The Villain Saint is my secondary account

Ye Xiao nodded, "If all the passengers are like this, wouldn't you be losing money on each trip?"

"Passengers pay the same price for all their tickets, regardless of where they want to disembark during the journey."

The captain leisurely took a puff of his hookah. "However, the main profit of our merchant ships comes from the cargo we transport; passenger fares are not the majority."

Ye Xiao seemed to understand, "Don't you get bored drifting at sea all the time?"

"It seems that the sea view has been a bit tiresome for you after several days."

The captain chuckled, “Boring? What job isn’t boring? But this time it’s mainly because of the previous traffic control that there are far fewer ships on the waterway. Otherwise, we would often encounter other ships on the way, and the scenery wouldn’t be so monotonous.”

"But we must cherish these calm and uneventful days, for they allow us to witness the benevolent side of the sea,"

As the captain spoke, he gestured with his index and middle fingers, pointing towards the distance, "See those dark clouds over there flashing with lightning? If we head in that direction, we'll officially enter the Magala Sea."

"I know that. It's the world's second largest sea area with the worst weather."

Ye Xiao looked at the dark, cloud-covered sky, narrowed his eyes, and suddenly caught a small black dot under the clouds. "Is that a ship? Right there under the clouds?"

Upon hearing Ye Xiao's words, the captain scanned the distant sea with his eyes and then exclaimed in amazement, "Wow, young man, you have sharp eyes! I didn't even notice it just now."

He pulled a monocular telescope from his waist, held it out in front of his right eye, and observed carefully. "Hmm, the flag seems to be of the Aslan Empire style."

"Strange, why don't we see their navigator or flag bearer... Something's not right, why does it seem like there's no one on that ship?"

Chapter Forty-Seven: Ghost Ship

As the group gradually approached the cloud-shrouded sea, Aslan's large ship slowly revealed itself.

The first thing you see is a solemn golden griffin statue on the bow of the ship, entwined with emerald green ivy, which is clearly the symbol of the Aslan royal family.

The hull, carved from millennia-old wood, showed some signs of wear and tear, while the deck, as Captain Castor had described, was empty and spotless.

As the human empire most inclined towards arcane research and with a relatively conservative culture, Aslan's ships are still mainly wooden mast sailing ships. However, this does not mean that their ships are fragile. In fact, these carefully selected ancient woods are used to facilitate the conduction of magic so that the runes engraved on them can function better.

In fact, in one-on-one combat, the mysterious and versatile Aslan ships are far superior in combat power and performance to the current steam warships of Loren.

However, this also creates some constraints. For example, the complexity of the enchanting process makes large-scale mass production impossible, and ship operators have higher requirements for magical water... There are also people within Aslan who have tried to lead the steam reform, but in this social system that mainly relies on magic, the resistance is great.

Of course, these were just some memories that Ye Xiao had when he saw the ship. Back to the present, everyone on the deck focused their attention on the empty and eerie Aslan Royal Ship not far away.

As they approached the Magala Sea, the ocean became increasingly turbulent, but the ship drifted silently on the boundary between the dark clouds and the clear sky, like a deathly tombstone.

Ella even summoned some raven familiars to circle around the ship to observe, but she didn't see any sign of any living people.

"Captain, our flag bearer has given the signal, but there has been no response and the ship has not changed course."

The first mate walked up to Captain Castor and reported.

"Avoid it, and remember to notify the escort ship to change course together. When you encounter these strange things at sea, just don't touch them."

The captain said decisively.

"receive."

The first mate immediately jogged back and shouted orders to the sailors, "Hard starboard! Avoid the target vessel!"

As the helmsman turned the rudder, the massive merchant ship veered slightly to the side. At the same time, the flag bearers on the masts signaled to the escort ships on either side to turn right, and a loud blast of the ship's horn sounded. The entire fleet made way for the strange, large ship.

"Young man, you might think I'm making a mountain out of a molehill, ordering the entire fleet to take a detour,"

Captain Castor glanced at Ye Xiao, "But trust my years of sailing experience, this is the right thing to do."

"I understand."

Ye Xiao nodded. He knew that the world was full of strange and supernatural phenomena, and caution was always the right thing to do.

But as the bow slowly turned and the fleet approached the boundary of the Magala Sea, the silent ship not only did not move away, but instead drew closer and closer.

"Captain, that ship... seems to be heading this way?"

The first mate, who looked slightly younger than his age, swallowed hard. "There's clearly no one on its helmsman's console."

Having spent many years at sea, I've naturally heard some strange stories. It's hard not to wonder why ships, which are clearly unmanned, seem to approach each other on their own, as if they have a mind of their own.

"The currents near the Magala Sea are quite unpredictable, so don't be too suspicious. Tell the helmsman to increase the speed."

The captain remained calm.

"clear."

The first mate then continued to issue orders.

The ore engine was running at full power, and a huge roar echoed. Ye Xiao could feel the humid sea breeze becoming more and more intense, but the empty ship in the distance was still not left behind and was getting closer and closer.

"...By the God of Light, is that ship accelerating?"

The first mate wiped the sweat from his brow. "Captain, it's blocking our course. If this continues, a collision may occur."

Captain Castor's rugged eyebrows finally furrowed. After a moment's hesitation, he replied, "Sound the horn once as a warning, then order the broadside gunners to take their positions. If they dare to approach again, open fire."

"……what?"

The first mate was stunned, somewhat unable to believe what he had just heard. "But that's... the ship of the Aslan royal family! Isn't this going too far...?"

“This is the open sea. It ignored warnings and approached to a dangerous distance on its own. How do we know if it's a nobleman from the Aslan royal family or pirates who have seized the ship?”

The captain took a puff of his hookah, his deep voice firm and powerful, “If the Aslan royal family is dissatisfied, then let them sue me in the Stormport court afterwards. I have to be responsible for my crew now.”

"Did you hear me? If it gets any closer, fire the cannons and make it get lost!"

"understand!"

The first mate broke out in a cold sweat, saluted, and then immediately gave instructions to the sailors.

"Captain...you're very decisive."

Ye Xiao sighed.

He recalled seeing countless scenes in nautical movies and TV shows where ghost ships caused all sorts of trouble, but this was the first time he had ever seen someone directly fire cannons at a ghost ship.

"We must be decisive."

The captain sighed.

As soon as he finished speaking, the deafening whistle blared again.

Unexpectedly, this time the ship seemed to understand the signal and actually stopped approaching, slowly moving away from the merchant ship as the waves rose and fell.

"Really? Does this thing have a spirit?"

Ye Xiao asked curiously, "Can it hear us talking?"

However, the captain frowned, "...to be honest, this may not be a good thing."

Ye Xiao did not understand the captain's meaning at first.

But as the fleet finally entered the dark waters of the Magala Sea, and dark clouds gradually filled the sky above, with rain carrying the smell of the sea swirling in the gale, he saw the first mate running towards him with a worried expression.

"Captain...that ship...it's following us!"

"You bastard, you're like a persistent ghost."

Captain Castor cursed under his breath and followed the first mate through the torrential rain toward the stern.

"Greta, are you going back?"

Ye Xiao patted the head of the little maid beside her. "I want to go and see, but the rain is getting a bit heavy."

"What harm can mere rainwater do to this maid?"

With a flick of her finger, Greta cast a gravity-deflecting spell over them, causing the raindrops to fall as if landing on an invisible dome and flowing outwards.

"Wow, Miss, there's such a convenient spell!"

Ye Xiao smiled, but then hesitated, "Will this cause you any backlash?"

"I'm not that fragile. This little spell won't have much of an effect."

Greta took Ye Xiao's hand and led him to the stern of the ship.

At the stern, the captain and first mate were observing the Aslan vessel that was following closely behind them through the storm.

Despite the raging storm, the other party clung to them like a leech, hanging about two or three nautical miles away, silently following them.

Chapter Forty-Eight: The Jealous Jar

"From its position, the stern guns aren't very effective at hitting it. This awful weather has a huge impact on both range and accuracy," the captain said through gritted teeth, gripping his binoculars.

"It's really become intelligent," Ye Xiao laughed when he arrived and saw the scene. "It's even learned to dodge cannon fire."

“I’ve heard that some ships whose crew members died tragically become ghosts that wander the seas,” the first mate’s throat bobbed slightly. “Because their resentment is so deep, they will drag passing ships down with them.”

"A person who can't live himself and doesn't want others to live well, even if he becomes a ghost, he'll definitely look like a beast." Captain Castel looked displeased as he gazed at the shadowy outline in the distance.

"There's not much we can do about it right now. We'll just have a few crew members take turns keeping an eye on it, and we'll open fire as soon as it gets into effective range."

"Understood." The first mate nodded.

"Mr. Ye, you should also go to your cabin and rest. Dinner time is approaching. We'll keep an eye on this stuff, especially since the weather is bad for this leg of the journey, and you don't want to get caught in the rain," the captain advised.

"No problem, thank you for your hard work." Upon hearing this, Ye Xiao no longer lingered on the deck.

Ella also sent her raven familiar to fly to that strange empty ship to keep an eye on it; compared to the captain, she would be able to obtain more information.

However, this information is limited to the fact that the ship's interior cabins are also empty, and she can vaguely sense a slight flow of magic on the ship's hull, but the specific source is still unclear.

With multiple people watching, the thing no longer seemed so strange. At worst, Ella could summon a few large tentacles, disguised as unknown sea monsters, to emerge from the sea and smash it.

So Ye Xiao wasn't exactly nervous.

……

Ye Xiao returned to the cabin, changed into a set of dry clothes, and then took Greta to the restaurant.

Despite the turbulent waves outside, the massive merchant ship remained as steady as a mountain in the face of such storms, and the cabins were still lit with warm, yellow lights, creating a peaceful scene.

The harmonious atmosphere instantly puts you at ease the moment you step inside, a world apart from the turbulent winds and rain on the deck.

The restaurant was bustling with people. During mealtimes, travelers from the middle and lower floors would gather here to eat. Although it didn't have the exquisite dishes of the upper-level aristocratic banquet hall, the food was still quite good.

As soon as Ye Xiao entered, he saw Li Cheng waving to him from a seat by the window, so he went over and sat down.

"Hey Ye, you look pretty much recovered today," Li Cheng greeted him as he came up.

"Face reading? What face reading?" Ye Xiao was stunned.

“Dark circles and all that are gone,” Li Cheng gestured to his eyes, then raised his glass. “Come on, this toast is to my brother’s kidneys returning to their peak.”

"What nonsense." Ye Xiao said, but still poured herself a glass of grapefruit juice and clinked glasses with Li Cheng.

Just as he took a sip, Greta, who was sitting next to him, tugged at Ye Xiao's sleeve. He turned his head and saw the little maid gently biting her lip and winking at him.

"Oh no, it hasn't been seven days yet. Tomorrow, wait until tomorrow," Ye Xiao hurriedly replied.

"You've already fully recovered, why do we have to wait until tomorrow!" Greta pouted immediately.

"Recovery is recovery, but these things always need a little... preparation," Ye Xiao said, coughing lightly twice.

"An excuse!" The little maid puffed out her cheeks and crossed her arms.

“A cultured person has to be my brother Ye,” Li Cheng laughed, then his eyes suddenly lit up with a sharp light. “Holy crap, brother Ye, look at that girl, she has the figure of a supermodel.”

"Where?" Ye Xiao looked curiously in the direction Li Cheng was looking.

Sure enough, a tall woman in a trench coat sat alone at a table not far away, carrying a plate. Her indigo hair fell under her unbuttoned trench coat, and her gray-black fitted sweater outlined her unusually full curves.

"Oh, indeed." Ye Xiao blurted out unconsciously, then immediately regretted it.

A chilling killing intent surged up around him, and Ye Xiao stiffly turned around, just in time to see Greta's small hand twisting around his waist.

"Really?! You actually said 'really'?!" Greta exploded in fury. "With me, you need to build up the tension! But with other women, you don't?!"

"Aww!!! I was wrong, I was wrong, Maid!! Li Cheng, you fucking tricked me!!"

“You can’t blame Xiongdi for this. He was just sharing his experiences.” Li Cheng wiped his mouth with a napkin and quickly stood up. “Brother Ye, you can eat slowly. I’m going to help that girl relieve her loneliness.”

"Damn it!" Ye Xiao was busy defending against the little maid who was grabbing his head and biting him randomly, and had no time to pay attention to Li Cheng who was running away.

On the other side, Li Cheng had already straightened his clothes and walked over to the tall woman.

"Hey beautiful lady, good evening."

The woman was gently cutting lamb chops on her plate with a knife when she heard the shout. She looked up and stared at the "gentleman" who had suddenly sat down opposite her uninvited, and was somewhat surprised.