Dipp's voice still echoed in the office, but his green scaly form was already nowhere to be seen.
Bandages sat motionless in his seat, his mind lost in his own thoughts. A flicker of confusion and uncertainty crept into his eyes.
Many years had passed since Charles had instructed him to prepare the contingency plan for the end times.
But the forecasted doomsday didn't come to pass. On top of that, Charles had vanished completely.
Dipp wasn't the only one who wanted to know where Charles had gone. He, himself, wanted to know that answer as well.
Bandages pondered for a very long while before he leaned forward to unwrap the layers of gauze around his leg. Underneath was an old tattoo that had followed him for more than a decade.
Captain Charles can be trusted.
"
Hmm…
" Bandages muttered under his breath. He then reached into his desk drawer and pulled out an old diary.
He flipped through the diary to see page after page of densely packed, block-like symbols.
It was Charles' unique script. And Bandages had this strong feeling that the answer he had been searching for would be lying within those pages.
"
Hmm…
" Bandages stared at the characters, his eyes narrowing as he leaned in even closer, as if sheer proximity would help him decode the meaning.
His nose was practically pressed against the parchment when a sudden bird call shattered his focus.
Cuckoo! Cuckoo!
Bandages turned to look at the brass cuckoo clock on the wall. A tiny copper bird was going in and out of the clock's door. It was time to knock off work.
The diary was shut with a crisp
snap.
Weister skillfully unraveled the bandages wrapped around him. As the layers of gauze fell away, his youthful appearance, untainted by time, was revealed.
He changed into plain clothes and exited the Governor's Mansion. Aside from him, staff from the various departments poured out of the gates as well.
The Hope Island's Governor's Mansion was no longer just a residence and office for the Governor. It had also turned into an administrative complex, like an institutional building.
Compared to the others who headed for their polished cars, Weister had a more convenient and environmentally friendly means of transportation.
Ring-ring~
He hopped onto the old bicycle that he had been using since his days as a mailman and began to pedal home.
It was 5 p.m., and that meant off-work rush hour. The streets were packed with people, and the roads were congested. However, Weister wasn't in a hurry. He pedaled slowly as he savored the scenery.
According to legends, having been blessed by the Divinities, Hope Island was the most prosperous island in the Northern Sea.
Every so often, the shops would launch new gadgets and novelties that were enough to keep him entertained.
In the heart of the island, where every inch of land was worth its weight in gold, shops weren't the only buildings that lined the streets. There were also other buildings like shrines and cathedrals.
The crowd was the densest in front of a radiant, golden spire surrounded by towering banana trees.
Of course, as the Governor, Weister knew who they had convened to honor.
They worshipped Charles' daughter, Sparkle.
After the Death Light Incident, Sparkle brought seeds of hope to the islands. Her tale spread from mouth to mouth, island to island, and over time, her legend soon became gospel. Eventually, she was worshipped as a Divinity, and a full-fledged religion formed in her name, complete with scriptures and a structured clergy.
Perhaps the islanders weren't truly concerned with the identity of their faith, whether it was Fhtagn, the Light God, the Giant Bird of Suffering, or something else entirely. What they truly craved was spiritual sustenance.
And rather than having them believe in those dangerous entities, why not let them worship Sparkle instead?
Thus, Weister found no reason to deny the islanders of this request. In fact, he had a role to play in stealthily expanding the influence of Sparkle and her religion.
The congested traffic began to move. Just as Weister pedaled forward on his old bike, two girls stepped out from the golden shrine. Their voices drifted into his ears.
"Nene, do you really plan to come here and be a nun after graduating from high school?"
"Yeap! I've made up my mind."
"That's totally different from volunteering at the shrine, you know that, right? You're not allowed to get married forever! You need to dedicate your all to Goddess Sparkle. Have you really decided on that kind of life?"
Nene let out a hearty laugh. "Of course I've decided!"
"Nene, stop laughing! I'm serious!"
"I'm serious, too. Anyway, let's go! The television drama's finale is tonight. We'll miss it if we don't get going."
As the traffic turned a corner, the voices of the two girls faded into the background.
Weister was back home.
He kicked down the iron stand, locked up his bicycle, and made his way to his front door, where the aroma of food wafted over.
"Mother, I'm back," Weister announced.
They were no longer living in those difficult times when the sea levels were rising.
Weister enjoyed a warm and hearty dinner with his family and retreated to his bedroom.
He opened a thick leather-bound book, took out his fountain pen, and started scribbling on a fresh new page. This wasn't a diary, but rather a navigational journal. He was jotting down everything he had experienced aboard the Narwhale.
He wanted to record everything in writing, in case he ever forgot those precious times. He didn't quite trust his memory anymore.
The Narwhale had sailed for a long period of time. Of course, she and her crew had also run into many strange and complicated situations.
However, Weister was in no rush to complete his recollection. He had all the time to write it all down. As the pen's tip glided over the paper, time slipped by unnoticed until it was well past bedtime.
Just then, the swiftly gliding tip of the fountain pen came to an abrupt halt, and Weister's brows furrowed together. The plants around the edge of the house began to grow wildly out of control.
Weister flung the front door open but realized that the brambles he had summoned caught no prey. Instead, there was a single yellow envelope on the doormat.
Accompanied by a low
creak,
the nearby thorns twisted and sliced the envelope open, spilling several color photographs.
The photos depicted two green centipede-like creatures. As the First Mate of the Narwhale, he immediately recognized his crewmate. It was Norton. Norton was once human, but after becoming trapped in a monster's body, he lost his humanity entirely.
Back then, the ship's doctor, Linda, had tried everything to treat him, but it was no use. The transformation was irreversible. Norton had fully become a monster. And soon after, he vanished from Hope Island without a trace. No one had heard from him since then.
The other creature in the photo was a centipede-like monster as well—eyeless, but with an extra green tail. Weister recognized her. She had once been one of the Kings of Sottom.
The photos came with no accompanying words, but the images spoke volumes.
So... Norton's with that thing now? And they've laid a nest of eggs? Are those two seriously trying to repopulate their entire species on their own?
Weister's thoughts flashed back to that floating island, where the ground was littered with the corpses of similar green centipede creatures. Whatever their species was called, Norton and this other monster were likely the last of their kind.
He studied the photo for a moment longer and raised his gaze to stare at the darkened street beyond his window.
"Happy… honeymoon…" Weister then turned and gently closed the door behind him.
The night passed without incident.
The next morning, Weister had his breakfast at home before hopping on his old bicycle and pedaling his way to the Governor's Mansion.
On the way, he encountered a group of students on their way to school. One of them, who looked evidently much older, immediately caught Weister's attention.
He was Linda's adopted son. He had been in school since he was brought to this island, and it had been close to ten years since then. He was already in his thirties, but he still hadn't graduated.
It was highly likely that he would continue studying without graduating at all, but well, that didn't seem to be a problem.
Arriving at the office, Weister wrapped himself up with his usual bandages and began the day's work. Just like any other day, he looked through and managed the countless affairs of Hope Island.
On the corner of Bandages' desk was a photo frame containing a photo that consisted of the Narwhale's core crew.
All of a sudden, the image rippled, and the figures began melting away. Their colors bled together until they reformed into the shape of a hunched man with an oversized cranium and bulging eyes.
He was one of the gifts that Charles had left behind for him.
"Governor, the fifth Alpha Ark has been completed."
Using his bandaged finger, Bandages tapped against the edge of the frame. The image inside flickered and shifted. Beneath Hope Island, five colossal space carriers, each as massive as a mountain, were docked.
These space carriers were crafted with the technology salvaged from the ruins of the Foundation. The arks had also been enhanced by various relics to be able to sustain life indefinitely in deep space, and they required no need for external resupply at all.
This was the mission Charles had entrusted to him years ago. Not only had he completed them, but he had even exceeded expectations.
With these vessels, he could evacuate every islander from Hope Island, and no one needed to be left behind.
"Governor, everything's ready. What do we do next?" A voice sounded from within the portrait.
Bandages pondered in silence for a moment before saying, "We wait…"
"For how long?"
"Until… the arrival… of the doomsday… that Captain had described... to us."
"But the day that Captain Charles had predicted has long passed."
"We wait… we… will continue… waiting…" Bandages then pressed a button on the frame, and the image returned to its original state.
Bandages remained in his seat, seemingly deep in thought. Pulling open a cabinet, he pulled out Charles' diary and flipped through the pages. His brows were furrowed as he tried to decode the familiar yet indecipherable script.
"
Sigh… s
till… not a single… clue…"
Minutes ticked by.
Cuckoo! Cuckoo!
The mechanical cuckoo cry from the wall clock broke the silence in the room.
Bandages jolted out of his seat, and he hurriedly unwound the bandages around him.
It was time to knock off work.
Today was his sister's birthday, and he had to head over to the cake shop to collect the cake he had reserved.
He picked up the pace, quickening his steps.
(THE END)
Cosyjuhye's Thoughts
Not sure if anyone remembers, but way back in the early chapters, Charles was wondering why there were people with advanced tech and blueprints for ships? Well… looks like it all ties together now. We're heading back in time 😆
Looking back, I really admire how the author managed to weave everything together—tying up loose ends and dropping those satisfying revelations when everything finally clicked. It felt like watching a giant puzzle slowly come together, and now, the final piece is in place.
Ah, it's such a bittersweet feeling, knowing I've just finished translating the final chapter. Thank you so much to every one of you who's been on this journey with me and stuck it out all the way to the end. I'll be taking a short break before starting my next novel, but we'll meet again when the time comes!