The surroundings grew chaotic.
With so many people around making a racket, no one really noticed until five sailors were knocked out, their screams echoing through the port, drawing everyone’s attention.
[You are an outlaw. Some residents may become hostile toward you.]
The glares from the sailors sharpened, and the residents hurriedly averted their eyes.
In the distance, what seemed to be guards rushed over.
Among all this, those with shocked expressions upon seeing me must be users.
Before Yena could say anything, she left a quick message and sped away from the scene.
■
[?]
[LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL]
[Lily is so cool]
[Where are you going?]
[Hey, that’s a tricky one. Isn’t it?]
[That was incredible LOL]
[Wow, I’m totally smitten for real]
[For real LOL]
[Yena, you better skedaddle too]
[It’s impressive that she didn’t kill anyone even amidst all that LOL I would have just killed them]
[I thought it was a movie]
Leaving behind the groaning sailors, Yena stared blankly at the spot where Lily had vanished, as if the buffering had finally ended, her head turning rapidly.
“What the heck. Where did she go!”
[Yena, why are you malfunctioning?]
[Honestly, I’d probably break down too LOL How can you be okay after witnessing that scene?]
[Lily bounced]
[Yena, you better bounce too!]
[Lily’s heading toward the outskirts of the port, apparently leaving a message]
[Message]
[Let’s just skedaddle and think later]
[LOL LOL LOL How come every time I’m with Lily, it turns into a legendary moment?]
“Message?”
Yena ducked into the shopping street of the port, avoiding the approaching guards’ gazes.
Even though the situation was dangerously close, the distance meant nothing to a top 100 ranker assassin.
▶Lily Elbrite
(Map Coordinates)
Sorry! I tried to avoid fighting if I could. If we can’t use the ship, I’ll cover the gate fee. Let’s meet at that location first.
A concise yet kindly written message with the coordinates.
“…This is unnecessary.”
True, Lily acted on her own despite Yena asking her to consider their relationship with the Empire.
But that was just Yena’s perspective.
Lily had long been someone who received open confessions from others or even had many stalkers, someone who would inevitably get caught up in drama.
If she were exposed to such an event, the chances of her reacting strongly were pretty high.
The event itself was of poor quality, and becoming an outlaw could easily be reversed with enough devotion and money towards the Empire. So, even if Yena got involved, it wouldn’t be a major issue.
Yet, Lily bore all that burden.
Despite being a top 100 ranker providing help, the newbie was the one showing consideration.
In a situation where even a ranker in the top 100 is being treated like a newbie, it’s clear who’s actually getting coddled.
[Is using the ship off the table now?]
[Honestly, the NPC crossed the line there, just poking their nose in, haha.]
[Looks like things have changed a lot with the patch? Is there going to be a Deoen controversy?]
[Controversy?]
[Haha, if there’s a controversy, will you stop playing Deoen?]
[Yeah, wake up newbie! Without nutrients, the world won’t turn!]
[Lily is currently looking for a remaining ship on the outskirts.]
[Let’s go find Lily, Yena.]
With her hair in a mess, Yena jumped up from her seat.
Right, this is just about what I expected.
Just as she received a lot of trust and care from Lady Lily, she should reciprocate in kind.
Just like she’s always done.
“Show me a decent noodle park.”
In this world, there’s nothing you can’t buy with money.
■
“Are there no ships that aren’t part of the Empire?”
On the outskirts of a quiet port.
No matter how much she looked around, all she could see were broken ships and unfit ferries.
As if less developed than the central harbor, dilapidated wooden houses stood sparsely, with a foul smell creeping up.
Cats and dogs roamed between the wooden houses.
They were mostly animals accustomed to human touch. As she crouched down and extended her hand, a brown cat rubbed against her, sweetly purring.
[The port itself belongs to the Empire.]
[They do come from the opposite side of the continent and the sides, but they trade with the Empire, so it’s actually tough, lol.]
[Let’s think about taking a ship, since we’re outlaws.]
[Ship heist, let’s go!]
[You’re nuts.]
[The moment we steal a ship, a kill order will drop…]
[Is there a reason to start a war?]
[That cat is cute.]
[Let’s take one; there are so many that it won’t even be noticed.]
[Info) The cats also belong to the Empire.]
[What does it matter if we’re outlaws, lol.]
“Got it.”
There are no ships for outlaws who are enemies of the Empire.
While she was somehow ready for it, the restrictions ended up being tighter and more intricate than expected.
Usually, when you go to such outskirts, there would be ships that had escaped from the law.
From my experience, there would typically be one or two ships for smuggling or those trying to flee the kingdom’s watch.
But Deoen’s Empire is so solid that finding such ships was difficult.
In this case, there are two possibilities.
Either there are no issues within the Empire that require such lawbreaking to survive.
Or “they’ve eliminated all those types.”
Whatever it is, the fact remains that I can’t use a ship.
[Let’s use the gate.]
[Gate, let’s go, let’s go, let’s go!]
[Info) The gate is also part of the Empire.]
[No, it’s not.]
[Rather than being owned by the Empire, it’s a cooperation project installed within it; you can use it if you pay a hefty sum.]
[Can you handle the cost if it breaks down into tens of thousands?]
“Can you handle this?”
“Wasting money is just absurd.”
“Lily obviously looks like a 10 out of 10, so of course it’s possible!”
“By the way, where did Yena go?”
“Why is the screen still black?”
“Exactly. I definitely sent the coordinates.”
Before leaving, I messaged by taking a picture of the map, marking the coordinates.
If it’s Yena, the expert assassin, she should be able to find it easily.
But for some reason, she’s not here after 30 minutes.
The viewers who kept providing real-time updates in the chat have gone silent as well.
“Ahh!”
“Huh?”
At that moment, the cat was lying on its back when it suddenly dashed away.
A massive wind blew from behind.
The blue hair reminiscent of the sea and the pure white outfit fluttered.
What emerged from the deep blue sea was a colossal ship.
A massive vessel boasting a black and red painted surface, proudly making its appearance on the outskirts of the port, was completely unexpected.
Who is it?
I see a familiar face above the ship’s bow.
Waving her hand like mad… wait a minute.
“Miss Yena?”
[?]
[?]
[???]
“Isn’t Yena not allowed on the ship because of her affiliation with Lily?”
[? What?]
“Did she buy a ship?”
[She bought a ship?]
“Isn’t that ridiculously expensive? Did she really buy that?”
[LOL, is this for real?]
“80,000 viewers, we’re starting the sailing content! LOL!”
“If you can’t board, just buy the ship… note taken.”
“Ultra-luxurious noodle park ON! LOL!”
—
The lawless can’t board the ship.
I’m just an ordinary person, and my companions are lawless.
They can’t ride the same ship.
After considering those three premises, Yena quickly reached a very simple conclusion.
“Isn’t it enough to just buy a ship?”
Since they were merely ‘customers’ looking to rent a ship, it was a problem that arose.
If she becomes the ‘master,’ the story changes.
“…So you bought a ship?”
“Yes!”
Yena said this while sipping a cool drink on the deck of the ship, the sounds of seagulls filling the air.
Her absurdly bright and cheerful attitude left me a bit dumbfounded, but I sat down in front of her to make sense of it all.
“Why?”
“Well, I was helping you out, and since you became a lawless one, you couldn’t use the ship, right? So, you had to buy it.”
“But couldn’t we just find another way? Was it really necessary to buy a ship?”
Isn’t that a huge waste?
Isn’t this a huge waste?
Buying such a big ship just for one trip?
When I asked like that, Yena opened her mouth as if to refute.
“No, it’s not just once.”
“…?”
“There’s going to be a lot of sailing in the future. For content and guild work. If that’s the case, we’ll be using the ship often, and we can’t just wait at the port every time, right?”
Yena spoke confidently as if it was a given.
But it’s not a given.
“You bought it because of me.”
“Not exactly.”
“I had a part in it too.”
The deck only echoed the sound of crashing waves.
Silence filled the ship, but the only noisy chat window was busily voicing its opinions as if watching a morning drama.
[Why are the two fighting?]
[Just make up already!]
[Don’t fight, just kiss!]
[Isn’t it Yena’s money anyway? But why is Lily saying anything?]
[??]
[Are you wasting money…?]
[Lily is too kind.]
[Yena receiving Lily’s concern… So envious!]
[Seems like she just doesn’t want to be in debt.]
Yena sighed and nodded.
“I get it. I bought it because of Lady Lily. Honestly, you’ve helped me so much for a newbie, and I feel like I’ve received more than I’ve given, so I wanted to do something for you.”
“…You really don’t have to do much. I’m already receiving plenty.”
“No, I’ve received more.”
Lily wouldn’t know.
How much value she currently holds in this Deoen. No, how much greater her value is beyond Deoen and into reality.
Even if she knew, she wouldn’t demand more in return.
Because that’s the kind of person Lady Lily is.
“Think of it as paying me back.”
“Pay you back?”
“Yes. You saved me from becoming an outlaw, right? Thanks to that, I avoided friction with the Empire and resolved tax issues. That dispute event included both you and me.”
The value of that is this ship.
“So, how is it? Is it still too much?”
“……Well, it’s appropriate.”
After a moment’s calculation, Lily nodded as if taking a step back.
Yena turned her head as if her breath had been freed.
‘…It’s definitely more than just appropriate.’
I don’t know what amount she’s thinking, but I absolutely must keep it a secret that this ship is in the tens of millions.
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