<h4>Chapter 179. The Crew</h4>


    First Mate Bandages, Second Mate Conor, Boatswain Dipp, Chief Engineer James, Gunner Lily, Cook Frey, Sailors Audric and Linda, Ship Doctor Laesto, and finally Captain Charles.


    Once again, the crew of the Narwhale had regrouped in the grand conference room of the Governor’s Mansion on Hope Ind.


    With a radiant smile, Charles studied the appearances of his crew, who had undergone many changes.


    Dipp had grown taller; his awkward teenage frame had spiked and transformed into a sturdy young man. d in his dark uniform, he could even pull off the role of a dashing dark knight.


    The once honest and simple-minded look on James’s face was gone. The two faint, nasbial lines gave him an air of authority.


    Laesto had gotten even older. The constetion of scars on his face was now apanied by sporadic age spots.


    Conor had put on more than a few pounds, enough to sport a new double chin.


    The ones with the least changes were Bandages, Lily and his vampire sailor, Audric.


    "Mr. Charles, where have you been these past three years? I missed you so much!" Lily pounced before Charles and tilted her head upward with an inquisitive gaze.


    Instead of answering, Charles ran his hand through her bright yellow fur.


    "Why did you dye yourself this color?" he asked.


    "It looks good! I can even choose other colors, too. White is sooooo boring," Lily exined as she rubbed her fluffy head against Charles’ palm.


    Charles turned his gaze onto Bandages, who disyed no emotions. He knew that the peace and stability of Hope Indrgely owed itself to this silentrade.


    A livable ind like this was nothing but arge, juicy catch. If no one had kept the ce in check, this ind would have already fallen into the hands of someone else.


    "Thank you for the past three years."


    "It''s nothing...The maritime rules state that...when the captain... is absent... the first mate...assumes all of... the captain''s duties," Bandages replied slowly as usual.


    Charles didn''t utter another word and reached out his hand, while Bandages reciprocated by reaching out his right hand. A firm p on the back of Bandages'' hand conveyed all the words Charles wanted to say to him.


    Just as James was about to speak, Leonardo, who was standing next to him, interjected with a bootlicking tone.


    "Captain, you are finally back! Most of our residents probably don''t know or recognize you. I suggest we throw a grand banquet and announce your return. What do you think?"


    A look of surprise shed across Charles'' face as he looked at the man in front of him—the Minister of Administration of Hope Ind. To think that the small-time swindler of the past could actually excel in his role.


    "Sure. Let''s proceed with your suggestion," Charles replied.


    With that, Leonardo discreetly took a step back and did not participate in the crew''s conversations with Charles as they fondly revisited their shared past.


    He knew that no matter what he did, he would always be an outsiderpared to the crew that had been through life-and-death situations with Charles.


    <i>To win the Governor''s trust, I have to proceed one step at a time.</i>


    Just as the crew was busy chatting away with Charles and reliving old times, a series of urgent knocks abruptly disrupted the harmonious atmosphere in the room. It was the sound of a steel prosthetic limb pounding on the wooden table.


    "Hey, hey, hey! We can leave the catching up and other things forter. Settle my issue first!" Laestoined. His temper was still terrible, as usual. Neither did his face disy a trace of joy at Charles'' return.


    The old man retrieved something from within his coat and slid it across the sleek table toward Charles.


    When Charles picked the time up, his expression shifted for a moment. It was his cell phone, and it was fully charged.


    Sliding his finger across the screen, the animation lock screen lit up. He stared at the six empty boxes and the numeric keypad and was stunned for a moment. It had been twelve long years; he couldn''t remember his passcode all of a sudden.


    "Don''t bother. It''s 588134. You wrote it in your diary," Laesto said with a hint of disdain underlying his tone.


    Charles arched an eyebrow at Laesto before he input the code. The familiar yet foreign interface presented itself before him.


    After a brief hesitation, he clicked on the <i>Videos</i> icon. The content inside was pitifully sparse. Apart from the short clip that came with the phone to test its functionality—a Tom and Jerry animation—there were only two short clips, eachsting less than twenty seconds.


    He clicked on the first short clip. It was taken in the bustling shop when he had just bought the phone. It recorded the cacophony of background noise within the shop, and it also caught a fleeting glimpse of a younger Charles in a mirror.


    A smile appeared on Charles'' lips as he asked, "You actually managed to charge it. How did you manage to do it?"


    "Professor Smith of Albion Isles was of great help. Charging it was the easy part. Thergest problem was trying to find the number to your damn ck Mirror. It took me over two years to find the number to unlock it."


    "Thank you." Charles then clicked on the Tom and Jerry animation before passing the phone over to Lily. He then returned his gaze to Laesto.


    "I assume you want to talk about more than just this phone. Are there other pressing matters?"


    Laesto limped toward Charles with his prosthetic leg. Snatching the phone away from Lily, he expertly navigated to the phone''s gallery and disyed the spread of photos before Charles.


    With his trembling gaze locked on Charles, he asked, "Where are these taken? Is it the Land of Light?"


    Charles let out a chuckle. "Haven''t I told you before that Ie from the Land of Light? Why are you asking again?"


    "Because if these images here are taken in the Land of Light, then what is that ce beyond that overhead crevice? I''ve been up there; the surroundings look nothing like those in your pictures."


    "I would like to know the answer to that question as well. If I knew the answer, I wouldn''t have jumped into the waters three years ago," Charles replied, remarkablyposed given the gravity of the event he was discussing.


    Laesto was clearly dissatisfied with Charles'' reply. He pressed on, "I don''t care about that. But answer me this. Do you still intend to set sail in search of the Land of Light?"


    Staring at Laesto''s expression, a hint of realization struck Charles'' mind. "Perhaps. Are you thinking that the Land of Light holds the clue to your ck mirror?"


    The only thing that Laesto could be so concerned about was probably that thick, ck tablet of his.


    Laesto swiftly swiped his finger on the screen to scroll through the gallery before clicking on an image. It was a selfie of Gao Suling—Charles'' sister—on a busy street right outside their neighborhood.


    Zooming in on the screen with a pinch of his fingers, Laesto revealed more details in the image. Behind his sister''s digitally enhanced face, Charles noticed Old Man Liu from next door. He was sitting under a tree, engrossed in an online game of Chinese chess on a tablet—a gift from his daughter.


    "The ce you came from has those things as well, right? Mine can be fixed if I go there," Laesto said.


    "Professor Smith of Albion Isles could charge my phone but couldn''t repair your item?"


    "Yeah, he said something inside was broken."


    Charles wasn''t surprised by Laesto''s answer. After all, who knew when that tablet was manufactured? The fact that it was still holding together to this day after so many years already spoke volumes about its robust quality.


    "Indeed. If we can get back to the surface world, fixing an outdated tablet model wouldn''t be an issue. You are still obsessed with finding out what''s within it?" Charles inquired.


    "I''m a doctor. I know I don''t have much time left. Now, my only wish is to know what my father wanted me to safeguard. Answer me: What''s your identity now? Governor Charles or Captain Charles of the Narwhale?"


    The room''s atmosphere abruptly shifted and turned dense with tension and gravity. Second Mate Conor found himself swallowing nervously, his throat suddenly parched.


    Charles'' answer would determine the direction of Hope Ind''s development.


    "I''m Captain Charles of the Narwhale. I’ve told you, that ce is my home. A man has to return home someday."


    The moment Charles'' words fell, a variety of expressions surfaced on the faces of the crew.


    A hideous grin surfaced on Laesto''s lips as he mmed the cell phone into Charles'' palm. "Great. I''ll prepare my belongings. As long as I''m still alive, the Narwhale will always have a doctor."


    With that, Laesto staggered out of the room without even ncing at anyone else.