Captain – Chapter 714 – The Void Old Covenant, Interrupted Persuasion

Under the starlight, the carriage left the grand city.

After traveling slowly through the fertile fields for a long while, it entered the vast estate of the Anderson family.

But this time, the carriage didn’t turn toward the depths, heading to where family members lived, but instead drove into the magnificent palace where family gatherings had been held several years ago.

Since it wasn’t near New Year, there were naturally no guests in the palace, and many halls weren’t lit. To be precise, only the corridors and the cold hall in the deepest part had candles burning.

The carriage stopped outside the side door closest to the cold hall.

After getting off and learning his old master’s intentions from the old butler, Anderson headed toward the cold hall while signaling for the old man to go rest.

Because he wasn’t an outside guest requiring guidance—he knew the way all too well.

That mansion was, after all, his future “battlefield.”

Tapping his cane and humming a tune, the ship’s doctor entered the cold hall, came to the relief wall at the end, and skillfully pressed the mechanism. During the tedious moment waiting for the secret passage to appear, he didn’t forget to smile and greet the “servants” at his side.

After entering the secret passage, those turns and mechanisms seemed nonexistent to him.

Before long, he opened the stone door at the end, entered that mansion, and soon came to the third floor, standing before the wooden door of that office.

After arranging his clothes and mood, confirming he now had the perfect appearance befitting an heir, Anderson knocked twice then directly opened the door.

Then, holding his cane in one hand with the other arm slightly extended, he asked like a theatrical actor making an entrance:

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“Ta-da, did you miss me, old man?”

Since this return wasn’t forced or to pick a fight, but to follow the other’s wishes and come back to take over the family business, the ship’s doctor’s tone was particularly relaxed.

But what responded to him was only a flat syllable.

“Sit.”

The family head, who was reading yellowed scrolls by candlelight, didn’t even look up.

Seeing this, Anderson boredly curled his lips, dropped his arm and stepped forward, unceremoniously taking a seat and asking: “I say, old man, aren’t you being too hasty?”

“I’m not going to run away again, so why hand over the position to me the moment we meet?”

Looking at the family head’s slightly graying temples, the ship’s doctor couldn’t help but pause, then leaned forward slightly, elbows on the desk, saying in a tone meant to lighten the mood: “If you ask me, with your robust constitution, working another ten or twenty years would be completely fine.”

“Cut the glib talk, and I might live a few more years.”

Hearing this, Rowell put down the tattered parchment, glared at the young man who had leaned back comfortably in his chair again, and pushed a pile of scrolls in front of him.

Muttering “why use such worn paper,” Anderson casually picked up one document, only to discover these weren’t family affairs but more like ancient contracts.

The text was even more obscure, in a language from a defunct duchy within the Federation.

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Fortunately, he had studied it—or rather, had been dabbling in archaic languages like Ancient Auran since childhood, perhaps precisely so he could read these contracts today.

After roughly scanning the contract’s contents and focusing on the very blurred names at the bottom, the ship’s doctor could no longer remain frivolous, his expression gradually becoming serious.

Because he recognized some of those people, and even those he didn’t recognize, he knew those names.

Shelley, Anderson, York…

Many were the most ancient and powerful families in the Federation, while the rest came from Auran or stronger duchies outside the three powers.

Even more shocking was that among those names that existed only in history, the ship’s doctor even recognized several famous pirate legends who had once glorified the old world.

This contract—no, all these agreements—were undoubtedly the old covenant his father had mentioned, the things that every generation of decision-makers’ descendants needed to sign.

But why bring them out today? Was it just because he was going to pass the position to him?

But… surely they didn’t need to be piled up like waste paper?

Seeing the young man’s confusion, Rowell said plainly: “You must remember, Don, from today onwards, all these agreements are void, and even the secret relationships born from and maintained by them may all become empty overnight.”

“This is undoubtedly a risk, but also an opportunity.”

“Facing such a situation and possibilities, the family must travel light, must bet on the right chips and seize the initiative, in order to secure a place in the new era.”

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Listening to his father’s teachings and thinking of what he had seen and heard on the Mermaid and the giant ship, the ship’s doctor gradually understood. He put down that contract, looked at the family head, and asked:

“So from the very beginning until two years ago, you always allowed me to travel with Captain Roy because you had already foreseen this?”

“You guessed the old covenant would definitely be broken?”

Hearing this, Mr. Rowell was silent for a long time, then smiled with complex emotions and said: “What are you thinking? I’m not a god who can predict everything.”

“In fact, regarding this matter, whether it’s me or those families most supportive of change, we’re all very conservative. We’d rather the old covenant be maintained forever.”

“Who would have thought you young ones would actually manage to break through that paper barrier, not only causing the Guardian of Law to abdicate, but now even digging up Edward’s old debts? What else can we old folks do but follow along?”

“Should we just wait to watch you all get wiped out, then have the devil come back to take over the world?”

Hearing his father’s heavily resentful words and seeing his rarely displayed annoyance, Anderson’s mouth twitched slightly as he weakly protested: “It has nothing to do with me.”

“I’d be surprised if you had that capability.”

Seeing this, Rowell picked up the bitter tea at his side, took a sip, suppressed his anger and continued explaining: “As for letting you board the ship, it was originally just to let you go wild for a while.”

“Later, when I learned Captain Roy had retaken the Mermaid and the Naren boy was also on board, I had some additional thoughts, but that was just preparing for a rainy day.”

“And letting you go last time was actually because the islands sent a letter. I thought that side would bring back Captain Roy, and you’d slink back home too. There was no deep meaning.”

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Hearing this, the ship’s doctor sighed and complained: “And here I thought you had planned everything from thousands of miles away. Now you’ve explained it all away. But look, my occasional rebellions weren’t entirely bad—this opportunity has come, hasn’t it?”

“Think about it, crusading against the devil is something…”

The general situation of the old sea had already been detailed in that secret letter sent earlier. Now seeing Anderson’s composed appearance but tone that couldn’t be entirely flat, Rowell naturally knew he was about to launch into quite a persuasive speech.

Using righteousness, interests, even the family’s safety and such to move him, in order to persuade that one from the Shelley family and make everything proceed smoothly.

But he had no intention of listening.

Seeing his father slightly raise his hand, signaling him to stop talking, the ship’s doctor’s surface calm immediately shattered. His eyebrows shot up with an expression of incomprehension and even absurdity.

Because his persuasive words, prepared for who knows how many days, had been interrupted, and because this made no sense.

Not to mention whether the Empire would act—hadn’t the old man himself said this was an opportunity?

But before he could ask why or launch into the elaborate persuasion he had imagined, the family head’s leisurely and relaxed follow-up words made his eyebrows rise even higher.

“Don’t waste your energy. Both you and I can rest assured—the matter was decided long ago.”

“The Federation agrees to send troops.”