Captain – Chapter 169 – Burned Contract

The candle burned steadily, illuminating the small, quiet room.

In the center of the wooden table lay scattered stacks of parchment covered with untidy writing—observation notes about creatures encountered during the voyage.

At the center of all the parchments rested the dragon egg, resembling cracked magma rock. It now trembled with an almost imperceptible rhythm. If you listened carefully, you could even hear faint heartbeats through the thick shell.

These were all signs of life about to burst forth vigorously.

Moving his ear away from the dragon egg, Bivis exhaled softly, a gentle smile spreading across his face: “Don’t rush, little one. Stay inside a bit longer and wait out this storm.”

As the scholar was muttering to the small life within the egg, the room’s door was pushed open by a powerful hand, creating a draft that made the parchments flutter noisily.

“I’ve told you many times, Captain, when opening the door please…”

Watching several parchments fly up and hit the dragon egg, Bivis’s eye twitched violently. He raised his head with an unpleasant expression, looking at the approaching young man, suddenly changing his words: “Why is it you, First Mate?”

Seeing the scholar’s unfriendly demeanor, Caine remained silent for a moment: “The captain is severely wounded and resting now. I’ve brought the contract you requested.”

Hearing this, Bivis frowned slightly: “Oh? Then the name on the contract…”

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“Rest assured, it’s the captain’s.”

The First Mate placed the contract on the table, pushing it toward the scholar: “Please act quickly, Scholar. We’re about to enter a state of war.”

After his eyes scanned the “Elizabeth Roy” signature in the employer section, Bivis finally relaxed. His expression softened: “Fortunately you didn’t fill in your own name, otherwise you’d have to make another trip.”

For contracts involving curses like this, only proof given by the cursed person would be effective.

Ignoring the contract, the scholar laboriously picked up the dragon egg, then circled around the table’s edge and carefully placed it in the First Mate’s arms: “Find a warm place on the Mermaid, cushion it with some cotton, and settle it carefully. Remember to handle it gently.”

“What about you?”

Hearing Bivis’s commanding tone, Caine showed no reaction, having learned during their months of interaction that the other man valued this dragon egg more than his own life.

“After I finish gathering my materials and signing the contract, I’ll come as quickly as possible.”

Seeing the scholar beginning to search for something on the bookshelves on both sides, the First Mate shook his head gently and left the room carrying the heavy dragon egg.

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The footsteps reaching his ears grew increasingly faint and indistinct until they finally disappeared completely.

At this point, Bivis stopped his aimless searching. He glanced back at the partially closed wooden door, and only after confirming the young man had left the cabin did he slowly return to the desk.

Reaching for the quill in the pen holder, Bivis began signing the contract. The pen tip scratched against the parchment, making a rustling sound like sand flowing through an hourglass, carrying away long stretches of time.

Finally, the scholar completed the last stroke.

He casually tossed the quill onto the table, looking at that signature—not at all delicate, completely lacking artistic flair, instead wild and untamed to the extreme. He narrowed his eyes slightly, unconsciously running his hand over his chest, finally stopping at his left collarbone.

After what seemed like an eternity, Bivis finally emerged from some memory. With a complex smile, he quickly approached the tightly closed porthole with the contract in hand. He forcefully pushed open the glass window, then, facing the violent sea wind, extended the contract outward.

Following the wind’s direction, the contract tumbled and danced in the air. But quickly, as if some strange magic had descended upon the paper, brilliant golden flames instantly devoured it. Even the raindrops falling upon it could not extinguish those flames.

In just a moment, the contract burned into specks of light, soon swallowed by the heavy rain and wind, disappearing into the dark sea.

The transfer was finally complete.

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After being informed of the dragon egg’s location, the natural scientist, clutching a stack of documents, rushed over immediately and soon disappeared behind the heavy wooden door. His urgent manner suggested he feared that, if left unattended, the dragon egg might become a meal in some predatory bird’s stomach.

But that predatory bird had no time for the dragon egg now.

The raven beat its wings through the downpour, landing on the First Mate’s shoulder: “Target spotted, southeast direction!”

“Well done.”

Caine gently patted the little creature’s head, then turned toward the crow’s nest on the main mast: “Marksman, watch the southeast direction. Report immediately upon spotting enemy vessels!”

Hidden in the shadows, Victor picked up the telescope beside him and looked southeast through the crystal lens. His eagle-sharp eyes showed emotion beyond calmness for once.

During the earlier preparations, Alfie had flown to him with news about the one-eyed captain and the Orca. The moment he heard that man’s name, even someone as cold as Victor fell into a long silence.

Rex Varen—a vicious pirate, an incompetent father, an absolute bastard.

More than a decade ago, he had parted ways with that man. Even during battles between the Mermaid and the Orca, he had more than once aimed his gun at him.

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Yet upon hearing that man had brought his warship into this unrelated war, that he was fighting the Black Emperor in the name of helping Captain Roy with his severely damaged crew, something stirred within his heart.

His gaze rapidly swept the sea surface as Victor searched tirelessly for traces of the two warships.

Was he hoping the Constantine would appear alone, that bastard drowned at sea? Or was he hoping the Orca would return victorious, to see that man standing proudly on the crossbeam, laughing arrogantly?

At this moment, even the marksman himself didn’t know what scene his heart truly wished to see.

After what seemed like forever, with cold sweat even forming on his palm gripping the telescope, Victor finally spotted his target.

It was neither a good nor bad result, as both the Orca, flying its black flag with white skull pattern, and the Constantine, fortress-like on the sea, appeared simultaneously.

Black smoke rose from both warships. The Orca had suffered more severe damage, its hull covered with holes, even its fore topmast cut in half by cannonballs. It was now moving laterally to escape the Constantine’s cannon range, heading toward the Mermaid instead.

Seeing the Orca’s battered state, Victor’s heart tightened as he loudly warned everyone.

“Target spotted, about two nautical miles southeast—the Orca and the Constantine!”