Chapter 230. Collapsed
Listening to the words coming from the brass box, Daniel clenched his hands and crushed the device into fragments. Staring at the white light's growing intensity, he hurriedly grabbed a life raft hanging on the ship's edge, tossed it onto the deck and pulled both siblings toward it.
"Remember! Survive! Don't seek revenge for me!" Daniel commanded before spitting out seven or eight red stones mixed with blood onto the raft.
Before a tearful Margaret could respond, Daniel's muscles tensed up, and he hurled the lightweight raft like a paper airplane, flinging it far into the sea.
Daniel didn't wait for the raft to hit the water. He turned toward the control tower and roared, "Charge! For Cavendish!"
With a blare of the ship's horn, the flaps over all the gun ports on the three remaining Royal Titans opened. The warships advanced toward the spider up ahead with its propellers spinning furiously.
"Brother! We can't let Father charge to his death like this!" Margaret cried out in desperation.
Jack remained silent. With a pained expression on his countenance, he carefully gathered the blood-stained red stones on the raft and pocketed them.
A blinding dazzle of light illuminated the entire sea region. The Cavendish siblings squinted their eyes instinctively. When the glaring light faded, the Royal Titan that Daniel was on came to a gradual halt.
Thump! Thump!
Margaret could hear the sound of her racing heartbeat in her ears.
No... It can't be! Impossible! Father is invincible!
Accompanied by the creaking and screeching of metal, the Titanic-sized ship slowly split down the middle into equal halves. The two sections crashed into the sea and churned giant waves that pushed the life raft even further away. Embark on a quest to the commencement at n0v#lbin★
As he watched the dramatic, majestic downfall of the Royal Titan unfold on the black-and-white screen, Swann let out a joyous whistle as he lounged comfortably on his leather couch.
"Though it took a full three years to build this, it was indeed worth the effort, don't you think so, Your Holiness?" Swann asked as he turned to the enormous stone sculpture next to him.
The statue nodded in agreement. "Your mechanical engineering skills are truly impressive. I thought you would need an even longer time."
Swann let out a hearty laughter. "Mechanical engineering is the foundation of the Albion Isles; it was necessary. I invest a lot in those universities every year, all for this purpose."
Swann lifted his glass and downed the contents in one mouthful. He then looked at the Pope with a hint of curiosity in his gaze. "I'm still rather intrigued. Where did you get all these technical blueprints and the actual items?"
The Pope's eyes narrowed into slits, and he shook his head. "There's no need for you to know. As long as you accomplish your mission, I'll reward you with benefits beyond your imagination."
"Oh? It seems like you have quite a few treasures, Your Holiness. Let me guess, they must be from inside that overhead crack on Hope Island, aren't they? Won't your Light God get angry over you taking these things so casually?"
"The ship has everything needed for escape. After getting out of here, seek refuge in the other regions. The Northern Seas would be far from peaceful for a long while," Jack advised before jumping off the ship.
Margaret seemed to have realized something and reached out a hand frantically. "Brother, hurry up and get on board!"
Jack grabbed her hand and gently kissed the back of her pale hand.
"I can't. I'm the eldest son. If I were to disappear, they would definitely do everything they could to find me."
With that, Jack pulled out a small packet of stones wrapped in cloth from his pocket and tossed it to her.
"This is the Cavendish Family's heirloom. Take it. I can't protect you on the journey ahead, Margaret. It's time for you to grow up."
"Then, I won't leave either!" Margaret declared in an agitated tone and was ready to leap off the ship.
But before she could do so, a hand reached out with a glass vial and swiped it under her nose, and she collapsed on the deck.
"Please take good care of my sister. Thank you all," Jack said to the five individuals who had materialized from thin air.
"Understood!" the five echoed in unison with a salute.
Jack watched the ship vanish into the darkness before he turned and walked leisurely back up the stairs. He seated himself in his father's office and picked up a family photo from the desk.
He gently traced his fingers over the four smiling faces in the picture. A tender smile appeared on his face as he reminisced about the happy memories.
He wasn't sure how much time had passed when he heard the commotion outside growing louder.
"Time sure flies..." Jack muttered as he pulled out several red orbs the size of ping-pong balls from the drawers and stuffed them into his mouth.
Swallowing them as they were was painful and unbearable, but Jack showed no hesitation. He endured the pain in his throat and shoved all of them down into his stomach.
Just as he felt that the red orbs were almost piling up to his throat, he finally stopped. He lit a cigar and waited for his guests.
Bang!
The door was kicked open. The moment Jack saw the intruders clad in the navy uniforms of the Albion Isles, disappointment flickered across his face.
"Where's Swann?! Tell Swann to come see me!"
The soldiers ignored his demand and raised their guns at him.
Jack's face broke into a self-deprecating smile. He opened his mouth and inhaled deeply on the lit end of the cigar.
A deafening explosion echoed across the Isle of Whereto. The bewildered islanders turned their gazes onto the source of the sound. It had come from the Governor's Mansion—the Governor's Mansion had collapsed.