Church's Diary, Part 5:
I'm so glad everyone who was seasick has recovered, including Mrs. Larry and Miss Alice. I don't know if it was the sea god's blessing or Anderson's fish soup that made the difference, but I'm very grateful to Anderson, truly.
Alice started running around on the deck again, marveling at the vastness and beauty of the ocean. Her smile was so innocent, as radiant as the May sunshine; she seemed to have completely forgotten the pain the sea had brought her a few days ago. She often went to watch Anderson fish, and the two of them would chat and laugh in the sea breeze. I said to Anderson, "Have you struck it lucky with love? Although I don't think you two are a good match, I still wish you good luck."
Mrs. Larry, however, seemed much more somber. I wondered if she wasn't recovering as quickly and thoroughly as the younger woman, or if she shared Mr. Robbins' concerns about the cold, heavy snowfall. I noticed they were whispering to each other the other day, and I wondered what they were discussing.
No matter how worried I was, we'll reach our destination tomorrow. Although it's a whole week later than planned, thankfully everything went smoothly thanks to Neptune. If it were me, I would definitely relax to the fullest today. After all, the results will be revealed tomorrow; whether good or bad, it's all in God's hands, not ours. All we can do is face it all with optimism.
As for when we'll return, that depends on the scientists' progress. Who knows what earth-shattering secrets they might discover? If they do make a major discovery, it would be an honor for me to witness it with them. Anyway, the Discovery has a range of 18,000 nautical miles, meeting the requirement for unlimited navigation areas, so let them do as much as they want. Although more than seventy people need to eat fifty kilograms of vegetables and thirty kilograms of fish and meat every day, the food we replenished in Auckland is enough to last a month. If all else fails, we can go fishing like Anderson did.
Oh my goodness! What am I thinking? We haven't even reached our destination yet, and I'm already thinking about turning back. I'm really getting old! I never thought about these things when I was young!
Church's Diary, Part Six:
We reached the designated location, but did not find Ghost Island.
Anderson and I repeatedly checked the GPS system and nautical charts. Mr. Robbins even contacted the United States Naval Research Laboratory, requesting their system to provide us with a more accurate location and to retrieve satellite imagery from a previous period. However, all our efforts were in vain.
I hadn't gone the wrong way, and the GPS hadn't misguided us either; everything indicated that the Discovery had reached its designated location. My crew and I didn't feel anything special, because it wasn't us who had discovered Ghost Island and recorded its location before, but another ship. But the scientists— the Robbins —believed it was real, because there were many scientists on that ship as well, and several of them were on our ship; they were here for the second time.
Given their seriousness towards science and their commitment and sense of mission that transcend life, I think what they say is mostly true and is certainly not a joke by some bored person. Moreover, with their knowledge, they are unlikely to be easily deceived by nature.
Following the location recorded by the ships that had previously discovered the island, I steered the Discovery to 36°55′S, 136°39′W. This location is almost identical to the recorded locations of Maria Teresa Reef over the past century. However, when we arrived, all I could see was the endless expanse of sea, and because the water was deeper than the anchor chain, we couldn't drop anchor. Of course, the Discovery has an advanced balancing and positioning system, which allows the ship to automatically remain stationary even in rough seas.
Robbins requires us to search within a range of 1° in latitude and longitude, based on this coordinate location.
My goodness! A difference of just 1 degree in latitude and longitude corresponds to nearly 50,000 square kilometers of ocean surface, enough to encompass the entire land area of Netherlands. Keep in mind that just three centuries ago, this country's ironclad ships conquered many places around the world. It was the Netherlands who first discovered these lands in the Southern Hemisphere's oceans, naming the largest of them " New Holland," which was later renamed Australia. The smaller landmass, however, remained unnamed, taking its name from a Netherlands region called " Zeeland," and became known as New Zealand.
Now, I will be sailing this ship, searching for two Ghost, elusive islands, perhaps as large as our ship, in an area of sea roughly the size of the Netherlands.
We circled the sea but found nothing. In truth, everyone knew that with the equipment on our ship and GPS satellites, finding two islands within an area of tens of thousands of square kilometers would be incredibly easy, provided they actually existed. Since even the satellites couldn't find them, we certainly wouldn't find them by searching like this.
Everyone's just unwilling to give up, so we keep going in circles, hoping that Ghost Island will live up to its name. If it really is a " Ghost," maybe the satellites really won't be able to see it.
Church's Diary, Part 7:
We've been cruising in these waters for two whole days, and everyone's starting to get impatient. If it weren't for Mr. Robbins's meticulousness and good temper, and Alice's innocent charm that brings joy to the ship, everyone would be going crazy.
Anderson remained unfazed by the situation, and whenever the ship stopped or when he wasn't required to work, he would go to the stern deck to fish.
He said there was no Ghost Island at all, it was just a giant, ancient fish surfacing from the seabed to catch its breath!
I think Anderson must have lost his mind from all that fishing. Where do fish get that big? Besides, how could those scientists not even recognize a fish?
All the equipment on board was turned on—sonar, magnetometer, laser, infrared—and an underwater robot was also deployed, but nothing was found. Data shows that the water here is at least 3,000 meters deep, with the deepest point reaching 5,000 meters. There are only a few underwater peaks, and even if an underwater volcano erupts, it is impossible for an island to emerge from the sea.
After dinner, the expedition team held a short meeting, and I and First Officer Anderson were invited to attend. Mr. Robbins gave a brief speech explaining the situation, and then asked for everyone's opinions. Everyone looked at the few people who had come a second time; they had previously sworn that the island existed, but now, looking miserable and silent, they were all staring at each other.
Anderson suddenly shouted, "I told you it was a fish! You didn't believe me! Do you know that the ocean covers a much larger area than land? The sea is so deep, there must be many strange creatures on the seabed. There's a kind of fish that's huge. Because it's so big, it moves very slowly, and its metabolism is also very slow. Its back is covered with all kinds of corals and seaweed. It only surfaces once every few hundred years to breathe some fresh air, just floating there, and you all mistook it for an island! Haha, how ridiculous!"
The more unrestrained Anderson's laughter, the uglier the expressions on the others' faces became. Robbins was about to say something when the stern-faced Mrs. Larry spoke up, "Let's not waste time here. Let's go to the next place."
Mrs. Larry's next destination was the underwater ruins with pyramids. Everyone eventually agreed with Mrs. Larry, though they were reluctant. However, Robbins said that the next place was their true destination, and it would never disappear like Ghost Island, because that place had already undergone preliminary investigation, with photographs and artifacts as evidence.
I was also full of anticipation and curiosity about the underwater, upside-down pyramid.