"Is that so? In that case, let's go back together!"
Luo Chen knew their despicable lies but didn't expose them. He turned around and prepared to return to Lucas's pirate ship. He wasn't worried that the pirates would try to escape. If they had any brains, they would know that they couldn't escape from him at all.
call out...
" Luo Chen, you're back!!"
Just as he stepped onto the pirate ship, Catherine's voice rang out beside him, and she gracefully walked over to him and spoke.
"Yeah, I'm back. How come you woke up so quickly? I thought you were going to sleep for a while longer!"
After replying to her, Luo Chen teased Catherine again.
"How could that be? Your battle was so loud, how could I possibly remain unconscious? But I'm truly sorry this time, it was my carelessness. To faint after just one blow from Lucas, I'm utterly useless."
As Catherine spoke, she lowered her head again, looking ashamed. Clearly, the incident of being carelessly knocked unconscious by Lucas had had a significant impact on her, making Catherine never dare to underestimate her enemies again.
"Alright, it's good that you're alright. Just be more careful next time..."
"Um...!!"
Seeing that Luo Chen hadn't blamed her for being so careless and knocked unconscious by the enemy, almost causing the entire ship to fall, Catherine was extremely grateful. She nodded with tears glistening in her eyes.
"Yes, it's good that you can change it."
Um... right, those pirates will be back in their lifeboats soon. Make sure they're dealt with properly and treated well. Ideally, get them to tell us the locations of the nearby islands; having Log Pose would be even better."
Seeing that Catherine had recognized her shortcomings and was prepared to correct them, Luo Chen didn't press her further. He headed towards the Isel, intending to go back and rest for a while to recover the energy he had expended in the battle.
"Okay, go and rest for a while. Leave the rest to me. Don't worry, I'll have everything sorted out before you wake up."
Knowing that Luo Chen was exhausted after the battle, Catherine patted her chest and took on the remaining tasks, assuring him with great confidence.
"Alright, then I'll leave to you, Catherine. I'm off..."
call out...
After Luo Chen finished speaking, he stomped his foot on the ground and disappeared from her sight at a speed that was almost imperceptible to the naked eye. Then, there was a click as the door opened, and Luo Chen's figure seemed to transform into a gust of wind as he rushed into the room.
"Phew... From now on, it's all up to me. Don't worry, Luo Chen, I'll definitely handle everything well!!"
Seeing that Luo Chen had left, Catherine was left alone to deal with the remaining matters. She first breathed a sigh of relief, then encouraged herself.
Splash... splash... splash...
After a while, Lucas's group of men who had gone far away, under the intimidation of Luo Chen's terrifying strength, rowed back here in their small boat.
"We've arrived! Everyone, hurry up and get on. And remember to be respectful and polite later. That official isn't easy to deal with, so be sure not to provoke him!"
After mooring their ship near their badly damaged pirate vessel and disembarking, one of the more senior pirates gave them detailed instructions as they stepped onto the deck.
"Understood, Parker. We're not clueless fools; why would we possibly provoke that person?"
The other pirates responded impatiently. As members of the pirate crew who had followed Lucas for a long time, they not only had to survive under the unpredictable captain Lucas, but they had also learned his skills of bullying the weak and fearing the strong, and of changing their stance according to the wind. Naturally, they did not think they were so tough as to run into that big guy's bad luck.
"Sir, we have returned as you instructed. Please do not hesitate to give us any instructions, and we will do our utmost to serve you."
Just as the pirates stepped onto the damaged deck of the ship, the lewd-looking man rubbed his hands together and said in a fawning tone.
"Sir, sir, are you here?"
Upon finding the boat empty, the man called out loudly, but received no response.
"Hey, Parker, do you think that person has left? Why hasn't he responded to you yet?"
The other pirates looked around the ship, but still couldn't see Luo Chen, whom they wanted to see, so they asked the man.
"Don't talk nonsense. If that person really wanted to leave, why would they let us return?"
Can't you see their ship is still here? This means the adults still want us.
They might not be here now because they went back to rest. They should be here soon. Let's wait here for a bit!
The man named Parker thought for a moment and replied to him.
"Alright, alright, you can make the decision. Since you've decided to wait for him here, I'll stay with you!"
Previously, he was a pirate and spoke very impulsively. When he heard that they had to stay here for a while to wait for Luo Chen, he didn't want to go against everyone's wishes and decided to stay with them.
"Hmph, Will, I'm not trying to be mean, but you really need to work on your temper. Otherwise, if you upset that man, he might take care of you as easily as he killed the captain..."
Parker casually found a place to sit on the boat, then offered some advice to the hot-tempered man.
"Alright, isn't this fine of me? Unlike you, who relied on flattery to please the captain. Do you intend to repeat the same tricks as before?"
When Will heard Parker speak to him like a senior instructing a junior, he couldn't contain his anger and retorted.
"Hmph, isn't this good enough for me? At least I can make a living with my silver tongue. Unlike you, who has killed quite a few people just because you're strong. Someone like you is definitely not popular with the adults, and might even be held accountable for your crimes and beheaded."
When Parker saw that Will not only ignored his advice but also talked back to him, his anger flared up, and he retorted angrily.
"Alright, alright, what time is it now? Let's not fight amongst ourselves. We should hurry up and think of a way to please that person and get him to let us go!"
"Yes, Parker, Will shouldn't be causing trouble among his own people right now. He should calm down and not anger that person..."
Just as their argument was escalating, their companion, who was standing nearby, couldn't stand it anymore and quickly came over to separate them and mediate.
"Snort!!"
The two exchanged a glance, disliking each other, and with a snort, turned their faces away, ignoring each other.
Tap... Tap... Tap...
"What's going on? You pirates have already chosen to submit, do you still want to cause trouble here? Aren't you afraid I'll send Luo Chen over to kill you all?!"
Just then, footsteps sounded, drawing everyone's attention to that direction. Catherine, dressed in a white dress, appeared before them like an elf, leaving everyone stunned. They stared blankly at Catherine's stunning figure, speechless.
When Catherine saw that the pirates had split into two factions and seemed to be having some kind of conflict, her beautiful eyes furrowed slightly, and she spoke in a cold tone.
"Hmm... Oh, it's Miss Catherine. Please don't misunderstand, we were just discussing when Lord Luo Chen would be arriving. There's absolutely no conflict between us, so please rest assured, am I right?!"
When Parker saw Catherine's displeased expression upon arriving, he was the first to snap out of his lecherous look. He realized something was wrong and quickly came out to explain, while also winking at Will across the table.
"Um... we were discussing why Lord Luo Chen hasn't arrived yet, we weren't arguing."
Seeing Parker's gesture, Will, despite their poor relationship, didn't dare to show off in front of Catherine, so he also stepped forward with his hands clasped and answered in a muffled voice.
"Really? It's good that there's no conflict. In that case, come with me... I have something to tell you!"
After finishing her speech, Catherine turned and walked towards the cabin.
"Yes!!"
Parker quickly agreed and followed behind her.
The remaining pirates, after exchanging glances, also decided to follow.
"Everyone, find a seat. Please remember what I'm about to say; I won't repeat myself."
After entering, Catherine went to the hall where Lucas and his men were holding a banquet to reward their subordinates. She randomly found a table, pulled out a chair, sat down, and gave instructions to everyone.
"No, we wouldn't dare. We can just stand here. Please feel free to give us any instructions, and we will do our best to serve you."
Parker shook his head and refused, adopting a very humble posture as he stood aside and respectfully answered Catherine. The others naturally did not dare to object, and they all stood aside with respectful expressions, their eyes revealing a questioning look.
"Alright, you can stay standing if you want. But listen up, Luo Chen is exhausted from the battle and has gone back to rest. He's entrusted me with handling the rest of the matters, so you must listen carefully to what I'm saying. Your lives are in your own hands."
After giving them a stern look, Catherine addressed the group of pirates in a solemn and serious tone.
"Yes, we will certainly follow your instructions and dare not disobey orders."
"Well, first I need to talk about the group of slaves you've imprisoned in the dungeon. What's going on here? And how did you capture them? Explain everything clearly, don't try to hide a single thing."
Catherine nodded in satisfaction that they had managed to maintain their composure in time, and then recounted what she had just witnessed in the ship's hull dungeon, asking them questions.