Listening to Charles’ words, Lily nuzzled her furry face against his hand. "In that case, I won’t be mad at you anymore. I’ll help Mr. Charles build a new home. But you have to promise not to pinch me again. It really hurt."

  "I promise," Charles said, gently stroking her head.

  As Charles comforted his gunner, a bandaged arm suddenly rested on his shoulder. There was only one person on the Narwhal who dressed like that.

  Charles turned to look at his first mate. Though Bandage didn’t say a word, Charles could sense his concern. "It’s fine. Don’t worry. I’ve endured so much over the years. A small setback like this won’t break me."

  "Can… you… tell me… about your past…?" Bandage spoke slowly.

  Charles looked at the bandaged face for a few seconds, then nodded. "Sure."

  He stood up and began recounting his journey to this world in a calm tone.

  As Charles recalled the events of the past nine years, he suddenly realized he had left many marks in this place.

  When Charles finished, Bandage paused for a moment before speaking. "Captain… are you really… sure that up there… is your world…?"

  "I’m absolutely certain!" Charles said firmly. "Not just because I fell into the sea when I arrived, but also because the Foundation’s records provide crucial evidence. They mention surface locations. The artifact that replicates everything, 157, was discovered in Edinburgh. 1002 also mentioned that the Foundation’s surface headquarters is in Washington. Though these places aren’t in my country, they are part of my world!"

  Bandage looked up at the crack in the sky, his eyes filled with deep confusion. "Then… do you think… I might… be from up there too…??"

  The question caught Charles off guard. Considering the mysteries surrounding Bandage, it was indeed a possibility.

  Charles smiled and patted Bandage on the shoulder. "When we get up there, try to recall your memories. Maybe seeing a familiar environment will help you remember."

  Bandage turned to Charles. "Then… let’s find a way… to go up together."

  "Right."

  As Charles spoke, he suddenly noticed an unusual silence behind him. He turned around and saw that the other captains had arrived at some point and were quietly listening to his conversation with Bandage.

  Charles cleared his throat. "Let’s head to the captain’s cabin. There’s been a change in the situation. We need to discuss our next steps. Linda, you come too."

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  Charles walked toward the cabin, and the twelve captains quickly followed, leaving the deck much emptier.

  "This is the situation. Due to the Earth’s rotation stopping, the environment up there has undergone some changes. We might never see nightfall again. We need to find another way to get up there."

  Feuerbach raised his right hand, signaling he had something to say.

  Seeing Charles’ gaze turn toward him, Feuerbach touched his nose and spoke. "Mr. Charles, you say you know the Land of Light very well, but do you really?"

  "What do you mean?" Charles frowned.

  Feuerbach stepped forward, standing out from the group of captains. "I’m not questioning you, but I have a small doubt. Could you clarify something?"

  "Just like the sea here, no one can claim to know every island in the four seas. Since you say the Land of Light up there is much larger than down here, isn’t it possible that in areas you’re unfamiliar with, there’s a place where it’s always day?"

  "How could there be a place on Earth where the sun—"

  Charles was about to refute when his pupils suddenly contracted. He hadn’t thought of it before, but Feuerbach’s reminder made him realize that such places did exist on Earth.

  The North and South Poles experienced polar day. If the crack above led to one of the poles, it was possible the Earth hadn’t stopped rotating.

  A glimmer of joy rose in Charles’ heart. If that were true, it meant everything up there was normal, and modern society still existed.

  "Buddy, that doesn’t make sense. Look at that sun. The poles are so cold. Could the sun be that nice there?" Richard interjected.

  "Why are you so sure? Have you been to the North Pole?"

  "Come on, before we came down here, we hadn’t even left our province. How would we know what the sun is like at the poles?"

  Seeing Feuerbach’s questioning look, Charles pushed aside the myriad thoughts in his mind.

  "Maybe. But that’s not important right now. Regardless of what’s causing the polar day, we need to solve our problem. As long as there’s sunlight, the Bat Mirror won’t work."

  "Our main issue now is how to get up there. Once we reach the surface, all our questions will be answered. And our time isn’t unlimited. The pirates of Sodom could come to collect sunlight at any moment."

  It was indeed possible that the crack led to one of the poles, but the pirates of Sodom wouldn’t wait for Charles to go from polar day to polar night. The transition between the two took a full six months. And that was just a possibility.

  Hearing Charles’ last words, all the captains’ expressions turned serious. Before coming here, they had raided the pirates’ occupied Freshwater Island. If they ran into those pirates again, none of them would fare well.

  "You’re the leader now. So, what should we do?" the captain with a hook for a hand asked Charles.

  Charles, his brow furrowed, tapped his fingers rhythmically on the table. His current situation was difficult. He couldn’t go up, couldn’t go back, and the pirates of Sodom could arrive at any moment.

  The atmosphere in the cabin was tense. Everyone’s eyes were on Charles. As the leader of the fleet, he had to come up with a solution.

  "Do any of you have a special way to contact other islands?" Charles asked.

  A captain with a cold expression stepped forward. "I do, but we’re too far away. If my ship gets within three hundred nautical miles to the west, I can contact my father on the island."

  "Can you transport items?" Charles touched his prosthetic arm.

  "Yes, but only small things, and there’s a chance they’ll get lost."

  "Can your father send something to the main island of the Church of Light?"

  "He can. He’s not far from the Grand Cathedral."

  "That’ll do. Linda, I remember Kod had a camera, right? Is it still on the ship?"

  Linda, who had been standing in the background, was taken aback. She hadn’t expected to be involved.

  "Yes, he brought it. It’s in the darkroom of the Divine Domain."

  "Good. Bring me the camera. I need to take some photos of this island." Charles had thought of a way to get out of this predicament.