Captain – Chapter 246 – A Letter for You, Sir

“Leaving Elvet, which is currently the safest place for him, to travel to the Garcia family estate that’s at least ten days away—the Governor’s choice isn’t exactly wise.”

Having finished writing the letter and hearing all the relevant details, Roy rolled up the paper, casually tore a strip of cloth from her shirt to tie it securely, and fastened it to the raven’s leg, while shaking her head and sighing deeply.

Traveling for ten days across flat, vast wilderness carried obvious risks.

No matter how well concealed, the possibility of keeping Governor Naren’s departure from Elvet secret from Robert, who had countless supporters, remained very small.

And if that man was determined to make a move, with the military’s stance unclear and with three hundred assassins at his disposal, even with the protection of imperial assassins, Naren would likely be in grave danger.

Seeing the girl’s concern, Black Raven reassured her: “What you can think of, the Governor can also think of. He understands the risks of this journey. Moreover, the current situation is like fog—not just Robert, even I can’t see through some issues clearly. Under such circumstances, the possibility of him deciding to take action isn’t high.”

“And whether something is wise or not sometimes depends on the perspective and the intended purpose, doesn’t it, Captain?”

Hearing this, the captain thoughtfully said: “So you’re saying Governor Naren’s journey to the Garcia family estate might be a show for Robert, meant to attract part of his attention to cover our plan’s execution. But the problem is…”

Blinking her eyes, Roy’s gaze showed some bewilderment as she muttered to herself: “He doesn’t even know my plan, so how would he know how to coordinate with me?”

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“Although I’ve never liked the Auran Empire, much less Auran people, I must say that your lover and his father—this father-son pair who successively served as commanders of the imperial navy—are indeed remarkable people.”

Recalling the tremendous pressure the Howard name brought to the Federation Council during those confrontational times before the Empire and Federation entered an era of peace, Black Raven sighed with deep emotion.

“Being able to deduce the general movements of the Federation navy through subtle clues—for such powerful thinkers to guess your plan by combining various intelligence doesn’t surprise me. What I truly couldn’t imagine is that the man who never allowed the imperial fleet to show any weakness would now take such a risky action.”

“If my judgment isn’t wrong, then Naren’s purpose likely isn’t just to attract attention, but to be prepared to spread the scent of blood, becoming bait that attracts those sharks to swarm. At that point, Robert might be left all alone.”

Hearing this, Roy’s gaze focused slightly. After a long silence, she said softly: “But this is also risky. Caine shouldn’t have allowed the Governor to put himself in danger, or perhaps…”

The captain smiled bitterly: “He also doesn’t know his father’s intentions, just as I don’t know his. These two lions, old and young, never seem content with being passive.”

“Aren’t you the same, Captain Roy?” Black Raven reminded with a smile.

Slightly startled, the bitterness at the corners of the girl’s mouth gradually dissipated, replaced by an unrestrained smile: “You’re right, Mr. Shelley. Perhaps that’s one reason why I get along so well with them.”

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Lowering her head slightly to look at the raven ready for departure, Roy gently stroked its little head and said softly: “Their speed should be considerably faster than ours, so when you see the Loyce Canal, follow it westward, and you should quickly find traces of the Mermaid.”

“Deliver the letter to his hands, and give my regards to the crew. Tell them… their captain is fine, and they shouldn’t worry needlessly all day long. If something goes wrong, or if they damage my ship, I’ll hold them accountable. Got all that?”

Hearing the captain’s question, Alfie nodded: “Got it, Captain.”

Pulling back the curtain, Roy forcefully pushed open the window, feeling the hot air hitting her face. In her dark golden eyes flickered a hint of longing—for the moist sea breeze over the ocean, and for the swaying deck of the Mermaid.

A pirate’s home is ultimately the sea.

“Go.”

Roy made a releasing gesture, but the raven remained steadily perched on her fair arm, blinking its pearl-black eyes at her, seemingly reluctant to leave.

“Don’t worry, to help the Mermaid locate our trail, we’ll deliberately pass through a small town next. You can return to me then.”

Having received the captain’s assurance, the raven finally gave a few satisfied low cries, then spread its wings and flew out of the carriage, quickly disappearing in the cloudless azure sky.

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The pearl-white hull pushed through the water as the Mermaid slowly progressed along the azure canal.

Under the increasingly harsh sunlight, and still without any news of their captain, the crew’s spirits were somewhat wilted, like frost-bitten orchids.

“Report to the First Mate, there’s a small town about a mile ahead.”

Standing at the bow of the Mermaid, Caine turned around, took the map Ben handed him, looked at the small town called Flensmeir at the front end of the canal, and said: “Have the men return to their positions and prepare to drop anchor in the outskirts before the town.”

“Yes, First Mate.”

Retrieving the map, Ben turned and called out loudly. The previously listless sailors quickly sprang into action, beginning to furl the sails and prepare to lower the anchor.

Seeing this, Caine withdrew his gaze and looked back at the shimmering water, his eyes as blue as the water showing signs of fatigue.

Since last night, they had been sailing without rest for most of the day, passing through three cities and five towns, collecting intelligence and looking for people who might have seen that carriage. But in the end, they found nothing—not the slightest bit of news related to the captain.

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Elvet, as the commercial center of Auran’s western region, had decent town density and population flow around it. But continuing westward, officially entering the vast and barren west, it might take several days of sailing before seeing a small town with any human presence.

By then, the difficulty of obtaining needed intelligence would increase, and the possibility of tracking down that carriage would become increasingly slim.

It was precisely for this reason that they had been moving forward so urgently, hoping to determine the girl’s location in the area near Elvet. But from the current look of things, this hope was gradually fading.

Logically, the captain’s travel speed was far slower than the Mermaid’s. The inability to find clues might also be due to this. If they couldn’t gather any intelligence in the town ahead, perhaps staying for a few days would be a good choice.

Lost in thought, Caine watched the building outline gradually appearing ahead. He had just turned around, intending to order the ship to dock, when he suddenly heard the sound of flapping wings and the crew’s chaotic exclamations.

When he turned back toward the bow railing, following the sound of flapping, a black silhouette was already standing on it, now slightly tilting its head to look at him.

“A letter for you, sir.”

The raven called out softly.