Captain – Chapter 27 – Richi Quake

Roy felt as if she had opened a door to a new world.

Behind that door stood many familiar silhouettes, all unforgettable friends or foes from her seafaring journey. But without exception, none of them recognized her anymore. They examined her with eyes so unfamiliar they were almost cold, as if scrutinizing a priceless treasure devoid of warmth.

Except for one young man dressed in a military uniform. In his ocean-like blue eyes still lingered emotions such as intimacy and tenderness.

As if in the entire world, only he still remembered her.

“Captain?”

A familiar call sounded by her ear, awakening Roy from this vision that had suddenly appeared before her eyes. The noisy hawking from both sides of the street became loud and real again.

“What’s wrong with you?” Caine looked with some concern at Roy’s slightly dazed face and asked caringly.

Just now, the instant he had spoken that sentence, Roy had stood there motionless like a soulless puppet for a long time, only coming to her senses after his third call. It was almost as if she had been enchanted by a sea nymph.

“I… I don’t know…”

Roy touched the back of her neck. The memory of the previous scene rapidly blurred in her mind. Where she unconsciously caressed, a faint golden pattern was quickly dimming, disappearing without a trace in the space of a breath.

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The pattern vaguely resembled a string of characters, but its specific content was difficult to discern.

“Is it that your body hasn’t recovered yet? Although there was enough fresh water and food on the merchant ship, they weren’t exactly fresh after all.” Her first mate frowned, recalling the dried meat and hard bread on Eda’s merchant ship, wondering if the problem lay there.

“It’s not seasickness.”

Roy shook her head firmly, then tried to describe the scene she had seen earlier, but found that in her memory, only the face of her first mate before her remained clear, along with those gently rippling ocean-blue eyes.

After some deliberation, Roy decided not to tell him about this strange experience, thinking that she might have recently encountered too many setbacks, causing her mind to still be in a state of fatigue, which led to that bizarre dream.

“Maybe I just didn’t sleep well last night.” Roy gave her first mate a forced smile.

“Then let’s hurry up. After purchasing what’s needed for the ball, I’ll send you back to the inn to rest.”

Seeing her first mate’s overly cautious demeanor, Roy waved her hand nonchalantly and said with a smile: “No need to be nervous. There’s no storm this captain hasn’t faced. It’s just a minor issue, nothing serious. Let’s continue according to your plan.”

Seeing that the captain seemed to have quickly recovered her spirited state, Caine didn’t try to persuade her further and silently nodded.

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“Let’s go back to our previous question. You said no one would recognize me. What’s that all about?” Roy looked up at her now-quiet first mate and asked curiously.

In her view, even though she had become a, uh, young woman, her charm, temperament, and presence hadn’t diminished in the slightest, not to mention those famous dark golden pupils. If someone paid close attention, how could she possibly escape detection?

“It’s simple. Because soon the whole world will know that the legendary pirate Captain Roy, along with the First Fleet led by the Tyrant, were all caught in an unprecedented storm, with no survivors.” Caine glanced at her, his tone so calm as if he were discussing something trivial.

Roy was momentarily stunned, then admiringly patted Caine on the shoulder: “Is this the false information you reported to the military? Well done. Hiding in the shadows will indeed make things much more convenient for us.”

“No.”

Caine was silent for a moment, then said in a heavy tone: “This is news received from the military’s secret channels when I went to the garrison this morning. It came from… the Southern Islands.”

Roy thought briefly along the lines of Caine’s words and quickly understood what this meant. Her lips curved slightly, and she sneered: “So it’s Richi’s handiwork. Since it came from the Southern Islands, does that mean the pirates have already accepted this as fact?”

“Yes.”

Caine’s gaze held more concern as he looked at Roy: “And the Great Captain has accepted it too, even publicly allocating your territory to Richi. After all, as you know, your former first mate is also a genuine legendary pirate.”

“Of course I know, considering he rose step by step under my very nose.” Roy’s smile faded, and her usually bright and confident eyes dimmed slightly as she recited that legendary name without emotion.

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“The Blood-Eyed Butcher, Richi Quake.”

If in the eyes of the Auran Empire, Roy was the devil with dark golden pupils like unextinguished magma, a dominant figure roaming the Eastern Seas with imposing valor, then hidden behind her, handling all the dirty work, Richi was the most fearsome killing machine held in this captain’s hand.

In terms of direct combat, Richi was no match for the Golden-Eyed Devil, but when it came to methods and efficiency of slaughter, this former first mate of Roy, the current captain of the Mermaid, was far more proficient than she was.

Whether it was poison that made people keep their distance, three-pointed daggers that maximized bleeding, or mysterious insect-controlling arts, they all made this frail young man the scourge that both crew members and enemies most feared to offend.

And this once-capable assistant had now become the biggest threat on Roy’s path to making a comeback.

“Forget it, let him have it. Anyway, when I return, I’ll make him hand it back to me obediently.”

The gloomy expression on Roy’s face quickly disappeared again, replaced by a relaxed smile. This captain seemed to never stay in the shadows for too long.

Perhaps this was her greatest charm, Caine concluded silently in his heart. Whether on a deserted island or in front of thirty potentially hostile sailors, this captain was always confident, composed, and radiant.

Having resolved Roy’s concern about exposure risk, the jewelry issue wasn’t resolved as easily and pleasantly as Caine had imagined. The cause wasn’t insufficient funds or unsuitable styles, but rather the captain’s excessive attachment to jewels.

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“Caine, let’s buy one more piece…”

Feeling Roy’s kitten-like coquetry, the first mate clearly knew this was a shamelessly disguised fierce tiger, but he had to admit that in this aspect, the captain could be considered to have reached the pinnacle of perfection. The destructive power of her glances and smiles was so great that even the customers in the jewelry store couldn’t look away.

“The funds needed for our voyage have all been placed on the ship, so what we’re using now isn’t our money, but public funds I allocated from the Frans Island garrison, specifically for purchasing accessories needed for the ball, not for you to squander.”

Caine forcibly moved his gaze away from the face of the captain whose disposition had greatly changed, adding helplessly: “Any excess will still need to be returned.”

If it were my own money, how would I be willing to spend it on such showy but impractical things?

Roy thought secretly, but on the surface, she still looked pitiful: “Just buy one more piece, please? Look how well this ring matches the gown. If I wear it, it will definitely increase… the chances of success.”

The unspoken word, expressed only in lip movements, was naturally “disguise,” which Caine could understand without even looking at her.

“Yes, yes, sir, look how suitable this ring is on your lady’s hand. It’s as if it were custom-made for her.” The jewelry store owner fanned the flames with an exaggerated tone, and those customers who couldn’t bear to see a young lady beg so pitifully also chimed in.

Caine looked at the captain who was tightly clutching the ring, suppressing his displeasure, and said through gritted teeth: “Fine, I’ll buy it for you.”