The mist had already dispersed, and the captain recognized the two standing before him: "It's actually Mr. Rhode and Miss Mirajane!"
"Hello, is anyone injured?" Mira smiled gently, looking completely different from her appearance during the battle just now.
If it weren't for what he'd just witnessed with his own eyes, the captain would never believe she was someone who could take down a large ship with a single punch.
"Thanks to your timely support, we have no personnel losses." The captain had already accounted for everyone, and the two most seriously injured were those who hadn't steadied themselves during the ship's shaking and ended up with bruised knees.
"That's good. May I ask if your destination is Antilu Leina Mu? If it's convenient, we'd also like to hitch a ride back."
"Convenient, extremely convenient! We're going there to deliver goods, and the ship needs repairs too." The captain was eager for the opportunity to travel with these two.
The captain looked slightly puzzled at the crystal ball in Rhode's hand. "By the way, I remember both of you should be from the Fairy Tail Guild, why..."
Rhode said, "We're vacationing here lately. It just so happens that today, all capable mages from Mermaid's Heel went out, so we came over to help temporarily."
"I see, we are indeed lucky. Thank you both for your help! This time's reward will definitely be calculated according to the highest standard for sea rescue missions!"
The captain was acutely aware of how formidable that ghost ship was; the weapons on his own ship and the hired mages for escort had no way to deal with it.
Just moments ago, he was considering ordering the crew to abandon ship, which would not only lose all cargo but also their very livelihood.
Paying a high reward is definitely worth it.
Rhode hadn't had a chance to learn what the standard was, so he didn't discuss money, instead asking, "Didn't you hire mages for protection?"
"Um..." The captain's gaze drifted sideways.
Two individuals in their thirties stepped forward awkwardly: "That's us."
The one in the robe lifted his magic staff slightly and said, "I'm skilled in illusion techniques, useful against pirates and common sea beasts, but completely useless against that ship."
The other, a rugged man with a scraggly beard, displayed his keychain:
"My star spirits are the Compass, Aquila, and Aquila Constellations. My abilities lean towards navigational support. While I'm quite good at combat myself, such a massive creature..."
"Ah, I meant no offense." Rhode realized his earlier question sounded accusatory and quickly changed the subject. "A Star Spirit Mage, how rare!"
The rugged man chuckled and said, "It's embarrassing to admit, but even though I'm also summoning type, I'm far from reaching the level of someone like you, one of the Ten Wizard Saints."
"Captain, there are strange sea beasts following along either side of us!" the lookout reported. "They're purple crabs, and quite large!"
"What? Fire to drive them away, don't let them..."
The captain was about to say not to let those crabs get close to the ship's hull but was interrupted by Rhode:
"Those... they are Royal Crabs, creatures I summoned for escort."
"..." The captain shifted gears quickly and shouted, "Inform everyone, absolutely do not harm them!"
Just then, Rhode's hand suddenly transformed into a green dragon's claw, which he casually used to make a few gestures.
The captain was puzzled and was about to ask when a sailor ran up:
"Captain, something strange just happened. The water inside the cabin suddenly flowed out on its own, and although the hole wasn't sealed, the water no longer pours in."
The captain looked to Rhode: "Mr. Rhode?"
Rhode serenely reverted his hand: "Just a small effort."
Mira lightly patted Rhode, with a subtle smile; although his actions were cool, his attempt at being suave was quite overt.
The captain, however, didn't mind at all, his heart full of gratitude. From repelling enemies to escorting and then to repairs, they could help with it all; truly fitting to be one of the Ten Wizard Saints.
However, things weren't over yet as the lookout suddenly reported strange objects floating over, carrying boxes.
Rhode explained, "No need to worry, it's a ghost I summoned. Unfortunately, two boxes were damaged, the contents scattered too quickly and sunk, can't be helped."
Even if the River Crabs were dispatched, with only four pincers between two crabs, they couldn't retrieve so many loose items.
"Th-Thank you, really, thank you so much..." Comparing with the whole ship's merchandise, those few boxes weren't many, but the captain was somewhat moved.
—Mr. Rhode even considered such small matters? This is simply, simply...
What is the proper format for a thank you letter? The captain felt it necessary to write a good one and seek help to polish it, it should be written sincerely.
Seeing the captain arrange the subsequent work seamlessly, with nothing more for him to assist, Rhode inquired about the earlier ship.
"The legend of the ghost ship has always been around, some say it dates back at least 400 years, but recently tales seem to have surfaced more frequently."
The captain wasn't sure if it was his imagination; it seemed as if many had been attacked by the ghost ship last year, like there was news of it every other week.
"It always creates mist first, then fires aggressively until the ship breaks apart. Sometimes the people on board go down with the ship, but those who abandon ship mostly survive.
"The earliest legends say it's the vengeful spirit of a ship that was abandoned, hence it always attacks manned ships.
"In recent years, people say it's the spirit of old-fashioned sailboats, which resents our wind-independent vessels and chases them relentlessly whenever encountered."
"In that case, it does seem a bit pitiable," Mira, who had destroyed the ship herself, commented.
The captain disagreed. "Perhaps if one doesn't consider the victims."
"I feel it's not some undead creature." Rhode recalled the scene when the ghost ship vanished, "Though not like my magic, nor like Celestial Spirit Magic, it seemed like something summoned using magic."
"Magic?" The captain thought of a possibility and spoke with some concern, "You mean I was targeted by a mage?"
Rhode shook his head. "I can't be certain either, there are many victims, right? If you're worried, you could investigate any common traits among these people."
The captain dared not look into such matters, somewhat hopeful as he asked, "… Since Miss Mirajane already eliminated it, it should be fine, right?"
The Star Spirit Mage interjected, "No, if it truly is a summoned creature, even though Miss Mirajane's strike severely injured it, according to Summoning Magic rules, it will reappear after returning to its realm and resting for a time."
When put that way, the captain felt a bit unnerved again: "If... if I were to commission Mr. Rhode for investigation, how much would it cost?"
The captain understood the etiquette; a rescue is a rescue, an investigation is an investigation, they can't be mixed. To ask for Rhode's help again, he needed to re-commission him.
However, Rhode said, "Sorry, investigating this matter might require quite a long time, and I'm not planning to take on long-term tasks like this right now.
"You should commission Mermaid's Heel directly, they also have many excellent mages. If financially pressured, you could group up with several peers for a joint commission."
After all, this was Mermaid's Heel's territory; taking on one task could be considered helping or experiencing life.
But coaxing the client away would seem like provocation or stealing business.
These past days they'd gotten along quite well, and Rhode felt it unnecessary.