Shrouded Seascape

Chapter 764: Gavin

Time was essential to ease the Haikor's suspicions toward Shindy. The Foundation hadn't paid that much attention to Shindy, but Charles felt that it was better to play safe.

After all, it wouldn't be that easy to find another Haikor defector from the Sea of Mist.

So Shindy stayed at home for half a month. He stayed cooped up in his home that his parents were starting to worry if he had fallen ill from the ordeal.

Fortunately, Shindy finally left the house the following day.

Shattered Heart Isles was a scattered archipelago where boats were more practical than carts. Shindy acquired a small boat and started working as a transporter between the various islands. Of course, the idea was naturally suggested by Charles.

The purpose wasn't to earn money. This work allowed Shindy to roam freely between the islands without arousing suspicion.

As a small boat operator who ferried passengers around, chatting them up to build a friendly rapport and solicit regulars was a routine occurrence as well, hence providing the perfect cover for him.

During one of their wanderings, Charles passed by the home of that jellyfish prophet who had once helped him.

However, he wasn't sure whether the jellyfish prophet was affiliated with the Foundation or not. So he dared not reach out casuallyCheêck out latest novels on iss, we've arrived at Heart's End. Be careful when disembarking; the boat might wobble a little," Shindy reminded with a polite smile.

Draped in colorful robes, the woman towering over three meters tall held her head high as she stepped off the boat. She walked gracefully down the slick steps and onto Heart's End—the smallest island at the lowest end of the Shattered Heart Isles.

With a gentle tug of the reins, a giant, python-like earthworm writhed in the water and pulled the boat along the edge of the island as Shindy navigated to his next destination.

Shindy's movements seemed as if he was in search of his next passenger. However, his voice was barely audible as he whispered, "Governor, look at that building on our upper left. From the information I've gathered, that's where they are holding all Fhtagnists on Shattered Heart Isles."

As the boat drifted closer to the building, a massive gate made of giant bones came into view.

Shindy slipped into the boat's cabin, his voice a mix of agitation and urgency as he pleaded to the eyeball in his hand. "Governor, our brothers and sisters are inside. We need to find a way to get them out."

Charles pondered for a brief moment before he replied, "Don't make any rash movement. Try to find somewhere discreet and drop me off; I'll scout the area. Pick me up at the same place tomorrow."

Compared to Shindy's towering three-meter stature, Charles, in his spider form, would have a much easier time slipping in unnoticed.

As Charles watched the chaotic scene below, he found himself in a bit of a predicament. Though his spider form was ideal for stealth infiltration, it made revealing his identity a challenging task. And if he didn't make himself known, these lunatics would only continue to see him as nothing more than an insect.

Charles continued to crawl within the shadows as he scanned each and every face, seemingly looking for someone.

Judging from their disheveled appearances, it was clear that the king of Shattered Heart Isles had no intention of treating these madmen. They were being imprisoned here like dangerous criminals rather than patients.

Suddenly, Charles stopped in his tracks. He noticed one figure standing out from the rest. He wasn't a Haikor, but a human. The human was a bald young man with octopus tentacles tattooed across his face.

Hunched over, the man was frantically scrawling something on the wall with his bloodied fingers. His dark circles hung low under his eyes, and his eyes were bloodshot. It seemed like he hadn't slept for days.

However, he didn't seem to look exhausted. Instead, there was a feverish intensity in his actions as he continued to draw on the wall with relentless energy. The entire wall was covered in blood-red scribbles. There was a crude depiction of Fhtagn in the middle with poems and praises to the god scribbled haphazardly around the image.

The combination of the blood-red scribblings and the flickering flames from the torches further amplified the unsettling eeriness in the building.

Charles recognized the man. Even though many years had passed, the bald head and the distinctive tattoos were unmistakable. He had met this man a long time ago when the latter was just a boy.

With his face suffused with manic excitement, Gavin stared at his masterpiece on the wall. He felt as though the image of God Fhtagn had come alive. His Lord was acknowledging his devotion and his unwavering faith.

All of a sudden, a small spider with a single eye on its back crawled across the face of God Fhtagn, instantly shattering Gavin's hallucination.

Due to the lack of sleep over a prolonged period of time, Gavin's emotions were on a knife's edge, and the sudden intrusion filled him with a blinding rage.

Clenching down on his jaw so tightly that his gums began to bleed, traces of murderous intent filled his gaze. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a jagged stone, ready to crush the spider that had dared defile his sacred artwork.

Just as he raised his hand high up and was about to bring the stone down, he came to a screeching halt. He watched as the spider weaved something with its white silk and formed words before his eyes.

"Gavin, do you remember that person who let you touch the tattoo on his neck?"

The moment those words entered Gavin's gaze, the stone slipped from his grasp and fell to the floor with a dull thud. Tears welled up in his eyes and streamed down his cheeks uncontrollably.

"Are you the one who bears the Lord's mark? You haven't forgotten me!" Gavin asked, his voice trembling with tumultuous emotions.