I've Become the King of Villains in the Game

But Chen Lun just smiled and did not respond.

He truly did not care what these passengers would do.

"Now that this incident is behind us, you may return to your cabins to rest, which will also lighten the burden on Captain Hayden and his crew... After all, the ship has sustained damage and needs urgent repair, and every area is in disarray; who knows how long it will take to tidy up."

Chen Lun then continued.

"Yes, we understand, Priest Jack."

"We will head back to our rooms now."

Dozens of gentlemen and ladies once again expressed their thanks with a bow before hurriedly departing.

Dragging their exhausted bodies, which were still jittery after the shock, they made their way to their respective cabins. After such an ordeal, they were all extremely weary, especially since it was already deep into the night.

All they wanted was to return to their comfortable beds, to sleep soundly, and to forget this dreadful experience.

After the gentlemen and ladies had left, Chen Lun turned his head towards the team members and said:

"Let's head back as well."

"Yes, Mr. Jack."

Walking back to the two upper-class cabins along the corridor, the floor was still wet. A mix of coagulated blood and slimy mucus made it incredibly dirty.

Connie covered her mouth and nose, feeling nauseated, while Alec's reaction was even worse. He kept his arms and neck tucked in, tiptoeing as though he was terrified of touching even a bit of the mess, all the while cursing under his breath:

"The noble boots of a minstrel, sullied by this filth! How vile!"

Chen Lun chuckled and shook his head, turning to Maggie.

"Maggie, take the contents of this box, you three ladies each pick three pearls to consume... The rest can be examined to see if they can be ground into powder and concocted into a potion."

He took out a wooden box from his hands and handed it to Maggie.

What was stored inside were the mysterious pearls, the "Fog Pearls," which were the secret cargo being transported by Captain Hayden and also the items that the Hand of Pale Leaves had attempted to hijack.

"Leader, what is this?"

Maggie asked, somewhat surprised.

The other Circus members also looked on with puzzled expressions.

"'Fog Pearls,' known to enhance charm and slow down the aging of one's appearance... The root cause of this storm lies within this box... A nemesis organization of the Hailing Group, they aimed to seize it,"

Chen Lun said with a light laugh, speaking softly.

Slow down the aging of one's appearance?

The eyes of the three ladies, including Floey, immediately lit up.

Noah and the others didn't seem interested, but Alec opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, then hesitated. Chen Lun glanced at him and pretended not to notice, then added:

"The Pearl Barmogo belongs to the Moses Far Voyage, a maritime conglomerate backed by the Hailing Group... They never had pure intentions and planned to use the passengers as a cover to secretly transport this stuff. As punishment, I've confiscated it."

As he spoke, he made a shushing gesture by placing his index finger on his lips and feigned a mysterious air.

The rest of the group nodded their understanding.

But their expressions then turned a bit peculiar.

This was stolen by Mr. Jack, wasn't it...? But oh well, they didn't need to question their leader's methods.

"By the way, there's also some 'Wisdom Dust' here, a high-grade supernatural material belonging to the Magic Faction; see if you can mix it into the potion... Floey can also try to see if it's useful for supernatural forging."

Chen Lun, remembering something else, took out a large jar of ash-like powder from the Blood Poem Ring.

Maggie took it, smiling gleefully.

These two items sparked some research curiosity in her, so she said:

"Don't worry, Leader, I'll start experimenting with it right away!"

"Hmm, there's no need to rush... rest well first,"

Chen Lun said.

He glanced at Floey again and used "Mental Transmission" to convey a goodnight message into her mind. She was slightly startled, then responded with a gentle gaze from her pretty purple eyes. Similarly, she said goodnight in her heart, which Chen Lun received.

*

*

*

The following day.

The storm had dissipated, and the weather was exceedingly clear.

Chen Lun had just gotten out of bed when a knock sounded at the cabin door.

Upon opening it, he saw Captain Hayden standing outside with the first mate and a few sailors, their faces filled with trepidation.

"Ah, good morning, Mr. Jack!"

Captain Hayden had found a new beret cap and squeezed out a smile at Chen Lun.

"I'm very sorry to disturb your rest. I had intended to wait until noon to find you, but... but this matter is too important, so I had no choice..."

"Just tell me what it is, Captain Hayden."

Chen Lun said with a light chuckle.

"Did you... or your subordinates find a small wooden box when repelling last night's attackers? It's an important cargo for Moses Far Voyage, critical to the lives and fortunes of everyone on board..."

Captain Hayden said hastily.

Chen Lun's smile faded, and he became serious. He bent slightly to look straight at Hayden and said in a grave tone,

"The Pearl Barmogo is a passenger ship, isn't it? Are you actually using that as a cover to secretly transport extraordinary items... and that's what drew the enemies from the Hand of Pale Leaves, right?"

His tone was very formal, like an indifferent interrogation.

Captain Hayden and the first mate beside him were stunned, and immediately began to sweat profusely.

"No... it's not like that, Mr. Jack. Although the Pearl Barmogo is a passenger ship, we also carry cargo... it's just that this shipment is a little more valuable than usual."

The captain tried to explain in an even tone.

"To attempt to conceal the truth at this point..."

Chen Lun straightened up and regarded Hayden calmly.

"Do you think I'm an idiot?"

"No, no... I didn't mean that, Mr. Jack! How could I dare to deceive you!"

Captain Hayden's hands began to tremble.

Chen Lun's voice grew colder.

"The Generous Council and Hailing Group both belong to the Seven Righteous God Churches. As a Governing Officer, I have the authority to seize the entire Pearl Barmogo for investigation... if I find that the facts do not match what you have told me, do you know what the consequences will be?"

With these words, Captain Hayden could no longer bear the pressure.

He fell to his knees in front of Chen Lun, panicked and distraught,

"I'm sorry! Mr. Jack! I... I didn't mean to deceive you! It's just... this matter is too important... I can't afford the responsibility!"

Chen Lun chuckled to himself.

Outwardly, he said indifferently,

"Forget it, I have an important task at hand and do not wish to waste too much time on you... my intervention to help repel your attackers was already above and beyond, don't bother me with anything else."

"Yes... yes! Mr. Jack, sorry for the intrusion. We will leave now!"

Captain Hayden got up shakily, taking the first mate and the others and quickly departed.

Chen Lun watched their retreating figures with a cold laugh and shook his head.

'They really think I'm a tool...'

He stopped thinking about it, turned around to the washroom to clean up, and then woke his companions, planning to go to the main dining room for breakfast.

'Today is another day full of hope.'