There’s no denying it—impulsive people do have one advantage: they get things done fast.
Three days after Sules said those words, she received an anxious message from Xiao, “Sulia Captain, Sulia Captain! Stop the ship, quick! Two of our crew members have disappeared!”
Sules raised her eyebrows, getting up from the cockpit with great interest, and replied in a worried voice, “Alright, we’ll stop now. I hope nothing’s happened.”
She walked out of the cockpit, her steps light and cheerful.
When the two-legged ship came to a halt, she extended the gangplank to connect with Xiao’s ship. Xiao looked like he was at his wit’s end, running over drenched in sweat.
Sules comforted him, “Don’t panic, don’t panic. Two living people can’t just vanish into thin air, can they? Who’s missing?”
Xiao replied, “My first mate and the boatswain.”
A knowing light flickered in Sules’ eyes, and the corners of her mouth curled up ever so slightly.
“Don’t worry. I’ll send all my crew over to your ship to help search right away.”
She wasted no time gathering her crew and explaining the situation.
“Stop fishing for now. Your job is to help Captain Xiao find his men.”
Adolph gave Sules a meaningful look after hearing her words.
Sules met his gaze without flinching.
Their eyes met for just a moment before they both looked away.
Xiao didn’t notice the undercurrents between them, still busy thanking Sules.
“Captain Sulia, you’re truly a good person.”
He wasn’t just grateful for her willingness to help search, but also for her agreeing to pause fishing.
After all, if it were a less concerned captain, they could have just waited until the evening, when there was no fishing, to lend a hand.
Sules accepted his thanks with a smile and followed him to his ship to help search.
An hour passed, but none of the crew found anything.
Sules put on a grave expression and said,
“I really don’t want to believe it, but it’s very possible that your two crew members are no longer on the ship.”
Xiao struggled to accept this fact.
“The sea’s all around us. If they’re not on the ship, where could they be? They can’t just disappear into thin air, can they?”
Sules speculated,
“I suspect they might have been murdered.”
Her words gave Xiao a new line of thought, and he immediately found a target.
“It’s Jack and his lot! I’ve seen them sneaking around lately, and it turns out they were up to something this vicious!”
Without waiting for Sules to stop him, Xiao angrily called over several of his crew.
“You seven, which of you did something to the first mate and the boatswain? I’ve always treated you well, and yet you’d do this to me?!”
Sules sighed beside him.
Why is he so hot-headed?
She couldn’t help but worry if she could really entrust him with great responsibility after recruiting him.
But the next second, Xiao shattered Sules’ expectations.
He gave a cold laugh,
“Did you all really think I wouldn’t know? I spent a fortune installing an Image Stone on this ship. Everything you do is within my grasp!”
The Image Stone is made from the teeth of the Image Fish, similar to a video recorder on Earth, able to record everything that happens.
But Image Fish are rare, so naturally, Image Stones are expensive.
Jack and his group of seven were clearly startled for a moment, but quickly recovered.
“How could that be? First of all, we didn’t even know about it, and second, if you had that thing, why did you spend an hour searching just now?”
Xiao remained calm, “Our search was actually to see if you were hiding any weapons or the like on board—to prevent any further trouble. If you don’t believe me, ask Captain Sulia.”
Sulia nodded in cooperation.
“Captain Xiao did tell me that.”
Xiao continued,
“Enough pretending. I’ve seen everything. You killed the first mate and the boatswain, then dumped their bodies into the sea. Am I right?”
Listening to his string of accusations, Sules couldn’t help but look at Xiao with surprise.
Honestly, if she didn’t know the truth, she’d almost believe Xiao’s story.
He had such an honest and reliable face, but when it came to lying, he didn’t hesitate in the slightest.
Bold and meticulous, he dared to voice his suspicions directly.
Sules had to admit, judging by his performance now, he was almost on par with her in the art of deception.
He was indeed a very qualified merchant.
Even Sules admired his acting, so naturally Jack and the others were completely convinced.
They immediately grew fearful, panicking and at a loss for what to do.
But Jack was bolder than the rest. He knew full well that murdering fellow crew was a grave crime punishable by beheading at the Sea God Temple.
But he’d already made up his mind, sneering, “What are you all scared of? So what if he knows the truth? As long as we don’t let him get to the Sea God Temple, we can escape, can’t we?”
“What do you mean?!”
Xiao glared at him.
Jack looked at him disdainfully.
“Once you’re off the ship, you’ll have no protection. I’d like to see how you make it to the Sea God Temple for help when the seven of us gang up on you.”
Sules sighed.
This was the East Sea, after all. In other seas, perhaps these murderers wouldn’t be so brazen, but here, they had that kind of backing.
Because in the East Sea, aside from the Sea God Temple, no one cared who lived or died.
Freedom above all else—in this chaotic, evil place, if you couldn’t protect yourself, you had to accept the consequence of dying with no one to care.
But Xiao hadn’t thought that far. He was a merchant, not a killer.
In the marketplace, he could talk circles around anyone, but outside of business, he was just a small-time captain.
Sules had foreseen this scene long ago.
She patted Xiao’s shoulder, signaling him to follow her.
Once back on her ship, Sules asked,
“So, what are you going to do now? Without the protection of a fleet, once you’re off the ship, those men might kill you.”
Xiao gave a bitter laugh.
“The East Sea… I used to praise its informality, but now I hate its carelessness. That a few men like that can act with impunity here—how tragic is that!”
Sules said, “You’ve enjoyed the convenience of freedom in the East Sea, but you also have to bear the dangers that come with it. Everything’s a double-edged sword. One day, it might turn on you.”
“You really do see things clearly.”
Xiao sighed helplessly, then, half-resigned, added,
“If worst comes to worst, I’ll just go down fighting with them. I may not be young, but I’m still strong. With a weapon, I can at least take one down with me.”
Sules laughed, “Don’t be so pessimistic. As long as you can find a fleet to join seamlessly, they won’t be able to touch you.”
“How is that possible!”
Xiao exclaimed.
“Every team needs at least a week to evaluate new members! In that time, I’d be dead at their hands.”
Sules winked playfully at him, but said nothing.
Xiao was stunned, then suddenly realized, “You mean you!”
Sules smiled and nodded.
“So, what do you think? Want to consider it?”
Xiao hesitated.
It wasn’t that he was unsure about joining Sules’ fleet—this was his only way out, he didn’t really have a choice.
What he hesitated over was what Sules wanted from him in return for this.
Xiao was a merchant; he knew that, in essence, Sules was just like him.
Merchants viewed everything through a merchant’s eyes.
And merchants never get up early for nothing.
Sules cared so much about his situation—she must want something significant from him.
And now, he had nothing left but himself.
Thinking this, Xiao got straight to the point, “How many years do you want me to sign a contract for?”
It’s easy talking to smart people, Sules thought admiringly.
Now that everything was out in the open, she didn’t bother pretending.
“I want to bind you directly.”
At that, Xiao was stunned.
He hadn’t expected Sules to make such a bold offer.
Binding was a lifelong commitment for anyone—many captains never even had a single bound crew member in their entire lives.
For Sules to propose it right away—how could he accept that?
“No, isn’t binding a bit much?”
Xiao frowned, clearly unwilling.
“Captain Sulia, you know that binding is a major life decision, and once you’re bound in the East Sea, there’s no changing it. Even though I’m in a tough spot, I can’t just hand over my future to someone else for the sake of getting out of trouble. Being subject to others has never been our East Sea way.”
Sules nodded, waiting until he’d finished before replying slowly,
“I understand your concerns, but you have to consider your situation. First, if I save you this time, it’s the second time I’ve saved your life. Two life-saving debts—aren’t they worth you pledging yourself to me and binding directly?”
Sules continued, “Even if we don’t talk about binding, if I keep pushing for a ten-year contract, you’ll eventually accept it.”
Xiao hesitated, then nodded.
If it was ten years, he could accept that.
“You’re in your thirties now. In ten years, you’ll be in your forties. After spending ten years on this ship, will you really want to start over somewhere else when the contract ends? Since there’s a good chance we’ll renew after ten years, why not just bind now? That way, I’ll have peace of mind, and so will you.”
After finishing her pitch, Sules stood up and, unhurried, shot him a look, “Captain Xiao, there’s still a long way to go before we reach shore at the end of the month. Take your time to think about it, no rush. As a hired captain, your crew can’t harm you. For now, go back to your ship. We’ve already lost a day of fishing—let’s make it up tomorrow.”
Captain Xiao was deep in thought, barely noticing what Sules said, just nodding absent-mindedly before returning to his ship.
If the crew’s efficiency is too low, the captain’s pay can be docked, so even knowing they probably wouldn’t stay on this ship much longer, Xiao’s crew still worked diligently.
The rainy season was coming, and they needed to save up as much money as possible.
But that didn’t stop them from glaring at Xiao with hatred every day.
If looks could kill, Xiao would have died a hundred times over by now.
Under those glares, it didn’t take many days before Xiao couldn’t take it anymore.
He sought out Sules on his own, “I’m willing to bind with you.”