Chapter 282. Returning to Hope Island
Sunlight. The blinding sunlight reappeared before Charles as he stood on the deck with his gaze fixated on his island.
As usual, Hope Island was bustling with activities. A constant stream of fishing and cargo ships entered and left the docks, each vessel spotting different designs.
A majority of them were steamboats, but there were also other peculiar types. There were even sailboats, which piqued Charles' curiosity since there wasn't much wind in the Subterranean Seascape.
The colossal ship docked, and Charles moved toward the sunlight. Yet, he hesitated to step into it.
With a flick of his tongue, he could feel that his saw-offed tooth had regrown.
The fact that even his teeth could regenerate was proof that Charles' regenerative capabilities were beyond that of a normal human. However, this was not entirely a good sign. Lately, he had been plagued by an unsettling thirst for blood. Emerging from n0v@lbin☆, this material harbors clandestine details.
Would I turn to ash in the sunlight? Charles pondered to himself.
"Mr. Charles, what are you doing?" Lily called out from behind with a tilt of her head.
Seeing no response from Charles, Lily went forward and even tugged at the hem of his pants, but she was still ignored.
After a few moments of hesitation, Charles steeled his heart and stretched his index finger into the sunlight.
To his relief, the sunlight was still warm and inviting as usual. His finger hadn't erupted in flames; it remained unscathed.
Good, that's good. The unease in Charles' heart dissipated, and he stepped fully into the sun and bathed in its warmth.
A longer and sharper tooth doesn't matter. As long as I remain unfazed under the sun. Charles' heart was completely at ease now.
Though his appearance leaned toward the more terrifying side, he didn't really care too much about it. After stepping out of the sunlight, Charles saw that his crew members were already waiting for him on the docks. The officials from Hope Island's Governor's Mansion stood beside them, too.
Bandages took a step forward with a questioning look.
Charles approached him and patted him on the shoulder.
"It's alright, it's settled now."
As another ship docked, a woman accompanied by two children and numerous bags alighted from the ship. They seemed to have been overwhelmed by the island's unique sights upon disembarking from the vessel.
Spotting them, Weister tossed the sign aside and rushed toward them with palpable excitement.
"Mother! I'm so glad you're finally here!" Weister exclaimed as he embraced the woman tightly.
It had been a long while since Elena, Weister's mother, had seen him. She parted her lips, wanting to say something but struggled to find the suitable words. In the end, she couldn't hold back her tears any longer and allowed them to flow.
All this time, she had been haunted by nightmares that her son would be lost to the sea just like his father. Every second that she was awake, she feared for her son's life.
But in order to support the family, she didn't dare to vent out her feelings. The moment she saw Weister alive and well, the tight tension in her heart could finally be eased.
Affected by their mother's emotions, Weister's siblings also joined in the embrace, and their cries mingled with Elena.
"Mother, don't cry. Look, I'm fine and in one piece, aren't I?"
Weister continuously reassured them in a gentle tone, and the trio's emotions gradually calmed down.
Taking the belongings from his mother, Weister led them forward.
"Why did you bring the old stool? Didn't I say in the telegram that you only needed to bring yourselves? Everything else is available on the island."
With reddened eyes from her earlier crying, Elena asked, "Weister, is what you said in the telegram true? Do you really work alongside the Governor now?"
"Of course," Weister replied with a hint of pride in his voice. "I'm earning big money now."
"Is the job dangerous?" Elena pressed on.
"How dangerous can it get when the Governor is around? Look, that's a pineapple. You surely haven't tried it before. I'll get some for you," Weister said.
He then approached the roadside stall and brought half a pineapple for each of them.
Weister's skinny sister held the pineapple in her hands and cautiously gave it a lick. Instantly, her eyes lit up with delight at the sweet and tangy taste. She really liked the fruit.
"It's good, isn't it?" I heard that they improved the cultivation using some relic. When the Governor had first arrived on the island, these fruits weren't this sweet," Weister explained.
Noticing his sister only taking a small bite and wrapping the remaining pineapple in a handkerchief to save for later, Wester felt a pang in his heart.
"Eat up, don't save it for tomorrow. I'll buy as much as you want," he assured her.