Shrouded Seascape

A train hanging from the rock layer above the dome was speeding toward Hope Island. The window of the second car was open, and the salty, damp sea breeze blew across Margaret's hair covering her face, revealing her hideous scar.

Margaret's maid Gina was sitting next to her.

Gina turned to look at her mistress and said, "Mistress, I really don't understand. Why do you have to personally escort those mages of Elizarles Shores?"

Margaret was looking out into the darkness, and she seemed to not have heard Gina's words. It was only when Gina asked for the third time that she finally reacted and said, "Mind your own business. There are some matters you shouldn't ask too much about."

A hint of doubt appeared on Gina's face. Today's Margaret was a bit different from the usual Margaret. Even the scar across her face seemed to have softened just a bit.

Margaret kept her eyes on the darkness outside, but the darkness was soon vanquished by the light, and the world outside started to brighten up.

At first, there was only a dim red color on the horizon, but it eventually turned into a pale yellow hue, then a bright yellow, and finally, they saw rays of sunlight descending onto the canopy of Hope Island.

The diamond-shaped island followed a vibrant green color scheme rather than the usual dark color scheme on the other islands, and it was all thanks to the crops planted all over the island as well as the bright green grass on the roofs of the buildings.

The green leaves of the trees seemed to glow as well beneath the powerful sunlight. Hope Island was truly like a glowing jade in the darkness.

Face after face crowded to the train window, gazing in fascination at the miracle of the Subterranean Sea. Many people had heard of Hope Island, but upon seeing the island in person, they realized just how lacking and crude were the words that those rumors had used to describe Hope Island.

"It isn't as big as Whereto, but it's really bright here. I feel so much better seeing such a bright place, and the temperature here is also a bit higher than in other places. If only Whereto were like this…" Gina muttered enviously.

Gina was transfixed on Hope Island, staring at it in awe.

Just then, Margaret reached out and closed the window before pulling down the black curtain to block out the view.

"Mistress, what was that?"

"Sunlight is nice to look at, but don't forget that it's deadly. There has never been a shortage of fools killed by the sunlight upon getting ensnared by it."

The windows on the train were pulled down, and the train continued on its journey, speeding like a colossal snake toward the elevator tower in the heart of Hope Island.

The squeaks and squeals in the interior of the elevator tower were generated by the friction between the chains and the pulleys as it carried Margaret and her group to the bottom floor.

When the elevator doors opened, Bandages clad in a suit appeared before Margaret and her group. Bandages wasn't alone; he was accompanied by a group of people as well.

"Allies… welcome... to... Hope Island..."

Margaret looked around and frowned slightly. "Is the visit of the Governor of Whereto not enough to warrant the Governor of Hope Island's presence?"

"Something happened... it's not convenient… for the captain… to show up…"

Margaret snorted coldly and turned slightly. A hooded old man with a white beard stepped forward, and Margaret introduced him. "He's the mage that you need from Elizarles Shores."

The Patriarch of the Gunther family looked at the man wrapped in bandages with his cloudy eyes. "Where are those with altered memories? Let me take a look at them first. Wait, let me make something clear first.

"I can give it a try, but I can't guarantee my success."

One of the wardens of Hope Island's prison stepped forward and saluted. "This way, please."

He then led the Patriarch of the Gunther family to the nearby car.

Meanwhile, Bandages took out a few pieces of paper and handed them to Margaret. "This is how... to identify... symptoms of memory alteration... see if... your island… has any of them..."

Margaret's gaze was complex as she stared at the pieces of paper. Gina stepped forward and reached out with her hands to accept the pieces of paper.

"So it's true? Anna really left?" Margaret asked.

Bandages glanced at her before turning around and walking toward his own car.

"The captain... is on the ship..."

Soon, Margaret found herself walking down the streets of Hope Island by herself.

The streets and scenery of Hope Island were completely different compared to Whereto. The buildings here were much taller than Whereto's buildings, which varied between two stories or three stories.

Hope Island even had supertall buildings that reached the canopy up above.

The buildings all over Hope Island made the island appear crowded, but the islanders didn't seem to mind it.

Compared to the people on other islands, the skin of the islanders on Hope Island was noticeably darker. Margaret wasn't sure whether it was an illusion or not, but for some reason, she felt that the islanders on Hope Island were much happier compared to the islanders on her island.

Her maid Gina had told her that Hope Island's brightness was making her feel much better, but Margaret believed that the reason behind the islanders' happiness was that they hadn't suffered beneath the death light at all.

If Hope Island had lost eighty to ninety percent of its population, Margaret believed that they would have found it hard to be happy, even though they were living in such a bright place.

Just then, Margaret walked past a restaurant and saw that the diners were staring at a so-called television.

The tiny box somehow had people dancing inside of it, and Margaret couldn't help but sigh at Hope Island's technology. Margaret reckoned that even the former Albion Isles could no longer compete with Hope Island in that department.

Margaret walked slowly down Second Street, making a beeline for the harbor district at a leisurely pace that allowed her to observe the sceneries of Hope Island.

Three hours later, Margaret finally found herself standing in front of the Narwhale.

The ship of the Governor of Hope Island was docked all alone inside a private dock of the Navy. There was no one standing guard outside, so the ship was truly by herself here.

Margaret stomped and took to the air, landing on the gunwale in one swift motion. She had memorized the Narwhale's layout. After all, she had spent quite some time living in the Narwhale back when she got kidnapped.

In no time, Margaret arrived in front of the Captain's Quarters, which still looked familiar to her. She reached out to knock on the door but stopped just a few inches away from it.

A hesitant look suffused her face as she stood quietly before the door.

Just then, a creaking noise pervaded the corridor as the door to the Captain's Quarters abruptly opened by itself. The lights inside were off, so it was pitch black.

"What is it?" Charles' exhausted voice echoed from inside.

Margaret bit her lower lip and charged straight in. She fumbled for the oil lamp and lit it. The swaying candlelight illuminated the room and Charles, who was sprawled out on the bed and was drinking a bottle of liquor.

Charles' chin was unshaven, and his eyes were bloodshot.

Margaret also saw paintings stacked haphazardly on the drawing board and strewn across the floor next to the bed.

"Sorry, I can see in the dark, so I keep on assuming that others can see in the dark, too."

Margaret walked over and squatted down. Then, she picked up the paintings on the floor. The paintings depicted many bizarre things, but the majority of them were portraits of Anna.

"A woman's departure is actually enough to reduce you to a decadent fool? You don't seem like the Governor Charles that I'm familiar with," Margaret said, placing the thick stack of paintings on the table.

The corners of Charles' mouth curled up into a smile. "I don't want to talk about my family affairs with outsiders. What brings you here? If you want to talk about anything concerning the island, then go and look for Bandages."

A tinge of hesitation flitted across Margaret's eyes at Charles' words, but she gnashed her teeth and roused a wave of determination from inside her. Then, she stood up straight and walked up to Charles.

"Anna is gone, so you're alone again. This time, I'm not going to let you run away, and I'm not going to wait anymore!" Margaret declared.

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