Chapter Fifty-Nine: The Treasure Chest

“Giant Chicken Beast, Mature Stage, Data Type, Special Move: Petrifying Flame.” Looking at the new card that had formed in his hand, Qin Fei revealed a satisfied smile.

From boarding the ship to taking down the Giant Chicken Beast, it had taken less than fifteen minutes in total. At this very moment, ownership of the ship had changed hands.

“We’ve searched the ship thoroughly but couldn’t find any Chosen Children, not even the Giant Chicken Beast...”

Coincidentally, Candlemon and the others arrived on the deck at that moment, looking at Qin Fei with some confusion. Wasn’t it this Chosen Child before them who said there would be others?

“Oh, I see. Maybe they haven’t boarded the ship yet.” Qin Fei replied offhandedly, then suddenly thought of something. Leisurely, he looked at them and asked, “Do any of you know how to steer a passenger ship?”

...

Watching Revolvermon standing at the helm on the deck, Qin Fei hadn’t expected it to possess such a skill. In hindsight, bringing them along wasn’t a bad deal after all.

LorettaBeast was already lounging on a deck chair by the pool, basking in the sun, while Black RoadBeast was happily spinning about in the cool water.

“So you guys took care of the Giant Chicken Beast just now?”

Upon hearing what had happened, Candlemon and OreBeast regarded Qin Fei and his party with even greater respect. In just the short time they had been gone, this child and his Digimon had eliminated the captain and seized control of this luxury liner.

“Will there be trouble with Ape Beast? After all, you just took out his subordinate.”

It was rare for Revolvermon to speak up at this moment, seeming still concerned about what Qin Fei and the others had done. Ape Beast was the overlord of these waters, and his formidable strength was enough to inspire fear in all the surrounding Digimon.

“Ape Beast? Unless I’m mistaken, he’s probably in a panic right about now.” Qin Fei smiled serenely. The communication screen not far from the ship, flickering with static, showed that Ape Beast’s surveillance system was experiencing major issues.

Just like in the original story, his equipment seemed to have been destroyed by Skullgreymon. At this point, he must be completely in the dark, unable to monitor anyone. Still, one couldn’t help but wonder if Nanomon had played a hand in this as well.

Noticing Candlemon, who seemed to be waiting for praise, Qin Fei pointed to the group of cowering Bukamon behind him and asked, “Are all the Bukamon on this ship here?”

“That should be all of them. OreBeast and I checked every corner of the ship.” Candlemon replied with certainty, even feeling a bit of pride as he looked at the other Bukamon, as if basking in borrowed glory.

Qin Fei got to his feet and walked over to the Bukamon huddled together, gazing down at them from above. “Do any of you know the Giant Chicken Beast’s original route?”

After a pause, he added, “I know you’re just working on this ship. If the route is correct, I can still give you the Bliili Taro and Brururu Melons that the Giant Chicken Beast promised.”

With this luxury liner, maybe the children would finally be able to get a real rest. As for himself, he was utterly exhausted and needed a break. It wasn’t that Qin Fei was petty, but compared to Candlemon and the other three Digimon he wasn’t familiar with from the anime, he found it easier to trust children like Taichi and the others, whose backgrounds he knew well.

“Yes—yes, I know the route the Giant Chicken Beast Captain originally took!”

Under the promise of reward and the threat of punishment, a few Bukamon finally stepped forward.

“Excellent. If the route checks out, everything stays the same. Keep doing what you’ve been doing. But if you see a child like me, come report immediately.”

With that, Qin Fei went straight to the captain’s quarters—the place the Giant Chicken Beast had always occupied.

With LorettaBeast, Candlemon, and the others watching, those little guys wouldn’t be able to stir up any trouble.

“Creak—”

Pushing open the heavy door to the captain’s quarters, Qin Fei’s eyes lit up instantly.

A large, exquisitely crafted treasure chest stood before him.

“LorettaBeast! Come here a moment.”

“What do you want?”

“There’s something good here.”

“Tch.”

Seeing LorettaBeast’s reluctant approach, Qin Fei could only pull her over at once.

“Help me cut off this lock.”

“Will there really be something good inside?”

“There definitely will!”

“Then we split it fifty-fifty.”

“Tsk, come on, what kind of relationship do we have? Do we really need to divide things so clearly?” Qin Fei looked at LorettaBeast in annoyance.

“What kind of relationship do you think we have? Say something that satisfies me and I’ll help.”

Hearing his words, LorettaBeast bared her sharp little fangs in a slightly meaningful challenge.

“Uh, um...”

Faced with LorettaBeast’s strange question, Qin Fei actually found himself a bit conflicted.

“My... precious darling?”

LorettaBeast: “...”

“Yah!”

“Ah!”

“Bang.” “Click.”

Watching LorettaBeast throw him over her shoulder and then dash away, Qin Fei grimaced in pain.

And just as she rushed out, Qin Fei seemed to catch a glimpse of her ears, flushed bright red.

Whether from embarrassment or annoyance, he couldn’t tell.

“Hiss—come on, I was just joking, did she really have to go that far?”

After complaining, Qin Fei got up, only to discover that the sturdy metal lock on the ornate chest had somehow been severed.

“She’s really getting a bit tsundere. Tsk tsk tsk, could it be she actually likes being called that?”

Thinking this, Qin Fei couldn’t help laughing and shook his head. Maybe he was overthinking—it still hurt like hell where she’d thrown him just now.

“Let’s see what’s inside.”

Rubbing his hands together, Qin Fei felt the thrill of opening a mystery box.

But when he finally opened the chest, his expression fell noticeably.

Inside was nothing but a box of oddly shaped fruits, resembling taro and melon.

“I thought it’d be some kind of treasure, but it’s just food.”

He picked one up without interest, and closed the chest again.

“Forget it, better not risk an upset stomach. I’ll look in the ship’s kitchen to see if there’s anything to eat.”

Eyeing the strange fruit in his hand, Qin Fei hesitated, closing his mouth again. He definitely didn’t want a stomachache at a time like this.

He slipped the odd fruit into his pocket and left the captain’s quarters.

“I’m heading to the kitchen. What do you all want to eat?”

At the top of the stairs to the deck, Qin Fei turned to ask LorettaBeast, Candlemon, and the others.

“Vegetable and meat salad.” “Pancakes.” “Beer!”

The Digimon weren’t shy at all, and Revolvermon even asked for a beer.

“I want barbecue—the largest portion!” LorettaBeast called out as well, no longer showing any hint of her earlier embarrassment. But with her back turned, Qin Fei couldn’t see her expression.

“What a hassle. Shouldn’t have asked.”

Before long, Qin Fei, heading down the stairs, suddenly reappeared from below deck. “It’s too much trouble. You all go eat in the dining hall yourselves. I’ve already passed your orders on to the Bukamon.”

“But, I did happen to find a beer.”

With that, Qin Fei tossed the can of beer to Revolvermon. As the only Digimon who could pilot the ship, it was a well-deserved reward.

“Thank you.”

Catching the beer, Revolvermon pondered for a moment before speaking quietly.

“I’m going to get some sleep now. LorettaBeast, I’ll leave the watch to you.”

Sprawled out on a sun lounger, exhaustion swept over Qin Fei’s mind. After a sleepless night and a day’s journey, he was thoroughly spent.

But as he drifted off, he seemed to see LorettaBeast leaning in close to his face.