Shrouded Seascape

In a hastily constructed room at an outpost somewhere on a semi-desert region of the surface world, Charles swept his gaze across the sand figures standing before him. There were so many people that the room was packed to the brim.

The air in the room was a bit strange. Except for Lilith and the others who knew the inside story, the remaining governors revealed confused looks. They had never heard of the so-called Foundation before.

The concept of archaeology didn't exist in the Subterranean Sea, so the denizens of the Subterranean Sea paid little to no attention to the ruins scattered throughout the islands. Even if someone had taken notes of such ruins, the Foundation would have deleted those records.

"Simply put, the Foundation is an organization, and its goal back then was to save mankind..." Charles said, and then he went on to give them a brief summary of the origins of the Foundation.

"Esteemed Governor Charles, just what exactly do you need us to do? Our islands are already struggling to provide you with the resources that you need for your exploration on the surface, and our people are surviving on seaweed and fish so that we can provide you with what you need," a governor said.

It seemed that the majority of the governors were afraid that Charles would ask them to do something else in addition to what they were already doing. These governors were truly having a hard time amidst the ongoing crisis.

It was true that they held great power as governors, but the accumulated unease and anxiety in the hearts of their islanders were like a blade looming over their heads.

They dared not push their islanders too far, or the islanders' mental health would collapse, and they might stage an insurrection. By then, these governors would be the first ones to die beneath the uncompressed rage of their islanders.

Charles shook his head slightly and said, "No need to use your forces to look for them. You just need to know that they exist. If nothing unexpected happens, they'll look for you on their own volition. Perhaps they're already among us."

With that, Charles paused and glanced at the quiet Jax, but it seemed like the latter hadn't noticed Charles' gaze. Jax took off the monocle over his right eye and wiped it clean with a silk cloth before putting it back on.

Charles looked away and stared at the governors in front of him. "Members of the GK Council, I know that you are listening. I've made contact with the people whom you've sent to venture into the darkness.

"I don't know why you've chosen to hide, but please understand that the quickest way to resolve the ongoing crisis is to help each other out. If your principle remains the same, and if you're still planning on saving mankind throughout the Subterranean Sea, then please contact me as soon as possible."

When Charles' words fell, Anna quietly opened her right hand, and a dozen overlapping eyes filled her palm to the brim; the eyes quietly observed the expressions of everyone present.

The eyes would immediately capture any abnormal changes in their expression or behavioral pattern, but Anna's move didn't bear any fruits. She didn't find anything abnormal with the governor's expressions.

Soon, the meeting was underway once again. The darkness had already been found, but they still had many things to consider, such as how they could avoid relicfication and how to elude the notice of those entities comparable to the Divinities.

While Julio was busy talking about some vessel deployment issues with the Explorers Association, Anna walked up to Charles. Her right hand stretched out to grab Charles' prosthetic hand.

"The majority of the future explorations will be in the sky, so a major overhaul of the production lines in the factories on the island is necessary.

"This is a massive project that is going to cost us a ton of time, but it's a different story with the Foundation's help."

Charles frowned and fell into deep thought before saying, "We can't afford to pin our hopes on others.

"Send every single airship from our armada to the surface. We're in urgent need of information related to the skies shrouded in the darkness.

"Hehe, relax; we haven't lost yet. The Subterranean Sea's mankind has united, and we have so many technologies, methods, techniques, and knowledge at our disposal. Our strength will soon change qualitatively," Anna replied with a smile.

Sensing Julio's gaze, Charles set aside his thoughts and started answering Julio's questions.

The meeting ended at three o'clock in the afternoon of that same day. The people of the Western Seas had been immensely helpful, as the magic formations that they had drawn in each island had made it extremely convenient to convene a meeting of governors.

In addition, the fact that they could face each other during such meetings made every single governor feel that they hadn't been abandoned by the world. It also allowed them to have a better understanding of each other.

The meeting was adjourned, and the sand figures collapsed to the ground one by one. Charles and Anna's sand figures had collapsed as well, so Julio got ready to leave.

Just as Julio was about to leave, an old woman with a face full of wrinkles walked out from among the collapsing sand figures and bowed deeply toward Julio, saying, "Greetings, Governor Julio, the Esteemed Overlord of the Eastern Seas. May I ask how long would it take for us to retrieve the darkness and return to normalcy?"

Julio stared indifferently at the old woman and asked, "What's the name of your island? Since you're a governor, it'd be best if you keep on cooperating with us."

"Cooperating… we've been cooperating all this while. Food, fuel, and supplies… we've been sending them away for the expedition parties. We've also been publicizing your plans to save mankind through the newspapers, but…" the old woman revealed a bitter look, and she sounded like she was pleading as she continued, "If it's possible, can it be done quicker? W-we are barely hanging on."

Julio was seated on his throne inside a magnificent hall made out of pristine white marble located somewhere in the middle of Cat Island. He remained quiet as he stared at the piles of sand before him.

The hall was spacious, and the interior design made the hall appear both majestic and solemn. Overall, the hall exuded a solemn vibe that made people afraid to breathe too loudly while within the hall's confines.

Julio wasn't alone in the hall. A young man with a small tuft of hair on his chin was standing quietly with him, and he had heard every single word that was spoken in the meeting.

"What do you think of Charles?" Julio asked, shattering the silence.

The young man bowed slightly, and a hint of disdain flashed in his eyes as he replied, "Governor Charles is a radical and impulsive man who always acts without thinking of the ramifications of his decision.

"He ought to be hiding behind the scenes amidst the crisis and managing the overall situation from there. I believe that his years of exploration have not only left his body riddled in scars but have damaged his mind as well."

Julio shook his head in dissatisfaction. "You're wrong. Charles himself is the reason why these people are going to throw themselves one after another onto the surface world despite the danger that it presents.

"You've never been out at sea, so you don't understand how an explorer's mind works. They're a bunch of desperate people who don't give a damn about their own lives. They care more about whether they're being fooled or not."

"They'll keep following Charles for as long as he keeps on exploring, and it's because they're actually saving humanity by following the latter. They're not just cannon fodders that will eventually die meaningless deaths."

The young man's expression twisted in contempt as he said, "What difference can a ragtag bunch of lunatics eager to die make out there?"

Julio glared with wide eyes at the young man. "Curb that arrogance! Do you really think that you're automatically better than them just because you're my grandson? Can you even compare to them without that identity of yours?"

"My apologies, Grandfather," the young man said, obediently lowering his head.