Good, things are developing as I hoped.
Respond passively, reveal identity passively, and do not give the impression of active participation, to avoid inducing hostility from that unknown Beyonder to the greatest extent possible.
Putting away his wandering thoughts, Lex stood up, and responded naturally, "Exactly, my father is Baron Bison Disraeli. As I told Joyce before, upon arriving at the port, I will contact my father and have him commission a lawyer to defend us."
Lex tried his best to appear righteous, "Gentlemen, including myself, have participated in more than one dangerous battle."
"Although, in those battles, our hands were stained with blood. But its essence is righteous, it is an act of defending our own lives, and I cannot tolerate such things being equated with crime."
"I will have the lawyer strive to get us the justice we deserve and protect our reputation. We are not murderers!"
Joyce clutched his pocket watch, clutching this important item, and echoed, "Mr. Lex is right, we are not murderers, we don't have to flee, we don't need to hide!"
"We should receive fair treatment!"
In the dining room, people were infected by Lex and Joyce's words and responded one after another.
Seeing this, the captain pressed his hands down slightly, motioning for everyone to be quiet, and then said, "In that case, we will head to Enmat Port."
Upon hearing the captain's decision, a burst of cheers erupted in the dining room.
After the cheering subsided, Lex cleared his throat, pressed his top hat, and spoke to the blonde, hawk-nosed youth with an embarrassed and slightly apologetic tone.
"Joyce, I wonder if you would be willing to move into the first-class cabin. My bodyguards and servants are all dead."
"The room suddenly seems a bit empty, and I always feel uneasy living alone."
He then looked at the captain, "Also, I am very concerned about what happened in that second-class cabin last night. I always feel that those madmen are not all dead, and perhaps one or two are still hiding somewhere on the ship."
The experienced captain easily understood Lex's meaning from his expression and words.
'I am very scared, I need protection!'
Considering that he was a noble young master, such a reaction was quite normal.
The captain was about to ask if anyone else would be willing to move to the first-class cabin to protect this important person, who concerned the future of everyone on board.
The burly man from before stood up, "Young Master Lex, if you don't mind, I would like to move over as well."
"My name is Brando, a former Royal Army sergeant. I participated in the colonial war on the South Continent, and my skills have not deteriorated."
"To go home and see my two lovely children, I swear I will do my best to protect you."
Clearly, the captain was not the only one who understood Lex's subtext.
Lex, half-genuinely and half-feignedly, said cheerfully, "That's wonderful, Mr. Brando. During our time on the ship, I will pay you accordingly with the salary of a temporary bodyguard."
"Of course, that will be after we disembark. After all, my wallet is already in the hands of that King of the Five Seas."
Brando was somewhat surprised but still waved his hand, "No, no, no, you hiring a lawyer to defend us has already helped us all a great deal, how can I still accept payment?"
Lex insisted, "Please accept it, Mr. Brando, these are two different matters."
"Then, alright. Thank you for your generosity."
Brando no longer refused, because of the King of the Five Seas's visit, he had lost all his possessions. And he still had two children to support, with a temporary bodyguard's salary to compensate, at least after returning home, this salary would be enough to sustain him until he found his next job.
Seeing Brando agree, Lex also breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that he had completed the second step of his plan, to 'show weakness' to the Beyonder hiding in the crowd.
This point was very important.
Throughout the entire incident, the unidentified Beyonder did not let everyone on the ship die. Lex believed that if he wanted to, he should have been able to do so.
Therefore, for him, allowing a small portion of people to survive might have been for some kind of need.
Under this premise, as long as he did not show a threat, he would most likely be ignored.
So, how could he make himself seem unthreatening?
That was, naturally, to 'show weakness'.
Based on the above judgment, the performance just now came about.
With the itinerary already decided and Lex providing legal aid, people seemed to see a bright future, and the atmosphere in the dining room changed from its previous heaviness to one of joy and enthusiasm.
After Lex finished his breakfast, he returned to his cabin with Joyce and Brando.
The two of them went back to their own rooms to pack their belongings, and would move to the first-class cabin later.
Lex returned to his room alone. Shortly after he closed the door and took off his top hat, a knock sounded.
"So fast?"
He did not put on his top hat, nor did he pick up his cane. Lex opened the door, only to see that it was not Joyce and his companion knocking, but a round-faced youth.
Tris.
"Mr. Lex, I'm here to thank you," the very amiable Tris said with a smile.
Lex quickly stepped back two paces, "Please come in, Mr. Tris."
Tris walked into the room, surveying the surroundings, and sincerely exclaimed, "As expected of a first-class cabin, it's very large, luxurious, and grand."
Lex said jokingly, "If you like it, you can also move in, there are still rooms left anyway."
"Really?"
Tris's smile was gentle, and his eyes showed a thoughtful expression, as if he was carefully considering Lex's suggestion.
Seeing him like this, Lex regretted it.
Originally, Lex only wanted to invite Joyce alone, and later Brando joined, which was already somewhat different from his expectation.
You know, he was a man with 'secrets'.
With too many people around, Lex would not be able to summon that mysterious ancient book, making it impossible to conduct research. If Tris were added, Lex could foresee that he would not be able to do anything during the rest of this voyage.
"Thank you for your invitation, but I prefer to live alone."
Fortunately, Tris declined, which made Lex secretly breathe a sigh of relief.
But on the surface, he still put on a look of regret, "Well, that's a shame, I thought I'd have a chance to spend time with you."
"In the past few days, your courage has been admirable, and I very much hope to make a friend like you."
Tris chuckled and said, "I'm also very happy to form a friendship with a nobleman."
"Speaking of which, I sincerely thank you."
"Thank you, Mr. Lex. Thank you for the legal assistance you provided. If it weren't for you, we might really have to consider going to the City of Generosity."
Lex smiled and shook his head, "Compared to what you did for us, I only did something insignificant."
"You are truly humble."
Tris paused, and the smile on his round face gradually disappeared, "Mr. Lex, I wonder if you have this feeling."
"I always feel that this disaster is Beyonder. Behind the incident, I vaguely smell a Conspiracy."
Yes, yes, yes, that's what I think too.
Lex almost blurted it out, exposing his true feelings.
Fortunately, he restrained this impulse in time and changed his words, "Why do you say that?"
"Don't you think it's abnormal?"
Tris retorted, "Originally, after being plundered by pirates, we should have worked together and united to overcome the difficulties."
"But suddenly, the crew and Sailors started fighting among themselves over a small matter, and the situation rapidly deteriorated. In a short period of time, it escalated into a bloody incident, leading to the subsequent events becoming completely uncontrollable."
Thoughts flashed through Lex's mind one by one.
Why is he looking for me to discuss this?
Could it be that Tris is an Beyonder? Is he the mastermind? Is he testing me?
Lex was startled by this thought, but then he felt it was impossible.
Until now, the Beyonder factor was just a guess for him, he had not yet been able to confirm it.
And if there really was an Beyonder involved, this person had never appeared, always hiding behind the scenes.
Why would he suddenly appear on his own just to test himself?
Perhaps Tris is his accomplice.
Perhaps Tris was guided by him.
But no matter what, I must be vigilant. Perhaps Tris's appearance is to test my thoughts.
"Now that you mention it, I also feel that this whole thing is unusual."
"But"
Lex shrugged his shoulders and spread his hands, saying, "Let the police worry about such things. I just want to get to shore safely now, and I won't consider anything else."
Directly denying it would seem too deliberate.
Agreeing with Tris's point of view, but not wanting to delve deeper, and protecting oneself, was the behavior of a normal person.
Bang, bang, bang!
A knock sounded, it must be Joyce and his companion. Lex secretly thought 'perfect timing' and smiled as he got up, "Please wait a moment, I'll open the door."
Tris, however, got up with him, "No, I still have things to do, goodbye."
"Then I'll see you out."
Lex escorted him to the door and opened it. Outside were indeed Joyce and Brando.
They were a little surprised to see Tris, exchanged a few pleasantries, and then Tris turned and left.
Once the young man's figure disappeared around the corner, Lex retracted his gaze and raised his hand in an 'invitation' gesture, "Come on, gentlemen, let me show you all the rooms here, and you can choose the one you like."
---July 1st.----
Sunday.
Enmat Port was as lively as ever. As one of the coastal ports of the Loen Kingdom, ships departed or returned here every day.
On a passenger ship that had returned yesterday, several Sailors were cleaning the deck.
A Sailor straightened up to rest and suddenly squinted his eyes.
He saw a passenger ship with sails raised but also emitting steam, preparing to enter the port.
He also saw a pattern on that ship. It was composed of multiple purple, spirally arranged, clustered flowers.
That was the Alfalfa's symbol!