Chapter 1694 - Useful Intelligence (2/2)

“They may not be ordinary passengers,” Nolan said with a smile. “They are two individuals whom we should particularly be mindful of: the young man is called Charlemagne, and his younger sister is Awenna, whom you met on the deck of the White Pearl. I heard something interesting while I was monitoring their conversation in the cabin.”

Hao Ren began to put two and two together when the two persons came to mind. He remembered the handsome gray-haired man who had nine-tenth of Nangong Sanba’s looks, and the girl who had emerged from under the deck in a dirty dress. He now knew that she was the one who helped the technicians to repair the propulsion energy unit on board the White Pearl.

The repair was not successful, and the White Pearl eventually lost all power and fell into the planetary fissure dozens of minutes ago before it vanished in the heat.

“Looks like there’s more to the ship and the passengers we’ve saved than meets the eye. Were those pirates just a smokescreen? Hmm…” Hao Ren scratched his chin as he found that things had gotten interesting. “Okay, bring them in.”

Charlemagne and Awenna entered the room belonging to the owner of the ship.

While they were on their way, the two carefully observed the structure, walls, and corridors of the ship. They tried to figure out the ship’s purpose and the uses of each facility. But the more they observed, the more shocked they were. The structure of the ship did not resemble any known airship design. They even found things that were utterly out of place: there was an area that was not supposed to exist behind a wall, some corridors were longer than logically possible, and some areas that should have been outside the hull inside, considering their theoretical location. If their senses of distance and direction were working normally, the ship should not have had such a large interior.

Nonetheless, they kept those questions to themselves because they had reached their destination under the guidance of a robotic squid, which looked like an alchemic creature.

The owner of the ship was sitting in front of them.

Hao Ren cast his eyes on the siblings, who behaved right on point. They appeared to have the right level of unease, fear, and curiosity. The younger sister stood slightly behind her brother, who acted somewhat nervous, grabbing the buckle on his belt.

“I heard that you wanted to see me?” Hao Ren asked with a smile.

“Yes, Mr. Captain.” Charlemagne hemmed and stood upright. “My sister and I are grateful for your help, but we want to know when we can get back to the ground; our family is worried about us.”

“I cannot say when.” Hao Ren spread out his hand. “We have a mission to complete, and it will depend on the progress. The ship may find a place to land tomorrow, or it may not land at all.”

The reply caught Charlemagne unawares. “We are not landing? Are you going to fly in the sky forever?”

Hao Ren waved his hand. “That is not important. Is that why you two have come to see me?”

Charlemagne knitted his brows together. “We are just worried about the trip. Of course, our family will appreciate your help. They will definitely offer—”

Hao Ren interrupted Charlemagne. “Ahem, I think you’ve misunderstood me. The eavesdropping technique we use is quite special in that no magical runes and the like can detect it. We have no intentions of encroaching on the privacy of our passengers, but this is a battleship, and your identity is questionable. I do not mean to be so harsh.”

The handsome man, who was nine-tenths identical to Nangong Sanba, and the quiet long-haired girl appeared cautious and panicky. However, they quickly reigned in their emotions.

Vivian said softly, “So, can we stop beating around the bush and get straight to the point?”