Chapter 5
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Volume 3 + Chapter 5: Compensation!!
Everyone’s eyes turned to the captain.
At that moment, the captain bit his lip, utterly helpless. He could only speak the truth to the crowd:
“We can’t sail! The ship is going to sink!”
Upon hearing this, everyone’s faces turned ashen.
“How could this happen, Captain?!”
“The ship is leaking continuously. Our crew is trying to make emergency repairs, but it’s no use—there are too many leaks. And the core propulsion system was destroyed by fire magic and sword energy!”
The captain especially emphasized the words fire magic and sword energy.
Everyone immediately understood the real reason behind the impending shipwreck.
“Ah… this…”
Xia Yi was incredibly embarrassed and didn’t know what to say.
“I-I…”
Yue Liu felt everyone’s stares on her like blazing torches, as if they were about to devour her whole.
Earlier, when Xia Yi and Yue Liu had fought wildly on the deck, they had gotten completely caught up in the heat of the moment. They hadn’t paid attention to anything else, only thinking about how to quickly defeat the other and completely humiliate them in front of everyone.
As a result, they’d been too focused—and this was the outcome.
But everyone also knew that this little mage and swordswoman were both extremely powerful and definitely not to be provoked!
Now, people were angry but didn’t dare say a word.
“What do we do now, Captain? We’re not going to sink with the ship, are we?!”
“No need to worry about that,” said the captain. “I’ve already ordered the crew to make emergency repairs. We can reach the shore before the ship sinks.”
“What happens after that? We’re supposed to be going to the Rhine Kingdom!”
“Don’t panic. I’ve already contacted the port—another passenger ship has set out and is heading this way. Just wait a bit longer, and once the new ship arrives, everyone will be transferred to continue the journey to the Rhine Kingdom.”
The captain’s explanation finally put everyone at ease.
Xia Yi also let out a breath of relief.
“To stay calm and rational in a hellish storm… what an excellent captain…” Yue Liu praised, trying to ease the awkward atmosphere.
Just then, the captain stepped up to Xia Yi and Yue Liu with a grave expression and spoke only two firm words:
“Pay up!”
“Huh?!”
Yue Liu looked helplessly at Xia Yi.
Xia Yi also had a blank expression.
“Because of your reckless behavior, we’ve suffered tremendous losses! While we do appreciate you defeating the bandits, still…”
The more the captain thought about it, the angrier he became.
Had he known, he might as well have let them get robbed.
Losing some money would’ve been better—at least the ship wouldn’t be destroyed!
In the end, all his words condensed into two syllables:
“Compensation!!”
Xia Yi clicked her tongue. “Tch, this pink-head really knows how to cause trouble…”
“What?! You’re blaming me?” Yue Liu leaned in toward her. “You’re the one who was throwing fire magic around, blowing up everything on the ship!”
“I had to use high-powered magic because you’re fast and reactive! What else could I do?”
“If I didn’t dodge, I’d be blown to bits!”
“You’re blaming me?” Xia Yi pointed at herself. “Don’t twist the facts—your sword energy was practically cutting the ship in half! Can you honestly say you hold no responsibility, that it’s all my fault?”
“It is your fault!” Yue Liu snapped back. “If you hadn’t suddenly fired a flame arrow at me, I wouldn’t have started fighting you!”
“You were the one who provoked me first—cutting the railing next to me!”
“Well, think about it. Who started mocking who before that?!”
The crowd looked on at Xia Yi and Yue Liu’s shouting match, growing more and more exasperated. Each insisted they were right and refused to back down—it was like watching two lawyers arguing in court.
“Ladies, that’s enough!” the captain finally couldn’t take it anymore. “Regardless of who started it, you two sank the ship! I’ve already contacted the Blackstone Kingdom’s port security—if you don’t pay compensation, you’ll be facing jail time!”
Xia Yi asked the captain, “Captain, how much do we owe in compensation?”
“Though the ship is going to sink,” the captain said, “as long as it’s repaired properly, it can still be used. So you don’t need to pay for the entire ship—only the repair costs.”
That, at least, was some good news.
The captain then explained the exact amount they owed.
“My training hasn’t even properly started yet, and I’m already suffering like this?!”
Yue Liu’s face twisted with grief—she looked like she was about to cry.
“Ugh…”
Xia Yi also winced when she heard the number. For her, it wasn’t a small sum either.
She could afford it—but it would cost her dearly.
After all, this was part of her journey to the Rhine Kingdom, and the damage was indeed partly her fault.
In the end, Xia Yi and Yue Liu could only grit their teeth and pay up.
After they paid the full compensation, the captain said there were no further issues and that the two would be transferred to the next passenger ship headed to the Rhine Kingdom.
“My training funds… now I’ll have to start living frugally…” Yue Liu held her head in despair.
Xia Yi looked at her nearly-empty wallet and felt like crying.
Frog Wallet—can’t hold out much longer!!
Damn it, this is all the stupid pink-head’s fault!
Xia Yi turned and glared at Yue Liu.
Just at that moment, Yue Liu also turned and glared at Xia Yi.
Somehow, in this strange situation, the two had a weird kind of unspoken synchronicity.
…
The captain and crew worked hard on emergency repairs, just barely getting the ship to shore.
A few hours later, a maintenance vessel from the port arrived to tow away the half-sunken passenger ship. A new passenger ship picked up all the stranded passengers.
Before boarding, the captain of the sunken ship gave Xia Yi and Yue Liu a desperate plea:
“Ladies, I’m begging you—please, no more fighting! Have mercy on us! We’re just a small business—we can’t handle another disaster like this!”
His words left Xia Yi and Yue Liu a little embarrassed, so they nodded in agreement.
After boarding the new ship, they both intentionally avoided each other, not wanting to cross paths again and risk another conflict—another explosion, and they really wouldn’t be able to pay for it.
Xia Yi couldn’t understand why, but every time she saw that pink-haired girl, she felt an odd itch in her heart—a sudden, inexplicable urge to mess with her.
This feeling…
Has she felt it before?
…
The rest of the journey was uneventful. After nearly a week of travel, the ship crossed several countries, journeying from the north of the continent to the central region, safely arriving in the Rhine Kingdom.
“Finally, I’ve entered the human world,” Xia Yi whispered, full of emotion.
As the passenger ship arrived at port and Xia Yi prepared to disembark, she noticed Yue Liu was already on the dock, having gotten off earlier. She turned around and looked back at her.
The girl stood in the breeze, her pink hair fluttering, her beautiful pink eyes reflecting Xia Yi’s image.
“Before I leave,” she said, “there’s something I need to tell you.”
