What kind of reason is that—and she's writing, not talking. Pen & Fun & Pavilion www.biquge.info secretly sneered, picked up the pen and continued to write: "In that case, please come to the captain's room with me and sign a contract to hire you to guard this ship."

She flipped the page and replaced it with Kamarvin, showing it to the somewhat stunned young man on the side, "Captain, please come along, too."

The pirate leader called out to one of his men, and the four of them entered the captain's quarters together, while the rest stayed outside and waited. Ann took out a blank piece of paper and wrote on it in a simple and clear way.

"I, Ann de St. Violet, the Fifth Empress of the Violet Empire, the employer of the Lady of Victory, and the main person in charge of this expedition, hereby appoint Hatok and his seventeen men to guide and escort the voyage. At the end of the expedition, half of the financial remuneration received from the funder will be paid as a commission."

On the way to the captain's quarters, she inquired about the Fritz man and learned that Hatok was his name. She pressed her handprint on the paperwork, took out a seal ring from her bosom, and handed it to the other party along with the paperwork.

"These are enough to prove the authenticity of this contract." On a separate piece of paper, she wrote, "Rest assured, the Imperial Family cares about reputation and will not be willing to pay for this money."

Hatok looked the paperwork up and down a few times, and finally nodded in satisfaction, "You are a real person, little girl." In this case, the next pilot task will be handed over to us! ”

He returned to the deck with Ann, showed the paper to his men, and loudly announced that they would escort the ship. Seeing this, the crew finally breathed a sigh of relief—the catastrophe that was enough to destroy the entire ship was lifted in an ordinary way.

They gathered around Ann, amazed at the calmness and wisdom she had shown before. Elio was the most excited, doing several flips in quick succession on the deck, only to earn a few applause.

Ann just shook her head and wrote another line in her notebook: "The expedition is not over yet, please continue to work hard for the next journey."

Everyone nodded yes. Before they knew it, they had identified with the young and seemingly weak expedition leader.

The return trip didn't have much trouble. With underwater navigation, boats can easily avoid reefs and undercurrents that are difficult to see from the surface; The Fritzians' experience of living at sea for many years also makes them more accurate in predicting storms. At first, the crew had some resentment about working with the 'pirates', but after a few days of sailing, it almost completely turned to sighs and rejoicing. After all, no one knows better than these sailors who have lived at sea all year round the importance of being a good navigator and observer.

"I didn't expect them to be quite useful, except that they had a stronger flavor and didn't have a bad temper." Once, Ella sighed beside Ann, "Why do you want to be a pirate with such a good crew?" ”

There are probably many reasons for this, I guess I guess at ease. However, she simply picked up the pen and simply wrote, "Now, they are my crew."

"Or do you have vision, and you deserve to be the princess of the empire." Ella laughed, obviously not taking this identity too seriously. This made Ann more identified with her, she never cared about her identity, and would only use it properly when needed.

The day before the ship was due to return to the port of departure, the head chef boiled two large pots of fish soup on board, and all the crew members, as well as all the Fritzians who had signed a treaty with Ann, took part in the dinner. They gathered in small groups, drinking cheap rum or wine, eating bread and fish soup, and talking loudly about their affairs or rumors. The crew was intrigued by the underwater world, and the Fritzians were curious about what life was like on land, and they could always find enough to talk about for an hour or two – and even longer with the help of alcohol.

On the forty-ninth day of the winter month, the "Lady of Victory" completed more than 30 days of voyage and returned to Greyfrost Harbor without incident. Ann used her change to rent a seaside cottage for the Fritzians, leaving a few gold coins as living expenses and deposits, and returned all the way back to the imperial capital.

Step into the tower of the Grand Duke of Egmonton again, go to the study on the top floor, and sit down opposite his grandfather, handing over his own map and a simple and straightforward account of his adventures. Elio happily described to His Highness the Grand Duke all that had happened on the road - and highlighted her performance.

"What do you think?" After listening to the young man's account, the Grand Duke of Egmonton turned his head to look at the old Peron.

"It's basically not an exaggeration." Groom bowed slightly to the old man and replied, "Miss An's ability to deal with emergencies is indeed worthy of appreciation. ”

The old man nodded, continuing to look through her adventure report, then he raised his head and looked at the girl like a sword, "You promised to give those pirates half of their pay, and promised to make them citizens of the Empire?" ”

"It's a promise, Grandpa." Ann quickly wrote, "Their abilities are obvious to all, and becoming pirates is a helpless move. If we go to sea in the future, their help is indispensable. As for the reward, I think that half of what I have given this time is an investment in the future."

The Grand Duke of Egmonton narrowed his eyes, and the sharpness in his gaze slowly turned into a satisfied look, "Very well, you convinced me." They will become citizens of the Empire - and, if they wish, ocean explorers appointed by me. ”

"Thank you." An breathed a sigh of relief, and then asked her own question, "Do you approve of my results this time, Grandfather D."

The old man nodded, "The maps and reports are impeccable, and the adaptability is up to the mark—so, I agree." ”

The girl raised her hand and gave Elio a high-five to celebrate the successful conclusion of the first expedition.

Of course, there are also subsequent events to deal with, such as the Fritzians who are waiting for them to return, and the "Lady Victory" who wants to work with them again. It was only a matter of time, after all, the most troublesome thing, the identity of the pirates, had been guaranteed by the Grand Duke of the Empire.

"Where are you going next, Ann?" The old man asked in a deep voice, "You should have your own goals, if I'm not mistaken." ”

That's true. The survey of the coastline was just the first thing she could do, and what she really wanted to visit was not places that had already been explored, but dangerous and mysterious places that no one had ever set foot on.

"In your collection, I've consulted the records of the Ghost Forest. It used to be a cold but fertile land, but a catastrophe two hundred years ago completely changed its reputation." She bit the shaft of her pen and thought for a moment, "To this day, almost no one knows what it looks like at the moment. Terrible rumors have stopped us and kept the truth out of the forest."

"They should be discovered, not let our imaginations decide everything." She earnestly wrote, "Of course, I don't take it lightly. My next stop will be the Belon people's closest fortress, the Volcano Fort. Based on the results of the investigation, I will work out how to approach the forest, as well as the manpower and funds needed."

The old man looked at her steadily, and after a long time, he finally spoke, "I'll wait for you to come back." ”

Ann nodded, and stretched out her right hand, holding it against her grandfather's rough, broad palm.