Old Acquaintance

The most direct and effective way at this moment would be to find Evan himself and ask for clarification, but Gell, caught in his anxieties, also feared making a fool of himself.

It wouldn't matter if he were to be heartbroken once more, but as the captain of this warship, it was inappropriate to involve an entirely unrelated, excellent young man in his personal feelings.

In fact, if there was even a one-in-ten-thousand chance that he was blessed by the Goddess and truly found Forman's son, he still hadn't figured out what attitude he should adopt when facing him.

Just then, due to his previous orders, the victors were cleaning the deck, so no one should be in the room.

Thump... thump... thump...

Boatswain Chris found it a bit strange. The captain had seemed so anxious in his cabin, but as he walked, he was much slower than usual, completely lacking his usual decisive demeanor.

But no matter how slow he walked, he would eventually reach his destination.

The boatswain didn't ask any further questions. He quietly took out a spare key and opened Evan's cabin. As the supervisor of the sailors, he had this authority.

After asking Gell to enter alone, Chris, who understood the hierarchy of subordinates, didn't linger. He closed the door behind Gell and turned to leave, clearly not wanting to pry into his superior's secrets.

As one of the few reserve officers on the Silver Wing, Evan's living conditions were quite good. There was at least a wooden bed and a desk, which was much better than the hammocks of ordinary sailors.

Gell entered the room and, at first glance, saw the luggage Evan had left on the wooden bed, not yet tidied.

He walked quickly and gently unfastened the package.

There wasn't anything particularly valuable inside, just as meager as that of many young sailors from common backgrounds (in reality, Evan carried all his valuables with him, such as the large sum of Gold Notes Captain Joseph had given him after dealing with the Blood Anchor).

A few changes of clothes, various colored potion bottles, loose change, and so on. There was nothing to prove his identity, which left Gell slightly disappointed.

"Should I really go and ask him in person?" Gell hesitated, instinctively resisting a choice that could shatter all his hopes once again.

Fortunately, the next discovery saved him from further deliberation. At the very bottom of the luggage, in a hidden inner pocket, he found a small animal skin pouch tied with a worn leather rope.

Feeling its slightly angular texture and hearing the clinking sound as it bumped against something, he seemed to realize what it contained. His hands trembled slightly as he opened the small bag and poured out its contents.

A "Signet Ring," a symbol of noble inheritance rights; a brass wax seal stamp; and a noble "Coat of Arms." In the fading sunlight filtering through the porthole, he could clearly see the crest engraved on it: a giant "Sea Serpent" with vertical fins, surrounded by waves.

A crest that even heraldry experts might struggle to identify in a short time struck his heart like lightning!

"He's not dead, he's not dead, he's really not dead...!"

Holding these items in his hands, Gell's eyes reddened as he muttered to himself.

Drip, drip...

Tears fell, one by one, onto his palms. At some point, this man, who was as strong and reliable as granite, had broken down in tears.

"Thank the Goddess! Forman, your son is alive—!"

"Whew! Finally done!" Evan wrung out the rag in his hand and let out a sigh of relief. He hadn't expected that his first job after boarding the warship would be cleaning the deck; it was practically a dark chapter in his life.

"I'm sorry, boss, for making you take the punishment with me." Gary, who had also finished his work, shyly came over to apologize to Evan.

"I just praised you for being manly, and now you're being all timid again. On this ship, we're one. What's this 'you' and 'me'? Go back and rest! Do you need me to escort you back?"

Evan glared at Gary and said with a smile.

"Heh heh heh, no need, no need. When I carried them back, quite a few people voluntarily recognized me as their boss. As for the disobedient ones, I'll just beat them up again." Gary rubbed his hands together, indicating he could handle it.

Seeing Gary's gradually awakening violent tendencies, Evan was torn between laughter and tears. Would he turn this guy into a violent maniac?

He could only offer his condolences to the brothers who shared a room with him. Evan felt he was powerless to help.

Because the boatswain had said that the Silver Wing had just returned to port, the crew had all gone ashore to have fun. The welcome banquet would likely have to wait until tomorrow.

The two could only return to their respective cabins. Looking at the deepening night outside, Evan thought about how he would have to figure out dinner. He wondered what the ship's food was like.

Lost in thought, he had just reached the door of his cabin when Evan's expression changed instantly. The lock on his door was open! Someone had entered his room!

He had just boarded the ship today, and he knew nothing about the situation on board. Was it a thief or one of their own? Could it be some old soldier seeking revenge?

Unable to determine friend or foe, Evan slowly drew the sword at his waist and gently pushed the door open.

Then... he closed the door again.

"Wuwuwu..."

"What's going on? Why is there a grown man crying in my room? And why does he look a little familiar? Besides Gary, is there anyone else I know on board?"

Taking two steps back, he looked at the brass nameplate on the door again. With his Data Vision, Evan was a master of "finding fault" and could never make a mistake like mistaking a door.

He stroked his chin and thought for a moment, confirming that there were no valuables in his luggage. The only valuable items, the Coat of Arms and the seal, were the last things related to the Garratt Family he had left during his escape. Now they were just a memory, with no territory for them to function in, so to others, they were like scrap metal.

Confirming there was likely no danger, Evan sheathed his longsword, pushed the door open again, and walked in.

In the room, it was still the same man.

But the scene had completely changed. He sat upright on his bed, his face stern, as if he were in a command center on a battlefield rather than a bedroom.

Evan almost doubted his own eyes. Was the scene of him sobbing uncontrollably just now a hallucination?

Evan hadn't met most of the crew members on the ship, but he recognized the officer's uniform the man was wearing. He hadn't noticed it before, but now he couldn't pretend not to see it. He absolutely could not violate basic military discipline.

Evan immediately stood at attention and saluted: "Greetings, officer!"

Afterward, Evan felt the officer scan him from head to toe for a long while. Just as he was getting goosebumps, the officer slowly spoke:

"Evan Garratt?"

"Uh... yes." Although he found the officer's tone somewhat strange and the man himself a bit odd, he thought he would basically be working under him from now on. He had to bow his head when under someone else's roof.

Even though his name was confirmed by a stranger, Evan didn't find anything unusual about it. Most people connected to that name were no longer alive. The only ones who might have a connection were his enemies far away in Iliya, and their reach wasn't that long.