Shrouded Seascape

005's words contained too much information, leaving Charles overwhelmed. It turned out that she had known from the very beginning that this moment would happen and had purposely collected what she called "flowers" before their inevitable annihilation.

"Time has no meaning to us. Is predicting the future really difficult? You can do it yourself, too. It's just a matter of how far ahead."

"I can do that?" Charles recalled the apocalyptic scene that had inexplicably appeared in his mind.

Upon careful consideration, Charles realized that 005 wasn't lying. He had been seeing afterimages on every person all this while, and they were afterimages of both the past and the future.

He had even used those afterimages to help his daughter's friend Nene find her father. Moreover, he was seeing more and more afterimages the closer he got to becoming a true god.

"So you knew long ago that I would seek you out?"

005 did not nod or shake her head. Instead, she replied, "Of course. You've never fully embraced that power, so you can't master this ability. If you want to obtain the same perspective as me, then you must thoroughly embrace that power."

"Embrace?" Charles muttered. Just then, the sensory organs that had been removed all over Charles regenerated rapidly and began assimilating every knowledge nearby.

However, Charles quickly put an end to his suicidal behavior. Perhaps becoming a god would grant him the ability to foresee everything, but he would likely no longer be himself by then.

"Either become a god or stay human. You cannot have your cake and eat it, too."

Realizing that the topic of conversation was veering off course, Charles promptly steered it back in line by saying, "I've made my own decision. Let's go back to our previous topic. Despite knowing humanity's inevitable annihilation, are you really not going to intervene at all?"

005 shook her head slightly.

"First of all, I already have my own humans, so there is no reason for me to intervene. Secondly, I can't stop it. I am but a mere tiny fragment of my true self. I'm too weak at the moment."

"You know what will happen in the future, right? Are you not planning on protecting yourself at all? If 003 and 002 end up awakening, you won't be able to escape unscathed by then," Charles said, attempting to persuade her from a different angle.

"Why should I protect myself? My true self isn't here. I'm not important. And stop disturbing the Feaster from now on. I'm usually quite reasonable, but it doesn't mean that I don't have a temper."

005's figure became illusory. Clearly, she was about to leave.

Despite knowing that his contingency plan was on the verge of failing, Charles still refused to give up. If Charles wanted formidable allies in the Subterranean Sea, then 005 had to be one of them.

"Since you've been talking about striking a fair deal, how about we make another deal? I need a wish. What do you need from me in exchange for one?"

005 stood in place, pondering over it for a moment. Then, she raised her right hand slightly, and a wriggling tentacle covered in black scales appeared in her grasp.

"Did you know? This tentacle contains a portion of your memories. In exchange for those three wishes, I had you trade this way with me."

Charles found the tentacle to be strangely familiar, but he had no idea why. "So... what do you want?"

005 shook her head slightly. "The most desperate moment in your life, your sweet love, and your unforgettable yearning—Give me all three of those, and I can grant you an extra wish.

"I must tell you again that I'm weak and can only grant your wish as long as it is within my capabilities."

Charles understood the implicit meaning behind her words. Through a wish, 005 could help him unconditionally, but only once. The limitations were clear, but it was still better than nothing.

Fortunately, his decision to summon 005 hadn't been in vain.

"So? Are you willing to make a deal with me?" 005 asked again.

Charles nodded."Yes, let's do it. But give me a moment to think about which of the three I should start with."

"I'm not in a hurry. Take your time," 005 remarked. Her legs bent slightly, and she lay sideways in midair as if there were an invisible swing in the air.

Charles whose back was stuck to a sofa gazed at 005 before him.

A deafening silence descended upon the room.

Charles pondered over it for a long time. He had been through many desperate moments in the Subterranean Sea, and he had to think carefully about which of them made him feel the most desperate.

Charles thought over 005's words for a long time before carving out the seven words "the most desperate moment in my life" on the table in front of him using his finger.

"It took me eight whole years to find that nautical chart from Sottom, and I spent another two years locating Hope Island. As soon as that dazzling ray of sunlight bursting from the rift in the sky landed on me, I felt like every hardship I had experienced so far at the time had been worth it.

"Back then, I was filled with hope, and I felt like I would no longer be as miserable as I was. I thought I'd soon lead a new life, but I was mistaken."

Charles' eyes froze in place, and he did not even blink as he added, "Do you know what the peak of desperation looks like? If you want to see it for yourself, then give a ray of hope to someone at the bottom of an abyss. Then, grab their hands and force them to crush that ray of hope with their own hands.

"It took me quite a while, but I eventually managed to reach what lay above the ray of sunlight. However, what appeared before me wasn't the huge, dazzling sun on the surface world but Dawn One—the first-generation Foundation's animated nuclear fusion reactor.

"It wasn't the surface I reached—it was the ruins of a city that the Foundation had built. At that moment, I felt like reality itself had made a fool out of me. The efforts I had made over an entire decade to find the surface world had ultimately amounted to absolutely nothing."

It had been such a long time since then, and a huge chunk of his humanity had faded away, but Charles still felt the same emotions he felt as he reminisced about that fateful day.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

"That was the most desperate moment in my life."

005 raised her right hand, which had been stroking the Feaster, and patted the latter lightly to applaud Charles. "Not bad. I really liked it. So what's next?"

Charles raised his finger and carved "my unforgettable yearning" below the words "the most desperate moment in my life" on the table. Then, he tilted his head to look at the sky and began to reminisce again.

"My unforgettable yearning has always been my family—my parents and my sister. They were the motivation behind my determination to return to the surface world back then, and they're also the reason why I want to save the surface world.

"Did you know? My dad really likes to be funny, so he loves telling jokes, but his jokes aren't funny at all. Every time he makes a joke, my sister and I will always laugh at him, mocking him for his awful jokes."