Just as Captain Jesse had previously mentioned, the Flying Fish was incredibly fast. It wasn’t long before the silhouette of Patulshen Island, lying in the night’s curtain, was no longer visible from the deck. Jesse wiped the sweat from his face and came out of the Captain’s Room, spotting Fisher still leaning against the deck railing. He spoke,
"Although they rummaged through the Captain’s Room, luckily the nautical charts are still here. Taking you to the Northern Realm won’t be an issue. Plus, I just checked the coal in the engine room; thankfully, those gangsters found it too troublesome to take it as well, or else we wouldn’t get far before having to anchor in the middle of the sea."
Fisher nodded in response. For some reason, Jesse saw a mysterious allure in the consort of the Iceberg Queen at that moment, which was quite shocking when Fisher had used the Spinner to stealthily retrieve the keys earlier. It seemed that this handsome young man from Nali was a Mage; how he got involved with the Queen from the Sardinia Female Country was beyond Jesse.
Jesse’s eyes darted around cautiously before he snuck a glance at Emhardt on Fisher’s shoulder, and then, as if he suddenly remembered something, said,
"Mr. Fisher, didn’t you want to show your bookish friend the collection on board? Those books are in my Captain’s Room. Would you like to come see?"
Before Fisher could respond, Emhardt, unable to wait any longer, began bumping against his gentleman’s hat, prompting Fisher to smile resignedly and gesture for Jesse to lead the way.
The Flying Fish hadn’t had visitors for a long time, and the gang who detained it certainly hadn’t done any cleaning, so there was a visible layer of thick dust everywhere. Jesse probably couldn’t even remember how long it had been drifting at sea.
"It’s right this way, right this way... The voyages were lengthy; without much else to do, I could only pass the time by reading various books."
The Captain’s Room was not large, but for a vessel the size of the Flying Fish, it was relatively spacious. The furnishings were similar to any Captain’s Room, with sea charts, clothing, various reports, and engine control levers.
What set it apart from other captains’ quarters, though, were the two large bookshelves placed against the room’s side wall, filled with a variety of books, mainly from Nali, though there were also quite a few from the South Continent.
Jesse introduced the books to Fisher, his eyes revealing a complex mix of emotions, like meeting an old friend after a long separation, filled with a flurry of feelings,
"I can smell it, Fisher, right there!"
Emhardt had just entered and seemed to smell something delicious; he smacked his chops, his eyes locked on a particular spot on the shelf.
"Haha, you can browse any of these books. I’m now going to check the lower decks to see if there’s any trouble after so long. Flying Fish is still a wooden ship; if even a single screw falls out, or there’s a hole, it could cause major issues..."
"I understand, I’ll look for you after I finish reading."
"No worries, the lights below might be out, probably quite dark. Mr. Fisher, you can stay on deck, and I’ll come find you after I’ve checked everything below... It won’t take long."
Fisher glanced at him and nodded without much thought,
"Alright then, thank you, Captain Jesse, we’ll wait for you here."
Jesse patted the back of his head and immediately dashed toward the deck, while Fisher, who remained inside the Captain’s Room, watched his receding figure and silently shut the room’s door, isolating the inside from the outside.
The moment Jesse left, Emhardt flew straight toward that corner of the bookshelf, while Fisher only gave the books a cursory glance. Finding no useful clues, he then proceeded to meticulously inspect the area behind the Captain’s desk.
The desk was covered in dust but held nothing particularly noteworthy—just usual items like an ashtray and a lamp.
"Fisher, look quick, behind the bookshelf here, there’s a hidden compartment. That thing I want to see is inside."
Just as Fisher had completed his fruitless search, Emhardt, who had been wavering in front of the bookshelf, suddenly discovered something and quickly turned to shout at him.
Fisher walked over to the bookshelf, finding a square-shaped recess hidden at the innermost side, obscured by many books. Emhardt, lacking hands, could only look on anxiously while Fisher took the initiative to remove the books from the front of the compartment and opened it.
Inside the modestly-sized space were a thick notebook, a pocket watch, a very old flintlock pistol, and several gold bars bundled together, all shimmering with a metallic luster.
Fisher raised an eyebrow and took everything out, first directing his attention to the book that Emhardt cared about most. But just at first glance at the book’s title, his expression turned strange—for the title read "The Logbook of the Flying Fish."