Chapter 253: Return to Cake Island

After hours on the sea, Karl and his group finally entered the Sweets Sea, drawing close to Cake Island.

Apollo dashed into the cabin, stopped at Karl’s door, gave it a gentle knock and called out, “Master Karl, we’re just about to reach Cake Island.”

Karl stepped out from the cabin onto the deck, gazing at Cake Island in the distance. “Finally home,” he murmured.

“I keep telling myself I’ll rest, but it’s always nonstop running. Hope this time I can actually stay on Cake Island a bit longer.”

Olga, riding Elizabeth, stormed onto the deck ahead of everyone else. She shaded her eyes with one hand, peering excitedly toward Cake Island. “Wow! Is that really Cake Island?”

“Is it really made of food up there?”

“I’ve never even heard of an island like this. It’s incredible.”

“Hey, you’re not pulling my leg, right?”

Karl leaned at the ship’s bow, slightly exasperated as he took in the doubtful look on Olga’s face. “Little miss, there’s nothing about you that’s worth lying over.”

“Cake Island is right ahead. Once you set foot there, you’ll see for yourself.”

“By the way, why haven’t I seen Achille around lately? Where’s your father? What’s he been up to?”

Since boarding, Achille had barely been on deck. Karl hadn’t seen him in ages and wondered what he’d been tinkering with below.

Olga’s face fell, her voice as listless as a deflated balloon. “Dad’s been messing with his chemistry gear ever since we got on the ship. He doesn’t care about me at all.”

“He even promised he’d spend more time with me.”

“Hope there’ll be some kids my age on the island for me to play with, right Elizabeth?” Olga reached down and patted Elizabeth’s head.

Chirp chirp chirp!

Elizabeth, looking totally lost, rolled her eyes around and let her tongue hang as she gave a few clueless chirps in reply.

Karl felt a little awkward. If he hadn’t chatted with Achille about things like nuclear physics and nuclear reactions, maybe Achille wouldn’t be buried in his experiments right now.

When they neared the harbor, they spotted Krell waiting by the shore.

The fishmen patrols beneath the waves had noticed Karl’s group as soon as they entered the Sweets Sea, so it wasn’t surprising Krell showed up here.

Although Karl couldn’t help but wonder—wasn’t Krell supposed to be handling the Elbaf route?

What brought him to Cake Island right now?

The ship pulled into the harbor and dropped the rope ladder. Karl led Olga and Achille ashore.

Krell stepped forward and bowed slightly. “Welcome home, Master Karl.”

His gaze swept over Achille and Olga, unsure who they were. It was strange to see Master Karl personally escorting them off the ship.

Catching Krell’s curious look, Karl hurried to introduce them before Krell could do anything awkward. “This is Achille, a top chemistry expert. He’s actually the main reason for this trip.”

“Krell, take Achille to the lab.”

“Understood, Master Karl.”

Krell eyed Achille’s white lab coat. He’d half expected it—Vegapunk wore the same kind of clothes.

Krell had no idea where Master Karl kept finding these genius scientists, but their work had transformed the island. New tech and advanced facilities seemed to pop up overnight, leaving him stunned.

He’d never look down on scientists. In fact, he was scouring the world for talent in every field, which kept the island’s tech advancing at breakneck speed.

“This is Krell, Cake Island’s chief steward. If you need anything, feel free to go straight to him.”

“As for Olga, she can just go to school at the island’s nursery.”

Achille replied gratefully, “Thank you, Karl.”

Achille looked a bit chubby, but after cleaning up his appearance, he finally looked the part of a scientist.

His shabby old clothes were long gone. It just showed how amazing Pure Gold was—his clothes had lasted over a century without decaying.

With his orders clear, Krell headed off to the lab with Achille and the others.

On the way, Krell suddenly recalled Karl’s words: ‘the goal of this trip.’ Could it really be the Pure Gold?

He kept a straight face, but inside he was reeling. So that’s what this was all about?

He’d wondered why Master Karl brought these people back himself. Turns out they were incredibly important.

Karl didn’t concern himself with the ship. It wasn’t worth much; he trusted the fishmen would handle it.

With long strides, Karl made his way toward Cake Castle.

All along the way, decorations were going up for an event. The entire Cake Island was bustling with activity.

…

Cake Castle!

High above, in the nursery!

Charlotte Linlin was tending to a group of little ones. Children with Titan blood, they had boundless energy, but as babies, most of that burned off quickly, leaving them fast asleep. Truth be told, they were only truly quiet when they were napping.

Knock, knock, knock!

There was a knock at the door. Charlotte Linlin nearly snapped in irritation, but then recognized the familiar presence outside. Her face broke into a smile as she tiptoed over and opened the door.

“Karl!”

Without a word, they embraced. It’d been over a month since they’d last seen each other.

Glancing at the peacefully sleeping babies, Karl led Linlin out of the room and down the hall toward their own quarters.

Once they sat on the sofa, Karl gave Charlotte Linlin a brief account of everything that had happened along the way—except for the matter of the Heavenly King, which he was still mulling over.

When he finished, a chunk of Pure Gold, about the size of an adult fist, materialized in his right hand.

“This is it. There’s an even bigger piece, but it’s not convenient to bring out right now.”

“Pure Gold can slow down the body’s growth. Put simply, it’s a way to achieve longevity.”

“The two people I brought back have been exposed to Pure Gold for over a hundred years. Their bodies haven’t aged a bit.”

Charlotte Linlin took the Pure Gold, turning it over in her hands with curiosity.

“Mama mama mama!”

“Karl, you’re amazing. Off for a single journey, and you managed to get your hands on Pure Gold.”

“Back then, we sent tens of thousands of people hunting for it and never managed to capture it.”

Karl chuckled softly. “The sea where lanternfish live is under immense pressure, and they’re massive. The regular fishmen can’t do any real damage underwater.”

“Plus, if Ledfield hadn’t gravely injured the lanternfish, it never would’ve lingered in one spot. I wouldn’t have caught it so easily.”

Honestly, Karl owed a big thanks to Ledfield. Without his help, tracking down the lanternfish would have been nearly impossible.

Lanternfish weren’t the type to stay put. They roamed far and wide. If this one hadn’t been recovering in the North Blue, finding it would have been incredibly difficult.

“So, what are your plans next, Karl?”