Chapter 1: A Smuggling Ship to Fontaine?
“Lin En, aren’t we going a bit too far with this...?”
In the dim corridor, a blonde girl stood behind a handsome young man, scanning their surroundings as she spoke. Despite the hesitation in her voice, her movements remained fluid and without a single stumble.
The girl’s name was Ecofey.
The young man, Lin En, didn’t stop what he was doing. He merely tilted his head slightly and gave a terse reply. “I’ll explain later.”
His handsome profile, set with an expression of focused seriousness, was mirrored in Ecofey’s eyes. Even blurred by the weak light, his charm made her daze for a moment. Though they had known each other for months and shared the most intimate of relationships, she still found him hard to resist.
Of course, it helped that she had never really tried to resist him, though their current situation was a bit unusual.
No, I can’t get distracted... we’re busy with serious business.
Ecofey knew that if she kept staring, she would undoubtedly lose herself. She quickly reminded herself to focus, using the cool clarity of her Cryo element to steady her mind and pull her thoughts back to the task at hand.
She gave a small hum of affirmation and continued her vigil. However, a few seconds later, she couldn’t help but groan inwardly.
Ugh... no wonder Mualani and the others looked at me like that when we left Natlan...
Lin En’s face is practically a cheat code. It’s impossible to hold out when we’re alone together!
It’s a good thing I already committed to this. If I had kept acting stubborn and then crawled back to him later... ugh... I would have never lived it down in front of my friends back in Natlan.
Time ticked away, second by second. Ecofey forced herself to observe their environment. Supported by the chill of her Cryo element, the distracting thoughts in her mind began to fade.
But while the distractions were gone, the doubts remained. As she kept watch, she instinctively replayed every detail from the port to this moment.
The two of them were currently aboard a cargo ship bound for Fontaine.
Don’t misunderstandthey had intended to take a passenger ship, but a sudden accident had caused them to miss their departure. Left with no choice, they were waiting for the next ship when they happened to cross paths with this ship’s captain. Lin En had hit it off with him immediately. The captain, appearing to be a warmhearted soul, had invited them to hitch a ride to Fontaine.
At the time, Ecofey had felt something was off. But Lin En seemed set on it, ignoring her subtle warnings and insisting on accepting the invitation.
If this had happened months ago, she would have stood by her own judgment. But after months together, she trusted that Lin En wasn’t the type to be a fool about such things. So, she had suppressed her doubts, thinking that Lin En must have a plan of his own.
She just hadn’t expected his plan to be this intense.
As soon as they were on board, he had wasted no time, leading her straight for the cargo hold!
Back when they were negotiating, that seemingly boisterous and friendly captain hadn’t even cared much about the fare. His only requirement was that they stay within their designated area and never set foot near the cargo.
Looking back, Lin En had been full of reassurances, but he hadn’t actually given a single concrete promise. Knowing Lin En’s naturehow he valued his wordit was clear he had intended to do this from the very beginning.
Ecofey knew Lin En. He wasn’t exactly a paragon of virtue, but he wasn’t the type to scheme against innocent people for no reason.
It seemed this ship really did have a problem. But what kind of problem would drive Lin En to act like this?
Is the cargo some kind of contraband?
No, knowing Lin En, even if it were contraband, he wouldn’t interfere like this. The safest and most appropriate way would be to report it to the authorities.
Then...
Before she could finish the thought, a faint click reached her ears, followed closely by Lin En’s voice.
“Alright, follow me.”
Ecofey turned quickly and followed Lin En through the door he had just opened. Closing the door behind her, she pulled out a small lantern and lit it. Using the dim glow, she surveyed the room.
“The humidity is much lower here. The environment is better than the cabin they gave us,” she commented casually.
It wasn’t surprising. On a cargo ship, it was only natural that the storage conditions for the goods would be better than the living quarters for the crew.
Lin En didn’t stop. He headed straight for the crates stacked in the hold.
“Ecofey, over here.”
“Coming.”
In the gloom, the stacked cargo looked like a single, seamless mass until Ecofey approached with the light, allowing the edges of the crates to become visible. Lin En, however, didn’t seem to need much light. Before she even reached him, he had already lifted a crate from the edge. He moved it silently and precisely to a small patch of open ground, pinning it down with one foot.
“Sword.”
Ecofey brushed her right hand over her chest. Just like when she had pulled out the lantern, a sliver of light flashed, and a sheathed sword appeared out of thin air.
Lin En took it, using the scabbard as a crowbar to pry the crate open with ease. He then stepped aside slightly, letting the lantern light reveal the true nature of the cargo.
“This is... some kind of drink?” Ecofey frowned slightly.
The crate was filled with bottles of liquid. The packaging was a type very common in Fontaine, and the liquid inside looked utterly mundane. Even looking closely at one of the bottles, she couldn’t see anything special about it.
But for Lin En to go this far, could this thing really be that ordinary?
She instinctively looked at Lin En, only to hear the sound of footsteps coming from outside the door. The sound wasn’t loud, but in this confined environment, it was unmistakable. It drew closer until it stopped right at the entrance. A pair of rough, large hands pushed open the slightly ajar door.
It was the captain.
Ecofey had extinguished her lantern the moment she heard the sound, but the captain was carrying one far brighter. The light cast harsh shadows across his boisterous, kindly face.
“Hmph... I knew it. Those idiots forgot to lock the cargo door again.”
“Oh? Mr. Lin En, and Miss Ecofey? Are you lost? Why are you down here? The cargo hold is a mess. Please, both of you, return to your cabin”
His words were polished, offering them a perfect way to back out gracefully. Most would have felt they were being given a second chance and felt grateful. But Ecofey wasn’t some naive rookie. Her heart sank.
Kindly? To her, this felt like the prelude to a total fallout. He was likely just trying to lure them out to avoid damaging the cargo during a fight. She wouldn’t forget that this ship was his home turf.
Fortunately, she had her own trump card.
Just as Ecofey was about to respond, she heard a light chuckle beside her.
“Hehe...”
It was Lin En. He stepped forward, shielding Ecofey behind him.
“Captain, we’ve already reached this point. Do you really need to keep up the act?”
