Captain – Chapter 83 – Contract

The atmosphere on the Osprey was very low.

Everyone remained silent. In this seemingly endless white fog, no one was in the mood for fun and games, or even playing cards to pass the time.

And the reason for all this was Roy’s departure.

Even the sailors who deeply feared Roy had to admit that this captain truly possessed a reassuring leadership quality—as if as long as she was present, all dangers could be safely overcome.

Therefore, upon learning that the captain would leave the Osprey to board that eerie giant ship and might never return, the sailors all felt somewhat depressed, even developing profound despair about whether they could escape this mist alive.

Willie, who had once suffered flogging but later earned Roy’s appreciation, sat with his head down against the mast, feeling sorrowful that he might never see the captain again.

The priest who had been encouraged by the captain to bravely recite the Scripture’s ordinances before the crowd leaned against the ship’s railing, continuously drawing crosses on his chest, praying for the captain’s safe return.

Never had the hearts of the people on the ship been so united. Everyone longed to see the girl appear on the bridge again.

Just as people were waiting quietly and oppressively, a shout suddenly came from the crow’s nest, breaking through this silent and gloomy sky.

“First Mate, I can see the captain!”

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It was Daniel’s voice, full of excitement and joy.

Caine, who had been leaning against the spiral staircase railing resting with his eyes closed, immediately opened them. He quickly came to the deck and looked along the railing of the Victoria, soon finding the captain who was waving her hand continuously.

“Caine, set up a gangplank!”

The captain’s shout came from the towering giant ship. After receiving the order, the young man immediately commanded the sailors in a loud voice: “Gentlemen, did you all hear that? The captain needs a gangplank!”

When Daniel’s and the girl’s voices sounded one after another, the sailors were still immersed in a sorrowful atmosphere. It wasn’t until the First Mate’s command exploded beside their ears that they awoke as if from a dream, all jumping up and rushing toward the gangplank the First Mate mentioned.

“Set up the gangplank! Set up the gangplank! The captain is back!”

The sailors’ excited shouts rose and fell, quickly spreading across the deck. Watching this scene, Caine murmured in slight bewilderment: “When… did she become so popular?”

“Perhaps only when something is lost and regained can it be truly cherished,” Ben walked to the young man’s side and answered with a smile, looking at the confidently smiling captain on the Victoria, a trace of reminiscence appearing in his eyes.

Hearing the Bosun’s sentiment, Caine looked back at the energetic girl and also smiled: “Perhaps.”

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The height difference between the Osprey and the Victoria was too great. The wooden gangplank could only reach one-third of the giant ship’s hull, so it had to be wedged on a protrusion above one of its gun ports.

Looking down from the Victoria, seeing that the gangplank welcoming her had been set up, Roy wiped the sweat from her forehead, tightly secured the dragon egg that Bivis had wrapped meticulously in cotton cloth with hemp rope, and then carefully lowered it until it was stable on the gangplank before she could breathe a sigh of relief.

“So heavy.”

Roy shook her somewhat sore arms, then nimbly climbed down along the ship’s wall. Soon she landed on the gangplank, promptly untied the hemp rope and cotton cloth, picked up the half-person-high dragon egg, and trotted awkwardly toward the Osprey.

All the sailors gripped the railing tightly, nervously watching the captain who might lose balance at any moment and fall into the sea, unable to resist reminding her to be careful.

Fortunately, Roy safely returned to the deck of the Osprey. Hearing the sailors’ cheers, she felt somewhat surprised by the warm reception.

“Everyone was quite worried about you.”

Seeing this, Caine calmly explained, then very naturally took the dragon egg from the captain’s hands, only to be pulled downward by its weight.

“Oh, oh, be careful, Caine. If that fellow sees this, he’d probably get angry again,” Roy anxiously looked back to confirm that the scholar, as he himself had said, could not leave the cabin of the Victoria, before she finally relaxed.

When dealing with the dragon egg earlier, she had witnessed how precious this research material was to the natural scholar—that almost crazy protective instinct had even overcome his fear of her.

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“What… what exactly is this thing?”

Caine took a deep breath and placed it in the arms of the Bosun, who was most skilled at heavy tasks, then frowned and asked: “And who is this ‘fellow’ you mentioned? Could there be someone still alive on the Victoria?”

“Well, there is a living person on that ship, a natural scholar. He said this thing is a dragon egg, although I don’t know if it can still hatch…”

Mentioning Bivis, Roy suddenly remembered his request and stopped her lengthy explanation, changing the subject: “You can ask him slowly about these things after he comes aboard. Now, go get me a contract, a formal one.”

Although he still had many doubts in his heart, Caine followed her instructions and went to the captain’s cabin to fetch a contract—those that were originally to be used when recruiting formal crew members upon reaching Yadris.

“Captain, is someone new joining the ship? A formal crew member?”

Daniel had already descended from the crow’s nest when Roy stepped onto the gangplank, and had been eagerly waiting for her, leaning against the railing. Now, hearing Roy’s command to the First Mate, he looked up curiously and asked her.

“How should I put it? This fellow can’t really be considered a formal crew member. Once he repays his debt, he’ll leave on his own,” Roy patted the boy’s small head, shamelessly describing that transaction as a debt the scholar owed her.

“I see,” the boy nodded continuously, treating the captain’s words as divine oracle.

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After receiving the contract from Caine, Roy left with a “be right back” and once again left the deck to board the Victoria.

In the room closest to the gangway, the scholar, who had changed into an intact robe, was pacing back and forth incessantly. Behind him on the wooden table, Alfie’s eyes, like black pearls, were moving with his figure.

Although Lady Annisdora was very strict about everything on the Victoria related to survival and wealth, she had mercifully not restricted the scholar’s use of clothing, cotton cloth, and other daily necessities related to dignity.

Sighing gently, Bivis looked at the raven with concern in his eyes: “Do you think your captain will go back on her word? If she changes her mind now, I’m truly finished.”

“Fool! Fool!”

The raven didn’t answer him, only kept insulting him, clearly still holding a grudge for him yelling at it earlier.

Knowing he wouldn’t get an answer from the raven, the scholar shook his head in distress. Just as he was about to say something nice to appease the little creature, steady and powerful footsteps sounded from outside the door.

Roy entered the room, heavily slammed a contract onto the wooden table, picked up the quill pen the scholar had prepared, filled in her name in the employer’s position, then raised the pen toward the scholar.

“Here, sign it.”