For Merlin, she had practically watched him grow up from childhood.
Yol could be said to understand Merlin very well. As a child, Merlin was well-behaved but also somewhat solitary. No, it should be said he was precocious. Therefore, after his parents passed away one after another, Merlin became mature in a way unlike a teenager.
At that time, she was also very worried that the precocious Merlin might learn bad habits from the hooligans on the streets outside.
But facts proved she worried too much.
Consequently, the methods she thought of to educate Merlin back then were completely useless, not used at all, which had always made her feel quite frustrated.
At this moment, after hearing Merlin say such things, Yol sighed helplessly, a look of grumpiness in her eyes as she said:
"I watched you grow up, and Sister Lucia took care of me since I was little. As her son, of course, I should take good care of you too!
"But you always ignored me. Sometimes I wanted to talk to you, but you often disappeared without a trace."
Speaking of this, Yol's eyes were filled with both anger and helplessness:
"But now, it's obviously you taking care of me. This really makes me feel like such a failure!"
Merlin was about to retort.
But just then.
Footsteps were heard. Merlin looked back and saw Reiner coming up from the stairs and walking over.
At this time, meeting Merlin's gaze.
An apologetic smile appeared on Reiner's face:
"Did I disturb you?
"By the way, I came to deliver Abis's bounty."
Reiner walked up to them. Merlin watched him lift the suitcase and hand it over, reached out to take it, and passed it to Yol:
"You count it."
Yol rolled her beautiful eyes, took it, then carried the suitcase into the cabin, placed it on the bed, and started counting.
At this time, Merlin saw him hesitating to speak, so he asked:
"If you have something to say, just say it."
Reiner gritted his teeth, then asked about Gerard. Merlin's expression remained unchanged as he said calmly:
"Are you here to condemn me? Blaming me for killing a sailor on your ship?"
"No, no."
Reiner shook his head hurriedly, looking somewhat helpless: "I'm not a fool. Gerard was thrown out from your place.
"I just want to know where he offended you?"
Reiner's desire for survival was full.
He didn't want to run into Merlin's bad luck for a dead guy who wasn't very popular on the ship anyway.
He just wanted a result.
A reason to shut the mouths of the people below. After all, he was the guard captain, managing a ship full of sailors. If he did nothing, how could he manage them in the future?
Having spoken, he believed Merlin could understand the underlying meaning in his words.
And Merlin wasn't a fool. He understood the meaning in his words at this moment, so he calmly recounted simply what Gerard said about pirates to Yol when he entered the cabin, up to how he killed him after returning.
Without adding any embellishments.
Reiner knew clearly that he couldn't beat Merlin, and there was nothing on the passenger ship that could threaten him. Therefore, Merlin had no need to lie to him here.
As he finished listening, cold sweat appeared on Reiner's face, and the look in his eyes became uncertain. Grinding his teeth, he said: "That damn treacherous dog.
"I was wondering why the Blood Wolf Pirates were wandering in other waters some time ago, how could they suddenly appear here.
"So there was a mole!"
Speaking of this, Reiner looked at Merlin with immense gratitude:
"Thank you. If you hadn't taken action to help us eliminate this disaster, who knows what trouble we might have encountered in the future."
Merlin glanced at him; these words were a bit thick. "I don't like owing favors to others, but I also don't like others owing me."
Hearing this, the corner of Reiner's eye twitched, but he immediately put on an even more grateful expression and said excitedly:
"Thank you so much this time! I'll go find our captain now. I'll definitely make him prepare a thank-you gift for you!"
At this time, Yol walked out and said to Merlin with some doubt in her eyes:
"Total amount 11 million? Is it 1 million more?"
Merlin looked at Reiner, while Reiner smiled awkwardly:
"I said before that I would refund your boat fare, plus the total bounty of 10.5 million. Rounding it up, that's about it."
That stingy captain only gave an extra two hundred thousand Berries.
He was extremely embarrassed, so he immediately made an excuse and left in a hurry.
Merlin made no comment on this, but Yol looked at Merlin with a strange expression, obviously having heard what Merlin said just now. Seeing this, Merlin rolled his eyes at her:
"Raising you guys can't be done poorly. Of course, I have to make money whenever there's a chance!"
Yol chuckled helplessly, walked behind Merlin, placed her porcelain-white hands on Merlin's shoulders, and massaged them diligently:
"Mmh, mmh, I understand. It's just that letting you be the bad guy makes me feel unbearable."
Merlin was speechless. This guy's tone was weird. He shook his body grumpily.
Shaking off her hands.
Yol chuckled at this moment, "It's almost mealtime. The passenger ship's restaurant should have prepared food. Shall I go get food for our great hero now?"
Merlin curled his lips, "Go quickly! I'm hungry; I want meat."
A smile appeared at the corner of Yol's mouth.
Nodding with a beaming smile, she then called out to Lami, who was closing the suitcase in the cabin:
"Lami, let's go! Let's go prepare a delicious dinner for our family's great hero."
Lami cheered happily with a grin:
"Yay! Let's go get food."
Lami ran out and held Yol's hand, and the two left together.
...
As for the so-called thank-you gift, Merlin didn't have much expectation. He hadn't even seen that captain on the ship for the past two days.
But he had heard from the sailors that he was an incredibly stingy guy.
Sure enough, after dinner.
When Reiner came over again, holding only a thin envelope filled with Berries, he dug his toes in embarrassment:
"Sorry, the captain only gave three hundred thousand Berries. Please don't despise it."
But he hurriedly added, "However, you can choose any luxury suite on the fourth floor to stay in, and all your dining expenses on the ship will be free from now on."
Merlin glanced at him and chuckled lightly: "You don't need to be embarrassed, because I didn't have much expectation to begin with.
"Changing accommodation is unnecessary. I accept the gift."
However, speaking of this, Merlin smiled and said: "Mr. Reiner, I can tell you are quite capable. If conditions permit, you'd better jump ship as soon as possible!"
Speaking up to here, Merlin said no more.
Smart people understand.
As for fools, saying more is useless.
Hearing this, a bitter smile appeared on Reiner's face:
"Thank you for your kindness. Then I won't disturb you anymore. Rest early.
"If you need help with anything, feel free to find me. As long as I can do it, I will definitely help you solve it."
Reiner left Merlin's room.
Merlin closed the door, smiled somewhat disinterestedly, and opened the envelope in his hand. A stack of Berries with a face value of ten thousand, thirty notes in total.
He pulled out ten notes and handed them to Yol beside him, and gave another five to Lami:
"Pocket money for you!"
Yol took it with some emotion:
"This is the first time someone has given me so much pocket money."
After taking it, Lami smiled sweetly and said:
"Thank you, Merlin-niichan. It's also Lami's first time receiving so much pocket money."
Merlin folded the remaining one hundred and fifty thousand Berries and put them in his pocket. When away from home, it's better to have some money on you.
As for the total of fifty million large-denomination Berries in the remaining three suitcases, they had all been organized into one suitcase.
The two empty suitcases were used to pack some personal clothes.
Time flew by in the blink of an eye.
Another day and a half passed.
1:00 PM this day.
After lunch, looking into the distance, an island with a peculiar appearance appeared.
Looking at the island as a whole, it looked like a vivid, incredibly huge emerald-green petrel connected to a base.
Incredibly magical and beautiful.
This petrel was a complete mountain body.
Called Petrel Mountain by the people on the island.
The mountain was densely vegetated, covering the mountain body, like an ancient giant beast that had lived from ancient times to the present.
Gazing at this island, Merlin's thoughts drifted, thinking that since there were so many ancient creatures with body sizes comparable to islands in this world, could this be the fossilized remains of a super-giant petrel?
Shaking his head, Merlin stopped thinking about it. Not long after, the passenger ship docked at the port on the coast of the island. A prosperous port town appeared before their eyes.
Petrel Town.
Carrying a backpack on his back and holding a suitcase in his gloved left hand.
Under the awe-filled gazes of the sailors on the ship, Merlin, along with Yol and Lami, walked down the gangplank from the right side of the passenger ship.
As his feet stepped onto the bluestone street on the shore, a sense of peace of mind involuntarily emerged in Merlin's heart, and he couldn't help sighing:
"It has to be on land to give people such a sense of steadiness!"
"Indeed, after all, the place we used to live was always on land."
Yol beside him responded with a smile. Today she was wearing a cyan-blue striped dress that covered the bend of her calves.
Over the dress, she wore a brown cotton coat, and black pantyhose covered her shapely calves exposed under the skirt hem.
A pair of exquisite black small leather shoes were on her feet. She looked both youthful and incredibly bright and beautiful.
At this time, Lami looked at Merlin curiously, "Merlin-niichan, where are we going now?"
Hearing the voice, Merlin looked at Lami. Her body was wrapped in a navy blue trench coat-style jacket reaching her thighs.
However, a red plaid pleated skirt hem could be seen from the end of the trench coat, and cotton black tights wrapped her slender legs.
On her small feet were also a pair of small black leather shoes.
"In a place like a port, there are always some well-informed guys.
"They usually provide some conveniences for people coming and going here."
"Are these people that good?"
Lami asked in surprise.