Penny patted her sympathetically. "There's an infirmary on the ship. If you feel unwell, I can go with you."
Nan Yue thanked her politely and subtly shifted the topic.
"I’ve been thinking. The sea is unpredictable. Even if this route has been safe for so many years, what if we’re just unlucky and can’t go back?"
Nan Yue already knew what to watch out for at the captain’s banquet tonight, but she had other questions.
Penny paused, seeing Nan Yue’s serious expression, and set aside her playful mood.
She thought for a moment. "Then I suppose... I would like to die freely."
Nan Yue looked at her. "Die... freely?"
Penny smiled. "Yes. We all boarded this ship to fulfill certain wishes. To some extent, we’re mentally prepared to lose our lives for the things we want."
"But at least we would die on a path of our own choosing, wouldn't we?"
Nan Yue fell silent. Penny’s words struck her with immense force.
She had never considered that there could be freedom in death.
For Penny and the others, death was something distant, an event that would arrive at an unknown time.
But for a scavenger, death was a certainty, something that could happen at any moment.
They all did their best to avoid it, never knowing that death could be associated with freedom.
They were born as scavengers, living, learning, and eventually dying for the sake of purification.
They never questioned the path they walked or thought about what freedom meant. Everyone was the same, without exception.
Nan Yue asked tentatively, "If you really died, wouldn't you be afraid, even if it was on a path you chose?"
Penny laughed heartily. "Of course I’d be afraid! But... I’d feel at peace. In that final second, I’d realize I died for myself."
Nan Yue forced a smile and clinked her glass against Penny’s.
Nan Yue wasn't a strong drinker, and half a glass of whisky was enough to make her head spin.
She found Jiang Siyan's room and knocked on the door.
"Mr. Jiang, I have a favor to ask."
Standing at the door, Nan Yue was incredibly solemn, her expression cold and her gaze as steady as a soldier's.
Jiang Siyan frowned as he caught the faint scent of alcohol on her.
As a healing-type scavenger, he could keenly sense her emotional fluctuations.
They weren't large, remaining well within the controllable range, but they piqued his curiosity.
He wondered what could cause a stir in someone like Nan Yue, who remained so calm even in the face of despair.
"Do you need me to stabilize your psychological value?"
Although Jiang Siyan was curious, he knew Nan Yue had teammates, so he prioritized a safe approach.
"No. I’d like you to help me sober up. I drank too much."
Jiang Siyan: ...?
Nan Yue was drunk?
His thoughts raced as he stepped aside to let her in.
"Have a seat for a moment. Being drunk makes it easier to get seasick."
Nan Yue walked with steady steps to the side of the bed and sat down, her hands resting neatly on her knees. She looked remarkably well-behaved.
Jiang Siyan's roommate, Chen Shaofei, was also there and looked over curiously.
Do high-level players get drunk too?
Chen Shaofei had heard what Nan Yue said. Was she really drunk?
He looked at her; by any standard, she was an exceptionally striking woman.
As Chen Shaofei was dazing out, Jiang Siyan walked past him to pour some water, whispering in a voice only the two of them could hear.
"Do you think she looks drunk?"
Chen Shaofei swallowed and nodded.
A hint of a smile entered Jiang Siyan's voice. "Would you believe it would only take her a second to snap your neck?"
Chen Shaofei froze. He slowly turned his head to look at Jiang Siyan.
The man was still smiling, polite and appearing gentle and reliable.
But the moment he met Jiang Siyan’s pitch-black pupils, an instinctive survival alarm blared in Chen Shaofei's mind.
He had just heard that Jiang Siyan had healing abilities, but before he could rejoice and try to ride his coattails, he realized this man...
Was terrifying.
"I... I’ll be going now."
Nan Yue remained sitting obediently on the bed, watching Chen Shaofei bolt out the door.
"What’s wrong with him?"
Jiang Siyan handed her a glass of warm water. "He has some business to attend to."
Nan Yue turned to look at Jiang Siyan, her gaze direct and unblinking. "Can you help me sober up?"
She added, "I can give you clues about the captain’s banquet tonight."
Jiang Siyan smiled. A drunk Nan Yue was even more direct. She wasn't one for mind games to begin with, but now she was even simpler.
Jiang Siyan felt a bit mischievous. "Is that so? But I don't really need clues."
Nan Yue looked troubled. Finding her reaction amusing, Jiang Siyan continued, "However, there is something I want to know from you. Let's call it an equivalent exchange."
"My ability for your secrets."
Jiang Siyan acted magnanimously. "But I know secrets shouldn't be revealed lightly. If you're worried, I can join your team. That way, it's a long-term deal, and you won't lose out."
While Jiang Siyan was still coaxing her, Nan Yue stopped thinking and stared at him intently.
"Jiang Siyan, have you been wanting to join my team for a long time?"
Jiang Siyan: ...!!
Although he maintained his perfect smile, Nan Yue caught the fleeting flicker of awkwardness in his eyes at having his thoughts exposed.
Nan Yue patted him solemnly. "Having too many schemes isn't good."
"You'll age faster."
Jiang Siyan smiled helplessly. Though Nan Yue was drunk, her intuition had become even sharper.
Her blunt simplicity made his calculated approach feel somewhat clumsy.
"Yes, you're right."
A white mist slowly enveloped Nan Yue. In an instant, she regained her clarity.
She nodded. "Thanks. What we just said still stands, right? We’d welcome someone as strong as you."
Jiang Siyan kept his smile. "It stands. Our deal stands as well."
Nan Yue politely took her leave. The moment she closed the door, she gave a small, whispered "Yes!"
Score!
She had roped Jiang Siyan in!
And it wasn't because she had begged him; Jiang Siyan had intended to join all along.
However, from this encounter, Nan Yue realized that Jiang Siyan seemed to be quite a schemer; he had taken such a long detour when he already had his mind made up.
With Jiang Siyan on the team, their survival rate would increase significantly.
During dinner, Nan Yue shared the news with the other four.
Naturally, everyone was surprised, with Gu Xiang Kai having the strongest reaction.
"A deal? Your... I don't think we need to sacrifice or sell you out just to get healing."
Wen Xiang Yuan wasn't entirely clear on Nan Yue’s unique nature or what 'secrets' were involved in the deal, but she felt an instinctive rejection.
"He's a grown man, why does he want to know your secrets? Is he some kind of creep?"
Nan Yue didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She was probably the person who understood Jiang Siyan best.
For a long time, she too had lacked any motivation to keep going, living every day like the walking dead.
Rate on N.U.
