Shrouded Seascape

Chapter 268: Noodles

Chapter 268: Noodles

Charles' heart was in turmoil as he stared at the frozen screen. His assumption was right. The Foundation had fallen because they had made contact with Divinities. Researching relics couldn't satisfy them anymore; they had attempted to obtain the power of the Divinities!

The gigantic mantises above the dome weren't lying. The previous calamity had indeed been caused by humanity. It was no wonder they were so adamant about not allowing any human being to step foot onto Newbound City once more.

Charles couldn't even imagine just what kind of calamity had wiped the Foundation out so thoroughly and swiftly that their contingency plans couldn't even be activated and were rendered useless.

Are humans truly as weak as ants before the Divinities? If the Divinities beneath the sea got bored enough one day that they decided to go up to the surface, then... Charles felt a shiver down his spine. No, this isn't the time to think about that. Tobba has just said that he has seen something far more terrifying than that calamity, and he also told me to be wary of the Pope. What exactly did he see?

Charles looked down at the tablet in his hand and tapped it a few times to find more information. However, the other videos were just nonsense taken by the descendants of the young boy.

Charles frowned slightly at the burning questions in his head. Tobba was clearly capable of predicting the future before he went mad. Charles found the living relic to be more believable than the Pope, whose intentions were inscrutable.

The Pope had no ill intent toward him at the moment, but Charles couldn't help but keep on thinking about just why Tobba had warned him to beware of the Pope. How would the Pope be able to cause a calamity far more terrifying than what had annihilated the Foundation?

It didn't make sense. The Subterranean Sea was also home to the Divine Light Order, which meant that they would also suffer greatly if such a calamity were to happen.

Charles thought about the things the Pope had done so far, and he couldn't find anything suspicious.

Clank!

The tablet in Laesto's hand fell to the ground. Laesto looked incredibly somber as he swayed unsteadily, looking like he would collapse at any second.

"Hey, are you okay?" Charles hurriedly supported him.

Laesto's expression was complex as he stared at Charles. After a while, his trembling lips fluttered open as he asked, "My ancestors were from the surface as well? Just like you?"

"Well, he has no reason to lie to us, so it must be true," Charles replied.

"Oh, I see..." Laesto sat down on a stool. There was a hint of relief in Laesto's marred visage.

"How do you feel now that the puzzle that has been plaguing you for the majority of your life has finally been resolved?" Charles asked.

"Well... I don't feel anything special..." Laesto muttered.

Charles stared deeply at Laesto and realized that the old man seemed to have aged a lot in an instant.

"What are you people looking at? The show's done. Get lost, and do what you got to do," Laesto said as he waved his hand to drive the people around him away.

Charles saw that, and he couldn't help but ask, "Are you sure you're okay? Do you need me to send you back to the ship first?"

"Get out! Get lost! I'm old, but do you really think I'm old enough that I can't even move anymore?!" Laesto roared and hurled his empty tin flask at Charles.

Laesto seemed to have recovered his energy somewhat, and it made Charles feel reassured to leave him alone. He turned around and left on his own.

Meanwhile, Professor Cocci was holding a tablet in his hand while talking excitedly to his assistant. Clearly, he didn't care whether Charles would stay or not.

It was already late in the night, so the academy looked deserted. In fact, Charles only saw a handful of students as he went out of the school building.

Charles looked around before walking toward the academy gates. As he walked away, he started thinking about the burning questions he had in mind regarding the tablet. His mind was overloaded with the information Laesto's ancestor had left behind in the two videos.

He had so many unanswered questions that Charles felt like his brain would be reduced to mush if he were to speculate any further.

Just then, a rumbling noise interrupted Charles' train of thought. The noise had come from his stomach, and he realized that he hadn't eaten anything today.

He looked around and saw an open restaurant in the distance.

The restaurant was small, but it was pretty hygienic. It was full of customers, and the majority of them were students from the nearby academies. Charles quickly found an empty seat and sat down on it.

His seat had yet to warm up, but a young woman with freckles had already arrived next to him with the menu in hand.

"Hello, handsome sir. What can I get for you? Today's special is salt-baked lobster balls noodles. It's today's special, so it's only available for today," the freckled young woman said enthusiastically.

"Sure, I'll have one serving of that. I also want a bottle of banana wine and a few purplevine fruits," Charles said while licking his dry lips.

The freckled young woman's eyes widened in astonishment. "I'm sorry, sir, but our restaurant only serves mushroom wine brewed by my father. Banana wines are expensive, so they're only available in high-end restaurants in the island's heart."

"Is that so? Then, just give me a bottle of mushroom wine," Charles replied. He had briefly forgotten that he wasn't on Hope Island and that banana wines were several times more expensive outside than when bought on Hope Island.

"Are you sure you want a bottle, sir? My family's wine is very strong."

"Yeah, a bottle will do," Charles replied.

"All right, then. Please give me a moment, sir. Mom! One order of salt-baked lobster balls noodles and a bottle of mushroom wine!" the enthusiastic, freckled young woman shouted as she hopped into the back kitchen.

Charles looked around while waiting for his food, and the sight of students eating and chatting merrily assuaged his frantic heart. For some reason, Charles felt like he had become an ordinary person as he listened to the chaos around him.

Charles' food soon arrived. He pierced a piece of lobster meat with a fork and wrapped it with the noodles before putting it into his mouth. After chewing a few times, he nodded in satisfaction; it tasted better than he had expected.

Under the freckled young woman's surprised gaze, Charles took a great swig of the mushroom wine. Charles nodded once more; the mushroom wine tasted great. It was no wonder their business was booming, even though it was already so late in the evening.

Charles continued eating, and his mind soon cleared up as he ate with gusto. The delicious meal had chased away the hunger gnawing at him, which also improved his mood.

Charles was in the middle of eating seconds when a young woman wearing round glasses walked up to him and asked carefully, "Sir, can you share your table with me? I have nowhere else to sit..."

Charles noticed the book in her arm, and he nodded in response before pushing his plates away.

"Thank you so much! Nini, I want a bowl of rye porridge, please," the bespectacled young woman said as she sat down from across Charles after pulling out the stool beneath the table.

Soon, a bowl of porridge the size of Charles' fist was served in front of the bespectacled young woman. She flushed slightly upon noticing the stark contrast between her humble rye porridge and Charles' feast.

She picked up her spoon and ate in a hurry. However, it seemed that she was eating too fast because she started coughing violently.

A tissue appeared before the bespectacled young woman. She accepted it and thanked Charles.

"It's already so late; how come you're not home yet?" Charles asked casually while chewing on his noodles.

"You can only borrow a limited number of books from the library. If you want to read more books, you have to stay inside the library. Actually, I'm going back to the library once I'm done eating," the bespectacled young woman replied.

"I'm already exhausted just hearing that from you. Are you not tired at all?" Charles asked.

The bespectacled young woman put the tissue aside and continued on eating her rye porridge while speaking in between mouthfuls. "It's not tiring at all. I can easily find a high-paying job once I graduate, so it's fine. By then, Mom won't have to wash other people's clothes every day to earn money."

"It's great that you hold high hopes for your future. With that in mind, hardships won't be so hard."

"Yes, and I appreciate Governor Swann's education subsidies as well. If it weren't for the subsidies, there's no way I could have made it into such a great university."