Chapter 64 The Deal

"Although I know that you are capable enough to discern, I don't want to rush you, until you decide on making the right decision".

I smiled in my heart

This guy was as intellectual as he was imposing and decisive.

Even though he sensed my hesitation, he still didn't feel turned down and gave me time to think and reconsider my decision.

Well, he was right. One thing that I needed now was enough time to allow me to rearrange my thoughts and make my choice.

"How long till your offer still stand?" I asked.

He smiled, saying "I will give you one day to think and make your decision except for today. That means that you have the whole of tomorrow to come up with your response. Hopefully, it would be one that we can both agree on".

Hopefully, I hope so too!

Because I would hate to make another enemy as soon as I just finished taking care of my last one.

"Alright, I thank you for your hospitality then" I said, standing up from my seat before touching Mad John and non-verbally instructing him to follow me with my fingers.

…......

"No problem, Prince Wyatt, we will be meeting each other frequently so you better get used to it" Captain Crimson eye said, watching as Prince Wyatt stood up with his crewman and walked out of his office.

"Click!!"

The door closed behind them but was soon opened by another individual.

"How did it go Captain?" Jerry said.

Seeing who it was, Captain Crimson eye responded " It was….. Different from what I had expected when I first saw him".

Jerry's brows scrunched up at his Captain's words.

"However, that is to be expected after the various displays of power he had shown us".

"I am sorry, it seems that I may have gotten deceived by 'Who Knows Who'" Jerry replied, a frown forming on his lips.

Shaking his head in disagreement, a thin smile appeared on Captain Crimson eye lips.

"No, I don't think that might be the case. I don't think that 'Who Knows Who' had sold you the wrong information considering that he is well known for his professionality and won't play favours, especially when given the right amount of money. Besides, I think that he might have been cheated too" He said.

"So, you are saying that the Empire of Endossa had managed to deceive the largest information broker in the continent" Jerry responded.

"Yes, and by the looks of things, it seems that they have outdone themselves wonderfully" Captain Crimson eye replied.

And Jerry watched on as the smile broadened further.

"So what do you going to do about it?" Jerry asked.

"Nothing".

"Nothing?"

"Yes, nothing" Captain Crimson eye answered "Although it might have been bad if I had gone according to the plan after his show of might, however, such a thing does not matter now since I have already achieved what I wanted and now the only missing piece that remains is his answer"

"I will not bother myself with trying to find out more about him as whatever had happened to him in the past or stress myself to look for whatever secret he is hiding as long as he is ready to accept the deal and sign the contract".

"You seem very optimistic that he will"

"Yes, I am sure he will"

"And what if he doesn't?"

"If he doesn't, then I will make sure to find another way to draw him to my side. I can't let such an opportunity pass me by especially after it had fallen into my hands like favour gifted to me by the heavens"

Spreading the palm of his right hand wide open, Captain Crimson eye closed it with a stern grip, displaying the veins and muscles that quickly formed around it.

"And it would be a sin for me to let it go, Just. Like. That" He added, shaking the thoughts off his head as he needed to rest and plan for whatever would happen next.

"How is Captain Clara?"

"She is okay. She just fainted from the shock.. She might wake up before midnight, so I have already ordered the chef to prepare something by then" Jerry replied.

"Good, be sure to inform me immediately she awakes"

"Okay Captain"

"And also, tell Annabelle that I also what to see her whenever she gains back her strength. Taking on Prince Wyatt might have been a little too taxing for her".

Jerry nodded his head in understanding.

"Alright, you can leave" Captain Crimson eye said, watching as Jerry left his office, leaving him all alone in the enclosed room.

The silence that was once enjoyable was now discomfiting.

Maybe it was because it now reminded him of the death of the Guardian Knight whose body was defiled by a common rat and the silence that followed after, itching itself deep into his memories, and the image of the one responsible for it.

Regardless, there was still work to do and things to set in place so even though he couldn't enjoy the silence in the meantime, he could make do with it.

….....

"Captain. How did you survive the Tiger Whale and managed to tame it?"

Mad John's voice kept ringing in my head like that of a curious child who had just discovered how to make use of the English alphabet.

Though it would have been better if it were a child asking the question in such a tone, but, a middle-aged man doing the same made me feel inexplicably uncomfortable.

"Fine, I will tell you about that later. For now, can you tell me how many of our crewmen are left?"

Mad John's eyelids instantly dropped low the moment he heard my words.

Looking at his expression, it wasn't hard for me to figure out that Knight Camille or Captain Clara had done something improper in my absence.

Something that I know deep down would affect me once again in this world even though I am yet to hear of it.

"Knight Camille had sent 3 of our crewmen offboard and replaced them with Captain Clara's crewmen".

Ouch!!

My imaginary heart ached at his statement. We only had 10 available men with the other 5 still recovering from their injuries against the battle with the 'Poisonous maids' crew'.

So that meant that we were currently down to 12 men because of my so-called Guardian Knight's senseless killing.

Or whatever it is that drove her.

"How badly is the ship damaged?" I said, asking the most important question.

"That..." Mad John stuttered, glancing at me hesitantly before he sighed in defeat.

"Although you can tell that it's a miracle that the ship is still standing just by looking at it, however, the reason it is still able to remain afloat on the sea is only possible because of the magical enchantments it had received".

I nodded my head in understanding.

Curiously, I asked "Do you know anything about the enchantments?".

"No, I don't. But I have heard Knight Camille talking about it before" Mad John replied with a thoughtful expression on his face.

"Go on"

"Ahem.… She said something about finding land before the 4 weeks' time because the enchantments on the ship can only protect it from sinking together with various other protections, most of which is still unclear to me. And after that 4 weeks is over, if the ship is not fixed, then we risk losing both the ship and the enchantments forever".

"Alright. That means we would have to find Mages who could help us fix it"

"Yes, but if we go by the amount of money it cost to repair an enchantment that has been made by another mage, much less the Imperial Mages, then such a problem will cost quite a fortune"

"How much are we talking about here?" I asked, wondering if the former Prince Wyatt had a treasury somewhere on the ship.

Of course, he has!!

If not how would they have afforded to purchase a bunch of sea slaves?

And although I don't know how much a human being is worth in this unique world, I can guess that it isn't cheap.

"We are talking about 5,000 to 20,000 gold coins Captain. Although it might be higher, but this is only a rough estimate based on my knowledge".

"Is it that expensive?" I asked, making use of the rugged knowledge I have gotten from reading various fantasy books in my pass time to get a measurement of how pricey it was.

Mad John showed a wry smile on his lips.

We have just crossed the plank that led to our ship with him standing beside me, and overlooking the tired crewmen. They looked stressed, malnourished and worn out.

I sighed, thinking about what they might have gone through at the hands of the two bitches over the last few days.

Although they were slaves, didn't any of them understand that they were still human beings who could die from starvation or foresee the decline of their work output if they are constantly been stressed out?