The two discussed for about ten minutes in the soul space before returning to the real world on the ship.
From the moment Todd closed his eyes to the moment he opened them again, it seemed to an outsider that only a few seconds had passed.
Smiling, Todd took out three silver moons from his pocket and placed them in Aisha's hands: "You are someone valued by King Muxi. His Majesty has instructed me more than once to follow your arrangements."
Upon hearing Todd's words, Aisha's eyes softened for the first time.
Then, she threw the money at the injured man's feet and hissed, "Take the money and get back on deck to work!"
The pirate with his arm broken only had eyes for the glittering money. He no longer cared about the pain in his body. He moved his body, shouting and cursing loudly as he pressed down on the three silver moons with his body amidst the laughter and scrambling of the crowd.
First Mate Gold Tooth glanced at Aisha, but her icy expression made him unconsciously look away.
The former gestured to the people around him, and half of the onlookers immediately dispersed.
Todd silently memorized these faces and returned to the cabin with Rachel.
After closing the hatch, Todd looked at Rachel and asked with concern, "Are you alright?"
Rachel shook her head: "It's nothing. I've encountered this kind of thing far too many times during my days of wandering."
Todd lowered his head, abandoning the topic, and instead asked, "What are your thoughts on that gold-toothed first mate?"
"If there is something or someone that can be used as a trigger to stir up conflict between the captain and the first mate, then this unstable factor on the ship can be eliminated in a logical way."
"The trigger?" Todd touched his face and pondered for a moment, then suddenly stood up and walked towards the door.
Seeing this, Rachel quickly followed him and asked, "Where are you going?"
"Go and confirm something."
The two tried to avoid attracting attention as they walked to the lowest cargo hold.
In the dimly lit space, Todd searched inch by inch along the ceiling of the cargo hold.
Rachel followed his gaze and looked up in confusion, but apart from the dirty stains, she couldn't see anything noteworthy.
As Todd looked up and searched, he asked Rachel, "Where do you usually keep your money?"
"Most of it is kept in Muxi Bank, and a small portion is kept with me."
In response to the latter's answer, the former nodded and said, "That's the custom of the residents of Muxi City, but for Aisha, who is a pirate, the way she stores her valuables will definitely be different."
Rachel understood Todd's thoughts: "You mean..."
“As payment for the intelligence and as a deposit for the escort, I gave Aisha a large sum of money. As a pirate, she wouldn't trust the Muxi Bank, so the money definitely wouldn't be left in the city.” Todd used his 'clairvoyance' ability to look through the wooden planks of the cabin roof and into the space above: “The Black Pearl hasn't stopped at any port in the past few days since it set sail, so Aisha naturally didn't have the opportunity to go ashore and bury the money. Therefore, there's only one possibility left: the money should still be on the ship.”
Todd reached into the cargo hold and moved some supplies aside. His eyes lit up when he saw a section of the ceiling: "Before boarding, I had someone research the Black Pearl's hull structure. The captain's cabin is diagonally above this, and the money..."
Todd gently tapped the wooden board above his head, and a hollow, resonant echo returned.
He turned to Rachel with a smile and said, “Like those old tricks for hiding treasure, the two bags of money are in a secret compartment in the captain’s cabin floor.”
———————————————
Late the next night, Todd sat in his cabin chair, looking at his unfamiliar face in the bronze mirror, and sighed: "Although this face is more pleasing to the eye now, I still prefer my original appearance."
Rachel rested her chin on her hand, looked at the man in the bronze mirror, and said softly, "Appearance is merely the shape sculpted from skin and flesh; the heart is the scale that judges humanity."
"This sentence sounds like a famous quote from some celebrity."
Rachel shook her head and said, "No, it's a friend of mine."
Todd put down the bronze mirror and looked back at the woman: "You once told me that there are very few people you can call friends."
"That's right, it's a pity he's dead..."
Todd was taken aback and didn't know what to say for a moment.
A silence fell over the cabin.
Rachel looked at the wooden plank beneath her feet and whispered, "I wonder if the first mate took the bait?"
"The news must have reached his ears by now. This evening, that group of people gathered together and discussed something." Todd slowly stroked the contours of his face and said in a deep voice, "Tomorrow morning, the Black Pearl will dock at its first supply point. Tonight is the best time for them to make their move in order to prevent the captain from transferring valuables."
Rachel nodded slightly: "There's been some tampering with the wooden board. Aisha should notice immediately once they take the money pouch."
Todd stretched and yawned: "All we can do now is wait."
Half an hour later, Todd was sitting in his chair, feeling drowsy. Just as his eyelids were about to close, he suddenly heard shouts and arguments coming from under his feet.
Todd jolted awake, stood up from his chair, and exchanged a glance with Rachel across the table. The same thought crossed their minds—the fish had taken the bait.
When they were dressed, pushed open the cabin door, and walked up the gangway, the deck was already full of people, and the torches gathered together to create a bright light on the vast sea.
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