On the Conquest Sea, the Light pilgrim fleet was sailing rapidly towards the northern land. Having just completed the rescue mission for the shining white pearl, all the ships in the fleet were now packed with rescued passengers. These passengers, with uneasy expressions, crowded into every corner of the ships, not just the decks, but also the corridors and aisles.
At this moment, on the leading cruiser flagship, Jode, the officer of the Church fleet and a Senior Deacon, was communicating with Costa, the Captain of the shining white pearl. After learning about the fleet's current destination and estimated time from Jode, Costa couldn't help but slightly freeze.
"What? Varna? Our destination is Varna? And we'll arrive in about a day?"
Inside the Captain's cabin, Costa spoke in surprise. In his impression, the shining white pearl should have veered off course significantly to the south under his deliberate manipulation. It should take more than a day to reach Varna.
"Yes... Varna. According to the nautical chart, it's the closest port to us. Although the chart says it's just a small town with a small port, I think it should be enough to disembark some passengers."
Jode said as he sat back in his seat and began to brew tea. Meanwhile, Costa's expression darkened slightly after hearing Jode's words, emotions surging in his heart.
Originally, Costa had been wondering why he suddenly encountered the Church fleet while sailing in an area far off the normal route. From Jode's words just now, this area is very close to Varna. If he was truly on the predetermined route to White Tears Island, he wouldn't be this close. Therefore, the only explanation for this phenomenon is that the Church fleet was actually sailing on the normal route, and he had deviated from the route to White Tears Island, returning to the normal route. And clearly, this was the work of that Thief K!
After discovering the truth behind his unexpected encounter with the Church fleet, Costa was filled with both resentment and confusion. He was puzzled as to how that thief had managed to affect the course of the shining white pearl without him noticing. He had clearly checked the bridge multiple times, but found no issues?
Just as Costa was standing there in confusion, Jode on the other side had finished brewing the tea. After taking a sip himself, he looked at Costa and spoke.
"By the way, some of my subordinates just heard passengers who boarded occasionally mention a strange incident that happened during the shining white pearl's voyage. A thief claiming to be Thief K actually publicly stole a priceless blue sapphire at the exhibition? A group of people couldn't stop her. Captain Costa, is there really such a thing?"
Jode said with a hint of curiosity. Hearing Jode's words, Costa was momentarily stunned, then quickly spoke.
"Ah, you mean that Thief K... Indeed, she is a very clever thief. Mr. Massimo, the jewelry collector, and I were both deceived by her for a moment, which is why the deep blue heart was stolen by her. If we had been a little more cautious back then, we wouldn't have been tricked by her."
Speaking in a normal tone, Costa said this to Jode, who then looked at Costa with a meaningful gaze and said.
"So, you were present when that Thief K committed the crime? Then did you notice if that Thief K displayed any abilities beyond the ordinary, such as being exceptionally strong or fast? Or did she cause any inexplicable phenomena? Also... do you think the somewhat strange malfunction in the shining white pearl's boiler room could be related to that Thief K?"
"Extraordinary strength and speed or something else... Hmm... Let me think. Although this Thief K has excellent skills and can perform many difficult maneuvers, she seems to be within the range of ordinary people. I've seen similar things in the circus. As for any inexplicable phenomena... there were none. At most, she released a very smoky smoke bomb when she finally escaped, just like the smoke bombs used by magicians."
"As for whether she could be related to the boiler room... I don't think so, because after Thief K escaped, we immediately searched the entire ship and found that one lifeboat was missing. Therefore, Thief K should have escaped by lifeboat before the boiler problem occurred, and is likely not related to the boiler accident. Furthermore, Thief K's goal was to steal gems, there's no need to tamper with something dangerous like a boiler."
Costa explained to Jode, asserting that the seemingly miraculous Thief K was merely a clever thief with superb skills. After listening to Costa's words and finishing his tea, Jode nodded.
"I see... In that case, the boiler accident is unrelated to her. That's a pity, one less clue to figure out the specific cause of the accident."
"Captain Costa, your communication has given me a specific understanding of the situation on the shining white pearl. Thank you for your cooperation. You've had a tiring day commanding, go down and rest."
"Thank you for listening, sir."
After giving his final reply to Jode, Costa quickly exited the Captain's cabin. After closing the cabin door, Costa couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.
Coming onto the deck of the cruiser, Costa faced the crowd of passengers sitting on the deck, a hint of gloom appearing in his eyes.
If not for their temporary alignment of interests, Costa would never have covered for Thief K in front of Jode. Now that Costa had chosen to board the Church ship, he certainly would not let the Church believe that an Extraordinary incident had occurred on the ship, and he would do his best to conceal the fact that Thief K was an Extraordinary.
No matter how much Costa hated that damned thief in his heart, he had to help her now. Costa's heart was tormented when he lied for that thief.
Currently on the Church ship, Costa and Thief K were in the same boat. Although extremely reluctant, Costa still had to help Thief K. If Jode believed that an Extraordinary incident had occurred on the ship and decided to conduct in-depth checks on all the crew members, no one would be able to escape.
Costa was now very clear that the feud between them and the thief would have to wait until after Varna to be resolved. In this final confrontation, they had already gained the upper hand.
'Just wait, thief.'
Thinking this, Costa clenched the button in his pocket. The fleet sailing forward would soon reach the long-awaited land.
...