“Get down! Cover with the canvas!” With Charles's command, the dark green canvas matching the sea completely covered the boat, and they huddled behind it, remaining still.

  The bright searchlight swept overhead but did not detect anything unusual before moving on to other areas.

  Letting out a sigh of relief, Charles lifted the canvas and caught a glimpse of the ship wielding the searchlight. It was a heavily armed warship, equipped with decks at both the front and back, and cannon ports along its sides. It moved quickly and silently; had it discovered them just now, their mission would have been a total failure.

  The propeller whirred to life, pushing the small boat slowly toward the island's edge. They were illuminated by searchlights from other ships a few times, but thanks to their prepared canvas and the boat's compact size, they went undetected.

  As they approached the island, the appearance of Water Heaven Island slowly revealed itself.

  If one were to describe Water Heaven Island in terms of geography, it would be hilly terrain. Apart from the dark rocks that formed low hills, rising no more than a hundred meters, there were no plants on the slopes. The island's crab-like shape, viewed from above, resembled a crab carrying several low peaks on its back.

  Multiple waterfalls cascaded down, continuously washing over the crab's back, while several small rivers meandered between the hills.

  Instead of heading directly to the dock situated between the crab's claws, they quietly docked on the left side of the crab, where there were no signs of life.

  “Hide the boat well; the dock is just ahead. We’ll walk slowly to avoid being detected,” Charles instructed his companions upon reaching the shore.

  “No problem, you’re the captain; you call the shots,” Fairbach responded eagerly, as always.

  Charles led them along the rocky shoreline, and soon a small river appeared before them, a tributary flowing from the distant waterfall.

  Charles crouched down, dipped his hand into the water, and sniffed it. There was no odor. After letting Lily’s rat taste it, they confirmed that it was indeed fresh water.

  Not only was it fresh water, but it was also of excellent quality; the river was crystal clear.

  Fairbach excitedly leaped into the river and floated on his back. “Captain Charles, this is easy! Our fresh water problem is solved. I’ve never seen so much fresh water before!”

  Charles looked up at the waterfall above. Even with his excellent vision and night vision ability, he couldn’t see where the water was coming from.

  “It could be a large lake or underground water, but considering the size of the space below, underground water seems more plausible,” Richard chimed in again.

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  “Get lost!”

  “Come on, buddy, it’s been a while, and you’re still not over it? Holding a grudge won’t do you any good. I wanted to kill you, but don’t you want to kill me now? We’re even, right?” Richard’s voice was laced with nonchalance.

  Charles didn’t want to argue with him now; he frowned and continued walking with his crew.

  After crossing the freshwater river and walking for another hour, Charles finally approached the center of Water Heaven Island.

  Unlike Coral Island, where the center was located in the middle of the island, the pirates on Water Heaven Island were mostly clustered along the crowded seaside.

  Opposite the claw-shaped water pools was a densely packed hillside city, with flickering lights illuminating the entire ridge. From below, it resembled a tiered coastal city.

  At the base of the hillside city was the dock of Water Heaven Island, which wasn’t particularly special. The pirates clearly used local materials; the buildings in the hillside city and dock were made of various black rocks, giving everything an exotic flair.

  However, no matter how unique the architectural style, it couldn’t change the fact that they were a group of ruthless pirates.

  On the bustling streets of the dock, rows of ragged slaves were tied with ropes, being led around like cattle. Various banned items and firearms were openly sold on the ground.

  “Don’t let their rough appearances fool you; the city is well-planned. Look at these streetlights, how bright they are! And the streets are so clean, not a single crazy beggar in sight! Look at those diligent prostitutes, they even had time to get dressed before coming to work!”

  Ignoring Richard’s ramblings, Charles led the others along the dock’s streets.

  As they moved closer to the dock, they became less conspicuous. The fierce-looking pirates paid little attention to Charles and his companions, only glancing at Lily’s group of rats.

  Most of the fuel sales on other islands were handled by customs, but there seemed to be no such organization among the gathered pirates.

  “It’s your turn; ask them where they get their fuel,” Charles instructed the beautiful woman named Lainis beside him.

  Lainis tossed her gray-white hair and smiled alluringly. “No problem. There’s no man I can’t get information from.”

  She glanced around, swayed her slim waist, and approached a drunken pirate.

  After a brief conversation, the tipsy pirate was soon led away by Lainis into a nearby alley.

  Before long, Lainis emerged with a triumphant expression. “Follow me.”

  Navigating through the bustling street, Charles and the others soon arrived at the side of a three-story black building that towered above the surrounding structures.

  Feigning interest in the view of the dock, Lainis whispered to Charles, “That guy said the fuel business at the dock is controlled by the ‘King.’ If you want to buy fuel, you can only get it from here.”

  “Mission accomplished easily; we can head back now,” Fairbach said, looking pleased.

  Charles shook his head, glancing at the several gun emplacements on the “claws” nearby.

  “No, trying to steal fuel from here would be suicide.”

  Not to mention the gun emplacements, even the dozens of warships docked there would prevent them from entering or exiting.

  “What should we do then?”

  “They probably don’t conduct transactions here. Richard, go in and find out where they store the fuel, and check the security there.”

  The follower of the Light, wearing a black hood, silently nodded. He held a tuning fork-like object to the white triangle on his forehead, and within seconds, his body became transparent and vanished.

  Charles rhythmically tapped his fingers on the rough wall, patiently waiting for Richard’s report.

  Since fuel was at the dock, this barren island must have a fuel production line; so many ships couldn’t rely solely on imports.

  If they couldn’t acquire finished fuel, perhaps they could consider half-finished products, as long as it could burn.

  “Bang! Bang!” The sound of gunfire disrupted Charles's thoughts, causing everyone on the street to turn their attention toward the black building.