Margaret woke up frozen, her disheveled hair framing her face as she opened her eyes to the unchanged surroundings of the unfamiliar deck.

  At the helm, a figure wrapped in bandages was steering the ship. The sight of that person sent a shiver of fear through her; he was the one who had bought them.

  She had thought she had finally escaped hell and would return home, only to realize that he had purchased them for sacrifice. If their captain hadn’t returned on his own, she might have already been sunk to the depths of the sea.

  Her father was right; there were no good people at sea. They had no sense of law, treating human lives like fish.

  “Father, where are you? Please save me! If you can get me out of here, I promise I’ll stay on the island forever and never leave!” Tears streamed down Margaret’s face as she thought of her father.

  Just then, she heard a commotion; the sailors began washing the deck, their voices drifting into her ears.

  “Are they just going to leave them here? Coral Island doesn’t allow slave trading. Why are we bringing them back? We might as well throw them overboard.”

  At this, the slaves huddled together in fear.

  “The first mate bought them himself. They’re his property. Do you dare throw them away?”

  “Who would dare? Now, besides the captain, who would risk angering him? If he’s not happy, he might sacrifice me instead.”

  “Enough chatter! Can’t you see he’s up there steering? If he hears you, you won’t have a good end.”

  As the sailors’ boots approached, Margaret quickly shrank her head into the filthy sack.

  “Bang!” A wet mop hit the slaves. “Are you blind? Can’t you see the master is cleaning? Get to the other side!”

  The slaves at the bow scrambled to their feet, scurrying away like mice.

  Just as Margaret stood up to follow the others, a tall sailor stopped her out of curiosity. His thick fingers pinched her chin, lifting her face.

  “Look at this one; she’s not bad-looking.”

  As three sailors surrounded her, Margaret trembled all over, her eyes filled with fear as she desperately tried to retreat, but there was nowhere to hide against the ship's edge.

  A bucket of water was splashed over her, washing away the mud on her face.

  With skin as white as milk, a delicate face, and large eyes framed by long lashes, Margaret’s hidden beauty was suddenly revealed.

  The sailors' breaths quickened at the sight of her. They had been at sea too long, pent-up with desire.

  Under the aggressive gazes of the three pairs of eyes, terrified, Margaret screamed and struggled. She had seen what happened to other girls in Sodom.

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  “Get away from me! I’m the daughter of the governor of He Fang! You can’t treat me like this! Father, help me! Waaaah!”

  “What are you doing?” A weary voice came from behind. The three sailors shivered and quickly picked up the mop, standing in a line. “Reporting to the captain! We’re cleaning the deck!”

  “How did slaves get on my ship?”

  “Reporting to the captain, the first mate bought them for 4000 echoes each, intending to use them for a sacrifice to save you!”

  Margaret looked at the newcomer—a young man in a deep blue captain’s uniform, with a scar running diagonally across his face, adding a fierce look to his features.

  Seeing the trembling sailors beside him, Margaret rushed toward the young man, tears in her eyes. “Please save me! I want to go home! I’ll never come back to the sea!”

  Before she could finish, she felt an invisible force wrap around her, pushing her to the ground.

  As she struggled to sit up, she found herself face to face with the young man. Something stirred within her as she looked into his eyes.

  “You say you’re the daughter of the governor of He Fang? What proof do you have?”

  His question jolted Margaret back to reality. She fumbled in her pocket and pulled out a fishbone token. “This was given to me by my father. If you give this to him, he’ll know I’m here!”

  Watching the young man take the token, Margaret anxiously awaited his response; her life hung in the balance.

  At that moment, she noticed something chilling—the young man was looking at her with one eye while the other was focused on the token.

  Terrified, Margaret hugged herself tightly, biting her lip.

  “How did you escape?” The sudden question startled her.

  “I was captured and held for a long time, but one night, a sister saved me. I don’t know who she was; she wore clothes like mine and looked like me.”

  As she spoke, she noticed the young man frowning, seemingly lost in thought.

  Desperately, she pleaded again, “Sir, can you take me back? If you return me, my father will reward you handsomely.”

  “Sure, I’ve been waiting for you to say that. Now I have funding for my adventure.”

  Confused, Margaret was taken to wash and change into loose clothing.

  When she emerged from the bathing area, her true beauty was on display, and she felt the dark gazes of the men on the ship.

  Instinctively, she quickened her pace back to the young man. No matter how cold he was, being near him made her feel safe.

  “Can you write?”

  “Yes…”

  “Good, write a letter to your father.”

  Joy blossomed on Margaret’s face; she thought she had found a good person. But the second half of the young man’s statement sent a chill down her spine.

  “Just tell him a kind-hearted person saved you, and you promised to give me 500,000 echoes as a reward.”

  Margaret took the pen and began to write. No matter what, she was going home, back to that place filled with light.

  After writing, she respectfully handed the letter to the young man. When he told her to leave, a sense of fear crept over her.

  “Sir… can I stay by your side?” She didn’t know who he was, but she felt safe with him.

  At that moment, her stomach growled in protest. Embarrassed, she lowered her head at the young man’s glance.

  In the mess hall, faced with various simple foods, Margaret almost cried. Since her capture, she hadn’t eaten this well.

  Suddenly, an idea struck her. She glanced at the young man beside her and discreetly stuffed some bread into her pocket.

  After the meal, Margaret sneaked onto the deck and quickly pulled out the food from her pocket. The starving slaves rushed to grab what they could.

  Don’t expect the sailors to have treated them well; surviving was a blessing.

  “Why are you giving them food?” A voice suddenly appeared behind her. She turned around to see the captain.

  “Because being hungry feels terrible. I’m full, but they’re still starving.”

  “If you ask your father for more money, I can make sure they eat better.”

  “Really? Sir, you’re such a good person!” Margaret exclaimed, jumping with excitement.

  “A good person? Ha, maybe.”

  Just as Margaret felt a surge of happiness, thinking no one would go hungry again, she suddenly saw a bright spot on the sea.

  The light approached rapidly; it was a massive ship nearly a hundred meters long, adorned with a huge white triangle on its hull.