The crew member showed a somewhat troubled expression, "Beautiful lady, you are distinguished explorers. We cannot reveal details regarding the exploration."
Nan Yue raised an eyebrow and smiled, not paying it much mind.
The second mission was the same; clues could only be teased out from the guests, as the crew wouldn't disclose anything.
Some movement came from the corridor as other scavengers headed down, hoping to find some leads.
Gu Xiang Kai returned and gave Nan Yue a look, and the four of them began to walk back. The scavengers they met on the way either sized them up or gave polite smiles, but none of them spoke.
"He won't say a word."
"I'm not sure if he can hear, but we couldn't get anything out of the people around him either."
After getting back on deck, Wen Xiang Yuan and Zhu Xi Ning were already waving to Nan Yue from the center.
Normally, enjoying the sea breeze on the deck would have been the most comfortable thing, but yesterday's expedition had made everyone keep their distance from the ocean for the time being.
"The other guests don't have much of an impression of Joseph. Only Penny knows a little, but she's been taken away by Johnny now."
A faint look of disgust appeared on Wen Xiang Yuan's face as she wiped her hands with a tissue.
"What's wrong?"
Nan Yue noticed her movements. Wen Xiang Yuan said flatly, "A man touched my hand. I didn't get any clues from him at all."
"Who?"
Nan Yue and Gu Xiang Kai spoke at the same time. Wen Xiang Yuan was startled for a moment, then smiled, her expression softening considerably.
"It's fine. Some men are just like that. It doesn't really affect anything; it's just a bit disgusting."
Wen Xiang Yuan spoke calmly, as if she weren't angry at all, just repulsed.
Nan Yue, however, couldn't accept it. If someone touched her hand... she would really want to chop theirs off.
"We're on a mission right now, so don't act rashly."
Hearing this, Nan Yue didn't act on impulse. "Fine, point him out to me."
Nan Yue followed Wen Xiang Yuan's gaze and saw a pot-bellied, middle-aged man who was constantly wiping sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief.
"He's just a merchant here for treasure... Let's not talk about him. There's something else worth mentioning: I just saw a child."
Wen Xiang Yuan changed the subject.
"A child?"
There were children on this ship?
It wouldn't be strange for a couple to bring a child on a cruise, but what was strange was that even if this ship had become a tourist route, it was still dangerous.
How could there be a child on board?
"Did you see what the child looked like?"
Wen Xiang Yuan shook her head, her eyes searching the restaurant, but the child's shadow was long gone.
"It seemed to be a little girl with blonde hair. She ran very fast."
Zhu Xi Ning hadn't seen her, but she had heard the sound of running footsteps. They weren't heavy; thinking back, it was likely because a child's movements were lighter than an adult's.
"Let's go ask about the child."
Everything on the ship was a clue. The four split up again; Gu Xiang Kai went to the lower deck to look around more, while Nan Yue and the others questioned the guests.
Leaving Zhu Xi Ning and Wen Xiang Yuan in the entertainment area, Nan Yue returned to the accommodation area.
During the day, it wasn't as gloomy as it was at night. Some room doors were even open, revealing men lying on beds with their shoes on while smoking, and women applying makeup.
Nan Yue ran into Penny here again.
"Oh, it's you. Come in."
Penny was alone in her room, touching up her powder in front of a small handheld mirror.
"Don't mind Johnny; he's a fool."
Nan Yue smiled. "Is he your boyfriend?"
An incredulous look appeared on Penny's face. "How could that be? He's just a one-night stand partner. You can't have a man that stupid."
Nan Yue found it interesting. In the real world, many scavengers didn't have the heart for romance, but finding a partner for a brief relationship was common.
She nodded in deep agreement.
"What about you? Is that handsome guy your lover?"
Nan Yue burst out laughing. From an outsider's perspective, Gu Xiang Kai was indeed a handsome man with off-the-charts charisma, but she didn't have any thoughts about him like that.
"He's my friend."
Penny blinked. "I think that handsome guy with the glasses fits your vibe better."
Who? Glasses? Jiang Siyan!
Nan Yue's face twitched. "You've got it wrong."
That guy just staying alive was what mattered most.
"Penny, why did you board the Devil's Bay?"
Penny didn't look like she was interested in this sea area; in their several interactions, she hadn't shown the same obsession with it as Johnny.
Penny put down the mirror and remained silent for a while. She took off a brass necklace from her neck and opened it to reveal a black-and-white photo of a man.
"This is my father."
Penny's gaze was very gentle as she looked at the photo. "He was a great navigator and adventurer. He traveled everywhere and brought me back a gift from every place he went."
"He said he would take me on an adventure with him when I grew up."
Penny paused for a long time. "Later, he disappeared in Devil's Bay."
She looked up at Nan Yue. "I want to know what happened to my father."
Nan Yue looked at Penny and took her hand.
Penny quickly composed herself. "Looking at it now, this is just an ordinary sea. There's nothing special about it."
Nan Yue smiled very gently. "It is special. It's special to you."
Afterward, Penny told Nan Yue many things about her father. They were clearly irrelevant to the clues, but Nan Yue listened to everything.
Even though she knew they were just NPCs in a mission world twisted by pollution, Nan Yue still couldn't bear to interrupt her.
"I'm sorry for making you wait while I talked so much," Penny said with a slight smile. "If you need anything on the ship, you can always come to me."
Nan Yue asked as if casually, "I think I saw a child on the ship today. Are children allowed on the Devil's Bay?"
Penny thought for a moment and clapped her hands. "You must mean Jessica! She's the captain's child."
So there really was a child. As long as it wasn't some ghost.
"Steve's child? She's so young. Isn't it dangerous on the ship?"
Penny's smile faded slightly. "Jessica's mother died in childbirth. She's been with Steve since she was born."
"I heard Steve wanted to send her to her aunt's house in the city for school, but she didn't want to go."
"But, you know, this child doesn't have a mother, and I've heard she's indeed a bit unusual."
Penny gossiped in a low voice, "I heard the child is a bit of a jinx."
This was originally an absurd thing to say, but Nan Yue listened very seriously, which gave Penny some encouragement.
"I don't know who started the rumor, but they say that any bad thing the little girl says will come true."
Oh, Nan Yue thought, a jinx.
"That's considered very unlucky on a ship, but Steve dotes on his daughter, so no one has any objections."
Nan Yue asked, "Why haven't I seen her before? Doesn't she usually come out to play?"
"Jessica has a rather eccentric personality and doesn't like crowds. Steve usually keeps her in the bridge or the cabins. You probably only saw her because she came out for some fresh air."
Rate on N.U.
