Aveline's heart settled instantly.
She still didn't know what Lynn was planning, but she trusted him completely.
Just now, she had been momentarily anxious and forgot that things were no longer the same as before. Instinctively, she had slipped back into the mindset of traveling alone, trying to shoulder everything by herself.
But the reality was different now. Someone was there to share the burden.
She knew how reliable Lynn was and was willing to let him take the lead. Besides…
'I'm not who I used to be.'
Aveline's thoughts shifted subtly. Without drawing attention, she placed her hand over her chest, looking like an ordinary girl overwhelmed with unease and worry.
What others couldn't see was that inside the inner pocket of her clothing, a Vision rested. Under her control, it continuously gathered Cryo energy.
This process should have emitted a faint glow, and in such a dim environment, even her relatively modest clothing wouldn't have concealed it completely. But her hand covered it perfectly.
When traveling, always keep a hidden card—Lynn had told her that before. She had found it very reasonable. And now, she was putting it into practice.
On the other side, the captain seemed to be getting annoyed.
"Pretending?"
"What are you talking about, Mr. Lynn? I generously invited you aboard, and when you boarded, I repeatedly emphasized that you should stay within the designated areas and not interfere with our work."
His tone grew heavier, tinged with grievance, as if he had suffered an injustice for doing a good deed.
"Now, please leave this place and return to your cabin! We should arrive at Romaritime Harbor around three or four in the morning. At that time, you can disembark. Before that, I won't pursue your violation of our agreement by entering the cargo hold. I only ask that you stop wandering around—"
Lynn remained unmoved. He lightly tapped the crate beside him with the sword in his hand.
"Kindly?"
As if hearing a joke, he let out a faint laugh.
"A smuggler, trafficking something like Les[a banned addictive substance]… calling you heinous wouldn't be unfair, would it? And yet you say you kindly offered us a ride? You even claim you'll dock at a proper harbor like Romaritime?"
"Guess it really pays to travel. I've never heard a joke this funny, not in Natlan or Nod-Krai. Have you heard one like this in Fontaine, Aveline?"
Les!
Aveline's heart jolted.
This substance hadn't been around for long. Ever since the Spina di Rosula publicly exposed its dangers and banned its circulation in Poisson, it had quickly gained official recognition across Fontaine and was listed as a high-risk prohibited substance. How could she not know of it?
What she hadn't expected was to see the real thing under such circumstances.
"Smuggling? That is indeed quite amusing."
With the chill of her Cryo element keeping her composed, Aveline played along with Lynn's mockery.
She had traveled widely, her experience rivaling that of seasoned adventurers. She understood how people like this operated.
Smugglers, driven by immense risk and profit, were extremely cautious during operations—often even more timid than ordinary people. In extreme cases, they would postpone even life-and-death vendettas until after completing a shipment.
This captain was clearly no amateur. For someone like him to claim he was acting out of "kindness" was already laughable. Causing unnecessary complications was even more absurd.
And as for docking at Romaritime Harbor? Even more ridiculous.
Bringing a ship full of contraband into an official port—was he seeking death?
Whether this ship would even reach Fontaine at all was questionable. Other contraband might still find alternative routes into the nation, but this was Les.
No one knew its exact origin, but many in Fontaine had a suspicion. The substance caused little impact abroad, yet within Fontaine, it persisted despite repeated bans. Most likely, it was a local product.
Importing a local product from overseas? Did he think smuggling came without cost?
"Although I don't visit the Opera Epiclese often, I'd say this is no less amusing than the comedies performed by Lady Furina."
The two of them played off each other seamlessly. At the doorway, the captain finally dropped his act. The genial expression vanished from his rugged face, replaced by gloom and vicious intent.
"You… when did you figure it out?"
He sounded both puzzled and unwilling to accept it. How could such a flawless disguise be seen through by two young people?
Perhaps sensing the sincerity behind his question, or perhaps simply in a good mood, Lynn actually answered.
"When? Hmm… from the very beginning."
"From the moment you invited us aboard."
The captain didn't believe him.
"From the beginning?"
"Was there something wrong with my performance?"
Lynn fell silent for a moment, as if recalling their encounter. Then he shook his head slightly.
"Your performance… was flawless. Very professional. I didn't notice any flaws."
The captain received affirmation, yet his confusion only deepened.
"Then how did you figure it out?"
What he didn't notice was that, as he spoke, the look in Lynn's eyes gained a hint of amusement on top of the earlier disdain.
"You want to know?"
"Of course."
"Alright then, I'll tell you—"
Lynn nodded, as if acknowledging the situation and deciding to go with the flow.
"Because I'm unlucky."
"Unlucky?"
The answer was far too vague, almost like he was brushing him off. Naturally, it didn't satisfy the captain's curiosity.
Before he could decide how to press further, Lynn continued in a leisurely, storytelling tone.
"Don't misunderstand. This 'unlucky' isn't about you—it's about me."
"Let me give you an example. Since you're in this line of work, you should know a bit about Nod-Krai. Ever heard of the Wild Hunt? If not, that's fine—it's a kind of Abyss disaster unique to Nod-Krai, usually occurring north of Piramida City."
"South of Piramida, especially around Xixi Island and Lunbo Island, it's much rarer. A normal person traveling outside might not encounter it even once in ten or fifteen days. With a bit of luck, maybe never."
"As for me… let's put it this way. Over two months, I left Nasha Town fewer than twenty times, and the number of times I didn't encounter the Wild Hunt could be counted on one hand."
"Then there's what happened after. I wanted to leave Nod-Krai, but due to various reasons, I missed three ferry departures in a row. Finally, I managed to get onto a cargo ship willing to take passengers through connections… only to discover halfway through that it was a smuggling vessel."
"That alone would've been fine. I didn't want to meddle, just wanted to mind my own business. But not only did they start fighting among themselves, they also ran into a maritime disaster."
"With luck like that, after missing a passenger ship at the port, a cargo captain suddenly comes along and kindly offers you a ride. Honestly, Captain… if it were you, what would you think?"