Captain – Chapter 147 – The Curtain Rises

“Talk? Talk about what? No, First Mate, whatever you want to discuss, now is not the time. We must seize every minute and second, exert every possible effort, to have even a glimmer of hope in the coming war.”

Roy shook her head rather decisively after a moment’s thought, then slowly rose to her feet.

“Clearing the doubts in my mind, allowing me to fight without worries—isn’t that also an effort worth making? Besides…”

Seeing that the young woman had no intention of saying more, Caine also stood up and blocked her path, his eyes completely calm: “Where are you going, Captain?”

Looking into those azure eyes that seemed capable of seeing through one’s heart, Roy’s expression remained unruffled as she said matter-of-factly: “To find Old John, of course. To obtain more precise intelligence and understand the enemy’s plans, I need to check all communications between him and the Mermaid before nightfall.”

“Once I get what I want, I’ll come back to you. Then, I’ll humor whatever you want to discuss, alright?”

Roy placed her fair hand on the young man’s arm, pressing down gently, not forcing him to give way, but simply making an earnest request.

Naturally, Caine’s arm gradually lowered.

He kept his eyelids slightly lowered, remaining silent for a long time before responding softly: “Alright.”

Seeing this, Roy smiled gently, placed her hand on his shoulder, and tapped lightly with her fingers: “Then… see you tonight.”

As she said these words, the captain’s dark golden pupils flickered with a hint of hesitation, but those emotions quickly vanished like leaves in a storm, blown away without a trace.

Roy patted his arm again, saying “Buck up,” then without further hesitation, she brushed past her first mate and walked toward the secret door leading to the old path.

Caine turned slightly, watching the captain’s gradually receding figure, and for some reason recalled the alarming events on Frans Island. In that dark hall filled with screams and the smell of blood, the two of them had also parted like this, setting off on completely different yet equally perilous paths.

Reαԁ οո КаtRеаdіոɡСafe

But this time, this brushing past each other seemed somewhat different.

The gray-white secret door, seemingly embedded in the wall and completely inconspicuous, closed silently, like the gates of heaven closing, separating life and death, bitterness and joy, the raging storm and the peaceful harbor, as if after this parting…

He would never see her again.

Caine suddenly felt a strong palpitation in his heart, causing him to involuntarily take a step toward that secret door.

But there was no second step, because an aged yet strong voice called out from behind him.

“Child.”

The young man turned around somewhat stiffly, looking at the white-haired old captain with a slightly dazed expression.

“Although I despise your father and the bloodline flowing through your veins, since she has so rarely given you her trust, I hope you will repay her with the same. Whatever you want from her, this is the most basic requirement, isn’t it?”

Diamond said expressionlessly, lightly tapping the table with his finger: “Whatever doubts you have in your heart, however much you worry about her, at least for now, sit down and finish what we need to do.”

After a moment of silence, Caine took a deep breath, all traces of hesitation swept from his face. When he sat back at the table, his eyes, blue as the sea, contained only calmness and rationality: “Then let’s begin immediately, Captain Diamond.”

Seeing this, Cecilia lifted her skirt and stood up: “I’ll fetch some drinks for you.”

In the long, dark passage, only the torches burned silently.

Reαԁ οո КatRеαdіոɡСαfе

Roy walked quickly, checking her equipment as she always did before each battle. Though tedious, this practice effectively reduced risks during combat.

The raven on her shoulder quietly watched this scene, only speaking in a low voice after the captain drew out the elaborately decorated short pistol that once belonged to the young officer and stared at it somewhat dazedly.

“Tell him the truth, Captain.”

“No, good girl. If he knew, our plan would certainly fail.”

Hearing this, Roy came to her senses, shook her head, and began to fiddle with the intricately constructed flintlock: “Besides, this is a private matter between us and the Mermaid. In this affair, even he is just an outsider.”

Seeing the captain’s determination, the raven obediently closed its beak, but its small eyes, like black pearls, continued to flicker restlessly.

Clearly, it didn’t completely agree with the young woman’s view.

After confirming that the short pistol wasn’t blocked by black powder, the captain reinserted it into the holster at her waist. Having completed this final check, the heavy iron door appeared before her.

Pushing the iron door open forcefully, she saw a small room. Beck, responsible for monitoring the secret door, began operating the mechanism without a word upon seeing the young woman’s arrival.

As the grayish-black secret door slowly opened, the previously muffled sound of rain gradually became clearer. Roy inhaled the fresh, moist air and smiled with satisfaction.

Before walking through this secret door to execute her real plan, the captain took one last look at the seemingly endless secret passage. Her gaze seemed to pierce through darkness and solid walls, seeing the young man currently arranging the power seizure with Snow Lion.

After some time, the captain withdrew her gaze, nodded slightly to Beck, and then stepped into the rain curtain without looking back.

Rеaⅾ oո КαtRеαⅾіոɡСafе

“Bang.”

With a soft sound, the wooden door closed.

The small yet exquisite study was dim, with only a white candle burning on the desk. The light flickered unstably in the fierce wind blowing through the window.

Unusually, Old John, who typically spent his days processing intelligence, now sat with his hands hanging at his sides, leaning back in the soft high-backed chair, not even glancing at the confidential letter before him.

From the scout’s earlier report, he had easily learned of Snow Lion’s whereabouts and guessed his purpose in entering the Banshee’s Eye.

This time, the Mermaid had set sail to capture the heavily armed Jenny Skate, taking not only a large quantity of weapons and gunpowder but also most of the manpower stationed on the island.

In Yadris today, Snow Lion and the Lion Heart’s crew were undoubtedly the strongest force.

The old captain’s entrance into the Banshee’s Eye was obviously to support Cecilia, which meant that this old lion, who had long been lying low, had finally begun to openly confront Captain Richi.

Before long, the council hall would likely be heavily surrounded, and those inside would become prisoners with their lives in his hands.

This was the greatest worry of the crew members left on the island. Earlier, while reporting the situation, the scout had also expressed his concerns, hoping Old John could intervene and negotiate with the other side on behalf of the Blood-Eyed Butcher.

These pirates, who lived by the sword, though unaware of Captain Roy’s return or the Mermaid’s early return, had an exceptionally keen sense for danger.

If not for Old John holding them back, some might have already escaped through the secret passages to inform the captain at his secret location.

Rеαd οո KαtReαdіոɡСafе

Negotiate?

Silently repeating these words, Old John shook his head with a bitter smile. The personnel arrangement at the council hall, the exits, and secret passages—all had been leaked through him. The fate of these crew members had already been nailed to the cross by the silver spear of judgment, with no hope of escape.

As for himself…

Old John sighed deeply. He sat up straight, his gaze sweeping over the confidential letter on the desk. His breathing quickened, and his deep brown pupils were filled with gravity.

According to this recently arrived confidential letter, the Mermaid would reach Yadris by deep night.

The Mermaid hadn’t deliberately concealed its tracks and naturally couldn’t escape Snow Lion’s spies. Since the old captain knew about this, the young woman who entered the tavern with him surely knew as well.

If so, then the show…

Suddenly, several barely perceptible knocks sounded from the thin wall behind him. The old sailor instinctively swallowed and said in a somewhat hoarse voice: “There’s no one else here, Captain.”

Feeling the slight vibration, hearing the crisp yet powerful footsteps, Old John’s breathing gradually stabilized. The gravity in his eyes rapidly receded, and in just a moment, he reverted to his usual slightly worried demeanor.

But deep in his eyes, there was a freezing coldness that no one could see, a coldness that penetrated to the marrow.

The time had finally come for the curtain to rise.