Shrouded Seascape - Chapter 472: The Solution

This guy is crazy… These were the only words Charles could say about the owner of the logbook in his hand. The abnormal time recording and the deranged remarks made it clear to Charles that the logbook owner was a lunatic.

Had they been driven insane by an entity in this trench? Charles thought as he flipped over the pages of the logbook with interest. It seemed that the submarine managed to reach the bottom, so Charles flipped over the pages of the logbook, thinking that there might be more useful information.

Year 4312, Month 43, Day 132

We’ve continued diving. The water is still really cold. Everyone has taken refuge in the engine room; they’ve been refusing to come out. The boatswain couldn’t withstand the cold and decided to hide inside the steam turbine. He’s so happy, and I can hear him laughing inside.

We’ve arrived. The submarine has touched the bottom of the trench. I can feel something staring at me from the deepest part of the trench. It’s so bright outside. What? Do you want me to go out? No, it’s cold outside. I don’t want to go out.

I’ve returned from the outside, but my body was snatched away. They chewed on our bodies and swallowed them. Fortunately, the first mate helped me. The boatswain helped me as well, and the two of them dragged me back.

We continued our search for the target, but we haven’t been able to find it. Just what exactly is the Pope looking for? What? The Pope might have lied to me? He wants to harm me? Impossible. After all, he’ll need just a few words to kill me.

Wow! There’s actually such a wonderful city at the bottom of this trench? How wonderful. I really want to live here forever. All of you think so, too? That’s great. We can be neighbors, then.

I’ve been looking for a long time now, but I still haven’t been able to find what the Pope needs. I asked the Pope if what he’s been looking for even exists, but he told me that it really does exist; it was apparently revealed to him in a divine revelation from the Light God.

Since he saw it in a divine revelation from the Light God, then it must be true. The Light God is benevolent. He will never deceive His followers. It’s definitely here, and I must find it.

I’ve been searching for a very, very long time. Sometimes, the thirty or so of us captains would discuss the idea of going back. If we were to stay in this place for a long time, I’m afraid we wouldn’t be able to enter the Light God’s divine kingdom once we die.

Hmm… the Pope hasn’t been responding to our calls. We decided to go back and take a look at what was going on. Perhaps something has blocked our line of sight. I think we also need more detection-type relics.

The submarine has started its ascent, and we’re about to leave. Anyway, why do people keep coming to my room? This is the Captain’s Quarters! This is my room, so why are you sleeping in my bed?!

Hahaha, he’s dead! The first mate’s solution is great! Take control of this guy’s body and make him shoot himself in the head.

Charles stopped reading just then and looked up to stare at the skeleton on the floor. Wait. This guy is not the madman who wrote these diary entries? Then where is that madman?

A faint breeze from the door made Charles look toward it. He saw Dipp’s upper body leaning out of the door, looking left and right. His fin swayed left and right along with the breeze.

“Dipp, what’s the situation outside?” Charles asked.

“Nothing has happened so far, and I haven’t seen anything, not even a dead rat. I think we’ve scared away the friends of the creature that attacked us earlier,” Dipp replied.

Meanwhile, Charles flipped over to the next page, but it was empty. Charles closed the logbook and threw it to the ground before walking toward Dipp.

“Let’s go. We’re heading back. This place is already useless to us, and the one who wrote those entries in that logbook has completely lost his mind,” Charles replied.

The two then jumped down the door, and they whizzed past multiple compartments before crashing into the cold seawater.

Charles took one final glance at the dusty vertical shaft before putting on his diving helmet and diving into the waters.

Not long after Dipp and Charles’ departure, several cyan shadowy figures emerged from the walls of the corridor. The breeze in the corridor picked up, eventually transforming into a howling wind that sounded like grotesque roars and wailings.

“That guy has the tattoo of the Fhtagn Covenant on his neck! He’s an accomplice of those deformed monsters! We’ve got to kill him! For the Light God!”

“No, no, we don’t have to take action at all. Let him go down. Those entities below are going to help us. No one has ever made it out alive from this trench!”

“Yes, that’s right! I agree. Let’s do that.”

Meanwhile, the crew of the Narwhale sighed in relief when they saw their captain and boatswain emerge from the vertical submarine.

“Captain, what was… inside?” First Mate Bandages asked Charles, who had just emerged from the decompression chamber.

“This is going to be a bit troublesome. I guess it’s not that easy to navigate this trench. Something below is capable of driving people insane,” Charles said. Then, he turned to the ship’s doctor, Linda, and asked, “Do you have any medicine that will prevent the onset of mental disorders?”

Linda shook her head. “That’s too general of a statement. There are many types of mental disorders, and they each have their own triggers and corresponding treatment method.”

Charles frowned as he recalled the insane ramblings in the logbook earlier. This is going to be difficult. Something below must have driven those crew members to insanity, and we must find a way to prevent it from affecting us.

Think about it, Charles… there must be a solution somewhere, and it’s related to the mind— Charles’ eyes widened upon realizing something. Then, he wasted no time and rushed toward the Captain’s Quarters.

“Captain, where are you going?”

“Tell the crew to stand by. I’ll be right back.”

Upon returning to his quarters, Charles sat on a chair in front of a table. He seemed to be hesitating, but he eventually took out a pen and started writing on a piece of paper.

Five minutes later, Charles flipped to the last page of the diary and placed the paper filled with Chinese characters. “Sparkle, give this to your mommy.”

A tentacle emerged from the drawing. It rolled up the paper and dragged it into the drawing.

Fortunately, Anna didn’t refuse Charles’ invitation this time as she appeared in the Captain’s Quarters with Sparkle. Sparkle instantly left upon bringing her mother in the Captain’s Quarters, and it seemed like she was in a hurry.

“You really know how to write a compelling story. It’s such a pity that you’re not a novelist,” Anna said, smiling coldly with her arms crossed.

“Anna, I really need your help,” Charles said. Then, he opened his arms to give her a hug, but Anna deftly avoided him.

“What the hell is this place?” Anna asked. She walked up to the porthole and stared at the pitch-black expanse outside.

“We’re in the Dark Abyssal Trench. There seems to be an entity below us that is capable of messing with the human mind, but I’m sure that you can easily deal with that,” Charles confessed.

“Oh my, I am but a mere tentacle monster, so it is truly my honor to be of use to the great Governor Charles,” Anna said, balling her hands into fists and placing them on her chest as if she were touched by Charles’ words.

“Come on, Anna. Stop doing that, all right? This is really important to me. Down there, the—”

“Okay, but it seems that what’s down there is more important than me in your eyes. You want my help? Sure, but you have to give me Hope Island in exchange.”