Shrouded Seascape

Julio stood up slowly from his throne made out of white marble and put his hands behind his back as he walked toward the distant glass window.

The young man hurriedly followed behind him.

Walking toward the nearly one-hundred-meter-wide white marble balcony, Julio asked, "What do you think about our chances of success?"

"It's hard to tell without enough point of reference. The only thing that we can do is give it our all," the young man said. He dared not draw a conclusion so quickly.

Seeing that Julio went silent, the young man was secretly delighted in his heart. It meant that he had given the right answer.

Upon reaching the parapet, Julio looked down at his territory. This was his kingdom, and he was the king.

Julio's salt-and-pepper hair swayed as the wind blew across Julio's face. The breeze was refreshing, and it didn't have a fishy smell, which was unlike every other island throughout the Subterranean Sea.

After all, Cat Island was the largest island in the entire Subterranean Sea. The majority of the buildings on the island were made out of earth, and they looked like cave dwellings.

The island's soil was special; one just had to mold it into their desired shape and set it with fire—that was it. One would then have a house afterward, which was extremely convenient.

Machines were becoming more and more common on Hope Island, but there were almost barely any machines here. The islanders of Cat Island had been using beetles to replace and augment human effort for a long time now.

The beetles were in a variety of sizes; the larger ones were the size of small houses, and the tinier ones were only the size of an adult's fist.

These beetles were endemic to Cat Island. One issue was that these beetles would sometimes find their way beneath the people's skin, but it was a nonissue, considering the convenience that these insects were offering to the people.

Some of the larger beetles could even be used as pack animals to transport things, some could be raised as food, and those with poison could be transformed into weapons.

The islanders had decided to integrate with the island's "natives" upon their arrival here rather than destroy and shape the environment to their heart's desire.

"Rest assured, Grandfather. Our island is the largest in the Subterranean Sea, and the sand-digging worms are still working tirelessly in the sea. If we're talking about which islands are going to sink first, then we're definitely not on that list."

"Is that the limit of your ambitions?" Julio glanced at the young man, making the latter feel a bit nervous. "You know, I sometimes find myself admiring Charles. He's fearless. He knows that there are such terrifying entities up above, but he remains steadfast in his decision and never hesitates about barging into their territory."

Hearing that, the young man instantly knew what he had to say."You're fearless as well, Grandfather. In addition, you're far stronger than Charles. He's not even worthy of being compared to you."

"I'm not going to put up a facade in front of my grandson," Julio shook his head and admitted, "I'm afraid of death—I'm very afraid of death. That is my true nature, and it's the reason I'm still alive."

"I've been killing others first to ensure that they couldn't kill me. It is unfortunate, but I can no longer rely on that method. After all, I cannot murder the sea. The only thing that I can do is to become a lunatic and go all in with Charles."

"Our plan is definitely going to succeed, Grandfather. You're joining us, after all!"

For some reason, Julio sighed at his grandson's words. "Do you know why I chose you as the next Governor of Cat Island, even though you suck at flattery?"

The young man froze at the question and pondered over it for a long time. Finally, he looked up at Julio, who was staring at him with an indifferent look.

In the end, the young man decided to tell the truth. "I think… I think it's because Father and the others have become too corrupted by power and greed; their ambitions have become limited to just Cat Island, but I'm different.

"I'm still young, so I can still change."

"Cat Island is huge—it's big enough to easily accommodate everyone's ambitions. I even noticed that some people truly believe that they can completely ignore the outside world once the island's issues are resolved. They believe that Cat Island will remain the strongest island in the Eastern Seas for a long time."

Unlike his confident and arrogant family, Julio didn't think that Cat Island would remain the strongest for a long time.

He was known as the strongest governor in the Subterranean Sea, and Cat Island's invincible fleet could sweep across every single island throughout the Subterranean Sea. However, Julio himself knew all too well the fragility of Cat Island.

In fact, Governor Swann of the Albion Isles had managed to threaten Cat Island not too long ago, and it was a fact that made Julio feel quite nervous. Of course, he had to keep up a strong and powerful facade to maintain Cat Island's status.

Julio was the most sober member of his family, which was to be expected, considering that he was the oldest. Unfortunately, the oldest member of the family was bound to die first, and Julio was truly afraid of dying before those drunkards, who still couldn't get enough of the liquor called "power."

Julio felt miserable at the fact that even if he worked hard to save the Subterranean Sea, he'd most likely deliver his own island to the hands of those drunkards, who'd ultimately ruin what he had worked hard to build.

"Knorr, take some people with you to join the Fhtagn Covenant. Everything is prepared, so leave tomorrow," Julio said.

Knorr was so shocked by Julio's sudden words that he thought he had misheard the latter. His voice was trembling as he said, "W-w-why? Did I do something wrong, Grandfather?"

Julio didn't explain anything as he added, "Once you get there, forget everything about Cat Island. You'll become nothing but an ordinary islander by then. They've been enticing many people to become Fhtagnists, so it should be easy for you to join them, and they shouldn't have any issues brainwashing you with your mental state.

"If we somehow succeeded in saving the Subterranean Sea, we'll pay a visit to those Fhtagnists. By then, I'll find a way to rescue you from them. If we end up failing, then take the survivors of this island with you and live on at the seafloor."

"This isn't funny at all, Grandfather. Can you stop joking around?" Knorr said, looking terrified. It was only just a few moments ago when Julio was talking about how Knorr was the next Governor of Cat Island, so how come he had suddenly decided to send Knorr into the hands of those terrifying Fhtagnists?

"You're strong—the strongest! No trouble should be difficult for you, right? You're Julio, A Level 15 expert and the strongest Governor in the Subterranean Sea!!" Knorr exclaimed.

However, Julio ignored Knorr's pleas and waved his sleeve. Insect guards appeared out of nowhere and took Knorr away.

"I'm strong, but so what? Something that can never be replicated cannot protect Cat Island forever," Julio muttered to himself while looking down at his hands.

Just then, he heard familiar footsteps behind him.

"So you've come, old friend."

"I've received the research documents of Hope Island's Relic Research Institute. They sent it over to me via telegraph. I wanted to do the same, but I think it's better for me to deliver something like this in person," Jax said as he walked up to Julio's side and stared at the scenery outside with him.

"How long do you think we can hold out?" Julio asked calmly.

"Using the publicly available data as references, all islands can hold out for at least a year, but the reality is much harsher."

"Haha, you didn't have to say that the reality is much harsher. I could have guessed it myself. Anyway, that side of you is really annoying; you have a penchant for saying only half of what someone is supposed to know."

"Well, the governors and the islanders have to be reassured somehow…"

"All right," Julio replied before suddenly asking, "Are you a member of the so-called Foundation that Charles had mentioned during the last meeting?"

"No, I'm not."