Shrouded Seascape

Lily woke up in a daze. She looked around and realized that she was inside one of the Narwhale's cabins.

Pulling open the curtains and looking outside, she saw sunny Hope Island in the distance. They were back, and the waves were gently pushing the ship toward Hope Island.

Just then, scenes flashed in Lily's mind—the bizarre, living island, the unrecognizable Charles, and his parting words to her.

Lily revealed a look of anguish, and tears slid down her face. Their bond, which they had built over the years, seemed to have shattered on that island, and she felt a sense of foreboding that told her that she might never see Mr. Charles again.

When Lily clapped her eyes on Hope Island, Hope Island's observation tower spotted the Narwhale as well. In response, the navy was mobilized, and they slowly surrounded the ship armed with relics and a variety of weapons.

Bandages was extremely nervous upon seeing the Narwhale. He thought that they had gotten into some kind of accident out at sea.

Upon boarding the ship, Bandages rushed into the cabin with some navy troops, and they were surprised to find the crew covering their heads with agonized expressions while desperately trying to stand up.

The crew members were sent back to Hope Island. Soon, they all gathered in the Governor's Mansion of Hope Island, including the crew who hadn't joined the expedition.

Everyone present sat before a long table.

"So... the captain didn't... go back to his world...?" Bandages asked.

"Yeah, he didn't go back to his world," Dipp replied with a wry smile. "He became a Divinity of the seascape. No wonder he said that we can no longer get involved in his affairs."

The other crew members nodded. Indeed, mere mortals had no business getting involved in a Divinity's affairs.

"But what exactly does the captain want to do? Why did he do that?" James asked with a solemn expression. He found it really hard to imagine that the captain he was familiar with would make that choice.

James didn't even know if that island, which was larger than Hope Island, could still be considered their captain. The answer eluded James, and the others could not answer him as well.

The only thing they knew was that their recent encounter with Charles would probably be the last time they'd ever see him. After all, Charles had embarked on a completely different path from them.

Bandages raised his five fingers and tapped them lightly on the table. "The captain... told us not to... contact him anymore... there must be... reasons… behind that… order.

"No matter what... he wants to do... that's... his own... choice... What we can do… for him is… to avoid… causing trouble… We've spent… many years... sailing… everyone... take a good... rest..."

The crew members glanced at each other. Then, they pushed back their chairs and walked outside. The first mate was right. They no longer had a reason to set sail.

The crew members left one by one, leaving only Dipp, Lily, and Bandages.

Dipp suddenly stood up, and a forced smile suffused his scaled face. "Actually... I'm happy. The captain is fine. It's great. Really great. Now I can rest assured."

With that, Dipp turned around and walked toward the main door of the Governor's Mansion.

Just as he was about to walk out, he turned around and became emotional as he shouted, "I really thought he thinks of me as his family, so why?! Why did he not tell me anything before making such a rash decision?!"

Lily and Bandages didn't respond. Bandages stared straight ahead while Lily kept her head down.

Eventually, Dipp calmed down and strode out of the Governor's Mansion, leaving Lily and Bandages alone in the mansion.

The silent Lily finally looked up, and she stared at the first mate in front of her. The next moment, she sounded like she was holding back her tears as she said, "Mr. Bandages, can you please give me a ship? I want to go home."

She was already on Hope Island, so he wouldn't need a ship to go back to her home. Clearly, she was referring to her home in another plane.

However, Bandages didn't immediately agree to her request. "Are you... going to… come back...?"

Lily shook her head; the tears welling up in her eyes dripped down her cheeks.

"Stay... here... Everyone is here... The captain... is gone... But we'll... take care of... you..."

"Thank you, but I'm not a child. I don't need to be taken care of. Staying here is just going to remind me of the past," Lily replied with her head hanging low.

Bandages seemed to have realized that something had happened, as he didn't persuade her any further and simply nodded quietly.

Lily stood up and gave Bandages a gentle hug. Then, she turned and walked outside, leaving Bandages alone left in the Governor's Mansion of Hope Island.

Bandages sat down and froze, becoming as motionless as a statue. Charles' announcement of decommissioning the Narwhale at the time did not count, but this was a different story. The Narwhale was now truly decommissioned.

After an unknown amount of time, Bandages stood up in the empty conference hall. He stood ramrod straight and faced the empty chairs before him.

"Weister, Position:... First Mate. Duty: To assist the Captain in organizing work plans… and responsible for compiling… the cargo loading schedule. Helmsman covering the… 01200 to 2400 shift!"

Only a few people were aware of Lily's departure, as she knew that she was emotionally weak and was afraid of getting persuaded to stay on Hope Island.

The only people seeing her off were Linda, Nico, and Grace—two girls and an honorary girl. These three were pretty close with Lily and would often hang out together whenever they were off duty.

"Lil' Lily, can you just stay? I'm almost fifty years old, and it's honestly not that easy to make a close friend who doesn't mind the age difference," Nico said, staring at the young woman before him with a regretful gaze.

"I'm sorry, but I really have to go back. Perhaps I should have left a long time ago. This day has been postponed for such a long time as well. Don't worry; I'll have the mice deliver letters to you from time to time."

Just then, Grace rushed over and hugged Lily. Grace did not cry even when Charles ordered her to become a human bomb, but tears were now flowing down her cheeks, falling along the fissures all over her face.

"Lily, you're my best and only friend. I will never forget you!"

Lily's eyes reddened. "Mmhm, you're my best friend, too! Don't worry about your scars and your injury. There must be a way to fix them."

Linda walked over just then. She reached into the pocket of her white coat and took out a red potion in a bottle that was only as big as her index finger. There was a string around the neck of the bottle.

"Take it," Linda said.

"What is this?" Lily asked, wiping away her tears before accepting the bottle.

"It's a little parting gift. If you start missing us, drink it. It will take you to the deepest recesses of your memories."

"Thank you," Lily responded. Then, she tied the string around her neck, and the tiny bottle of red potion swayed back and forth before her chest.