The chaotic scene confirmed that Shadow Island had indeed sunk. This was just a glimpse of those who managed to escape by boat; those without vessels were left to feed the fish along with their island.

  This was not merely the death of a few individuals, but the disappearance of millions. Although Charles never considered himself one of them, the thought of so many lives lost weighed heavily on his heart.

  The arrival of Shadow Island refugees had broader implications. As the *Unicorn* finally docked, Charles noticed a significant increase in laborers in the port area, most of whom were outsiders—refugees from Shadow Island.

  When they saw the *Unicorn* arrive, hope lit up their faces, and they rushed forward, only to leave in disappointment upon realizing it was not a cargo ship.

  But Charles had his own responsibilities. He gathered all the people who had escaped from the island.

  Looking at their anxious faces, he said, "Now that we’ve reached the shore, may we meet again in the future."

  The crowd erupted with excitement, and as soon as he finished speaking, they dashed toward the island, finally back in the land of the living.

  Among them was a polite little man in a cap who approached Charles and bowed respectfully. "Mr. Charles, you are a great captain. I wish you find a new island soon."

  Charles chuckled lightly. "Am I still great after throwing people into the sea?"

  The little man shook his head. "As long as you can safely bring your crew back to port, that makes you a great captain. Those troublemakers brought it upon themselves."

  As the crowd dispersed, only the crew of the *Unicorn*, Linda, and another follower of the Light remained—these were his own people.

  "Linda, go check if Kede has returned. If he’s back, let me know immediately."

  "As you wish," Linda replied, crossing her hands over her chest in a gesture of the Light before turning to head toward the dock exit.

  Watching their departing figures, Charles turned to his crew, each face beaming with excitement.

  Without wasting words—he knew they didn’t want to hear him talk at this moment—he began distributing their wages.

  Stacks of echo coins were handed out, and the crew’s faces lit up with joy; there was nothing better than receiving wages while still alive.

  While Charles was busy distributing the money on the deck, a man on the dock, puffing on a pipe, waved his hat toward the ship.

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  A sailor named Jack rushed down the ladder with a stack of coins. Their excited chatter reached Charles’s ears.

  "Hey, Jack, my friend! You’re finally back! Let’s celebrate!"

  "Cut the act; you want me to treat you again, don’t you? It’s always like this."

  "My cousin, don’t say that. I’ve got good news—lots of new stock has come in from Shadow Island, all beautiful and cheap. If you’re lucky, you might even meet someone from the heart of the island. Just think, those who used to look down on us are now lying in bed waiting for us. How great is that?"

  "Is it really that good??"

  "Absolutely! These women from Shadow Island are desperate—they have nothing."

  "Oh my god, I must go take care of these poor girls’ business."

  "Buddy, I’m a bit short on cash today. Can you...?"

  "Alright, alright, I’ll cover this time."

  "Oh, my cousin, your heart is as generous as the sea."

  Charles paused in distributing the coins, choosing to ignore them and instead calculate the compensation for the deceased crew members. This was beyond his control; the suffering of all beings in the sea was a harsh reality.

  After paying the necessary fees to the harbor authorities, the *Unicorn* and the *Divine Melody* were secured at the dock.

  Feeling a mix of exhaustion and relief, Charles headed toward the Bat Hotel, which now belonged to him.

  On the streets, the number of dirty, homeless children had increased, and every adult’s face was marked with anxiety.

  The port area, already a place where the impoverished struggled to survive, had become even more difficult due to the influx of Shadow Island refugees.

  Yet not everyone was unhappy; various religious followers stood by the roadside distributing flyers. In times of hardship, people instinctively sought a spiritual refuge.

  "Mr. Charles!! Long time no see."

  Hearing the call from behind, Charles turned to see Little Ear from the Sea Serpent Gang.

  "What have you been up to lately? We haven’t seen you in ages," Little Ear, with a bandaged left hand, approached along with a few subordinates.

  For some reason, Little Ear’s attitude toward Charles was noticeably more favorable this time, almost sycophantic.

  "I’ve been busy with some trivial matters. What happened to your hand?"

  Upon hearing this, a grimace crossed Little Ear’s face, and he spat on the ground. "Those trash from Shadow Island cut me with a knife! They dare to encroach on my territory! They’re asking for death."

  Changing the subject, Little Ear leaned in closer and whispered, "Forget that. Someone asked me to invite you to do some dirty work. Are you interested? There’s a decent profit in it, and I won’t take a cut."

  Charles shook his head, refusing outright. "Sorry, I’m not interested in that kind of work."

  One of the tall, thin subordinates took issue with Charles’s response. "Charles, give our boss some face! Our boss is a rare—"

  Before he could finish, Little Ear pulled out a revolver, swinging the barrel forcefully against the subordinate's face. "Who asked you to speak here? Shut up!!"

  After reprimanding his subordinate, Little Ear turned back to Charles with a smile. "No worries, if you don’t want to, that’s fine. I was just asking. I thought you might come by my territory more often. You’re always welcome."

  Charles calmly regarded him for a moment before leaving with his group of sailors.

  Once Charles was out of sight, Little Ear turned to the disgruntled subordinate. "Are you stupid? You think you can provoke a guy like him? Haven’t you heard he wiped out the Dagger Gang?"

  "He’s just Charles, the guy who was shipping goods with a small boat a year ago. He even brought us cargo before," the reprimanded subordinate protested.

  Little Ear looked enviously in the direction where Charles had disappeared.

  "Don’t you know? He’s not the same as before. He’s no longer one of us..."