Chapter 545

Chapter 402: Cover-Up

Conquer Sea, the pilgrimage fleet under Glimmer’s command, was swiftly heading towards the northern land. Just having completed the rescue mission for the Shining White Pearl, the entire fleet was now filled with rescued passengers who were anxiously huddled in various corners of the ships. Not only on the deck, but also in the corridors and passageways of each ship, people were crowded.

At this moment, on the flagship of the leading cruiser, the senior deacon Joerde, who was in charge of the church fleet, was conversing with Captain Costa of the Shining White Pearl. Upon hearing from Joerde about their current destination and the time required to reach there, Costa couldn’t help but be slightly stunned.

“What? Vanaha? Is our target Vanaha? And we can get there in around a day?”

In the captain’s cabin, Costa unexpectedly spoke out. In his memory, the Shining White Pearl should have been sailing far south due to his deliberate maneuvering. If they were going to Vanaha, it shouldn’t take just one day.

“Yes… Vanaha. According to the map, it’s the closest port to us. Although the map says it’s just a small town with a not-so-big harbor, I think it’s enough for some passengers.”

While saying this, Joerde sat back down and started brewing tea. Meanwhile, Costa’s expression darkened as he listened to Joerde. His heart was filled with emotions.

Originally, Costa had been puzzled as to why he encountered the church fleet while sailing off the normal route. From what Joerde said, they were very close to Vanaha. If he had been on the scheduled route to White Tear Island, they wouldn’t have been so close. Therefore, the only explanation was that the church fleet was actually on the normal route, while he had deviated from the route to White Tear Island and returned to the normal route. Clearly, this was the work of the female thief K!

After discovering the truth behind his encounter with the church fleet, Costa felt both anger and confusion. He wondered how the thief managed to subtly influence the Shining White Pearl’s course without him noticing. He had checked the bridge multiple times but found nothing amiss.

Just as Costa was pondering, Joerde had already prepared the tea. After taking a sip, he looked at Costa and continued.

“By the way, some of my subordinates overheard some passengers say that something strange happened during the Shining White Pearl’s journey. A thief named K allegedly stole a priceless blue sapphire during an exhibition. No one could stop her. Captain Costa, is this true?”

With a hint of curiosity, Joerde said this. Hearing Joerde’s words, Costa was momentarily stunned, then quickly responded.

“Oh, you mean the thief K… Yes, she’s a very clever thief. Mr. Massimo, the gem collector, and I were deceived by her. That’s why she stole the Deep Blue Heart. If we had been more cautious at the time, we wouldn’t have fallen for it.”

Speaking in a calm tone, Costa explained to Joerde. Joerde then looked at Costa with a meaningful gaze.

“So, you were present when the theft occurred? Did you notice any extraordinary abilities from the thief K, such as unusual strength or speed? Or did she cause any inexplicable phenomena? Also… do you think the strange malfunction in the boiler room of the Shining White Pearl might be related to her?”

“Unusual strength, speed, or anything else… Hmm… Let me think. Although thief K is skilled and can perform difficult maneuvers, she seems to still be within the realm of human capabilities. When I saw similar performances in the circus, there was nothing truly inexplicable. She only used a large smoke bomb when escaping, much like those used by magicians.”

“As for whether the boiler room malfunction is related to her… I don’t think so. After thief K escaped, we immediately searched the ship and found a lifeboat missing. So, she must have fled before the boiler malfunctioned. It’s unlikely to be related to the accident. Besides, thief K’s goal was to steal gems, so there was no need for her to tamper with the dangerous boiler.”

Costa explained to Joerde, trying to prove that the seemingly magical thief K was merely a skilled and clever thief. After hearing Costa’s words, Joerde nodded after finishing his tea.

“I see… This means the boiler incident has nothing to do with her. It’s a pity, as it would have provided a clue to the cause of the accident.

“Captain Costa, your conversation gave me a clearer understanding of the situation on the Shining White Pearl. Thank you for your cooperation. You must be tired today. Go rest.”

“Thank you for listening, sir.”

After replying to Joerde, Costa quickly left the captain’s cabin. Closing the door behind him, he let out a sigh of relief.

Arriving on the cruiser’s deck, Costa faced a group of passengers sitting there. A shadow of worry appeared in his eyes.

If their interests weren’t aligned in the short term, Costa wouldn’t have covered for thief K in front of Joerde. Now that he had boarded the church’s ship, he couldn’t allow the church to suspect that any extraordinary events had occurred on board. He had to fully cover up the fact that thief K was an Extraordinary Being.

Regardless of how much Costa hated the damned thief, he had no choice but to help her. Lying for the thief tormented his conscience.

Currently, both Costa and thief K were in the same boat. Reluctantly, Costa had to help thief K. If Joerde believed that an extraordinary event had occurred on board and decided to conduct thorough inspections of all crew members, no one would escape.

Costa clearly understood that their feud with the thief needed to wait until they reached Vanaha to be resolved. In the final confrontation, they had gained the upper hand.

‘Wait, thief.’

Thinking this, Costa clenched the button in his pocket. The advancing fleet would soon arrive at the long-awaited land.