Captain – Chapter 99 – Playing the Emotional Card

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“Oh, John, dear old John, I can’t believe that old fellow wasn’t thrown to the sharks by Richi. Heaven must truly be blind,” Roy said, narrowing her eyes and smiling like a fox.

Although the captain’s curse toward Old John was malicious, everyone could hear the surprise in her words. The survival of this old sailor was clearly excellent news for her.

John Davidson, the former bosun of the Mermaid, was known for his smooth handling of affairs and cunning mind. Rumor had it that he was once a top spy for the imperial military before somehow ending up in Yadris, becoming Golden-Eyed Roy’s most powerful intelligence officer and bosun.

His responsibilities weren’t just collecting external intelligence, but also specifically monitoring the thoughts of various crew members for the captain. If anyone had ulterior motives, Roy would know immediately and, after confirmation, take cold-blooded measures to eliminate the threat.

So on the Mermaid, aside from the captain, the person the sailors feared most wasn’t Butcher Richi, but this old man who held all sorts of information, who knew clearly even the color of underwear everyone wore each day.

No one knew what evil thoughts were hidden beneath Old John’s kind face.

The reason such a notorious “tattletale” wasn’t forced to walk the plank by angry crew members, or directly eliminated through underhanded means, was because Roy stood behind him.

Therefore, when Cecilia mentioned that he was still alive and had even become the quartermaster and intelligence officer connecting the Mermaid with Yadris, Roy was so surprised and delighted.

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“I don’t know what you’re thinking, but since Old John has accepted Richi’s goodwill, he isn’t someone who can be trusted. You must be very careful when you meet him,” Cecilia warned her solemnly.

Although Roy had never truly trusted these crew members, under her observation, there had been no shortage of people on the Mermaid who fanatically worshipped and supported this captain. But among those people, there would never be someone like John Davidson.

“I know. After all, the only reason he’s alive might be that he has some secret about me.”

Roy waved her finger, then smiled and said, “But it doesn’t matter, because Old John is a smart person. He never puts all his eggs in one basket. Before the winner between Richi and me is determined, he will definitely remain firmly neutral.”

“And what these manipulative, bullying neutrals fear most is the fist.”

Roy withdrew her finger and clenched it into a fist. “As long as I give his nose a punch, he’ll know that there has never been such a thing as loyalty. Only swaying with the wind and playing both sides is the right way.”

Although the captain was always rather unpredictable, basically everything she had said had been proven correct. So Cecilia just nodded and didn’t give any more advice.

“So, darling, when does our Old John usually… find himself alone?”

A cunning and cowardly fellow like Old John would generally be surrounded by a group of guards. Although Roy didn’t really care about those strong men, it would be troublesome if there were familiar faces from the Mermaid among them.

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“Alone…”

Cecilia pondered for a moment, then said, “Every Monday morning, he disguises himself and comes to the Banshee’s Eye through the secret passage to see me, either to persuade me to join Richi, or to probe for some intelligence and clues about you or valuable merchant ships.”

The secret passage mentioned by the proprietress didn’t go deep underground, but was just an abandoned alley that few people knew about—a shortcut exclusively for the Mermaid’s crew.

“Of course, this is all because after Yadris became what it is now, I never again provided any clues to that little bastard or the pirates who don’t follow the rules.”

For pirates, hoping to chance upon a merchant ship on the vast ocean was simply a daydream. That’s when taverns filled with all sorts of characters became the best source of clues.

And the largest and best tavern in Yadris, providing the most accurate clues, could only be the Banshee’s Eye.

“Well done, darling, that’s the way it should be.”

Roy praised her, then pinched her chin and murmured, “Now there are still two days until Monday, so the time is quite ample. We can make some preparations for later, like recruiting people…”

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At this point, the captain fell silent for a moment, looking at the proprietress with a pleading cat-like gaze, asking pitifully, “Little Ceci, does the Banshee’s Eye recently have any…”

“No.”

Cecilia flatly refused her. “Don’t think I don’t know what you’re up to. The Banshee’s Eye hasn’t been doing good business lately, and there’s no spare money for you to squander. Even if there were, you still couldn’t have it.”

Hearing the young woman’s firm tone, Roy immediately pulled a bitter face. “Why is that?”

“Don’t forget, the last time you brought me any profit was two years ago. After that, you kept mumbling about finding some Devil’s Island, consuming all the gold and silver collected from Yadris. Later, you even took a large sum of money from me using half the shares of the Banshee’s Eye.”

Of course, Roy wouldn’t forget that. During that period, she and her crew were living beyond their means. Finally, they had no choice but to exchange shares of the Banshee’s Eye for money from Cecilia. With that money’s support, they were able to find that mysterious island beyond the sea chart.

“So now, the Banshee’s Eye belongs to me alone. You won’t get a penny from it,” Cecilia said mercilessly.

“Don’t be so heartless, darling. Can I just borrow it? I’m just borrowing, okay?” Roy tried tentatively.

“No way. Even if you really get the Mermaid back, at that time you might just want to find that island you’ve been obsessing over again. Where would you get the money to repay the debt?” The proprietress showed no sign of relenting.

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Roy knew the other was right. Even after reclaiming the Mermaid, not counting recruitment and maintenance expenses, she wouldn’t have the spare energy to go plundering first. She might really not be able to repay this money.

Tsk, when did this girl become so shrewd?

The negotiation yielding no results, Roy had to try playing the emotional card. She reached out to put her arm around the young woman’s shoulder, moved slightly closer to her face, and coaxed in a gentle voice, “Little Ceci, darling, my good girl, how can the feelings between us be measured by money, right?”

Cecilia glanced at her indifferently without saying a word.

“Do you remember that night two years ago? At that time, we made a vow, didn’t we say whether rich or poor…”

Roy’s words only made matters worse, reminding the proprietress of some memories she would rather not recall. Her fair cheeks suddenly turned bright red, and then she slapped the captain hard across the face.

Cecilia’s voice was very sharp, like the angry cry of a skylark.

“You have the nerve to bring that up! I was only seventeen then!”