Shrouded Seascape

The humanoid figures produced an unsettling hissing noise as their scarlet, forked tongues flicked in and out of their green lips.

For a moment, Charles couldn't quite decide if they were more like snakes or lizards.

Sparkle took a step forward, but Charles gently pulled her back and said, "Not so quick. Let's see what they have to say first."

"Outsiders," one of the Serpentites glared at Charles with pure hostility in his eyes. "You don't belong on this island. Before you try to cause any trouble, you'd better remember whose territory this is."

Judging from his tone and the fact that he had the nerve to speak out first, he was most likely the leader of the Serpentites.

However, his words struck Charles as odd. It didn't sound like the words of a villain or that of a mindless man-eating monster.

"Whose territory is this? The last I checked, this was human territory," Charles replied, a cold glint flashing across his eye as he regarded the group before him.

It would have been better if Charles had kept his words to himself because his response clearly triggered the Serpentites off.

Fury suffused their faces as they hissed in unison and pulled out dark, greenish daggers dripping with a strange, viscous liquid. Their lips parted to reveal rows of sharp teeth. The next moment, their figures blurred with speed and left behind a series of afterimages as they charged at Charles.

In that fraction of a second, one of the Serpentites had already leaped into the air, its blade only barely thirty centimeters away from Charles' face.

A vicious grin spread across the Serpentite's hideous visage. He thought his attack had succeeded. However, before his dagger could make contact, a blinding light burst out and illuminated the entire alley.

Transparent tentacles, crackling with electricity, emerged from the ground and danced relentlessly. Arcs of electricity jumped between the Serpentites, leaping from one to another.

When the light gradually dimmed and disappeared, the alley was left strewn with dozens of charred bodies. The pungent smell of burning flesh and the acrid stench of urine filled the air, mingling with the damp, filth-strewn ground.

"Let's go. This island is rather interesting. We should explore it more," Charles remarked as he led Sparkle past the smoldering corpses of the Serpentites.

Charles wasn't really bothered about the origins of these creatures. After all, this wasn't his island. Once Sparkle was done having her fun here, everything here was none of his concern.

As soon as Charles and Sparkle disappeared from sight, a pair of glowing eyes lit up in the nearby filthy sewer. Their gaze was filled with confusion and unease.

"Charles? What is the governor of Hope Island doing on my island? What does he want? This won't do. I must report it to Mr. Pitt immediately!"

Returning back to the bustling streets, Charles and Sparkle strolled leisurely through the vibrant, foreign marketplace. This time, there was no longer anyone tailing them.

Crunch!

Sparkle took a hearty bit of the thin, crispy pastry in her hands. The pastry had been pressed down to become extremely thin and oversized, there were also strips of meat in between the layers. Judging from the color, it seemed to be fish meat.

"Dad, do you want to try? It's actually pretty good," Sparkle said as she extended the snack toward Charles.

Charles merely shook his head. Compared to the food, he was more interested in his daughter's ability to taste food. "You can taste food now? I remember Anna once told me that you couldn't before."

Sparkle took another big bite and as she chewed, she said, "Yeah, I couldn't before, but I've learned how to simulate it now."

"The ability to taste is just about creating a tongue that could taste flavors. I've been getting stronger over time, and my ability to learn has been growing, too," Sparkle said in a casual tone.

Charles gazed thoughtfully at Sparkle. She was barely five years old, and yet, it was hard to fathom how much power she would have decades later.

If there were no limits to her growth, wouldn't that mean that Sparkle could become one of the new gods of the Subterranean Sea? Perhaps with her protection, the humans in the Subterranean Sea could escape from the endless death loop.

It was a slim chance, but Charles couldn't help but hope that it was true.

"Hmm? What's wrong?" Sparkle tilted her head and stared at her father.

"Nothing," Charles said. He then turned to the vendor, a man holding two large iron plates and toasting the flat pastry. "What kind of meat is in this?"

A hint of pride flickered across the elderly man's countenance as he replied, "Ah, you are not from around here, are you? The meat in the shark meat pie is, of course, shark meat."

"Doesn't shark meat usually have a really strong ammonia smell?" Charles asked. He reached out his prosthetic hand and took a bite of the flat pastry. To his surprise, there wasn't any unpleasant smell, and the meat tasted more like cod.

"Ah, sir, just from those words, I'm very certain that you are not a local. My family has been making these fish pies since my grandfather's time. Even the great mages know about us. We have a secret family recipe that removes the ammonia smell from shark meat."

"The great mages huh? So you are not one of the mages?" Charles asked, clearly clueless about the social system and classes in the Western Seas.

"Of course not! If I had the magical affinity, I wouldn't be stuck doing this lowly Halidar work," the old man grumbled. "I would have joined one of the mage families and been living a great life in the heart of the island by now."

A flicker of disdain crossed Charles' mind. Those old fogeys in the Western Seas are still clinging to their outdated rules. Don't they realize the world outside is changing drastically? No wonder people from the other sea regions call them extremely conservative.

Charles was about to leave with Sparkle when the elderly man stopped him in his tracks with a radiant smile. "Sir, your wife is truly beautiful. Surely, you wouldn't try to run without paying in front of her, would you?"

Charles paused. He realized he had forgotten to pay, but it was rather common. After all, it had been a while since he had last needed to use any form of currency.

He reached into his pocket, pulled out a few bills, and handed them to the vendor.

The vendor's face darkened as he glanced at Charles' face on the bill and then at Charles himself. "Sir, are you toying with me?"

Switching to a firm stance, the vendor stretched out his right palm and said, "Ten Echo, sir. Thank you for your support."

Charles turned toward Sparkle, expecting her to help him out of the situation. However, Sparkle continued to munch on her crispy, flat pastry as she watched him while stifling a giggle.

Although Charles could easily walk away without paying, he couldn't afford to lose his dignity and reputation over a mere ten Echo. It was just too embarrassing. Even he had limits to how low he'd stoop.

Charles pondered for a moment before reaching into his coat pocket and pulling out his old pocket watch. The once shiny pocket watch was now dull, with some chipped spots from wear and tear. He placed it into the vendor's outstretched hand and said, "You are still using Echo? Didn't the governors across the entire seascape agree to collectively abolish them? Did the notice not reach here, or does the Western Seas lack the means to mint new currency?"

However, the vendor didn't answer Charles' question. His eyes widened in shock as he stared at the worn pocket watch. His hand even began to tremble ever so slightly.

"Why? Is this not worth ten Echo in the Western Seas?"

The vendor swiftly tucked the pocket watch into his own pocket before nodding vigorously. "It's worth it! It's more than worth it! This is something someone of my class could never dream of owning!"

With that, he rushed back to his stall and moved around frantically to prepare more of the crispy shark meat pies. Moments later, he returned with a beaming smile and presented over a dozen steaming pies to Sparkle.

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