Captain – Chapter 433 – I’ll Stay With You Until the End

“Sir, if you absolutely need a place to deliver a message that’s secluded enough not to attract outsiders’ attention, then the Ria Clock Tower should meet your requirements. That being the case, please proceed?”

Theodore tilted his body slightly, making way for the messenger beside him, while making a “please” gesture toward the Ria Clock Tower.

“You only need to present the family emblem, and the soldiers will let you pass.”

After receiving the old butler’s assurance, the messenger left with a “Thank you for your trouble, please keep this confidential,” then pushed through the crowd and hurried forward.

“This… is against the rules.”

Looking at the Anderson family emblem presented by the messenger, the soldier guarding the clock tower frowned, glancing imperceptibly at the surrounding citizens, and said in a lowered voice with unexpectedly difficult tone.

Hipalia championed the concept of equality, especially at iconic, eye-catching buildings like the Ria Clock Tower, where exceptions were hard to make.

Even if the visitor was a member of the Anderson family, or their designated person.

But similarly, the so-called concept of equality could only be maintained thanks to the Anderson family, or rather, that family head.

That family was Hipalia’s ruler with more substance than name. It was because they promoted equality and suppressed privilege that the current situation existed.

If one day they no longer allowed it, everything would vanish like smoke.

This was also why the soldiers were so troubled.

If they let this messenger pass, this scene would spread throughout the great port, causing a stir. But if they didn’t, they couldn’t withstand the Anderson family’s wrath.

Even just a word from some young master or miss of that family would bring them great misfortune.

“I understand.”

Hearing this, the messenger responded in a low voice.

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His face remained hidden under the brim of his wide hat, unclear, his entire person exuding a low-key… even shadowy quality. Only the red feather inserted in the back of his hat showed some vitality.

As if he had anticipated this situation, the messenger, to the soldier’s surprise, discreetly displayed another emblem carved with a carrier pigeon.

Unlike ordinary carrier pigeons, this one was completely dark red, as if dyed with dried blood, with its head lowered in mourning.

In just an instant, the soldier wasn’t even sure if he had seen the image clearly before the messenger put away the emblem and pressed his hat brim lower: “I come from the Federation Message Bureau. You should have heard of it.”

Unlike any message bureau existing in the world, the Federation Message Bureau was a department hidden in the shadows, belonging exclusively to the military. Under normal circumstances, it only conveyed important military reports, or the will of a very few important figures.

In terms of importance and representational significance, it was similar to the Empire’s dark division, but surpassed it in efficiency and secrecy of message delivery.

The guards were from the military and had no reason not to know about the Message Bureau.

“I am under the joint orders of a great personage and Mr. Rowell to deliver an urgent, confidential message to someone currently inside the tower. I hope you can accommodate this and… help me put on a show.”

Hearing the messenger’s quickly delivered words, the soldier felt somewhat dazed but still caught the most important information in this passage.

A great personage, Mr. Rowell, and an urgent confidential message…

Each link carried extremely heavy significance.

Mr. Rowell needed no explanation; no matter where in the world this title was mentioned, the first person it brought to mind was that family head.

And the person who could mobilize the Federation Message Bureau and be on par with the Anderson family head must also be an extremely powerful figure. After all, even the Assembly Chair had no right to use the Federation Message Bureau for private messages.

As for words like “urgent” and “confidential,” they made the soldier break out in a cold sweat, constantly exchanging glances with his colleagues beside him.

But before the soldiers could come up with a solution, the messenger, after somewhat deliberately observing them for a while, seized the opportunity and, amid the spectators’ exclamations, pushed past the person in front and rushed through the door.

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The bumped soldier was stunned for a moment, then remembering the word “show” in the messenger’s speech, hurriedly put on an angry expression, cursed under his breath, called someone, and fiercely gave chase.

In the eyes of outsiders, this was clearly another farce.

The rules of the Ria Clock Tower, while ensuring that the ancient artifact wouldn’t suffer too severe damage, still caused much inconvenience to people.

Imagine if someone inside the tower had an urgent family or business matter, but the messenger coming to deliver the message couldn’t get in. They would have to force their way in, just like that obvious messenger.

Such scenes would reappear outside the Ria Clock Tower every few days, and local residents coming to visit were already accustomed to it.

Therefore, after a brief exclamation, the crowd returned to calmness.

People just waited for that person to be caught, enjoying the spectacle.

“It doesn’t look very big from the outside, but inside, it’s actually quite spacious.”

Climbing up the creaking old wooden spiral staircase, Roy looked down at the rest platforms they had passed, which had wooden tables and chairs and even offered beverages for purchase, remarking with some emotion.

This clock tower named after Mother Rhea, in terms of design and grandeur, naturally couldn’t compare with the ice tower built by the devil. Even the relatively spacious rest platforms couldn’t accommodate Roy and that Blood Craver’s activities, not to mention that not every floor had a platform.

But compared to ordinary clock towers, it was another matter entirely.

Just the area occupied by the spiral staircase could probably match three ordinary clock towers, not to mention it had sufficient height to overlook the entire mighty city.

“But it’s really too high.”

After speaking, the young woman withdrew her gaze and looked up toward the ceiling, seeing the spiral staircase layered on layer, with no end in sight. She couldn’t help but sigh, feeling similarly to when she climbed the mountain with Richi.

What sin had she committed to have to climb this broken tower for a view?

“Captain, this was your own chosen path.”

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Disregarding the captain’s complaints, Caine skillfully grabbed the young woman’s wrist, prying open her eagle-claw-like hand that was gripping the railing tightly, and dragging her upward—clearly not the first time.

“I’m saying, isn’t it enough to climb this far? Do we really need to reach the top? We could just sit on a platform and have some drinks, that would be nice.”

Roy complained with a bitter face, very unwillingly.

It wasn’t that she found it tiring—her strength and endurance were far superior to the young man’s—but this tower-climbing journey was too boring. This clock tower that looked like a work of art from the outside had a rather plain interior.

Apart from the simple carvings on the railings under the spiral staircase handrails, everything else was the same. There were none of the ceiling-reaching murals or bizarre reliefs she had imagined, so naturally it felt tedious.

For someone like Roy who was keen on exploring the unknown and interested in all novel things, resistance to boredom was particularly low.

“Whether it’s mountain climbing or sailing, aren’t they all equally boring? The journey following that devil is even more of a bitter journey. Since that’s the case, why do you, I, and the crew members persist?”

As the two continued upward, fewer and fewer fellow travelers remained beside them.

“Persistence naturally has its reasons.”

Allowing the first mate to lead her, Roy looked at the changing steps beneath her feet and said softly: “I rarely climb mountains, so I don’t really understand that, but sailing is different. It’s for a better life.”

“Being a pirate, licking blood from swords daily, this isn’t pleasure. In other words, it’s just rushing about for wealth, rushing constantly. Once you stop, you might not have your next meal.”

“As for finding the devil, it’s also to rescue my father and incidentally take revenge. These are all unavoidable things. Climbing this tower… you can just consider it me looking for trouble. How can you compare them?”

Finally, they no longer had any companions. Only the sound of their footsteps remained in the upper level of the clock tower, along with the increasingly clear ticking sound.

“You always use reasoning to pressure me. But even if I knew more reasoning, even if I finished studying philosophy, what change would it make to my life? Wouldn’t I still have to jump into the sea of fire?”

After a moment of silence, seeing that the first mate hadn’t responded to her, Roy continued to ramble on, not noticing that their footsteps were becoming slower.

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“What are you thinking about?”

Hearing the captain’s accusation, Caine laughed bitterly and explained: “I just wanted to say, didn’t you tell me that your original intention for going to sea wasn’t to be a pirate, but to become an explorer?”

After thinking for a long time, the captain couldn’t recall when she had mentioned this. Perhaps it was something she said during some drunken, dizzy moment?

“Yes, so what?”

But this was indeed the truth, and she admitted it frankly.

“Then tell me, what do explorers climb high mountains and sail distant seas for?”

Without realizing it, the two had stopped walking.

Roy instinctively raised her head and gazed into the distance through the window before her. In her eyes reflected a hazy brilliance, a magnificent scene created by the interweaving of city lights and starlight, dreamlike as a mirage.

Along the central street, all the way to the inner lake, it was as if someone had laid out a path of light, leading directly to that world of layered sails, quiet but not lonely.

Further ahead were fortress-like shadows, lighthouses that never dimmed through the night, with beams of light rotating, guiding travelers’ directions.

Situated in this quiet world near the dome, yet seeing all the prosperity and splendor before them, this feeling was strange and quite calming to the heart.

“Is it… the scenery at the end?”

Hearing the young woman’s murmur, the first mate released her wrist and stood beside her, gazing into the distance, slightly narrowing his eyes to appreciate the spectacular view of this foreign land. He spoke with a gentle tone: “Yes, I’ll stay with you until the end.”

“Not just now, but in the future.”

As he said this, he was as languid as a lion.