After leaving the suite, the three walked towards the deck. Once on the deck, the sea breeze suddenly picked up, blowing Trillian's hair back and causing a few strands of Hermione's hair to stick out as well.
There were a few early risers scattered around the deck; some were taking photos, others were doing morning exercises...
As people basked in the morning sunlight, the conversation naturally turned to the miracle of the previous night, and everyone's face was filled with relief.
Hearing the whispers of passersby, Trillian quickened her pace, catching up to Draco's right. She turned to him and asked in a low voice, "Young Master, how did you patch that crack?"
" Trillian," Draco called her name softly.
"Um?"
"There are so many people on deck." Draco turned his head, glanced at her, his gaze sweeping over a few Muggle passengers in the distance before returning to her. "You're planning to let them hear too?"
These words left Trillian speechless. Looking around and seeing that there were indeed quite a few passengers strolling nearby, she had no choice but to shut her mouth, feeling rather embarrassed.
"Alright, I'll wait!" Trillian took a half-step back, kicked a non-existent pebble in the road, and muttered a few words to herself.
"Young Master, where do we go next?" Trillian asked, her face filled with the pain of wanting to ask but being unable to.
As the leader of the trio, Draco didn't answer, but simply walked straight ahead, with Hermione quietly following beside him, and Trillian having no choice but to follow suit.
As we passed the second smokestack, we turned right and went up a gangway, passing through a corridor covered with a dark blue carpet, with old photos of cruise ships and historical route maps hanging on the walls on both sides.
Hermione noticed a dark brown double door at the end of the corridor, with a brass plaque nailed to the door frame that read: Captain's Office. She was puzzled.
Looking at the captain's cabin sign on the door, Trillian tilted her head and asked in confusion, "Young master, what are we doing here?"
"They've come to demand an explanation," Draco said casually.
"Oh my—this is great! This is great!" Trillian's eyes lit up, and her whole face lit up.
"This dilapidated ship has had so many accidents, there must be something wrong! Young master, are you going to uphold justice and find the culprit?"
As she spoke, she walked half a step behind Draco, stood up straight, and looked like he was her right-hand man.
Hermione glanced at her, her lips twitching, but she said nothing—because she herself closed the logbook, put it back in its place, and then walked to stand to Draco's left.
The three men stood in front of the captain's office inexplicably in perfect order. Draco walked to the door, bent his right knuckles, and knocked three times on the double doors.
A tense voice quickly came from inside the door. "Who is it?"
" Draco Malfoy." Draco announced his name.
There was a moment of silence inside, followed by a flurry of activity and footsteps approaching. Then, the door was quickly pulled open, and Captain Smith appeared in the doorway, looking as if he hadn't slept all night, with puffy eyes.
At this moment, Draco displayed an undisguised fear. Captain Smith dared not neglect this gentleman, and he scurried aside, a smile almost fawning on his face.
" Young Master Malfoy! What brings you here? Please come in, please come in! What are your instructions?"
Smith's hand trembled slightly as he invited them inside. Draco didn't even glance at the stiff smile on his face before walking into the now tense captain's office. Hermione and Trillian followed closely behind. Captain Smith carefully closed the door, then awkwardly followed behind, sweat beading on his forehead.
Upon entering the office, Draco walked to the large captain's desk, sat down in the black leather swivel chair, leaned back, and placed his hands clasped on the armrests.
His gaze fell on Captain Smith, and as he stared at him, even finer beads of sweat appeared on Smith's forehead.
He took out a handkerchief and wiped his forehead; the handkerchief trembled like the last leaf on an autumn branch, about to fall.
" Captain Smith," Draco finally spoke.
"Yes!" Smith's body trembled.
"How could a cruise ship hit an iceberg?"
" Young Master Malfoy, this... this..." Captain Smith stammered, "There shouldn't be icebergs in that area... it was a completely unexpected situation... no one expected it..."
"We were following the standard flight path the whole time, and the radar didn't detect it in time—maybe, maybe the iceberg wasn't big enough, and the reflected signal was too weak..."
"By the time the lookout spotted it, it was already very close... I ordered full speed reverse and hard starboard, but the ship was too big and its inertia too great, there wasn't enough time to completely avoid it..."
Smith spoke faster and faster, more and more urgently, as if desperately trying to prove to Draco that it wasn't his fault.
"Absurd." Hermione's gaze swept over the nautical charts and navigation instruments hanging on the wall, then she said sharply to Captain Smith:
"Visibility last night was at least above normal navigation standards. More importantly, the ship broke in two after the impact, which cannot be explained by a simple collision."
Hermione stepped forward, her slender fingers pointing to several key locations on the nautical chart. "The design and construction of cruise ships should adhere to strict safety redundancy standards."
"The strength of the keel and hull structure must be able to withstand pressures far greater than those of a normal collision. Looking back at last night's impact, the strength was indeed astonishing, but a properly designed modern cruise ship should never be so 'fragile.'"
Upon hearing this, Captain Smith glanced at her, then quickly looked away, nodded, and beads of sweat rolled down his forehead.
"This points to two fundamental issues." Hermione took a half step forward. "First, defects in materials and workmanship."
"Does the strength of the hull steel meet the standards? Are there any shoddy workmanship issues at key connection points such as rivets and welding? Are there any fatal structural weaknesses in the design?"
"Second, human error and system failure. Were the lookouts diligent in their duties? Were radar and other detection equipment functioning properly and being effectively monitored? Was the speed before the collision reasonable? Were emergency procedures activated in a timely and correct manner?"
With each word Hermione spoke, Captain Smith's face paled further, and cold sweat soaked his shirt collar.
"I... I admit that, as captain, I bear undeniable responsibility for this accident." Captain Smith finally lowered his head, downplaying his own responsibility and only mentioning his leadership duties.
"It was my negligence, inadequate supervision of the crew, insufficient assessment of risks along the route, and potential delays in command during the emergency... I am willing to accept any punishment."
"Go and summon the lookout, radio operator, first mate, technical supervisor, designer—everyone responsible for last night's navigation, lookout, communications, engine room, and ship design and construction." Draco, fed up with his evasive tactics, said, "Not a single one can be missing. I'll be here in ten minutes."