Chapter 57 Margaret

Margaret was awakened by the cold, her disheveled and dirty self opened her eyes to survey the surroundings only to find that nothing had changed; she was still on that unfamiliar deck.

On the glass of the cabin above, a figure swathed in bandages was steering the helm. The sight of that person's face made her shiver with fear; it was that very individual who had bought them.

She had thought that she had completely escaped Hell and was finally going home, only to discover that the man had bought them for sacrifice. Had it not been for the return of their own captain, she might well have been sunk to the bottom of the sea by now.

Her father was right; there was not a single good person on the sea. They had no law in their heads, treating human life no differently than fish.

"Father, where are you? Save me, please. Just get me out of here, and I promise I'll stay on Inner He Fang Island for the rest of my life," she thought, as tears of sorrow streamed down her face.

It was then that she heard a commotion starting up; the sailors began to wash the deck, and their voices reached her ears.

"Are we going to keep these fellows indefinitely? Coral Island doesn't even allow the trade of slaves, so why haul them back? We might as well throw them into the sea."

At these words, the slaves all looked terrified, huddling together.

"The first mate bought them with his own money; they're his property. Would you dare throw them away?"

"Ah, who would I dare to? Now, apart from the Captain, who dares to provoke him? On his upset whim, he might just sacrifice me."

"Stop yapping, don't you see he's up there steering? We'll be in for it if he hears us."

Watching the sailors' boots slowly approach, Margaret hurriedly tucked her head into the filthy sack.

"Thump!" A mop drenched with water smacked the slaves, "Are you all blind? Can't you see this great man is mopping the floor? Get out of the way to the other side."

The slaves huddled at the bow all stood up and scurried toward the side of the deck like rats.

As Margaret stood up, intending to follow the other slaves, a towering sailor curiously blocked her. His thick fingers pinched her chin and lifted it up.

"Look at this, this female slave is pretty good-looking."

Three sailors surrounded her, and a trembling Margaret, filled with fear, desperately tried to retreat, but the ship's rail blocked her escape.

A bucket of water was splashed over her, washing away the mud on her face.

Milk-white skin, a delicate and petite face, and those large eyes framed with long lashes—

Seeing the hidden beauty of Margaret, the sailors' breathing grew rapid. The mission had been too long; they had been pent up for far too long.

Under the persistent and aggressive gazes of three pairs of eyes, a frightened Margaret cried out and struggled desperately, having seen what other girls had endured in Sodoma.

"Get away from me!! I am the daughter of the Governor of He Fang! You can't do this to me!! Father, help me!! Sob sob sob!!"

"What are you doing?" A tired voice came from behind. The three sailors shuddered, quickly picked up the mops from the ground, and lined up. "Reporting to the Captain! We are cleaning the deck!"

"How come there are slaves on my ship?"

"Reporting to the Captain, these were all bought by the first mate for 4000 Echo each, planning to sacrifice them to save you!"

Margaret saw the newcomer, a young man with black hair donning a navy-blue captain's uniform. The diagonal scar across his face lent him an imposing aura.

Looking at the trembling sailors beside her, tears pooling in her eyes, Margaret quickly threw herself at the youth. "Save me, I want to go home, I won't ever come to the sea again!!"

Before Margaret could finish, she suddenly felt enveloped by an invisible force that pushed her to the ground.

Margaret struggled to sit up, but as she did, she came face-to-face with the young man. Staring at his visage so close by, something suddenly resonated in her heart.

"You say you're the daughter of the Governor of He Fang Island? Do you have proof?"

The young man's words snapped Margaret back to reality, and she frantically pulled a Fish Bone Card from her bosom. "This was given to me by my father; just show him this, and he'll definitely know I'm here."

Margaret looked on anxiously as the young man took it from her; her own life hung by a thread in the hands of the person opposite her.

At this moment, she suddenly noticed a horrifying scene: One of the young man's eyes was looking at her, while the other was fixated on the Fish Bone Card.

Startled by this, Margaret hugged herself and bit her lips tightly.

"How did you escape?" The sudden question startled Margaret.

"I was captured by them and detained for a long time, but one night, a sister saved me. I don't know who she was; she dressed in the same clothes as me and disguised herself as me."

As soon as Margaret finished speaking, she saw the young man furrow his brows as if trying to recall something.

She hurriedly pleaded again, "Sir, can you let me go back? If you send me back, my father will reward you handsomely."

"Fine, that's what I was waiting for. Now, I've secured funding for my adventure."

Without understanding the situation, Margaret was sent to wash up and was changed into a loose garment.

When she emerged from the bathing area, her original appearance was revealed, and she clearly felt the sinister looks from the men on the ship.

Instinctively, Margaret quickened her pace back to the young man's side. No matter how indifferent he was, she felt secure only by staying close to him.

"Can you write?"

"Yes..."

"Good, write a letter to your father."

Joy just started to appear on Margaret's face, thinking she had met a good Samaritan, but the rest of the young man's sentence startled her again.

"Say that a kind-hearted person saved you, and as a thank you, you've agreed to give me a reward of five million Echo."

Margaret took the pen and began to write. No matter what, she was going to go home, back to that bright place.

After finishing, Margaret respectfully handed the letter to the young man in front of her. When she heard the young man direct her to leave, she instinctively felt a tinge of fear.

"Sir... may I stay by your side?" She didn't know who this young man was, but she felt very secure staying by his side.

It was at that moment that her stomach began to "gurgle" in protest. Seeing the young man's gaze, Margaret's face turned red with embarrassment.

Sitting in the dining hall, facing a variety of simple foods, Margaret was nearly moved to tears; since being captured, she had never felt so full again.

Suddenly Margaret thought of something, glancing at the young man dining beside her, she sneakily stuffed some of the bread from the plates into her pocket.

After the meal, Margaret sneaked up to the deck, where she quickly pulled all sorts of food from her bag. The slaves, who had been hungry for a long time, desperately scrambled for it.

Don't expect that the sailors had given them much good food before; it was a miracle they were still alive.

"Why did you give them food?" A voice suddenly appeared behind her. She quickly turned around and saw the Captain.

"Because being hungry is unbearable. I've eaten my fill, but they're still hungry."

"If you have your father add a bit more money, I can let them eat better."

"Really? Sir, you are truly a good person," Margaret said excitedly, jumping up.

"A good person? Ha ha, perhaps," he replied.

Just when Margaret was secretly delighted that nobody would go hungry again, she suddenly saw a light on the sea.

The light moved swiftly closer; it was a large ship nearly a hundred meters long, its body painted with a giant white triangle.