"Damn it, what do you guys want to do?" Danitz asked, bracing himself as he saw a group of pirates surrounding him.
"We want to talk to you about Monchi Brandu!"
Monchi Brandu? What about him?
Could it be that guy blabbed and spilled our past experiences?! Danitz's face instantly turned pale.
Noticing Danitz's guilty expression, a hint of slyness appeared in the others' eyes—this guy definitely knows something.
"You, you guys…?" Danitz's Adam's apple bobbed, and cold sweat trickled down his spine.
"Don't listen to Brando's nonsense! I wasn't even…" Just as he was about to expose himself, a voice interrupted him.
"Do you know that Monchi Brandu has been secretly with the Captain every day recently?"
"Bullshit! What do you mean 'secretly'?" Another pirate immediately gave the speaker a knock on the head, "It's clearly that kid clinging to the Captain shamelessly!"
"Right, right, right, exactly."
"Danitz, you're the one who brought that person onto the ship!" Everyone crowded around him, chattering, "You even said he was your little brother!"
"Have you betrayed us?!"
Phew… So that's what it is. My secret wasn't exposed.
That's great! I don't have to jump into the sea.
Facing the interrogation, Danitz actually breathed a sigh of relief; his innocence was still intact.
He ignored his agitated comrades and secretly rejoiced, yet a few seconds later…
Wait!
What did they say, Brando and the Captain…
They're secretly together every day?
!!!
At that moment, he belatedly realized what had truly happened.
Danitz's pupils suddenly dilated, and he grabbed the collar of the nearest pirate: "Damn it! Explain yourself! What exactly is going on?!"
"How dare you ask us?" The pirate, whose collar was grabbed, retorted, unwilling to back down, "Didn't you personally bring that guy onto the ship?!"
This…
Danitz's rising temper deflated again.
…
That afternoon, Danitz, enthusiastically requested (forced) by his comrades, finally agreed to ask Luo En for the truth.
After confirming that the Captain was still in the Captain's cabin conducting academic research, he put down his work and stealthily made his way to Luo En's storage room.
When he pushed open the Door, Luo En was hunched over a makeshift desk made of wooden boards and buckets, writing furiously.
He was in an exceptionally good mood today—he had discovered that his "Robot" potion was completely digested.
In fact, as early as in Tingen, there were signs of the potion digesting within Luo En, but at that time, he encountered too many illogical things to accurately confirm his own state.
And these past few days of study, like a Robot, passively receiving knowledge, systematically completing assignments…
Directly broke through the last bit of bottleneck.
Edwina had once suggested that Luo En could appropriately summarize some acting principles to lay the foundation for future digestion.
Combining his own experiences, Luo En believed that the most important attribute of a "Robot" was passivity. Previously in Tingen, it was passively accepting an arranged fate, and now, studying was passively receiving knowledge.
A "Robot" can only passively act according to predetermined procedures, even if its actions are inconsistent with its own will.
'If that's really the case, if I had given the potion to my high school self, I might have digested it much earlier,' he mocked himself inwardly.
"Meow…" Lachi, curled up in the hammock, let out a lazy meow.
'Huh!'
'Damn stinky cat!' Danitz instinctively flinched, cursing inwardly.
"Captain?" Luo En didn't even turn his head, "Why are you here so early today…" He suddenly paused, "No, the Captain's footsteps aren't this heavy."
A "Robot" has quite strong control over details.
Turning around and seeing it was Danitz, Luo En raised an eyebrow: "It's you? Aren't you supposed to be scrubbing the deck at this hour?"
"Cough, cough…" Danitz cleared his throat, feigning composure: "It's break time now… What, I can't come talk to you?"
Suspicious!
…
Perceiving Luo En's scrutinizing gaze, Danitz simply gave up and spoke: "Alright! It seems the Captain comes to find you every day recently!"
"Yeah, what about it?" Luo En said in a bewildered tone.
"Damn it, what does the Captain want with you?!"
"Tutoring, regular tests." Luo En looked baffled, "What else?"
"Am I that easy to fool?!" Danitz suddenly took a step forward, "Do simple tests and tutoring require the Door to be closed for several hours?"
Luo En scrutinized Danitz for a few moments, and seeing his anxious expression, suddenly realized something.
'Oh~ So that's it, feeling a sense of crisis now, are we?' Recently immersed in studying, Luo En found his mind seemed a beat slower.
He had forgotten that Danitz had a crush on their Captain. No, not just Danitz, probably everyone on this entire ship had some feelings, more or less.
His recent actions had inadvertently made him a target.
Snapping out of his thoughts, Luo En curled his lips into a playful smile: "What do you think we're doing?"
"Damn it, I'm asking you, not the other way around!" That smile sent a chill down Danitz's spine.
"Sigh…"
Luo En sighed, feigning helplessness, his tone sincere: "We're really just researching some things together."
"Don't try to fool me, you're a mystic arts rookie, why would the Captain be researching with you?"
Is it that no one believes the truth these days? Luo En shrugged helplessly: "If you don't believe me, go ask the Captain."
Danitz opened his mouth, speechless. If I dared to ask the Captain, would I still be here?
"Then… what exactly are you two researching?"
"A secret." Luo En put his index finger to his lips, making a shushing gesture.
To some extent, this was indeed the truth. The matter of Antigonus's notebook was too sensitive, and he had specifically asked Edwina to keep the research content confidential. Even if Danitz were to ask, he would likely only receive the same answer.
"Anyway, it's something we're both interested in!" Luo En added, as if savoring the thought.
"You…"
Danitz's fist tightened and then relaxed.
'Could he really be with the Captain… But, that's impossible.'
'How could the Captain, so beautiful and intellectual, possibly…'
"Alright, if you don't have anything else to do, then…" Seeing Danitz standing there in a daze, deep in thought, Luo En decisively began to see him out.
"Wait!" Danitz quickly spoke:
"There's one more thing I want to ask you."
"Speak."
"Our next route will pass through Bayam, and by then your lessons will probably be almost over, so will you be able to…"
His meaning was clear enough… he hoped Luo En would disembark on his own accord then.
For Danitz, even if it wasn't for the Captain, just considering himself, keeping Luo En, a ticking time bomb that could explode at any moment, by his side was truly agonizing.
Every day was filled with anxiety, fearing his secret would be exposed.
Most importantly, he found that Luo En's personality was even worse than he imagined, often using those matters to manipulate him.
"Hmm~ Hmm…"
After calmly listening to Danitz's narration, Luo En's eyes held a dangerous glint. He curled his lips into a smile that didn't reach his eyes:
"What, trying to rush me off?!"