Aim for that crack above and use up all the remaining film," Charles instructed.
He refused to believe that the Divine Light Order cultists would play dumb if such irrefutable evidence were placed before them.
Charles decided to give those fanatics irrefutable evidence; he aimed to tell them that the Land of Light that they had been yearning for was right here. If they wished to see their revered Light God, they better come over as soon as possible.
If there was any organization in the subterranean realm that was more desperate than Charles to find the Land of Light, it had to be the Divine Light Order that worshipped the Sun as their God.
The Order had vast influence in the Subterranean Seascape, and their intervention could dramatically change Charles' current predicament.
Putting aside the idea of building planes, should the Order offer their assistance, given their goal of reaching the Land of Light, they would likely mobilize all their forces to build a massive tower piercing the skies.
It was a trivial feat to them, and reaching that fissure could be accomplished much faster than Charles working alone.
Moreover, once the Divine Light Order disciples arrived, the threat of the Sottom pirates would naturally be resolved. In a face-off where both sides were on par in numbers, pirates were no match against fervent cultists. Embark on a quest to the commencement at n0v#lbin★
Moreover, the number of Divine Light Order followers greatly outnumbered the pirates.
The once majestic and serene canopy had been reduced into bare stumps.
Environmental protection was far from Charles' consideration. His only concern was on maximizing the fuel output.
On the third day, the first batch of charcoal was ready and cooled down.
Charles eagerly dug a completely carbonized wood from the hardened mud.
Breaking it apart, he found that the charcoal piece had been thoroughly scorched. Its fractured surface had clear lines, and the color was a consistent jet-black throughout.
Charles was no charcoal specialist, but he could still discern that the produced charcoal was of good quality.
"Test them out in the turbines," Charles instructed as he handed the two pieces of charcoal in his hand to James.
The burly man nodded curtly before he gathered the charcoal into a sack and turned to head back to the ship.
By now, the straw shelter they had erected had extended into the waters. They could now directly walk from the island into the darkness.
Charles continued checking on the quality of the charcoal from the other kilns.
Just when he was checking on the third kiln, his peripheral vision caught sight of a silhouette dashing out from under the shelter to grab something from the nearby shrub and sprinting back into the shadows.
He recognized the individual in question to be his boatswain. He strode over and slapped Dipp on the back of his head. "What do you think you're doing? Do you want to die that badly?"
Only then did Charles notice the rusty piece of machinery in Dipp's hands. Judging from the item's appearance, it seemed to be something left behind by the Foundation.
A mischievous smile appeared on Dipp's face as he rubbed the back of his head. "Captain, it's fine. We tested it out over the last few days. Staying in the light for just a short while won't kill us."
Charles let out an exasperated sigh. He had always been wondering if Dipp had a few neurons short of a full brain. What was the point of risking his life to test out something like that? Just one mistake and his life would be cut short.
After sternly cautioning Dipp and giving the young lad a piece of his mind, Charles turned and walked toward the left of the shelter. He saw the twelve captains walking toward him, seemingly with something they wanted to discuss.
As usual, it was the ever-enthusiastic Feuerbach who spoke first. "Mr. Charles, my men have spotted freshwater nearby."
"And?" Charles raised an eyebrow. Given the lush greenery in this area, freshwater was undoubtedly present. Plus, the remnants of the Foundation could be found here as well.
The faces of the other captains lit up with ambition and greed. One of them quipped, "Can we talk about who will be the owners of this island?"