Shrouded Seascape

"Captain, the Colossal Hole Fortress and Annarles Island are prepared. If the Pope dares to barge in, our navy will definitely capture him," James said. He then handed over the documents containing the specifics of their plan to Charles.

Charles accepted the documents and examined them carefully before saying, "I know that Hope Island's overall strength is improving rapidly due to the power of technology, but don't be too complacent.

"Our current level of technology is not enough to capture the Pope. Actually, we're afraid of not seeing him rather than seeing him. The powerhouses and firepower of the Subterranean Sea have gathered in one place.

"He's not strong enough to wreak havoc by himself here, but he can certainly waste my time by hiding for a long time."

Charles returned the documents to James and said, "Annarles Island is now under Margaret. Go to her and talk to her about these things. I have something more important to handle."

James was surprised. "You still have more to handle in addition to this, Captain?"

"Yeah, it's just some family matters," Charles replied. He then stood up and waved at Sparkle, who had been waiting for him outside.

Sparkle hadn't lied nor exaggerated when she said that she'd grow up fast. In no time, she became a young lady from a little girl. Facing a rare opportunity to make it up to his daughter, Charles was determined to take advantage of it.

Sparkle smiled sweetly and greeted, "Daddy!"

"How was it? How's Mommy's mood today? Is she in a good mood?" Charles asked.

"Her mood hasn't changed, but don't worry about it. I don't think she's going to be too hard on you, so just give it a few more days, and her mood should change by then.

"Anyway, don't think about her and just focus on us for today. Come, I found a nice place for us to spend some time in!" Sparkle tugged at Charles' arm, dragging him away.

The scenery rapidly peeled away, but Charles didn't feel uncomfortable as he had gotten a bit more accustomed to it. When the scenery stabilized, Charles looked around and realized that he was in a familiar room.

He was in his bedroom back on Earth, and the bedroom had everything that a teenager would need. There was a single bed, some books on the table next to the bed, and there were even anime posters on the wall.

This was indeed Charles' bedroom on Earth, and it was perfectly replicated. In fact, the details that he had forgotten long ago were replicated as well.

"How's my gift, Daddy? Do you like it?" Sparkle asked with a grin.

Charles' hand ran across the objects in the room until he finally reached the window.

There was a gray, outcast sky outside. Charles looked around and saw that the building he was in was the only intact building around here; the rest had been reduced to rubble.

However, the elevated terrain in the distance looked a bit familiar to him.

"Are we in—"

"The World's Crown! This is the World's Crown! And I rebuilt it!" Sparkle exclaimed, her words carrying a hint of pride.

Charles' eyes became filled with disbelief as she took a good look at the scenery outside. I thought the World's Crown had already collapsed? The World's Crown colossal mushroom was the size of a towering mountain capable of housing an entire town, but Sparkle actually managed to restore it? Just how powerful has she become?

"What's wrong? You don't like it?" Sparkle asked. The corners of her lips lowered slightly, making her appear quite pitiful.

"No, it's not like that," Charles said, shaking his head. "It's just that you don't need to give me any gifts. I haven't been able to fulfill my responsibilities as your father, so I should be the one bringing you gifts to make you happy."

Sparkle sat on the table and smiled sweetly while swinging her fair bare feet in joy. "I'm so happy that you like my gift! Mommy told me that you like this place, so I found a way to restore it."

"Thank you," Charles said. He carried Sparkle down from the table before continuing, "This gift is awesome, and I like it. But it's about time we go back, as we're too far away from home. Anyway, what do you want to do next? I'll be with you no matter what you want to do."

Sparkle had replicated the World's Crown perfectly, but unfortunately, a replica would always remain a replica. It was fake in Charles' eyes. Moreover, he believed that there was no use dwelling over what had already happened.

He believed that it was more important to cherish the present, especially one's family in the present.

Sparkle furrowed her brows in thought, and her eyes lit up a few moments later. "Ah, yes! I want to introduce you to my friend. She's always been curious about your looks, so this is a great opportunity!"

Sparkle hooked her arm around Charles' arm, and the scenery peeled away once again. Once everything had settled down, Charles was struck by a ray of sunlight, allowing him to deduce that Sparkle had brought him to Hope Island.

They seemed to be in a residential area, as there were neat-looking white houses lined up in rows.

Sparkle pulled Charles to sit on a nearby bench and said, "She's still in school, so let's wait here for a bit."

Charles nodded and looked around the quiet streets.

"I had no idea that there were so few people here."

"Well, it's not strange. They're either at work or at school. And Mommy has deliberately extended their working hours, lest they gather and do something reckless."

"When I was exploring the surface world, I received reports about how your mommy is doing great and has been managing the island in an orderly fashion. Is that true?"

"Of course it is! Have you forgotten who she is, Daddy? She's Anna! Let me tell you this, Daddy. Mommy hasn't used her brainwashing ability on those she's been managing all this while. What do you think? Impressive, right?"

"Impressive. That is impressive indeed," Charles said. He was aware of Anna's management abilities. After all, Anna had served as the Governor of the World's Crown for three years while he was wandering around as a lunatic.

The father and daughter pair chatted as they sat on the bench, waiting for Sparkle's friend. While they were talking, Charles suddenly remembered the World's Crown that his daughter had restored.

He couldn't help but feel curious about just how strong Sparkle had become.

Fortunately, she was his daughter, so there was no need for him to test it out physically. He decided to go about it in a straightforward manner and asked her directly.

"How strong am I? I don't know, but I don't think I'm inferior to the Pope."

Charles was mentally prepared, but Sparkle's answer still managed to astound him. Sparkle was actually on par with the Pope? It had to be known that the Pope's strength was at the peak of all humans in the Subterranean Sea.

"I also feel like I'm becoming even stronger as I grow. As for how strong I'll become in the end… I'm not too certain about that, either," Sparkle added.

She's going to become even stronger as she grows? For some reason, Charles was reminded of the Divinities he had encountered so far. Will Sparkle eventually become a Divinity?

Rather than excitement, Charles felt anxious for some reason. It was all because there had never been anything great about becoming as strong as a Divinity.

Charles pondered over it and felt that it was highly unlikely. Sparkle had inherited her special power from him, and there was a limit to the power of Edikth's strongest Chosen One. Moreover, Sparkle had inherited half of Charles' power at best, so there was no way she could surpass Charles at his peak.

"Sparkle, are you sure you aren't exaggerating? Sure, you've become powerful, but you're still too scared to go above the surface," Charles teased.

At Charles' remark, Sparkle immediately sat up straight and retorted, "That's different! That doesn't count. The fear that inundates me as I go above the surface is not something that can be overcome by strength alone!

"And I'm not the only one who's afraid of what's above the surface! The Divinities of the Subterranean Sea have even gone into hiding just to avoid that feeling!"