Chapter 29: Lan Lian
The Terror Crab's massive claw never came down. Instead, it was blocked by an enormous big-headed fish — the same breed as the guards' pets, but far larger.
[Ironhead Fish King]
Chen Sui saw that name and glanced to the side. A tall woman in a form-fitting bodycon dress had appeared without anyone noticing.
Clearly, this Ironhead Fish was her sea beast.
"That guy is done for — causing trouble on the Golden Serpent merchant ship."
"Miss Lan is famous for her ruthless methods… though a Chosen One can always respawn after a while."
"There are plenty of things worse than death in this world. Even a Chosen One can be made to suffer."
"……"
The merchants and vendors around them all broke into gleeful schadenfreude.
The players were equally dumbstruck.
"Is this guy insane? He actually attacked an NPC? Isn't he afraid of breaking the law?"
"Something's off — there's usually a System warning and alert before you can attack an NPC. Why was there no alert just now? No block either, and that vendor's hand just… came off."
"This guy has one hell of a temper…"
"……"
"Miss Lan! Miss Lan, you're here! This Chosen One has severely disrupted the merchant ship's order — he must be eliminated immediately!"
Nearby, Afei's crotch was already soaked through. The moment he saw the woman, his face lit up as if he'd found a savior. He scrambled to grab Lan Lian's leg and cried out.
Lan Lian gave him a cold glance, then shook his hand off without a word.
"Miss Lan."
Several guards nearby immediately raised their weapons and shuffled forward, tightening a circle around Chen Sui — though they didn't dare get too close, wary of the Terror Crab looming beside him.
"There's no need to point weapons at him. All of you, stand down."
Lan Lian waved her hand and said.
"But…"
The guards exchanged uncertain glances. "Miss Lan, this person has disrupted the order of our merchant ship…"
"It's fine. I'll explain things to the Steward myself. Consider this matter closed."
Lan Lian said.
With those words from Lan Lian, the guards finally relaxed and withdrew.
However, Afei on the ground wore a blank, dazed expression. He reached out with his one remaining arm and grabbed Lan Lian's smooth, pale leg. "Why? Miss Lan, this goes against the rules. He disrupted the order of the merchant ship's trade fair — he should be executed, or at the very least thrown off the ship! How can you just…"
"Get lost."
Lan Yu looked down at him with an icy expression. A single word was enough to make Afei's courage crumble. He scrambled backward several paces.
Lan Yu came from humble origins, but she had clawed her way up to the position of assistant to the merchant ship's Steward. The blood on her hands was no small amount.
Someone like her — he couldn't afford to provoke.
Chen Sui watched the scene unfold, quietly steadying his emotions. His face still throbbed with a relentless, numbing pain.
If he hadn't torn off his own skin, that potion would have seeped into his bones — and deeper still, into his brain.
Chen Sui didn't want to die just yet, so tearing it off had been his only option.
It was a pity, though — the other party had been saved by this woman.
Chen Sui studied Lan Lian quietly. This woman clearly held a position of some standing here, yet she had stepped in to get him off the hook even after he had been the one to break the merchant ship's rules first.
There's no such thing as a free lunch, and no kindness without a reason behind it.
She must have another purpose.
The guards dragged Afei away, and the surrounding vendors and players fell into a hushed silence.
Chen Sui noticed that Afei was staring at him with a gaze as venomous as a serpent's, even as he was hauled farther and farther away.
As for that — Chen Sui knew he'd have no opportunity to finish the job now.
At that moment, Lu Chengzhi and Lu Yaoren pushed through the crowd and walked over. The moment they saw the state of Chen Sui's face, they both shuddered.
"Brother Chen, were you attacked? What happened?"
"Ambushed."
Chen Sui shook his head. "Step back a bit — don't get involved. What happened to me is a minor thing. Don't let it ruin your chance to buy supplies."
Lu Chengzhi and Lu Yaoren exchanged a glance. "Brother Chen, don't be a stranger — if you need help, just say the word."
Though their first meeting hadn't been pleasant, that was because Zhang Yuhao had been foolish enough to drag them all into a death trap. They had never been truly loyal to Zhang Yuhao to begin with — they'd resented him ever since he lost the horn and then tried to rope them all into his mess. From the start, they'd only ever seen him as a temporary partner.
Spending time with Chen Sui, on the other hand, had been genuinely comfortable. Chen Sui was generous and unpretentious, and they had already come to think of him as one of their own.
"Really, there's nothing. And if I did need help, I wouldn't stand on ceremony with you two."
Chen Sui shook his head.
Just as he finished speaking, Lan Lian's voice reached him: "I sincerely apologize for the trouble this has caused your shopping experience."
"Aren't you going to detain me? I did disrupt the order of your merchant ship, after all."
Chen Sui recalled the Terror Crab and turned to ask.
"Strictly speaking, we don't prohibit counterfeit goods — but directly harming someone as a form of extortion falls outside our regulations. This reflects a failure in our internal management and oversight, and I will personally deal with him."
Lan Lian looked at Chen Sui's grotesque face and offered a measured smile.
Hearing this, Chen Sui nodded. If it truly fell outside the regulations, someone should have stepped in long ago.
Of course, he didn't press the matter — as long as he was fine:
"Is there anything else you need from me? If not, may I leave?"
"Ah, not quite yet, I'm afraid."
Lan Lian said with an apologetic expression.
"Our merchant ship does have rules to uphold. He was in the wrong first, but you also broke the rules. If you don't mind, I'd like to ask you to cooperate briefly — nothing to worry about, just a moment to sit in the lounge and have some tea."
"Sure."
Chen Sui wasn't surprised. He nodded. "Where to?"
"Please follow me."
Lan Lian's expression was gentle as she stepped in front of Chen Sui and led the way.
Messages from Lu Chengzhi and Lu Yaoren blinked in Chen Sui's background interface.
Chen Sui sent a few casual reassurances, told them to go ahead and keep buying supplies, then followed Lan Lian and left.
What Chen Sui hadn't expected, though, was that Lan Lian's invitation to "have some tea" was exactly and only that.
He was shown into a tastefully decorated room. Lan Lian turned and left. Chen Sui had assumed someone would come to speak with him, but ten minutes passed — during which he took two sips of a sweetish brew of Sea Tea Leaves.
Then a guard came running in to tell him: "Miss Lan says you're free to go."
The guard also produced a discount card from inside his jacket. "Miss Lan asked me to pass this along to you. With this VIP Card, you may rest free of charge in any lounge on board. We've also arranged a young guide for you — nineteen years old, a pure, innocent female student from the Sacred Azure Kingdom's academy, with extensive experience identifying goods. She's waiting in Cabin 3 on the second deck. It's very secluded up there — hardly anyone goes by. Consider it our way of making it up to you. Miss Lan said you're sure to be pleased."
He placed heavy emphasis on the words "young" and "pure."
When he finished, he gave Chen Sui a meaningful smile and left the lounge.
Chen Sui stared blankly, blinking.
Was this… right?
Really just cooperating with their procedures? And a young guide on top of that?
After confirming several times that they truly weren't asking anything of him, Chen Sui still couldn't feel at ease. An ordinary player might have interpreted this as a lucky bonus event in the game.
But Chen Sui knew — this was another world merely wearing the skin of a game.
He didn't believe for a second that a merchant ship like this would be so genuinely generous.
"I need to leave. On someone else's turf, I'm the fish on the chopping block."
Without a second thought, Chen Sui walked straight off the merchant ship.
He didn't forget to send a private message to Lu Chengzhi: "I've left the merchant ship. I'll transfer my remaining Fish Coins to you two — hurry up and grab whatever you need to buy, then get off the ship soon."
Lu Chengzhi: "Works for me, Brother Chen. We just spotted something good but ran out of money."
Chen Sui quickly transferred his remaining Fish Coins to them.