Shrouded Seascape

Margaret's brows were furrowed as she listened to her subordinates' reports while sitting in front of a round table in the Governor's Mansion of the Isle of Whereto.

Margaret's scarred face showed weariness and fatigue. However, it wasn't just her; the officials of Whereto around the table looked exhausted, too.

It was difficult to manage a group of people living under the threat of the end of the world. Beneath the threat of rising sea levels, even the slightest spark could ignite the people's inner turmoil, transforming them into mobs.

They had to make sure that the people's emotions were in check, or they'd easily cross that line. In fact, there were quite a few bad actors tempting the people to cross that vital line.

"The resettlement of the islanders from the harbor district was completed yesterday. Navy troops are stationed in every street, taking over law enforcement duties. We're under martial law at the moment."

"The issue about personnel transfer is still ongoing. According to the Ministry of Administration, reducing the number of young adults can drastically lower the rate of violent crimes and—"

"Governor!" an aged voice interrupted the middle-aged woman, who was in the middle of her report. "The most valuable resource in the Subterranean Sea is manpower. Sending our young adults to the dangerous surface world is essentially sending away our island's future!"

Margaret cast an indifferent gaze at the old man covered with age spots. "The Subterranean Sea itself takes precedence over anything else. Whereto is not going to have any future if the explorers above end up failing their mission.

"I hope you haven't forgotten that Ebony Mist Island is already submerged."

"There are no buts. The plan is done. Is there anything else? Otherwise, today's meeting is over," Margaret said.

The old man looked like he wanted to say something, but he sat back down, looking defeated in the face of Margaret's resolute demeanor.

Silence reigned in the hall for over a few seconds until a man's voice shattered it.

"Governor, our plan to use faith to stabilize the people's minds has shown great initial results. The people are joining a variety of religions, but most religions on the island are new, so they lack cohesion.

"The priests of the Eye of Truth have expressed via telegram that they're willing to cooperate with us and establish their presence on Whereto."

Religions needed followers, and the governor needed stability. There was a synergistic effect between both goals, and it resulted in religions becoming more and more widespread throughout the Subterranean Sea.

Regardless of one's religion, everyone seemed to have agreed that if one was devout enough, one's god would lead them to their god's divine kingdom once the world was no more.

It was either that or they believed that their god would stop the rising sea levels.

Margaret never really believed in such words, and anyone capable of logical thinking wouldn't believe those random religions as well. However, it was too much to expect that each and every islander would remain logical amidst a world-ending crisis.

"Have them come to the Governor's Mansion tomorrow morning. I want to talk to them face to face. Anyway, if there's nothing else, then let's end today's meeting."

The floor screeched as the chairs were pushed backward. Everyone present bowed respectfully to their governor before turning around to leave.

Left all alone, Margaret looked around the empty conference room before standing up and walking to her office. Sitting down in the chair that once belonged to her father, Margaret closed her eyes and rubbed her throbbing temples.

Margaret had no idea why her father was always irritable, but now, she finally knew the reason behind her father's temper. It was practically impossible for anyone to maintain an amiable temper while handling troublesome issues every day.

After a while, Margaret opened her eyes and looked at the documents that her secretary had brought to her desk. The first document showed that Governor Julio's Invincible Fleet had finally arrived at the Fhtagn Covenant's doorsteps, and both sides had already engaged in a few skirmishes.

The document contained an analysis of the ongoing situation, and it seemed that the Fhtagn Covenant had no plans of fighting to the death. They all believed that fighting Julio was meaningless, as their Great One was about to awaken, and they'd soon enjoy a great life.

Meanwhile, Julio didn't descend upon the Divinity's Land with his fleet and start a full-scale war. Julio's goal was to distract everyone and stop the Fhtagn Covenant from causing trouble for Charles, who was on the surface world.

The offense was the best defense. Julio believed that the Fhtagn Covenant would have no time to meddle in the affairs of the surface world as long as he stuck to the Fhtagn Covenant like a thorn in their side.

Margaret opened the second document and saw a report about her own territory.

The report stated that the behaviors of the spiders on the Spider Islands had become abnormal. The rising sea levels were slowly submerging the island, so the spiders gathered in one place, weaving day and night.

It seemed that they were planning on weaving their spider silk into a ship that would allow them to migrate to other islands that were not sinking. It was unclear how the massive, house-sized spiders had acquired that behavior, but their efforts were doomed to be in vain, as all islands were in the same predicament.

"Without the spiders, the special spider silk of the Spider Islands will disappear; Whereto will eventually be unable to meet the surface's clothing demand. We must make those spiders stay," Margaret muttered to herself.

Margaret was eventually engrossed in her own thoughts.

After a while, a series of knocks at the door disrupted her from her train of thought.

Margaret looked up to see a smiling Anna leaning against the door. The knocking had come from Anna's fingers, which were tapping the door. "Long time no see, darling. How come you haven't sent even a single telegram to talk to me?"

Margaret put down the document in her hand and stood up. "Has there been anything new on the surface?"

"I didn't come here to discuss the affairs of the surface world with you nor to talk about Charles with you. I just wanted to see you, so I came here," Anna said. She gracefully approached Margaret and put a hand on her shoulder, pushing her back to her chair.

"You wanted to see me? For what?" Margaret asked, slightly taken aback.

"There's no need to hurry. I'll take you somewhere, and you'll understand once we're there," Anna said. The space next to her suddenly distorted, and Sparkle appeared a few moments later.

Sparkle was slightly over 1.3 meters, but it wasn't just her height that had changed; her appearance had changed significantly as well. Sparkle was in her childhood stage not too long ago, but now, she was a tween. Sparkle's face had changed a bit as well, becoming slightly more mature. It was unknown whether it was deliberate or not, but her looks were starting to resemble Anna.

Margaret stared at Sparkle's green cross-shaped pupils, and she seemed unable to recognize the latter as she muttered, "Is she...?"

"She's Sparkle, of course. Haven't you met her already? She's my daughter with Charles. Don't you think she's changed a lot? It's normal, as she's not really a child anymore. After all, she's already three years old."

Sparkle grabbed the hem of her skirt and crossed her legs to curtsy to Margaret.

Margaret was stupefied. Sparkle's growth rate was beyond her understanding.

"Margaret, can you curb your surprise? I'm really busy. I have to study many things every day."