Should I raise you too?

What? You're the mastermind behind it all!

Viscount Harry had assumed that this quiet gentleman was just an ordinary participant.

The Southern Continent is too mysterious. Who would have guessed that among the captain, the lieutenant, and the unknown wealthy merchant, the leader is actually the unknown wealthy merchant!

He gave Simon a fawning smile.

The waiters cleared the card table, and Edward and Captain Owen sat back down in their chairs.

The game continued. Viscount Harry looked at his useless cards, swallowed hard, and wisely quoted a high price, thus losing to the three of them.

When Simon announced the end of the game, Viscount Harry breathed a long sigh of relief. After Simon, the captain, and the captain left, he staggered to his feet, wiping the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief, and nervously returned to his room.

……

Stepping out of the common room, Edward and Owen burst into laughter at the thought of the Viscount's terrified expression.

“That’s how the nobles in the capital are,” Captain Owen said dismissively. “Before they see a revolver, they act like they’re the most important people in the world, but once they see a revolver, they immediately become spineless.”

"And he really enjoys taking the fabricated things in novels as real events," Captain Edward added.

Simon chuckled; Viscount Harry's reaction was indeed quite interesting, much like the stereotypical image of a nobleman.

“Mr. Simon, I think we can win a hundred pounds from him,” Captain Owen said with a sinister smile.

“Heh, this is a wealth redistribution mechanism based on intelligence.” Captain Edward agreed. “Besides, Mr. Simon saved this ship, so a hundred pounds to buy his life is reasonable.”

At least one thing was right: the captains and lieutenants who frequently traveled to and from the Southern Continent were not proper gentlemen, or rather, they were all scoundrel gentlemen.

“This game is no fun.” Simon refused to participate. Today’s game was already boring, and the captain and the lieutenant were deliberately letting the game go.

I've won enough gold pounds, it's time to enjoy the cruise life.

He looked at Captain Edward: "I am now more interested in Mr. Edward's collection of newspapers."

If you remove the erotic parts, the stories in the newspapers are quite interesting, much more interesting than those in mainstream newspapers.

"I'll have the waiter move it to your room."

Edward suddenly remembered something and said, "The merchant's room is a suite. I'll have the waiter tidy it up carefully, and Mr. Simon can move in there."

Simon thanked him.

Chapter 110 Dolls, Imprisonment, and Suitcases (Bonus Chapter by Alliance Leader)

The fastest way to travel from the capital to the Southern Continent is not by taking a cruise ship in Ashburn, but by taking a train to the southernmost port and then taking a ship to the Southern Continent.

The journey is almost a straight line and takes about 14 days in total, with 9 days for the first half and 5 days for the second half.

Eleanor took a nine-day train journey and breathed a deep sigh of relief after getting off the train.

“I should have taken a cruise,” Eleanor said, rubbing her stiff face. “I don’t believe a cruise ship is worse than a train!”

For first class, the environment on a cruise ship is actually far superior to that on a train; the rooms are larger, there is less noise, and there is much less coal dust and vibration.

More importantly, cruise ships have promenades, while trains are cramped and confined.

Eleanor grew angrier the more she thought about it, and she had barely slept these past few days: "That wretched Mabel! I shouldn't have listened to her nonsense, and I even canceled my ship ticket and chose a train ticket instead!"

In the briefcase in her right hand, Evangeline offered a small defense for Mabel: "Baron Mabel only mentioned the disadvantages of the cruise ship, not the advantages of the train, nor did he ask you to cancel your cruise ticket and choose the train."

Eleanor thought about it carefully, and it really was true!

"Damn it!" Eleanor could only blame herself for not investigating properly.

She walked into a hotel next to the station, presented her royal credentials, and successfully checked into the most luxurious suite.

"This is what a human life should be like! No coal dust, no ground vibrations, spacious rooms, and fresh air," Eleanor sighed, lying on her bed.

On the carpet beside the bed, the clasp of the suitcase opened automatically, the lid was lifted, and a two-foot-tall doll-like girl crawled out.

The doll-like girl has long red hair, amber eyes, and wears a long red dress, resembling a girl shrunk to the size of a baby.

This is Evangeline's new body, a supernatural doll made from extraordinary materials from the royal treasury. There are two dolls in total; the other one is adult-sized, but it's too heavy and not as convenient as this doll-sized one.

Evangeline can travel with Eleanor simply by crawling into the suitcase.

Unfortunately, even with the use of precious supernatural materials, the puppet still cannot use supernatural abilities; it can only be used for possession.

Evangeline sat on the suitcase, swinging her legs. After being imprisoned in the sapphire necklace for fifteen years, she finally had a body and loved the feeling of moving around.

“It’s not time to rest yet,” Evangeline reminded Eleanor. “You need to write to Lisa and buy tickets for the ship that departs tomorrow. If you miss it, you’ll have to wait a week.”

"I understand, I understand," Eleanor muttered as she got up and sat down at her desk.

She picked up her pen and stared at the blank letter for more than ten seconds, trying to find a cool and unconventional entry point, but she couldn't imagine that all she could think of was the clanging of trains and the smell of coal.

Miss Eleanor refused to be mediocre. She stood up, hugged the Evangeline doll, placed it on the table, and put the pen into the doll's small hand.

Evangeline's writing is clichéd, so it has nothing to do with Miss Eleanor.

“It’s just a letter, there’s no need to make it so perfect,” Evangeline advised.

She knew Eleanor; she had practically watched Eleanor grow up.

"This is my first time traveling so far, my first time sending a letter home. I must write about the broadening of my horizons and the elevation of my character!" Eleanor refused to compromise.

Evangeline shook the doll's head, held the fountain pen in both hands, and knelt down to write on the letter paper.

Eleanor flopped onto the bed and sighed, "If Mr. Simon were here, he could teach me how to write this letter."

Evangeline remained silent. While inside the sapphire necklace, she was mostly asleep, but during the few moments she was awake, she could sense Simon's wisdom and kindness.

In the incident of Alysander's resurrection, if it weren't for him, even if the capital hadn't fallen into the Soul Society, it would have suffered heavy casualties, and little Lisa would have been deceived by Alysander and mistaken for her sister.

"Where do people go after they die?" Eleanor suddenly asked.

Evangeline explained: "Some go to the spirit world and become a ray of light, while others may go to the realm of the dead or the kingdom of the gods."

“Mr. Simon is not a devout believer and could not possibly enter the realm of the gods; he must be going to the realm of the dead,” Eleanor deduced.

She rolled over, lying on her back on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling: "I wonder if there are any pretty maids in the Soul Society. He loves to flirt with maids."

……

Simon didn't know if there were maids in the Soul Society, but there were on the Kingdom Star.

Eve and Maria, unusually dressed in maid outfits, poured tea for Simon in the suite's living room.

The suite was a legacy of colonial merchants, featuring a bedroom, a living room, a bathroom, and an accompanying servant cabin with its door in the living room.

There was only one bed in the attendant cabin. These days, Maria and Eve take turns staying in the attendant cabin to serve Simon.

Every time they were on duty, they would change into maid dresses. This was Maria's request, originally intended to remind them that their true identity was that of servants.

They later discovered that wearing maid dresses garnered Simon's attention more, and maid dresses thus became a form of erotic activity.

Today is the 11th day at sea. They've grown tired of strolling on the deck and playing "Old Maid" cards. Their biggest activity each day is dressing up as maids in their suite.

Apart from being slightly smaller, the suite was exactly like the manor bedroom. A row of portholes opened on the wall near the deck, allowing plenty of sunlight. And because it was located in the middle of the ship, there was almost no sound of the steam engine, making it peaceful and serene.

If it weren't for the occasional swaying of their feet, they would almost forget that they were on the open sea.

“Knock knock knock”

There was a knock on the door of the suite. Eve opened the door, and Captain Edward and Lieutenant Owen were outside.

These days, they come to the cabin every day to report the situation on the ship to Simon. Although Simon has repeatedly stated that he is not the ship owner, the two men act as if they do not hear him.

After greeting Simon, they sat down on the sofa. Eve served him some black tea and stood behind him, listening curiously.

Maria glanced at her sideways, gesturing for her to follow her to the entourage cabin. This was serious business; it wouldn't be appropriate for a maid to be eavesdropping.

Eve turned away in frustration.

Simon called them back: "You stay and listen too."

Once they arrive in the Southern Continent, they will also encounter extraordinary matters, so why not learn about them now?

“Those guys are basically finished being interrogated,” Captain Owen said first.

His injuries had not yet fully healed; his right shoulder was still bandaged, but his right arm no longer needed to be slinged across his chest.

These days, he's in charge of interrogating those with ulterior motives. As a captain in the Southern Continent, he's accumulated extensive interrogation experience in the fight against the Southern Continent rebels.

He said, "Apart from the colonial merchants, everyone else was a member of the Ashburn Harbor gang. They knew nothing; they were simply ordered to escort the colonial merchants and the 'Red Rose Coffin' to the Southern Continent."

He paused, lowering his voice slightly: "However, their intelligence indicated that it was members of the church who delivered the 'Red Rose Coffin.'"

Seeing that Simon's expression did not change, he continued, "The colonial merchants also know little about it. He was also ordered to become the leader because he was familiar with the shipping routes."

Simon nodded, indicating that he understood.

Captain Owen breathed a sigh of relief and stated his assessment: "Although the leader appears to be a colonial merchant, I suspect the central figure in this matter is Pastor Hughes. A group of heretics has somehow infiltrated the church and is plotting a conspiracy!"

He added, "Of course, the wise Church discovered them quickly, which led to their hasty escape to the southern continent!"

Simon nodded again without saying anything.

This matter is now closed. The prisoner will be handed over to the authorities upon his return. The specifics are a headache for the authorities to deal with.

Captain Edward began by talking about something else.

"The Kingdom Star is expected to enter the Misty Sea region early tomorrow morning," Edward said. "The captain and I will conduct another search of the Kingdom Star today."

Simon nodded for the third time.