CHAPTER 680: THE CREW’S DISCUSSION

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"Back already? Why? I thought the client asked you to take him to the core area?"

The captain of the cruise was surprised when the entourage of the Scarlet VIP had already returned from their trip. He was even more puzzled when they saw all of them still as fresh as a daisy.

There were no hints of tiredness, exhaustion, or even vaguely hidden complaints on their faces. They’re at ease and relaxed, as if they just came home from a short walk or something, which should definitely not be the case knowing what lies deep into the Profound Heaven Realm.

"We did take him to the core, Sir. He personally saw what’s in there for himself, but he didn’t stay long. He just...kind of stared at the large crater and the straw hut for an hour or so before instructing us to return," the coachman of the entourage replied.

The captain looked at the whole team doubtfully. Well, he really couldn’t be blamed for doubting them. They look a little too relaxed and energetic for a bunch of people who should be returning from what should be a very stressful trip to a hostile area.

"I know what you’re thinking, Sir. And no, we did not shirk in our duties." The coachman defended himself and the entourage before the captain could even vocalize his doubts.

"It’s our client, Sir," he explained. "He’s the one who made it all possible for us to have an easy and relaxed trip."

"Before you ask, Sir, we are prepared to go through hell just so that he could have a smooth trip. We have everything ready, and we’re even expecting him to raise some unreasonable requests. But he...he’s different, Sir."

"We...don’t really know what he did, but the vengeful ghosts in the core area didn’t dare to approach him. He unleashed this 10-mile zone that no ghosts could enter. Any of them who tried suffered a painful lesson and never dared again."

"I never saw how he did it exactly, but it happened that way anyway. We never asked him to do it. Not even an implication or a clue. He did it all on his own. He kept that zone throughout our trip to the core area."

"We tried telling him that he didn’t have to do that, but he doesn’t seem to care too much about what we think, so we just left him be. We didn’t want to provoke him, either."

The captain was mildly surprised. He looked through the rest of the entourage and saw that none of them seemed to be lying about all of this. Some did feel guilty, but it’s for letting their precious client do all the work instead of lying to his face.

"Huh. Is that so?"

"Indeed. So for the entire trip, we just had to follow him along the way. All of us were undisturbed by the ghosts for the remainder of the way; that’s why we’re not exhausted or in bad shape upon returning this time."

"And...all he did upon arriving at the core area was to...stare at the big-ass crater there?"

"...there’s a straw hut there too, Sir. But yes, that’s all he did. For about an hour or so. Then he told us that he had seen everything he wanted to see and told us that we’re returning."

The captain once again looked at the crew, seemingly wanting to confirm the validity of the coachman’s words. And once again, their expressions pretty much confirmed that what the coachman said was indeed what happened.

"Weird."

"Yeah, that’s what they all thought too." The coachman snorted lightheartedly. "But we’re not really in a position to voice our opinions. He’s a Scarlet VIP, after all."

"Besides, it’s not like we could complain. That was undoubtedly the most peaceful Profound Heaven Realm tour we’ve ever experienced. We essentially just went for a walk there and returned here. No struggles, no being dragged unwillingly into dream battles, no ghosts hissing right next to our ears...nothing. Just a peaceful and scenic tour. I wish all tours moving forward will all be like that."

"What a beautiful dream, Old Man. Just remember to keep it to yourself next time." The captain snorted, disdainful of the coachman’s beautiful delusion.

The rest of the entourage looked hopeful too, but none of them really believed that it would happen because it simply sounded too good to be true. Even the coachman himself was the same, though he didn’t regret saying it.

"I assume the client has now returned to his residence here in the ship?"

"Yes, sir," the coachman replied. "We went straight there as soon as we returned. We handed the responsibility to his bodyguards, after all. And now we’re here."

"I see," the captain murmured. "How strange, indeed."

Neither the captain nor his crew was used to this.

The crew have met and serviced many types of VIPs throughout their tenure. Some were relatively good, while most are weird...the bad kind of weird. Good or bad, though, all VIPs they worked for have peculiar tastes, so the crew have gotten used to catering to their strange requests from time to time.

All VIPs have tempers and some level of entitlement to them. To make sure that they keep their jobs and their paychecks, they have to satisfy the needs of these VIPs, no matter how unreasonable it becomes.

Trust that the crew have seen and heard many ridiculous requests throughout their tenure, so much so that they’ve gotten used to it at this point. Hell, they’re even expecting it each time now.

So, to have a calm, reasonable, and moderately polite VIP around this time really throws them off. This was not normal for any of them. They’re not used to VIPs acting as decent human beings.

They were expecting to be exploited, harassed, doubted, etc. Not treated with decency.

"Well, it’s a little too early for any conclusion, but just be ready in any case. This was just our first stop. There are still more along the way. At some point, we’d get to truly know the extent of this VIP’s temper and attitude," the captain declared to his crew.

"Where’s our next stop, anyway?" Someone from the crew asked.

The captain looked at the person who asked the question, looked him in the eye, and said,

"The Howling Depths."

And as if on cue, the entire crew released pained and unreconciled groans. From their reaction, it’s clear that they’re truly not looking forward to that.

To be fair, the captain feels the same; he just wasn’t showing it because he’s not allowed to—he’s the captain, after all. Regardless of whether he wants to or not, his opinion doesn’t matter. The cruise has to cater to the requests of the VIPs, and the majority of them expressed their desire to go to that place. And so, that’s where they’ll go.

Shortly after, the captain dismissed the crew. Since they weren’t tired or exhausted from their trip, they were to return to their jobs as usual, but he still gave them a three-hour rest anyway.

Had they been spent or dead tired, they would’ve been given a minimum of a day’s rest; the actual length will vary depending on how bad their conditions were. But since every one of them was fine, then they could return to their usual work as soon as possible.

Once they’re gone, the captain is left to bask in silence and marinate in his thoughts.

But not for long...

"Well, that’s something else, isn’t it?"

A voice shook him out of his reverie. The captain immediately wore a polite and mildly subservient expression on his face after realizing who appeared in the same room as he was.

He wasn’t really surprised by this person’s sudden arrival because, first and foremost, he didn’t ’just arrive’; he’s always been there, just hiding expertly as usual.

"Not used to VIPs being decent human beings, huh? Can’t really blame you for that." The man wearing a fancy suit and a pair of sunglasses chuckled as he puffed his cigar.

The captain remained silent and kept his head down. His opinion wasn’t asked; therefore, he wasn’t given any permission to speak, either.

It’s weird to see the usually strong and intimidating man that the cruise’s captain was keeping his head low and not even daring to breathe loudly in front of someone. But there’s a very good reason why.

And that reason was because this man right here was the man behind the creation of this whole cruise business. He’s the real big boss behind the scenes. Furthermore, he’s also a member of the Heavenly Star Chaos Realm’s Human Council.

And obviously, this man wasn’t just a businessman or a politician. He’s also a very strong and capable Life Evolver, so he deserved every little bit of respect the captain has.

In terms of authority, only a select group of people could be on the same level as him. Even his position as the captain of this cruise was nothing in front of this man.

"Keep observing him and report to me," the man ordered.

Before he faded away, the captain heard his faint murmurs.

"Maybe we have another decent candidate at hand..."