Captain – Chapter 640 – “Examination”

Though the ancient theater had been completely renovated by the third day’s morning—not just the old bricks and cracked walls, but even the stone statues missing half their bodies had been restored to their original appearance according to ancient texts found from who knows where.

However, because an important guest had already departed on business before receiving the invitation, and even if they returned and set out immediately, it would be difficult to arrive in time.

Therefore, at Roy’s request, the banquet was postponed.

It wasn’t until dusk filled the sky and Roy learned from Alfie, who had returned from patrolling the seas, that the guest’s ship was approaching, that she signaled for the evening banquet to begin.

She herself took a carriage to the city’s port to meet the person.

Though the “passage” originally connecting the great city to these ruins was full of rough terrain and even blocked by thorns, after the craftsmen’s commute over two days and nights and their philosophy of doing things in passing, they had finally opened a carriage road.

In their words, perhaps in the future a city might rise from the ground centered on that ancient theater, becoming another famous attraction of Providence.

It might even be named after Roy.

However, the girl in the carriage had no interest in the craftsmen and sculptors’ vision.

She simply leaned against the window, emptying her mind, watching the tree shadows dyed red by the setting sun, seeing them rapidly recede, becoming open space where her gaze could reach directly to the sea, then transforming into city walls and tall, dense buildings.

It wasn’t until the coachman reminded her that the captain came to her senses, discovering the bustling port before her eyes.

And that warship flying a flag of black and red coloring, painted with twin bloodshot demonic eyes, was slowly docking at the port under the illumination of the gradually setting sun.

Looking at that familiar flag pattern and the warship that, while not comparable to the Mermaid, was already top-tier among the islands, Roy couldn’t help raising an eyebrow as she stepped down from the carriage.

Following the flow of people either boarding ships or moving cargo, the captain came to the wooden pier.

Just then, a small boat was also lowered from that warship, slowly rowing toward this side, within which could vaguely be seen a flash of red more stunning than the sunset.

Rеαd оո ΚαtRеαԁіոɡCаfe

Soon, that flash of red appeared on the pier.

“Long time no see.”

After smiling and greeting her, Roy opened her arms and stepped forward, sharing a light embrace with the girl who was as coldly beautiful as ever, then led her back to the carriage.

This person who, due to her different status, attracted even more attention from the port sailors than the captain herself, was naturally the proprietress of the Banshee’s Eye, Cecilia Joyce.

Getting into the carriage and drawing the curtains finally avoided those burning gazes.

Only then did the ice queen beauty who had been quiet the entire journey have a chance to properly look Roy over, then casually pick a topic to dissolve the slight awkwardness of their long separation and reunion.

“Nice new hat. At least it has more taste than that one you designed yourself.”

Hearing this, the captain touched the “antique” she had received from that goddess’s representative and said with a bitter smile, “How do you know this wasn’t designed by me?”

“Don’t I know you well enough? With your artistic talent…”

With just two or three exchanges, the atmosphere between them became lively, but the proprietress’s words were clearly rapidly approaching an unrestrained direction.

“Alright, alright, don’t belittle me the moment we meet.”

Seeing the other had a tendency she couldn’t rein in, the captain quickly pressed her hand to interrupt, saying pleadingly, then immediately changed the subject: “Speaking of which, how have you been these years? I see the ship that brought you flies a flag with the Banshee’s Eye logo.”

“Because that is the Banshee’s Eye’s property, or rather… my property.”

Seeing through Roy’s usual tactic at a glance, Cecilia didn’t mind, picking up the hot tea before her and taking a sip. After frowning slightly as if dissatisfied with the quality, she said plainly: “You don’t know, but after a certain someone left, the tavern developed much faster.”

Rеαԁ οո ΚаtRеαⅾіnɡCafе

“Intelligence networks and clientele expanded many times over. We even have several branches now, and our business scope is no longer limited to Yadris. If I may say…”

“If a certain someone hadn’t been so wasteful in the past, perhaps this day could have come even sooner.”

Discovering she had pushed herself into another pit, the captain sheepishly scratched her cheek. Just as she was thinking how to change the subject again, the proprietress provided a way out.

“However, this also has to do with a certain someone working diligently to build up her reputation. After all, even without shares, outsiders still see the tavern as hers.”

“It did help clear some obstacles for me.”

Without giving the “certain someone” in question a chance to claim credit, Cecilia smiled politely and said: “But I won’t be grateful. Let’s just call it even.”

The troubles caused during the early business period and the dire straits the tavern fell into during the disappearance, balanced against the implicit assistance received these days—it sounded reasonable enough.

Looking at the somewhat dejected captain, the proprietress’s usually cold smile finally softened somewhat as she said: “Finished talking about me, why don’t you mention yourself?”

“Me?”

Hearing this, Roy was slightly stunned, then said guiltily: “I, I’ve been doing pretty well.”

Clearly, this was an evasive response full of lies, like what children wandering away from home often write in their routine letters back to family.

Knowing that her “pretty well” was really no different from “not dead, at least still alive,” the proprietress sighed lightly and didn’t pursue the matter further.

Instead, she changed her tone and asked gently: “Married?”

From anyone else, this would be asking the obvious, since the invitation clearly stated it was a wedding banquet.

Reαⅾ οո КatReаdіոgCаfe

But asked by the captain’s former lover, it inevitably carried additional meaning.

However, the usually cold and direct Cecilia didn’t give those implications a chance to ferment, nor did she want the person before her to overthink because of these words, so she rarely added: “Don’t think too much into it, I’m really just asking.”

“Mm.”

Even so, facing someone who knew her inside and out, Roy still felt somewhat unnatural.

After all, the other party knew all about her romantic affairs from when she was still a man. Even setting aside that past relationship, bringing it up was still inevitably awkward.

Seeing this, the proprietress smiled with feeling: “You’ve changed a lot. In the past, your face was so thick that even cannons couldn’t pierce it, but now you’re actually faithful.”

“That’s good too. Having someone to look after you means at least you won’t be as lonely as before.”

Lonely like a little wolf separated from its pack.

As she spoke, as if remembering something, Cecilia lifted half the curtain and looked at the nighttime ghostly forest outside, asking: “By the way, your lover…”

“No, I should call him your husband now, right? Why didn’t he come with you?”

“Oh, we were supposed to come together originally. I thought he wouldn’t be comfortable with that scene either.”

Halfway through her answer, remembering the situation when they were leaving, the captain’s expression became somewhat strange. After pausing for quite a while, she explained: “But just as we were about to leave, he was held back by the elders, who said they wanted to give him a thorough examination.”

“I don’t know… how he’s doing now.”

The “examination” the elders spoke of often wasn’t a hostile question-and-answer session or digging for his background, but more likely just…

Reаⅾ οո KαtRеаԁiոgСаfе

Silent staring.

Yes, that was exactly Caine’s predicament, and he had been stuck in this standoff for quite a while.

Hands placed on his knees, back straight, perfectly recreating his posture as a soldier—in the past, he could maintain this state unchanged for an entire day.

Much less now, after his body had been transformed by the devil’s great power.

But even so, the young man still felt as if a mountain was pressing down on his shoulders, making him ache from inside out, with cold sweat even appearing on his forehead.

The main cause of all this was naturally the dozen or so old men sitting in a row across the table.

Particularly the one at the front, Captain Diamond known as “Snow Lion,” whose cold, deliberately fault-finding gaze was like a knife.

Trying to pierce him through completely.

In this moment, Caine finally felt empathy.

Finally understanding what kind of “suffering” and helplessness the captain had endured when facing the scrutiny and marriage pressure from his father and Grandfather Federo.

So while his surface remained cold and stern, beyond reproach, inwardly he prayed constantly.

Come back quickly, Captain, or else…

I won’t be able to hold out much longer.