Boarding the Ship

After their tickets were checked and they successfully boarded the ship, Freya and Euphemia first put their luggage in their room.

Euphemia had bought a first-class ticket. The room was very spacious and even featured a massive double bed. With such an arrangement, there was obviously no need to book two rooms—otherwise, it would be too wasteful.

Euphemia had specifically asked Freya if she minded, but Freya had replied with a question of her own: “What do you mean, do I mind? Isn't it just sleeping together? What's there to mind?”

When traveling, booking only one room and sharing a bed with a friend was perfectly normal, right? They were buddies, so what was there to be self-conscious about?

Once their luggage was settled, Freya eagerly headed out to the deck. Resting both hands on the deck railing, she looked out at the endless horizon of the sea and took a deep breath.

Just then, a refreshing, humid sea breeze swept over. Freya's long brown hair fluttered gently in the wind. She couldn't help but squint her eyes; the feeling was truly wonderful.

Euphemia also walked over to Freya's side, leaning against the railing. “Fufu, looking at you, is this your first time on a boat?”

Freya said, “I think so?”

In any case, the original owner of her body had definitely never been on a boat. As for her previous life, she couldn't remember.

Euphemia looked thoroughly confused. “If you have, you have; if you haven't, you haven't. What do you mean by 'I think so'?”

Freya tilted her head slightly. “Then... I haven't?”

Euphemia kept her previous expression. “So why is it a question?”

Pausing, she continued, “Oh well, forget it. Let me introduce you to the facilities on this ship!”

As she spoke, Euphemia took Freya's hand and led her around the ship. Before long, accompanied by a loud, low rumbling hum, the ship officially set sail and began its voyage.

After all, this was just a passenger ship rather than a dedicated luxury cruise liner, so there weren't many amenities. Most of the space was occupied by first-class, second-class, and third-class cabins, along with a dining hall. The only place of entertainment was a small casino.

Even so, since it was their first time wandering around a ship, Freya and Euphemia found the tour quite fascinating. Seeing Euphemia's excited demeanor, Freya couldn't help but ask, “Euphy, is this your first time on a ship too?”

Euphemia didn't deny it. “I've only ever looked at them from afar before. This is indeed my first time actually boarding one.”

When they wandered near the entrance of the casino, they could see that some people had already started playing inside. Euphemia suddenly remarked, “By the way, Fufu, with your ridiculous luck, wouldn't you be able to win big in there?”

But before Freya could reply, Euphemia added, “Well, actually, let's forget it. I feel like gambling isn't a good thing after all. We should leave.”

Euphemia didn't want to lead Freya down the dark path of gambling. What if she developed a gambling addiction? As she spoke, she quickly pulled Freya away from the area.

Freya could only offer a wry, amused smile. She wasn't actually an underage girl; her mind was perfectly mature, and she was well aware of the dangers of gambling. Even if Euphemia hadn't said anything, she wouldn't have been interested anyway.

Just like that, the two made a full round and returned to their room. Just as Freya was pondering what to do next, she noticed that Euphemia's complexion looked a bit off.

Freya asked, “Is something wrong?”

Euphemia hesitated, speaking with some uncertainty. “I think... I might be a little seasick?”

As the ship sailed further into the open sea, the rocking motion became increasingly pronounced. It proved to be no illusion; Euphemia's face grew paler and paler. Freya even had to support her just to walk to the dining hall for lunch. In the end, after barely taking two bites, Euphemia lost her appetite entirely, returned to the room, and collapsed onto the bed like a corpse.

Freya couldn't do much about it. There didn't seem to be any seasickness medicine in this era. With Euphemia forced to rest, Freya couldn't help but feel a bit bored on her own.

She first pulled a book out of Euphemia's backpack to flip through, but quickly lost interest when she realized she couldn't understand a single word. Putting the book back, Freya headed out to the deck alone once more.

Freya leaned against the railing, letting the sea breeze wash over her as she took in the surrounding scenery, wondering how she was going to pass the time over the next few days.

It would take at least a week for the ship to reach its destination. It was highly likely that Euphemia would remain in a semi-comatose state for the entire week, practically out of commission.

Right then, a slightly playful voice sounded from behind Freya. “Little girl, it's not very safe to lean against the railing like that. What if you accidentally fall over?”

As he spoke, the man walked over, stopping about a meter or two away from her. Freya turned to look. He was a middle-aged man around thirty, with an unshaven beard and a cigarette dangling from his lips, looking somewhat scruffy.

He wore a long black overcoat that draped past his thighs. When Freya looked over, he even waved at her.

Freya asked in confusion, “Who are you? Do I know you?”

The man chuckled. “We didn't know each other before, but we do now, don't we? Seeing such a cute girl enjoying the sea breeze all by herself on the deck, it's hard to resist the urge to strike up a conversation. I... was just a step faster than the others.”

As he spoke, the man glanced around. Freya followed his gaze and noticed that quite a few people were indeed looking at her. Just as he said, even if this man hadn't approached her, someone else likely would have soon.

The man then continued, “My name is 【Victor Sterling】. May I ask for your name, lovely miss?”

“You can just call me 【Freya】.” After saying this, Freya tilted her head slightly, silently observing him. For some reason, Victor suddenly showed a brief flash of surprise and confusion, but he quickly composed himself and smiled. “Miss Freya, out of thousands of people, we managed to board the same ship and head toward the same destination. Isn't that a sign of destiny?”

“And to celebrate this hard-won destiny, would the beautiful Miss Freya do me the honor of having a sumptuous dinner with me tonight?”

Freya couldn't help but retort, “So you're saying everyone on this ship has a destined connection with you? Then why aren't you inviting anyone else to dinner?”

Victor replied as if it were the most natural thing in the world, “Because you're beautiful, of course. Since everyone shares this destiny, I would naturally prefer to dine with a cute, beautiful girl. Is there anything wrong with that?”

He spoke with such shameless confidence that it was almost impressive. However, Freya shook her head and said, “Sorry, but I have to accompany someone else tonight.”

Victor sighed. “That is truly a pity.”

Of course, despite his words, there wasn't a hint of disappointment on his face. Instead, he waved his hand quite casually. “Then until next time, lovely miss.”

After chatting with him, Freya lost her desire to linger on the deck and returned to her and Euphemia's room.

As for Victor, once Freya left, his casual, playful expression vanished, replaced by a look of deep confusion. He was actually an extraordinary—a Rank Four of the Destiny Pathway, a 【Gambler】.

The Destiny Pathway granted a passive ability called 【Luck Boost】 at Rank One, but the increase was minimal, only making one slightly luckier than an average person. Furthermore, this ability did not see any significant improvement at Rank Two or Rank Three.

Only upon choosing the 【Gambler】 class advancement at Rank Four would the effects of this passive ability receive a massive boost. Additionally, a Rank Four 【Gambler】 possessed another ability called 【Luck Storage】, which allowed them to store up their everyday luck and release it all at once when needed.

To be honest, Victor was no saint. He smoked, drank, gambled, and was a bit of a womanizer. Just as he approached Freya, he had activated his ability, significantly boosting his luck.

On the deck of a moving ship, right by the railing, stood a cute girl in black stockings and a short pleated skirt. With Victor approaching while carrying boosted luck, what kind of fortunate event would occur?

A sudden gust of wind blowing up the girl's skirt would be a perfectly natural occurrence, wouldn't it?

In fact, Victor had pulled this trick many times before, catching glimpses under many beautiful girls' skirts, but this time, something unexpected happened.

Victor could clearly feel that his 【Luck】 had indeed been consumed, yet absolutely nothing fortunate had occurred. This was incredibly bizarre, and it was the exact reason why he had frozen for a moment during his conversation with Freya.

He had merely made up another topic on the spot to play it off. He had never intended to invite Freya to dinner in the first place; he had only wanted to peek under her skirt, enjoy her embarrassed reaction, and leave.

As for the result, it was completely beyond his expectations. But why did it fail?

...

Back to Freya's perspective. The afternoon slowly passed. Aside from taking care of Euphemia, Freya spent most of her time spacing out. She had been quite excited when she first boarded the ship, but as time dragged on, only boredom remained.

Freya suddenly realized that her first carriage ride had been a very similar experience. She could only conclude that the first time was always the most novel.

In the evening, Freya went to the dining hall alone to buy dinner for two and brought it back. By nightfall, Euphemia's condition actually seemed a bit better than in the morning; she seemed to have gotten somewhat used to it.

Of course, she hadn't gotten used to the seasickness, but rather to the act of throwing up.

Euphemia was currently leaning back in her chair with a completely soulless expression. If one looked closely, they could even see a trace of tears in the corners of her eyes.

It was supposed to be a happy, multi-day getaway with Fufu, and they even got to share a bed. Two wonderful things had come together, so why did it turn out like this?

Let alone enjoying their quality time together, when Euphemia slept in the afternoon, she felt like she was flying through the sky, bobbing up and down. It was absolute torture.

Seeing this, Freya suggested, “How about we don't take a boat on our way back?”

There was nothing they could do about it now since they were already on board, but they could pay more attention in the future and avoid traveling by water.

“Oh, Fufu, you're so good to m—blegh...” Before she could even finish her sentence, Euphemia very practicedly grabbed a nearby vomit bag.

Witnessing this, Freya couldn't help but display a mix of amusement and helplessness. She sighed and said, “All you can do is rest as much as possible and pray we reach our destination quickly. There's no other way.”

Subsequently, the second and third days passed in utter boredom for Freya. By the fourth day, on her way to the dining hall to buy food, Freya saw the small casino again.

She paused at the entrance for a moment, poking her head in to peek inside. Right then, that slightly familiar, casual voice sounded from behind her once more. It was Victor.

“What a coincidence, Miss Freya. What, do you want to try your hand in the casino too?”

Freya glanced back at him and said, “No, I'm just a little curious. Besides, I'm still a minor. Even if I wanted to play, they wouldn't let me in, right?”

“Huh?” Victor was taken aback. “You're a minor?”

Freya tilted her head slightly. “Yes. Why, do I not look like one?”

With her petite and cute appearance, any normal person's first reaction would definitely be to assume she was underage, right?

Victor said, “Mainly because when speaking with you, there's none of the childishness of talking to a kid. Instead, you give off a very mature vibe.”

“But this casino doesn't ask for your age at all. As long as you have money and want to play, you can. Though, I wouldn't recommend it.”

Victor cleared his throat slightly and continued, “Even though I love gambling, it's really not a good thing. If possible, you should avoid getting involved with it.”

Freya raised an eyebrow. “Oh? I thought you'd be the type to swindle kids and get them hooked on gambling. Turns out you're the complete opposite?”

She continued, “Don't worry, though. I have no interest in gambling. I'm only taking a peek because I'm so bored right now.”

This was the truth. What did gambling offer? Wasn't it just the thrill of risking a small amount to win a massive fortune in an instant? But to Freya, while money was indeed important, it wasn't that important. As long as she had enough to spend, she had no desire to become a multi-millionaire or billionaire.

Thus, the greatest temptation of gambling was completely gone. Furthermore, considering her permanent good luck, she would probably win nine out of ten times. It would be like playing a game with cheat codes turned on; constantly winning would only get boring fast.