After confirming Liu Zhi's "identity," the Old Captain felt much more at ease. He had been worried that even after obtaining a Privateering Permit, the Empress might not assign anyone to keep an eye on him.
The Old Captain knew very well how the Empress kept the country under control.
Without someone watching over them, they might well end up on the Empress's list of targets.
The Old Captain didn't want to spend all that time playing along, get nothing out of it, and then come back only to be killed as a pirate.
Now that Liu Zhi's identity was confirmed, there was no problem. The more the Old Captain looked at him, the more he seemed to fit the Empress's methods.
He was probably with MI6. Only MI6 agents could get such comprehensive support, without regard for the cost, while carrying out a mission.
The shipwright who had come to help Liu Zhi deal with the Death Star Ship had to be the same sort.
That story about getting the blueprints from a friend was probably just intelligence MI6 had obtained.
And getting the ship fixed up in such a short time was clearly meant to give Liu Zhi a plausible identity as a shipwright.
Most importantly, the Old Captain had seen the pocket watch Liu Zhi had hidden away. It was standard MI6 equipment.
With an expression that said he'd seen through everything, the Old Captain glanced at the pocket watch in Liu Zhi's arms, then gave the first mate a knowing look.
The first mate nodded firmly.
Liu Zhi had noticed the exchange between the Old Captain and the first mate, but he didn't understand what the Old Captain was thinking. He assumed they were discussing whether the ship was seaworthy.
After inspecting the entire Death Star