It was a plump, boxy ship, its overall shape a solid rectangular prism. It was painted a very ordinary grayish white, and had probably been converted from a small or medium-sized cargo ship.
Compared with the silver-white cruise ship opposite, its streamlined, spindle-shaped hull as elegant as a king, this ship was like a sturdy old farmer. Of course, it still had the "luxury" one expected of a cruise ship. For instance, a domed swimming pool had been built at the bow, though it was only about a dozen meters long and wide. At that size, it could just as easily be called a bath.
An old man with graying hair... He had to be an old man, surely, given his gray hair and deeply wrinkled face. And yet his build was still as upright and robust as a young man's. He wore a garishly colorful floral shirt, beach shorts, and flip-flops. At first glance, he looked like some suave older scoundrel trying to pick up women on the beach.
His graying hair was tied into a topknot, with a needle stuck through it. It was clearly a very classical style, but paired with the floral shirt and beach shorts, it looked horribly incongruous—and somehow gave him an unexpectedly avant-garde vibe.
In short, even at his age, he was certainly a handsome, charismatic old man. Whether in a nightclub or on the beach, he was the type who could charm girls young enough to be his granddaughters just with his looks and smooth talk.
What was astonishing was that this thoroughly ordinary civilian passenger ship had suddenly appeared behind them, almost as if it had teleported into place. Neither the starport's radar nor the fleet's had detected it in advance.
"We mortals really are still elementary schoolers when it comes