Kede's ecstatic expression slowly twisted into a snarl as he turned to fix his gaze on Charles.

  "Captain Charles, thank you for so readily handing over the sea chart..."

  The followers of the Sun God Sect, expressionless, walked into the room, their eyes locked on Charles.

  Faced with the threat, Charles remained unfazed, looking at Kede with indifference.

  "What? You plan to tackle the remaining thirty-three islands all by yourself?"

  "As long as I have the sea chart, I can collaborate with other captains! The Land of Light must be discovered by me first," Kede replied, and at that moment, the followers revealed various firearms hidden beneath their robes.

  Charles's left hand suddenly moved on its own, reaching for the lightning rod concealed in his coat.

  "Don't move; he's just bluffing," Charles suppressed the action of his other persona.

  Looking at Kede again, he continued, "Are you afraid that I might discover the Land of Light first and steal your precious Sun God?"

  Kede's eyes narrowed with a hint of panic.

  Charles smirked and abruptly changed the topic. "At this moment, don’t you need an experienced exploration captain even more? In fact, we don’t have any real conflict, do we? You screw me over, I screw you over; that would just even things out."

  Kede's face twitched as he released Charles’s collar, redirecting his gaze to the sea chart in the diary.

  "I currently have three exploration ships. With your one, we’ll have four. Each ship can explore an island every two months; we could find the ladder to the Land of Light in as little as two years!"

  Seeing the firearms of the Sun God followers slowly lower, Charles moved to sit at the opposite side of the table.

  "No, it’s not that simple. Exploring unknown islands is fraught with danger. Can you guarantee that your three exploration ships will survive until the end? Besides, the King of Sodom knows about that place too."

  "It has to work! I’m putting everything on the line! I must die in the Land of Light; only by dying there can I enter the kingdom of the Sun God!"

  Hearing this, Charles felt a twinge of pity; this guy was clearly a madman.

  "Don’t you have anyone else in your church? Perhaps you could ask them for help."

  "Didn’t you hear me? If they find out what I’m doing, I’m dead! And the old fogies at the cathedral won’t believe a word you say!"

  Charles sighed, leaning forward to tap the sea chart with his finger.

  "Regardless, let’s start the exploration. Tell me the targets for your three ships; we don’t want to collide."

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  Kede pulled out a quill from an ink bottle and circled three islands on the chart. "We’ll meet here in two months to exchange information."

  With that, he turned and walked straight toward the door.

  "Haha, this fool seems to be in for a tough time," Richard commented in Charles's mind.

  "Don’t mind him; the more devout these cultists are, the easier they are to manipulate," Charles remarked, drawing a circle on another island on the chart. "Our next target is here."

  With the help of Lily the mouse, the crew quickly gathered, and the repaired unicorn ship was ready to set sail once more.

  This time, what made the departure different was that James's wife, Mosika, came personally to see her husband off. Once her true identity was revealed, James no longer hid anything.

  Watching them bid farewell on the dock, the single men on board felt a wave of jealousy.

  The doctor hobbled over to Charles, producing a gel. "Let’s see how things have been going."

  Frowning, Charles swallowed it down. The ringing in his ears returned, but it was much better than before; at least the doctor still looked somewhat human and hadn’t completely morphed into a monster.

  Three minutes later, the anomaly disappeared again. The doctor nodded with satisfaction, jotting down notes. "Whatever you’ve been doing, keep it up. It’s very effective in alleviating your mental pollution. As long as you continue, even with the curse of a god, I can guarantee you’ll live to thirty."

  Charles ignored the old man’s curse-like assurance. "How’s the black mirror coming along? Just don’t use electricity directly; that thing is delicate."

  The doctor didn’t look up. "That thing is mine now; I have my own methods. You don’t need to worry."

  "If you get it open, let me know," Charles said, curious about the contents of the tablet.

  The doctor didn’t respond and turned to leave.

  Life at sea was as monotonous as usual, with no anomalies in sight.

  "Clack." Charles opened the door to the cockpit, where the second mate, Crona, was at the helm.

  "Captain, don’t worry; we’re still on a safe route. What could possibly go wrong?"

  "Don’t let your guard down; safe routes can sometimes lead to trouble," Charles replied, glancing at the distant, blurry navigational marker. Fortunately, this time, the marker appeared normal, steadily approaching as the unicorn ship moved forward.

  "Captain, do you know about the volcanic islands in the southern seas? I was born there," Crona initiated small talk.

  "Oh," Charles replied nonchalantly, still checking the sea chart on the wall. The second mate was a bit chatty.

  "Do you know what they’re famous for? Besides iron and copper, the oil from Levi whales is the most renowned. It can be used for lubricants, fuel, candles, and soap. The leftover residue can even be used as fuel; perhaps the fuel we use in the turbine room comes from my hometown."

  Charles was somewhat aware of this; during the early stages of the Industrial Revolution, whale oil from the Pacific was a crucial industrial material before oil was developed.

  "So how did you end up in the northern seas? It takes half a year just to get to Coral Island from the volcanic island by ship."

  Crona looked a bit helpless. "Actually, my father was the captain of a whaling ship. He wanted me to inherit his ship. But I didn’t want to; Levi whales are at least a hundred meters long, and every year, ships get overturned by them, sinking to the depths."

  "So you left to avoid danger? To be honest, coming aboard my ship isn’t the best choice."

  Crona shook his head. "I’m not afraid of danger, but I’m afraid my children will have to do this dangerous work. I want to change that."

  With a glimmer of hope in his voice, Crona continued, "Captain, you know, on my tenth birthday, my father took me to the heart of the island to celebrate. That visit completely changed my perspective. I found that some people there are truly happy; each of them has their own land and doesn’t have to do anything. The renters send them echoes every month. They can be so happy just because they served as sailors on the governor’s ship when they first arrived."

  "Don’t worry; one day, you’ll have your own land."

  "When that time comes, I’ll bring my whole family over and let them all become islanders," Crona said, a flash of pain crossing his eyes as he seemed to recall something.