Miss Hilveld answered with a smile, "Took care of some matters, got into a bit of trouble, as you saw."

"Some matters?" Fang Hong had a face full of suspicion.

Miss Hilveld extended her pale, delicate hand to him, "Come up first, then we'll talk. Those people will be entering soon." Fang Hong hesitated for a moment before grasping her hand, where he felt nothing but a soft, boneless tenderness.

But her strength was actually not small, swiftly pulling him up. Once Fang Hong stood steady, the two were almost in close contact, and a faint fragrance lingered at his nose, seemingly the scent of perfume coming from Miss Hilveld.

The scent was like laurel, with a dark and subtle fragrance. Fang Hong subconsciously sniffed. Miss Hilveld bit her lip and smiled, looking at him as if he was a little puppy, and asked with a bit of disdain, "Do you like it?"

Fang Hong nodded honestly, "Miss Hilveld, your perfume has a very unique scent."

Miss Hilveld's cheeks blushed slightly as she looked at him, whispered in his ear with a laugh, "But I don't wear perfume."

Fang Hong's mouth fell open as he realized that what he smelled was actually Miss Hilveld's natural scent; his face grew redder, the heat reaching the tips of his ears.

"I, uh..."

"Hush—" Miss Hilveld's gaze was sharp and straightforward as she placed a hand over his mouth and whispered softly, "They're here."

Outside, there was a flurry of footsteps.

It was only with the corner of his eye that Fang Hong saw a group of Dragon Worshippers, attracted by the earlier gunshots, approaching their direction.

Mixed among these people were quite a few Dragonfire Guild's Invokers. The stark contrast between the red and black of the two groups became clear in Fang Hong's view, solidifying the fact of their collusion, with the Dragonfire Guild even following behind the Dragon Worshippers, proving that their relationship might not just be one of employment.

But now was not the time to think about this.

He quickly twisted Miss Hilveld's hand away and gasped for air as he said urgently, "I saw from the Clockwork Fairy earlier, they have us surrounded from all directions. They've known about your whereabouts for a while, hiding here is useless."

"But we can't escape now either," Miss Hilveld blinked and asked slyly, "Captain, do you have any good ideas?"

Fang Hong also furrowed his brow; he always had been full of ideas, but under the current circumstances, he found himself at a loss.

After thinking for a moment, he said, "Let's split up and break out of here. I will use the Clockwork Fairy to draw their attention while you take the chance to leave this place first."

Miss Hilveld took a small step back, her clear eyes that resembled the shallow sea, brimming with an ambiguous smile, as if seeing right through his thoughts.

Fang Hong also looked at her puzzled, not understanding the meaning behind the Lady Noble's gaze.

"Captain, is there something you want to tell me?"

"Huh?"

Miss Hilveld let out a light laugh, shook her head, and with a light toss of her light golden hair, said, "Oh, nothing."

She watched outside with amusement, but her peripheral vision discreetly surveyed Fang Hong.

The latter was also looking at the Dragon Worshippers with a somewhat stern frown. Fang Hong was actually the type of person who knew no fear. No matter how slim the hope or how dire the situation, his heart was always calculating the chances of success.

It was an expression of confidence, with his brows only slightly knotted, but never completely furrowed. Miss Hilveld found herself enjoying that look on his face, as if she could never tire of it, something one could easily get lost in.

However, she found greater pleasure in seeing him surprised with eyes wide open.

So she smirked mischievously and shook her head.

"What, won't it work?"

"It's just that I have some luggage, and carrying them will probably slow you down, Captain. Those items are not small. Perhaps you could think of another way?"

Fang Hong froze for a moment, then turned to follow her gaze, only to see the paintings and antiques that the Lady Noble had brought from the Phantom Realm, now piled on the charred floor of another room.

His mouth agape in shock, he looked incredulously at Miss Hilveld, "You've been carrying these the whole time!?"

Miss Hilveld watched his stunned expression with great enjoyment, unable to suppress a light chuckle as she nodded.

"But, but..." Fang Hong's head felt like it was about to explode. To him, she didn't seem to be someone who couldn't prioritize; how could she make such a basic mistake? At this point, she was still concerned about these artifacts?

Or were those items truly that important? But according to her, they were only worth a few thousand Lycels in trade.

"We can't bring these items now," Fang Hong shook his head, irrefutably stating, "We'll hide them here, there might still be a chance to retrieve them later."

"That won't do, the Dragon Worshippers will recognize the value of these items," Miss Hilveld blinked and said, "After all, they are our ship, Captain."

"I know," but Fang Hong had no intention of backing down, his voice growing firmer as he said, "But now's not the time to think about that, Miss Hilveld. A ship, no matter how valuable, is not as important as the safety of others."

Miss Hilveld took a step back, covered her mouth with her hand, and looked at him with tearful eyes.

"You, you promised me, Captain—"

Fang Hong's mouth fell open, at a loss for words in the moment. He was afraid of nothing, except seeing a girl cry.

Especially such a tender and stunning beauty, with a look so pitiful it seemed to speak, the image of being on the verge of tears almost made him remember the time he made his cousin cry.

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