Creak! The courtyard gate opened from within, and a bald, one-eyed man stepped out. When he saw Luo De, he grinned and bellowed, "Luo De, you're finally back! I thought that bastard Sea Wolf had eaten you! Come on, let's go see the captain!" Without sparing Zhang Yao, who stood nearby, a glance, he dragged Luo De into the courtyard.
Feeling ignored, Zhang Yao rubbed his nose and followed them inside. The courtyard was small. The one-eyed man pulled Luo De straight into the house without stopping, and Zhang Yao followed behind.
The instant he entered the house, Zhang Yao felt several gazes fall upon him. One of them actually sent a shiver through him. Instinctively, he took a small step back into the shadows and narrowed his eyes, surveying the room.
Apart from the one-eyed man and Luo De, there were three men and two women in the room. The gaze that had made Zhang Yao shudder came from a burly man seated at the far end, with a sword on his back.
The man wore leather armor, and his long, unruly hair hid most of his face, making his expression impossible to read. His thick arms were bare outside his armor, their muscles knotted like the roots of an ancient tree, giving him an unmistakably fierce air.
Two beautiful women sat beside this formidable man. One had red hair and a voluptuous figure. With her slightly narrowed eyes and high nose bridge, she radiated mature, seductive charm.
The woman beside this sultry beauty had a rare head of silver hair. A band of golden metal rested across her smooth forehead, set with a glittering Gem that made her already beautiful features even more striking.
Of the two remaining men, one wore crystal spectacles and had a scholarly air that made him look rather like a schoolteacher. The other wore a battered leather cap and clothes whose original style and color were no longer discernible, making him look every inch a beggar.
Everyone in the room kept studying Zhang Yao, who stood in the shadows by the doorway, while he stared back without blinking. Only when Luo De noticed something amiss with the atmosphere did he hurry over to Zhang Yao and introduce him. "Don't be nervous, everyone! This is the man who saved my life, Zhang Yao of the Sea Wolf Pirates' Water Ghost Unit! If it hadn't been for him, I wouldn't have made it back!"
Then he pointed to the others and introduced them to Zhang Yao. "This is our captain, Wells. This beautiful, mature, gracious lady is our ship's doctor, Guleiya. And this sweet, lovely young lady is the captain's younger sister and our navigator, Amelia. This refined gentleman is our ship's craftsman, Yaliansi. This unremarkable-looking fellow is our helmsman, Kemuier. As for the man who dragged me inside, he's our boatswain, Maluk!"
Looking at the formidable man seated there, Zhang Yao couldn't help thinking, The captain really is the strongest person aboard. Just one look from him nearly made me take an attacking stance! I wonder whether he's stronger than Lancelot?
While Zhang Yao was still silently comparing Captain Wells, whose gaze had made him shudder, with Lancelot and his overwhelming presence, wondering which of them was stronger.
Wells, captain of the Freedom, had already risen, walked over to Zhang Yao, and extended his right hand. Looking at Wells's towering figure, Zhang Yao froze briefly before realizing that the captain was offering a gesture of friendship. Not daring to slight him, he promptly extended his own right hand.
Wells clasped Zhang Yao's hand, gave it a single shake, and said in a low voice, "Thank you."
Without waiting for Zhang Yao to reply, he walked back and sat down where he had been before.
Watching Wells return to his seat without another word, Zhang Yao rubbed his nose and thought, Captain Wells really plays it cool! Not a single word more than necessary!
"Hehe, Luo De, since you've brought back someone from Sea Wolf's Water Ghost Unit, does that mean you completed your mission?" Swaying her alluring hips, the ship's doctor, Guleiya, approached Luo De and asked softly. Her sweet, velvety voice left anyone who heard it tingling and weak.
"Big Sister Guleiya, don't even mention it. If I hadn't been lucky enough to survive, I wouldn't have come back at all, never mind the mission! When I met Captain Sea Wolf yesterday, the talks were going perfectly well. Who could have known a naval force would suddenly appear?" Luo De was clearly somewhat afraid of this ship's doctor, whose seductive charm went right down to her bones. When Guleiya approached, he involuntarily retreated two steps. Only after putting some distance between them did he slowly recount everything that had happened, leaving nothing out.
When Luo De mentioned that a Heaven Tier expert had appeared among the navy, everyone in the room was astonished. Their navigator, Amelia, even exclaimed, "That can't be!" Even Captain Wells, who had remained silent throughout, raised his head to look at Luo De.
"It's true! I, Luo De, stake my head on it! Besides, Zhang Yao can vouch for me. Ask him if you don't believe me!" Faced with their somewhat doubtful looks, Luo De immediately began swearing oaths. To lend his story more credibility, he pushed Zhang Yao forward as well.
"Everything Luo De said is true." Being watched so intently made Zhang Yao uncomfortable, and Wells's gaze in particular weighed heavily on him. Still, for the sake of his dignity, he nodded without letting his expression change, confirming Luo De's account.
"Oh? Little brother, could you be someone Luo De brought back to back up his story because he was afraid of losing face after failing his mission?" Guleiya laughed sweetly, her arms swaying gently as she slowly approached Zhang Yao. Her eyes seemed so liquid as she gazed at him that water might spill from them.
"No!" Zhang Yao swept a cold glance over Guleiya, then subtly shifted farther into the shadows before answering icily.
Perhaps it was because Zhang Yao had suffered so badly at the hands of that guide when he first entered Rodos World. Facing Guleiya, who bore some resemblance to that guide, he not only refused to lose himself in her beauty, but instead became intensely wary.
After all, being burned once was enough.
"Oh! Why are you staying so far away from me, handsome? Don't be shy!" Seeing Zhang Yao move away, Guleiya pouted slightly, as though reproaching a lover, and raised a hand to stroke his cheek.
But before she could touch him, Zhang Yao suddenly vanished into the shadows. A dagger carrying an endless chill pressed against Guleiya's neck. The cold against her skin made her freeze, the seductive expression still on her face.
"Sorry, Miss Guleiya. I don't like getting too close to other people!" As his words fell, the dagger vanished just as abruptly as it had appeared.
(PS: Tuifei was cleaning the house today, so the update was late~~~ Please forgive me, everyone~~~~~~~~~~)
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