Elizabeth's thoughts weren't hard to guess. After Ethan reappeared, the adventurous young lady's itch for excitement returned, and she wanted to go with Ethan to experience more wondrous things.
"Elizabeth."
Governor Swann, who knew his daughter very well, didn't even need to wait for her to speak. Just seeing her expression, he immediately guessed what she was thinking and wanted to dissuade her.
But the Elizabeth of today was no longer the same girl who used to pretend to be obedient.
Ever since she secretly ran off on an adventure last time, and instead of getting together with Commodore Norrington as her father wished, she started a romantic relationship with the young blacksmith Will Turner, Elizabeth realized how much her father doted on her. She no longer felt the need to hide her true thoughts from him.
Will Turner also looked at his fiancée with a worried expression. It wasn't that he was unhappy about her being too close to another man. Ethan's presence didn't lead him to think in that direction at all. He just instinctively wanted to keep his distance from such a "special" existence.
Ethan didn't express an opinion. He knew Elizabeth wanted to go on another adventure, and he didn't mind.
"Next, we're going to find Jack."
"Jack? That pirate?"
Before Elizabeth could speak, Governor Swann had already voiced strong opposition.
"No, absolutely not."
Associating with a pirate was something he could never accept.
This was entirely reasonable. No one understood better than Governor Swann, as the Governor of Port Royal, what kind of people pirates were in this era.
Port Royal was the most important port in the Caribbean. European merchant ships coming to the Caribbean, or Caribbean merchant ships heading to Europe, would all stop at Port Royal.
Port Royal was the primary trade hub of the entire Caribbean.
Such a place accumulated vast wealth from the Caribbean region, naturally attracting the attention of countless pirates.
Even though pirates rarely attacked heavily fortified port cities directly, the merchant ships that docked there often brought tales of pirate brutality.
As Governor, Swann had read and heard far too many reports and firsthand testimonies about the atrocities committed by pirates. These included written records and survivors' oral accounts. In all of them, pirates were portrayed as villains who deserved to die a thousand deaths.
Under such circumstances, how could he possibly accept his daughter associating with a pirate?
"Jack is a bit different from other pirates…" Before Elizabeth could explain, Ethan spoke first. "I don't even know if he should be considered a pirate. He's more like a traditional maritime adventurer."
Maritime adventurers often dabbled in piracy, but there was no need to point that out now.
Governor Swann's expression turned strange. Maybe he couldn't understand why Ethan was speaking on behalf of a pirate, or perhaps he felt that Ethan was subtly warning him not to oppose Elizabeth going out.
Will Turner had similar thoughts. If he hadn't considered it before, he was now slightly suspicious that this man, who might be an angel, had taken a liking to his fiancée.
Competing with an angel for a woman sounded like something out of a legend, but Will just felt terribly uncomfortable.
While Will was lost in thought and Governor Swann's expression kept shifting, Elizabeth kept pestering Ethan about his plan. Was he going to find a ship and go to sea? She thought Ethan's arrival in Port Royal to find her meant he wanted her help acquiring a ship.
"A warship is unlikely. We can charter an empty merchant ship."
As soon as the topic of adventure came up, Elizabeth became especially lively. Last time, she had spent several months at sea, and although she had been a little tired by the end, she missed the excitement now that she was back to her peaceful home life.
But now that she had returned to that quiet life, she was starting to miss the thrill of maritime adventure again.
"No need for all that trouble." Ethan waved his hand. He no longer needed to rely on ships to find Jack. Besides, he wasn't planning to waste too much time in this world. Trying to track down Jack, who was constantly moving around at sea, using ships from this era would take far too long. "Remember the amulet I gave you two? It allows me to pinpoint your location."
"And then?"
Elizabeth didn't quite understand what Ethan meant. After pinpointing the location, wouldn't they still need to travel by ship? Was Ethan planning to 'whoosh' and fly straight to Jack?
Uh… that might not be impossible.
"Then I can use teleportation magic to go to the location of the amulet."
Elizabeth swallowed. That sounded incredible, but she didn't think Ethan was lying to her—he had absolutely no reason to.
Governor Swann forgot all about Jack's identity as a pirate. His thoughts were focused on something else entirely. "This lord really is that kind of being, isn't he?" No matter how he looked at it, this wasn't something a human could do.
Will Turner was the least familiar with Ethan. He still had some doubts in his heart, but he couldn't see what Ethan would gain from bluffing. He didn't need to deceive him, did he? He couldn't possibly be deliberately bragging to Elizabeth just to look impressive, could he? He didn't seem like that kind of person.
"If you're worried…" Ethan looked at Will Turner. "This gentleman can come along too."
Ethan didn't invite Will just because he was feeling generous. He had suddenly remembered that he still owed Jack an unfulfilled promise.
Back then, he had promised to help Jack reclaim the Black Pearl and resolve his trouble with Davy Jones, in exchange for Jack using his compass to help him find the Fountain of Youth and Blackbeard.
Now, the Black Pearl had been returned to Jack, but Davy Jones hadn't been dealt with yet.
Speaking of Davy Jones, Ethan also remembered that Will Turner's father, William Turner, was currently serving aboard the Flying Dutchman. Would bringing his son to him count as doing a good deed?
As for Davy Jones? With Ethan's current strength, Davy Jones was no longer a real threat, not even a minor one. Ethan wasn't bringing Will Turner along to help him deal with Davy Jones, but because Elizabeth had a tendency to get into trouble. Having Will with her meant there would at least be someone to look after her.
The matter was settled. No matter how unwilling Governor Swann was, he couldn't stop Elizabeth from setting out on another seafaring adventure.
The only silver lining was that he no longer had to worry about his daughter's safety. With Will watching over her, surely she wouldn't be taken advantage of by a pirate, right?
Just as Elizabeth ran off to change clothes, Ethan suddenly tossed something into Governor Swann's hands.
Although Governor Swann wasn't young, his reflexes were still sharp. Although he didn't catch it cleanly at first, he didn't let it fall either. After fumbling a few times, he finally caught the inconspicuous object.
"This is…?"
"An amulet." Ethan briefly explained its function. "This item can protect your safety. If you face mortal danger, it will send me a signal and I'll teleport you to me immediately to keep you out of harm's way."
Only then did Governor Swann realize how powerful this inconspicuous object really was. It was essentially a second life.
"Why are you giving this to me?"
This was what puzzled him. As the Governor of Port Royal, did he really need this?
"You are a good man who abides by the rules. But not everyone in this world is so principled."
Ethan simply didn't trust Beckett's character. Although the man had been frightened into submission earlier, who could guarantee he wouldn't cause trouble later?
"Elizabeth will be very safe with me. No one can hurt her. Will is going with her, so nothing will happen to him either. The only one who might be in danger is you. I wouldn't want to return with Elizabeth only to be greeted by a cold corpse."
If someone died, even if Ethan tore Beckett to pieces, it would only be an emotional outlet. It wouldn't change the fact that the person had died.
Although Ethan had the ability to summon souls and resurrect the dead, it was best not to use it unless absolutely necessary. Deities existed in this Caribbean world, and he didn't want to offend some powerful being and end up having to flee again.
So, as far as possible, he didn't want to reveal his resurrection methods. The best scenario was that Beckett was completely terrified and didn't dare to act, and Weatherby Swann continued to serve peacefully as governor.
If Beckett really made a move, Ethan had made preparations in advance so he wouldn't feel too disgusted by the man. For Ethan now, even Beckett using his full strength could only cause minor trouble, and then he'd suffer Ethan's retaliation.
Weatherby Swann didn't know what Ethan was thinking, and even if he did, he wouldn't care. No matter Ethan's intentions, he had genuinely given him a safeguard. If danger came, he could use this thing to save his life. At that point, did Ethan's original motive even matter?
"Thank you very much, sir."
Before Governor Swann could say more, Elizabeth reappeared—now dressed for travel, fully armed, and carrying her luggage. She casually handed Will a large bag, clearly packed for him, even including a finely crafted sword.
It was obvious that Elizabeth had been eager for another adventure for a long time. Even without Ethan, she probably wouldn't have been able to stay put much longer.
"Since you're ready, let's go."
Ethan located Jack's position, motioned for Elizabeth and Will to stand beside him, and then activated his teleportation magic.
(To be continued.)