Avril invited Xiao Bei and the group to board the ship together.

"Lieutenant Xiao Bei, the cabin is a bit small, I apologize," Avril said apologetically.

A quick look at "pawread dot com" will leave you more fulfilled.

"No worries, the fact that you can defeat your opponents with such a small ship only makes me admire you more," Xiao Bei said as he walked to the starboard side, gently stroking the charred ship planks.

Being touched so gently by a man, Li Yuan got goosebumps all over.

"The damage isn't too severe, it seems you avoided a direct hit from the firebombs," Xiao Bei finally withdrew his hand.

"Where was this ship built? The craftsmanship is excellent."

Avril's eyes darted around as she stammered, "Uh, it was made by an old craftsman with exceptional skills."

That answer was as good as saying nothing.

Xiao Bei shook his head with a smile and walked up to Avril, "Don't be nervous, I was just asking casually."

"Alright, I won't beat around the bush. I came here with a purpose."

Xiao Bei continued, "You don't need to hide anything from me, I know everything."

Avril and the others widened their eyes in shock, almost scared out of their wits.

"Hahaha, I told you, no need to be nervous. You all look so tense. Others might not see this girl's aberration process, but I can see it clearly."

Avril blinked dryly, wondering if she should be relieved that this lieutenant only knew a little.

Mutants are rare here, but in the Human-Tier Sea Zone, they're not that frightening. As long as he doesn't know about Li Yuan's existence, it's fine.

"Your level of aberration is quite high!" Xiao Bei said, admiring Ashan.

At the scene, only Xiao Bei was speaking, while the others were too startled by his sudden revelations to react.

Throwing out such shocking news, and these people had no reaction at all? It was a bit awkward, but Xiao Bei continued, "Here's the thing, I came here hoping that this little girl, and you, Captain Avril, could join my navy fleet!"

"What! Join the navy fleet?" The Ashan family exclaimed collectively.

Avril could think of the reason; the navy values mutants highly. Since the lieutenant saw that Ashan was a mutant, inviting her made sense, but why invite her too?

"Uh, Lieutenant Xiao Bei, you're inviting me too?"

Xiao Bei smiled, "Yes! I greatly admire your ship-handling skills, your mental fortitude, and your tactical acumen. I can say without exaggeration that an excellent captain and helmsman are just as important as those mutant crew members. Your performance has won me over!"

Avril gave an awkward smile, "Lieutenant Xiao Bei..."

"Don't!" Xiao Bei quickly stopped Avril when he saw the situation wasn't right, "Don't rush to answer me. Think it over carefully and give me your answer tomorrow. You can come directly to my ship then."

"Rest assured, with me around, no one will dare to make a move on you."

"Thank you very much for your hospitality. See you tomorrow... Oh, you have a dog here too? It looks a bit seasick."

Rookie wobbled out, having been shaken to the brink of death by the previous sea battle. Now that it had finally recovered, it saw strangers on the ship and immediately showed a fierce look.

Rookie's sudden appearance left Avril no time to explain to Xiao Bei. She hurriedly stopped Rookie and said, awkward yet polite, "Alright, we'll come to your ship tomorrow."

That day, the ship felt a bit quiet, as the Ashan family and Avril seemed preoccupied.

Later, Ashan even invited Avril to stroll around the market... All of this was silently observed by Li Yuan.

Early the next morning, the Ashan family and Avril went to the navy warship together.

Suddenly, only Li Yuan and Rookie were left on the ship.

"Sigh, they want to join the navy," Li Yuan sighed deeply.

Rookie obediently leaned against the bow.

"Well, they are all people with no one to rely on. Following me doesn't offer much of a future. If they can join the navy, it's very important for them."

"Avril wants revenge, joining the navy should help her achieve her goal quickly."

"Ashan will also be put to good use, and then their family can live together..."

"Sigh, they're all gone. Rookie, you're still the best, it's back to just the two of us."

Li Yuan's mood was far from as open-minded as he appeared. After everything that had happened, whether it was Avril or the Ashan family, Li Yuan had come to see them as his most important partners.

For them, he risked his life, fighting for a chance in the storm. For them, he defeated the Khufu Ship, far stronger than himself... Yet, in the end, all his efforts couldn't compete with a single word from a navy lieutenant.

"Sigh, Rookie, do you think I was too harsh on them before?"

Rookie lifted its head, then lay back down.

Li Yuan looked at the vast blue sea and sky before him, feeling a deep sadness.

Avril and the others were gone for an entire morning and noon, probably having a great conversation and staying for lunch.

"The navy's food must be much better than mine."

"But it doesn't matter, Rookie, from now on, the dried fish here is all yours. Are you happy? Excited?"

Rookie glanced at the dried fish, shook its head disinterestedly, and continued to lean against the bow, lying there listlessly.

Who knows how long passed before laughter came from afar.

Avril and the others were back. Avril, Aray, Amin, and Ashan returned, chatting and laughing.

When they reached the ship, the three women jumped down, then helped Aray down together.

"Haha, turns out Huang Biao had so much money, we can get at least 30 pearls!"

"Yeah, and he said he was broke!"

"Sister Avril, with so much money, why don't we talk to the captain about buying some meat and having a good meal today?"

Avril's eyes immediately sparkled with excitement. She ran to the bow, "Captain, we have 30 pearls now, can we buy some food? We're sick of eating dried fish."

Li Yuan was dumbfounded.

"You... didn't you go to the navy?"

"Yes, we went in the morning. Lieutenant Xiao Bei personally took us to raid a house, and that's how we found so much."

"No, aren't you planning to stay in the navy?"

Avril frowned in confusion, "Stay in the navy? Captain, don't tease me. Who do you think is steering the ship? If they don't know, you should."

"What about Ashan? I thought the lieutenant seemed to value her a lot."

"Her? She said she'd only follow you." As Avril spoke, her expression grew increasingly peculiar, "Hiss~ Captain, you've been so quiet these past two days, could it be... you're jealous?"

"Jealous? How could I be jealous? I'm just arranging my crew."

"Oh, I see." Avril nodded exaggeratedly, "But you're not concerned about the pearls at all, that's not like you. You clearly care about something else!"

Avril being too clever wasn't always a good thing. With her sharp tongue, Li Yuan found himself at a loss for words.

"Captain," Avril said, putting away her smile, "I know what you're thinking."

"Joining the navy is indeed a big temptation for us, but... besides the fact that we've all said we'd always follow you, there are many other reasons."

"What reasons?" Li Yuan asked curiously, unable to fathom what reasons would keep this group from joining the navy.

Avril sat down, comfortably leaning against the bow, gazing at the blue sky.

"I remember the sky was as beautiful then as it is today, but back then, my heart was so desperate it couldn't see a ray of sunshine. It was then that you appeared before me."

"When our resources were so tight, when Uncle Zhou Rui and the others were at their wits' end, it was you who extended a helping hand."

"You said you'd never abandon your crew."

"You also said you'd take us to farther and farther places."

"Although you're sometimes fierce, I believe that even in the navy, there wouldn't be a captain better than you!"

Li Yuan felt a bit frustrated, unexpectedly moved by this woman's words... Did he really do all that? It didn't quite feel like it.

But at this moment, he had to say something.

"Ahem, correction, not just a captain... but a captain and helmsman!" Li Yuan said proudly, "But you're right, one day, I'll lead you to conquer this world!"